Member Blog

Tudor Lodge Consultants have started working with Finger Finance (https://www.fingerfinance.com), a loans connection service operating in a number of U.S. states, helping customers to find loans best suited to them via a panel of lenders.

Finger Finance provides a free service, working on a commission basis with their partnered lenders. The service aims to help borrowers find safe and manageable borrowing options, and avoid illegal or high-cost offers available on the street.

At Tudor Lodge, our SEO consultants have been working to optimise the Finger Finance site using a variety of specialist tactics to help improve rankings, following our success with a similar site called Pheabs.

What Are Tudor Lodge Consultants Doing for Finger Finance?   

The Tudor Lodge team are helping to improve the Finger Finance website via a range of different tactics, including the following:

• Planning and creating landing pages

• Blog content creation

• Improving user experience

• Link research 

Our team have been working on planning and creating landing pages for Finger Finance, optimising these for the site’s chosen keywords throughout the pages’ content, meta data, imagery (e.g., alt-texts), h1s, h2s and more. 

While creating these landing pages, we’ve made sure to include answers to common questions prospective borrowers are asking, helping to keep users informed all while optimising the site. 

We’ve also created blog content to help further improve the site, writing and uploading informative guides that relate to the services Finger Finance offers.     

Following on from this, the Tudor Lodge team have also been working on improving the user experience of Finger Finance’s site. This has been done through effective implementation and positioning of call-to-action (CTA) buttons throughout the site’s landing pages. 

In addition to this, we’ve also designed informative and aesthetically pleasing banners in-keeping with the client’s colour scheme and overall style and placed these on relevant pages throughout the site. These banners help to not only inform users but also to make the site look more attractive.

Our specialist team have also conducted link research for this client, using the tool Majestic to help explore any appropriate sites to reach out to for link opportunities, including insertions in pre-existing posts and guest posting. 

Every small business owner wants to see their business grow and thrive, but this is easier said than done, especially under difficult economic circumstances and in competitive industries. One way to set yourself apart from the competition is to invest in your marketing. However, marketing isn’t always the easiest subject to tackle.  It is a broad discipline that involves a combination of traditional channels, social media marketing, PR and SEO. Understandably, this can be difficult for a new business owner to get their head around.

For this reason, it makes sense to hire a marketing consultant to help grow your enterprise. These consultants can offer useful insights that can be beneficial to your business. If you are on the fence about hiring a small business marketing consultant, here are just a few reasons why it is an investment worth considering :

They Will Help You Establish a Strategy

Unless you are able to change the context of how your target market sees your business in a way that renders all the competition irrelevant, your marketing efforts will fail to have the impact you desire. A good marketing expert will help you build an efficient strategy that focuses on the most effective channels to drive your business forward.

They’ll Streamline Your Objectives

Having the input of an expert will help you determine which objectives are the most important in relation to the business’s future. A marketing consultant will know how to prioritize the business objectives that are likely to have the greatest long-term benefits for you. A consultant will help to take baby steps towards broader goals.

They Will Help You Locate Resource Gaps

Many small business owners have a ‘do it yourself’ attitude. While educating yourself and broadening one’s skill set is always great, this can be detrimental at the early stages of setting up an enterprise. Taking on too much work can make it difficult for you to see where you need some external support. For example, you might be able to put together a website using various online tools or establish a social media presence simply by creating regular content, but these tasks can be time-consuming. More importantly, handing these types of tasks over to someone who is accustomed to doing them can free you to focus on where your strengths lie.

An Impact On Your Bottom Line

Many novices get caught up focusing on social media likes and website traffic, but a trained professional will focus on conversions and the bottom line. Figuring out how to get visitors to your website to actually make a purchase is what will help your business grow and become a truly profitable venture.

Being a small business owner is never going to be easy. At the start up stage every penny counts, and it is understandable that you’ll want to save money wherever you can. However, marketing is not something you should compromise on. Unless you have a background in marketing yourself, it’s a good idea to enlist the services of a reputable marketing consultant. Carefully consider the impact of investing in a marketing consultant in relation to the long-term growth of your enterprise.

E-commerce is not a totally new concept and it is something that businesses ranging from small startups to the likes of John Lewis and Argos have been doing for quite some time.

However, there have been many businesses over the last few years who have not fully and comprehensively embraced the rise and rise of e-commerce. With the Covid pandemic hitting much of the world in 2020, all retail businesses sought out the internet for opportunities.

Although the likes of Amazon dominate online sales, customers are very willing and able to seek out and find specific and individual retailers for e-commerce and shopping opportunities. Sellers of products ranging from goose and duck down duvets to food and even bespoke and artistic items have all seen sales explode in the last year.

Although the competition has therefore heated up and become a lot stiffer, there are also many opportunities for online sellers, particularly when their product offerings are bespoke, niche or very specifically tailored to a particular audience.

The clear benefits and the key factors helping people move into e-commerce include:

• The reduced need for physical premises
• The ability to incorporate drop-shipping solutions
• Scalability potential
• The ability to sell via a business’ own website as well as facilitating platforms like eBay and Amazon
• The global marketing potential of an e-commerce business

The Covid-19 pandemic didn’t spark a revolution of e-commerce. The trends were already there and businesses and companies were already making (albeit insufficient) moves into the online world of e-commerce and online shopping.

With most of the world forced to stay at home during various periods of 2020, people turned to online solutions for everything from shopping and leisure accessories to e-learning and socialising. E-commerce was no different.

A key difference however between e-commerce and many other areas is that whilst some online adaptations will soon revert to their former selves, for example meetings, socialising and some forms of shopping, when it comes to e-commerce more broadly, people are moving towards rather than away from it.

The great deal of convenience and the immediacy with which e-commerce allows for is almost unrivalled. More people than ever have rather than adapted, totally changed the way in which they live and buy items of any type and persuasion. For example, rather than going to the grocery shop, then a chemist and then another shop, all of the above can be done safely, efficiently, swiftly and in the comfort of your own home with no more than a few clicks and a debit or credit card.

E-commerce is here to stay and the more businesses that jump on the e-commerce trend, the longer it will remain.

In the current economy, businesses that wish to thrive need business intelligence (BI). In fact, BI has become an integral part of the strategy development plans of many leading organisations. Even the Fortune 500 companies implement it.

What’s business intelligence?

Business intelligence (BI) is the art of leveraging data to find patterns and insights. It’s a necessity now as companies can’t survive without gaining essential information about their business. BI helps them predict future trends by analysing past and current data. (1)

Business intelligence provides various insights to business organisations such as the following:

• How their marketing efforts are performing 

• Which product to launch 

• When is the best time for new product launching 

• Which demographic market to target 

Basically, business intelligence acts as an organisation’s roadmap towards success. Indeed, business intelligence is essential to any company. However, many business organisations still struggle with their BI strategies. (1)

With that said, this article will take you through the process of creating a BI strategy. An effective strategy aligns with an organisation’s management goals and vision. It means that each approach to BI is unique. There are, however, several things that all businesses should consider when crafting a BI strategy. Read on.

Objectives for implementing a business intelligence strategy

What questions do you wish to answer through business intelligence? Or what problems do you want to solve? You must know what you’re really trying to accomplish before creating and implementing a BI strategy.

Of course, your vision will depend on how your business operates. However, your goals should be broad and clear enough that anyone can understand them. They should also be as concise as possible to have a detailed roadmap that you and your staff can follow. 

The objectives you have in mind will guide you in creating your BI strategy. They’ll also help you develop a measurement plan. (2)

The most important things to remember as you identify and establish your BI vision and goals are as follows: 

• Objectives should be specific and measurable 

• Data collected should be relevant to your goals 

• Measurement should be accurate 

• Strategy design should be for improvement (better understanding of shopping trends, identifying production process pitfalls, etc.)

The current state of your company’s data 

The next thing to consider is your data’s current situation. Analyse or assess the current state of your company’s data by asking the following questions:

• What are your existing data sources? Most companies gather data from different sources. For instance, they rely on their website but also use a CRM system. Some organisations even have their own mobile apps. Others choose to work with third-party data providers, especially when doing company searches.  

• Which existing data source in your company can provide information? Will this information help you craft a robust business intelligence strategy? You must select the best data sources because not all of them will prove valuable in achieving the perfect BI strategy.

• How is your data stored? Part of data analysis is evaluating how information is stored and shared. More and more businesses choose to establish a data warehouse that acts as a central database for all their data. Some set up a warehouse internally, while others rely on third-party BI solution providers. (3)

How do you document your processes?

Documentation is crucial in any business intelligence strategy. It’s an essential step for future system development. The most logical way to do it is to use documentation software. A system can help avoid data bottlenecks, lags, and blockages that can impact data reporting in your organisation. (1)

A competent BI strategy implementation team 

So you’ve already defined the current state of your company’s >https://financesonline.com/business-intelligence-key-performance-indicators-kpis-with-examples/

Following the easing of the restrictions, we held our Annual Awards Ceremony last week. The event at Oak Street was attended by 150 guests and the prizes were presented by the High Sherriff of Norfolk, Richard Gurney DL, the Lord Mayor, Dr Kevin Maguire, Clive Lewis MP and, Jeff Fuller representing Bricklayers and Tylers Company, and Jay Mehta, representing NFCI. The centre, which offers vocational training and support for young people who have not prospered in traditional education settings, managed to enjoy a very successful year in terms of learner achievements, despite the obvious difficulties presented by Covid.

Chair, Mr David Fullman, paid tribute to the efforts of both the students and the tremendously committed staff team led by CEO, Lorraine Bliss MBE who was also celebrating an incredible 30 years at the helm. During her address to the gathering, Lorraine referred to the loneliness of these young people being trapped in a feeling of failure. The poignant message of this year’s review, which included music by Green Day and an opening trio of songs from opera singer Daniella Beck, was very much that no young person would ever be alone whilst St Eds was there to support them.

Prize winners were:

• CEO student of the year – Siaka
• Construction – Ryan
• Mechanics – Warren
• Hair and Beauty – Hollie
• Catering and Hospitality – Jay
• School Student of the Year – Jak
• Maths/English – Katie
• Community Award – Stanton
• George Clark Award for Bricklaying – Dovydas
• Norfolk Forum for the Construction Industry (NFCI) Young Achiever Award – Siaka

From retail to entertainment and even healthcare, virtually every part of our lives has experienced a shift to digital – but perhaps none more so than banking and finance.

Society’s demand for greater transparency, the decline of cash-based transactions and the growing incompatibility of branch-based servicing with modern life have opened the market for many new players and triggered a surge in innovation from leading high street banks.   

The progress made by the industry means that customers are now able to manage practically every aspect of their financial lives using a computer or smart device. In the past year, this increased accessibility has become an essential service, allowing people to manage their money during lockdown.

And it has proven to be popular amongst consumers, with the UK ranking amongst the highest nation’s for online banking adoption in Europe with 80% of British adults using these services.

The possibilities afforded by online banking has even sparked a wave of new players known as challenger banks, with many turning away from branch-based banking to those operating solely online or through an app.

This has triggered some welcome disruption in the space, putting pressure on traditional banks to improve their mobile banking services and digital offering. As a result, customers can now access a much wider range of services, including ‘polymorphic’ debit cards, which protect consumers with new layers of data security.

Supporting the continued growth of the financial sector and giving consumers choice is just one of the reasons why CityFibre is investing up to £4 billion in rolling out the best network technology available – full fibre – to up to 8 million homes across towns and cities like Norwich.

Investment in digital infrastructure ensures that more citizens can benefit from a range of online banking services as they become increasingly available and transformative.

Online banking has paved the way for many other positive developments in personal finance. One of the more recent has been the legislative changes around open banking, and the new services this has resulted in for consumers.

In simple terms, open banking provides a more secure and convenient way for you to share financial information with chosen organisations. It represents a significant change for a sector like banking, and for consumers it could widen access to products like credit and financial advice.

But for banks and financial institutions, ultra-low latency, secure data transfer, and the ability to guarantee connections are critical. At CityFibre, the clever design of our networks means that if there’s a break in one connection, it can instantly be rerouted via another. We’re also constantly monitoring our networks, so problems are detected and fixed rapidly.

Ultimately, the future of banking and finance is digital, and as innovation and adoption gathers even greater pace, the digital infrastructure underpinning the sector is too important to fail. By futureproofing our towns and cities with full fibre foundations, CityFibre is helping to bridge the gap between the haves and have nots, while ensuring there’s network capacity to support our growing data consumption, and the needs of savvy spenders and savers in Norwich.

To find out more or register an interest in the service go to cityfibre.com/east

ENDS

The Coronavirus outbreak affected almost every aspect of modern life. Whilst it has been necessary for many people to re-evaluate the way they live, many businesses have also had to re-evaluate how they operate. Meanwhile, Covid continues to take its toll on the economy, with effects expected to last for several years. The pandemic has plunged society into a recession and led to mass unemployment; although it is a little unclear what this will mean on an individual level, there is speculation.

Below are the economic changes already witnessed and how they may continue in the future.

The Facts

Unemployment levels are higher than they were pre-pandemic; there are some signs of recovery, but it will likely be a slow process as some businesses may not survive, and many others won’t be financially solvent enough to hire new staff. Those In employment are working more hours as the restrictions relax, and more people spend money; however, the economic inactivity rate is still higher than it was pre-pandemic. Every worker who wasn’t in consistent employment throughout the pandemic saw their earnings fall, but those who retained their employment saw little change.  Conversely, most households saw a marked reduction in spending, meaning a few lucky people whose earnings weren’t affected may have seen more money enter their savings. 

Risk vs Reward – Financial Behaviours

This is particularly pertinent to investors as the panic set in and led to worrying volatility within the market. With two major financial events in recent years, first the double-dip recession in 2008 and then Covid, which led to the economy shrinking at the fastest rate in almost three hundred years. More and more people are becoming conservative with their money; no one wants to be associated with many risks. Cash holds more value now for people than assets do.

This realisation has led to more people making saving a priority. Whilst most people have some sort of emergency fund, the financial crisis brought on by covid has made many people rethink the amount that they have saved, with most aiming for even bigger nest eggs to see them through. Unnecessary spending has taken a downturn as the anxiety around spending money increases. Many people have reported an improved financial discipline which may be beneficial on an individual level but may not help boost the economy as spending slows. However, as things begin to open up, more spending may return to pre-pandemic levels, which could help the economy recover but may leave more people without the extra cash that they have enjoyed.

Working

Like most other aspects of daily life, the way people work has changed too. First and foremost, the rise of the home workers. It has become abundantly clear that people can be just as productive working from home as they can in an office setting. In addition, it is cheaper both for the workers and the employers when the staff works from home. There doesn’t seem to be many plans for workers to return to the office full time as of yet, and there probably won’t be for quite some time.

However, as more of the workforce enjoys the benefits of remote working, they are reconsidering their locations. Previously it has been necessary for people to live a reasonable commute away from their places of employment, but this is no longer the case. For those working in major cities, the rent alone can be astronomical without the additional bills on top. So, whilst a mass exodus from the cities isn’t totally expected, more people are choosing to move a little further out to save money.

Furlough has also had an enormous impact on workers. When it comes to an end later this year, it will have been in place for almost eighteen months. Now not everyone on furlough will have been on it for the entire time. Some businesses which have relied on the scheme to survive may look at cost-saving measures when it ends and reduce their staffing. Initially, the scheme was praised as a way to keep people employed and avoid redundancies and employment-related litigations. However, some would argue that it is simply putting off the inevitable and that people will still lose their jobs but simply after the scheme finishes.

Some businesses haven’t survived the pandemic, but the risk to businesses isn’t over yet. As the risk to livelihoods is so big, more and more people are looking for ways to protect themselves and their finances from the unknown. The options are somewhat limited, but they are there. This leads to the question, does income protection insurance matter? Income protection is the one insurance policy that can help maintain your standard of living and pay for all your other expenses should your earnings cease. It is designed to replace a portion of your monthly income if you can’t work, whether because of an accident, long-term sickness or unemployment. Drewberry Insurance offers policies to suit all, and they boast an average of 4.9/5 stars from their clients.

Habits to Adopt

There are a few things that you can do to try and protect your finances from the long-lasting effects of the pandemic. As mentioned above, things like an emergency fund or taking out income protection insurance can be invaluable. There are more basic things that can be useful too. Firstly, try to make decisions calmly; panic is never helpful. During the initial wave and in times of hardship in general, many people’s first impulse was panic. This rarely translates to an effective financial strategy. Always evaluate before making any significant money moves.

Budgeting is always a worthwhile endeavour but maybe even more so now. As the effects of the pandemic are unpredictable and no one is really sure how long those effects will be felt, implementing a budget can help your funds stretch further. Reducing costs and streamlining, in general, can lead to extra cash, which you can then contribute to your emergency fund, helping it grow more quickly.

Finally, think long and hard before taking out any financial assistance. Debts can be highly detrimental to your financial health for many years. Dip into your emergency fund first – that is what you have it for. Some people think that using their emergency fund is the ultimate last resort, and in a way, it should be. You shouldn’t be dipping into it without thinking, but if you are short, feel free to. If you think that you will need more financial help than you are prepared for, taking out a loan isn’t the end of the world, but you should do your research first. Some loans have incredibly high interest rates that can spiral out of control and take far too long to pay back.

In Conclusion

Although many people remain optimistic about the potential of a robust economic recovery, no one can be certain how long it will take. Individually, the impact of the pandemic on people’s finances varies. There are those carrying the burden of a mismanaged response to the virus, but others continued to work throughout and saw an improvement in their financial state instead. However, almost everyone will agree that this pandemic had far-reaching effects beyond their anticipation; planning is critical to prepare your finances to survive an event like this.

Our Month-Long Challenge For Charity

Our very own John Bradley – Automotive Business Development Manager is the co-organiser of the Lap of Anglia. The event started in 2013 and to date has raised over £133,000 for the life saving charity. 

This year, Chatsbrook are proud to announce that not only are we the official car sponsor for Lap of Anglia and providing our Chatsbrook Mini and Defender to support the Lappers and their 435 mile journey around the border of the Air Ambulances territory, but we will also be matching the Lappers by pledging to walk 435 miles in the month of July. The 435 miles will be collectively completed by #TeamChatsbrook in a bid to inspire more donations to the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Check in with us on our JustGiving page and on our social pages @chatsbrook from the 1st- 31st July as we provide updates on the progress of our miles!

East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is a 365-day-a-year helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk & Suffolk. They exist to save lives by delivering highly skilled doctors and critical care paramedics by air to seriously ill or injured people in the region. The EAAA do not receive regular direct government funding and the £13 million needed to raise this year comes directly from charitable donations. They are only kept airborne thanks to supporters. If you can, please donate to this amazing cause and spread awareness of this fundraiser by sharing our posts on social media.

Thank you,

Team Chatsbrook

What is pension tax relief?

Pension tax relief can seem like an alien concept, but it pays to understand what it is and how you can make the most of it, up to certain limits.

Pension tax relief is one of the major benefits of saving into a pension. Each time you contribute to your pension, the government does too. This form of ‘top-up’ comes by the way of tax relief. Everyone, whether you are working or not, is entitled to basic rate tax relief at a rate of 20% from the government when you make contributions to your pension.

What are the benefits?

One of the many benefits in saving into a pension is the government boosts your contributions through tax relief. The amount of tax relief is calculated at your highest marginal rate of income tax. The tax relief you can receive, depends on your income tax rate.

For a basic rate taxpayer this means you will receive an extra 20% on your eligible contributions.

If you are a higher rate taxpayer its 40%, and 45%, if you are an additional rate taxpayer.

How does this all work then?

How it works is that 20% is added ‘at source’, which means it is done automatically for you when you pay into your pension. If you are a higher, or additional rate taxpayer, then you will still receive 20% at source, but you will be able to reclaim the additional tax relief back through your tax return.

If you are a basic rate taxpayer and wanted to make a gross contribution of £100.00 (for example), then the net cost to you would be £80.00 – receiving £20.00 tax relief at source. For higher rate taxpayers, you still pay £80.00, receiving £20.00 tax relief at source, and then claim the further £20.00 through your tax return, so that the net cost is effectively £60.00.

When will I receive my tax relief?

You will automatically get the 20% basic rate tax relief if:  

1. You are part of a workplace pension where your pension contributions are deducted from your pay before income tax – this means that you receive the tax relief, there and then. This is known as a ‘net pay’ arrangement.

1. Your pension provider claims the 20% tax relief on your behalf and adds this to your pension pot – this is known as the ‘relief-at-source’ arrangement. All personal pensions, and some workplace pensions, adopt the relief-at-source method.

Please note tax-relief is not available beyond the age of 75.

How do I claim additional pension tax relief?

If you are a higher rate, or additional rate taxpayer, then you will be able to reclaim your further tax relief on your pension contributions through your annual tax return.

Tax relief is dependent on individual circumstances.

What is pension tax relief?

Pension tax relief can seem like an alien concept, but it pays to understand what it is and how you can make the most of it, up to certain limits.

Pension tax relief is one of the major benefits of saving into a pension. Each time you contribute to your pension, the government does too. This form of ‘top-up’ comes by the way of tax relief. Everyone, whether you are working or not, is entitled to basic rate tax relief at a rate of 20% from the government when you make contributions to your pension.

What are the benefits?

One of the many benefits in saving into a pension is the government boosts your contributions through tax relief. The amount of tax relief is calculated at your highest marginal rate of income tax. The tax relief you can receive, depends on your income tax rate.

For a basic rate taxpayer this means you will receive an extra 20% on your eligible contributions.

If you are a higher rate taxpayer its 40%, and 45%, if you are an additional rate taxpayer.

How does this all work then?

How it works is that 20% is added ‘at source’, which means it is done automatically for you when you pay into your pension. If you are a higher, or additional rate taxpayer, then you will still receive 20% at source, but you will be able to reclaim the additional tax relief back through your tax return.

If you are a basic rate taxpayer and wanted to make a gross contribution of £100.00 (for example), then the net cost to you would be £80.00 – receiving £20.00 tax relief at source. For higher rate taxpayers, you still pay £80.00, receiving £20.00 tax relief at source, and then claim the further £20.00 through your tax return, so that the net cost is effectively £60.00.

When will I receive my tax relief?

You will automatically get the 20% basic rate tax relief if:  

1. You are part of a workplace pension where your pension contributions are deducted from your pay before income tax – this means that you receive the tax relief, there and then. This is known as a ‘net pay’ arrangement.

1. Your pension provider claims the 20% tax relief on your behalf and adds this to your pension pot – this is known as the ‘relief-at-source’ arrangement. All personal pensions, and some workplace pensions, adopt the relief-at-source method.

Please note tax-relief is not available beyond the age of 75.

How do I claim additional pension tax relief?

If you are a higher rate, or additional rate taxpayer, then you will be able to reclaim your further tax relief on your pension contributions through your annual tax return.

Tax relief is dependent on individual circumstances.

The Importance of Working Together As a Team

Modern business moves at a lightning pace, thanks to constant improvements in technology and best practices. However, despite these breakneck commercial advancements, one area of business that has not changed over decades, and can have a huge impact on productivity, mental health and ultimately profits, is how your team works and communicates together on a daily basis.

Never more so than during a global pandemic. Whilst there has been extensive homeworking, which has had advantages and disadvantages, people still want and need people and face to face communication.

The benefit of in person communication is that building of informal rapport, getting to know each other not only on a personal basis but working styles. Even with the wonderful advances with Zoom and Teams it is still easy to miss some nuances or subtleties that can lead to misunderstandings.

I think many people can probably think of instances over the last year or so when things might have been polarised, or not dealt with due to lack of personal contact.

In the same way one bad apple can spoil the barrel, if you have one department or team that isn’t running as smoothly, constantly have a breakdown in communications or understanding, it can have a detrimental effect to the overall business.

Companies who have teams that understand and embrace working together as a cohesive and engaged collective are often a lot happier in their work life. It’s acknowledged that there is a fundamental connection between how people feel in a work environment and how successful a business is.

In short happy teams = better performance.

However, poor teamwork and a lack of communication is not a terminal problem, it can be easily resolved with some constructive and engaging bonding team experiences. It is widely accepted that if colleagues engage in a team building /bonding experiences together outside of the office, personal and professional benefits will greatly outweigh the negatives.

Look at any championship winning sports team, it is not always about having the best players, often it is about have a group of people who work for and with each other to achieve the result. Think of England’s football team in Euro 2021, they did have a few superstars, but more than that, what they had was a determination to work hard as a unit and develop an understanding of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and fill in any gaps as a collective.  It was that mentality and approach that got them to the final. They may not have won but what at team.

Team building experiences enable those members of a team who may not interact with each other on a daily basis the chance to spend time building up a working relationship, that can be transplanted back into the working environment. Large events (over 500 people) where multiple departments or social groups are mixed together, helps to give everyone a chance to work with and develop a togetherness that may not come naturally during the working day for logistical reasons.

Of course that said, there are some industries such as healthcare, retail and manufacturing where taking an entire team out of the workspace for a day event is not practical or feasible. This doesn’t mean that they can’t increase their togetherness and productivity as a team. By taking the time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the colleagues around them and build up a better picture of how working together as one can make the daily work balance run much smoother, those companies will find that productivity and workplace organisation will naturally increase.

Modern businesses cannot afford to ignore the benefits of having a team that works together, and works together well. Having colleagues who build and maintain mutually beneficial working relationships,  can only serve to increase the effectiveness of the business, which in turn will increase productivity and ultimately profits.

Let Huxley Events help you www.huxleyevents.com 01953 308386 – we look forward to hearing from you.

Charities should be checking their insurance policies after it emerged that some organisations could be missing out on business interruption cover payments totalling tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds as a result of the lockdown, according to a leading charity finance specialist.

Stef Smith, charities manager at chartered accountants Lovewell Blake, says that many charities risk missing out on insurance pay-outs because they don’t realise that business interruption cover may apply to some of their activities.

The issue is particularly relevant where charity shops were forced to close through the Covid lockdown, or where other activity based income – such as hiring out facilities to other organisations – was not possible because of coronavirus restrictions.

“I am aware of business interruption insurance payments ranging from £5,000 to £300,000 made to charities operating in our region,” said Mrs Smith.

“It’s unlikely that many charities would be eligible for amounts at the top end of this scale, but for organisations which have seen their trading income hit by the pandemic, claiming on insurance policies which they have been paying premiums for could make a big difference at a time when traditional fundraising has been very difficult.”

“Following the changes surrounding business interruption claims, I would urge every charity to check their insurance policies to see whether they include business interruption cover, and if so, to speak to their broker or insurance to identify if a claim is possible..”

Such cover will not provide protection against the decline in traditional fundraising activity, but it could pay out when other activities (such as charity shops) have been interrupted by lockdown, or rental income has been lost due to the pandemic.

“Each policy is different, and it will be a case of checking what is an isn’t covered,” said Mrs Smith.

Mrs Smith also urged charities not to take no for an answer if they believe they should be covered, and to pursue through their broker if appropriate.  This follows examples of insurance companies attempting to claim that business interruption insurance does not cover a global pandemic – a claim which was rejected by the Supreme Court in a test case heard in January.

“Charities’ incomes have been hard-hit by the pandemic, just as demand for their services has in many cases peaked,” said Mrs Smith.  “If they have been paying insurance premiums over the years, it is important that they ensure that they make a claim if they are entitled to do so – their beneficiaries are the ones who will ultimately lose out if they don’t.” 

The Charities Commission reports that there are 3,536 charities registered as working in Norfolk, and 3,188 in Suffolk.

Asset Based Lending for Your Business.

Our work ethic means that we put clients at the heart of everything we do. We work methodically to listen and understand your priorities. We have the financial expertise and product range you need to take your business to the next level.

Take a look at just a few of the vehicles and assets we have financed … 

Land Rover Defender  –  QUICK SERVICE: With the support of Chatsbrook one private client was able to purchase the 2015 Land Rover Defender. From the offset, we were able to tailor a Hire Purchase (HP) agreement with a balloon to keep his monthly payments at a lower, fixed price. Chatsbrook understands that time is precious, using our services means that you will not have to search for finance independently- we take out the hard work for you and make it simpler! For this client, the process from signing paperwork to pay-out took only two days-leaving the client plenty of time to enjoy his new vehicle! 

Class Combine Harvester –  INDEPENDENT: During lockdown, we have been able to support a local, family-run business to upgrade their fleet and purchase a Claas Combine Harvester Lexion 420. Being an independent broker means that we are not tied to any one lender. Due to this, we were able to approach multiple lending institutions and source the most competitive finance arrangement to suit their circumstances. As an open, honest, transparent and fair intermediary, we make a commitment to our clients to locate the most appropriate finance so that they can continue conserving cashflow whilst focusing on what matters most. 

Kramer KT357 Telehandler – DIVERSE RANGE OF PRODUCTS: With facilities such as Seasonal Payment Plans, Refinance and Hire Purchase, our specialists are able to accommodate the changing needs of agricultural businesses using our alternative methods of finance. One local chicken farmer approached Chatsbrook requiring a versatile telehandler for material handling purposes. Using our expertise, we were able to advise as to the best course of action to suit their budget and business, enabling the client to invest in an integral piece of equipment! 

Kubota KX80 Excavator -SAVE ON UPFRONT COSTS: Reduce the upfront cost associated with expanding your business fleet! The labour-saving strength and efficiency of excavators such this Kubota KX80, has helped TWO local construction firms to keep productive and remain buoyant. Instead of purchasing outright, they chose to conserve cashflow by spreading costs into low, monthly payments- ensuring the financial wellbeing of both their companies!

Massey Ferguson 6480 -CUSTOMER FOCUSED: Our reputation is built on our personal approach and long-lasting relationship with customers which is why Chatsbrook is the funder of choice. A repeat client approached us wishing to purchase the popular Massey Ferguson’ 6480. As we have perfected a service based on a solid foundation of trust & transparency, we were able to provide clear and unbiased asset funding solutions.

Whether personal or business, asset or vehicle, we provide YOU with a personal route to finance. Get in touch with our team on 01603 733500, or email us direct at [email protected]