Talk Business

W W W . T A L K B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K
FOR THE ENTREPRENEUR
November 2013 £4.50
BY THE ENTREPRENEUR
Trunki titan hits two
million sales
The Dragons dubbed Trunki worthless – Rob
Law reveals how he bounced back from
Den disaster
Alan Sugar’s
first apprentice
Series one winner Tim Campbell talks about
life after TV stardom and his new venture
Young people
need you
Youth unemployment at 958,000 –
how can SMEs help?

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This morning, Tim viewed the
latest digital issue of Talk Business
Magazine, on his tablet
- Discover the best way to market my business ✓
W W W . T A L K B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K
Compatible with

iNSIDE
11 Editor’s letter
13 Letters
14 News & events
TALK Success
18 It’s not wheelie rubbish
Founder and creator of Trunki ride on
suitcases for kids, Rob Law
25 The Business Show
Preview
30 Lord Sugar’s first apprentice
The Apprentice update
32 Take one company
Keep It Kind
35 Introducing…
TB grills a young up-and-comer
37 Book reviews
146 He said/she said
What are the entrepreneurs saying
this month?
talk MONEY
18
41 The funding expert
Hop in your chopper
43 Buying vs. starting a
business
Setting up shop
47 A day in the life
Diary of a Start Up Loan recipient
49 Before you sign on the
dotted line…
Shareholder agreements
51 Free holiday? Think again
The Bribery Act
TALK strategy
53 The branding column
Rich With
54 Invest in our youth
Apprenticeships and internships
58 Thames Valley Expo
Preview
62 Help is out there
Business Launch Pad
67 Great customer service
pays off
Adam Caplan
71 The sales doctor
Solving your sales problems
73 Support Charlie’s bill
Apprenticeship scheme
talk MARKETING
75 The marketing column
Kimberly Davis
77 The death of Facebook
Are young people fed up with
social media?
79 Ten steps of Twitter
Step one: quantity not quality
81 Do texts work in marketing?
SMS
talk people
87 The people column
Lee McQueen
88 Secret diary of an
entrepreneur
A week in the life of Buttons
children’s parties
91 The daily grind
Q&A with chief executive of eZe-Talk
Telecoms
93 Recruit right
HR Insight
95 eCommerce Expo 2013
Events
54
30
Talk image
97 Gee, thanks
Top ten: bad corporate gifts
98 Look the business: time
machines
Fashion
102 Hot spots
Locations for SMEs
105 We love…
Christmas corporate gifting
talk technology
107 Our man in the valley
David Richards’ tech column
109 Digitally closing the gap
Remote working
111 Pick up the phone
Phone vs. email
114 The social media minefield
Social media law
119 I’ve got an app for that…
Our fave business apps
120 Samsung vs. HP
Battle of the chromebooks
TALK FRANCHISE
123 Franchise news
127 Spotlight
Musical Minis
129 The fran man
Relationships
131 Take one franchisee
Interface Financial Group (IFG)
talk aDVICE
132 Midas Media
134 Simplify the law
136 NBSL
139 Who’s off?
142 Kyocera
144 Talk Business directory

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editor’s
letter
Young people
Scan this QR code to subscribe to Talk Business
EDITOR
Dawn Murden
dawn.murden@astongreenlake.com
DESIGN
Paul Christopher Daniels
paul.daniels@astongreenlake.com
Heather Rugeley
heather.rugeley@astongreenlake.com
WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Mitchell Finlay
mitchell.finlay@astongreenlake.com
SALES AND MARKETING
MANAGER
Scott Hartley
scott.hartley@astongreenlake.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Damien Ward
damien.ward@astongreenlake.com
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Trystan Hurley
trystan.hurley@astongreenlake.com
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Jay Boisvert
jay@astongreenlake.com
Circulation/subscriptions:
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©Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
No part of Talk Business may be reproduced,
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can be subject to a variation of up to 15 per cent,
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Printed by
need you
Youth unemployment
in the UK is a huge
concern. According
to the Office for
National Statistics
there are 958,000 young
people not in employment,
education or training. The
overall unemployment rate
of the country has become a
key economic indicator for
the Bank of England, which its
recently appointed governor
Mark Carney is targeting.
The unemployment rate has
decreased slightly, but trade
unions have criticised the slow
change, and Dave Prentis, If you’re reluctant to take on
general secretary of Unison, has a young person, think again.
said “young people are being let Some of the best entrepreneurs
down” by the Government. started in their youth;
As an SME, how can you Richard Branson pursued his
help? Well, according to the first business venture at 16,
Federation of Small Businesses while founder of Facebook,
(FSB), if just 50% of Europe’s Mark Zuckerberg started
SMEs employed one person, it programming when he was just
would create an additional 10 12 years old. Rob Law, our Face
million jobs.
on the Cover on page 18, came
Only 2% of A Level (or up with the idea for his ride-on
equivalent) achievers, and suitcase, Trunki aged 19, while
4% of school leavers are in he was at university. Now he
apprenticeships. And there is a turns over £6.1 million.
21% unemployment rate for 18- On top of that we have
24 year olds. Young people need plenty more interviews with
more options.
successful entrepreneurs, and
Could you take on an intern tons of SME advice and tips.
or apprentice? Turn to page 54
to read how they can benefit Take care of business for now.
your company, young people’s
lives and the economy.
There are plenty of
successful entrepreneurs who
recognise how important
apprenticeships are. Turn
to page 73 to read about the Dawn Murden, editor
apprentice bill Charlie Mullins,
founder of Pimlico Plumbers
– who was once an apprentice
@TalkBusinessMag
himself – is fighting to get
through Government.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
11

Contributors
& LETTERS
Our
regulars
Lee McQueen won series
four of BBC’s The Apprentice
and now runs Raw
Talent Academy, a sales
recruitment and training
company. It encourages
organisations to look at the
wider raw talent in the UK,
not just graduates.
Lee, who has more
than 12 years’ experience
working in recruitment
and eight years as an
employer of sales people, is
passionate about giving job
seekers an opportunity to
earn a career.
He’s a proud father
of three daughters and
a Tottenham Hotspur
Football Club supporter too.
Kimberly Davis is a highly
accomplished marketing
expert, author, and speaker.
She is founder of
Sarsaparilla Marketing
– its name comes from
Kimberly’s fascination
with the 1940’s; the music,
the Hollywood glamour,
the swinging dance moves
and the optimism. It helps
established businesses,
SMEs, start-ups, business
owners, and employees,
and has a very different
approach to marketing.
Strong opinions and
a determination to
restore credibility to an
unregulated industry
have earned Kimberly a
reputation as “the antimarketing
marketer”.
David Richards is the
CEO and co-founder of
WANdisco. He has more
than 15 years’ experience
as an executive in the
software industry, and
sits on both boards and
advisory boards of Silicon
Valley start-up ventures.
He is a veteran of
several successful start-up
companies in enterprise
software and is recognised
as an industry leader in both
EAI and EAI Standards.
He has spoken and
written widely about
standards in application
integration and the
adoption of open-source
technologies. Follow David
on Twitter @davidrichards
Tony Morris is a sales
trainer and co-founder
of the Sales Doctor. He
has more than 14 years’
experience in sales, both
B2B and B2C, and has
trained more than 1,500
sales professionals in
a variety of industries.
Alongside his business
partner, Tony set up the
Sales Doctor in May 2006.
He started by cold calling
to generate appointments,
and within the first year,
the Sales Doctor had 56
clients; this has continued
to grow year on year.
Tony’s ethos: you can sell
any product or service with
the right attitude and a well
planned call structure.
Read his column about his
Employability Academy on
page 87.
Read her verdict on
companies giving before
receiving on page 75.
Read his column discussing
the UK’s digital future on
page 107.
Turn to page 71 to read
his answer to a tricky
question about a move into a
sales career.
12 NOVEMBER 2013

MAILBOX
If you’d like to send us your thoughts about Talk Business, or
anything else that’s happening on the SME scene, just get in touch:
email: dawn.murden@astongreenlake.com
snail mail: Aston Greenlake, 6 Mitre Passage, 8 th floor,
Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 0ER
This month our readers are going mad for female entrepreneurs, and telling us what they’d
like to see more of... We’ve taken note!
Women have brains and uteruses
Wow! What an inspirational issue last month. It was
really refreshing reading about great entrepreneurial
women. I loved Karren Brady’s quote: ‘Women have
brains and uteruses and are able to use both.’
I have noted down some of her great tips for
my business too.
Kind regards,
Emma Robinson
Food for thought
We own a small café in Somerset, which we are looking
to expand. I haven’t read about any SME owners of cafés,
restaurants or bars in your magazine for quite some time. Can
you please print some inspirational stories/advice about the
hospitality industry?
Thanks,
Mr and Mrs Frederick
Owners of a petite café in Taunton
Business confidence
LETTER OF
THE MONTH
Dear Editor,
The recent BDO report suggesting that business confidence is at
its highest level since April 2010, comes as little surprise to SME
business leaders. Indeed, members of MD2MD have continually
remained optimistic about their own businesses and in early
summer, forecast a recovery for UK business, three months ahead
of media announcements regarding increased optimism. This is
extremely encouraging, but we must tread carefully as we cross
the field of recovery to avoid the mines hidden by the now rapidly
growing green shoots.
Tweets
0F the
month...
@TheBusinessShow @TalkBusinessMag
Brilliant!!!! See you next month!! Jan :o)
@fikayecofashion Wow
@TalkBusinessMag the competition has
had so many RT :-)
@TalkBusinessMag RT and follow and
you could #win an Eco Fashion Wallet
from UK entrepreneur @fikayecofashion
& @AlibabaTalk_UK
@DoodleDirect Good morning everyone!
An interesting read while sipping on your
morning coffee from @TalkBusinessMag
@STLemma ‘Where are all the
female #biz owners?’ asked
@TalkBusinessMag juggling, I expect!
At least our #freelegalsupport help 2
keep plates spinning!
@abride2bee @TalkBusinessMag
loved reading the October edition.
Women #entrepreneurs are
inspirational! Encourage more female
entrepreneurial spirit plz
@KaramelandBrown It is really
inspiring to read about inspiring female
entrepreneurs in @TalkBusinessMag.
@karren_brady is such an inspiration
to us all
Yours faithfully,
Bob Bradley
Chairman
MD2MD
@Natalie_Green_ “Women have
brains and uteruses and are able to
use both” >> Love it @TalkBusinessMag
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
13

NEWS &
EVENTS
Dates for the diary
Business Junction
Networking Events
13 November
The Don Restaurant,
Cannon Street
14 November
MWB Business Exchange, Victoria
21 November
Wood Street, Moorgate
businessjunction.co.uk
National Sales Awards
7 November
Troxy, London
nationalsalesawards.com
Southampton Business Show
7 November
Ageas Bowl, Southampton
southamptonbusinessshow.co.uk
Franchise South
9 November
Ageas Bowl, Southampton
franchisesouth.co.uk
National Business Awards
12 November
Grosvenor House, London
nationalbusinessawards.co.uk
New Start Scotland
14-15 November
SECC, Glasgow
newstartscotland.com
Thames Valley Expo
21 November
Museum of the Great Western
Railway, Swindon
thamesvalleyexpo.co.uk
Sterling Integrity
22 November
Village Hotel, Swansea
http://sterlingintegrity.
co.uk/22nd-november-2013-
swansea-2/
Telecoms Tech World
26-27 November
Olympia, London
telecomstechworld.com
The Business Show
28-29 November
Olympia, London
greatbritishbusinessshow.co.uk
National survey launched to explore leadership styles
THE NATIONAL VOLUNTARY
movement, Engage for Success has
launched an online survey to find out
what SMEs are doing about engagement.
The organisation is aimed at
increasing awareness about the power
and potential of employee engagement
across all sectors of industry.
The initiative is being managed by
the organisation’s Engagement in SMEs
sub-group, which is led by independent
consultant, Michelle Bailey.
She said: ‘Regardless of size,
when organisations create the right
environment for their people it
can make the difference between
success and failure.
‘Disengaged staff aren’t the people
who win new business and they
aren’t the ones giving great service to
customers – they not only waste time
and resources, they drain energy and
vitality from those working with them,
including customers.
‘We want to understand what small
and medium sized organisations are
doing to motivate and engage their
people; have they even heard of
engagement, do they think it would
help their business?’
The survey can be carried out online
and is open to any organisation with
between 10-250 employees. The
questionnaire can be found at 3ease.com
14 NOVEMBER 2013

TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF
BUSINESS FINANCE SEMINAR
Delivered by Aisha Ejaz, Managing Director NBSL
Thursday, 28th November 2013 | Hall 9 - 13:15 – 13:45
Are you seeking finance? Have you approached financiers and been turned
away? With a number of ‘Sources of Finance’ now available to SMEs, it is
important to ensure the right finance is sought for the business. Successfully
securing finance comes down to a few key considerations whether the
financier is a Bank, a Business Angel, or a Crowd. The Seminar will discuss
key points to address when approaching various financiers.
We’ll be on Stand 556. Talk to us about your business needs and let us help
your venture succeed. Tweet us now @NoorBiz using #BeBizSmart and let
us know you’ll be dropping by. See you there!
Buy your free tickets at www.greatbritishbusinessshow.co.uk
NOOR BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED
Address: 3 Shortlands, London, W6 8DA
Tel: 020 8144 2725 | Email: info@noorbizservices.co.uk
Twitter: @NoorBiz | facebook.com/NoorBiz
www.noorbizservices.co.uk
Member of The Federation
of Small Businesses (FSB)

Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock.com
Winter cost UK
SMEs £174m
ACCORDING TO THE Federation of
Small Businesses (FSB), the March 2013
“freeze” cost the UK’s small businesses
£174 million – which equals an average
loss of £1,580 for each company.
Last year the winter snow brought
businesses to a standstill, closed down
schools and impacted retail sales. For
those businesses that are not prepared
the monetary fall can be huge.
Winter is here and Gritit, a leading
gritting and risk management business
issued a warning to organisations
across the UK to be prepared.
Nikki Singh-Barmi, managing
director, said: ‘Year after year, we hear
of road closures, school closures and
the UK high street seeing a massive
decline in sales.
‘Organisations across every sector
have to take matters into their own
hands, to assess the risks and ensure
they are properly prepared. Making
these contingency plans now, before
the cold weather kicks in, is a must.’
LAST MONTH THE Bank of England
released its Trend in Lending report
on the economy. It found the stock of
lending to small businesses fell in the
three months to August (Q2), by £0.6
billion, with gross lending £1.1 billion
lower than Q2 in 2011.
However, the data showed that
reference rates on new lending fell
only slightly for small businesses, yet
fell more significantly for mediumsized
and large businesses in the three
months to early September.
Adam Tyler, CEO of the National
Association of Commercial Finance
Brokers (NACFB) commented:
‘Alternative options from leasing and
asset finance to peer-to-peer lending
are taking up the slack and plugging
a vital gap.
Retail spending to top
£40bn over Christmas
UK CHRISTMAS SPENDING is poised to
top £40bn for the first time this year,
offering some hope to the British high
street. But retailers should work hard
to target cost-conscious customers.
Richard Hyman, president of
PatelMiller, a business consultancy which
works closely with its retail and consumer
clients to develop their strategies and
deliver their full benefit, forecasts
that retail spending in the UK will breach
the £40bn mark for the first time in
December, up 3.5% on December 2012.
The forecast is “considerably more
positive” said Hyman, although he
noted that this included increased
inflation, and that rising food prices
would cause some of the increase.
‘I think that things are generally a little
bit better,’ said Mr Hyman. ‘The accent
is on the little bit. It’s tiny, and it’s not
necessarily built on the kind of concrete
foundations we would all prefer.’
Shingo Murakami, MD at Rakuten’s
Play.com also commented: ‘With UK
Christmas spend expected to hit the
£40bn mark, it’s encouraging to hear
consultancy firms are optimistic for
retailers this year.
‘However, retailers should also
keep in mind that shoppers are still
exercising caution with their wallets.
‘In order to make the most of costconscious
Christmas spending this year,
retailers should be looking to drive
spend through additional incentives,
such as reward opportunities, whilst
ensuring good value and fantastic
customer service at all times to keep
customers coming back.’
Net lending to SMEs fallen by £0.6bn
‘SMEs need to be encouraged to seek
alternative forms of finance.’
John Hoskins, director of small
business accountant, CleverAccounts.
com, also commented: ‘SMEs still have
fewer options than large firms.
‘As small businesses often don’t
have the assets or security the banks
are looking for it seems many are
still struggling to borrow.’
16 NOVEMBER 2013

INSPIRING
BETTER
BUSINESS
“Red tape inspired me.”
“This is my story”
“I started programming when I was 10 years old. My dream was
to work for the biggest technology companies in the world.
Years later having successfully worked for many of them,
I started to get fed up with the amount of internal politics
and red tape I dealt with day after day. It’s a cliché, but I
really felt like a small cog in a big machine.
I craved to be part of a company where my ideas and passion
meant something and above all made a difference in
driving the business forward.
FISCAL Technologies gave me that opportunity to make it
happen, and over the past four years I’m working harder than
ever, but loving every minute of it.
Building relationships with trusted suppliers is essential to
business growth. Our long partnership with Fasthosts has
always delivered reliability, security and flexibility when
we needed it the most.
Howard Durdle CTO
FISCAL Technologies
Find out more at fasthosts.co.uk/inspire or call 0808 1686 777
DEDICATED SERVERS • VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVERS • WEB HOSTING • DOMAIN NAMES • EXCHANGE EMAIL • RESELLER HOSTING

TALK SUCCESS
FACE ON THE COVER
Vital statistics
Company founded: Founded 2003,
began trading May 2006.
Start up capital: £10,000 borrowed
from bank – personal loan.
Turnover: £6.1m.
Profit: £750,000.
Growth rate: We are number 42 on
The Sunday Times Fast Track 100.
Biggest achievement: My fantastic team
– we have excellent people on board.
I noticed that
they had a
great deal
of wasted
space and I
thought; why
not merge
the two ideas
together?
18 NOVEMBER 2013

FACE ON THE COVER
TALK SUCCESS
Every time I go on holiday
I spot a Trunki in the
airport. A globetrotting
tot zooms past on the
ride on suitcase with
the biggest smile on their face.
They couldn’t care less about
the stuffy airport, delays and
the duty-free shops. Their
parents are happy they’re
not whining, as are fellow
passengers – and I think some
of the adults (including me) are
jealous there is not something
this fun to keep us occupied!
Rob Law came up with
the idea for the Trunki ride
on kids travel case while he
was at university studying
product design. Then in 2003
his company, Magmatic was
founded, which later secured a
licensing deal for Trunki with
a toy company. However, the
toy company performed badly
and went into liquidation in
late 2005.
Determined, Rob decided
to go it alone and in May 2005
the first container arrived in
Avonmouth and Magmatic
began trading.
Two weeks later Trunki was
introduced to the British public
when Rob appeared on BBC’s
Dragon’s Den series three.
He introduced his suitcase
prototypes Terence and Trixie,
of which he had already sold
20,000 units, and explained
how he wanted £100,000 for
10% of the business.
Despite a confident pitch,
Rob’s appearance took a turn
for the worse when Theo
Paphitis pulled the strap off
Trixie. ‘The whole integrity
was compromised… it’s not
a business opportunity,’ said
Deborah Meaden.
Then Theo shouted about
being sick of having his time
wasted, and Peter Jones called
the business “worthless”.
The only investment was
from Richard Farleigh who
offered £100,00 for 50%
It’s not
wheelie
rubbish
The Dragons dubbed the Trunki travel case “worthless” on
Dragons’ Den in 2006 – but now two million cases have been
sold worldwide in 97 countries, with a turnover £6.1m. Dawn
Murden met Trunki creator Rob Law
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
19

TALK SUCCESS
FACE ON THE COVER
of the business, which Rob
declined. Then shortly after, all
the Dragons were out.
Rob admitted that “Trixie
still has nightmares about the
den”, but Rob himself came
out unscathed. ‘It was a bit of a
non-event for me,’ he tells me.
The episode has become one
of the most watched, and the
BBC has since visited Trunki
for three follow-ups – each time
detailing its success.
Not only has the Magmatic
team hit two million Trunki
sales; they’ve secured deals with
major retailers like John Lewis,
sell in 97 countries worldwide
and they’ve also expanded the
range to offer backpacks, bags,
toy boxes and sleep kits, with
plenty more in the pipeline.
Since that dreaded episode,
Duncan Bannatyne, Peter
Jones and Theo Paphitis have
admitted their regret not
investing in Trunki. Plus Rob
had the pleasure of giving
Theo a Trunki with padlockreinforced
straps made
especially for him when Theo
visited the team on Dragons’
Den: On Tour.
I met Rob to find out more
about his entrepreneurial journey.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH
THE IDEA FOR TRUNKI?
While I was at university in
1997, I was set the project
of designing a piece of
children’s luggage. So I went
to a department store for
inspiration, but they were all
black and boring. I soon drifted
into the toy section where I saw
a selection of colourful ride on
toys. I noticed that they had a
great deal of wasted space and
I thought; why not merge the
two ideas together? It would be
fun, and functional.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR
FIRST SLICE OF START-UP CASH?
We received a Princes Trust
grant of £5,000, which got us
The toy
company
went into
liquidation in
October 2005
going in 2003. I then licensed
the design to a start-up toy
company. However, the toy
company went into liquidation
in October 2005, so I decided to
go it alone.
WHAT LED TO YOUR
APPEARANCE ON DRAGONS’
DEN IN 2006?
I had an email from the Princes
Trust, who had been speaking
to researchers from the show.
I needed more money and
marketing and applied. Within a
week I was doing test shots, and
before I knew it I was standing
in front of the Dragons.
DOES THAT MOMENT
WHEN THEO PAPHITIS
BROKE THE STRAP REPLAY
IN YOUR MEMORY?
It was something that could
have easily been resolved. It was
a non-event for me and a bit of
theatrical television. Despite
being pitch perfect, all the
dragons jumped on this issue
– they lost a bit of credibility
because of that in my eyes.
DO YOU EVER REGRET
TURNING DOWN RICHARD
FARLEIGH’S OFFER?
No, I’ve never looked back.
The episode branded “Wheelie
Rubbish” aired six months after
filming, and when it did, I did
think for a second “Oh God,
have I ruined the business?” But
it all worked out, the public saw
through the rubbish.
THEO, PETER AND DUNCAN
HAVE ALL EXPRESSED THEIR
REGRET IN NOT INVESTING.
HOW DO YOU FEEL BEING THE
ONE THAT GOT AWAY?
For me it was a turning point
and I forgave them – but I never
really held a grudge. As I said,
Dragons’ Den was not a major
event for me – we’ve had other
mountains to climb, like the
hand luggage ban in 2006.
20 NOVEMBER 2013

TALK SUCCESS
FACE ON THE COVER
EVERY TIME I GO TO AN
AIRPORT I SEE A KID WHIZZ
PAST ON A TRUNKI. WHAT’S
THE SECRET OF THE SUCCESS?
It’s all about understanding the
customer, and we have two –
the parent and the child. The
parent is looking for utility
and function, while the child is
looking for fun and personality.
I think the success is also in the
great design.
WHICH TRUNKI IS THE
BEST SELLER?
Trixie and then Terence. The UK
third best seller is the Gruffalo
case – based on a character from
a children’s book – which is our
most expensive case.
HOW DID YOU SECURE
DEALS WITH BIG RETAILERS
LIKE JOHN LEWIS, ARGOS
AND HALFORDS?
In the early days I got turned
down by all of them. So, at first
we sold online pushing through
PR to build awareness. Dragons’
Den gave us a boost too.
When we had traction, the
big retailers approached us. My
advice when you’re talking to
big retailers is to be aware that
they have lots of terms. Never
give your price until you know
their terms.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE
BE TO FIRST TIME BUSINESSES
THAT ARE EXPERIENCING
DIFFICULTIES IN THE CURRENT
ECONOMIC CLIMATE?
If it was easy, everyone would
be doing it. Embrace the
challenges and tackle them head
on, quickly and economically.
YOU ALREADY TRADE IN 97
COUNTRIES, BUT I SEE YOU’RE
PLANNING TO EXPAND FURTHER
– WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY?
We have a dedicated
distribution team in the UK,
France and Germany, we’ve also
sold really well in Scandinavia
despite it being a small market.
We’re looking to set up an office
in France and Germany and
are raising money through the
Business Growth Fund.
We have been international
from day one, our press
releases were sent to bloggers
all over the world and our
website got traffic from Japan,
and the US, and more.
TRUNKI LOOKS LIKE A FUN
PLACE TO WORK. HOW DO
YOU ENGAGE AND RETAIN
YOUR STAFF?
To take the business to the next
level you have to have a great
team around you. We’ve worked
hard on our business values
so we all have a clear picture
of what we’re about. We’re in
business to make innovative
travel gear for families on the go.
Each staff member gets
£1000 for professional
Dragons’ Den
was not a
major event
for me – we’ve
had other
mountains to
climb, like the
hand luggage
ban in 2006
development, which they can
spend, on things like marketing
and language courses.
The working environment is
also important. We have high
ceilings and astroturf carpets,
and lots of fun elements in the
office, including a big yellow
slide [on the cover].
LOOKS FUN. DO YOU GO
DOWN THE SLIDE MUCH?
No – but the bank manager
insists on it!
HONG KONG COMPANY,
KIDDEE CASE WAS
RECENTLY FOUND GUILTY OF
INFRINGEMENT OF TRUNKI.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Last year at a toy fair we found
them exhibiting, we told then
to remove their stand and they
did. However when we saw
them again, they refused to back
down so we had to pursue the
legal route. Their product was
not totally identical but was
found in violation of ours in the
High Court. They had to stop
selling the product.
Everyone thinks a patent is
the be all and end all, but design
registration from the Intellectual
Property Office costs £300, is
cheaper and provides protection.
Contact: trunki.com
Watch Rob on Dragons’ Den here:
tinyurl.com/RobLawDragonsDen
22 NOVEMBER 2013

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EXHIBITING AT THE

EVENT PREVIEW
TALK SUCCESS
The
Business
Show
The UK’s biggest business exhibition and conference
celebrates its 30th outing this November, so the
organisers gave TB a run down of the event
You’ll be in great
company among the
thousands of thriving
businesses that attend
this November’s
Business Show to help celebrate
its 30th year. The event has
grown over the years to become
the UK’s biggest business
exhibition and conference, and
the next show is fast approaching
on 28-29 November at London
Olympia. The show is always
evolving and with a focus on
what’s new in business and
the latest industry trends, this
Business Show is shaping up to
be one of the most exciting yet.
It has an exclusive line-up
of leading industry keynote
speakers deliverying seminars
on a range of topics, from
inspiring stories, to how to build
a multi-million pound business
from your back bedroom:
As well as 250
seminars, the
30th Business
Show has
dozens of
workshops
and innovative
show features
• Who couldn’t learn a thing
or two from international
deal-maker, Clive Rich,
who has negotiated a total
of more than £10bn with
companies like Sony and
Apple? He will explain the
new way of making deals
that is set to revolutionise
the way businesses sell to
their clients.
• Not satisfied with seeing
his first company, Your
Golf Travel, in The Sunday
Times Fast Track 100,
founder Ross Marshall went
on to double up. His next
venture, spabreaks.com.
entered the list before his
first firm had time to leave.
Ross will share the secrets
behind this amazing early
form in his seminar.
• Lara Morgan founded
Pacific Direct, which she
later sold for £20million
and now has a portfolio of
business interests. In her
seminar, Lara will explain
how sales and marketing
must work together to
accelerate sales growth.
And with The Business Show
always looking to the future of
business, you can hear firsthand
from leading social
media companies Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn about
what’s next in the world of
social media and what that
means for every business.
LOTS TO SEE
As well as 250 seminars,
The Business Show has
dozens of workshops and
innovative show features
such as Businesses for Sale,
Speed Networking, FaceTime,
Business Connections, and
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
25

TALK SUCCESS
EVENT PREVIEW
round table discussions in the
Boardroom that you won’t
find anywhere else. Live show
features, such as Angels Den
and Midas Touch provide either
great entertainment – or the
opportunity to make your own
pitch for investment.
FURTHER AFIELD
If your business is ready to look
outside the UK, The Business
Show has its own area for you,
with Going Global Live. Focusing
on Brazil, Russia, India, China,
and South Africa as well as
Europe and the Gulf states, you
will find exhibitors and advisors
to help you with everything
from setting up import/export
trade, to tax and recruitment
across borders. With some of
the top minds in international
business on hand to offer
advice and encouragement,
you can be confident that this
interactive environment could
help your business expand into
other territories.
If you’re starting
or growing a
business, The
Business Show is
the must-attend
event of the year
WHAT ABOUT EXHIBITING?
Exhibiting is one of the
most efficient, effective and
successful marketing activities
available to you. Having a
presence at The Business Show
will give you exposure to an
audience of 25,000 aspiring,
developing and expanding
companies and the opportunity
to sell your products and
services to targeted visitors on
a face-to-face basis.
If you supply products and
services to small businesses
you should be exhibiting at The
Business Show.
REASONS TO EXHIBIT:
1. Cash sales
2. Sales appointment
3. Leads for the sales team
To enquire about exhibiting,
please call Reg Chard on 0117
9304927 or email reg.chard@
prysmgroup.co.uk.
BOOK YOUR FREE TICKETS
If you’re starting or growing a
business, The Business Show
is the must-attend event of the
year. Book your free tickets on
the website. The Business Show
takes place on 28-29 November
at the Olympia, London.
• Thursday 28 November
10am – 6pm
• Friday 29 November
10am – 5pm
Contact: thebusinessshow.co.uk
26 NOVEMBER 2013

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Lord Sugar’s
first apprentice
Dawn Murden caught up with the first winner of BBC’s The Apprentice, Tim Campbell
Eight years ago Tim
Campbell won the
first series of BBC’s
The Apprentice, and
became Alan Sugar’s
first apprentice on a £100,000
salary. He was kept on when
his 12-month contract came to
an end but after two years at
the company he left to set up
the Bright Ideas Trust, a charity
that helps young people turn
their ideas into a business.
He is also London’s
ambassador for training and
enterprise, head of client
services for emerging talent
at recruitment process
outsourcing provider, Alexander
Mann Solutions, and the UK
Government Secretary of State’s
enterprise advisor, appointed by
Rt Hon Vince Cable MP. I met
Tim for an update.
DOES THE APPRENTICE FEEL
LIKE A LONG TIME AGO, OR
JUST YESTERDAY?
It does seem like a long time
ago now, a lot has happened in
eight years. I’m getting on with
the Bright Ideas Trust now and
I’ve aged since.
I was a
bit naïve
about the
show when
I applied – I
thought it
was going to
be a small fly
on the wall
documentary
WE WATCHED BACK YOUR
WINNING MOMENT. YOU
LOOKED ECSTATIC BUT VERY
SURPRISED. DID YOU THINK
YOU’D WIN?
A lot of expletives were running
through my head but I contained
them! Yes I was surprised; my
destiny was in the hands of Lord
Sugar. I gave up my job, and
came so far but it was close and
I was extremely nervous. It was
an incredible moment – I felt
like I’d won the lottery.
YOU TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH
APPLYING FOR THE FIRST
SERIES OF A SHOW
KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT
IT. WHY DID YOU APPLY?
AND WERE YOUR SURPRISED
WHEN IT GOT STARTED?
I’d reached a junction in my
career and I was exploring my
options. Someone sent me an
application. It was very poignant
and made me really think about
what I wanted to do.
However, I did forward the
application on to other people I
thought would be interested as
well. They didn’t bother, I did –
I have no regrets.
THE SHOW HAS ROCKETED TO
SUCCESS. WHY DO YOU THINK
IT’S SO SUCCESSFUL?
I was a bit naïve about the show
when I applied – I thought it
was going to be a small fly-onthe-wall
documentary about
recruitment on BBC Two.
I didn’t watch the US version,
which was a lack of preparation
on my part.
I think The Apprentice has
caused a monumental change in
the UK. It was a great platform
for me, and enabled me to
raise £2 million to set up my
foundation, which has helped
80 businesses – 100 by the end
of the year.
DOES THE SHOW BREED GREAT
ENTREPRENEURS?
It provides a platform for
people to challenge themselves.
It gave me a chance to be with
like-minded, competitive
individuals. The show
encourages a lot of people and
gets them thinking about jobs.
It has also raised the profile
of apprenticeships.
However I don’t advocate the
negatives displayed by some
30 NOVEMBER 2013

APPRENTICE UPDATE
TALK SUCCESS
contestants, and all too often
the personalities of the show
get too much attention.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING
WITH ALAN SUGAR?
My mum is Jamaican and
extremely strict – so I didn’t
find Alan Sugar intimidating.
He was a fantastic taskmaster
– he encouraged and motivated
me. He put me in a company,
and I had to launch an LTD into
a PLC, I spoke with the decision
makers at Harrods, and I set up
national call centres.
After the first year my contract
was extended – it was a great
experience for both me and Alan.
DO YOU STILL SPEAK TO ALAN?
Yes, me and Alan still speak on
the phone, we talk a lot about
what I do now supporting
young people. Last week I
spoke to him and followed it
up with a tweet. We spoke
about recent shenanigans.
We have a good relationship.
I have huge respect for him –
he’s a guy from Hackney that
floated a company on the stock
market that was once bigger
than Microsoft.
WHY DID YOU LEAVE TO SET
UP YOUR OWN COMPANY?
An apprenticeship is about
learning a trade or profession
– and most apprentices go on
to do great things. It was time
for me to move on. It was a
natural progression to start
my own project and replicate
what I’d learnt.
The legacy of the show is
manifested in the apprentice’s
reactions – I’m now working
with global brands.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH
THE BRIGHT IDEAS TRUST?
A lot of people came to me
and asked; “How can I do
what you’re doing?” They
concentrated on the TV part,
but it’s very tough to get on the
show – they don’t have to go
down that route.
I wanted to create a platform
that supported people to reach
their potential, and solve
problems, like the lack of access
to capital and mentors. There
are not many organisations out
there giving start-up capital
to young people – we are very
proud of what we do. The first
three companies we invested in
are still going today.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO
MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING?
When we pitched to get our
partners on board, I had to do a
lot of speaking to stakeholders.
I harnessed the craft, engaged
audiences and was asked to
speak to teams in hotel groups,
and no one threw tomatoes!
I was then asked to speak at a
Conservative party conference
– it grew organically.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE
APPRENTICESHIPS TODAY?
Incredibly important – there
are a growing number of
unemployed young people and
graduates that can’t find jobs.
Apprenticeships are no
longer just for trade jobs like
plumbers – they can be used in
any industry, such as finance,
media and technology.
As London’s ambassador
for training and enterprise
appointed by Mayor of
London, Boris Johnson, I
have been focusing on getting
more young people into
apprenticeships. This target
was 60,000, which we smashed
by an extra 40,000, so now our
target is 250,000.
Me and Alan
still speak on
the phone,
we talk a lot
about what
I do now
supporting
young people
As the head of client
services for emerging talent
at recruitment process
outsourcing provider, Alexander
Mann Solutions, we have put
thousands of unemployed young
people in apprenticeships.
WE’VE SEEN YOU TWEETING
CHARLIE MULLINS. WHAT
DO YOU THINK ABOUT HIS
APPRENTICE BILL [FEATURED
ON PAGE 73]?
It’s a great idea – we need to raise
more awareness about the need
for apprenticeships. It’s about
growing our workforce, helping
young people and businesses.
Contact: tim-campbell.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
888

TALK SUCCESS
TAKE ONE COMPANY
Scents of success
When Michael
and Roberta
noticed their
granddaughter
was showing
signs of body odour at age
seven, they didn’t know it was
going lead to the most exciting
entrepreneurial journey of
their lives.
Wife and husband, Roberta
and Michael had been in
business together for 25 years,
and aged 63 and 67 respectively,
they were beginning to wind
down to retirement, until they
spotted a real need for a product.
‘Our granddaughter Emma
began showing signs of body
odour after PE when she was
seven years old,’ Roberta says. ‘It
seemed early and our daughter
didn’t know what to do about it.
‘Bathing regularly wasn’t
enough, but when we looked
for products like deodorant
that Emma could use, there was
nothing on the market that was
child-friendly and suitable.’
The couple continued their
research and found there were
at least 3,000 inquiries on
websites from mums looking
for a child-friendly deodorant.
That’s when Roberta and
Michael’s daughter suggested
they make the product to fill
the gap in the market they had
identified. Michael, having
worked as a chemist, had sound
knowledge and experience to
kick off the project. Instead of
winding down to retirement,
the product need captured their
imagination and focus, and the
foundations for Keep It Kind
were laid down.
The couple held a range
of focus groups and found
the need for the product
was overwhelming.
Dawn Murden met Roberta & Michael Harris, the couple behind
Keep It Kind, the natural deodorant for eight to14-year-olds
There was
nothing on
the market
that was
child-friendly
and suitable
‘Mums told us about the
moment on the afternoon
school run when the car starts
to smell like the PE changing
room,’ Roberta says. ‘Parents
found their children’s body
odour an awkward subject,
especially when they found
there were no child-friendly
products out there.
‘Their eight-year-olds would
be using products aimed at
teenagers, while parents were
worrying if the products
were actually bad for their
children’s skin.’
It wasn’t just parents that
needed the product either.
‘We also spoke to teachers
in schools who said they
couldn’t enter classrooms
after their pupils had finished
PE because the smell was so
overwhelming,’ Roberta says.
Of course an important
part of getting the product
right wasn’t just targeting the
parents, but children too.
‘Emma was our inspiration
and our guinea pig – she tried
all the products and gave us her
opinion,’ Michael says. ‘She and
her friend still raid the cupboard
today – she must have the best
smelling bedroom in the UK!’
At first Michael and Roberta
were able to use their own
money to fund Keep it Kind,
but eventually needed outside
funding to take the project
to the next level. Despite
successful trials, the banks
flatly refused to fund them.
‘Every bank told us they didn’t
fund new products. They were
just not interested,’ Michael says.
Eventually the couple
contacted accountant, Shelley
Stock Hunters, which helped
them get finance in return for
equity in the business.
‘Bobby Lane, one of the
partners at Shelley Stock
Hunters had good contacts and
not only helped us with finance
but with PR too,’ Roberta says.
32 NOVEMBER 2013

TAKE ONE COMPANY
TALK SUCCESS
Vital statistics
Company founded: October 2012.
Start up capital: Not disclosed.
Turnover: £100,000.
Profit: N/A.
Growth rate: From February Keep
It Kind has been sold at 550 Boots’
stores nationwide and at the moment is
exclusive to Boots’.
Biggest achievement: Bringing
something that helps health and
wellbeing to the public that has never
been available before.
Despite hitting a brick wall
with funding, the couple never
thought about giving up.
‘We knew we had a product
that a lot of parents needed –
we really believed in what we
were doing, so not once did
we think about giving up, we
had a responsibility to get the
product out there, we had to
fight,’ Roberta says.
An important part of the
product was that it was childfriendly
and suitable for sensitive
skin. It took two years and lot of
research to get the formulation
of the product right – so that
it contained no aluminium, no
parabens and no alcohol.
‘Instead, the deodorant
contains an antibacterial
agent that kills the bacteria
which produces the odour,’
Michael says. ‘It still lets the
wearer perspire and allows
the skin to breathe.’
Last October, Michael
and Roberta perfected the
formulation, and made an
appointment with Boots’
buyers, who agreed to see
them straight away.
We hadn’t
even designed
the final
artwork but
Boots wanted
our product
‘We hadn’t even designed the
final artwork but Boots wanted
our product on an exclusive
basis – it was all about the
product itself,’ Michael says.
‘Keep It Kind was in their
warehouses by January and
soon rolled out to 550 stores.’
The exclusivity contract with
Boots comes to an end in January
and the couple are looking
get Keep it Kind into more
stores. They’re also looking at
expansion in terms of products
too – with a teen range, shower
and bath gels, and products that
neutralise smelly school bags.
‘We’re still only at the
beginning of our journey – but
our advice to any entrepreneur
would be to believe in what
you’re doing and never give
up,’ Roberta says.
Despite a successful 25 years in
business – Roberta and Michael
say Keep It Kind is the most
exciting project yet.
‘This tops the lots,’ says Michael.
‘It has given us a new lease of life.’
The couple are a perfect
example that no matter what
age, when an entrepreneur gets
a good idea they have to take it
to market – they’re never quite
ready to wind down.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
33

UP-AND-COMING
TALK SUCCESS
Introducing
Jemal“Big J”
Peters
Jemal “Big J” Peters never
had a lot growing up
and admits he was doing
things he shouldn’t have
when he was younger.
But when his daughter came
along he focused on what he was
good at; hustling, and rustling
up good food, and set up Big J’s
Kitchen. He says it’s the food
of the street, which represents
the diversity of London and his
upbringing. He produces a range
of barbeque sauces and dips,
and is constantly expanding.
WHERE DID THE IDEA
COME FROM?
When I was younger, I grew up
hustling on the streets. I had
a passion for food and music.
I used cooking as a getaway
– it was therapeutic for me. I
created recipes and cooked for
family and friends. Someone
once said you should bottle it
and sell it – so I did!
WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
TRYING TO GET AN IDEA OFF
THE GROUND?
I have a saying, which I live by:
“A dream’s worth nothing if
you leave it on your pillow.”
If you want something, get it.
I prefer to
waste money
than time.
Time is one of
the biggest
currencies
to me
Dawn Murden spoke to Jemal Peters about his
food business, Big J’s Kitchen
Work hard and go for it. Don’t
let anything stop you. A few
years of hard work can change
your life forever.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR WORST
EVER JOB?
Either working in a retail stock
room or looking for water leaks
in drains. I got my first pay and
left both of them.
Both just felt pointless, like
I was wasting my life. Money
comes and goes but time just
goes. I prefer to waste money
than time. Time is one of the
biggest currencies to me.
WHAT’S TOP OF YOUR
BUCKET LIST?
See the whole world through
my company, and see how
people live and eat. And make
sure my family is secure.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED
AS A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR?
Learning the formal sides
to business - I’m naturally
entrepreneurial and have skills
in marketing, which enables
me to make great things
happen. But in the beginning I
never had any formal training
or knowledge of business,
so this is something I had to
teach myself with the help of a
few mentors.
Finding the correct
investors – I’ve had many
offers but haven’t taken them
for different reasons. I’m still
looking for the right investor
now. [Hint hint!]
WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED
IN THE MORNING?
That’s a simple one. My
daughter and my family. I do it
for them – I don’t just want to
better my life, I want to better
my family’s life.
WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE
FUTURE OF BIG J’S KITCHEN?
To pioneer fun, exciting and
innovation from the UK, both
national and international.
Whilst helping make a difference
to the life of young offenders by
creating opportunity.
Contact: bigjskitchen.com
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
35

Visit us at the Business Show
Stand 442
28 - 29th November, Olympia

BOOK REVIEWS
TALK SUCCESS
The Little Black
Book for Managers:
How To Maximize Your Key Management
Moments Of Power
by John Cross, Rafael Gomez & Kevin Money
John Cross has designed
and delivered learning and
development programmes.
He has worked as a sales
director, RAF instructor,
marketing director and
business owner.
Kevin Money is associate
professor at Henley Business
School. He is also director of
the John Madejski Centre for
Reputations and teaches on
the MBA programme. He is
also a chartered psychologist.
Rafael Gomez has
previously taught
management at the London
School of Economics and
is currently associate
professor in industrial
relations and human
resources at the University
of Toronto.
They say: The book covers
a whole host of situations
managers at all levels face,
based on thousands of
personal experiences from
a number of leaders and
managers in a range of
companies and industries.
It will help readers
understand how to act
and what to do to reduce
the chances of failure in
different situations, from
goal setting to meetings.
We say: This is a practical
handbook on how to deal
with almost any situation
– it has specific examples
of words and phrases, plus
illustrations and exercises
to analyse current
performance.
The Little Black Book for
Managers is published by
Wiley, priced at £12.99 in
hardback and e-book.
Our verdict:
The Entrepreneur’s
Tax Guide
by Alan Pink
Alan Pink is a chartered
accountant and tax adviser
who specialised in tax for
more than 25 years. He
contributes largely to the
Schmidt Tax Report, a UK
newsletter, which explains
simply how to cut both
your business and personal
tax bills.
He says: The book provides
entrepreneurs with much
needed, plain English,
action-orientated advice. It
is aimed at the owners of
SMEs, a group which bears
the brunt of the UK tax
burden, but unlike its larger
counterparts does not have
access to specialist advice.
It explains how any
SME can reduce its tax
bill using straightforward,
legitimate methods.
Our verdict:
We say: Alan Pink
offers a comprehensive
guide to reduce tax
liabilities on businesses –
he covers every type of
tax in the book and lists
handy action points for
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37

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Hop on
Go for a helicopter ride at least once
a month, our funding expert Julian
Smith says
your chopper
money
This may sound like
extravagant advice
for an entrepreneur
who will be more
focused on bootstraps
than Bell helicopters, but of
course this is a metaphorical
helicopter I am referring to –
the real one can wait until the
exit has been achieved.
ANALYSIS VS. INSTINCT
The key to ongoing business
success is not only executing
successfully on a great idea,
but also consistently making
decisions that improve the
future direction of your
business. There are two ways
that we approach decisions –
analysis and instinct – reflecting
our head and our heart.
You will meet people who
are at different points on the
analysis/instinct spectrum, but
I expect most entrepreneurs
to have a reliance on instinct,
as that is linked to creation,
belief and the right side of the
brain. Without this influence,
it is hard to see how you can
create a new business or brand.
Without some analytical input,
however, decision-making can
become risky, as you will not
be taking into consideration
all the relevant information
available when deciding on a
course of action.
When you
come back
down to
ground, you
will have
greater clarity
IDENTIFY THE RIGHT KPIS
In order to give yourself the
best chance of making the right
decisions, you need high quality
information, which sheds light
on the trends in your business.
This will be very different
for each sector, but is likely
to include some KPIs (key
performance indicators). KPIs
may or may not be financial,
although they will be specific
and will provide an indication
of key trends.
For example, a subscriptionbased
business will probably
be interested in the number
of subscribers added in a
particular period, those lost
and therefore the net additions
in the period.
You should take time to
assess the right KPIs for your
business – not only will they
provide you with a better
insight on the trends, but they
can provide you with tools to
forecast your business more
reliably and consistently –
useful for any external debt or
equity provider.
A SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE
Armed with the relevant
data, you can make informed
decisions. Entrepreneurs need
to take time out from their
daily work every now and then
to consider the business trends
and data. It may make sense to
do this with a mentor or board
advisor to ensure that you can
benefit from an independent
perspective. and someone who
can act as a sounding board for
your thoughts.
So the advice is clear – take a
trip in your helicopter at least
once a month. You’ll have more
to do when you come back
down to ground, but you will
have greater clarity and belief in
your direction of travel.
Julian Smith is The Funding
Expert offering workshops,
consultations and public speaking
on finance. He has been advising
companies for more than 18 years
on how to position themselves for
investors, raising business finance,
mergers and acquisitions.
Contact: thefundingexpert.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
41

K P S
...

SETTING UP SHOP
TALK MONEY
Buying a
business
vs.
starting a
business
Serial entrepreneur Mark Mills,
who has founded and sold several
of his own businesses, discusses
buying a business
Entrepreneurs are
generally people who
will do something
for passion. They are
aware there will be a
period of hard work before the
company is up and running,
and are prepared to give all
their time to this, with no
guarantees at the end of it. This
requires a level of dedication
unprecedented in normal
working life.
People buying into a preexisting
business are more
focused on the capital value of
their decision. If you buy an
existing company, then you
know there is already some
momentum behind it and
the brand may have already
accumulated value.
At the same time there has
to be a lot of due diligence,
not just over the numbers but
also over the finer details. The
position of every stakeholder
If you buy an existing
company, then you know
there is already some
momentum behind it
should be checked, from
the landlord to the staff, the
customers and suppliers. I
would always be sure to meet
with members of staff before
parting with any money and
ask each member of the team
individually; “If you were
the boss, what would you do
differently?” This is a great way
to find key ways in which the
company can move forward. It
also shows your staff that you
will be the kind of boss who
listens to them.
A buyer will always face the
challenge of getting the staff on
side. This can be particularly
onerous in a small business
where staff generally feel
loyalty to the founder. The new
owner may be charismatic,
but change will always make
people feel anxious. You have
to set people’s expectations
repeatedly and reassure them
that they are still in a job
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
43

TALK MONEY
SETTING UP SHOP
In a new business situation,
funding can prove to be
tricky. Despite all the rhetoric
from the Government, the
funds don’t seem to be flowing
down to small businesses
and that you have bought the
business in order to carry it
on and expand it. This should
make your workforce feel
positive about the change.
In a new business situation,
funding can prove to be tricky.
Despite all the rhetoric from
the Government, the funds
don’t seem to be flowing down
to small businesses. Invariably
most business start-ups are
under-capitalised and underfunded.
Orders may come in
when you simply don’t have
the money to buy supplies
to sell. Only hard work and
dogged determination can
overcome this.
If you’re buying a business,
you may be able to overcome
certain financial hurdles by
seeing if the vendors will partfund
your purchase by leaving
some money in as a loan.
This will bridge the “equity
gap” giving them a high price
over time whilst allowing
you to secure the business.
There is more of a process
in place for raising funds for
the acquisition of a business
but there are more people to
convince of the merits of your
acquiring that business.
Start-ups do still have to
persuade people to invest in
their ideas if they want to build
a big company. Private equity
groups play a “numbers game”,
the more companies they
see, the greater number they
will eventually invest in. The
process of doing presentations
to potential funders will
enhance your ability to run
a business because potential
investors tend to ask you the
questions that are relevant to
the success of the business.
With every “no” you come
closer to a “yes.” The process
will only make you a better
marketer and, whether buying
or starting a business, you must
always remember you have to
be a first class salesperson.
Contact:
howtosellacompany.co.uk
IN PROFILE
Mark Mills is a serial entrepreneur who has
founded and sold several of his own businesses,
including Cardpoint, which was founded in 2000
and when he sold his stake in 2006, the company
was valued at £170m. He is the founder of
howtosellacompany.com and is passionate about
advising business owners on realising the full
potential of their business prior to a sale.
Quick read
Pros of buying:
> Easier to secure loans and funding
> Salary from day one
> Established network of contacts
Cons of buying:
> Buying is expensive
> More restrictive than starting up
> Existing staff can be resentful of change
> Long process
44 NOVEMBER 2013

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START-UP LOANS
TALK MONEY
A day in
the life
DEAR DIARY
I wake up five
07:00 minutes before my
alarm goes off and check emails
in bed. Our CTO and advisor
are both based in the US, so I
always get exciting emails by
early morning.
I get ready for the day,
never missing two cups of
coffee. When I’m done, I
rush to the tube to travel to my
first meeting.
09:00
I am beyond
excited as we see
our first client, lifestyle and
fashion designer Orla Kiely,
who has used Smartzer to put
up an interactive video on
her site. I quickly spread the
brilliant news to the rest of our
team and share the video on
social media.
The next meeting, which
is about getting our company
involved in a new start-up coworking
space, IDEALondon in
Tech City, goes very well. We
agree on the next steps and I
rush to my next meeting.
11:00
Start Up Loans,
Startup Direct, and
Meridian Entrepreneurs
have organised an event at
the Greenwich School of
Management, where I have
been asked to do a short
presentation. It’s exciting and
provides a great opportunity to
meet other students aspiring to
start their own businesses.
This month, our Start Up Loan recipient reveals an average day
juggling her studies at UCL and running her company, Smartzer
When the event finishes,
I rush from Greenwich back
to central London, trying to
grab a bite to eat on the way
while finishing my assignment
for today’s class at University
College London (UCL).
14:00
I attend classes
for my MSc
Technology Entrepreneurship
degree at UCL. Today’s class is
finance and accounting. During
the class, I am working on the
finances of Smartzer for our
next funding round.
17:00
I find a spare
meeting room
on the UCL campus to have
a Skype call with my CTO
and a prospective client for a
potentially huge project. We
discuss all the technical details
to figure out if what we offer
can match their needs.
It all sounds really exciting,
but also overwhelming
considering we are still a tiny
team. While we are still looking
for a developer with the right
skills, we really are pushing
ourselves as a team to make
the most of all the exciting
prospects we receive.
18:00
I’m hungry, and
I know it’s time
for a Nando’s.
On most weekday evenings,
there is always an event on in
Tech City of relevance for my
business. This evening, it is a VC
networking event called Chew
The Fat, with a panel discussion
followed by food and drink.
These events are always really
interesting and I get to meet
entrepreneurs with fantastic
businesses and ideas, sparking
great conversation alongside a
well-deserved glass of wine!
21:00
By this time, I am
pretty exhausted.
I make my way home and get
ready for another day.
The Start Up Loans Company is a
Government-backed scheme that
provides funding and mentoring
for budding entrepreneurs
between 18-30 to help their
business succeed. With the help of
this initiative, more than 30 new
businesses are started daily.
In Profile
Entrepreneur: Karoline Gross
Business: Smartzer
Web: smartzer.com
Concept: Smartzer is an online video, geotagging
software – it enables clients to tag their
videos, allowing them to get better ads and
market exposure.
Start-Up Loan: £10,000
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
47

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CAREFUL CONTRACTS
TALK MONEY
Before you sign
on the dotted line…
SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT
We complete about 20 legal
healthchecks per month for
small and medium-sized
businesses. These healthchecks
give companies an idea of the
level of legal risk that they are
undertaking at that time.
More than 80% of all
businesses we have interviewed
so far, have shown a medium or
high risk in the area of shares.
We find that companies with
more than one shareholder
often do not have a signed, upto-date
shareholders agreement
in place.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
The following key issues
provide a good indication to
whether you should put a
shareholders’ agreement in
place, as they are when most
shareholder issues arise:
1. YOU ARE A MINORITY
SHAREHOLDER
If you have less than 20% of
the share capital of a company,
or if you have a class of shares
with limited or no voting rights,
then you are a minority. As a
minority shareholder, there
are many things that can be
done without your approval
within the company. Although
there are shareholder remedies
through the courts, ideally you
want to have a shareholders
agreement in place so that
certain actions can’t be taken
without your consent, i.e.
issuing more shares to dilute
your shareholding or closing
the company.
NaviStar Legal founder, Jo Rogers discusses the legal risks of
not having an up-to-date shareholder agreement in place
2. YOU HAVE AN EQUAL
50/50 SHAREHOLDING
When you have an
equal shareholding, then
disagreements can be difficult
to settle. You may want to
decide that one of you will have
a casting vote upon a deadlock
or nominate a third party to
mediate or make a decision for
you, so that someone can make
that final call (officially) in the
event of a dispute between you.
3. YOU WANT TO PLAN FOR
THE FUTURE
If you have arranged for key
man insurance or shareholder
protection insurance upon
the event of the death of a key
employee or shareholder, then
it is important that these are
reflected in the shareholders
agreements so that there aren’t
any conflicts with the family
of a deceased.
4. ALL YOUR SHAREHOLDERS
ARE ALSO DIRECTORS
Most small businesses are not
totally clear about the roles,
responsibilities, performance
standards and legal duties of
directors, since (as founders)
they usually do not have
an official employment
agreement with the company.
A shareholder agreement can
allow for shares to be clawed
back in the event of nonperformance
as a director,
or for a director leaving the
More than
80% of all
businesses
we have
interviewed
so far have
shown a
medium or
high risk
company, and it will usually
reference specific requirements
around how the directors meet.
5. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE
NO-ONE SELLS OR TRANSFERS
You may want to have specific
and bespoke provisions to:
1. Prevent any shareholder
from selling their shares to
someone you don’t know, or
transferring shares without
offering them to you first and
2. Set out the mechanism for
determining the amount
of the stock upon such sale
or transfer.
If you would like to
undertake our complimentary
legal healthcheck, email us at
admin@navistarlegal.com
Jo Rogers is an in-house lawyer
for SMEs. Her vision is to create
the next generation of lawyers
that provide affordable wisdom to
businesses.
Contact: navistarlegal.com
Twitter: @NaviStar
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
49

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BRIBERY
TALK MONEY
Free holiday?
Think again
Take Alan and Mike, they
regularly dine, take
in a show or watch a
sporting event together.
Their small companies
do business with each other and
take it in turns to pay for them
to have a night out and talk shop.
Recently, over their main
course, talk turned to a large
contract Alan’s company was
putting out to tender. Mike
mentioned that he could
arrange a nice, all expenses paid
holiday for Alan. Alan suddenly
lost his appetite. The thought of
a bribery prosecution left a bad
taste in his mouth.
The Bribery Act came into
effect on 1 July 2011 and
covers companies of all sizes
that are based in, or have a
“close connection’’ to, the
UK, including those with any
premises or staff here. Under
the Act, such companies can
be prosecuted in the UK for
bribery that was carried out on
their behalf anywhere in the
world by staff, an intermediary,
third party or trading partner
acting on the company’s behalf.
Bribery is classed as offering,
promising or giving a financial or
other advantage to someone so
that they perform their function
improperly. Section One of the
Act makes it an offence to bribe
another person, Section Two
makes it an offence to request,
agree to receive, or accept a bribe
while prosecutions can also be
brought for failure to prevent
bribery (Section Seven) and for
SME’s need thorough ongoing, and regularly monitored antibribery
procedures, just like the biggest corporations
bribing a foreign public official
(Section Six).
Many SMEs and some
larger companies feared that
hospitality, such as that usually
enjoyed by Alan and Mike,
would constitute a bribe under
the Act. It does not.
The Serious Fraud Office
(SFO) emphasised that
hospitality or promotional
expenditure, which is
“reasonable, proportionate
and made in good faith’’ is part
of doing business and is not
intended to reward “improper
performance’’. Which is why
Mike and Alan’s get-togethers
were fine, but Mike’s holiday
offer overstepped the mark.
Companies investigated
under the Act have to be
able to show that they had
“adequate procedures” in
place to identify the risks
of bribery and to prevent it
happening. If such procedures
are not in place, companies
can face prosecution under
the Act, with punishments
including unlimited fines and
up to 10 years imprisonment.
A senior figure within a
company of any size who
turns a blind eye to bribery
will be prosecuted personally.
Those that run SMEs may
feel that their limited resources
make it near impossible to
develop and maintain such
SMEs have
just as much
need of
thorough,
ongoing and
regularly
monitored
anti-bribery
procedures as
the biggest
corporations
procedures. But even the
smallest companies have
to keep themselves fully
informed of the bribery
risk in the
business
sectors and
locations where they trade,
as well as among their staff,
business associates
and potential or existing
trading partners.
SMEs have just as much
need of thorough, ongoing and
regularly monitored anti-bribery
procedures as the biggest
corporations. Which is why a
little expert legal advice is often
necessary for SMEs looking to
stay on the right side of the Act.
Instilling an anti-bribery
culture may seem an
expense. But compared to the
consequences of falling foul of
the Act, it could well be an SME’s
fundamental investment.
Contact: rahmanravelli.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
51

Personal branding:
I still
my trainers
Strategy
If the idea of a branding a
company is to define what
it stands for, then personal
branding is even more explicit.
For the last few years while
I’ve run my own company,
I’ve had a certain view on my
own personal brand. It’s been
laid-back, fun loving and a bit
shabby. My work is quite often
influenced by (dreadful phrase)
retro styling, with nods to shabby
chic distressing, beach shack
vibes, and while we’re on the
subject of being inappropriate –
the odd knob gag.
I recently started a new
business (see new website) and
I now have a business partner,
employees, an apprentice, new
premises and a whole new set of
responsibilities. Due to the new
circumstances we’ve also gained
a solid amount of new clients,
for some of whom my personal
brand would be a little too lefty.
So I made a decision to evolve it.
Notice I say evolve, it’s not
about complete change. And this
is a trend constantly happening
in the world around us.
Witness the subtle evolution
of Jamie Oliver. The lumberjack
shirts, scruffy hair and trainers
have been noticeably toned
down of late. The hair uses a
bit less product, the shirts are
a bit more tailored and while
the Adidas shell-toes haven’t
been totally relegated (it’s the
one casual trainer that men
This month Rich With, creative director of The Grow Creative
Company, asks if it’s ever OK to wear trainers over a certain age
My own
personal
brand has
been laidback,
fun
loving and a
bit shabby
of a certain age can still wear
without feeling ridiculous) he
can wear a pair of shoes without
appearing like a sell-out.
His message has also changed
albeit in a more overt way. The
random trips round the US and
Italy have been replaced by the
championing of British cuisine
and produce, and also recognising
the economic situation of the
country by coming up with his
Save with Jamie series.
On the other hand, I like
many readers of this magazine,
frequently get emails and
mailings from one of the UK’s
most prevalent business experts
Nigel Botterill.
Lately he has evolved his own
personal brand too. Renowned
for his loud shirts and straight
talking Yorkshire attitude, he
has chosen to raise the volume
of his persona.
His advice, is often delivered
via video from a foreign
location, which while some will
appreciate it’s important for him
to portray a level of success,
others will see regurgitating
advice while enjoying a holiday
as a little insensitive.
What’s interesting is that Jamie
has chosen to evolve in response
to outside forces – his fan base.
Nigel however is choosing the
opposite tact – he’s evolving his
personal brand to set the tone
– to say if you want the success,
then you need to emulate me.
Time will tell who has the right
answer (if there is one). While
Jamie will probably increase his
fan base, Nigel’s may well shrink,
but while Jamie will get more
customers, Nigel’s amount per
spend could increase.
So where does that leave me? I
appreciate I have to alter certain
things to be seen as credible by
new clients, without toning down
bits that my existing customers
appreciate. I guess that’s why we
evolve rather than change, but
I’m not ready to give up the shelltoes
just yet.
Contact: justgrow.co
SPONSORED BY
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
53

TALK STRATEGY
APPRENTICESHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS
Invest
in our
youth
Could you boost the economy, your business and change lives?
Dawn Murden looks at the high youth unemployment rate and
how apprenticeships and internships could help
People are
in need of
different ways
to train for
employment
Youth unemployment
in the UK is a
huge concern. The
unemployment rate
for 16-24 year-olds is
21%, and there are just under
a million (958,000) young
people not in employment,
education or training.
The unemployment rate
has become a key economic
indicator for the Bank of
England, which its recently
appointed governor Mark
Carney, is targeting.
Figures for the overall
unemployment for the country
have decreased. In the June-
August period, the number
of unemployed fell by 18,000
to 2.51 million in the UK.
However 1.5 million people
were part-time because they
could not find a full-time job,
and youth unemployment
remained mostly unchanged.
Leading unions have
criticised the recent figures.
They have said the data
“shames the Government” and
that the small decreases are “no
cause for celebration”.
Dave Prentis, general
secretary of Unison, Britain’s
biggest trade union, said: ‘The
number of youngsters leaving
school, colleges and universities
will swell the ranks of NEETs
[not in employment, education
or training], adding to the need
for more help and support.
‘Instead, our young people are
being let down by government
cuts to careers services, high
youth unemployment and
the rocketing cost of
continuing education.’
Between 1995 and 2008, the
proportion of young people
going to university doubled –
from 20% to almost 40%.
888 SEPTEMBER 2013

APPRENTICESHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS
TALK STRATEGY
But in 2012 the cost of
degrees trebled, when the
Government raised the tuition
fee cap to £9,000 per year.
Lee Acton, chief executive
at Skillnet, a recruitment and
apprentice training company,
said: ‘Increasing numbers of
young people over the past
decade have chosen to continue
academia instead of entering
the workforce after school.
‘While this path suits some
people, it isn’t necessarily a good
thing for everyone because – as
we are seeing now – fees have
risen and graduates are struggling
to get suitable employment as the
market saturates.
‘As a result, people are in
need of different ways to train
for employment outside of
the fashionable “school to
university” route.’
Last year the number of
university applicants dropped
by 8.7%; those aged 18
decreased by 3.6%, and the
number of non-EU overseas
students had risen by 13.7%.
According to 2012 statistics
from the Government
Department for Education, in
the year after taking A-Levels
The more
people that
are in work,
the less the
benefits bill
– apprentices
are part of the
virtuous circle
of enterprise
or equivalent at Key Stage 5:
64% of young people were in
sustained education, with:
• 8% at a further education
college
• 2% at a school sixth form or
sixth form college
• 2% on an apprenticeship at
these institutions and
• 52% at a higher education
institution - with one per
cent at Oxbridge and another
8% at other Russell Group
universities
In the year after Key Stage 4:
85% of young people were in
sustained education, with:
• 36% at school sixth forms
• 33% at further education
colleges
• 12% of young people at sixth
form colleges and
• 4% on an apprenticeship in
these institutions.
For the A-Level leavers,
university seems to be the
most popular choice. But when
these leavers graduate, the job
competition is fierce. In 2011
almost 28% of graduates who
left university in 2007 were still
not in full-time work, and now
an average of 160 graduates are
chasing after each job.
The worrying question these
statistics pose is; how many of
the 36% and 15% are NEET?
The apprenticeship number
is low at just 2% and 4%, and
begs the question; why more
organisations, especially SMEs
like yours, are not adopting
apprenticeships and internships?
If you did, how could this help
the economy, your business and
young people?
THE ECONOMY
There are around 1.6 million
people claiming Job Seeker’s
Allowance (JSA), with around
408,000 of claimants aged
between 18 and 24.
According to the Federation
of Small Businesses (FSB), if just
50% of the EU’s SMEs employed
one extra person there would be
an additional 10 million jobs.
Elliot Kidd, co-founder of
recruitment website, staffbay.
com, said: ‘The more people
that are in work, the less the
benefits bill, and the more in
the taxpayers pot to spend on
the areas which can engender
further business growth,
such as tax breaks for SMEs
– apprentices are part of the
virtuous circle of enterprise.’
SME BENEFITS
Catherine Lyn Scott, an
entertainment publicist at
London Flair PR, is passionate
about apprenticeships after
her company took on a young
person named Lianna Yianni,
and said: ‘Our business is
growing and we needed more
staff – it was financially viable
for us, the Government actually
gives companies a grant of
£1,500 to help towards the
costs. It was a paid job and we
paid for travel, but it is not a
salary rate, which is helpful for
a growing business like ours.
‘It was a great way of finding
out if the candidate was right
for our business, but what we
didn’t expect was someone who
is helping the business grow
and a young lady we will be
offering a full-time job to.’
Freeagent, an accounting
software firm, takes on
computer science graduates
as interns. They are paid and
get to work directly on the
company’s flagship products.
Olly Heady, the CTO and
co-founder said: ‘We’ve found
finding interns easy – we have
attended a number of university
career events where our
stand was among huge multinationals,
such as Microsoft,
Goldman Sachs and IBM – you
stand out and students are keen
to find out who you are.
‘We make every effort to take
on the strongest candidates
who have proven their software
development abilities – our
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
55

TALK STRATEGY
APPRENTICESHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS
first intern, who we took on
part-time while he finished
his studies, was hired by
Twitter in San Francisco
when he graduated!’
Askar Sheibani is CEO of
Comtek, Europe’s largest
telecom and network repair
service, a company that
offers apprenticeships.
‘For SMEs, a motivated,
skilful and loyal workforce is
absolutely critical to business
success, and apprenticeships
offer this in spades.’ Askar said.
‘The schemes allow SMEs
to train people to fit the exact
skill set they require, and
by recruiting from the local
community, these employees
are more likely to stay with the
company, will become totally
ingrained in the business, and
therefore the company will
continue to benefit from the
skills it has developed.’
YOUNG PEOPLE
Lianna Yianna, apprentice at
London Flair PR, said: ‘I’ve
gained so much knowledge in
a short space of time, being
able to train first hand in the
industry I want to pursue, and
without getting into any debt!
‘Doing an apprenticeship
was one of my best decisions,
because you are learning while
earning – it’s a win-win.’
Luke Thomas is a second year
apprentice studying towards
an NVQ Level 2 qualification
in fire safety at the Skills for
Security Technical Training
Centre in Birmingham, under a
scheme by Gent by Honeywell.
Luke said: ‘I’ve been working
on all aspects of the systems,
from installing devices and
cabling, to training customers
after commissioning.
‘I like that I can combine
it with what I am learning at
college – I’ve always been a
better hands-on learner.’
Charlotte Bosworth,
the director of skills and
The
Government
actually give
companies
a grant of
£1,500 to
help towards
the costs.
employment at OCR, the
awarding body for A-Levels and
GCSEs, believes apprenticeships
are vital, and said: ‘They provide
a different progression route
to the traditional academic
programme and facilitate a more
hands on learning experience.
‘There has been a growth in
the uptake of apprenticeships
in the last few years, however
there is always room for more
companies to get involved.’
EXPERIENCE
There is another depth to the
need for more apprenticeships
and internships – just 6% of
employers are prepared to offer
a 16-year-old leaver their first
job, due to lack of experience.
Where do most 16-year-olds
gain their experience? Their
Saturday job.
But the Saturday job is under
threat. The number of available
jobs has fallen by 100,000 since
2001; now just 20% of 16-yearolds
have Saturday jobs.
Companies like Pret A
Manger are rolling out a School
Are you keen to take on an
intern or apprentice now?
Here are some useful websites:
• apprenticeships.org.uk/
Employers.aspx
• tinyurl.com/
Govapprenticeships
• gov.uk/apprenticeshipsguide/employers-taking-onan-apprentice
• gov.uk/employment-rightsfor-interns
Statistics taken from: Parliament Common
Library, Office of National Statistics, The
Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa),
OECD, Government Department for Education,
Ucas, Federation of Small Business, Government
Department for Work and Pensions, Barnado’s,
UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
Leavers Programme and a Bring
Back the Saturday Job campaign
to tackle this. This is the second
year the programme – which
is accredited by the National
Apprentice Service – is taking
on more than 20 apprentices.
Could your company offer
something similar?
The UK needs more
companies willing to train
and invest in young people to
give them the experience they
need to progress. Otherwise
could young people get
stuck in a vicious cycle of
“no job with experience, no
experience without a job”, and
resign to being NEET?
Of course, the onus to set up
more apprenticeships does not
lie solely with companies.
Askar Sheibani, CEO of
Comtek, said: ‘The Government
must also play its part with
the likes of tax incentives,
for example, and educational
establishments need to inspire
enthusiasm for subjects which
create skills currently required
by today’s job market.’
56 NOVEMBER 2013

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Thames
Valley
Expo
Alec Jones-Hall, co creator of
the Thames Valley Business
& Community Expo, tells us
what delegates can expect at
the free show this year
The Thames Valley
Expo is a leading
business exhibition
within the region built
on an exciting blend
of highly respected speakers,
interactive features and
industry-leading suppliers.
The one-day event is aimed to
attract businesses whose primary
agenda is to improve and
expand their business, develop
key relationships through
networking with other regional
business leaders, and increase
their skill set through our free
industry-leading seminars and
practical workshops.
The Thames Valley Expo is
where businesses like yours
advance to the next level. It is
free to attend and offers a huge
quantity of opportunity, advice
and information crucial for ongoing
business growth within a
challenging economic climate.
GOOD VALUE
The Thames Valley Expo is
free for everyone and has more
than 55 exhibitors, advice,
opportunities, and much
more. Our Expo welcomes
businesses from a cross-section
of industries/sectors. To ensure
that this is a success, we remain
more committed than ever
in ensuring that visitors are
provided with everything they
need to improve, evolve, expand
and develop their business.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:
• Well known motivational
business keynote speakers
who all have the ability
to inspire, equip and
empower audiences.
• Fantastic quality networking
opportunities
throughout the day to meet
the right people.
• Educational and interactive
workshops, seminars and
clinics running during the day.
These have been designed to
help address various business
needs while providing
beneficial and informative
content that will help shape
your business future.
• Thames Valley Expo
understands the value and
the impact that the right
The Thames
Valley Expo
is where
businesses
like yours
advance to
the next level
speaker can have on our
event. Ultimate credibility
comes from individuals
and subject matter experts
who have performed at the
highest level in changing
corporate environments.
Only they can give expert
insight and empathy on the
challenges we face on a
day-to-day basis.
• We have selected Bill Morrow
- Angels Den, Kimberly
Davis - BBC Apprentice
star, Brad Burton - founder
of 4Networking, Jon Davey
- LinkedIn expert, Warren
Cass - social media expert, as
they are known for
delivering thought-provoking
presentations focusing on a
number of business-related
topics such as leadership,
entrepreneurship,
marketing, communications,
change, innovation and
customer service.
BUSINESS INTERFACING WALL
Thames Valley Expo is passionate
to encourage networking across
the region. This is the reason why
58 NOVEMBER 2013

EVENT PREVIEW
TALK STRATEGY
Win
We are pleased to be in partnership with Bath Racecourse. As a result of this
partnership, we will be giving away two free racecourse tickets worth £40.
We are also delighted to be in partnership with Talk Business. As a result of
this partnership we will be giving away one year’s free subscription worth £40.
we have created the business
interfacing wall. The idea
is simple:
• Write down what your
business is looking for
(an accountant, book
keeper, training provider,
web designer, office space,
and so on)
• Pin it to the Business
Interfacing wall, along with
your business card.
• Come back at the end of the
day and collect all the other
cards pinned to yours.
It really is that simple. By the
end of the day you will have
invaluable contacts of the
people and companies who can
help provide whatever it is your
business is looking for.
The system has been designed
to work both ways, so if you see
a business that may like your
help, pin your card to theirs and
pick up some extra clients!
So there you go, a chance to
finally put that shiny new
business card to work and
attract ROI.
Contact: thamesvalleyexpo.co.uk
The Thames
Valley Expo
is free for
everyone and
has more
than 55
exhibitors
TESTIMONIALS
Warren Cass, Business Scene
‘First can I just say congratulations to you both. Genuinely one of the
best regional expos I have attended and we were super impressed.’
Paul Webster, Webster Consultancy
‘Congratulations to you both – you did it, with flying colours.
Well worth exhibiting.’
Brad Burton, 4 Networking
‘Best Regional show for eight and half years - FACT.’
Saira Majid, Community Business Advisor, Slough Borough Council
‘Fantastic show, really inspiring hope you come back next year,
we are already looking forward to it, learnt a lot, took part in
most and thoroughly enjoyed stimulating speakers, thanks again!’
Save the date
The Thames Valley Expo takes place 21 November at the
Swindon Steam Museum, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon SN2 2EY
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
59

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Help is
out there
Talk Business spoke to four young people who have been supported by Business Launchpad
Business Launchpad is an
organisation that offers free
practical and personalised
business guidance and support
to young entrepreneurs, aged
16 to 30. Since its launch in 1988 it
has helped more than 5,000 young
people, and that number is still
rising. Here are just four of Business
Launchpad’s success stories…
CAROLINE ODOGWU, CO-FOUNDER
OF SHE IS YOU
She Is You is a social enterprise that
aims to empower young women
under the age of 25 to reach their full
potential. It aims to bridge the gap
between their dreams and reality by
carrying out workshops, events and
mentoring, with a heavy focus on
raising self-esteem and self-confidence.
What was your motivation?
During my time at university there
was a lack of positive, female role
models that I could look up to and
identify with, and as a result I found
it very difficult making it through
tough times at university.
I felt that there was a need to
provide a platform for young ladies
to learn, engage and be empowered
by their peers, and be presented with
positive female role models.
How did Business Launchpad help?
Business Launchpad has helped me
develop my idea from a concept to a
business. Within four months of joining
the Business Launchpad programme, I
was able to gather all the resources and
information I needed and carry out my
very first event as She Is You. It’s been
great to use my
business counsellor
as a soundboard
to bounce ideas
off and to set
goals. It is a great
free service for
budding young
entrepreneurs.
SHAIMA AHMED, FOUNDER OF
AL-ILM TUITION CENTRE
Al-ilm Tuition Centre offers tutoring
services to primary and secondary
school children aged 8-16, in a
variety of academic subjects. This
includes KS1, KS2, KS3, SATS and
GCSE’s. The tuition centre runs after
school and some weekend classes.
It also runs pre-exam courses; the
students are taught in groups to save
them money.
What was your motivation?
I enjoy teaching children and after
working as a tutor for a year I wanted
to run my own business. I can control
my working hours and I can be more
creative with planning the lessons.
Furthermore, teaching is very
rewarding and no day is the same.
How did Business Launchpad help?
It’s given me the right information and
resources to start a successful business.
My business counsellor has shown
me areas where I can save money
and how I can get cheaper premises
and encouraged
opportunities
to network with
other like-minded
business owners.
The seminars and
short courses have
helped me plan my
business and do
my research.
62 NOVEMBER 2013

BUSINESS LAUNCHPAD
TALK STRATEGY
VERA ACHEMPON, FOUNDER OF
VEKRAS ACCESSORIES
Vekras Accessories is a jewellery and
accessories business. All jewellery
and accessories are delicately
handcrafted using a wide range
of vibrant African-inspired prints
combined with Western fabrics,
using original ideas.
What was your motivation?
My motivation came from making
jewellery and accessories during
my spare time at university. It
started off merely as a hobby that
I had been doing for five years
before deciding to turn my passion
into a business. At the same
time, finding a job was extremely
difficult.
How did Business Launchpad help?
I was after some mentoring and
advice on how to move my business
to the next stage. I decided to attend
a business Launchpad workshop
seminar, which was very helpful. We
received a clear business plan format
and workbook focusing on key
areas of the business. The business
counselling
sessions with
my counsellor
have been
really helpful
for identifying
strengths and
weaknesses and
setting targets on
a one-to-one basis
to move forward.
LISA OLAOFE, FOUNDER OF IDEAL
GIFT SERVICE
Ideal Gift Service is a gift design
company, specialising in bespoke
gift creations for special occasions,
like nappy cakes, hampers, unique
kids’ party bags and gift sourcing.
What was your motivation?
Ideal Gift Service was born out of
a passion for creating unique and
sometimes personalised gift items
for my family and friends. Having
become a mother, I decided a
business of my own would afford
me the time to invest in my home
and children.
How did Business Launchpad help?
I came to Business Launchpad
with a passion and to seek some
business advice. I have received
a lot more than I bargained for
because working with my business
counsellor has helped me turn what
was simply a hobby into a business.
What has impressed me the most
is that my business counsellor has
taken the time
to understand
who I am and
what motivates
me so that
this can be
translated into
the business.
Contact: businesslaunchpad.org.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
63

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ADAM CAPLAN
TALK STRATEGY
Great customer
service pays off
T
his article was written
while I was delivering
a three-day customer
service workshop for
Edinburgh Airport.
It occurred to me that many
people are only partly aware of
the benefits of delivering good
customer service.
Good customer service
means happy customers that
will return and spread the word
about your company. And when
problems can’t be avoided; it’s
about the complaining customer
going away feeling happy that
the situation was resolved.
There are companies and
businesses that offer great
customer service and those
who “get by” with their
customer service.
A recent survey by Which?
magazine rated Ryanair the lowest
provider of customer service, and
having heard a number of horror
stories I can understand why. In
the same survey, British Airways
was the highest scoring travel
This month sales author and coach, Adam Caplan says: Love
your customers and they will love you back
firm. More expensive but a better
travel experience, in my opinion.
Is it the case that the lower
price charged, the lower the
level of customer service given?
Should that be so?
Is it the case that if you
offer high quality customer
service and a better customer
experience, you can charge
more for your service?
Look at the success story of
Apple; a Mac is more expensive
than a like-for-like PC. Is the
product better? Does it look
better?
I’ve been an Apple customer
for nearly ten years, the
products are much more
expensive but I think they last
longer. I have, on occasion
needed customer support,
and every query was handled
excellently; they offered free
replacements, offered vouchers
Good
customer
service
means happy
customers that
will return and
spread the
word about
your company
to make me happier – superb.
I think better customer service
equals bigger prices.
I went to Gleneagles, a luxury
hotel in Scotland, earlier this
year and on our departure,
we had asked them to book
a local taxi to take us back to
Edinburgh airport and advised
that we needed a large sevenseater
as we had golf clubs, etc.
A standard car arrived and,
as it was Monday morning
and there were no other taxis
available for over an hour. This
meant we would miss our flight.
There were no alternative
options other than taxi and
we were getting concerned.
The manager of the hotel took
charge, asked the head of the
equestrian centre to help and
he drove us to the airport in a
spare limousine. There was no
charge. Now that’s service!
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
67

TALK STRATEGY
ADAM CAPLAN
In between the Gleneagles
experience of total customer
service and the vacuum of
customer service that Ryanair
offer, is the whole range of
potential customer service levels.
Where are you going to
place your business? What
is your attitude towards
customer service?
I’d like to share with you a
couple of customer service
experiences from Edinburgh to
illustrate what I am driving at.
My first customer service
challenge came at Heathrow T5
business car parking. This is the
area where those technologically
amazing driverless pods take you
from the car park, over to the
terminal. They are very much
like being in the original Total
Recall robotic taxis. The cost is a
little more than the standard long
stay, but much more fun.
That is, if the pods are
working, which in this instance,
they were not. I arrived at
the pod station to find nine
businessmen looking at their
phones, waiting. The pods were
queued up with their hazard
lights blinking.
I asked the attendant what
my options were. He advised
me that a bus was coming
but said that if I wanted, he’d
upgrade me to short stay at no
extra charge. Needless to say I
took that option and moved my
car closer to the airport.
Will I use the Heathrow T5
business car parking again? Yes,
because I know that if there’s
a problem, I’ll get upgraded to
the short stay car park, so I can
book with confidence.
Then that evening I walked
into Edinburgh to find a place
to eat and chanced upon a
restaurant called Shebeen. It’s
run by an Afrikaner called
Corne Van Jaarsvelv. He’s a
quite inspirational. Having
suffered from a brain tumor in
his late twenties, he decided
that he shouldn’t wait until it’s
too late to realise his dream of
running his own restaurant.
And what a restaurant.
The surroundings are pretty
authentic, which means
utilitarian, the food, however,
is phenomenal. Upon lengthy
conversation with Corne, I found
out what makes his food just
so fantastic. It’s simply that he
believes in giving the customer
the absolute best and personally
ensures that this happens.
The cows are bred at a farm
he is partnered with. He hangs
them for five weeks himself,
checks them himself and makes
the steaks himself. Then he
and his chef cook it on the
authentic South African braai.
I watched him make himself
available to every single
customer that walked through
the door and he spent time
talking to them and getting to
know them. And there were
plenty he spoke to as if they
were regulars and old friends.
By the end of the second
night I felt like I was one as
well. Corne made such an effort
to ensure I was happy.
Would I go back? Definitely.
Would I recommend the
restaurant? Yes, here’s the
website: shebeenbar.co.uk
So, the moral is: love your
customers and they will
love you. You will get more
customers, and will be able to
charge more for your service.
That is how you build a
thriving business.
Contact: cellularattitude.co.uk
Adam Caplan runs international
sales training company Cellular
Attitude, as
well as his
sales recruitment
company
Unique Sales
Professionals
based in Leicester
Square.
I think better
customer
service equals
bigger prices
68 NOVEMBER 2013

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ADVICE
TALK STRATEGY
The Sales
Doctor
Dear Sales Doctor,
I have been in customer service
for as long as I can remember,
but I’m considering the move into
sales. How can I do this? And
what personality do I need to
have or can everything be learnt?
Q:
A:
It’s an interesting question and
something I rarely get asked; as
customer service is a different
beast to sales.
My first question to you is; what
has prompted this change? Be
sure you know exactly what your
reasons are for moving into sales,
as this is the first thing that will
be asked by any competent sales
recruitment consultant. You will
need to have a clear and concise
answer that will demonstrate your
ambition and desire, as opposed
to highlighting negative feelings
towards customer service.
You’ll need to decide which
sales role appeals to you. Would
you rather be selling over the
phone or would you prefer to be
face to face? If over the phone,
would you rather take inbound
calls or be proactive and make
outbound calls?
If you decide on face to face, then
you need to decide the type of sales
that is of interest. You can either
look at a retail environment that
is all business to consumer (B2C)
or go out on appointments in a
business-to-business environment
(B2B). These decisions should be
based on what motivates you, what
interests you and most importantly,
where you feel your strengths lie.
To answer your question
about what personality you
Sales doctor Tony Morris
discusses how to make
the move from customer
services into sales
need is a difficult question
to answer. People buy from
people who are like them;
therefore the most successful
type of salesperson is like a
chameleon and is able to adapt
to fit in with their environment.
The technique is described
as “matching” or “mirroring”,
where you quite literally copy
the prospect’s behaviour; for
example, if they are very direct,
then you are very direct. Like
everything in life, this skill
takes time to learn and develop.
Finally, you asked if everything
can be learnt. People have often
debated, can you teach someone
to sell or are you just born as a
natural salesperson?
As the owner of Sales Doctor,
a successful sales training
company, I would be pretty
foolish to preach that you cannot
teach a person how to sell;
however I would argue that some
people are born with what’s
described as the “gift of gab” and
have a natural gift at persuading
and influencing others.
That said, I know you can learn
the skills and techniques to sell,
as I have helped in excess of
three thousand people achieve
great things and I assure you they
were far from natural.
As you have many years’
experience in customer service,
you will be able to transfer a
lot of the skills required over to
sales. If you have been successful
in customer service, you have
probably mastered the art of
listening and therefore will go far.
TONY MORRIS, sales doctor
Tony Morris is the director
of The Sales Doctor, a sales
training company based in
Covent Garden, London. He
is the author of Coffee’s for
Closers, a sales book based on
real life situations from which
you can learn techniques and put
them straight into practice.
Contact: tony-morris.co.uk
Need a
diagnosis?
Send your sales
problems to the editor,
marked ‘FAO the sales
doctor’: dawn.murden@
astongreenlake.com
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
71

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APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME
TALK STRATEGY
Support
Charlie’s
bill
Charlie Mullins knows a
lot about apprentices,
because he was one. At
15 he left school with no
qualifications and begun
working with the local plumber,
before enrolling on a formal
plumbers apprenticeship.
His apprenticeship gave him
the tools and skills to become
a plumber; he then later set
up his own company, Pimlico
Plumbers. Established in 1979,
the Pimlico Group now has a
workforce of more than 200,
160 branded vehicles on the road
and a turnover in the excess of
£18 million.
‘My success is due to my
apprenticeship,’ Charlie admits.
That’s why for five years
Charlie has been tirelessly
Talk Business spoke to Charlie Mullins,
founder of Pimlico Plumbers, about the
Apprenticeship Scheme Bill he is fighting
to get through Government
campaigning to get a national
apprentice scheme implemented
by the Government.
‘It’s a no brainer to me,’
he says. ‘A national standard
apprenticeship scheme will
help thousands of youngsters
get into work.
‘Our country does not do
enough to help young people.’
Charlie takes on apprentices
every year at Pimlico, and
believes the way to increase
apprenticeship opportunities and
reduce youth unemployment in
the UK is for the Government to
pay Job Seekers Allowance direct
to the employer. The employer
can then use this to go towards
a salary for the apprentice, and
rather than just receiving around
£56.80 a week, the person will be
As well as
talking
to David
Cameron
and George
Osborne
directly, he
spoke at the
Conservative
conference in
Manchester
learning skills to further
their career.
There are already well over
1,000 signatures on the petition
on Pimlico Plumbers website,
and Charlie has been in talks
with Prime Minister David
Cameron and Chancellor of the
Exchequer George Osborne, at
10 Downing Street.
‘We’ve made some great
progress,’ Charlie says. ‘The
right people are starting to take
notice, but sometimes it feels
like we’re going round in circles.
‘I don’t want to beat around the
bush, I want to get this scheme
in place now – there are almost a
million youngsters unemployed
and I believe this scheme will cut
that number by half.’
As well as talking to David
Cameron and George Osborne
directly, he spoke at the
Conservative conference in
Manchester, with Suffolk MP
Matthew Hancock.
‘People stood up and said
they believed in what we were
saying,’ Charlie said. ‘The
Government needs to listen to
us – I can’t understand what
is taking so long to implement
this scheme.’
Now Charlie has teamed up
with Matthew Hancock and
Lottie Dexter, director of the
unemployment campaign,
Million Jobs, who are both
dedicated to reducing youth
unemployment. Charlie said
apprenticeships are not just
an important part of reducing
youth unemployment but that
they are also for great for SMEs.
‘We have to keep things
going, there will be people
leaving your workforce and
you need to replace them,’ he
said. ‘The youth are the future,
they can help close the skills
shortage – mould them to be a
part of your team.’
To sign Charlie’s petition or
find out more, visit: tinyurl.com/
pimlicoplumberspetition
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
73

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stay out front
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Give to
receive
mARKETING
Christmas is nearly here
and ‘tis the season to
be giving. But so many
businesses are so worried
about selling that they
forget to give. In fact, every year,
it seems that the shops start to
put out the Christmas displays
earlier and earlier. I’m certain I
saw ornaments in July!
For many businesses, this
is the time of year where they
make the majority of their sales.
So it’s no wonder they want to
kick start the season as soon as
possible and sell, sell, sell.
But what most businesses
don’t understand is the power
of giving to your audience
first, so that you don’t need
to work so hard to convince
them to buy later.
Let me explain by sharing my
theory of “givers and takers”. It
applies for all relationships, not
just business relationships, and
it goes like this...
In life, there are times where
we all give and we all take, but
we are never doing these things
equally. We are all primarily
either a giver or a taker. So
which relationships work best?
Takers never go with other
takers. They are both trying
to take from one another and
neither has anything to give.
So they move on immediately.
Kimberly Davis, founder of Sarsaparilla Marketing, says give
something nice away and you’ll get something back
Give first
and watch it
come back
to you many
times over
Takers go with givers and
givers go with takers, because
one person enjoys doing
something nice for the other
person,and the other person
loves being showered with
lovely things.
However, sooner or later,
the giver realises that they
aren’t getting much out of this
relationship. They see how
one-sided things are and they
become bitter - and ultimately
the relationship breaks down.
So while it may work in the
short term, these relationships
are almost always bound to fail.
The very best relationships,
whether it be friendships,
romantic, or business related, are
the ones that are all about putting
givers with givers. Where both
parties are always supporting one
another because they genuinely
care about each other.
These are your marriages that
last 50-plus happy years, your
best friends, and your high
paying, high quality customers.
So, for a happy relationship
with your customers, learn
how to give first. Whether it’s
a free sample of your product
or a free download on your
website, like the free guide I
give away on mine.
Make sure you give
something of value. The item
you give is going to help to
establish that you are an expert
in your field and build trust in
the relationship.
So go on, be a giver this
holiday season. Give first and
watch it come back to you many
times over. Happy holidays!
Kimberly Davis is the founder
of Sarsaparilla Marketing,
author and speaker.
Contact:
sarsaparillamarketing.com
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
75

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SOCIAL MEDIA
TALK MARKETING
The death of
acebook
Despite being worth around
£6 billion, the question
being asked by bloggers,
social media savvys and
your regular Joe(anne)
Blogs is: “Is Facebook dying?”
Of course this won’t happen
overnight, but many are claiming
it’s reached saturation point and
are wondering if it will go the
same way as MySpace.
Is there any particular
audience getting fed up
with Facebook?
Research has found teens
have “waning enthusiasm”
towards the site. The Pew
Report found teens dislike the
incessant over-sharing, but
more importantly it showed
they are peeved their parents
are on Facebook.
Twitter has seen a 16%
increase in teenage users, and
more 13-18 year olds use Tumblr
(61%) than Facebook (55%).
Do young people want a
parent-free playground when it
comes to social media?
1. NATALIE RINCON, 18
DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
Yes, Facebook and Twitter.
DO YOU THINK FACEBOOK
IS DYING?
It will die out, less people are
using it and there are a lot of
other choices out there. It will
end up like MySpace.
ARE YOU PEEVED YOUR
PARENTS ARE ON FACEBOOK?
It doesn’t bother me, but it does
bother other people.
Should you target young people on Facebook? Dawn Murden
asks young people if they think Facebook is dying
1
3
2
4
2. JAMIE GRAHAM, 18
WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA DO
YOU USE?
Facebook and Flickr, but I
haven’t got Twitter yet.
WOULD YOU SAY FACEBOOK
IS DYING?
No, it’s still relevant.
ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH YOUR
PARENTS ON FACEBOOK?
Yes, but it doesn’t really bother
me – you can pick and choose
what you share anyway, you
can give certain friends a
limited view of your profile.
3. TOM HOPKINS, 19
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE
SOCIAL MEDIA SITE?
Twitter.
ARE YOU GETTING FED UP OF
FACEBOOK? IF SO WHY?
It has too many adverts and
random pages. There are pages
I liked on there when I was 12
– it feels really out of date.
ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH YOUR
PARENTS ON FACEBOOK?
Sort of... I have two Facebooks
- one for friends and the other
for family, but I don’t even use
the family one. I don’t want
them snooping!
4. DORA PRIBELSZKI, 22
HOW LONG HAVE YOU USED
FACEBOOK FOR?
About five years.
WHAT DO YOU USE IT FOR?
Communication – I see it
as a huge telephone book. It
helps me keep in touch with
everyone in the UK
and internationally.
DO YOU THINK FACEBOOK
IS DYING?
It is getting less trendy as
everyone is on it. Mums, dads,
etc., they are all on there –
whereas before it seemed
more exclusive.
WILL FACEBOOK FIGHT BACK?
Yes, I’m sure it will transform
itself. It’s already adding new
features. I see statuses like
“Reading a book – feeling really
sad – at college.” However, I
don’t know why I need to know
all that!
Talk Business Tip
Why should you be thinking
about this? If your audience
is dropping like flies from
Facebook, then don’t put all
you marketing eggs in that
basket. If they are fed up with
Facebook find out where
they’re going instead with
market research.
Research taken from: Pew, SocialBakers.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
77

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TEN STEPS OF TWITTER
TALK MARKETING
Ten steps of Twitter
Step one: quantity
not quality
Dawn Murden sets out to improve the Talk Business
Twitter – follow our journey and improve yours too
Social media is an
essential tool for any
SME looking for wide
exposure with a small
budget. I‘ve spoken
to many entrepreneurs who
say social media has been
an influential game changer
for them. Some have even
confessed that, without it,
their business might not be
where it is today.
As an editor, and in my
personal life, I use Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, and so
on. And I think I use them
pretty well. So, when I came to
Talk Business I took over our
Twitter, and at the time it had
just 1,800 followers, a number
which did not represent our
large readership.
So I made it my mission to
increase our activity – I tweeted
about SME news, entered
conversations with you, our
readers, famous entrepreneurs
and start-ups. I ran competitions
and posted pictures, and at the
time of writing we have
3,711 followers, a
number we
endeavour
to keep
growing.
But I confess my bag of tricks
is almost empty, and I imagine
some of you feel the same.
I needed the help of a
professional social media
whizz, someone who could
easily communicate his or her
expertise to me, which I could
then put in practice on our
Twitter, which you could then
follow. It’s not just any old case
study; we, Talk Business are the
guinea pigs and you can follow
our journey.
First, I needed to find
help. After digging through
contacts, I called upon Joel
Windels, marketing manager
of EMEA Brandwatch, one
of the world's leading social
media analytics platforms.
With a background in
journalism and the video games
industry, Joel is responsible
for Brandwatch's global PR
and social strategy, as well as
overseeing events, demand
generation and other marketing
initiatives in the EMEA region.
He helps show clients how
they can use the power of
online conversation
to enhance business
operations.
When Joel and I met
he congratulated me
on what I’d achieved
so far, but said; ‘It’s not
just about quantity, it’s
about quality.’
In other words it’s not
how many followers you
It’s
not how
many
followers you
have, it’s
about who’s
following you
have, it’s about who’s following
you, and it’s not about how
much you tweet, it’s about what
you tweet.
First thing was first – I had
to measure our influence and
interaction on Twitter. So Joel
set me up on the Brandwatch
tools so I could measure our
data, look at who’s following us,
and what our followers like the
best about us; i.e. what tweets
work best, be it pictures, news,
links, videos or so on.
For the next month I’ll
be measuring our data and
reporting back to Joel. He said;
‘Carry on as normal, then we
can measure how what you’re
currently doing works.’
Next month in step two, we’ll
talk through the data and set
some goals.
Brandwatch solutions are used
by leading brands and agencies
around the globe, including
organisations such as Dell,
Kellogg’s, and Digitas.
Contact: brandwatch.com
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
79

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SMS
TALK MARKETING
Do texts work
in marketing?
SMS remains an indispensable business communication and marketing tool, says Pieter
Streicher, managing director of text provider, BulkSMS
SMS is a well-received
technology that people
understand. It is
quick, easy and low
cost, and as a business
communications tool, more and
more companies are leveraging
its operational benefits.
SMS has retained its value
to businesses despite the
emergence of instant messaging
(IM) applications such as
Skype, WhatsApp and Viber.
IM may have great advantages
for the consumer market, but
it falls short as an effective tool
for businesses. This is due to
the fact these applications can
only support person-to-person
(P2P) messaging. This excludes
the use of application-to-person
(A2P) messaging, which allows
businesses to send messages
directly from their systems to a
targeted database.
Many companies have adopted
IM platforms, such as Skype or
iChat, but they are used primarily
as internal communication
networks, allowing employees to
share ideas and best practice in
an enterprise environment.
Even the IM services with
the broadest reach or the most
familiar branding have their
drawbacks. Take Facebook
Messenger for instance, which
has experienced rapid uptake
on mobile, but can only support
P2P messaging.
Businesses are increasingly
adopting A2P where the
messaging is integrated into
back-office systems and can be
triggered automatically, saving
time and keeping operational
costs down. As well as the
efficiencies A2P messaging
makes possible, it’s in its value
as a customer care tool that it
really enhances relationships
with customers. You only have
to imagine the time taken in
trying to contact customers
by phone, leaving voice mails
if they’re not around and
never knowing if the message
was listened to in order to
appreciate a text message. It’s
instantly received, opened, and
read by a customer, making the
whole customer contact process
faster and more efficient.
SMS is now integral to both
automated and manual business
processes, whether upstream
to consumers and clients or
downstream to suppliers.
Many
companies
have adopted
IM platforms,
such as Skype
or iChat, but
they are used
primarily as
internal communication
Unlike mobile-IM, SMS is a
form of communication that is
not reliant on an IP-connection
and is a standard feature on all
mobile phones.
SMS also offers businesses
a degree of security. A2P
messaging has been widely
adopted by banks and credit
card companies issuing onetime
passwords (OTPs) for
transaction verifications,
which are then entered onto
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
81

TALK MARKETING
SMS
a webpage. OTPs are also used
outside the financial services
industry to verify a customer
for online transactions. Text
messaging supports the security
of e-commerce sites while
providing peace of mind and
reassurance to the customer
receiving the code.
To take full advantage of
A2P messaging, companies
should also be mindful of who
they’re targeting and how
they go about constructing
their database. Target message
recipients must be given the
choice to be kept in or out of
the database. Companies need
to ensure the opt-in process
is simple and straightforward.
If a recipient wants out, the
process to decline the service
has to be as easy as replying
STOP to a message.
Customer acquisition
through an opt-in process is an
important consideration of any
mobile marketing campaign.
This process creates a targeted,
permission-based audience,
one that will be receptive to
timely, relevant and useful
communication. This adds
to the customer relationship
management (CRM) activities
of a business and builds
customer loyalty.
The SMS is an adaptable
communication tool; costeffective
and swift to deploy.
For marketers, it can enhance
customer relationships, build
loyalty and drive traffic
and responses at a cost per
message which is attractive to
any size of budget.
For logistics operators, it’s
a robust medium for ensuring
the timely undertaking of
tasks, deliveries, orders and
the many elements in the
value chain, which are timedependent
and require human
In profile
Pieter Streicher is managing director
of BulkSMS.com, an SMS messaging
service provider, offering two-way SMS
communication services straight from
your internet-enabled computer. The
BulkSMS gateway reaches across borders
and connects to more than 800 mobile
network operators worldwide.
The SMS is
an adaptable
communication
tool; costeffective
and
swift to deploy
intervention to confirm
their completion or trigger
the next stage. For service
providers of any description
– but particularly within the
patient-surgery relationship
– it’s an easy way to ensure
appointments are kept and
no time is wasted in handling
appointment schedules. For
all users it also offers its own
audit trail – an automated
filing system keeping a precise
record of what message was
sent to who, when, and what
the response was.
Mobile IM may have
captured the public’s
imagination, but these
messaging applications have
a limited role to play when
it comes to business. P2P
messaging is primarily a
consumer proposition – it
simply doesn’t have the same
reach as A2P messaging,
which is more applicable to
the needs of a business.
Contact: bulksms.co.uk
Figures for
thought
• 96% of smartphone users
use SMS
• 150 – the number of times
the average person looks
at their phone per day
• 98% of text messages are
read, compared to 22% of
emails, 29% of tweets and
12% of Facebook posts
82 NOVEMBER 2013

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THREE REASONS TO
Outsource Your Payroll
As a small business owner,
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resource. In fact, it’s one of the
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like you, have. There’s just never
enough time to plough through all
the pressing tasks, and your to-do list
just keeps growing with all the ideas
you generate to take your business
forward.
But what’s even more frustrating
is when you have to make time to
do those tasks you know are superimportant,
but lie outside of your
core skillset. And unless you’re a
numbers’ whizz, payroll probably falls
into that category.
“Fast service, really easy to work with,
a massive burden lifted! Thanks.”
- Dan Harrison WP Doctors Ltd.
So if you’re still carrying the
headache of sorting your own payroll,
keep reading and I’ll reveal three
reasons why it makes sense to
outsource it:
1. It’s far more efficient
If you’re a business owner, doing
your own payroll is an inefficient
use of your time. And even if you’ve
honed your routine so you complete
the job fairly quickly, it’s still time
that you could invest back into
your business doing the high-value
activities only you can do.
2. Offload the stress
As you know, it’s vitally important
to process your payroll accurately.
“Our Pre-Nursery’s wages have been
managed by T.I. Payroll for many
years now. It saves me time, money
and a great deal of stress leaving
them to sort through the complexities
of tax, N.I. etc and advising us when
we need it. A quick, straight forward
and efficient service!”
- Nicky Brewerton, Ramsden Infant School
If you make errors you could end up
with disgruntled employees, a stern
letter from HMRC or even hefty fines.
But as you know, it’s not always that
straightforward. Payroll becomes a
lot more complicated when you have
to factor in less common events such
as sick and holiday pay, along with
student loan repayments, paternity
leave and other employee specific
circumstances.
In addition, when HMRC
implement changes as they did with
RTI this year, you have to make the
time to ensure you fully understand
the implications so you can stay
compliant and avoid costly mistakes.
But teaching yourself new processes
or independently learning how
changes affect your business can
be a headache. In comparison, once
you’ve outsourced your payroll, new
changes are no longer your problem.
Furthermore you won’t have to faff
around with those unusual payroll
requests. Instead you can relax
knowing someone else is working
hard on your behalf.
3. It’s cost-effective:
As a smart business owner, you will
make decisions based on how they
impact your bottom line. And the
thing about outsourcing payroll is it’s
not as expensive as you think. In fact,
if your business employs less than
ten people, you can outsource your
payroll for as little as £21 per month.
And if your own hourly rate is worth
more than that, surely it’s an absolute
no-brainer?
Why outsource your payroll to TI
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TI Payroll and Accounting is a highly
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“Our aim is to cut through the
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And because we understand the
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payslips will always be error free.”
Tracy Irwin – TI Payroll
“TI Payroll offers a payroll service at
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- Colin Garnett, Red Abbey Web Design
To learn more about the benefits of
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tipayroll.co.uk/payroll. And if you’d
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of two. To book this special offer
simply call 01229 490564 or email
payroll@tipayroll.co.uk and quote
TALKBUSINESS. We can’t wait to
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The
Employability
Academy
PEOPLE
MY INTERN
My first intern started in
September; his name is Adrian
and he’s doing great so far.
He’s just finished college
and he won his place with us
through our Employability
Academy, a scheme where we
go into colleges and teach skills
to a group to help develop their
career heads.
Adrian trained with 19 other
students for 12 weeks, and at
the end he was rewarded with
an internship with us.
GETTING A CAREER
A career is governed by getting
work, but without certain skills,
initially getting that work can
be hard – it’s a catch-22. I think
apprenticeships and internships
are important to give young
people the opportunity to gain
those skills to get them into work.
The training within our
academy enhances and helps
students, and then we reward one
winning intern with the hands-on
experience of the company.
REAL SKILLS
I think too much work
experience is centred on making
teas or picking up a broom.
Adrian is moving around
to different departments and
Lee McQueen, founder of Raw Talent Academy and BBC’s
Apprentice season four winner, tells us how the student
becomes the teacher
A career is
governed by
getting work,
but without
certain skills,
initially
getting that
work can be
hard
working on different projects;
he’s selling, learning about
marketing, and delivery. He’s
also integrating our new CRM
system, and canvassing students
for a video we’re making.
I’m paying him a wage.
This, is of course, down to
the discretion of the company,
but I feel an intern should be
rewarded for the hard work
they do.
THE NEXT GENERATION
I’m a huge advocate of
apprenticeships and
internships, and I think they are
a no brainer for companies. To
be honest, I have a bee in my
bonnet about them as I really
don’t think we, in the UK, do
enough to help young people.
I think some colleges
nanny students a bit – we
need to make students more
proactive, get them out
there learning and doing
things – and internships and
apprenticeships are perfect
for this. They are a great
alternative to university, or
after/alongside university.
THE RETAIL TRAP
Lots of young people end up in
retail, which is a great industry,
don’t get me wrong, but too
many people have a part-time
job and stay on, simply because
they haven’t got a way to
acquire the skills for something
else. And some graduates have
a degree but cannot find work
without certain skills.
GET AN INTERN OR
APPRENTICE
Some companies may think
twice about getting an intern, but
they do not need to be babysat
– choose the right person and
they will be proactive. There are
always jobs to be done and you
can both make the best of it.
I’m happy for Adrian to stay
as long as he likes. If he finds
a niche within the company,
you never know, he could be
here indefinitely. However if he
decides to move on to a job or
go to university, I will wish him
the best of luck.
Contact:
rawtalentacademy.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
87

TALK PEOPLE
SECRET DIARY
Secret
diary of an
entrepreneur
Ellie Kelly founded
Buttons Children’s Parties
in 2011. Buttons is a
children’s entertainment
and party planning
company that offers everything
from party bags to venue
styling, and adventure story to
chocolate-making parties for
private birthday parties and
larger corporate events.
DAY 1: ALL MADE UP
As well as replying to emails,
and keeping on top of the dayto-day
admin, today is also staff
training day. Every few months
all eight of us get together to
work on an element of the
Buttons parties. This includes
everything from updating
Criminal Record Bureau checks
to practising new adventures
and crafts.
Today though, we do face
painting! Most of the team have
been on a face painting course
but those who haven’t get inhouse
training from myself as I
have been on a few and learnt
lots of techniques. We practice
the most popular faces, such as
butterflies and tigers and also
play around with new ideas and
patterns that the children have
inspired us to try out.
DAY 2: PLANNING AHEAD
Today I’m working on
Christmas parties and planning
for next summer so, with that,
Ellie Kelly, founder of Buttons Children’s Parties, reveals a
typical week of fun and games, chocolate and crafting
I’m working
on Christmas
parties and
planning for
next summer,
so now feel
like having
a glass of
mulled wine
on the beach
I now feel like having a glass of
mulled wine on the beach!
I start the day by researching
and gathering inspiration for
our forthcoming Christmas
corporate events. We are
fully theming a few offices
in London this year so I’m
planning what I’m going to buy
and make, to turn the venues
from bland to magical.
Once that is done and I’m
Pintrest-ed out, I move on to
catching up with past clients
who I hope to be working with
again next year. One of these
includes the events team at
Goodwood in Chichester for the
Festival of Speed. We ran the
children’s craft table there this
year and, fingers crossed, we will
be doing the same next year.
DAY 3: ART ATTACK
Today is one of my blogging
days. I blog on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays about
all different topics, from party
tips to baking recipes for people
to attempt with their kids,
while all the time showcasing
Buttons parties and crafts.
Today I’m making a pretty
paper wreath for the office. I
start by getting all my materials
into natural light to get some
nice photos and then start
crafting. I stop a few times
during the project to take
photos and, when I’m done, I
load them on to a programme
called Blogstomp where I can
arrange and group them and
then write information to go
with them before hitting the
publish button. I love any day
that includes crafting!
DAY 4: MEETING AND GREETING
Today is all about the meetings.
I have one with my PR agency
at 10am about our plans for
the next few months, and then
it’s back home to check a few
emails before an interview in a
local café in Fleet.
I am always looking out for
new party leaders, and today’s
applicant is full of fun with lots
of experience so they will be
coming out to see a party in full
swing with me so we can both
see how it fits and, if all goes
well, they will start training,
which takes about a month.
I pick up a few party supplies
while in town and then see a
venue with a client. We are
dressing the party tables and
adding theming to the venue.
It was a beautiful home with
stunning features so we will be
88 NOVEMBER 2013

enhancing those with low key
and beautiful fairy touches such
as paper pompoms, bunting
bespoke welcome signs, ribbons
and pearl balloons.
The party is a big hit and I spy
quite a bit of sneaky eating of
the chocolate decorations!
DAY 5: PARTY PEOPLE
I’m up early today to finish
packing boxes and loading the
car. I have a chocolate-making
party in South Kensington
this morning for a group of
12 eight-year-olds, followed
by a fun and games party this
afternoon in Surrey for 20
five-year-olds.
London traffic is a bit
unpredictable so I always leave
early and take a book. My party
days are never the same and
today is a typical portrayal of
that. The party is a big hit and I
spy quite a bit of sneaky eating
of the chocolate decorations!
Everyone leaves with a bag
full of hand dipped and
decorated truffles and a giant
chocolate button.
At the next party, we play
lots of games and I make all
the children a balloon model to
take home. Now all that is left
for me to do is put my feet up
and chill out with some TV and
leftover truffles – one of the
many perks of the job!
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
89

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Q&A
TALK PEOPLE
The daily
grind
Mike Tait, chief executive of eZe-Talk Telecoms, reveals his ultimate
business tip and what he’d take on a desert island
w
e grilled Mike
Tait, the chief
executive of eZe-
Talk Telecoms,
which provides
business telecommunications
solutions, including calls,
broadband and VoIP.
WHEN WAS THE COMPANY
FOUNDED?
We began trading in 2000.
£900,000. We’re one of the
fastest growing independent
telecom service providers in
the UK. Last year we won the
UK Deloitte Technology Fast
50 Award for the second year
running and the Deloitte Fast
500 for the fourth year running
– this is a ranking of the 500
fastest growing technology
companies in Europe, Middle
East and Africa.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA
FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
We were all involved within
various sectors of the telecoms
industry and realised that with
our combined skill sets we
could launch a different type
of provider.
Both mine and business
partner, Steve Walsh’s vision for
the company has always been for
it to become a significant player
in the converged communication
market, offering competitive
products but with commercials
that ensure profitability.
WHAT’S YOUR TURNOVER,
PROFIT, GROWTH RATE,
AND SO ON?
This year’s consolidated
turnover is circa £4.5 million
with EBITDA of around
HOW DID YOU OVERCOME
THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED?
All of the team worked
harder and we committed to
more resources, including
personal funds.
DESCRIBE YOUR COMPANY
ETHOS IN NO MORE THAN
SIX WORDS...
Deliver service you’d want
to receive.
WHAT IS THE BEST BOOK
YOU’VE EVER READ?
Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson
Mandela’s autobiography.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE
COLOUR, AND WHY?
Red. It was my house colour
while I was at school and also
an iconic Ferrari colour.
Have your
business plan
subjected to
scrutiny by
a qualified
third party
DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRET
OBSESSIONS?
Well if I told you, they wouldn’t
be a secret!
NAME ONE THING YOU’D
TAKE ON A DESERT ISLAND...
An iPad with a Solar charge
case or a wind up MP3 player.
WHAT WOULD BE
YOUR ULTIMATE TIP TO
THOSE STARTING THEIR
OWN BUSINESS?
Have your business plan
subjected to scrutiny by a
qualified third party, and
remember cashflow can kill
a good business idea so make
sure you have sufficient
funding in place to cover all
eventualities before you start.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
91

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HR INSIGHT
TALK PEOPLE
RECRUIT RIGHT
Heather Matheson, managing director of HR Insight, discusses the different methods of recruiting
ARE CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS
ENOUGH ANYMORE?
Most employers would
consider that their
recruitment processes are
pretty well developed and,
against where we all used to
be, they probably are. We’ve
certainly come a long way in
the past few years.
At one time or another,
we have probably all made
recruitment decisions which
we later regret, but during the
recruitment process we are
now much more aware of the
behaviours and attitudes that
will make the person succeed in
the job role, team or the wider
organisational culture.
PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENTS
Equally acclaimed as they
are criticised, but what do
they really do? There are a
number of different types of
psychometric assessments,
many of which are well
known, but generally they all
operate in the same way with
a candidate acknowledging
a word, phrase or sentence
closely linked to them.
Using algorithms, the
candidate’s profile is then
automatically generated. This
profile can reveal key aspects
of their preferred behaviours,
including whether they’re
a team player or a creative
thinker. The attributes you are
looking for in the post-holder
should determine which profile
is the most appealing.
ASSESSMENT CENTRES
These provide employers with
an opportunity to observe
candidates through a series
of scenario-based challenges,
allowing key competencies to
be examined first hand. The
employer decides the design of
the assessment.
A mixture of individual and
group assessments can give a
good insight into an applicant’s
personality. Group assessments
can create a fun and collaborative
environment allowing you to
see how applicants engage with
others and how they cope under
pressure. These often provide
insightful and surprising results.
The benefit of assessments is
that they allow you to view more
candidates in a shorter period
of time than traditional first and
second interviews, they also give
employers a real sense of the
person they are selecting and
perhaps more importantly, help
eliminate any potential misfits.
They can be set up anywhere,
easily and cost effectively.
SIMULATIONS
In recent years, as the
requirement for us to make
the right people decisions has
become essential, especially in
senior posts, employers have
Interviewers
today do need
to be trained
about what
they can and
can’t say
been turning to simulation to
see what they can learn about
the candidate’s behaviour
in “real-time”. Simulations
generally come in two
forms, both computer-based.
However, one has a computer
based scoring system and the
other includes observation by
qualified practitioners.
So how does it work?
Candidates are given
information regarding a
fictitious company prior to the
assessment and then at a given
time, log-on and the assessment
begins. It can involve managing
emails, phone calls, conference
calls and interpreting data.
During the simulation, it
is possible to see how the
individual reacts to information,
makes decisions, applies their
judgment and interacts with
people – all in real time.
THE INTERVIEW
As long as interviews are
managed in a structured way,
they are still the most popular
and potentially useful method of
assessment, and I would strongly
recommend they be incorporated
into the recruitment process.
Interviewers today do need
to be trained about what they
can and can’t say (to avoid
tribunal claims), but it is the
ideal way for both parties to
gather, confirm or offer more
information to the other.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
93

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EVENTS
TALK PEOPLE
eCommerce
Expo 2013
The 2013 eCommerce
Expo took place last
month on 2-3 October
at Olympia in London.
The event is dedicated
to all aspects of selling online.
As well as the expo, the
company which organises the
event – UBM, a global events-led
marketing and communications
services business – also hold the
annual eCommerce Awards.
The Best Product at
eCommerce Expo Award was
decided at the expo by mystery
shoppers perusing the stands
and asking questions of the
representatives manning them.
We caught up with one of the
mystery shoppers to find out
about the finalists, and the
event itself.
HOW DID THE MYSTERY
SHOPPING WORK, AND HAVE
YOU EVER DONE IT BEFORE?
No, never done it before. I had a
list of 10 finalists and information
about the company and product.
Then on the day, I had two and a
half hours to make my round to
each of their stands.
Talk Business chatted to one of the 2013 eCommerce Expo
mystery shoppers, who gave us the low down on this years event
I was told to focus on the
products rather than the
people managing the stands,
and was left to come up with
my own questions.
WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS
DID YOU ASK?
I spent around 15 minutes
at each stand and I asked
them what their product was,
what it did, how it would
benefit companies and got
them to go into more detail.
I concentrated on finding
out how unique the product
was, its benefits and how
innovative it was.
HOW DID YOU RANK
THE COMPANIES?
I gave each one a score between
1-10. I found I ranked the
bigger companies lower,
because even though their
stands looked professional and
they’d won previous awards, I
felt the innovation was low and
There were
lots of great
companies
and I got
plenty of
ideas for my
websites
I was just speaking to a sales
guy on commission.
With the SMEs, I got to
speak to the real decision
makers and directors, and their
innovation and aspirations
shone through.
WHICH COMPANY WON?
Yipiii made by LX Innovation.
Their product was really good
and they deserved to win –
although they did have stiff
competition.
HOW DID YOU RATE THE
EVENT ITSELF?
It was organised really well;
there were lots of great
companies and I got plenty of
ideas for my websites. Even
if you’re not sure about your
eCommerce strategy, you
should go along just to have a
chat and get ideas. I’ll definitely
go back next year.
Contact: ecommerceexpo.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
95

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IMAGE
Gee, thanks
Everyone has heard the
expression “It’s the
thought that counts”,
but when it comes to
corporate gifting this is
just not the case. It’s not about
being spoilt or ungrateful, the
reality is it’s about making a
long-lasting impression on your
valued clients or employees.
Gifts convey a great
deal about the giver to the
receiver. Think about your
personal experience - when
Grandma gave you that truly
awful jumper you thought:
“She doesn’t know any
better, this was the fashion
in her day.” But what if your
fashionable friend gave you
the same jumper? Or what if
a successful fashion/trend
setting company sent you that
jumper? Would you doubt
their judgement, skills, etc?
Of course everyone is
different, and to coin another
clichéd phrase: “One man’s
rubbish is another man’s
treasure”, but some gifts should
be banned – forget the red
ribbon, they need red tape
around them.
OUR TOP TEN NO-GO GIFTS
(FROM BAD TO WORSE):
10. A CALENDAR/DIARY
Those who religiously use diaries
and calendars will already have
their 2014 one ordered, or will
be making use of it already. It
Dawn Murden discusses corporate gifting and how it’s not just
the thought that counts
will be styled to suit them and
their business/personality.
Diaries and calendars are
fine thrown in from time to
time – especially if they have a
fashion/eco edge.
9. THE BRANDED POLO SHIRT
Do you really know what size
the receiver is? Do you want to
ask? All hell could break loose
when the lady you thought was
an XL is really an M.
Plus, when would they wear
your shirt? Would it end up at a
charity shop?
8. INADEQUATELY FUNDED
GIFT CARDS
What’s the point of putting £20
when everything in the shop
is well over £40? Do they even
like that shop?
7. FRISBEE
A Frisbee with a logo or a
“cool” phrase although a fun
idea is not practical – unless
you’re running a health
campaign or own a kids brand.
6. DRINKS MAT
Branded drinks mats too often
look tacky and cheap. The cleaner
sorts out the coffee rings at
work, and why would they take it
home? It doesn’t match the décor.
It’s about
making a
long-lasting
impression on
your valued
clients or
employees
5. THE BUSINESS MUG
There’s no doubt they can
be useful, but imagine how
many cups get sent. A lot. And
when there’s no room in the
cupboard it could be yours
going in the bin.
4. BRANDED USB DRIVE
Nice tech idea but with the
invention of free services
like Dropbox, USBs are
becoming obsolete.
3. PAPERWEIGHT
Unless it’s a luxury ornament
or a rare artefact – what’s the
point of a paperweight? Who
has a windy office anyway?
2. MOUSE MAT
Most companies now use an
LED mouse, which doesn’t
require a mouse mat.
1. STRESS BALL
Why would you want someone
to squeeze a ball with your
logo on it when they’re angry?
They’ll associate you company
with stress – worst idea.
If you like this, turn to page
105 for a few of our favourite
corporate gifting ideas.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
97

TALK IMAGE
FASHION
Wa
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W terproof gold p
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-w
FASHION
TALK IMAGE
Skeleton lady,
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y,
y £880, Hamilton |
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The woww-
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Ladies and gentlemen,
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choose the right time piece
for your personal brand
Ladies stainless steel bracelet, £125, Rotary | The classic watch
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talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
93

Businesses Boost Profits and
Gain Competitive Advantage
with Integrated System
Any expanding business and especially the
rapidly expanding world of eCommerce (which
is not the 'Easy Money Making Machine'
perceived by many outsiders) can create
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they disparate accounting
systems, separate client
databases and various order
management processes.
Major inefficiencies can be
accrued by these systems not
‘talking’ to each other. This
in turn causes duplication
of information and greatly
increases the chance of error
resulting in a poor customer
experience. Collectively this
costs time, both in terms of
the business process and the
human intervention required
thus restricting the potential
growth and future profitability
of the business.
The Solution...
Etellect has experience of
working with clients who
have lived with the issues
and inefficiencies described
and has managed to cut
through the complexities
and specific requirements
of differing businesses to
be able to implement one
seamless integrated system
that can handle every aspect
of the business management
process. The benefits of this
approach are enormous. Data
is managed and controlled
across the organisation from
the direct communications
with the customer and third
party systems, like eBay or
Amazon, through the custom
business processes and
onwards to suppliers and
distributers.
The Benefit of Taking Action
And The Risk Of Not...
There can be no argument
that embracing the potential
of eBusiness can be a fantastic
opportunity for a business
to grow and prosper but the
transparency of product
cost and the difficulty to
'Add Value' means business
have to continually ensure
that their business systems
are efficient and flexible
to maintain a competitive
advantage. Businesses who
fail to recognise this are
unlikely to survive long term,
but businesses who invest in
their internal systems and
processes will, undoubtedly,
reap the very considerable
rewards and retain customers
on the strength of their service
and responsiveness.
What To Do?
Etellect provide a free
assessment service to
permit businesses to gain an
understanding of the potential
benefits that can be achieved
from implementing a fully
integrated business process.
Greg Lavelle (Etellect’s MD)
says "The worst situation for
any business is not knowing
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BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
We feature the best locations in the UK
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hubs and offices to set up shop
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MEET AND EAT
KARPO
Where? Euston Road, opposite
Kings Cross St Pancras Station.
What? Karpo is a
neighbourhood restaurant
in the heart of Kings Cross.
It serves modern European
cuisine with a focus on seasonal

LOCATIONS
TALK IMAGE
food, and the menu changes
regularly. It serves breakfast,
lunch and dinner – and a series
of small plates, cocktails and
wines all day.
Why choose Karpo? The
restaurant is in a convenient
location and open all day. The
atmosphere is cosy and quiet –
perfect for client and colleague
meetings. The big tables will
allow for laptops and notepads,
on top of plenty of food. Staff are
friendly, attentive and helpful,
plus the food is delicious.
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Incorporating the flexibility of
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Why choose Deep Blue
Apartments? They are a
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for an individual business
traveller, partners or a family.
It has recently launched
a “Flying Butler” service,
which offers guests a range
of personalised concierge
services, including transfers to
and from any London airport
or station, and can provide
you with a hamper filled with
essentials on arrival.
Contact:
deepblue-apartments.com
EVENTS AND GATHERINGS
THE FELBRIDGE HOTEL & SPA
Where? East Grinstead, West
Sussex – 13-minutes drive
from Gatwick airport.
What? A four-star hotel
bordering Sussex, Surrey
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hire. Main meeting room
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and a working lunch or
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Wireless internet access, LCD
data projector and screen,
flipchart and stationary,
mineral water and parking
onsite is also included.
Why choose Felbridge? There
are 12 meeting/event rooms
to choose, from small meeting
rooms to the Grand Ballroom,
so you can be sure there is
something to suit your event.
Contact: felbridgehotel.co.uk
KARPO
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talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
97

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CHRISTMAS CORPORATE GIFTING
TALK IMAGE
We
love…
This month we reveal our
favourite corporate gift ideas
for clients and employees.
Enjoy!
GO GREEN
Whether you’re giving to a
special client or employees –
plants are a fantastic gift. They’re
environmentally
friendly,
inexpensive,
long lasting
and will
brighten
up any
environment.
Studies
show plants
can improve
productivity in
the office too!
Plants4Presents
has a great corporate selection.
Contact: plants4presents.co.uk
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Are you looking for a selfless and
generous gift that shows you’re an
ethical eco-warrior? Oxfam has a
range of corporate gifts, including
buying goats and chickens for
less fortunate farmers in third
world countries.
Contact: oxfam.org.uk/shop/oxfamunwrapped/corporates
RAISE THE STEAKS
This Sous Chef hamper is perfect
for meat lovers. It contains
a connoisseur’s selection of
condiments, including truffle butter
to melt over a fillet, chilli salsa to
spice up a rib eye, and a knife made
by the company behind the Swiss
Army knife. Sous Chef has plenty of
other gift ideas too.
Contact: souschef.co.uk
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Updating skills and learning
something new is important – so
reward your staff with a new skill
this Christmas – from social media
marketing to a new language. Give
your employees a Hotcourse voucher
for a specific course or let them
choose from thousands of courses -
from degrees, diplomas and MBAs,
to “just for fun” options.
Contact: hotcourses.com
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
105

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The news that Twitter
is to float on the New
York Stock Exchange
prompted the same
question from UK
politicians and business editors
alike: “When are we going to
see a British equivalent?”
There’s been a great deal of
soul searching in the months
following the announcement,
particularly concerning the
role the Government should
play in developing Britain’s
burgeoning tech scene.
In a recent article, George
Osborne pledged the coalition’s
commitment to promoting the
UK’s digital industries, saying:
‘Government doesn’t create
entrepreneurs, but my job as
Chancellor is to make sure we
create the right environment for
those entrepreneurs to succeed.’
Much has been made of this
promise to lay the foundations
for Britain’s digital future, but the
reality is the policies put forward
are so lightweight they fail to
measure up to the overhaul that’s
needed to reinvigorate British
attitudes to tech.
Regular readers will know
my thoughts on Silicon
Roundabout, the cluster of
digital start-ups housed near
Old Street tube station that,
that if you believe what you
hear, is set to become the
epicentre for London’s new
industrial revolution.
Ask anyone serious about
tech, however, and they’ll
tell you it’s little more than a
marketing gimmick, one that
only pays lip service to the
concerns of tech firms.
As a Brit at the helm of
a software company coheadquartered
in California
and Sheffield, when you’re
out here it’s easy to see
what sets the US apart from
the rest. With dedicated
institutions, such as Stamford
and MIT on their doorstep,
not to mention Harvard, Yale
Our resident tech expert David Richards talks about investing in
the UK’s digital future
and Berkley, US firms have
their pick of the world’s most
talented software developers.
Changes have been made to
the UK’s education system in an
attempt to promote change at a
grassroots level. From 2014, the
new national curriculum will
require that all students aged
between five and 16 are given the
skills they need to build apps and
code computer programming.
It’s a solid start, but one that
fails to get to the root of the
problem. If the Government
harbours serious ambitions
about developing the UK’s
tech scene, it needs a longterm
strategy that produces
individuals able to cope with
the rigors of industry – this
appetite will never be met by
16-year-olds, nor by office
space in east London.
Instead, the UK has to invest
in a British centre aimed at
developing high-end graduates.
India and Israel have both
done just that, and are home to
institutions that regularly churn
out some of the world’s most
cutting edge software engineers.
Just a few months ago, the
Israeli firm, Waze was sold
to Google for $1.5bn, the sale
declared a major milestone
on the nation’s road to tech
success, while any graduate
from one of the highly regarded
Indian institutes is likely to turn
more heads in Silicon Valley
Not one of our
universities
provides the
sector with
what it needs
than the most diligent
Oxbridge graduates.
Britain has a tremendous
reputation around the world
for the strength of its education
system, but not one of our
universities provides the sector
with what it needs – highly skilled
technicians capable of measuring
up to their US counterparts.
Without equivalent measures,
British tech is in danger of
remaining in the dark ages as
the rest of the world enjoys a
digital revolution.
The cornerstone for technology
isn’t just infrastructure, but a
knowledge economy capable of
producing the talent that’s needed
to found, innovate and grow tech
firms. We need a centre in the
UK backed by Government that
produces the talent required to
fuel the ambitions of making
British tech a world-beater.
Contact: wandisco.com
David is CEO and co-founder
of WANdisco, a software
company based in both Silicon
Valley and Sheffield.
tECHNOLOGY
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
107

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REMOTE WORKING
TALK TECHNOLOGY
Digitally
closing the gap
Can remote working solve the IT skills shortage in the UK? Ray McGroarty, global director
for enterprise UC Solutions at Polycom, says yes
A
survey from the
Recruitment and
Employment
Confederation (REC)
found that recently,
IT and computing grew from
the second to the first most indemand
skills area in the UK. As
demand for IT and computing
candidates is increasing, the skills
shortage becomes more acute.
The knock-on effect of this is
that companies have to offer
higher financial remuneration
to compete. For instance, the
average salary for a vacant
technology role in London has
now risen to £48,307, compared
to £38,274 a year ago.
One of the main contributing
factors to the current skills
shortage has been the long-term
lack of emphasis on computing
degrees and qualifications, and
experts predict that it will take
approximately 20 years for
the situation to be rectified by
current educational policies.
But what can SMEs do to
combat this now?
Finding qualified candidates
suited to the role in the local
area can prove a challenge for
SMEs. However, with nearly
one in five office workers
indicating that they would
move away from urban areas if
they could work flexibly, SMEs
could potentially recruit from
a wider selection of candidates
if more employees were
offered the chance to work
remotely. By doing so, many
businesses (especially those
based in London) would also
achieve significant savings, as
the national average salary for
an IT professional outside the
capital city is about £10,000
lower than in London.
There’s also no reason why
we couldn’t look outside
the UK. Many organisations
are already looking to hire
individuals from nations which
have a surplus of qualified
young people. Brazil for
example, has been investing
heavily in STEM subject
education. This has produced
a vast quantity of qualified
computing candidates with the
bonus of being multilingual in a
globalised economy. Physically
bringing non-EU workers to
the UK, even for highly skilled
roles, can be complex, but
now, thanks to modern video
SMEs could
recruit from
a wider
selection of
candidates
if more
employees
were offered
to work
remotely
collaboration solutions, they no
longer need to be in the UK to
perform their role.
Another potential way to
reduce the existing IT skills
shortage is to retain more women
in the industry. According
to recent research from The
Department of Trade & Industry,
the majority of female IT
professionals were considering
leaving their jobs because they
were unable to meet both work
and family commitments. The
women surveyed also said that
increasing the availability of
flexible or remote working would
be the most important step in
encouraging them to stay in IT.
Obviously, remote working is
not appropriate for all IT roles;
for example, those working on
support desks need to be in
the office. Thanks to modern
technologies however, this is a
great solution for the majority
of roles, so the sooner we
embrace the opportunities that
remote working presents for
UK businesses, the sooner our
technology skills shortage will
become a thing of the past.
Contact: polycom.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
109

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Contact Sean Molyneaux – 0207 788 7966
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PHONE VS. EMAIL
TALK TECHNOLOGY
Pick up
the phone
Ed Reeves and Rachel Clacher, founders of Moneypenny the telephone answering service,
explain why they prefer to pick up the phone
Back in 2000, brother and
sister team, Ed Reeves
and Rachel Clacher had
just £15,000 between
them and the idea to
launch a company. At the time,
both ran their own independent
small businesses. Rachel ran a
marketing consultancy and Ed
had a graphics firm designing
flags and banners for sports
events. They both needed
someone to look after their
telephone calls while they were
out and about.
After a lengthy search, the pair
found a company that would
take their calls. Ed would just
divert his call to a number where
people would answer in his
company’s name, take a message
and email it to him. All was well
until Ed went on holiday and a
major client was unable to fax
through an order as the machine
had run out of paper. On
phoning, the client was told by
the person taking the call: ‘What
do you expect me to do? I’m just
an answering service.’ And that
was that, the client was lost.
On phoning,
the client was
told: ‘What do
you expect me
to do? I’m just
an answering
service.’
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
111

TALK TECHNOLOGY
PHONE VS. EMAIL
Ed and Rachel immediately
knew they could do better.
And so Moneypenny was
born. Over a decade on
from humble beginnings,
Moneypenny is now the UK’s
market leader with 300 staff,
answering around 30,000 calls
a day, for 6,000 clients from
sole traders to multinational
corporations. The business
operates both from the main
UK base in Wrexham and from
Auckland, New Zealand, where
experienced Moneypenny staff
are seconded on rotation to
take UK business overnight
calls, during their day time.
Rachel says: ‘There is no
doubt that email is one of
the greatest productivity
contributors of the past two
decades, and of course it is
critical to the smooth running
of our business, but for us,
it’s about personal service,
getting to know people and
building relationships.
‘People buy from people they
know and trust. Our clients
want great people taking their
calls consistently, the kind of
people they would employ
themselves, and that’s what
we give them.’
Earlier this year, Luxury
Family Hotels approached
Moneypenny. With eight
hideaway hotels across the UK,
the business was on a mission
when it made the decision to
outsource its overflow calls to
Moneypenny.
Jonathan Parker, head of
revenue and distribution explains
why: ‘While many of our guests
book online, we still have large
numbers preferring the more
personal touch by telephone,
and there were times when we
couldn’t get to all the calls.
‘Inevitably our business
is seasonal so we see peaks
and troughs in call volume
throughout the year and at
With
Moneypenny
we aren’t
missing
opportunities
and callers are
getting a first
rate response
Why phone is
better than email
>The personal touch builds up that all-important relationship
with the caller.
>It conveys feeling - you get to hear the smile at the other end.
>If you are answering your calls successfully, you are capturing
every opportunity coming into your business.
>Less room for misinterpretation through direct conversation.
>It’s quick. Emails often go back and forth several times to
complete one conversation.
>It’s the next best option to face-to-face business meetings.
>Easier to ask questions and give feedback.
>Essential for urgent messages and actions.
>A phone conversation can often lead to other business
opportunities that may not have come up on email.
>So... build relationships in person but maintain them electronically.
Figures for thought
>144 billion emails sent per day worldwide.
>12.4 billion calls are made every day in the world.
>Microbusinesses lose more than £3,300 a year each, through
missed new business calls.
>67% of UK professionals prefer to send an email, rather than use
the telephone.
>73% of people admit to deleting emails without reading them.
Statistics taken from UCN, Radicati Group, Penelope, and LexisNexis.
different times of the day, for
example the phones are busiest
first thing in the morning, at
lunchtime and when people
finish work as this is when
they generally find the time to
make a booking.
‘With Moneypenny
we aren’t missing any
opportunities and our
callers are getting a first rate
response every time - having
this safety net means the
pressure is off our hotel staff,
who get to spend more time
with our guests, which in turn
enhances their experience and
maximises revenue.’
112 NOVEMBER 2013

The
social media
Social media – it’s a
bit of a minefield. It’s
wonderful when a new
employee starts to
generate business leads
through LinkedIn, establishes
a Facebook page to create
brand buzz, and promotes the
company through tweets. It’s
less fun when that employee
leaves, turns rogue and trashes
the company’s reputation,
or takes their loyal contacts
and followers to a competitor.
It’s also problematic when an
employee blurs the line between
personal and professional
comments and starts to give
out mixed messages or make
comments that are embarrassing
to your carefully crafted brand.
And it’s terrifying when HR
tells you that your IT policy
“just about” covers email, but
mainly focuses on the use of
fax machines.
But an even bigger nightmare
arises when an employee resigns
and claims constructive unfair
dismissal because a manager
has had a word with them over
Facebook postings or tweets
from their personal account.
Now the scaremongering
is out of the way (sorry
about that!), the first and
most important step for any
business looking to support the
integration of social media into
their workplace and protect
themselves from these kinds
of disputes, is to establish a
relevant and up-to-date IT or
social media policy. A good
written policy will set out
when and how work email,
telephone and internet access
may be used, and guidelines
for an employee’s use of social
media, both for business
purposes and personally.
This could, for example,
restrict the usage of personal
Facebook and Twitter accounts
during business hours or make
it clear that there should be
no reference to the employer.
Similarly, your company IT
policy should provide guidance
on the business’ own social
media profile and set out what
specifically might give rise to
disciplinary action. One could
even deal with the handover
of profiles, accounts or
followers upon termination of
employment within this policy.
There are limits however
– a general licence to snoop
and gain access to personal
It’s less fun
when that
employee
leaves, turns
rogue and
trashes the
company’s
reputation
emails cannot be condoned –
and access to an employee’s
personal Facebook or Twitter
account is pretty hard for a
company to justify.
Nevertheless, if you become
aware of a disgruntled
employee tweeting or posting
on their wall about the
company, even out of hours,
this could still be a disciplinary
offence so it is sensible to
update your disciplinary
policies to make it clear that
any inappropriate use of social
media that brings the company
into disrepute, or bullying over
social media, will be viewed as
gross misconduct. This latter
issue is particularly important,
as employers themselves can
be held vicariously liable
for workplace bullying or
harassment of third parties.
And if this occurs in your
workplace through a branded
company account, you may
struggle to raise a defence.
Within the legal profession,
we often reference the 2012
cases of Teggart v TeleTech
and Barnes & Carter v
Greenacres School to illustrate
how dismissal or disciplinary
action can be justified as a

SOCIAL MEDIA
TALK TECHNOLOGY
Chris Bryden, myBarrister employment law specialist, discusses
how important it is to get your social media law guidelines in place
minefield
result of improper personal
Facebook usage.
In the first instance, Mr
Teggart used his own free time
to post scurrilous remarks
about the sexual promiscuity
of a work colleague, and in the
second case two special needs
teachers made inappropriate
and unprofessional comments
about students on Facebook.
In both cases, the employers’
disciplinary action and
dismissals were upheld,
setting a legal precedent
whereby out of work conduct
and posting in the public
domain can be seen to cross
the line.
Similarly, in the more
famous case of Crisp v Apple
Retail UK, the tech company
was able to fairly dismiss
a worker who had posted
derogatory comments about
work and its products on
Facebook, on the basis that
its disciplinary and training
policy covered the area. Again,
this highlights the importance
of getting your house in order
when it comes to drafting a
thorough social media and IT
company policy, but it should
also provide comfort that
In the first
instance Mr
Teggart used
his own free
time to post
scurrilous
remarks
about the
sexual
promiscuity
of a work
colleague
the law is on your side as an
employer when it comes to
protecting your brand.
When it comes to the
question of who “owns” social
media accounts, and therefore
the followers and contacts
of those accounts, it can get
complicated. Many social media
providers stipulate that they
own the account, however
there is little to stop an
employee simply changing the
handle of an ‘official’ twitter
account, which they have set
up and have the password for,
to the name of the competitor
organisation that they have
defected to, potentially opening
up that business to hundreds of
established business leads.
The question has as yet no
definitive answer, but there are
examples both in the US and
UK of companies successfully
protecting themselves. In the
US, a tech news website called
PhoneDog won a confidential
settlement in relation to
17,000 disputed followers of a
Twitter account, which it was
ultimately able to retain.
And in Hays Specialist
Recruitment Limited v Ions back
in 2008, the English courts ruled
that an employee suspected of
inviting contacts taken from
work to join his own personal
LinkedIn account had to fully
disclose their contacts from
this website. Once more the
determinative feature was that
their authorisation to use contact
emails did not extend beyond
their employment, something
which can be stipulated within a
working IT policy.
Ultimately, social media is
with us to stay, and while the
law relating to it is rapidly
evolving it is still likely to
cause issues for employers. The
simplest solution to protect
your business is to ensure well
drafted and considered social
media policies are introduced
as a matter of urgency. These
should include provision
as to ownership of profiles,
monitoring, acceptability
criteria and, if appropriate,
restrictive covenants. Such
policies require specialist
drafting so it’s worth contacting
an expert such as direct access
employment barristers who can
assist at competitive rates.
Contact: thisismybarrister.com
Twitter: @brydenlaw
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
115

SPONSORED ARTICLE
HR OUTSOURCING
What is it, Why Do it and Optimising Results When Sourcing a Provider
What is HR Outsourcing?
Outsourcing is simply the delegation
of business processes to an external
provider. HR outsourcing is growing
fast within the Small to Medium Size
Enterprise (SME) market. Part of this
upward trend is as a result of the many
benefits gained.
So Why Outsource your HR Needs?
Some of the benefits of outsourcing
your HR function are:
• The ability to have a resource that is
flexible to your changing needs and
only costing you when you need it.
• That specialisms are catered for by
different professionals within the
HR remit and you gain access to
an expert in the area of HR where
assistance is required. Specialists
are expensive and something which
many SME’s could not afford to have
in-house.
• The ability to handle more projects
at one time, freeing up your staff
to concentrate on other critical
business activities. This will also aid
you to reach a higher skilled source
of labour; develop your business
strategically.
• Using consultants there is often an
increase in both productivity and
outputs without sacrificing on quality
due to the manner in which they
work. They will be working on the
expertise area there will be little or
no wasted time.
• Access to up to date knowledge and
experience from providers who work
with a wide range of business and
some which may be in the same
industry or sector as you.
Optimising Results When Sourcing an
HR Provider
To engage with a provider that is right
for you we simply recommend asking
the following questions:
• Can you provide flexibility to cater
specifically to my needs? It is
important that you state your HR
needs and the provider caters for
these. Use providers that offer their
services in a flexible manner, from
providing retained service packages
that incorporate the HR services you
want rather than paying for services
that you may not need, to working
in various forms whether it be on an
ad-hoc assignment or project basis
(We offer all flexible packages tailored
its customers)
• Who will be my account handler?
Who will I have regular contact
with for my HR queries? It is vital
that you have an account handler
and one person or a small team
of people that always handle your
HR queries. This is particularly so
when dealing with an on-going HR
issue because understanding of the
background, history and continuity
of a case is crucial to its correct and
consist handling and will ease your
frustration at needing to repeat the
situation to an alternative consultant,
where vital information can be
missed. (We have dedicated handlers
and Account Managers)
• How quickly will I be responded to
with specific answers to my queries?
Beware, some organisations respond
quite quickly to calls but always get
a call handler to take your name and
details to then receive a return call at
a much later time, which may not be
convenient for you. So be specific in
asking “when will my query be dealt
with?” rather than “when will you
respond to my call?” (We deal with
queries normally within 24 hours, if
not beforehand)
• Do you provide assistance with
implementation e.g. conducting
meetings, creating tailored
documentation as well as telephone
and email advice? It is worth getting
into the detail of what level of service
can be accessed, as often when
difficult or complex HR situations
occur you will require and wish
to have more than just telephone
support for peace of mind. (Eden
HR Consulting provides as little
or as much support as you need
ranging from telephone support to
conducting face-to face meetings on
your Company’s behalf)
• What if the advice I receive is
incorrect? How am I covered?
A good HR practice will have
Professional Indemnity Insurance
which covers their work should
they act or advise incorrectly. (We
have the appropriate professional
indemnity cover in place in order to
protect its clients)
• Do they have people within their
Company that have HR specialisms
or expertise areas? HR is a wide area
and like most things it is hard to be an
expert in all areas and therefore you
may not be gaining the best advice
if the HR provider is a sole trader
without support surrounding them.
(We have consultants in a number of
specialist areas)
• Do you have enough people within
their Company to support and
cater for the different stages of
HR processes where you cannot
act at all stages? Invariably, most
Companies will inevitably come
across a disciplinary, grievance
or dismissal situation at some
point. With such process you need
adequate HR resource to cater
for all process stages, so enquire
that your provider can supply this
if needed. (We have the resources
and experience to deal with the most
complex of HR processes)
When you need real guidance and
hands-on help with all of your HR issues
and challenges Eden HR Consulting is
a multi-award winning consultancy and
is a breath of fresh air for businesses
that find it challenging to navigate
through the stormy seas of employment
legislation! Eden HR offers an initial
free consultation so why not visit our
website at www.edenhrconsulting.com
or contact us on 01403 734455 or eve@
edenhrconsulting.com today to see what
services we offer and how we can help.

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SPONSORED ARTICLE
The Changing Face of
ONLINE MARKETING
Ecommerce is changing. The rise
of online shopping has changed
both the way that shoppers choose
their goods and the way that businesses
choose to market their services.
Blurred Lines
Gone are the days where we debate
Bricks & Mortar vs. Online Store, now
retailers are having to look further into
their ecommerce marketing channels
to ensure that they are covering all
bases to reach their target audience.
Whether it is ensuring that a website
offers a responsive design for the
growing number of mobile and tablet
users, building a strong social presence
or taking advantage of new sales
techniques through email marketing,
the lines between emarketing
techniques are most definitely blurred.
As the online experience becomes
more personalised and the ability
to compare prices with the click of
a button becomes commonplace,
retailers need to step up their game
to ensure that their service is up to
scratch. Take a look at the current
stats charting the changing ways that
shoppers are choosing to browse and
buy online. Is your business adapting
to the trends?
Web retailers are currently seeing
the fastest sales growth in 13 years
according to the e-Retail Sales Index.
Compared to last September, online
sales have increased by 20%, with the
clothing sector in particular showing
dramatic increases thanks to the
success of online retailers such as
ASOS. Another striking figure is the
rise in the use of smart phones in
online shopping, with a 150% increase
compared to this time last year. The
rise in the number of sales completed
using a mobile or tablet device has
led to businesses getting creative with
their web presence, utilising handy
apps and responsive web site designs
to cater to the growing number of
people choosing to shop on the go.
Incentives such as free delivery and
in-store pick ups are also tempting
shoppers away from the high street
and into the world of online shopping.
UK Leads the Way
With 21% of families choosing to shop
online for everything from the weekly
food shopping to clothes, books and
household gadgets, it is no surprise
that the UK has been dubbed the
‘Internet Shopping Capital of the
World’, but why the sudden increase?
Consumer confidence in shopping
online is one of the main reasons for
the shift away from physically visiting
a shop or supermarket with internets
users feeling safer shopping online.
The use of SSL encryption to ensure
financial details are kept secure during
transactions has definitely helped
push the number of online shoppers to
today’s record numbers. Online price
comparison sites have also played a
part in the increase, giving consumers
access to the best prices across the
internet quickly and efficiently and
taking away the need for shoppers to
go bargain hunting on the high street.
The face of ecommerce is definitely
changing and as we approach the
Christmas period it is expected that
retailers will pull out all of the stops
to ensure that they are utilising these
invaluable channels to promote their
brand. From virtual changing rooms to
flash sales and social media influences,
there are plenty of new additions to the
ecommerce playing field.
So where does that leave your
business? Will you be taking on any of
the new immersive technologies set to
further change the face of ecommerce
in 2014? As part of our series examining
the changing trends within ecommerce
we will look at the new technologies
entering the arena and putting together
our list of the top trends that your
business will be using in the new year.
In the world of ecommerce it’s all about
being ahead of the game.
Call our Visualsoft business
development team on 01642 633 604
or www.visualsoft.co.uk/

APPS
TALK TECHNOLOGY
I’ve got an
app for that
This month, our apps will help you find the perfect candidate for the job, plus back up
contacts and block unwanted calls
…
Job and Talent app
Price: The app and your first job post is FREE
Compatible with: iPhone
The gist: Job and Talent is an international
recruitment platform choice for more
than 200 leading European and global
companies – including big brands such
as Red Bull, Vodafone and Wrigley. It has
now launched a mobile app for the iPhone,
which it calls the “Match.com for jobs”.
You can upload your job posting
with one click, the app will contact
candidates for you, and you’ll receive
applications from interested and
qualified candidates.
With the app, you can keep up to date
on your post’s progress when you’re out
and about.
Downloadable from: jobandtalent.com
Call Blocker
Price: FREE
Compatible with: Android
The gist: Ever get sick of unwanted calls
on your mobile? Then this app is for you.
With Call Blocker you can block unwanted
phone calls and spam SMS by adding
numbers to a black list.
It’s can also protect your privacy 24/7,
because it enables you to hide your SMS
and phone call history, without deleting it
completely.
Plus it backs up your contacts to a
server so you will never lose them, and
you can transfer data easily to a new
phone if you change handsets.
Downloadable from: tinyurl.com/kchfbvu
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
119

TALK TECHNOLOGY
GADGETS
TB
CHOICE
SAMSUNG
Battle of the Chromebooks
This month we compare Chromebooks: it’s Samsung vs. the recently launched HP 11
Samsung Chromebook Vs. HP Chromebook 11
HP
120 NOVEMBER 2013

Samsung
Chromebook
£229 or £299 with 3G
11.6” (1366x768)
290 x 205 x 17.5mm (WxDxH)
weight: 1.1kg
More than 6.5 hours’ battery
life, Samsung Exynos 5 Dual
Processor, 100 GB Google Drive
cloud storage, built-in dual band
Wi-Fi, 3G modem (at extra cost),
two USB ports, HDMI port, and
Bluetooth.
“At just 1.1kg, 17.5mm thin, and
with over 6.5 hours of battery life,
the Chromebook can go anywhere
you go. It’s built to stay cool, so it
doesn’t need a fan and runs silently
(no humming, unless you’re
playing music).”
Price
Display
Dimensions:
features:
THEY SAY
HP Chromebook
11
£229
11.6” (1366x768)
297 x 192 x 17.6mm (WxDxH)
weight: 1.04kg
Up to six hours’ battery life, Exynos
5 Dual processor, 100 GB Google
Drive cloud storage, 2GB DDR3
RAM, 16GB solid state drive,
two USB ports, Micro-sim slot,
micro-USB, Bluetooth, 3G and 4G
(optional and coming soon).
“Relax with your favourite music,
write a report in Google Docs or
put the finishing touches to a family
video. Your Chromebook has six
hours of battery life,
and slips easily into a backpack
or handbag.”
It’s a cheap, light and simple
to use laptop with a reasonable
keyboard but has insufficient power
for HD and gaming.
WE SAY
It has the best screen of any
Chrome OS device, is small and
light but its performance is not up
to scratch.
If you think you can do all your computing using Google web apps, you could well benefit from the good battery life, silent
operation, light weight and portability, simplicity and implicit security of the Chromebook, not to mention its low price.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
121

Buy a property
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A lucrative market: UK house prices are soaring and demand
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A resilient sector: Renting or buying, everybody needs a home
Large earning potential: Property franchisees could earn as much
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Visit FranchiseSales.com
to find out more about buying
a property franchise – and more!

fRANCHISE NEWS
fRANCHISE
Franchisee of the Year winners revealed
THE FRANCHISEE OF the Year Award
2013 winners were revealed last
month. Janis Anderson of Caremark, a
domiciliary care provider, was crowned
as the overall winner at the bfa HSBC
Franchisee of the Year Awards 2013.
Janis, also named Female Franchisee
of the Year, impressed the judges
by delivering a high quality service
for customers while propelling her
business forward.
She said: ‘It’s brilliant to be recognised
for all the hard work, which contributes
towards Caremark’s success, especially
at such prestigious awards.
‘I became a Caremark franchisee
at a challenging time when cuts were
being introduced, but this spurred me
on to drive the business forward and
we have since grown from strength
to strength.’
Following a rigorous judging process
for this year’s new award categories,
the winners were congratulated
at a black-tie ceremony at the ICC
in Birmingham. Janis won £10,000
for taking home the top prize, with
category winners also receiving
£1,000, all courtesy of HSBC.
Winners of this year’s bfa HSBC
Franchisee of the Year Awards were:
• UK Franchisee of the Year 2013 and
Female Franchisee of the Year: Janis
Anderson, Caremark, Aylesbury.
• Customer Service
Franchisee of the Year:
Nick Dee Shapland,
ServiceMaster
Clean, Newbury.
Long-serving Franchisee of the
Year: Siggy Wilberg, Domino’s,
Wiltshire.
• Micro-business Franchisee
of the Year: Ron and Shirley
Maynard, Card Connection,
Abingdon.
• Young Fanchisee
of the Year: Steven
Prime, Esquires
Coffee Houses,
Coventry.
a delivery
with
SPONSORED BY
Peter Andre joins Kung Fu Schools franchise
SINGER AND TV celebrity, Peter
Andre has invested in Kung Fu
Schools, which teaches martial arts
to children and adults.
Founders, Paul Hawkes and Alan
Paterson have been running five fulltime
schools training hundreds of
children for seven years.
Paul Hawkes said: ‘We have
developed a formula for our schools
that forms the basis of a highly
profitable and sustainable business.
‘We now want to take the
concept national by inviting
franchisees to join us.’
Peter Andre and his children have
trained with Kung Fu Schools over the
past two years. He said: ‘I have seen first
hand how it has benefited us as a family.
‘I was delighted to accept when
Paul and Alan invited me to invest in
the business.’
Papa John’s
celebrates 1,000th
international store
PAPA JOHN’S OPENED its 1,000th
international store (outside the US)
last month in Moscow, and as part of
the company’s celebrations, held a
whistle-stop tour of the UK.
John Schnatter, founder and CEO of
Papa John’s, was handing out pizza to
visitors and fans at stores around the
UK, including the Tower Bridge branch.
Raheel Choudhary, franchisee of
the Tower Bridge store, said: ‘The
journey of how [John] turned his
dream for his first true love, pizza,
into reality is truly inspirational, with
him selling his prized car to buy his
first set of restaurant equipment, and
subsequently building the company
into a global phenomenon with more
than 4,000 stores in 34 countries
across the world.
‘It was great to see him at our store
interacting with Papa John fans.’
John Schnatter commented: ‘I’ve
had a fantastic time visiting the UK. It
was great to see all the PJ fans outside
the Tower Bridge store and I hoped
they all enjoyed the pizza!’
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
123

FROM Y–FRONTS TO YVES
SAINT LAURENT – CUSTOMER
SERVICE IN WAG LAND
Richard McConnell,
The ZipYard Altrincham
The ZipYard offers a
professional tailoring and
alterations service in a
clean, purpose build environment.
Our award winning business
is all about outstanding
customer service. Whilst
there’s no other specialist
alterations and tailoring
centre in the area there’s
numerous businesses
offering similar services and
competition is great.
As the top performing ZipYard
and 2012 Franchisee of the Year
we have raised a total of 22,500
invoices. Turnover in the first
year was £174,500 from 9978
customers. In the 10 months to
date of our second year we are at
£238,000 from 12,675 customers
and on track to hit our target of
£274,000 by year end.
EARLY DAYS
As a former driving instructor
I was used to dealing with
members of the pubic and took
pride in my level of service,
so when I decided on a career
change I already had a very
strong customer service ethos.
When we first opened it
was easy to turn jobs round
incredibly quickly. But as word
got around and our customer
numbers soared, ensuring that
customers were happy 100% of
the time became more difficult.
We soon expanded our team of
seamstresses from two to five
and now employ eight full time.
Working in Cheshire we
are dealing with high end
customers with high end
expectations and it’s a great
responsibility working on
designer garments sometimes
worth over £1,000. Famous
footballers and TV celebrities
including Coronation Street
actress Sally Dynevor and
presenter Gordon Burns bring
their garments to us. Everton
player Marouane Fellaini is one
of our regulars. We once stayed
open to fix a black tie for an
awards ceremony that evening
and he turned up later with
chocolates for the girls to say
thank you.
ADDED VALUE
We want our customers to
believe that nothing is too much
trouble. We don’t charge any
extra for the express service
and often carry out additional
minor repairs for free. If one
of the seamstresses notices a
button needs replacing whilst
they are turning up a hem it
takes very little additional time
to do the complementary work
– and customers are always
surprised and delighted.

Sponsored Article
Frequently people come in off
the street with a button that’s
just come off – we’ll fix it there
and then – again for no charge
confident in the knowledge that
he or she will regard us as a
lifesaver and talk about The
ZipYard to others.
SYSTEMS
The sophisticated till system
included as part of the ZipYard
package has a customer
relationship management
feature which tracks customers
each time they come in and
allows us to make notes. If a
regular is getting ready to go on
holiday I can input this into the
system. Then I can wish them
a happy holiday when they pick
up the clothes and ask them
about it the next time they’re
in. Building relationships is
paramount– and as a result the
average repeat customer visits
us about once a month. Some
have used us over 200 times
spending several thousand
pounds.
Outstanding customer
service means that we have
to be prepared to do whatever
it takes. Last year a groom
and his entire male entourage
turned up the day before the
wedding in a panic because
they had only just discovered
their suits were ill fitting. We
stayed open through the night
to finish the work and to get the
party to the church on time and
looking their best.
CUSTOMER STORIES
“To Danuska with eternal
thanks. You u saved my day.
It means so much more than
words could ever say.”
- Breeda (bride)
We frequently see brides who
have bought a dress form the
internet. On one occasion a
woman came in to the centre
in tears with a dress that fitted
terribly –by the time we had
finished she was parading up
and down with a big smile on
her face.
Another customer spent over
£400 altering her wardrobe
after a successful diet, and an
elderly lady brought in all of
her clothes to be taken in - all
bundled into storage boxes and
carried up the high street to us.
Nowadays very few people
have the time or skill to mend
their own clothes –and a lot of
our work involves repairs - but
even I was surprised when
one of our regular customers
brought in a pair of her son’s Y
fronts for us to fix a tear!
For many of our customers
we have become their
‘personal’ tailors. One wellheeled
man left a message
on our answering machine to
say his wife was bringing in
a ball gown the next day so
‘please leave space on your
machine’ for her. They expect a
very fast service and we rarely
disappoint. A regular moved
out of the area but saves up his
repairs until he comes back to
visit friends – travelling over 160
miles for our quality of service.
Grateful customers send
flowers, wedding cake, thank
you notes and gifts.
THE FUTURE
Managing customer
expectations isn’t easy and it
has been a big challenge for
us to be able to turn round
work quickly as the volume
increases. Recently we dealt
with 90 paying customers in
one day which is ten an hour!
We already open seven days a
week and are looking to employ
another seamstress to focus
full time on express work and
have installed a second till to
cope with the queues that had
begun to form outside the door
in busy periods.
We are looking ways to
extend the range of services
we offer including a paid for
delivery and collection service
which will appeal to our busier
user clientele.
At the moment I manage
ZipYard with the help of one
other but I will be recruiting
additional customer facing
staff to free me up to do more
marketing and work on plans
to open another ZipYard in the
North West.
Contact: Janet Matthews
T: 01530 513307
E: jmatthews@thezipyard.co.uk
W: www.thezipyard.co.uk

SPOTLIGHT
TALK FRANCHISE
Under the spotlight
Musical Minis
Karen Sherr, the founder of Musical Minis music
classes, tells us how she franchised her company
a delivery
SPONSORED BY
WHY DID YOU PICK THE
FRANCHISING BUSINESS
MODEL?
Musical Minis was already
operating very successfully,
providing a valuable service in
a very small local area. Soon we
started receiving enquiries from
further afield and realised the
only way of to provide more
Musical Minis classes was to
franchise the business.
We recognised that the costs
involved for an individual of
obtaining the music rights,
trade mark, and so on, would be
prohibitive and that the knowhow
needed to operate a business
focused on child-development
through music, would require
a set of skills not many people
had. It meant our business was
ideal for franchising and that we
could deliver a proven business
model with considerably
cheaper start-up costs.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES OF
FRANCHISING A BUSINESS?
I’d say setting up everything
legally, making sure the system
can be easily understood and
readily followed. Nothing can be
left to chance and we needed to
be certain that franchisees could
earn back their initial investment
and make a good profit from
following the business model.
WHAT WILL FRANCHISEES GET
FOR THEIR MONEY?
When someone buys a
Musical Minis franchise they
get everything they need to
run their business, including
training, nearly 100 instruments,
stories, puppets, prepared
lessons, music, manuals,
policies and equipment to run
their sessions. They’re also
provided with an advertising
spend and insurance.
DO YOU OFFER TRAINING
AND SUPPORT?
One of the key strengths of the
Musical Minis franchise is the
training and on-going support
we offer. We undertake the
training ourselves, concentrating
on running classes, marketing
and sales. We maintain a handson
approach and offer support
through various modes of
communication and face-toface
meetings. Annual franchise
meetings provide further
opportunities to train, and our
franchisees are encouraged
to support each other both
directly and through a dedicated
franchisee forum.
HOW MUCH WILL A
FRANCHISE SET ME BACK?
£8,000 + VAT.
WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE
FUTURE OF THE FRANCHISE?
With a survey of UK childcare
workers recently calling for
pre-school children to have
more social than academic
skills, we feel the future for
Musical Minis is very bright.
Our aim is to be the first
choice franchise for anyone
When
someone
buys a
Musical Minis
franchise they
get everything
they need
to run their
business
looking for a flexible and
balanced working life. For us,
this means creating a network
of up to 30 franchisees, all of
who are performing well and
making a positive contribution
to the network.
WHAT HAS BEEN
YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT
IN BUSINESS?
Luckily for us this is a repeated
experience; every time we visit a
franchisee running local classes
we feel proud that something we
developed 24 years ago is now
being delivered throughout the
country, with tens of thousands
of children benefitting from our
classes. We’re also proud of the
longevity of Musical Minis as a
franchised business; a number
of our franchisees have renewed
their licenses for a second time
and been with us for more than
10 years. We must be doing
something right!
with
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
127

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THE FRAN MAN
TALK FRANCHISE
a delivery
with
SPONSORED BY
a WORKING
RELATIONSHIP
Tony Mundella, founder of Franchise Management, a
business development consultancy, discusses the franchisor/
franchisee relationship
Last month I touched on
the importance of having a
great relationship between
the franchisor and the
franchisee. There has to
be complete trust and confidence
in the other party. One of the
questions I am often asked by
franchisors is how to build a good
relationship from the outset?
When recruiting franchisees
there is often a potential
conflict for the franchisor,
he will probably want to add
franchisees to the network
quickly for a number of reasons
including cashflow, a need to
establish a presence and rapid
expansion. However, this
must be tempered with the
requirement to only recruit
the right people, those who
will operate good, ethical local
businesses, be great brand
ambassadors and add real value
to the network.
There is no simple
formula to ascertaining if
the prospective franchisee
is right, but if they share
common business values and
attitudes with the franchisor
then that is a good start. I
would always recommend a
psychometric profiling report
such as Success Dynamics (see
successdynamics.co.uk).
Once a franchisee is signed
up and operational then the
work on the relationship really
As with all
relationships
(think of a
marriage)
it requires
effort by
both parties
starts. As with all relationships
(think of a marriage) it requires
effort by both parties. It will
alter and grow over time.
Franchisees are people
with individual needs and
aspirations. They can also, due
to the nature of the business
which could be a “one man
band” or an operation with
only a couple of employees,
be people whose personal
lives can have influence on
their working lives. Having a
relationship with them means
they are more likely to be
open with the franchisor about
personal issues, and can
pre-empt and resolve cases of
under-performance.
The worst case scenario is if
the relationship breaks down,
as with a marriage it is often
irretrievable if the trust has
been abused or lost. It is often
straightforward if the franchisee
is the one who has broken the
trust (e.g. operating outside the
franchise terms, not declaring
all revenue thereby defrauding
the franchisor), the franchise
agreement allows for recourse in
this event, possibly terminating
their franchise rights.
However if the franchisee
has lost faith in the franchisor,
whether the reason is justified
or imaginary, then it is much
more problematic, so it is
crucial that a franchisor
is constantly aware of the
messages going out to his
franchisees, no ambiguity or
negative signals. As always
a strong, open and personal
relationship will avoid these
pitfalls but it takes effort.
This is the third instalment
of a series of articles written
by Tony Mundella who has 25
years’ experience in franchising.
Next month he will look into the
lifecycle of a franchisee.
Contact: franman.co.uk
Email: tony@franman.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
129

TAKE ONE FRANCHISEE
TALK FRANCHISE
Take one franchisee
Keith Dolby, The Interface
Financial Group (IFG)
Keith Dolby, an ex-franchise broker tells us why he took his own
advice and bought an IFG franchise
a delivery
SPONSORED BY
WHAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND?
I’ve actually had quite a varied
business history. I started off
working in IT and software
development before becoming
a franchise broker in 2008.
WHY FRANCHISING?
I’d spent a number of years
working to assist those
looking to make the move into
franchising and decided that it
was time to take my own advice.
WHY THIS PARTICULAR
FRANCHISE?
Established more than 40 years
ago, The Interface Financial
Group is an international
finance firm, which specialises
in providing alternative funding
for SMEs. It offers a unique
service, and operates in the UK
& Ireland, Australia, Canada,
New Zealand, North America
and Singapore.
I always encouraged people
to choose a franchise which
complimented their skills and
talents, so that’s what I did.
The IFG model really interested
me as it’s something I felt was
otherwise missing from the UK
market; I could see how the
service offered would benefit
SMEs and was keen to get
involved right away.
WHAT SUPPORT AND
TRAINING WAS GIVEN?
One of IFG’s main strengths
lies in the dedicated support
and training provided by
senior staff. An intensive initial
training session was provided
and I’m free to get in touch with
the franchisor at any time, with
confidence that they’ll always
get back to me and assist with
any problems I might have.
HOW IS THE BUSINESS
GOING SO FAR?
Very well! I operate my IFG
franchise from my home in
Bromley and can choose my
own hours and workload. I’ve
now been operating for a little
I always
encouraged
people to
choose a
franchise
which
complimented
their skills
over two years and I’m definitely
starting to reap the benefits.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND
FRANCHISING TO PEOPLE
CONSIDERING STARTING A
BUSINESS FOR THE FIRST TIME?
Absolutely. Franchising is a
fantastic way to be your own
boss without the added risks
that come from setting up a
brand new business.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE
HOLD? WOULD YOU BUY
MORE FRANCHISES?
IFG allows me to cover the
whole of the UK, so unlike
some franchises, there’s
no need to buy additional
territories. However, I
do also operate another
national franchise besides
IFG, and am able to divide
my time between the two.
I know plenty of others in
franchising who operate
multiple territories or multiple
franchises too.
with
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
131

TALK ADVICE
MIDAS MEDIA
Utilising
online
Talk Busines grills Edward Leake,
MD of web design and marketing
agency Midas Media, on making
the most of online tools
DO YOU THINK THE
AVERAGE BUSINESS IS
UTILISING THE INTERNET
TO ITS BEST ADVANTAGE?
I doubt it but then I don’t
blame them, doing business
online involves so much these
days – you really need a Swiss
Army knife of expertise.
I think the biggest area of
neglect comes in the form
of data analysis. Yes it may
sound like a mundane subject
but if interpreted and acted
on correctly it can transform
a business online. It doesn’t
have to be hugely expensive to
monitor and analyse either, so
long as the business targets are
rationalised against the costs
then the resulting value can be
identified and exploited.
WHAT ONLINE TREND IS
HAVING THE BIGGEST IMPACT
ON BUSINESS?
It really depends on your
position and industry, but as a
one-size-fits-most (if not all)
answer, I’d say “responsive web
design” is up there. Responsive
really started to gain traction
in 2012, and at the time many
in the industry called it a fad.
Thing is, a fad becomes a trend
when it gains ground, and a
trend becomes the accepted
normality when we all start
using it – and a lot of us have.
FOR THOSE THAT DON’T
KNOW, WHAT IS
RESPONSIVE DESIGN?
It’s a web design approach
aimed at crafting a seamless
and optimal viewing experience
– easy reading and navigation
with a minimum of resizing,
panning, and scrolling – across
a wide range of devices,
including mobile.
WHY DO YOU THINK
BUSINESSES ARE STILL
AVOIDING MOBILE?
Time and budget would be my
guess, but that’s a shortsighted
view because the potential of
lost business over time could
be far greater. If your website
holds a traditional shape and
form, it will be awkward on a
mobile device, but some users
will persevere. However the
same can’t be said of ecommerce
websites; if you retail online and
your site isn’t mobile-friendly,
even if your visitor really wants
your product, they’ll likely
give up before they commit
to purchase.
FOR A BUSINESS LOOKING TO
GO MOBILE, WHAT WOULD BE
YOUR TOP TIP?
Get the navigation right, it’s
a deal breaker! If you make
your site easy to navigate on
mobile, people will use it. That
For SMEs,
usually
budget is the
overriding
factor
tempering
what they
can do
should be your starting block.
Also consider that space is at
a premium, so tailor and offer
your premium content first.
WHILE ON THE SUBJECT
OF MOBILE, SOCIAL MEDIA
CONTINUES TO GROW; WHAT
VALUE DO YOU SEE IN IT FOR
BUSINESSES?
You have to think about your
positioning. Facebook was born
out of technology supporting
many social activities, a
platform for self-promotion, not
company promotion. You have
to ask yourself where does my
company message fit, or worse,
shoehorn into this environment?
Twitter being so immediate and
response-orientated is arguably
the better business tool for most,
it just feels more tailored to the
purpose with direct interactions
and conversations that aren’t
mere meandering status updates.
AND IN COMPARISON
HOW DO YOU SEE SEO
AND ORGANIC
SEARCH CHANGING?
That’s the million-dollar
question. What works today
might not work next week, and
what works next week might get
you stripped of all credibility
a week after that. Google has
released several major updates
this year that have each tackled
132 NOVEMBER 2013

certain areas of the search results
pages - each one has a ripple
effect and those ripples are ever
widening. It really is a minefield.
I think the biggest concern
for organic is how much
paid (or sponsored) space
is creeping over. I’m not
convinced Google will
eventually monetise the whole
first page of its search results,
that would be incredibly risky,
however it’s clear that paid
exposure retains and continues
to gain traction with time.
IS GOOGLE STILL THE KING?
Yes. Over the past three years we
have worked with 100-plus client
websites and so we see a lot of
data. Google is still the biggest
single source of traffic and that
won’t change anytime soon.
IT’S CLEAR THAT THINGS ARE
RAPIDLY CHANGING ONLINE,
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU
GIVE TO BUSINESSES?
Strategy, content, test, adopt.
What I mean is you should
always apply a well-considered
A fad becomes a trend
when it gains ground
and a trend becomes the
accepted normality
plan to your online efforts,
make sure the content is on
message and well targeted, test
variations and then adopt what
works. Rinse and repeat. If
you’re doing it right you’ll grow,
not only that you’ll generate
profit – if you’re targeting the
profitable business areas that is!
AND WHAT ABOUT NEW AND
SMALL BUSINESSES, WOULD
YOUR ADVICE BE DIFFERENT?
For SMEs, usually budget is the
overriding factor tempering
what they can do, so their
budget needs to be spent in
the right places. The single
“right” place to spend would
be on the most profitable area
of the business. What really
makes you money? Build a plan
pushing that. It doesn’t have to
cost a fortune but the reality is
the more you put in, the more
you’re likely to get out.
I know that sounds very
much like common sense,
but the SME owner is a busy
person, it’s not surprising how
quickly the obvious can get
buried among the many other
aspects of doing business.
Contact: midasmedia.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
133

TALK ADVICE
SIMPLIFY THE LAW
Give us your
******* money
[as Bob Geldof famously didn’t say]
Dealing with legal issues used to start by handing over money to a lawyer. But not anymore,
says Jonathan Brewer, founder of Simplify the Law
Even if you weren’t born
in 1985, which saw the
televised Live Aid concert
raise funds for the
Ethiopian famine, then
you will probably still have heard
about Bob Geldof’s famous rant.
Those who did watch it still
fondly remember Sir Bob’s
expletive-laden outburst,
especially as it significantly
increased the rate at which
funds came in. But he didn’t say
it. Take a look on Wikipedia or
YouTube: he did say: ‘Give us
your money.’ But the expletive
came much later on; funny how
urban myths are created.
A survey of 9,703 SMEs carried
out by YouGov for the Legal
Services Board earlier this year
showed most business people
like you assume that dealing with
legal issues will quickly lead to
a (polite) demand to hand over
large amounts of cash. But let’s
face it; no-one considers law firms
to be a cause worth giving to.
Let’s face
it; no-one
considers law
firms to be a
cause worth
giving to
Just 13% of respondents in
the survey agreed: “lawyers
provide a cost-effective means
to resolve legal issues.” That’s a
significant perception problem
for the legal profession. It’s
also a significant problem for
small businesses: the survey
evidenced that SMEs lose £100
billion a year due to legal issues,
yet 70% to 90% (depending on
size) of SMEs simply muddle
through themselves, rather
than engage a lawyer.
As your company grows,
so will the frequency and
size of the legal problems you
HELP YOURSELF
IT’S FREE
face: 49% of businesses with
£1 million plus turnover have
experienced a legal problem
in the previous 12 months,
compared with only 29%
of those turning over less
than £50k.
NEW TYPES OF LEGAL SERVICE
DESIGNED TO SUIT YOU AND
YOUR WALLET
Businesses like yours are
key targets for many, many
lawyers. That competition for
your custom means there are
deals to be done on fixed fees
and on rates.
That fight for your custom
(and the recognition that you
won’t pay legal fees easily) is also
leading to the development of
online services that enable you to
do more for yourself, more costeffectively
than before.
These online services are a
big step on from old-fashioned
sites where you download a
contract in Word and try and
134 NOVEMBER 2013

amend it for yourself, hoping
you don’t make a change that
costs you later down the line.
These systems use clever
technology to garner
information from you,
which is used to quickly and
automatically draft a contract,
letter or policy. Some also
provide guidance for those
many occasions when drafting
a document isn’t going to help.
For legal services providers,
these systems are a means of
striking up a conversation with
prospective clients like you - a
way of starting the relationship
before someone else does. To
get that relationship off to the
right start, these systems have
to deliver genuine value rather
than marketing puff. The best
services therefore provide
genuinely helpful content,
effective tools and simple user
interfaces that really do help you
do more for yourself without
the need to pay a lawyer.
HELP YOURSELF
These self-help systems are
priced to address your concern
that getting legal help will cost
you too much money. Many of
them are available for free trial
periods, with low monthly fees,
or even for free.
Our own online service,
Simplify the Law, is entirely
free as it’s funded by the
lawyers who want you to know
that you can turn to them on
the occasions when you do
need legal advice. (We rather
like the fact that lawyers pay
us so you pay them less.)
The reality of the modern
legal market for businesses
like yours is that you are
increasingly in control of
whether and when you hand
over your cash to a lawyer.
There are vast online resources
out there to ensure that you
are better informed and can
confidently decide when you do
and don’t need to pay for advice.
We rather
like the fact
that lawyers
pay us so you
pay them less
And there are online tools that
help you quickly do far more
for yourself than you could have
ever imagined possible.
So once you’ve finished
searching for the video clip of
Bob Geldof and discovered he
really didn’t say what everyone
thinks he said, try searching for
“free legal support” or “draft
legal documents + free”. Why not
drop a few key words into Google
about trading with consumers,
or the name of the employment
policy you know you really
ought to get round to drafting.
You may be pleasantly surprised
to find out how much you can
do yourself, for little or no cost,
to reduce the loss you suffer
each year from legal issues.
Contact: simplifythelaw.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
135

Strategic
support
Aisha Ejaz, managing director of NBSL, a strategic business
consultancy, says when times are tough there is help at hand
Ever felt so overwhelmed
running your business
you begin wondering if
it’s all truly worth it? Let’s
face it, running a business
can test your metal at the best of
times, but doing so in the age of
austerity has changed the game.
It’s a fierce battle of survival
of the fittest. The fittest
businesses are those that are not
afraid of change and can adapt
and embrace the turbulence
within our economy. They have
evolved with market changes
and have perfected the art of
identifying their strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats. There are many
businesses struggling to survive
as they have not accepted, nor
adapted to, the market changes.
They are still stubbornly
somewhat traditional in
their ways and may often
be overwhelmed with new
developments. It’s high time
these businesses realised the
world as we knew it has evolved
and continues to evolve daily.
SME owners are responsible
for successfully launching
their ventures, for ensuring
consistent growth, adapting
to market demands, keeping a
close eye on competition, and
are expected to readily accept
the advances of marketing and
PR. With the advent of social
media platforms, how on earth
The fittest
businesses
are those
that are not
afraid of
change and
can adapt
and embrace
do you decide which one to
create your business profile on
and how do you make it work
for you? In short, you’re meant
to learn all this and become the
millionaire of your dreams by
the process of osmosis, right?
Every day we hear the
economy is picking up and
moving at a faster rate than
expected. In a recent tweet,
David Cameron, one half of
our ruling coalition, tweeted:
‘There’s still a long way to go,
but it’s encouraging to see the
UK economy is growing at
one of the fastest rates in the
developed world.’
136 NOVEMBER 2013

NBSL
TALK ADVICE
You only had to see some of
the responses to confirm that
the reality is that while the
economy may be inching its way
in the right direction, SMEs, the
backbone of any economy, are
still feeling the strain.
NBSL a strategic business
consultancy, founded in 2011,
provides SMEs with focused
and cost-efficient solutions to
the growing pains they face.
The business owner’s vision
and ambition is at the forefront
of all suggested solutions.
NBSL solely works within the
SME market, and is a banking
and finance specialist, owing
to its strong links within the
banking and financing angel
industries. It truly understands
the hurdles SMEs have to
successfully jump over and
helps navigate them through
the tumultuous growth phases.
Whether the business is a
start-up or a trading business,
NBSL provides bespoke
assistance by alleviating the
pressures of business, sales,
marketing, planning, social
media, strategy development,
training and implementation,
creating effective customer
care, retention and brand
management strategies, as well
as financial representation
to develop constructive
relationships, or mend difficult
or broken ones with bankers
and various financiers. This
assistance is provided by
working in close partnership
with existing advisors of
an SME to ensure gaps in
development are addressed.
NBSL’s mission is to help
SMEs mimic the success of
large corporate firms. There is
a misconception amongst many
SME owners that large firms
achieve success just by setting
targets for their employees.
In fact, large firms typically
take on the services of large
consultancies to help develop
and direct their vision within
the sectors they operate in, or
in markets they wish to enter.
SMEs too should adopt similar
growth strategies to ensure
informed decisions are made
and avoid costly mistakes. For
instance, whilst large firms can
often redress mistakes due to
their massive balance sheets or
by Government intervention,
a mistake made by an SME
will not only be detrimental
to its cash flow position,
but also damage the SME
brand. For SMEs to succeed,
brand management and first
impressions are crucial
among sound financial
management and that is where
NBSL steps in.
Contact: noorbizservices.co.uk
Twitter: @NoorBiz
NBSL’s
mission is to
help SMEs
mimic the
success
of large
corporate
firms
in profile
Aisha Ejaz has an MBA in entrepreneurship
from Hult International Business School. As a
commercial banker and facilitator of business
angel investments, Aisha has consulted with a
significant number of SMEs seeking finance to
achieve their growth objectives. She has also
helped businesses prepare funding pitches and
social media marketing strategies by running
training sessions.
She recently launched The Money Makers
Business Club to facilitate B2B interaction
amongst start-ups and trading businesses,
to exchange services, collaborate, share best
practices and overcome challenges via P2P
mentoring at scheduled events.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
137

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XDRIVE
TALK ADVICE
Who’s off?
Philip Cross, co-founder of WhosOff.com, an application that allows companies to
manage staff leave, talks about managing holiday in a business
You’re at home, in the
evening and your
partner is asking
about your summer
holiday. They’ve
found a deal and want to know
if you can take time off.
What do you do? Easy,
you go online to the office
leave planner, see who’s off
and put in a request. The
holiday organiser gets notified
straight away, and, if they’re
connected, they can authorise
your holiday online or via a
mobile app in minutes.
But this may not be your
experience, and if not, then
I guess the person managing
the staff holidays is likely in
spreadsheet hell or wall planner
pain! Who’s off today? Who’s
off tomorrow? Next week? Next
year? Has your staff annual
leave become a form filling, time
Has your staff
annual leave
become a form
filling, time
consuming
hassle fest,
causing stress
and upset all
round?
consuming hassle fest, causing
stress and upset all round?
Fortunately, these days, it is
possible to run a sophisticated
holiday system that actually
provides a cost benefit and will
not break the bank. Many online
services are offering staff leave
planners that allow your staff
to access a holiday system to
manage not just holidays, but
also other out-of-office times,
meetings, medical appointments,
sickness and so on.
The benefits are not limited
to the time saved in the
administration. Yes, this is
an important consideration
when implementing any leave
system, and perhaps the easiest
comparison to “value” the
benefit. For example it has
been estimated that the average
time spent (by all parties
involved) in dealing with a
holiday request, checking and
approving and so on, can be
1.5 hours! Especially when
you consider the administrator
needs to check if there are
enough days available, if the
holiday clashes with anybody
else, if there are enough people
in the department, contacting
managers, and notifying HR.
But there are some other real
tangible benefits beyond the
administration side. Getting
your leave and absence into a
more transparent system can
help your staff to make better
informed and more timely
judgements when seeking leave,
avoiding the end of year rush,
or at least making it easier for
you to see that people need to
get their holidays in so you can
respond accordingly.
You can see trends, of sickness
for example, and not only you
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
139

TALK ADVICE
XDRIVE
but your staff can too, you can
plan meetings and other events
without having to ask or refer
to the wall planner as to who is
going to be available.
If you have offices in different
locations, you can see who’s
off – you don’t need to ring
just to be told they are away on
holiday – everything becomes a
lot more manageable.
Even the staff appreciate
that getting leave authorised is
no longer a frustrating paper
trail of approvals and checks.
They can log on from literally
anywhere and submit a request
or check who’s off. Some
services also offer calendar
feeds so leave dates can be
seen directly in MS Outlook or
Google calendar, again a great
feature to easily see who’s off.
Most will have reporting and
export tools – another handy
feature for administrators to
check and review all leave
and out-of-office times, giving
detailed information on the
past as well as in the future.
And some services will cater
for part-time workers and the
logging of overtime – but a
quick overview of their features
or the free trial will let you
know if a particular system is
going to work for you.
Many of these web services
now offer mobile applications
taking holiday forms to a
different level. You can check
and put in a holiday leave request
while sitting in the travel agent’s.
There are many such services
on the internet these days –
some offering free accounts
for smaller business and some
offering the whole HR system
with staff management too.
You may find that the leave
and absence system is not as
sophisticated as the standalone
systems, but most will give you
a long free trial to fully evaluate
their service.
In my experience, many other
web companies have come across
In profile
WhosOff.com is a leading
online staff leave planner
helping SME’s across
the UK (and the world)
manage staff leave and
holiday via the web and
mobile apps. We have
nearly 60,000 users, from
smaller business with less
than 10 employees to blue
chips with more than 1000
staff members. WhosOff is
IS027001 certified.
It is possible
to run a
sophisticated
holiday system
that actually
provides a cost
benefit and
will not break
the bank
our site, Whosoff.com, and
thought “Hey, that’s easy, I can
do that, I can build that system
in my lunch break” (that’s a real
quote!) and you can come across
many of these services but many
are not really viable.
Most reputable companies
offering this type of service
will give you at least a twomonth
trial, and will be clear
and transparent on their price.
There should be no long term
commitments and easy “get out”
options and, moreover, publish
their address and contact/
support phone numbers.
Of course, I would say that it’s
not all about the raw monthly
cost of subscribing but there
are real cost benefits to be had
and, as we often hear, it should
make you say “How did we ever
manage this before WhosOff?”
Contact: Whosoff.com
140 NOVEMBER 2013

SECC, Glasgow 14th-15th November | REGISTER FREE at www.thescottishbusinessexhibition.com
the SCOTTISH BUSINESS
EXHIBITION
Make your business MORE competitive, MORE efficient and MORE profitable!
The Event for Scottish Corporate, mid-market and large SMEs
More than 100 exhibitors
50 free Seminars, Workshops and Compelling live features
Show Partners
Keynote Seminars
Sir Tom Farmer
Our most popular speaker ever, is back for
2013.
Brad Burton
Brought up on a council estate, he’s got
no qualifications, spent years on dole and
started his first business in 2006 with £25K
of personal debt! Brad will change the way
you approach your life and business forever.
Felicity McCarthy
Felicity McCarthy is Head of Small
& Medium Business Marketing
Communications EMEA at Facebook.
Scott Wilson
Chief Architect, Snr Director EMEA
Engineered Systems at Oracle
Show Features
Key Skills Workshops
Take part in detailed, interactive workshops to
improve and learn key business skills
Business Connections
Build vital business relationships in the
facilitated networking area
1-2-1 Kiosks
Get priceless personal advice on the key areas
of your business
Procurement Zone
Discover how to win lucrative public contacts
Show Exhibitors
29Studios
4 Networking
Access Pay
ActionCoach
Barrie Payroll Solutions
BT Business
BUPA
Business Gateway
Buzz Box
CeeD
Chrystal Hill
Clifton Asset Management Plc
Clydesdale Bank
Companies House
Corporate Traveller
Cultural Enterprise Office
Cunninghams Epos Solutions
Direct Leaflets
DS Smith Plastics
DSIS
Dublcheck
EBS Digital
Effortless Sites
Elite Business Magazine
Ellis IP Limited
Encompass Scotland
Etellect
First Port
Flintriver
Franchise Development Service
Fruit Mobile Managed Services
FSB (Member Services) Ltd
Hillarys Blinds Ltd
IFB (Internet for Business)
Insurance Advisory Services
Intellectual Property Office
Internet Creations
Jim's Mowing
Jobs & Business Glasgow
KBVO
Logo Printed Blinds
Mattioli Woods
Media Co
Nest Corporation
NSDesign
OpenPlus
Oracle
OSHCR Ltd
Phototech Imaging
Press Office
Prime
QMI Scotland
Regional Development Agency
Mura
Regus
ScotRail
Scottish Centre for Healthy
Working Lives
Scottish Development
International
Scottish Enterprise
SEPA
Skills Development Scotland
SPD Print Solutions
Stratstone Mercedes
Supplies Team
The Cloud Accounting Co
The Royal Bank of Scotland
University of the West of
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U-Turn Vending
Value Doors
Vital Comms
Vodafone
Water Industry Commisson for
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WellData
Whichlaw
Xeretec
Xtensive
Young's HR Consultancy
Co-located with New Start Scotland
www.newstartscotland.com
The Scottish Business Exhibition | SECC, Glasgow 14th-15th November | Admission FREE
REGISTER NOW at www.thescottishbusinessexhibition.com or CALL 0800 157 7950

Smart
print
The Kyocera team give us some essential tips on printing costs
The office printer is
the Cinderella of
modern technology.
It is ignored until
something goes
wrong. For most people, it’s
only when an unexpected
breakdown occurs that they
realise quite how much they
rely on their printer, but if
you’re considering investing
in a new one for your office
consider these top tips:
1. Think carefully about what
you actually need – mono/
colour, A4/A3, print only
or a multifunctional. Better
to buy one device that does
all you need than multiple
devices, but don’t invest in
features you won’t use.
2. Plan for the future – how
do you see your business
growing over the next two
to three years? If you have
ambitious expansion plans
it’s worth buying a printer
capable of dealing with
increased print volumes.
3. Consider running costs as
well as the purchase price.
Typically, you’ll spend
several times the purchase
price on consumables over
the life of a printer, so don’t
sleepwalk into excessive
running costs.
4. Look for energy efficiency
features. Energy Star is a
must, but most printers
comply so check actual
TEC (typical energy
consumption) ratings,
which can vary widely.
5. Choose a printer that can
automatically print duplex
(double-sided) as this saves
paper and money.
Awareness of the true cost of
printing has risen significantly.
Most businesses realise that a
low hardware price does not
always mean low running costs,
but what else can help you
ensure that printing and copying
doesn’t have a negative impact
on your company finances?
142 NOVEMBER 2013

KYOCERA
TALK ADVICE
AUDIT YOUR EXISTING
PRINTER FLEET
The first step is to determine
what devices you actually have
and take a view on what you
actually print. Examine how
each printer in the organisation
is used - and record the number
of prints carried out by each
machine. This information can
then be used to build a picture
of your printer fleet and identify
where any inefficiencies occur.
Typical examples of
inefficiency arise when users
print to a machine that is local
to them for convenience’s sake
rather than economy. A busy
accounts department might use
a 14-page per minute printer to
produce all its end-of-month
invoices, at a cost of almost a
penny per page, simply because
it is situated nearby.
However for this type of
high volume printing, it would
be far more economical for
them to use a high volume
printer with a cost per page of
just 0.3p. And confidentiality
is no longer an argument to
have a personal desk printer.
With today’s Follow-Me
printing technology the most
confidential documents can be
sent to a central device, with the
assurance that nothing will be
printed until it has been securely
released to the correct user.
KNOW ABOUT THE COSTS
When selecting new print
and copy hardware it’s vital to
establish the on-going costs
associated with the product.
You should ask for a detailed
breakdown of all the toner
and maintenance costs that
the product is likely to incur
over its lifetime. These costs
can vary significantly from
manufacturer to manufacturer
by up to 60% for a product
with the same specification,
so it is well worth checking
them out before you make
your purchase.
FIND OUT WHO DOES WHAT
A key way to gain user buyin
to reducing printing and
copying costs is to ensure that
each department is charged
for the amount of printing that
they carry out. Users that know
they or their department will
be charged in direct proportion
to the amount of printing and
copying that they do, are less
likely to carry out unnecessary
or unauthorised print jobs. All
these activities help to increase
awareness and visibility of print
costs, making your organisation
more cost effective.
CONSIDER HOW TO REDUCE
YOUR PRINT COSTS
Reducing print costs may not be
the most dynamic or exciting
way to streamline your business
operations, but it is a simple,
effective way to make your
organisation more profitable, and
the difference that can be made
to your bottom line by stripping
up to 60% out of your printing
costs is surely a compelling
proposition for any business.
When
selecting new
print and copy
hardware
it’s vital to
establish the
on-going costs
TOP TEN TIPS
FOR EFFICIENT
PRINTING:
1. Never print something just to read
it once.
2. Always use the “print preview” function
to ensure a document is correct
before printing.
3. Reduce the size of the font and/or images
rather than let just a few lines run to a
second page.
4. Always print double-sided.
5. For internal documents, consider printing
several sheets to a page.
6. Only print the page(s) you need, not the
entire document.
7. If you’re printing multiple copies of a
document, proof-read one copy before
printing the rest.
8. Only print the number of copies you
actually need.
9. Scan and email documents rather than
send a hard copy.
10. Always turn off your printer at the end of
the day.
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
135

DIRECTORY
NOVEMBER 2013
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can help.
T: 07930153940
E: sarah@carruthershr.co.uk
W: www.carruthershr.co.uk
We craft compelling websites and persuasive
media strategies. Through an in-depth and
collaborative process, we will discover what is
unique about you, then shout it from the virtual
rooftops.
T: +44 20 8399 4948
E: hello@joyandrevolution.co.uk
W: www.joyandrevolution.co.uk
144 NOVEMBER 2013

NOVEMBER 2013
DIRECTORY
Stellarise help ambitious smaller companies
become leaders in their field through the
innovative use of IT. We are a leading provider of
affordable IT support, effective project delivery
and strategic advice. .
T: 020 3137 3550
W: www.stellarise.com
Affordable
HR Solutions
Affordable HR Solutions can take care of your
ad hoc people issues enabling you to focus on
your core business.
Visit our website to see our range of services.
T: 01304 366340
W: www.affordable-hrsolutions.co.uk
E: Info@affordable-hrsolutions.co.uk
Hampden provide a complete client focused IT
solution tailored to your business. We provide
a complete service that combines technical
expertise with experience and knowledge for
cost effective IT solutions.
T: 01865 233000
W: www.hampdensolutions.co.uk
E: sales@hsluk.com
Turner Business Consultants Ltd services are
always flexible tailored to your specific needs.
• Health and Safety Management • Fire Risk
Assessment • CDM Coordination • Asbestos
Management • Quality Management •
Environmental Management • Information
Technology Security • Business Continuity Plans
• Business Strategy Development • Civil
Engineering Consultancy services
T: 01268 649006
E: info@turnerbusinessconsultants.co.uk
W: www.turnerbusinessconsultants.co.uk
Hamilton’s Asset Management services enable
customers to:
• Optimise usage of IT assets by improved asset allocation
• Manage and measure IT operations and initiatives
• Identify and mitigate risk (e.g. under-licensing
of software products)
• Minimise procurement costs
• Improve maintenance activity and costs
• Maximise the value of surplus IT equipment
utilising Hamilton’s expert remarketing team
T: 0203 327 2390
W: www.hamilton-am.co.uk
E: assetman@hamilton.co.uk
KashFlow Software Limited is a privately
owned company based in London, England. We
provide online accounting software for small
businesses owners — the emphasis always
being on ease of use, automation and
integration. We’re widely regarded as a pioneer
of the SaaS business model and as the leader
in web-based accounting.
T: 0800 848 8301
W: www.kashflow.com
E: sales@kashflow.com
We are passionate about making our customers’ working
life easier, therefore we act as the platform through which
they can access a full array of virtual services, such as:
• Virtual PA and Admin Services
• Graphic Design
• Web Solutions
• IT Support
• Translation
• Marketing and PR
• Finance and accounting.
T: 0845 6805156
W: www.proficientva.co.uk
E: contact@ proficientva.co.uk
We create effective and meaningful Web, Design
and Print for small to medium sized businesses
creating big results. We enhance customer
experiences and help businesses grow through
effectively designed communications. Based in
the South East, we work for clients both local and
across the UK.
T: 01438 369882
W: www.gtm-uk.co.uk
E: sales@gtm-uk.co.uk
Complete Office Search is committed to
providing clients a complete office space
search solution from our first contact to
occupation of your office. Unlike other office
finder companies we do not refer you or your
details to every single business centre and
landlord under the sun.
T: (0)208 868 1959.
W: www.completeofficesearch.com
E: info@completeofficesearch.com
Through working in partnership with you, and
by understanding your business and providing
bespoke support, we add value and provide
commercial HR solutions that contribute to
your bottom-line.
T: 07973 958149 or 01604 688757
W: www.hrbespokesolutions.co.uk
E: phil@hrbespokesolutions.co.uk
At Infinite Brush everyone has a creative mind.
We make sure every technical and creative
decision we make can help you make a sale.
T: 01753 251 241
W: www.infinitebrush.com
E: studio@infinitebrush.com
Our business is focused on providing
exceptional design, web, hosting and print
• Online Marketing • Website Updating
• Content Management • PPC
• Ecommerce • Email • Business Cards
• Flyers • Stationery • Leaflets
• Promotional Items • Posters • Banners
T: 01865 600 366
W: www.nervenet.co.uk
E: info@nervenet.co.uk
talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk
145

TALK SUCCESS
AND FINALLY...
He said / she said
This month the entrepreneurs are tweeting about new store openings, hangovers, and eating
nuts like monkeys. Opinions (and spelling mistakes) all their own.
Theo Paphitis
@TheoPaphitis
Just opened our 20th
@BouxAvenue store at
@manarndale. Great
crowd! Come and say
hello!
Congratulations Theo!
Quick expansion,
creating jobs and
bringing more back on
our high streets. A+
Julie Meyer
@JulieMarieMeyer
Goodbye Bristol…
Beautiful town… I’ll be
back for a weekend
soon
We love Bristol too.
There are some great
businesses based there
– like Rob Law, founder
of Trunki, our FOTC on
page 18 for example.
Duncan Bannatyne
@DuncanBannatyne
Is First Transpennine
Express the worst train
company’s in UK? Cold
tea server who can’t
speak English. It must
come close.
We assume he means
cold service, rather than
“brrr” cold. Perhaps
the staff should read
Adam Caplan’s article
on customer service this
month on page 67.
Francis Boulle
@FrancisBoule
I challenge anyone to
eat a pistachio and not
feel like a monkey.
We really want to
watch you eat nuts
now Francis! Especially
monkey nuts.
Will, King of Shaves
@KingofShaves
Enjoyed my night out
with the @COLCollege
team at “The Grapes”.
My heard still hurts…
Sounds like you had fun
Will. Where was our
invite? Lost in the post,
we hope.
Levi Roots
@levirootsmusic
@PaulHollywood Big
respect to you my
honorary Jamaican
friend, you the man!
One love LR.
We hope Paul the Great
British Bake Off judge
baked Levi a green,
yellow and black cake!
146 NOVEMBER 2013

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