Clacks Business Week 2018 Magazine

FOCUS ON THE 

The Clacks Business Week Magazine February 2018 

5-9 February 

21 EVENTS IN 7 LOCATIONS 

ACROSS 5 DAYS 

CLACKS BUSINESSES BUILD 

FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH 

Page 3 

HELP GLOBAL 

TOURISM TO 

#DISCOVERCLACKS 

Page 7 

Developing Young Workforce - 

making a difference in Forth Valley 

Page 6 

SV24-7 Vending look 

forward to a year of change 

Page 13 

The Keys to Successful 

Succession 

Page 10 

The Clacks Business Week Magazine 

1

Welcome 

Welcome to the second Clackmannanshire Business Week and Magazine. 

This year we have over 20 events in 

7 different locations throughout the 

County - all celebrating the best of 

Clackmannanshire businesses, and 

looking to the future, which is our theme 

for 2018. 

Since the last Clacks Business Week, 

we’ve had a lot of new businesses move 

into the area. In our Ceteris properties 

alone, we’ve welcomed 24 new businesses 

and supported 20 move or expand within 

our portfolio. As a result of these moves, 

we’ve watched these companies increase 

employment in Clackmannanshire by 

more than 50 positions. 

In addition to this, our Business Gateway 

team has supported 110 new businesses, 

helped 35 growth businesses and helped 

businesses obtain grants and support 

for future growth plans to the tune of 

over £195,000. So business is definitely 

thriving in the area. 

So what’s next? We have a number of 

events during Clacks Business Week 

focussing on topics that we all need to 

consider when looking towards the future 

growth of business in Clackmannanshire. 

The launch lunch at Gean House on 

Monday 5 February, will feature a keynote 

speech from Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet 

Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair 

Work, an update on the City Regional 

Deals bid and the difference that this 

could make to Clackmannanshire. 

We’ve got a session from Lithium Systems 

on the new General Data Protection 

Regulations which businesses need to get 

their heads around pretty quickly before it 

becomes law in May 2018. With the launch 

of Discover Clackmannanshire in 2017, 

we now have a thriving tourism group, 

dedicating time and resources to bringing 

tourists and day visitors to the area. Discover 

Clacks will be holding their next meeting 

and AGM on Monday 5 February. Another 

event to look out for is the Developing Young 

workforce Employer Engagement Event, 

(more interesting than it sounds!). So much 

has happened over the past year, and we 

have huge plans for next year, with a raft of 

businesses getting involved in supporting 

young people to prepare for work - giving 

talks, offering work placements, teacher 

insight experiences, mock interviews, 

concrete in the classroom, mentoring, and 

loads more. It’s creating a buzz in Forth 

Valley and a few of our businesses will 

be presenting on what benefits they have 

received from being involved. 

Another event to look out for is the final 

of Business Gateway’s HEAT 18 “Dragons’ 

Den” Competition on Thursday 8 

February. Now in its fourth year, The HEAT 

competition has already seen prizes worth 

almost £15,000 given to local companies 

to help them grow and develop their 

business. We received almost 30 entries 

last year and are hoping to do even better 

this year! 

There are too many events to mention 

each one, and we’ve had so much 

help in organising this week from 

businesses within Clackmannanshire. 

Clackmannanshire Business has 

sponsored the week, and many others 

have supported by running events, 

sponsoring events or by placing adverts 

in this magazine. Many thanks to Forth 

Valley College, Forth Valley Chamber, 

Clacksfirst, French Duncan, Business 

Gateway, Federation of Small Business, 

Healthy Working Lives, Handelsbanken, 

RMD and SV24-7 Vending. 

Clackmannanshire Business Week 

represents an excellent example of 

cooperation and working together for 

the future economic development of 

Clackmannanshire. 

We’ll be finishing off the week, in the 

same way as last year, with a Charity 

lunch at the beautiful Inglewood House 

on behalf of Scottish Autism. This was a 

great lunch last time, raising over £1800 

for the charity, so don’t miss your chance 

to support this and enjoy yourself at the 

same time. Book your tickets directly with 

Inglewood House, details on page 15. 

Have a great week! 

Margaret Mary Rafferty 

Managing Director, Ceteris (Scotland) Ltd. 

Contents 

4.....Calendar of events 

6.....Developing Young Workforce Forth Valley 

7.....Help global tourism to #DiscoverClacks in 2018 

8.....New training fund available for Forth Valley businesses 6 

9.....Alloa business empowers local communities 

10...The Keys to Successful Succession 

10...Healthy Workers = Healthy Business = Healthy Profits 

10...Improve your BID score with SDP 

11...Clacks Women into Business lunch by FSB 

11...Growing the circular economy in Clackmannanshire 

12...The importance of physical security for every business sector 

13...SV24-7 Vending look forward to a year of change in 2018 

14...Is YOUR business Cyber Secure and GDPR compliant? 

15...Fundraising lunch for Scottish Autism’s Founders House, Alloa 

Front cover picture supplied by Airborne Lens 

9 

7 

13 

FROM MORE INFORMATION: 

Contact: Stuart McCusker Tel: 01259 726414 Email: smccusker@ceteris.co.uk www.ceteris.co.uk 

twitter.com/clacksweek facebook.com/clacksbusinessweek #clacksbusinessweek

Focus on the Future 

Clacks businesses 

build from a position 

of strength 

It’s just over a year since the highly successful, 

inaugural Clacks Business Week brought together 

the local business community to celebrate the best of 

Clackmannanshire under the “Going for Growth” banner. 

For the 2nd Clacks Business Week, we wanted to keep the 

narrative moving and ask businesses to “Focus on the Future”. 

In this magazine and across the various Clacks Business Week 

events, you can learn more about the future of technology, the 

future of your workforce, the future of tourism, the future of 

affordable energy and the future of the circular economy, in 

short the future of business in Clackmannanshire… 

However, to be able to “Focus on the Future”, 

Clackmannanshire must also have a solid foundation from 

which to base itself. 

Clacksfirst Business Improvement District (BID) was 

formed as a company in 2008, following a Yes vote by the 

Clackmannanshire business community, to take control of 

major issues that were projecting a negative image of the area 

and impacting on business. 

Over £1 million has been invested in order to deliver the 

projects laid out in the two Business Plans promised by the BID. 

Kevin Deighan, Clacksfirst BID told us “Throughout the existence 

of the BID, one project has been a priority for businesses and that 

is Safety and Security. Prior to the BID installing CCTV in 2011, 

the area was subject to significant levels of criminal activity. The 

BID’s co-ordinated approach to tackling crime has helped reduce 

reported crime by 50% over the last 5 years.” 

The businesses in the BID areas benefit from a free, weekly 

recycling service and over 200 tonnes of recyclable materials 

have been diverted from landfill. As well as recycling card, 

paper, plastic and cans, the BID also uplifts and recycles 

unwanted pallets. These and many other environmental 

projects led to the BID being awarded a Silver accreditation in 

the National Award for Environmental Excellence from Keep 

Scotland Beautiful. 

Local MSP, Keith Brown said: “I am delighted that Clacksfirst 

BID has received recognition for its good practice in the 

provision of waste management, increasing safety practices and 

their ongoing green and sustainability practices. It’s great to see 

the BID get recognised for their hard work” 

Clacksfirst BID continues to work closely with 

Clackmannanshire Council, Police Scotland and Zero Waste 

Scotland to make Clackmannanshire a safe, secure and 

environmentally-aware place to do business. 

Clacks Business Week organisers, Ceteris are looking to the 

future too with a continued focus on how they can minimise their 

Keith Brown MSP presents Robert Marshall of Marshall 

Construction with The Keep Scotland Beautiful National 

Award for Environmental Excellence. 

environmental impact. With 13 business locations including 5 

large serviced office blocks and 170 tenant businesses employing 

almost 900 employees, Ceteris have a huge responsibility as a 

landlord to develop, lead and manage sustainable buildings. 

Ceteris are committed to responsible energy management 

and practice energy efficiency throughout all their premises. 

Their recent activities include the introduction of an electric 

car charging point at the e-Centre in Alloa, they’ve reduced 

waste to landfill by 15%, replaced over 1200 light fittings with 

energy-efficient LEDs, fitted energy-saving heating controls 

and motion detectors and achieved electricity consumption 

savings of up to 47% over a sustained 3-year period. 

We invite all businesses to ponder the future during Clack Business 

Week - a week showcasing the very best of the Clackmannanshire 

Business Community – and hope that you will find something of 

interest in our calendar of events on pages 4 and 5. 

Business Lunch in aid of 

Support your local charity while networking during 

Clackmannanshire Business Week 

Lunch at award winning Inglewood House 

Friday 9th February 1-4pm 

£29.95 per person or £245 for a table of 10 

To book contact: 

events@inglewoodhouseandspa.co.uk 

Company limited by Guarantee. Registered in Scotland No. 81123 Scottish Charity 

No. SC 009068 

Registered Office: Hilton House, Alloa Business Park, Whins Road, Alloa, FK10 3SA 


3

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

Over 20 events – 7 locations – 5 days 

Clacks Business Week is sponsored by 

MONDAY 5 FEBRUARY 

12 noon – 2.30pm | Gean House 

OFFICIAL LAUNCH & NETWORKING 

LUNCH 

Official launch of Clacks Business Week 

with special guest Keith Brown MSP, 

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and 

Fair Work. 

3.00pm – 5.00pm | Inglewood House 

& Spa 

DISCOVER CLACKMANNANSHIRE 

WORKSHOP & AGM 

Meeting of local tourism group, essential 

for everyone with an interest in attracting 

tourism to the area. The RSPB will present 

an overview of the RSPB Black Devon 

Wetlands site whilst IFLI will describe how 

they use social media to reconnect people 

with the heritage of the Inner Forth. 

TUESDAY 6 FEBRUARY 

8.30am – 10.30am | Dam Good Coffee 

FORTH VALLEY BREAKFAST BUZZ 

Informal and friendly networking for 

businesses across Forth Valley. Drop 

in and out whenever you want – no 

registration required. 


CYBER SECURITY & GDPR WORKSHOP 

LUNCH BY LITHIUM SYSTEMS 

Join the Lithium team of experts on IT 

Data security and the latest on what you 

need to know and do to keep your data 

safe, secure and compliant. 

4.00pm – 6.00pm | Forth Valley 

College 

BUSINESS START-UP AWARENESS 

Concise workshop presented by 

Business Gateway Clackmannanshire 

covering the fundamentals you need to 

know when starting up a new business. 

6.00pm – 8.00pm | Gean House 

DYW FORTH VALLEY DINNER 

Dinner for business owners and 

professionals who feel they can get 

involved in making a difference to young 

people. DYW will outline the benefits of 

bridging the gap between business and 

education. Invitation only. 

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 

9.30am – 2.00pm | Gean House 

HEALTHY WORKERS = HEALTHY 

BUSINESS = HEALTHY PROFITS 

An information and workshop event to 

introduce local employers to the free services 

provided by the NHS Forth Valley Health 

Promotion Service. Includes presentation 

of The Healthy Working Lives Awards. 

9.30am – 12.30pm | Alloa Business 

Centre 

BUSINESS GATEWAY START-UP 

WORKSHOP (1 OF 4): BUSINESS 

PLANNING 

Includes advice on creating a robust 

business plan for your new venture 

1.30pm – 4.30pm | Alloa Business 

Centre 


WORKSHOP (2 OF 4): FINANCE 

Includes advice on managing a profit 

and loss account, producing a cashflow 

statement and the different legal 

structures available to your new business 

3.00pm – 5.00pm | The Makers 

COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITIES – 

GROWING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY 

Hosted by Clackmannanshire Third Sector 

Interface, an insight and outline of ways to 

grow your business through partnership, 

procurement and collaboration with third 

sector organisations, service providers 

and local businesses. 

4.00pm – 6.00pm | Forth Valley 

College 

SKILLS FOR GROWTH & MODERN 

APPRENTICESHIPS 

Come along to this informative drop in 

event to hear about and discuss how your 

business will benefit from the Forth Valley 

College Modern Apprenticeship programme 

as well as the Skills Development Scotland 

Skills For Growth service. 

THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 

9.00am – 2.00pm | Gean House 

THE HEAT 18 FINAL 

Final of Business Gateway Forth Valley’s 

“Dragon’s Den” competition as start-up 

businesses from across Forth Valley 

compete for over £4,000 worth of prizes. 

Invitation only. 

9.30am – 12.30pm | Alloa Business 

Centre 


WORKSHOP (3 OF 4): MARKETING 

Identify your customers, understand 

your competitors and plan an effective 

marketing strategy for your new 

business idea. 

9.30am – 12.30pm | Alloa Town Hall 

IMPROVING YOUR BID SCORE 

Getting the highest possible score in 

your public bid is essential to winning a 

contract, but it can be difficult to know 

what exactly the buyer is looking for. This 

workshop will provide an insight into 

buyers’ needs and expectations. 


CLACKS WOMEN INTO BUSINESS 

LUNCH BY FSB 

The FSB host a special lunchtime Clacks 

Women into Business. Guest speaker Jane 

Brindley will present her five step approach 

to personal and business confidence. 

4 

Focus on the Future | February 2018

1.30pm – 4.30pm | Alloa Business 

Centre 


WORKSHOP (4 OF 4): INFORMATION 

TECHNOLOGY 

Covers hardware and software 

requirements, planning your website, 

choosing the right internet provider and 

keeping your data secure 

2.00pm – 4.30pm | Gean House 

BUSINESS SUPPORT EVENT FOR 

BUSINESSES IN FORTH VALLEY 

Exhibition highlighting the various types 

of support available to help the growth of 

businesses across Forth Valley. Exhibitors 

include DSL, Business Gateway, RMD & 

Microcom plus many more. 

6.00pm for 6.30pm – late | Gean House 

FORTH VALLEY CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE DIRECTORS DINNER 

Sponsored by the Highland Reserve 

Forces & Cadets Association with 

discussions over dinner around 

the importance of local businesses 

supporting the wider demographic and 

building a strong team. Invitation only. 

FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY 

9.00am – 11.00am | Gean House 

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL 

SUCCESSION (SPONSORED BY 

FRENCH DUNCAN) 

The one thing every business owner 

knows is that at some point they will be 

exiting their business. This workshop 

explores the options available in order to 

put together a successful succession plan 

9.30am – 12.30pm 

BUSINESS GATEWAY WORKSHOP: 

PAID FOR ADVERTISING – 

#DIGITALBOOST 

This workshop will explore the relative 

merits of all the different types of paid-for 

online options available to your business. 

1.00pm – 4.00pm | Inglewood House 

& Spa 

CHARITY LUNCH FOR THE BENEFIT 

OF SCOTTISH AUTISM 

Celebrate the close of Clacks Business 

Week with a fundraising lunch for 

Scottish Autism’s new service, Founders 

House. See page 15 for details. 

• GEAN HOUSE 

Tullibody Road, 

Alloa FK10 2EL 

LOCATIONS 

• ALLOA BUSINESS CENTRE 

Whins Road, 

Alloa Fk10 3SA 

• INGLEWOOD HOUSE & SPA 

Tullibody Road, 

Alloa FK10 2HU 

• DAM GOOD COFFEE 

Gartmorn Dam, 

FK10 3AZ 

• THE MAKERS 

Ludgate, 

Alloa FK10 2DE 

• FORTH VALLEY COLLEGE 

Alloa Campus, 

Devon Road, 

Alloa FK10 1PX 

• ALLOA TOWN HALL 

Marshill, 

Alloa FK10 1AB 


5

Developing the Young 

Workforce Forth Valley 

Does exactly what it says on the tin 

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) 

Forth Valley – a new and inspirational 

organisation which aims to help 

business, education and training 

sectors develop a dynamic and cohesive 

partnership approach to the employment 

challenges facing young people in 

this area – has at its core, an aim to 

significantly reduce youth unemployment 

and strengthen links between education 

and business for the benefit of the 

region’s young people and the local 

business community. 

In the first year of operation they have 

already delivered 194 opportunities 

for business and education to engage 

directly including career and college 

insight sessions for pupils and teachers, 

work placement opportunities, 

employability skills sessions, curriculum 

enhancement and context, CV building 

workshops and mock interviews to 

strategic partnerships between business 

and schools…….but this is just the 

beginning! 

What DYW need from the local 

Clackmannanshire business community 

is their time, the benefit of experience 

and a willingness to engage and give 

young people a chance. 

This will give them the skills, 

experiences and qualifications they need 

to move to positive destinations after 

school, and make informed choices 

about the jobs and careers they want to 

pursue. 

The DYW Forth Valley Dinner at Gean 

House, 6pm on Tuesday 6 February, 

is aimed at business owners and 

professionals who feel they can get 

involved in making a difference to young 

people. 

DYW Forth Valley will outline the benefits 

of engaging directly to bridge the gap 

between business and education, attract 

the next generation workforce into your 

industry and the impact this can have on 

young people as well as explaining how 

you can contribute. 

Dillon from Lornshill Academy gaining 

experience in hospitality during his 

Future Chef day with Gordon Guthrie of 

Escoffier’ s Catering at Gean House 

To find out more about DYW Forth Valley 

or how you can get involved please call 

01259 726690, e-mail getinvolved@dyw. 

forthvalley.ac.uk follow on Twitter @ 

DYW_forthvalley or connect via LinkedIn 

to DYW Forth Valley. 

Clackmannanshire Business was established 

in 2007 as a collaboration between 

Clackmannanshire’s business community 

and Clackmannanshire Council. 

Clackmannanshire Business represents the interests of all 

businesses in Clackmannanshire and actively seeks to support 

businesses to develop and grow in the area. 

www.clackmannanshirebusiness.co.uk 

Proud Supporters of Clacks Business Week 

Networking events with each one attracting up to 

100 business people: 

● Working with Ineos 

● Zero Waste / Energy Efficiency 

● International export marketing 

● Independence referendum debate 

● Working with the Council - Procurement 

● Working with the Council - Planning and building 

standards 

● Diageo presentation 

● Pensions Auto-Enrolment presentation 

● Fighting Cyber Crime 

Key priorities to date have been: 

● Marketing to attract new businesses and jobs, through 

‘Imagine Alloa’ which is a high profile marketing 

initiative. 

● Establishment of, and support for Clacksfirst and 

Alloa Town Centre Business Improvements Districts 

and possible future BIDs. 

● Business networking, training and advice events. 

● Liaison with Council services to provide integrated 

service delivery. 

133x194mm.indd 1 15/09/2016 10:23 

6 


Help global tourism to 

#DiscoverClacks in 2018 

As we all know, Clackmannanshire lies between the majestic Ochil Hills and 

the River Forth providing the perfect year-round base to explore the stunning 

countryside, rich history, medieval castles and tower houses. 

Discover Clackmannanshire has recently undergone resurgence with new, enthusiastic 

members coming on board and, by working closely with VisitScotland, they have clearly identified 

Clackmannanshire’s visitor proposition and created an innovative, new marketing strategy. 

By delivering a collaborative and better-resourced campaign, they aim to position 

Clackmannanshire as an excellent visitor destination raising awareness and attracting 

new visitors on the strength of Clackmannanshire’s stunning landscapes, great walking 

and cycling routes, and unique historic attractions. 

Their new marketing campaign will promote the unique experience of a short-break in 

and around the Ochil Hills by using social media advertising with interactive messages 

and good quality scenic images / videos to surprise visitors, change perceptions and 

emphasise that Clackmannanshire is a quality, undiscovered escape from the cities. 

Why not find out how your business, organisation or interest can benefit from being 

involved with Discover Clackmannanshire in 2018? 

The next meeting of the Discover Clacks group of local businesses, tourism 

hotspots, Hotels, B&B’s, Visit Scotland representatives and other supporters 

takes place during Clacks Business Week on Monday 5th February, 3pm at 

Inglewood House. 

INTERESTED? The meeting is open to and ideal for everyone in Clackmannanshire with an 

interest in attracting tourism to the area. For more info visit www.discoverclackmannanshire.com 


7

New training fund available 

for Forth Valley businesses 

More than 700 companies in Forth Valley area may be eligible to access up to 

£10,000 for training thanks to the Flexible Workforce Development Fund. 

Created by the Scottish Government 

the fund is open to applications from all 

organisations across the private, public 

and third sectors in the Forth Valley 

area who pay the UK Government’s 

Apprenticeship Levy if they pay more 

than £3million in salaries a year. 

Those who meet this criteria, are 

eligible to apply for vocational and 

professional development training 

offered by Forth Valley College – their 

regional college – in areas such as 

people skills, human resources and 

digital skills. 

However, the clock is ticking to apply, 

as the Scottish Government have set a 

deadline of Wednesday 28th Feb 2018 

for businesses to apply for funding. 

Jennifer Tempany, Forth Valley College’s 

Head of Business Development, said: 

“There could be as much as £500,000 

worth of funding available in the Forth 

Valley area. All companies need to do 

is contact Forth Valley College – their 

regional college – and we can help 

them in their application to claim the 

training grants, which could be up to a 

maximum of £10,000. 

“It is an excellent opportunity for 

our local businesses to upskill their 

workforce in key areas and here 

at Forth Valley College they can be 

confident they will receive the best and 

most professional training possible to 

help their employees enhance their 

professional ability.” 

INTERESTED? 

Commenting on the launch of the 

Flexible Workforce Development Fund, 

Shona Struthers, Chief Executive, 

Colleges Scotland said: “This initiative 

will help build skills, growth, equality 

of opportunity and productivity in the 

workplace, and I am delighted that it 

will be delivered through Scotland’s 

college sector. 

“We are looking forward to working 

with employers to meet their needs 

both locally and nationally, prioritise 

provision that meets known skills gaps 

in the economy and support the drive 

for inclusive, sustainable growth.” 

To find out more please contact Forth Valley College on 01324 403146 or visit 

the website page at www.forthvalley.ac.uk/workforcefund 

Flexible Workforce Development Fund 

Apply now to receive £10,000 for training your employees! 

The Scottish Government has launched the “Flexible Workforce Development Fund” with the 

aim of providing private, public and third sector Apprenticeship Levy paying organisations with 

up to £10,000 to upskill and further develop their staff. 

receive 

£10,000 

for training 

IS MY BUSINESS ELIGIBLE? 

• Do you pay the UK Government’s Apprenticeship levy? 

• Do you pay more than £3Million in salaries? 

• Are you looking to develop your workforce in human resources, digital or people skills? 

Deadline to 

apply for funding 

is Wednesday 28 

February 2018. 

Contact Forth Valley College to discuss how we can support your funding application: 

Call: 01324 403146 Connect: businessdevelopment@forthvalley.ac.uk 

Click: www.forthvalley.ac.uk/workforcefund 

CM533 Please note that the information is correct at time of publishing but may be subject to change. 

8 


Alloa business empowers 

local communities 

An Alloa business is calling on landowners and communities to help 

identify derelict land that could be transformed into areas that 

generate affordable energy and create new revenue streams. 

Having been instrumental in setting 

up the ground-breaking Smart Fintry 

project, which enables locally produced 

green energy to be sold cheaply to the 

community, Veitch Cooper, based in Alloa 

Business Centre, is looking to replicate the 

project’s success throughout Scotland. 

Catherine Cooper of www.veitchcooper.com 

said: “There is derelict land all over 

Scotland and although some inroads have 

been made to transform it since the 80s 

there is still a lot lying unused. Our aim 

is to contact landowners and community 

groups who have identified areas, whether 

it be a disused mine or an abandoned 

industrial site, and work with them to 

develop and install an energy system that 

will generate affordable energy around 

which the local community can build 

an economic hub to open up additional 

revenue streams.” 

Having started her electrical and electronic 

engineering career with British Aerospace, 

Catherine became a tutor at the University 

of Cambridge before returning to Scotland 

to raise her children. She then worked for 

a range of engineering companies, latterly 

with SSE Plc. When she opted for voluntary 

redundancy she turned to Business 

Gateway Clackmannanshire to help her 

launch Veitch Cooper. 

She said: “Through Business Gateway’s 

Growth Pipeline programme I’ve benefitted 

from a strategic review that has helped 

me commercialise my ideas, Intellectual 

Property support that has made me think 

about the business’ future and I’ve been 

assigned a mentor who is expanding my 

understanding of financing community 

projects. Without Business Gateway 

I wouldn’t have accessed any of that 

support, which has been instrumental in 

helping me move my business forward.” 

Catherine 

Cooper, 

Veitch Cooper 

INTERESTED? 

To find out how Business 

Gateway Clackmannanshire can 

help your business call 01259 

208426 or visit www.bgateway. 

com/clackmannanshire. 

HOW BUSINESS GATEWAY CAN 

refine your business strategy 

Help with social 

media & my website 

was invaluable 

Moira Miller, Mona's of Muckhart 

Would you like the opportunity to work on your growth 

strategy with an experienced, impartial Business 

Adviser in your area – free of charge? 

Our team of advisers work with clients to review their 

current performance and identify the most likely strategies 

for sustainable growth - whether it is taking on staff, 

improving efficiency, branching into new markets or 

expanding your premises. 

They can also highlight how we can support you further 

with areas of specialist support and key contacts for 

onward referral and business development. 

Start-up Workshops at 

Alloa Business Centre 

Business Planning 

7 Feb, 9.30am-12.30pm 

Finance 

7 Feb, 1.30pm-4.30pm 

Marketing 

7 Feb, 9.30am-12.30pm 

Information Technology 

7 Feb, 1.30pm-4.30pm 

#DigitalBoost Workshop 

Paid for Advertising 

8 Feb 9..30am - 12.30pm 

Find out more about free workshops visit bgateway.com/events or call 

Business Gateway Clackmannanshire on 01259 208426 


9

The Keys to Successful Succession 

The one thing every business owner knows is that at some point 

they will be exiting their business. The day you hand over the 

reins could be a long way off or it could be looming large. 

There are a number of options: 

• Sale of Business - either to another 

shareholder or a trade sale 

• Management buyout 

• Employee buyout 

• Company buy-back 

• Transfer or sale to family members 

All have challenges. Looking at this 

sooner rather than later will allow you 

to assess considerations like taxation 

and business valuations which require 

careful planning. Your exit from the 

business should very much be a process 

rather than an event. 

At this business breakfast event, 

sponsored by French Duncan Chartered 

Accountants and Business Advisers, 

we have brought together three experts 

to highlight the areas you need to be 

thinking about. 

Dr Nick Quin, The Leadership Factory: 

Nick will give an overview of the options 

and explain the key elements you need 

to consider. Nick has many years’ 

experience in helping family businesses 

successfully manage the owner’s 

transition and exit. 

Glen Dott, Scottish Enterprise: Glen will 

specifically look at Employee Ownership 

and Management Buyouts. He will 

provide a case study and explain the 

help which is available from Scottish 

Enterprise. 

Healthy Workers 

= Healthy Business 

= Healthy Profits 

No matter what sector you operate in, or type of 

business you run, whether it’s a start up or an 

established business, a key element to a healthy profitable 

business is the health and wellbeing of your workers. 

NHS Forth Valley is hosting an information and workshop event 

at Gean House on Wednesday the 7 February to introduce local 

employers to the free services provided by the NHS FV Health 

Promotion Service. 

The aim of the event is to highlight the business benefits of 

introducing easy to manage health promotion campaigns in your 

workplace (such as healthy eating, physical activity) that can help to 

keep your workers healthy and at work. 

The event will be participative and informative combining a case study 

from a local company on the business benefits of looking after the 

health and wellbeing of their workers. The event will also feature 

guest speakers from the Leadership Factory, Skills Development 

Scotland and NHS FV, and a variety of meet the expert round table 

sessions on Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, Health and Safety, 

Smoking Cessation, Mental Health, Stress and the importance of 

training and leadership. The Healthy Working Lives Awards will also 

be presented during this workshop. 

By the end of the event delegates will have a better understanding on 

how to access the free services that are available from NHS FV, that 

can help to keep their workers healthy and at work. The event will 

close with a networking lunch at 1pm. 

Sponsored by 

Hazel Burt, French Duncan: As tax 

partner at French Duncan, Hazel has a 

wealth of experience helping businesses 

with the financial/tax issues involved in 

selling or transferring a business. 

Hazel said, “We are delighted to be 

sponsoring this event. We work with 

businesses at all stages of their 

development and it is important that an 

exit is planned well in advance to ensure 

a smooth transition”. 

INTERESTED? The Keys to 

Successful Succession takes place 

on Friday 9 February 9.00am at 

Gean House and is free to attend. 

Improve your 

BID Score with 

SDP 

Getting the highest possible score in 

your public sector bid is essential to 

winning a contract, but it can be difficult to 

know what exactly the buyer is looking for. 

This workshop will provide an insight into 

buyers’ needs and expectations and ensure 

you’re winning points 

• Understanding the client 

• Finding information (including Freedom of 

Information requests) 

• Asking questions 

• Bid writing skills 

• Pricing your bid 

• Award Criteria and Weightings 

• Quality vs.Cost 

• Get top tips on writing a winning bid 

This event is suitable for you if you have a good 

understanding of public sector procurement 

(completed Level 1 or have equivalent 

experience) and want to 

improve your bid score 

When: 

Alloa Town Hall, 

Thursday 8 

February. 

Registration 

from 9.00am 

10 


Clacks 

Women into 

Business 

lunch by FSB 

The FSB will host a special lunchtime 

Clacks Women into Business during 

Business Week. Guest speaker Jane 

Brindley will present her five step 

approach to personal and business 

confidence. 

Jane Brindley is an experienced hypnopsychotherapist 

based in Dollar and set up her 

business, Horse Riding with Confidence Scotland, 

in 2004. Using hypnosis, psychotherapy and NLP 

Jane specialises in helping horse riders, from 

novices to those competing at national level , 

overcome confidence issues and develop mental 

toughness for competition. She also works with 

non-riders with a wide variety of issues and 

personal difficulties. 

In her talk Jane will look at how the principles of 

horse riding confidence are actually applicable 

to all areas of life and at how, using a five step 

approach, it is possible to make real and lasting 

changes in personal and business confidence. 

This very special Clacks Business Week event 

will take place on Thursday February 8th at Gean 

House from 12 noon until 2.00pm. It is free and 

open to everyone. 

Growing the 

circular economy in 

Clackmannanshire 

Hosted by Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface, 

this special event exclusively organised for Clacks 

Business Week, will offer an insight and outline of ways 

to grow your business through partnership, procurement 

and collaboration with third sector organisations, service 

providers and local businesses. 

CTSi will provide information and tips for growing and participating in 

the circular economy locally with a focus on 

1. Understanding your local market 

2. Knowing your own organisation 

3. Finding opportunities to grow trading activities 

4. Collaborative working 

5. Case study presentation – local 

business experience of collaboration 

and partnership working with the third 

sector in Clackmannanshire 

6. Support for collaboration and 

partnership working – locally and 

nationally 

INTERESTED? 

Find out more 

on Wednesday 7 

February, 3.00pm 

at Makers, Ludgate. 


11

The importance of 

physical security for 

every business sector 

RMD believe that sharing knowledge can make everyone more successful. 

In Autumn 2017, they did exactly that at their Business Systems Clinic in Alloa. 

With the new General Data Protection 

Regulations (GDPR) coming into force in 

May 2018, RMD invited CEED Members 

to the Clinic so delegates could find out 

about more about physical IT security in 

order to meet the new regulations. 

Physical security of IT infrastructure 

is critical to keeping every business 

running smoothly and data safe. During 

the session RMD introduced guests to 

several methods of implementing and 

enhancing security strategy. Delegates 

took part in 4 presentations with handson 

demonstrations in each one. 

The first session, “7 steps to 

choosing power protection for the IT 

infrastructure” supported by Riello 

UPS Ltd. focused on the selection or 

sourcing of the correct Uninterruptible 

Power Supply (UPS). This can seem a 

daunting task due to the sheer number of 

options available and the technical nature 

of the industry. Riello UPS Ltd guided 

everyone through the seven steps of what 

to look for when sourcing and buying power 

back up solutions. 

Next up was Schneider Electric who 

explained to the 3 groups why cloud 

computing required them to rethink 

resiliency at the edge. This session 

examined the need to leverage the massive 

amounts of data generated by the Internet 

of Things (IoT) into a more automated 

lifestyle for anyone “connected”. Delegates 

were also asked to consider their data 

processing and content needs and how 

they could be delivered reliably to enable 

this new connected world. 

The technical minds truly enjoyed the 

physical rack monitoring & security 

demonstration delivered by Rittal Ltd. This 

session addressed what is available to 

protect racks, and the ever more important 

equipment and data stored on them, from 

many kinds of threats. 

The last session was led by RMD’s managing 

director Gavin Maxwell, who demonstrated 

the hardware equipment from all the 

mentioned manufacturers and showcased 

RMD’s in-house demo datacentre. 

INTERESTED? If your company 

would like to get some more 

information on any aspect of the 

physical security, please contact 

RMD to arrange a visit to their 

showroom & data centre in Alloa. 

To get in touch, visit ww.rmduk.com 

or call 01259 219362. 

Over £1MILLION 

invested directly into 

improving Clacksfirst 

BID area 

The BID CCTV 

Network now has 

30 CAMERAS 

Signage 

Landscape Improvements 

Free weekly recycling 

service 

Over 

20 

recycle & 

litter bins 

installed 

VOICE 

350 BUSINESSES 

01259 404103 

admin@clacksfirst.co.uk 

www.clacksfirst.co.uk 

over 

50% 

REDUCTION in 

reported crime 

Defibrillators 

Over 

3 

tonnes 

of de-icing salt 

SUPPLIED 

Over 

600 

unwanted 

pallets 

recycled 

12 


SV24-7 Vending 

look forward 

to a year of 

change in 2018 

The award-wining SV24-7 Vending is run 

by husband and wife team Ian and Fiona 

Chambers who aim to provide all customers 

with a first class “coffee shop experience 

from a vending machine”. 

2017 was a celebratory year for Ian and Fiona as they marked 25 

years since their first meeting, 5 years in business together, 2 years 

as husband and wife, expanded the business into new premises 

and won the “Excellence in Customer Service” award at the 

prestigious Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. 

This recognition followed hot on the heels of their “Success 

through Sustainability” award at the 2016 Clacks Business Awards. 

This expansion and the awards won continues the upwards 

trajectory the business has been following since they moved into 

their first unit in Ward Street at Alloa Industrial Estate in 2012. 

They chose Alloa Industrial Estate for a number of reasons, 

firstly Alloa’s location in the centre of Scotland offered transport 

links and motorway access that was difficult to match elsewhere, 

the unit was keenly priced and they were very impressed with the 

professionalism of their new landlords, Ceteris (Scotland) Ltd. 

Fiona takes up the story, “We knew Ken Lewandowski who was on 

the Ceteris board at the time and he put us in touch with Angela 

Ogilvie at Ceteris. Choosing Ceteris was easy and has proven to 

be a great decision. They are proactive, supportive and when their 

Business Gateway Clackmannanshire advice is incorporated, offer 

an all-round business support service second to none.” 

“Due to the phenomenal growth of our business, we realised last 

year that we needed to expand and so turned again to Ceteris 

for property. Luckily, they had a unit in Cooperage Way that had 

just become available and that met our needs. We cannot fault 

them at all, the move to our new premises in November was 

seamless. We have more space to grow, the office flows well, we 

have a separate food room, meeting and training rooms and a 

delivery area.” 

Angela Ogilvie, Operations Director of Ceteris agrees, “It’s 

been a delight to watch SV24-7 grow and develop over the last 

5 years and to play our part in supporting them. It’s important 

to me, and a key objective of Ceteris, to ensure that we can 

continue to accommodate growing local businesses within 

Clackmannanshire”. 

Although they have no dedicated salesperson, everything they 

do is geared towards the marketing, growth and image of the 

business. They use social media to spread the word, are active 

within the local business community, they supply branded 

clothing to their staff and ensure all vans are kept clean. They 

understand the value of their brand and ensure that the simple 

things are done well. 

2018 will see SV24-7 focus further on technological and 

environmental improvements as they look to provide contactless 

machines and introduce newer, energy efficient, models to their 

clients. 

They aim to be a cashless business within 5 years which will 

reduce their carbon footprint, improve cash flow and free up 

staff from the laborious job of collecting and counting cash, 

allowing them to provide an even better customer service and 

a quicker response to queries. 

Looking to the future, Fiona thinks that: “It’s a tough market 

but we’re well established and the recent expansion into 

new premises has cemented our market position. We need 

to focus on new business, sales & marketing and take 

advantage of all the benefits that new technology can offer. 

Generally speaking, we believe that the outlook is good for 

our business”. 

To find out more about SV24-7, visit www.sv24-7.co.uk or 

call 01259 215577 

VENDING MACHINE SPECIALISTS 

CONTACTLESS PAYMENT SOLUTIONS 

EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE 

HEALTHY VENDING OPTIONS 

FRESH FOOD VENDING 

WWW.SV24-7.CO.UK 


13

By now, you may have heard of GDPR: 

(General Data Protection Regulation)? 

Is YOUR business 

Cyber Secure and 

GDPR compliant? 

It’s a fact many businesses don’t realise, 

“Information on your computer’s hard drive can be more 

valuable than hard cash” 

The above fact is even more apparent 

when studies reveal that a staggering 87% 

of businesses across the UK have no idea 

whether their data is being backed up and 

in a safe and secure environment. 

Led by the delivery of their popular 

Managed Support Services, Clacks based 

technology provider, Lithium Systems 

Ltd, has developed a range of new 

security products and services to combat 

online Cyber Crime. 

Stephen Franklyn, Director, Lithium 

systems explains “Our team of highly 

skilled engineers deal with cyber issues 

and its consequences daily and our focus 

is on the prevention of issues rather 

than the effects. We have recently been 

awarded Ace practitioners status. This 

accreditation provides us with the correct 

tools required to deliver the governments 

approved Cyber essentials scheme to 

businesses throughout the UK” 

GDPR is a European privacy law, 

approved by the European Commission 

in 2016. GDPR is an attempt to bring data 

protection legislation in line with new, 

previously unforeseen ways that data is 

now used. 

The goal is to strengthen, harmonize, 

and modernize EU data protection 

law to provide more control over 

the way personal data is used. It 

serves to enhance individual rights 

and freedoms, consistent with the 

European understanding of privacy as a 

fundamental human right. 

If you represent the interests of an 

organisation that either processes or 

uses personal data, you need to know 

what GDPR means for you. 

INTERESTED? 

Find out more about GDPR and how 

to keep your data secure at Lithium’s 

Cyber Security & GDPR workshop 

lunch on Tuesday 6 February, 

12 noon – 2pm. 

14 


Fundraising lunch for 

Scottish Autism to 

close Clacks Business 

Week in style 

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that affects the way a person 

communicates and interacts with others. Autism affects 1 in 100 people in 

Scotland and has a huge impact on individuals and their families. 

Scottish Autism supports individuals 

throughout their whole life journey and 

helps them to lead full and enriched 

lives and become valuable members of 

their community. They provide a range of 

services for children and adults including 

education, day and vocational opportunities 

and practical living support as well as 

offering information and advice for families 

and professionals. 

Scottish Autism is currently fundraising to 

support a new service, Founders House, 

which will be opening in Alloa. This new 

service will provide accommodation for 

nine autistic adults and include a respite 

facility. With your help, they are hoping to 

raise £200,000 to purchase furnishings and 

fittings and provide upgrades to the property. 

As the individuals Scottish Autism 

support get older, their needs change 

over time and additional health and 

mobility issues add new challenges. 

The aim of this new service is to provide 

accommodation which meets the 

specific care needs of adults with autism 

who may live with other health-related 

issues such as arthritis, limited mobility 

and sight loss. 

In partnership with Ceteris and 

Inglewood House and Spa, Scottish 

Autism are hosting a Business Lunch on 

Friday 9 February to raise funds for their 

new service in Alloa. This will be a great 

opportunity to network with fellow local 

businesses during Clackmannanshire 

Business Week while supporting a local 

charity. There will be a delicious three 

course lunch, prosecco, beer or a soft 

drink, along with a raffle including some 

amazing prizes. 

A table for ten people costs £245 (incl 

VAT) or £29.95 per person. 

INTERESTED? 

For bookings please contact 

events@inglewoodhouseandspa.co.uk 

or call 01259 216156. 

Do Business in Style at Inglewood House and Spa 

Full day Delegate 

rates with lunch 

from £17.50 + vat 

Romantic Wedding 

Venue of the Year 

Scottish Wedding 

Awards 

Luxurious boutique 

Spa & Leisure Club 

Special corporate 

accommodation 

rates available 

(01259) 216156 - info@inglewoodhouseandspa.co.uk - www.inglewoodhouseandspa.co.uk 

Inglewood House, Tullibody Road, Alloa, FK10 2HU 


15

Clacks Business Week 2018 Magazine

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