Member Blog

The Tudor Lodge Consultants team is pleased to announce that we have started an SEO campaign with Steamed Egg. The company contacted us to help with its search engine optimisation strategy, helping to boost their Google rankings and website traffic for specific terms including virtual team building, team building experience, online team building, and virtual reality.

Steamed Egg is a London based team building and events company with a Virtual reality twist. If you’re in search of something original and innovative that will get people laughing at your business events, you are in luck!

Their mission is to “help companies level-up their culture and create happy, purposeful and sustainable places to work.” Adapting the way they used to work, Steamed Egg have developed a virtual team building experience called Yolking From Home, a fully hosted, online team building event.

This is how we have approached the SEO for Steamed Egg in the early stages:

What We Are Doing For Steamed Egg

Steamed Egg launched back in 2018, focusing on virtual reality. Whilst they have already had big brands as their customers, Steamed Egg have asked for our help. More specifically, we are helping them to tidy up their entire site, help them receive some strong links and lastly reorganize their content. This will mean that each page will be optimised with the correct meta-titles, descriptions, h tags and internal links to maximise SEO results.

Once completed, their SEO tidy up will show Google that the site is relevant and with good links from several sources. This will highlight that Steamed Egg is worthy of ranking for its own name as well as different keywords.

Keyword Research

After gaining Steamed Egg as a client, we conducted keyword research. This is very important in terms of an SEO strategy as once appropriate keywords have been selected, it helps to tailor content to drive traffic to your website. It also helps target you audience in a more effective way. To help with this, we use a tool called Keywords Everywhere which allows us to see the keywords and their monthly search volume on Google. We then transfer these figures to our keyword reporting tool of AWR.

As reported by the BBC, more than 100,000 opposite-sex, and 822 same-sex couples divorced in England and Wales in 2019. The rate for opposite-sex couples, 8.9 divorces per 1,000 married people, is the highest level of divorces in five years, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.* The average marriage lasted for 12.3 years.

Good Divorce Week, organised by family justice professional member network Resolution, runs from 30 November – 4 December and aims to positively campaign to raise awareness of policy issues affecting family law.

Richard Dilks, Hatch Brenner Solicitors Divorce Lawyer commented: “Given the rates of divorce shown by these latest figures, there cannot be a better time to use Good Divorce Week to champion ‘a better way’ for couples going through the breakdown of a relationship. During what is inevitably a difficult time for couples, the family justice community can help to provide a measured approach which offers clear information about the legal position of each party, and helps put the best interests of any children involved at the forefront.”

Resolution have lead the campaign for ‘no-fault divorce’ for the last 30 years. Currently in England and Wales, one party to the separation must blame the other to start divorce proceedings or they must have been separated from each other for two years (with consent) or five years. No-fault divorce/ dissolution means it will no longer be necessary for couples to produce evidence of conduct during divorce or dissolution proceedings.

Richard Dilks, Hatch Brenner Solicitors Divorce Lawyer continued: “I have been a long term supporter of the no-fault divorce campaign – spearheaded by Resolution of which I am a member. The no-fault Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill means that, hopefully from the Autumn of 2021, couples who wish to get divorced will no longer have to point the finger of blame. Minimising the ‘blame game’ which has existed for too long in divorce proceedings will save numerous couples from unnecessary stress, acrimony and legal fees expense.

“2020 has been a difficult year for so many, and it does appear that the pandemic, lockdown and the resultant strain on relationships has and will continue to have an impact. By managing the process with compassion, it can be a positive step for many.”

Resolution is using Good Divorce Week 2020 to highlight best practice amongst family justice professionals. Hatch Brenner upholds the Resolution Code of Practice which promotes a constructive approach to family issues and champions:

• Reducing or managing any conflict and confrontation; for example, by not using inflammatory language.
• Supporting and encouraging families to put the best interests of any children first.
• Acting with honesty, integrity and objectivity.
• Helping clients understand and manage the potential long-term financial and emotional consequences of decisions.
• Listening to and treating everyone with respect and without judgment.
• Using our experience and knowledge to guide clients through the options available to them.
• Continually developing our knowledge and skills.
• Using the Resolution Guides to Good Practice in our day-to-day work.
• And working with other Resolution members to uphold this Code and ensure it is at the heart of everything we do.

If you would like to talk to Richard Dilks about your current circumstances, we offer an initial divorce and civil partnership dissolution meeting up to one hour with a letter of advice for a fixed fee price of £120 inclusive of VAT. We also offer a fixed fee divorce package. Contact 01603 660 811 or email [email protected]

Read more: https://hatchbrenner.co.uk/news/hatch-brenner-welcomes-no-fault-divorce-reform-and-the-end-of-the-blame-game

*107,599 opposite-sex couples divorced in 2019, an increase of 18.4% from 90,871 in 2018. 822 same-sex couples divorced in 2019, compared to 428 in 2018.

Reference: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-54972762

It has been widely publicised this year that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the NHS.

With services already under strain at the beginning of 2020 trying to recover from the winter months, additional steps had to be taken in March 2020 to prepare the NHS for the predicted influx of COVID patients, and the prevention of the wider spread of the virus.

These measures included:

• Cancelling planned operations
• Patients discharged back into the community as early as possible
• Remote GP consultations

The impact of these measures, and the change in patient behaviour has seen a huge increase in the number of people who are now waiting for treatment to begin or surgeries to be rearranged.

Patient reluctance to visit the GP, for fear of contracting the virus, or ‘adding to the burden’, has also seen illnesses go undiagnosed, or reach a stage that means the treatment may no longer be as effective.

Cancer services have been particularly affected by the pandemic. Screening, diagnosis and delays in treatment have been put under huge strain, and it has been estimated that over two million people in the UK are now waiting for screening, tests and treatments since the start of lockdown in March 2020.*

Delays in diagnosis

The delay in a diagnosis can have a devastating, and in some cases, a fatal outcome for some patients.

If screening, diagnosis, and treatment is delayed, cancers may become inoperable. A delayed diagnosis can result in extra treatment, unnecessarily prolong a patient’s recovery time or reduce their life expectancy.

Treatments cancelled

Pressures on the NHS and the shortages of staff have resulted in many treatments and procedures being cancelled or postponed as hospitals battled to care for COVID patients and reduce the spread of the virus.

Delays may cause unnecessary harm and suffering to patients, which under normal circumstances would be deemed unacceptable or negligent.

Impact of COVID

The ‘Clap for Carers’ tribute, was a social movement created during the pandemic as a gesture of appreciation for the NHS and medical staff who have worked under intense pressure to manage treatments and care for patients during this unprecedented time, and echoed the sentiments of the country.

As we emerge from the second lockdown, and look ahead to Christmas and the New Year, the full impact that COVID has had on patients and the NHS remains unknown.

Unfortunately, for many people seeking medical treatment for illnesses such as cancer, the overwhelming pressure felt by the NHS has meant they have not received the same standard of care as they would have pre-COVID and the outcomes could be devastating.

Delays only add costs onto the NHS already strained budget. There is also the cost to family and loved ones as well as wider society.

Case Study – delay in diagnosis

Hatch Brenner Solicitors Chartered Legal Executive and Medical Negligence specialist Simon Bransby recently acted on behalf of a family of patient who had received treatment from a local hospital. It was alleged that the hospital did not properly diagnose and treat his cancer, which led to his death.

It was accepted by the hospital that an earlier diagnosis should have been made, but they denied this would have made much difference to the treatment and eventual outcome.

An Inquest took place, following which the hospital was prepared to offer an apology and provide compensation to the family.

Speak to our team of Medical Negligence Solicitors via 01603 660 811, or email [email protected].

*Cancer Research UK

*British Medical Association (BMA)

Brexit actions: notes on the IES checklist jobs 6 to 13

Recently we shared the Import Export Support checklist for preparations for Jan. 1. Here is some more detail on the checklist tasks, including compliance, tariffs and handling Import VAT. 6-9. Compliance. From 1 Jan 2021 declarations will increase five-fold. To minimise the risk of HMRC intervention or review, importers and exporters must ensure compliance. Key activities include:     •    Classification review     •    Sample import and export checks for accuracy and correct valuation declared.     •    Import and export process and SOP’s reviewed     •    Export VAT compliance: get alternative proof of export for consignments with a non-compliant status of export

10. Inco Terms. These define who picks up the freight insurance and duty liabilities and are a mandatory requirement on a CDS declaration (currently NI only) and will be required on import into the EU. More on Inco Terms

11,12. UK Global Tariff and Common External Tariff. From Jan 1st UK Global Tariff (UKGT) will be applicable for import into the UK from anywhere.     •    Note that there are changes to duty rates. There are no increases, just reductions. Rates are either simplified, eg from 4.7% to 4%, or to proactively reduce the rate, or in some cases to reduce the rate to 0%     •    The list is downloadable into Excel     •    Where a tariff has only 8 digits, simply prefix it 00 to make the 10-digit code required for import     •    Common External Tariff (WTO Rates). If a trade deal is not agreed, duty rates listed in the first column of the UKGT list will apply to imports into the EU. Review UK trade tariffs

13. Postponed Import VAT Accounting. PIVA will allow importers to account for import VAT on their VAT return, rather than using a deferment account.     •    Traders do not need to be authorised to do this     •    This applies to all imports into the UK, not just those from the EU     •    A deferment account is still required for the payment of duty and for CFSP More on PIVA

Our advice continues to be that businesses should prioritise preparations as the new trade environment starts in just a few weeks.

If you need more insight or advice, please contact me here Or visit the Import Export Support site  

The highlighted numbers refer to the job number on the checklist

Whilst Norfolk is set to come out of Lockdown 2.0, businesses are continuing to feel the strain of the ongoing COVID situation, having to navigate the new tier system and what this may mean for them. Whilst many businesses have continued to operate, market conditions have still proved to be difficult for many. Making a clear and focused decision may seem like an impossible task. If you feel you would like another set of eyes on a certain solution, idea, or proposition, Akcela are here to support.

At Akcela, we have always offered a 60 minute introductory session with a business coach for free. However, given the current situation, we have decided to offer a reduced rate for any clients who join Akcela as a client until the end of December 2020.

Business coaching sessions will take place with Akcela business consultant Matt Lawley. Matt has an undergraduate degree in Advertising and Marketing, an MBA and a postgraduate qualification in professional consulting. Working with Akcela, Matt has a wide range of client experience in many sectors and follows the Akcela approach to business coaching and development. All Akcela practices follow the CMI’s institute of consulting guidelines for best practice, with each consultant completing an IOC accredited postgraduate accreditation in professional consulting.

Matt has a wide range of skills that can support you and your business including;

• Annual planning Consultancy and Support
• Business value proposition consultancy
• Sales and Marketing Strategy and Execution
• Executive Mentoring and Coaching
• Business Process Re-Engineering

To book a 60 minute session, which can include a focus on one particular issue, contact Akcela today.

2020 has brought many challenges to our region and it is never been more important to celebrate how our region’s businesses are making a difference. Throughout this year many organisations across our region have demonstrated how adaptable they can be, responding to challenges, grasping new opportunities whilst ensuring staff are safe and supported.

With our partners, Birketts LLP, we were delighted to co-sponsor and judge the Employer of the Year category at the 2020 Norfolk Business Awards. The judges were looking for how Norfolk’s businesses were making a difference in three key areas – care for employees and stakeholders, adaptability and being innovative.

Pure’s Executive Director Lynn Walters said “The quality of entrants this year has been exceptional and it has been truly humbling for the judges to witness the extent to which employers have gone above and beyond to innovate, look after their people and adapt under extremely challenging circumstances.”

Whilst we were sad that we were unable to celebrate with the finalists and winners in person, we are delighted to share with you why we felt East Anglian Air Ambulance, Rosedale Funeral Home, Saffron Housing and Panel Graphic, were worthy of the recognition that they worked so hard to achieve.

The judges were incredibly proud to announce East Anglia Air Ambulance (EAAA) as Employer of the year at the Norfolk Business Awards.

WINNERS – EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE

This year is EAAA’s 20th anniversary and their people have shared the journey as they have grown from very small beginnings operating one flight per week to a 24/7 operation. The extent of their innovation is phenomenal and runs through the DNA of the organisation. In 2020, not only did they adapt all their normal operational procedures, but they delivered extraordinary innovation and care when it came to looking after their people, including inventing purpose designed PPE. Making the time to communicate each day, recording their ‘desert island discs podcasts’  from their staff, creating ‘furlough families’ and involving everyone in fundraising from cleaners to pilots, which enabled them to beat their fundraising target three fold, were just some of their achievements.

They paid attention to the small everyday things that affected individuals as much as the big operational challenges and their energy, compassion and belief is testimony to the incredible leadership. They excelled at staff wellbeing and through their efforts, generated huge loyalty from their team who adapted and innovated, enabling them to redesign the front line operational procedures as well as keeping team spirit high whilst most were working remotely.

Lynn Walters said, “As close runners up in last year’s business awards, we already knew that EAAA are exceptional employers, but the scale and pace of their response to COVID-19 has been incredible. They demonstrated a relentless focus on their people, ensuring everyone felt involved, connected and important regardless of their position and personal situation.”

WHY DID THE OTHER FINALISTS STAND OUT?

Rosedale Funeral Home is a privately owned, family run funeral home operating from 6 locations across Norfolk and Suffolk, employing ‘a family of 50 people’.

Nominated by their employees, the judges were impressed with how the Directors, Anne and Simon, run Rosedale as one big family business. They have worked relentlessly, leading from the front, to ensure their team were listened to, involved, and personally supported through the pandemic. With over 25% of their employees, being in the vulnerable category, they had to innovate fast to ensure they could continue to provide the exceptional care when families need it most. Through a combination of initiatives, they have enabled their team to work differently, developed new services and support for families and communities, looked after their staff’s wellbeing and still managed to have a virtual company away day to celebrate everyone’s achievements.

Panel Graphics is a privately owned manufacturing company based in Loddon that supply high quality plastic parts used for information display to companies across the world. It has been in operation for 21 years and employs 40 people.

In 2020, supporting their staff was at the top of the business agenda. Chief Executive, Steve Earl, wrote to every member of staff to assure them they did not need to be worried about finances or job losses as the company had set up a fund which staff could call on for support. The company stayed in touch with staff to ensure they were coping and not feeling isolated through monthly socially distanced coffee mornings, providing updates on company performance and discuss health and wellbeing. The business also paid for staff to have a cooked meal for their families at least once a week. They adapted their facilities to design and produce PPE in particular face shields for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, County Council and local firms, producing 10,000 masks per day. The company hired many more local volunteers and local businesses were very supportive of the efforts and provided food and other local produce to staff. Panel Graphics are a great example of a team being creative not only in designing new products but involving their staff and making a huge difference in difficult times.

Saffron Housing are a fantastic example of how a business should engage its people in a national crisis and bring them along on the journey.

As the saying in business goes, ‘you can never over communicate’ and Saffron’s approach to this has been impressive. They quickly increased communications in a range of innovative ways including virtual coffee mornings and drop in “huddles” to allow staff to consult and question business leaders, keeping staff entertained as well as informed. Saffron identified the need to support people’s mental well-being by doubling their trained staff first aiders and providing access to an Employee Assistance Programme. They set up and signposted a new Staff Engagement Platform and encouraged everyone to take regular breaks. Staff sentiment was  measured regularly by pulse surveys and the responses to their surveys enabled them to  address requests for long term flexible and home working options, and for a full redesign of their offices (a village hall concept) planned to complete by Christmas.

The management team lead strongly and continue to be aware of the ongoing challenges to wellbeing, as we come through the COVID pandemic and have created an engaged, relevant and positive working environment for the future.

Sponsorship of the Norfolk Business Awards ‘Employer of the Year’ category is part of our Best Employers Eastern Region initiative. Find out more at www.best-employers.co.uk 

UX designers will always argue that to have a successful, highly converting website you need to create a path of least resistance. The less clicks to conversion the better!

However, we now live in a world where we are responsible for protecting ourselves, our businesses and our clients from cyber-criminals. With that in mind, UX designers’ job is to try and make the whole process as quick and easy to use as possible.

Case Study – What we learnt from Recaptcha?

For a start if you don’t have Recaptcha for the sake of you and your users you absolutely should. It’s part of your defences against cybercrime and it shows your customers that you take security seriously.

Recaptcha is a service from Google that helps protect websites from abuse, spam and fraud. It once required users to prove that they aren’t robots by taking a mini test, which added many clicks, decision making and often drove users crazy.

How did Google improve the UX?

Version 2 of Recapture was the best Google could do at the time and when 2018 rolled around they had listened to user feedback and needed a new approach. With version 3 they removed the UX nightmare and instead opted to verify requests with a score and give you the ability to take action in the context of your site. This means the user is required to make no extra clicks, no extra decisions and no more headaches.

Our UX designer Ryan Farrow says “The change from V2 to V3 had a dramatic effect on usability, as most users of V2 were suffering from decision fatigue before the update. Decision fatigue in usability terms means that every page of your website provides the user with information and decisions to be made. The more decisions you ask of a user the more likely they are going to give up which increases abandonment rates and reduces conversion.”

How does the UX designers deal with security?

The problem normally comes when security isn’t considered during the UX/UI process. When developing a persona for the ideal user there won’t be many cases when security of information isn’t a priority. Having security considered early on helps you to consider the areas of weakness and research the best solutions. The best solution will 9 times out of 10 be the safest, but how the security effects the UX process should also be considered to make the final decision.

A good design and development team will carefully consider this balance between ease of use and security. Once a solution has been implemented, it is also important to keep the site updated with the latest security measures as they are released. Finally, the last important thing to do going forwards is to periodically review security to see when better options become available.

At Source Code Studio we provide carefully considered website design, app & software development for all our clients. Also, as part of “The Green Duck Family” we provide our clients with a single point of contact for IT services through Green Duck and cyber-security through Labsec.

If you’d like to speak to us about a new secure website or even how to keep your users safe from cybercrime, get in touch.

 “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” ~Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Books are the gateway to a different world. You can explore places otherwise inaccessible to a common man. And when you read literature in a particular language, not only do you learn about their culture but also what and how they think. 

Russian is the largest native language in Europe with over 258  million speakers! It is the official language of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. It has got a large percentage of speakers in central Asia, Baltic nations, and the Caucasus. It is also the second most common language on the internet. 

With such a large and diverse geographical area, Russian literature is rich. The first-ever book in Russian, The Minor, a play, was written by Denis Fonvizin in 1782. After that, there was no turning back. To date, numerous books have redefined the literary course of Russian literature. 

7 Books That Redefined the Russian Language

It was not easy to shortlist just 7 books from a language as vast and diverse as Russian. Here, we are with our 7 magical books. Have a read:

1. Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak: Set in the backdrop of the Russian revolution, this novel is a classic tale of romance, tragedy, and misfortune. It intricately captures the struggles of people during the first half of the twentieth century. The protagonist loses his parents in his childhood. He is raised by his uncle. He goes on to marry a close friend. But then he begins to develop feelings for another woman. His strong moral values keep him tied to his wife. The complexities of the human mind are beautifully captured in this book.

1. A Hero Of Our Time By Mikhail Lermontov: This groundbreaking novel paved the way to realistic fiction in Russian literature. Lermontov introduces Pechorin, the first antihero character of Russian fiction to the readers. Set in the backdrop of the Russian Caucasus in the 1830s, the novel deeply probes the psychology of a young and powerful aristocrat. 

While being extremely capable, the protagonist fails to maintain positive human emotions. He takes pride in destroying lives, and brutality. Ultimately, this leads to his downfall.

1. Fathers And Sons By Ivan Turgenev: Fathers and sons depict the typical conflict between generations. It explores the dilemma of a nihilist young man upon falling in love and other human emotions. This makes him question his attitude and fall towards spirituality. The main characters of the book are Nikolai, his son Arkady, and his friend Bazarov, Nikolai’s brother Pavel and his maid Fenichka who he later married. Readers get a glimpse of the Russian society where norms were strict but it was getting an air of modernity. 

1. Dead Souls By Nikolay Gogol: Dead souls is a satirical take on the Russian provincial life. It explores the deeds of a man who convinces landowners to buy dead souls as these dead people were still alive in documents till the next census. Landowners in those days had to pay tax on the souls that they possessed. 

While the census was erratic, these landowners were forced to pay taxes even for the people who died in this duration. When the protagonist offers to buy these dead souls, he receives the skepticism of the landowners. Still, he manages to buy about 400 souls. Then the rumors begin to fuel the town and he loses his status stature. 

1. War And Peace By Leo Tolstoy: Talking about Russian literature is incomplete without Leo Tolstoy and war and peace. This masterpiece novel explores the psychology of people in the early 19th century when the fear of Napolean’s war loomed over Russia. The beauty of this novel lies in the fact that Tolstoy extensively studied the history of that era to create a realistic fiction.

1. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy: Another masterpiece by Tolstoy, this novel explores the complex life of Anna, a powerful socialite. She falls in love with a Vronsky but is not ready to give up on her marriage. Russian societal norms, her love for family, and fear of church keep her hands tied. 

Her life takes a drastic turn when she decides to run away with Vronsky to Italy. There she faces the harshness of society. She comes back to Russia where she is shamed and shunned by her family and society as well. What follows is the tale of insecurities, moral conflict, and isolation. 

1. Mother By Maxim Gorky: If there is one novel that explores the depth of a mother’s love for her child, it is Gorky’s mother. The novel is set in the backdrop of the great revolution of the 1900s. Pelagueya, the mother, is married to an irresponsible and drunkard husband who dies early. The whole responsibility of raising her son, Pevlov falls on her. 

She works hard in a Russian factory. Initially, Pevlov becomes an alcoholic but then he gets involved in revolutionary activities. Pelagueya is skeptical of her son’s activities at first. Being uneducated, she is unable to read the pamphlets that her sons bring. Still, her maternal instincts ask her to help her son out. she prints out her son’s anti-government speech and begins distributing it. A spy notices it and informs the officials. She is killed among the masses.

How Do I Read These Books In Their Original Language?

The truth is, the soul of a book is partially lost in translation. If you want to feel the true emotions, the best way is to read a book in its original language. But how can you do that if you do not know Russian? Well, there are plenty of online Russian tutor who can teach you at an affordable cost. The new age e-learning portals are your gateway to the literary marvel that is the Russian language. So no need to read the translations, you can enjoy these great novels in the native language!

For businesses preparing for the new rules on trade with Europe, now is the time to ensure everything is ready. Last week we shared the Import Export Support checklist for preparations for Jan. 1. If you’ve been using it, here is some detail on the first four tasks on the checklist. We’ll be following this up with more information, so look out for further updates.

Checklist notes: defining importers, exporters, agents and intermediaries

1. Importer/Exporter of record in UK. From January 1st 2021 an export declaration will be required when goods leave the UK destined for EU27 countries and vice versa.

• The consignor/exporter of record is responsible for any customs debt or liability incurred through a HMRC review
• Goods leaving the UK must be submitted using an EORI number starting with GB
• Goods leaving the EU must be submitted using an EORI number starting with an EU27 country code
• For goods leaving the UK, a P2P (permission to progress) message must be received from CHIEF before the truck will be allowed to enter the port.

2. Importer/Exporter of record in EU. From Jan. 1 an import declaration will be required when goods enter an EU27 country from the UK and vice versa.

• The consignee/importer of record is responsible for the accuracy of the declaration and any resulting customs debt or liability incurred because of inaccuracies
• When entering an EU27 country, the import declaration must be submitted by the Importer of Record (Consignee) using an EU EORI number starting with the EU27 country code like DE, NL, FR etc.
• When entering the UK this must be submitted by the Importer of Record (Consignee) using a UK EORI number starting with GB
• EU27 countries will have systems similar to the UK’s GVMS, to facilitate transit through ports of entry
• Goods will be customs cleared whilst they are making their crossing. This is when a decision is made whether the shipment can be allowed to disembark and go straight to its destination or whether it needs additional checks. Checks will be done by HMRC at a location away from the port.

3,4. Customs Intermediaries. It is usual to appoint an agent or customs intermediary to submit customs declarations on your behalf. They will normally act as a direct representative, which leaves the importer of record, ie your business, wholly responsible for the accuracy of the declarations submitted and liable for any resulting customs debt, fines or penalties levied by HMRC. It is therefore imperative to give clear instructions to your agent, to perform regular checks on key information and to have a documented process to ensure that any errors are corrected on a timely basis.

Our advice is that businesses should prioritise preparations as the new trade environment starts in just a few weeks.

If you need more insight or advice, please contact me here

The highlighted numbers refer to the job number on the checklist

The trend of promoting your products and services through an online platform is becoming very popular. One great benefit of online business is that you are not required to pay rent or take care of your assets. Covid-19 has made work in the outside environment almost impossible. In times like this, online businesses provides a great opportunity to earn money and run your business. Here are some great tips on how to effectively run your business on the internet.

Properly Organise Your Website

To make your brand popular and stand out more, you should perfectly create your website. From website designing to marketing, everything should be planned out with care. Post content that provides useful and detailed information about your products. You can optimise your website using SEO (Search Engine Operation). It helps in making your website trend in search engines, which provides it more exposure. Exposure to your website attracts more traffic to your site.

Safely Maintain Your Records

Online businesses should plan out a proper way to maintain their customer information and other records. Brands have a responsibility to protect and secure customer information. Information regarding your business transactions should only be kept with your employees. Set up a proper system on your computer to record information. Also, make sure to have a back-up software to avoid any data loss.

Communication

In some cases, you may not have an office set up when running your online business. Your employees will have to work remotely in their own space. In such circumstances, the need for a secure communication system arises. By using the Zivver application, you can safely send messages and make video calls with your workers. It helps in protecting your confidential information. Your information will reach the other device without any leakage. You can also secure email by using Zivver to protect your work-related information.

Use of Social Media

One of the best digital marketing strategies is done through social media accounts. To increase traffic to your site, you can promote it through your social media. Make your business accounts on different platforms and update it on a daily or weekly basis. You can post creative content and mesmerising photos of your products. You can also hire famous influencers on social media to advertise your business. They tend to have a huge fan following, making it easy to gain the public’s attention.

Strong Internet Connection

For your online business to run efficiently and without any error, make sure you have a strong internet connection. A poor connection can make you miss out on a customer order or fail to reply to them right away. It can lead to poor customer service, which negatively affects your website. Your remote employees should also have a great connection so that they can complete their tasks on time. As the business runs entirely on the internet, you should not miss out on any opportunities caused by a poor internet connection.

Expand Your Knowledge

Before planning to start an online business, you should train and learn about it. It is best to know everything before you indulge in online business. You should take training in programs like digital marketing to help you with website designing. It also provides you valid information on how to increase your online traffic. Expand your SEO knowledge, as well. Search engines are of great importance to websites. With the help of SEO, you can optimize your site to come up in the top searches. It will also help you in choosing relevant keywords for your content that can help promote it.

We all need to spend money with third parties to keep our businesses going.

Whether it’s products for distribution, IT support or PPE, we have to buy them, but we make sure that we’re not spending over the odds.

It can be hard to know where to start, which is why I’ve put together 5 tips to save money with your suppliers.

Group Items Together

We call this ‘consolidating spend.’ It’s where you sort all the different types of products you buy into one category, such as: stationery, PPE, nuts & bolts.

When you have this list and the quantities that you’re likely to buy each year, you can approach suppliers for a price list that covers all those items.

It’s a bit like bulk buying, but you don’t have to buy the items until you need them. You just know in advance how much it will cost and your supplier ‘rewards’ you for your loyalty with preferential pricing.

It can also save you time because you don’t need to get quotes for items or decide which supplier should be used.

Note, the quantities that you give should be guidelines and you shouldn’t have to guarantee to buy a certain quantity.

Right-Size Your Suppliers

You want to be treated like a valuable customer. That way you’ll get better pricing and better service. I think we all know from our personal lives what it’s like to deal with a giant company that puts you through to random call centres!

Right-sizing is about finding the supplier that is big enough to cope with the quantities you want to buy but small enough for that volume to be valuable to them.

For example, if you have an office that has 50 people in it (normally!), it would be too big for a self-employed cleaner to take on the work. Conversely, it would be too small for a national company like Interserve or Serco to care much about the business. The trick is to find that (local) cleaning company who has capacity to service an office your size, but it’ll represent enough money to make a difference to their annual turnover.

Don’t underestimate how valuable good service is! Remember the times when you’ve had to deal with an incorrect energy bill or you’ve been overcharged for your mobile – it takes an awful lot of time to correct problems. It’s much more cost-effective to make sure you’re given good service from the beginning.

Ask!

You don’t always have to change suppliers to find a better price. Over time, contracts and pricing get rolled over automatically, and you see ‘price creep.’

Your supplier might not have realised that this is happening! Or, they might have an idea for how you can buy the items cheaper, such as in larger quantities or a different brand.

It’s seems counter-intuitive that suppliers would want you to spend less with them, but most want to give good customer service. And if they’re over-charging then they’ll lose you as a customer eventually anyway.

Share Your Goals

When you’re talking to your supplier, tell them about your business goals and ask them about theirs.

If your business is looking to expand, give better customer service or boost output, your suppliers might be able to help.

For example, if you’re a distributor and you want to be able to ship goods to your customers faster, your key suppliers might be able to do ‘drop ship’ orders direct to your customers under your branding. And that might tie up with their goals of increasing that side of their business.

Saving money is about more than just the price tag – it can mean reducing the amount of time you spend on everyday tasks.

Also, your supplier is going to be more motivated to give better pricing if they understand why you’re asking for it.

Reduce Your Transaction Costs

Every time you interact with a supplier it’s costing your business money, because you could be doing something that adds value to your customer.

These steps could include: asking for a quote, asking about a product or service, raising a Purchase Order, receiving the product into your warehouse and paying the invoice. That’s if there aren’t any problems with the delivery or order!

Taking out these steps will reduce your overall cost of working with a supplier. You could do this by:

• Having consolidated invoices, such as one per month instead of per order
• Having ‘vendor managed inventory’, where the supplier looks after your stock for you
• Using online ordering platforms

Conclusion | Price vs Value

My final tip would be to not confuse ‘price’ with ‘value’ – if something is cheaper but doesn’t last as long, it’s not good value.

Price is important but getting the right product or service for you is the key.

For support on how to get more value out of your supply chain, feel free to give me a ring on 07588 071975 or check out my page where you can get more procurement resources.

With less than two months until the Brexit deadline, Chris Scargill, Partner and business advisor at MHA Larking Gowen, believes trading with Europe after Brexit, deal or no deal, will be more challenging than many businesses are currently willing to admit.

Chris explained: “Due to COVID-19 the majority of British companies involved in exporting to Europe have not been able to give Brexit the attention they should, and unfortunately, some are in denial about the scale of the challenge. While there are a number of solutions available to facilitate EU trade, it is not as simple as getting an EU EORI number* to solve all supply chain challenges.”

A poll of some 50 import and export businesses held during our recent MHA Larking Gowen Brexit webinar noted only 8% of businesses felt fully prepared for exiting the EU, although pleasingly, 37% felt they were more than 50% prepared right now.

Chris continued: “The problems Brexit will throw up are surmountable, but they also require a long-term strategy to adjust to new trading arrangements and regulatory issues. The lack of preparedness is very understandable given the pandemic, but businesses now need to act promptly and get in the right mindset to see Brexit through over the next five to ten years.

“It is crucial to realise that although a deal will bring great relief to businesses and their bottom line by removing the cost of duty tariffs, the legal and regulatory as well as administrative costs will remain. For example, customs declarations cost money, irrespective of any actual duty being charged. As an estimate, if a company has 2,000 declarations to make, it could cost potentially £50,000 to employ an agent to handle this volume of paperwork. Being unprepared and getting caught out will cost even more; if goods turn up at the border without the right paperwork they will just be stuck in the port.

“Due to COVID-19 and the misconception that a deal means trading will continue as normal, we have sleepwalked into a situation where, less than two months away from the biggest change to the UK’s trading relationships in our lifetime, many businesses are unprepared. It is not too late for companies to get their house in order, but for many, this will have to entail looking beyond specific fixes, like hiring a customs agent or thinking about a subsidiary in Europe, important though these steps are.”

*An EORI number, or Economic Operators Registration and Identification number, is needed to move goods between the UK and non-EU countries.

Visit our dedicated Brexit Hub for more information and further updates