member

Contracts might seem like something only big business needs, and many small companies work without them, but if your work is important to you, it is vital to have a contract in place. A well put together contract can make a business relationship stronger and more successful, so it is worth investing some time and effort in getting a contract just right. When people think of contracts, they often seem daunting, filled with complicated language only solicitors understand, fine print made to confuse the signatory and seemingly endless clauses that only apply in the most unique of circumstances. Documents like this are off putting, and occasionally detrimental to the business process, especially at the beginning of a new working relationship. Contracts don’t need to be pages and pages long, or contain lots of legal jargon or penalties, the most important thing is that all parties understand the content of the contract and all are in agreement as to their own responsibilities. It is very important to make clear what is expected of each party and what will happen if either side fails to keep up their end of the agreement. Being clear on cost is essential too – what is included in the charge and, very importantly, what is not included. A good contract should only contain information relevant to that particular piece of work and should be written in simple, understandable language where possible. Having someone sign something they don’t understand is not a good way to begin! For general terms of business, applicable to every piece of work, a Master Service Agreement can prove useful to accompany each specific work contract and Naked Element agrees and signs an MSA with every client. This MSA does not oblige either party to work with each other, it merely details the quality of the service or product, each party’s availability throughout the business relationship and the responsibilities they have to each other. Only once a schedule is signed, does it become a binding contract. The MSA defines the confidentiality clauses, copyright details, intellectual property rights, payment terms and the scope of charges as well as liability from each party. These key details are indispensable for any business, whether the project is worth £500 or £5,000,000 as they are crucial if something were to go wrong. Contracts also shouldn’t be designed to catch someone out, or tie them down unnecessarily, they should be an agreement, put together for the benefit of all parties. Where possible, a clever business person should be open to discussing and amending a proposed contract before it is signed if the other party wishes to make changes. It is also often beneficial to include a clause allowing either party to revisit a contract for adjustment after a set period of time. Being flexible and open to future issues in this way increases trust between parties, making a successful business relationship more likely. A good contract should:

• Only include relevant information
• Use simple language
• Outline benefits of the contract to both parties
• Be negotiable
• Be adjustable where appropriate

With a proper contract the client will feel they can depend on the product or service they are paying for and can rely on the contract to ensure they will not be out of pocket if something goes awry. By the same token, the service provider is protected by the contract if a client should renege on something that was previously mutually agreed upon. A good contract, that has everyone’s interests covered equally, makes a business seem more trustworthy, as well as more professional, and if everything goes well, more likely to do business again. Click here to read the blog on our site.

I woke up at 1.30 on Friday morning and made the mistake of checking the first few results. I never got back to bed. Whatever your political persuasion it is hard to see the election as anything other than a bad result for Theresa May. I think it was the best of possible results for the UK.

Anyone who has read my ramblings over the past decade or so will have gathered that I believe austerity was the wrong policy at the wrong time and that the decision to leave the EU was hugely misguided. Unlike many, I think it was right that May sought the approval of the electorate before the true Brexit negotiations started – I am delighted that approval was withheld.

There are many positives to take from the results. My natural leaning is toward progressive policies but I was concerned that under Corbyn’s friendly geography teacher persona lay a hard-left core that would simply see organised labour replacing the ultra-wealthy as the principal beneficiaries of socio-economic policies – leaving the many with little change. I was heartened by his acceptance of manifesto promises that conflicted with his own long-held views – his belief in party democracy appearing to trump his personal convictions. The Labour party now has a short period to rebuild, embrace those who had distanced themselves from Corbyn, and hopefully emerge nearer the centre with a deliverable alternative to austerity.

The rise of Ruth Davidson in Scotland has been a breath of fresh air. Her swift and unequivocal condemnation of the more illiberal views of the DUP was welcome, as was her assertion that country was more important than party. This makes a hard Brexit less likely.

The young have started to engage in the political process. For too long people of my generation and older have had a disproportionate influence and it’s great to see this starting to reverse.

And finally, Theresa May’s weak and wobbly performance has demolished any semblance of steeliness – this is no Iron Lady. We can now move from the silly confrontational negotiating stance to one that seeks the best outcome for both us and our long-term European friends and allies. The best negotiations result in a win-win.

If I were a betting man my money would be on a Labour Government by Christmas, with a small majority, supported by a progressive alliance. I think the chances of us leaving the EU during my lifetime have receded considerably. The negotiating timetable was impossibly tight even before the election was called. In two years’ time we will enter an interim arrangement and there we will stay indefinitely or at least until everyone has long forgotten about Farage, Gove and the £350m a day.

So, if this prediction came to pass, what would it mean for investors?

Broadly, it’s hard to see Labour’s spending pledges as any less realistic than the Tory’s. They would have been more appropriate in 2010; the risk now, especially against a background of falling immigration, is that we have too little productive capacity in the economy to absorb the additional expenditure and so risk stoking inflation, but they are at least pointing in the right direction. It is a great shame that Osborne abandoned the concept of a mixed economy in favour of a politically-motivated desire to reduce the size of the State. His failure to step in after the financial crisis, when the private sector was unable to, lies at the core of many of the tensions we now face.

We can look to the US for recent examples of both parties’ economic policies in action. Nationally, Obama introduced a Keynesian stimulus in 2010 that was not a million miles away from Labour’s proposals. It was universally accepted as being successful – covering its costs over a five-year cycle and stimulating growth. At around the same time the State of Kansas introduced tax cuts with the expectation that these would spur economic growth – along the lines the Tories are proposing. The Kansas experiment has been roundly judged to have failed. It would be too simplistic to cite two examples and draw firm conclusions, other than the Labour route does not have to lead to economic disaster.

While I would like to claim it was down to our skill, the fact is that much of the exceptional investment gains we have seen over the last twelve months have been illusorily. The fall in the pound after the referendum has seen the nominal sterling value of overseas assets and income increase. The real value of these gains will be eroded by inflation. Much of the currency depreciation was in the expectation of a hard Brexit. Any Brexit is going to be costly but a soft Brexit will be less so.

The UK economy is in a pretty dire place already. Last year we found ourselves growing at the fastest pace in the G7; in the first quarter of this year it was the slowest. This is after a 13% fall in the value of our currency and while we still have the benefits of full EU membership. It does not auger well for the future. Even before we have introduced controls, skilled immigration has fallen – in part because repatriated pounds are worth less but equally because foreigners no longer feel welcome – an aspect that leaves me both sad and ashamed.

With so much political uncertainty around Brexit it is simply not credible to assume private sector investment will step up to the plate to fill the gap left by a schism with Europe. The time for a mixed economic response that sees Government expenditure alongside private capital is surely now if we are to dampen the negative effects of Brexit. Against this background, Labour’s tax and spending plans appear not simply plausible but timely and essential.

The housing market remains a concern and the election has not improved the outlook. The rise in the youth vote will mean all parties will shift their focus to improving the lot for this cohort – which boils down to fixing the housing market. There is no pain-free way forward. The failure by successive Governments to boost supply has led to housing becoming an over-priced asset while the growth of the buy-to-let sector has increased risks. An increase in supply coupled with reduced demand on the back of lower immigration will see prices fall. With luck this will be experienced as depressed future growth – history suggests it is more likely instead to be a dramatic correction. The housing market is key to consumer confidence. Although we cannot spend the value of our homes they nonetheless exert a strong psychological influence. If house prices are rising we feel more confident and are more likely to spend, and the opposite when they are falling.

Compared to global market capitalisations our core portfolios have a UK bias. The justification for this rests on the multinational nature of many UK listed firms and the perception of relatively low political and currency risks. Over coming weeks we will be looking carefully at the extent this bias remains justified and the degree to which our portfolios are exposed to the effects of a strengthening pound if the risks from a hard Brexit continue to diminish. We have a reasonable exposure to smaller and mid-cap UK companies. Although these reflect factors that are likely to see stronger returns over the long term they are also firms that will tend to be more dependent on the domestic economy. We will be considering whether the extent of our tilt towards these areas remains appropriate.

Overall, these are minor tweaks to our long-term strategy. We remain of the view that in these uncertain times diversification is the key to managing risk.

Keep calm and carry on!

If you’re interested in finding out more about how the Millennial generation is likely to change our world over the next decade then why not come to our Masterclass at the UEA on 18th July? Two of our Millennials, Radi and James, will be presenting their research on long-term socio-economic trends. Very interesting stuff with some surprising conclusions.

More details and book a place here: https://www.chadwicks.co.uk/seminar-registration/july-2017-new-generation-investing/

As software developers, we at Naked Element, are skilled and experienced in a number of different programming languages (see below) and aware of many, many more. Choosing the right programming language for a piece of software is as important as choosing a hammer to knock in a nail, a flat headed screw driver for a flat headed screw and a cross headed screwdriver for cross headed screw. However with software it’s far more complicated as there isn’t always just one tool for the job.   It’s also important to consider the skills you have at hand. For example, you wouldn’t usually ask a plumber to fix your electrics or an electrician to fix your plumbing. However, given enough time most plumbers could learn to do electrics and vice versa. Generally people with a talent for practical things can easily pick up other practical skills. It’s the same with software developers, but you have to consider whether the investment in new skills will return sufficient results in an acceptable time frame, or whether to risk compromising your margins by bringing in already experienced outside help. It’s not an easy decision!   Software developers (the good ones at least) love learning new things – programming languages in particular – but there are divisions of course. Some software developers are only interested in writing software for Microsoft Windows, for example, or for Open Source (see below) platforms such as Linux and the tools they use are quite different. It’s even more pronounced with Android developers and iPhone developers! You don’t often get developers who like a bit of everything, but it does happen, and those are the sorts of developers we have at Naked Element.   It’s true that we’d happily write Java (a general purpose programming language aimed at open source software development) all day long, but that wouldn’t allow us to develop complete pieces of software. We regularly use various combinations of Java, Ruby on Rails and JavaScript in order to get the best result. We’ve turned our hand to Python and, more recently, Microsoft core languages such as C# and VB.net too. It depends what our clients need and our assessment of the right tool for the job. Sometimes it’s not even about choosing a programming language. Sometimes it’s about choosing pre-built software, such as WordPress, and customising it to our client’s needs. We wouldn’t use WordPress for anything more complicated than a simple e-commerce system, but for websites, including ours, it’s the right tool for the job.   So when you’re choosing your software development partner, consider whether they’re using the right tools for your project or whether they’re just using the hammer they’re familiar with to knock in your screw.   What’s a Programming Language?   A programming language is a formal language that specifies a set of instructions that can be used to produce various kinds of output. Programming languages generally consist of instructions for a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that implement specific algorithms. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_language)   Open Source   Open-source software (OSS) is computer software with its source code made available with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software)

Click here to read the blog on our site.

Words by Paul

Five reasons to stop working for an international corporation and move to a small company, as told by someone who’s been there, done that and got the lanyard.

After spending my early twenties living and working abroad, I moved back to England in 2012 to start my career.

For five years, I made my way. I was a little fish in the open sea – one of a global workforce of over 20 thousand people. I made progress, moved departments and secured a promotion. I learned so much about business, savings and investments, and worked with some wonderful people. At the same time, I learnt about office politics, who my allies were and who I needed to avoid if I wanted to get something done. I wondered, are all offices like this? My team are creative, willing and able, so why is somebody based in another part of the country not allowing us the time / budget / headspace to make things better?

I’m a few months into my role as Marketing Executive at Indigo Swan, and the decision to move from the ocean into a lovely little pond was one of my best. Here are 5 things I’ve learnt in 5 months.

The welcome is warmer

New starters are a statistic in the employee turnover for big companies. The onboarding is brief and standardised. You might end up in a room with 10 other people all working in different departments. A small company, however, can tailor their training process to you. Chances are, you’ll be 1-2-1 with your Manager, giving you an understanding of how the company works, with lots of time for Q&A. They want you to feel ready, confident and qualified for your first day on the job.

An education that’s worth more than the paper it’s written on

SMEs don’t have the scale to offer secondments or promotions very often, but that certainly doesn’t mean there’s no chance for development. You see the business from all angles; from marketing and client acquisition all the way through retention and to renewal, you understand the journey your customers go on. This gives you a great knowledge base to make decisions, and lets your colleagues know that they can rely on you. Plus, it gives you the chance to find out where your strengths lie. Teams in big companies are segregated from most other areas of the business. Nobody can know every area inside out.

A louder voice, without needing to shout

National companies are often reduced to an unwritten “who shouts loudest” policy. I even received feedback during my previous role that I wasn’t “bolshie enough” (nail + coffin). If you put yourself in an environment that encourages innovation, supports your ideas, and gives you the time to see them through then you’re onto a winner. That’s what I’ve found with Indigo Swan and I see it happening around me all the time. We have a system in place where improvements are suggested and looked at by someone who can implement them. The best bit about this is that it actually happens. It’s not an empty promise from internal comms.

Visibility, accountability, opportunity – the limelight shines on everyone

Goliath companies tend to reward hard work using financial incentives. This drives bad behaviours, with employees working double time in the months leading up to bonus pay day, scrupulously asking for feedback and collecting evidence. I’ve known people to delay their departure from a company so they get their bonus. Nobody really wants it to be this way, not even the managers, but those bad behaviours are a hard habit to break. Another thing making it hard is that the lines between role and responsibility are seriously blurred. Members of the senior leadership team often straddle two roles or manage too many teams, and sometimes one role is shared by two people. How can success be measured, or rewarded, if it’s unclear who’s responsible?

Now imagine a place 0.8% of the size of the one I’ve just described. Everyone knows what their job is, knows how to do it and enjoys doing it. They know who to ask if they need assistance, and also know what their own specialisms are. The work is efficient, and overflows with the small business mentality that everybody mucks in. When you get to this level of competency, employees develop behaviours that deserve recognition: being helpful, innovating, showing respect, working professionally, acting with integrity, going above and beyond. In this environment, reward isn’t often financial, but look around you – does anybody mind? The likely answer is ‘no’, because it comes in so many other ways. A ‘well done’ from your manager in your weekly 1-2-1, a ‘thank you’ from your MD in the monthly team meeting. Perhaps you’ll be given an opportunity to work on something new, because you’ve impressed everyone with how well you worked on your last project.

In this mythical place, you hear ‘well done’ more than once a year, and your career development is actively supported. Things are put in place to help you do your job better. Luckily for me, it’s not a myth anymore.

People care more – about you, about the company, about themselves

Individual teams from big companies tend to rally together and there’s often a great sense of comradery, but this isn’t the case outside the bubble – does your CEO know about the great work you do? Does your manager’s manager know your name? People shouldn’t have to log on at the weekend to prove they’re working hard.

Small companies look after their people, because they know they’re crucial to success. They provide their humans with the habitat they need to thrive. A safe, empowered pair of hands is a valuable pair of hands. Indigo Swan have a Mindful Employer accreditation, and everybody here knows what’s available to them if they ever want to talk about how they feel, positive or negative. In places like this, everybody is rooting for you.

It can be summed up in one example…

If you work for a big company, you buy a cake on your birthday to share with your team.

If you work for a small company, your team buys the cake for you.

We’ve all heard the old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’. It’s usually used in relation to our health. But it can just as easily be applied to the health of your business. Surely it’s better to treat those niggling issues before they become bigger problems that are going to be much more difficult, and costly, to fix?

That’s why I recommend all businesses should consider a business improvement health check every few years.

What is a business health check?

A business health check seeks to answer one big question: how fit for the future is your business?

It’s a chance to take a step back from the day-to-day running of your organisation and look at it with fresh eyes. It asks you to answer key questions about your business, looking at different aspects of current performance and, critically, the factors that determine future success.

By looking at your people and culture, resources, sales and marketing, operations, finance and innovation, a business health check highlights areas of strength but also potential weakness. It identifies areas for improvement, giving you the opportunity to close any cracks before they threaten the very success of your business.

There are various online tools which pertain to offer a free business health check. The main problems with these is that they usually only take into account one person’s view and lack any sort of context. They rely on an element of self-diagnosis. And anyone who’s ever Googled ‘headache’ should know how dangerous and unreliable self-diagnosis can be!

A business health check only offers real value when it considers more than one person’s views within the specific context of that business and the environment in which it operates. Honesty is another vital ingredient!

Why is it important for your business?

We’re all guilty of spending our time working in our business rather than on our business. We work day-to-day to deliver against targets and customer expectations. Having the time to look at the wider context and to think about potential improvements is all too often a luxury that rarely makes it to the top of our ‘to do’ list.

But for a business to really thrive and stay ahead of its competitors in the long run, continuous improvement should be part of your business’ DNA.

Let’s use a quick analogy to demonstrate. Modern medical advances have meant that regular screening programmes for certain types of cancer have seen survival rates improve dramatically. Any potential issues are diagnosed at an early stage, giving the opportunity for treatment and intervention before things have advanced too far.

Whilst I can’t pretend that a business health check is on the same scale as life-saving interventions, similar logic applies. If you regularly asses the health of your business, you can spot any potential problems early and act before they become critical.

Taking action early is likely to save you money. Indeed, by regularly questioning and improving your processes, your business is likely to become measurably more successful.

Why should you involve me?

If we want to get our health checked, the sensible thing is to go and see a doctor because they’re an expert in their field.

Similarly, if you want to get the health of your business checked, the sensible thing is to consult an expert! Calling someone in to help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s simply acknowledging that you can benefit from some professional advice – two heads, as they say, are better than one!

When you’ve worked within a business for a while, it’s easy to overlook a threat or miss an opportunity to add value because you’re simply too close.

I provide clarity and balance. And a lot of experience.

With over 25 years’ senior management experience in technical innovation, lean operations and customer excellence, I’ve got a lot of knowledge that he can apply to your business. You can take advantage of that to learn how to do things better based on real-life examples.

At the end of the business health check I will supply you with constructive feedback for discussion and review. It will identify strengths but almost certainly provide opportunities and solutions for growth.

Our business health check isn’t a threat to you or your business. It’s not about pointing a finger and blaming people for things that aren’t working quite as well as they might. It’s about taking a positive step on a continuous improvement journey, however you choose to progress it.

So what now?

Could your business benefit from an external, balanced health check? And do you have a willingness to change?

If so please feel free to call me on 07468 499131 for an initial chat, at absolutely no cost, to find out more.

Pure and Grant Thornton have delivered the second stage of 2017’s leadership and career development programme specifically designed to support finance professionals in the East of England.

The Finance Leadership Programme aims to support high performing individuals looking to progress their career to Financial Director level. Thirty-four people from across the region attended the interactive seminars which took place at Grant Thornton’s offices in Norwich, Ipswich and Chelmsford throughout May and June. The topic of discussion covered was ‘The importance of raising your profile as a business leader’, supported by several high-profile Finance Directors or Managing Directors from within the region, sharing their professional journey to Board level. The first session of 2017, held in March, focussed on the topic of Effective Leadership.

Tom Earl, Associate Director at Pure, said: “A wider support network like this can play a critical role in assisting ambitious and talented individuals to reach their full potential. Our aim is to support the region’s future finance talent by helping them to explore the skills and experience needed to further progress, add value within their organisation and to become effective leaders. The sessions are designed to be a relaxed and neutral forum where like-minded senior professionals can share experiences, hear from those already in high profile leadership roles, gain business insight and spend time on their personal development.”

Darren Bear, Practice Leader for Grant Thornton’s East Anglian office added: “Alongside our work with dynamic, forward thinking business across the East of England, we have a wider purpose at Grant Thornton which is to get businesses, individuals, cities and communities working together to create a more vibrant, progressive and productive economy at all levels. A crucial part of this is ensuring there is sufficient local talent available with the right skills to help our region’s businesses grow. The Finance Leadership Programme provides an excellent step towards this goal.”

The programme is delivered free of charge in return for a small donation to charity. To date, the events have raised £1,562 which will be split between Norfolk’s The Big C charity, The Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital NICU, Brightstars in Bury St Edmunds and Chelmsford-based charity Kids Inspire.

The final sessions of the 2017 Finance Leadership Programme will be held across the region in September. For more information contact Lucy Plumb on [email protected]

Over the coming months, you will all have a role to play in shaping a new Economic Strategy for Norfolk and Suffolk.

New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership is working with local authorities and businesses to develop a strategy which outlines our ambitious vision for the future. It will look at how we build on our strengths to make the most of our region’s opportunities.

Consultation is key to the success of this piece of work as it is you – the local businesses – who will create jobs, innovate and drive economic growth.

Our current plan runs to 2026 and sets out ambitious targets to create:

• 95,000 more jobs by 2026 • 15,000 new businesses by 2026 • 117,000 new homes by 2026 • Increased productivity (added value per job) to equal the national average We are on track to reach many of these targets and where progress is slower than we’d anticipated, we are working together to drive the change which is needed. The new Economic Strategy will give further strength to our plans to achieve them. We will be looking at the timeframe for the new Economic Strategy and the targets will be reviewed accordingly.

So what are we doing? At the moment, work is under way to develop the evidence base which will be used to look at future potential growth. Over the next few weeks, that evidence will be analysed and any gaps will be identified. The draft evidence report will be ready by the end of May. Once that report is ready, we will start consulting with businesses to get your views on the future scenarios which the data presents.

We will keep you updated, but if you would like to know more, you can read the full FAQs on our website.

By Jim R. Wilson ISBN-13: 978-1937785734 Node.js the Right Way is a fantastic little book. It’s a small book (but then it’s Pragmatic exPress) and it doesn’t go into anything in much detail, but then that’s what makes it fantastic. It gives a useful and practical overview of writing Node.js server side applications and explains many of the tools and JavaScript patterns which will be useful to Node.js programmers. It starts off with examples of manipulating the local file system using Node.js. This struck me a little odd as the only thing I tend to use the local file system for is reading configuration files. If I need to write a file I tend to put it in Amazon S3. However, this is genius and looking at how to manipulate the filesystem gives some useful insights into Node.js programming. The book then goes on to look at networking with sockets, something which is often neglected in a world where we expect everything to be RESTful. There’s then a tour through scalable messaging, including clustering, how to access databases and how to write web services, including JavaScript promises and generators! The final chapter covers writing a web application with a single page front end and authentication. This is the only place the book falls down. Too much is covered in two short a chapter. It’s still quite useful though. This is not a book for a novice JavaScript or even a novice Node.js developer, but for once a little knowledge is not a dangerous thing and Node.js the Right Way will help increase that knowledge. It even led me to believe JavaScript might actually be the future. Click here to read the blog on our site. Words by Paul

As the sun comes out, annual leave requests tend to flood in with employees planning trips abroad, staycations and childcare during the school holidays. Are you concerned that this could lead to a drop in productivity? Or that results and outcomes won’t be achieved? We can help you to find short-term candidates to fill any gaps and keep everything flowing smoothly. If you’ve never thought about using a temp before, here’s just some of the business benefits they can bring. 

Experience at short notice

Short-term contracts are not just for administrative roles, we can provide temporary candidates for senior and specialist positions within the fields of Accountancy, Financial Services, Human Resources, IT, Marketing and Office Support. The temps we place are highly-experienced, skilled employees. In many cases they have chosen to work on short-term contract or interim basis as a way of providing themselves with a more flexible career option.

Fresh perspectives

Bringing new talent into an organisation often brings fresh perspectives. This is just as relevant for temporary employees and in some cases even more so. Temporary candidates are likely to have worked across many different organisations, both in the same industry and outside of it. They may have experience and knowledge of different systems or processes which could work far better and introduce innovative ideas you may not even have considered.

Strategic skill sets

If there are specific short-term projects taking place during the time you are looking to cover absences, you can look for temps with the relevant skills and experience to handle these. This could help you to bring in additional experience you may not already have in house. It can also help to inspire existing employees who will be able to learn from them and develop new skills. 

Increased morale

Some employers may be concerned that bringing a short-term ‘stranger’ into an organisation may have a negative impact on the rest of the team. However, our experience shows that temporary employees bring new ideas and an added enthusiasm which can be a boost to the entire team. Team members will also feel reassured that there will be an extra pair of hands to support them and that any additional workload will not all fall to them.

Smooth transitions

Temporary placements can be arranged to include handover time with the person they will be filling in for, both before and after the person returns to the business. This makes the transition period much smoother for all involved.

We’ll help make sure you get the right fit

Whether it is temporary or permanent placements, we pride ourselves on finding the right person for the role and for the organisation. If appropriate, we arrange for the candidate to experience a four-hour working interview in the organisation. This gives both you and the candidate the chance to review cultural fit and skills needed. If for any reason you didn’t think the candidate was suitable, you wouldn’t be charged for this time.

Longer term options

Once you have found a temporary employee, you may appreciate them so much you don’t want to let them go! It provides an extended interview in which you can see how they work, the results they achieve and how they fit in with the team. This puts you in the best position to know if you would like to offer them a permanent role, if there is one available now or in the future. However, remember that it will depend on what the temp is looking for as to whether this is of interest to them. If they’ve chosen to work on a temporary basis to increase flexibility then a permanent position may not appeal to them. Instead they will hopefully become ambassadors for your organisation, sharing their experience of working for you amongst what is likely to be an extensive network of contacts, helping you to attract future talent.

We’ll support you through the process

If you’ve never recruited on a temporary basis before, it may seem like a daunting process. Our expert consultants will guide you through everything, from administration through to understanding the regulations around short-term contracts. For more information, get in touch with one of our offices. 

Since 1st August 2016, the administration of the Apprenticeship Age Grant has beed devolved to the NEW ANGLIA LEP resulting in some significant changes for the benefit of employesr and apprentices.

Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) of 16 to 24 year olds in Norfolk and Suffolk supports businesses that would not otherwise be in a position to support individuals aged 16 to 24 into employment through the Apprenticeship programme. The following information is relevant to employers starting an apprentice from August 2016 in a business with a postcode within Norfolk or Suffolk. For businesses outside of this area should refer to www.gov.uk for details of the national AGE scheme or contact their training provider.

The scheme is being administered by Norfolk County Council on behalf of both counties. The grant will be offered to those employers who are eligible and such employers may receive up to 5 grants in any one-year period. The value of each grant is as follows:

• £2000 for each apprentice who is aged 16 to 18 at the time they start their Apprenticeship;
• £1500 for each apprentice who is aged 19 to 24 at the time they start their Apprenticeship.

The grant will be paid as a lump sum direct to the employers nominated bank account, once the apprentice has completed 10 weeks on the Apprenticeship programme and the necessary paperwork has been received: see “How do employers apply”? below.

So, which Employers are eligible? To be eligible employers must

• Have fewer than 250 employees in total;
• Start a new employee on an Apprenticeship or place an existing employee on an Apprenticeship programme on or after the 1 August 2016;
• Commit to continuously employ that apprentice for a minimum of 12 months or as long as it takes them to complete the Apprenticeship;
• Confirm that they are aware of and do not breach any state aid rules by receiving the grant;
• Agree to pay the apprentice in line with legal minimum requirements or more;
• Ensure that the apprenticeship is delivered by a training organisation that is funded by the Government to deliver Apprenticeship Frameworks.

For the purposes of this grant, the start date for the Apprenticeship is taken to be the date at which the Employer, Learner and Training Provider sign the Apprenticeship Agreement

Which apprentices qualify? To qualify, an apprentice must be:

• Aged 16 to 24 at the start date of their Apprenticeship
• Enrolled on an Apprenticeship Framework. (Starts on Apprenticeship Standards are not eligible)
• Be working with an employer based in Norfolk or Suffolk
• Eligible for Apprenticeship funding from the Skills Funding Agency
• Eligible to work in England
• Be starting a new Apprenticeship framework or progressing from a lower level onto an Advanced or Higher Level Apprenticeship

How do employers apply? Employers in Norfolk or Suffolk, once they have selected an Apprentice and the start date has been agreed, should go to www.apprenticeshipsnorfolk.org/agegrant and complete an online application form for AGE. The following details will be required:

• Name of Business
• Name of the Apprentice*
• Apprentice Date of Birth*
• Name of Training Provider or College delivering the training.
• Address of Business where the apprentice will be employed
• Telephone Number
• Name of contact within business
• Email address
• Bank Details (into which payments are to be made)

*Employers must seek permission from the apprentice to share these details with Norfolk County Council for the sole purpose of claiming the grant before submitting an application. It is recommended that this permission be obtained in writing.

Once the first stage of the application is completed, a password should be created which will allow login to the site after 10 weeks. The online system will issue a reminder to employers after 10 weeks to remind them to provide documentary evidence that the apprentice is still employed and in learning. This should be provided electronically by the training provider or college and can take the form of a progress review or a record of support or assessment. This must be signed by the employer, apprentice and the College or Training Provider representative. Once we have checked this document and verified the claim, the authority will make payment to the nominated bank account within 28 days. If there are any queries or issues, the authority will be in contact by telephone or by email to ask for clarifying information.

This payment is in the form of a grant and therefore it is exempt from VAT.

Employers should note that if the apprentice leaves or is not in learning after 10 weeks, eligibility for any proportion of the grant will lapse.

Employers who have already received a grant for an apprentice under this scheme and who apply for a further grant (maximum of 5) will be asked to provide evidence that the original apprentice is still employed on an Apprenticeship or has completed their qualification in full. If this is not the case, we reserve the right to withhold or refuse to pay any further grant.

Next Steps Employers looking to recruit a new member of staff then visit www.apprenticeshipsnorfolk.org and choose “Employ an Apprentice”.

When the apprentice has been recruited and the college or training provider has completed the paperwork, the employer should visit www.apprenticeshipsnorfolk.org/agegrant and complete the application. After 10 weeks, upload the required evidence and receive the money within 28 days of the claim being verified. Note: Most Colleges and Training Providers provide a free service to help employers to recruit an apprentice.

Training providers will be able and happy to offer assistance with the process, recruiting an apprentice and making sure that he/she is on the correct Apprenticeship qualification. Alternatively, contact Apprenticeships Norfolk/Apprenticeships Suffolk on 0344 8008024 or [email protected].

When starting a new business venture, a key success factor to establish is your value proposition. It’s also helpful for existing business owners to revisit their value proposition from time to time to help continued business growth.

But what is a value proposition, and how should you go about writing one?

What is a value proposition?

In short, a value proposition is a promise by a company to a customer. It explains:

• what benefits your company provides
• who you provide those benefits for
• how you do it uniquely well.

Your value proposition should be focused on delivering unique and sustainable value to your ideal customer.

Why do you need a value proposition?

As an internal tool, a value proposition helps make sure employees and management are aligned by understanding the benefit the company is trying to deliver. It helps everyone focus on the aspects of the business that make the biggest difference. A strong value proposition can therefore help you avoid wasting time, money and energy.

The right value proposition reveals the connection between your products and your potential customers’ goals. Being clear on that will give you the confidence and clarity you need for continued development and innovation of your products and business processes whilst maintaining profit. It should also give you the basic wording for your marketing messages, focusing on the few things that make the biggest difference.

How to write a good value proposition

Before writing your value proposition, you need to be absolutely clear on why a customer should buy from you. You should have a clear understanding and commitment that your product or service will add value to a target audience. Thinking about the following might help:

• Customer Needs and Insights:Are you able to solve problems, reduce costs or increase sales?
• Added Value:Are you able to add value to your customer?
• Unique Selling Point:Is your product or service innovative or are you able to offer a point of differentiation over your competitor?
• Proof:Can you create trust and quantify the benefits so that the customer believes you?
• Customer satisfaction:How are you going to exceed expectations?

Alongside this, make sure you consider all the risks in your business and be realistic with your financial expectations. Return on investment must always be at the forefront, but do not forget the importance of cash flow and the resource time required to administer. However creative you may be, I strongly recommend that you formalise a project plan or sales forecast before you get too far down the road. Key milestones and the introduction of measures will help ensure that you stay on track or adjust to compensate for any deviations caused by obstacles.

Once you’re confident that you have a product or service people want, and is financially sustainable, it’s time to write your value proposition.

When writing your value proposition it’s important to remember that it’s for people to quickly read and understand. So keep it clear and concise and avoid jargon. Try to use the type of language your customers use. You need to address:

• What is it you’re offering?
• Who is it for?
• What problem does it solve?
• How is it useful? What is its key problem-solving capability?
• How is it unique?

Structure-wise, aim for a strong headline that grabs attention, and one short paragraph to explain what you do, for whom and why it’s useful. You may also have a sub-heading, three bullet points or a visual. There’s no set format, just keep it focused.

How to use your value proposition

Having a great value proposition isn’t enough. You need to use it!

Firstly, make sure everyone within the business knows what it is. Then use it to target the customers who will benefit most from your product or service.

Make sure your customers can see it. If it’s carefully considered and well written, put it front and centre on your website homepage – it should help potential customers quickly understand why they should use your company.

You may find that you need one value proposition for your business and then a series of propositions for individual product lines. That’s fine, just apply the same logic to each.