Member Blog

Michael Brook explains The Process used to make your business videoand why the way About My Business Video chargesyou for those videos is better for you… no hidden costs! Take a look you’ll be surprised. Video is such an important part of marketing your business now. It has so many benefits. Some of these are statistical and irrefutable and some benefits are behavioural and change the way people think, feel and act.

Here is the process outlined – please watch the video:

Meet with You the client

Agree with you the purpose or objectives forthe business video

Write the Script

Storyboard

Plan -who, when, where, how…

Shoot or animate or both

Record voice-over if required

Find the right music for the soundtrack

Edit the whole thing together

Refine and render

Get the client’s approval

Go back and fix what needs fixing or what needs changing

Re-edit,Refine,Render

Get the client approval again – (keep working on it until everyone’s happy)

Deliver the finished video to the client: on DVD, and memory stick, on dropbox, online

For more take a look at our bloghttps://www.aboutmybusinessvideo.co.uk/category/blog-posts/

Digital Marketing agency, Bigfork tooled up with a leading UK hand tool distirbutor J&S Products, todesign and build a new mobile friendly cataloguewebsite that would showcase an extensiverange of products. J&S Products wanted to make sure that their customers could browse their wide range of products with ease. They also wanted to ensure that the distributors could login and order products online quickly and efficiently. Headon over and take a look at theJ&S Productswebsite to see how it looks.

Bigfork – we make websites stand out

t: 01603 513080

www.bigfork.co.uk

Things have been going OK for your business. But are you clear on where you’re going and how you’re going to get there? Maybe it’s time to review your strategy.

But how do you create a business strategy that you can really use? You could get the Senior Management team in a room to thrash it out. Or you could ask a complete stranger.

Asking a stranger to write a new growth strategy for a business that you know everything about and they know nothing about might sound rather counter-intuitive. But perhaps a stranger, with the right credentials, is just want you need.

I could be just the stranger you need! I make my living by helping businesses discover what they need to do to create genuine, and continual, growth.

I can come into a business with completely fresh eyes and look objectively at where things stand and where the opportunities are. I’m completely unencumbered by what’s happened in the past and I’m not held back by ‘how things have always been done.

But why should you trust me to give you the right strategic advice for your business?

Sure, I’ve got theright qualifications, but it’s my experience which is really valuable in this job. I’m from a multi-skilled, multi-corporate background so I’ve seen the best and worst of business and have solved all kinds of problems along the way. I’ve developed techniques that apply all that I know to other businesses, no matter their size or shape.

Sharing the future of your business with an outsider might feel daunting, but it doesn’t mean giving up control. It simply means getting the right help at the right time. And the cost will pale into insignificance compared to the profit you stand to make from having an efficient business with a sound strategy and a clear direction.

A business strategy is all too often written as a box-ticking exercise and then put on a shelf to collect dust. But a well thought out strategy can be a very powerful tool. It should be used every day to help make smart business decisions and to give direction to every individual within your organisation.

I can show you how the right strategy adds true value for long term benefit – take a look at some ofmy testimonialsto see how I’ve helped other businesses.

Starting a conversation about mental health doesn’t have to be difficult.

I could have started this blog talking about all the great work our charity of the year do and what awesome fundraising activities we’ll be taking part in, but this all felt a bit false, as I’d be ignoring an experience that if shared, could start a conversation or, in some small way, positively affect someone.

My experience isn’t something I talk about, even my closest friends and colleagues don’t know how poor mental health has shaped my past.

So here we go…

My mother suffered significantly from mental health issues and after my parents divorced, when I was 9 and my sister was 6, it heightened the difficulties she faced. This culminated in her deciding that this world wasn’t for her and she left us when I was 18.

This year I turned 36 and have lived longer without her than with her. This is a significant milestone for me and, as a new mother, I have begun to appreciate the events of my childhood from a new perspective.

Like a skipping stone the ripples of her poor mental health and death were felt by many and still feature significantly in my thoughts and life choices. I wonder now how different her life would have been if she’d had access to support, guidance and understanding.

What is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Mental health problems are a common human experience.

Every year, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem.

When you’re living with a mental health problem, or supporting someone who is, having access to the right information – about a condition, treatment options, or practical issues – is vital. It can change a life.

It is only in recent years I have come to explore what mental health means for me as an individual, a mother, a family member, an employer & colleague and as a wider part of my community.

It has become very clear to me that the simple step of talking about mental health is the most important first step that every single one of us can take. Poor mental health is extremely common, every single one of us will be affected by it, and we all have the power to help someone who is experiencing a period of poor mental health.

I’ve not spoken about the experiences of my childhood for many reasons but the two main ones are:

I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to make other people feel uncomfortable

In hindsight, I realise now that, just as she didn’t feel able to take positive steps and didn’t have access to consistent guidance and support, I too could have helped my journey by talking to people.

We so desperately need to start talking about mental health, it is the first step in getting help and the first step in removing the taboo involved about getting help.

So, let’s talk. Let’s find ways to stop being afraid of or ashamed of times when our mental health is ‘under the weather’. Let’s work together to make it perfectly acceptable to admit we aren’t feeling mentally well. You’d offer someone a painkiller if they had a headache. Let’s find a way of doing the same for mental health. Let’s look after ourselves and each other.

Supporting Norwich Mind

Throughout 2016 the team at Indigo Swan are supporting Norwich Mind. This wonderful charity provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

They won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.

My reading highlighted to me that 1 in 10 young people will experience a mental health problem. I can only think that these young minds will grow into adults who would benefit greatly from early support. With this in mind I was delighted when the Indigo Swan team decided to specifically fundraise for Norwich Mind’s Youth Mind First Aid course. This innovative new project aims to develop the understanding around mental health and young people, improve access to support services and offers young people more opportunities to manage their well-being.

Watch this space

Each month within our newsletter, on our Twitter account and on our Just Giving page we will be updating you on our fundraising activities and more information about what we can do an employers, colleagues, friends & families to help those experiencing a mental health problem.

By Emily Groves Founder & Managing Director

Article originally from the Indigo Swan website:https://indigoswan.co.uk/talk-mental-health/

– JustGiving – Peck Here Sign up to our Newsletter – Peck Here More information about MIND – Peck Here

Following our search engine success for GLC, we were approached by Monevo to provide search engine optimisation for Guarantor Loans – a brand new website for comparing loans of up to £15,000 and require a guarantor as part of the application process. Currently, the website consists of a basic comparison table and potential borrowers can compare the APR, loan duration and loan amount and click through to the lender of their choice and apply directly.

Monevo are a leading Consumer Finance Fintech brand, with a strong presence in the UK, USA and Australia. Through a number of specialist websites, they provide companies with high quality lead generation and help credit consumers find the best financial products for them. 

How We Approached The Project

Whilst having a name in the URL that tells what you do is certainly helpful, we still had to take the regular steps to optimise the site. We began with ways to show Google that this is a real business. This included adding a Google map on the site, signing up to Google Business and submitting the site to important directors such as Yell, Yelp and 192.com

We then started optimising all the meta-titles and descriptions for our target keywords and adding regular content (around 3 pieces of 1,000 words per week) including what the site does and guides such as how does a guarantor loan work, how are repayments collected and what checks are carried out by lenders.

We generated some strong links using our own host of websites and on business and finance magazines and journals where we could take about the industry, specifically the recent increase in FCA regulation.

Next Steps

The website will be redesigned to look smart, presentable and user friendly. We plan to continue adding regular pieces of content and instructional videos to add a professional quality to the site and keep users on it for longer. Other typical SEO techniques include adding useful infographics and studies to generate interest and links from external sources. No doubt that as the site gets more popular, it will attract spammy links and comments from elsewhere so we intend to keep a clean link profile by regularly removing bad links through Google’s disavow tool.

Over time, as the site increases its positions on Google, we expect new lenders and partners will seek to get involved and this will give customers more selection when choosing a loan.

Within one month of optimising the site we have moved to page 3 for ‘compare guarantor loans’ and page 6 for ‘guarantor loans’ and anticipate we will reach page 1 positions for both keywords in at least 6 months time.

Congratulations to Leicester City for winning the coveted Premier League title.

It’s always great to see an underdog win and it’s perhaps the greatest sports story of all time.

However I saw Jamie Vardy in the paper today driving his Blue Bentley, and perhaps has just been awarded a bonus for his extraordinary talent this year and wondered ;do professional footballers need car finance?

Using Jamie as an example, he is paid thousands of pounds each week, lives in a beautiful house and could buy any car he wanted, so I would assume like many that he does not require finance.

But, surprisingly, many Premier League footballers, including Jamie are buying their motors on finance instead of cash up-front, despite their exaggerated earnings. And they’re not the only ones. Many high net worth individuals including business owners, bankers and even lottery winners also buy cars on finance. Why is this?

Well after talking to my counterparts I realised that here at Credo we also have some very high net worth individuals that have used our services and continue to do so. Many choose to fund their cars to release cash flow and with interest rates being at a historic low of 0.5% for seven years, purchasing the car on finance is a cost effective way of owning the asset. Instead of using huge funds to purchase an expensive car that will inevitably lose value, high net worth individuals opt to invest their capital elsewhere where they can enjoy greater rewards. A finance option also gives those who wish to purchase a ‘supercar’ a testbed to see if it actually increases in value. This can also be the same for classic cars, and this has steadily been rising in popularity over the years with some financing classic vehicles as a hobby.

At Credo, we know that working out the most cost-efficient way to buy a vehicle is almost as tough as choosing the right car in the first place. We have great relationships with more than 30 different lenders which means whatever vehicle you choose to buy, and whether you are a high net worth individual or not, Credo can offer a truly independent view on which finance option is the best for you.

Call us here at the office on01603 703180

Recession no longer stifles potential employees from aiming for the stars. It’s still too early to declare post-recession status, however, the economic climate in the UK is far better now than it was during the late 2000’s. According to BBC News, the British economy “has grown in every quarter since the start of 2013.”

So what does this mean for recruitment agencies? Well, the candidate market is no longer primarily focused on job security. In the late 2000’s, there was a surplus of candidates but, now that we are in “clear” economic waters, candidates are looking to prioritise salary, status and responsibility.

With the applicant pool churning out more and more specialised candidates, it’s more important now, than ever, for recruitment agencies to be pro-active. At HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment, we are very aware of how the fluctuating candidate market affects our client’s needs. Most recruitment agencies will look to fill a vacancy as soon as possible, however, speed is not always in the client’s best interests. At HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment, we specialise in headhunting, which means we will seek to find both active and passive contenders. Our experienced consultants will narrow down the search, presenting our clients with the very best candidates. Whether we are in an economic boom or bust HEAD|HUNTED will always prioritise our clients and their needs.

At HUNTED;

• We use the latest tools, technology and expertise to narrow the candidate pool
• Each organisation is designated an experienced headhunter who will gain an in-depth understanding of the client’s business and hiring requirements
• Each potential employee will be fully registered and briefed by one of our experienced headhunters and only the very best will be shortlisted to our clients.

If you would like to ensure a proactive and thorough hiring process where your needs are fully understood, please contact HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment today – 01603 858024.

I’m not really sure if I like mazes.

Hampton Court was my nemesis – the grim realisation, as I found myself at yet another dead end, that although I knew there must be a way out there was no guarantee I’d find it. Around half an hour of being certain I’d trudged past the same spot for the fifth time the novelty started to wear off and I began to ponder the wisdom of going into something with no idea of how I was going to get out.

Which is pretty much how most of us approach our businesses. Speak to any business guru about the essential considerations for a start-up and an exit strategy will be high on the list yet it will be far from the minds of the majority of people setting up a new business.

Which is a shame, because it is often only when the time comes to sell the business that the lack of an exit strategy hits home.

The Government estimates* that around 100,000 otherwise viable businesses close each year simply because no-one wants to take them on.

With the average age of small business owners steadily increasing succession failure is a growing issue.

Here are five of the top causes of succession failure:

• Unclear business objectives –If the owner is more concerned with their lifestyle outside of the business, the likelihood is the goals and direction of the business may have been put on the back burner. Businesses with clearly formed objectives and evidence of working towards them are more attractive. This level of business focus also points towards the business having some form of succession plan in place.

• Poor business performance –For most, poor performing businesses are not attractive ventures. Looking to exit when your business isn’t doing well doesn’t give the best impression to a possible successor, especially if there’s no clear pre-existing exit plan.

• Business reliant on specialised knowledge –The more reliant your business is on you, the less stable the business is as a whole. If you can distance yourself from the core of the business’ processes, the better it will look to a potential successor. A successful and efficient business is far more attractive than one heavily reliant on a celebrated owner. Once that owner has transferred, what is there to say business will still thrive? Well established systems and processes can easily fall apart once you remove the vital operational knowhow.

• Lack of transfer planning- There needs to be time for this knowhow to be passed on and retained in the business, so start early! Transfer plans are generally considered too late, or only when the survival of the business is relying on it. The longer the handover period the better, as it leaves a bigger window of opportunity for the specialised knowledge of the outgoing owner to be transferred.

• No suitable or willing succession candidate –Sometimes the most adept candidate for succession is a third party, but there may be reservations in transferring your business over to someone you might not know so well. For this reason, family and internal transfers and are historically very common. Whilst you might trust a family member or current employee more than an external candidate, just because they are closer to you it doesn’t mean they will have the necessary skills… or even the want to do it. Recalling the issue about the lack of transfer planning, a longer transfer period provides the opportunity to build a rapport with the third party, or develop the employee’s/relative’s skills, resulting in the perfect succession candidate.

In short, when considering business succession, the earlier you start planning for exit the better. It’s inevitable, so do not put it off until it’s too late to plan adequately. An early, well formulated and ongoing development plan coupled with clear business objectives can be the key to ensuring the best possible outcome from a business transfer.

If you want to find out more about succession planning why not sign up for one of our masterclasses on May 18thwhere you’ll have the opportunity to hear from experts from Larking Gowen, HSBC and Chadwicks. More detailsvisit our website

An organisation’s value is no longer based soley on its tangible or fixed assets; more often than not, it is the company’s intangible assets, including brand reputation and goodwill, that create its market value. Without the proactive protection and valuation of those brands however, how can you be sure that you’re getting a fair price for your business in case of sale, takeover or asset disposal?

When a business is buoyant, it’s easy to overlook the need to protect, monitor and measure corporate IP assets. But, the ramifications of not doing so, become all too evident as soon as that business needs to generate finance as part of a growth strategy, takeover, asset disposal or bankruptcy procedure.

The value of a company’s trademark portfolio includes customer trust and loyalty, and brand image and reputation, as well as the revenues generated by the sale of the products covered by trademark rights. Intangible assets such as these can be difficult to assess and capture on a company’s balance sheet. You may feel you know their value to your business, but if you’re unable to substantiate that value during sale, then they become only as valuable as another party is willing to pay.

Putting a value on trademark rights In order to ring-fence and identify the full value of your trademark rights, companies need to set a strategy of protection and measurement. This needs to start from the very beginning of the IP life cycle; i.e. in the choice of the mark itself (whether a name, word, image, logo, shape or combination of them), which needs to work from a legal perspective as well as a marketing one.

The limits of those rights also need to be fully noted and understood; for example, any negotiations or coexistence agreements that need to be entered into with third parties, any geographical limits due to cultural and language considerations (conflicts) or gaps in protection or use. Factors such as these can be very important when putting a value on a trademark. So too can be any disputes or infringement claims related to that IP asset, and any licensing or merchandising agreements

Similarly, the rights need to be appropriately renewed and maintained. There are countless instances of companies who have sold or bought company brands only to discover that the trademark portfolio behind it was not quite as robust as they had thought; for example, the right had been allowed to lapse or its chain of title had not been properly updated from a prior acquisition.

Given the speed with which action needs to be taken during a merger, acquisition, sale, takeover or bankruptcy procedure, it’s crucial for selling companies to make sure their IP assets are up-to-date. Only by putting in place a proactive management and measurement strategy now will you be able to ensure that you get a fair price for your IP assets on sale.

Visit www.novagraaf.com for further advice on implementing a proactive IP portfolio management strategy in your business.

As part of the confirmation statement, businesses will need to ‘check and confirm’ the company information Companies House holds on them, with the onus on letting Companies House know if there are any necessary changes.

The purpose of the statement is exactly the same as the annual return, but it is said to be a more simplified process designed to make administrative life that little bit easier for busy small business owners.

There will be a filing fee to Companies House for delivering a confirmation statement. It’s possible to update the record as many times as you need to, but you will only be charged once a year. Presently, companies pay a £13 filing fee per annual return and although the price has yet to be confirmed for a confirmation statement it’s unlikely to be more than the current charge.

Annual returns will no longer be able to be filed from 30th June 2016. From this date onwards, companies and LLPs will be required to submit a confirmation statement instead.

In the event the statutory filing deadline for your next annual return falls before 30th June 2016, you must still submit this to Companies House.

The vast majority of limited companies and LLPs will also be required to notify Companies House of their ‘People with Significant Control’ (PSC) along with their inaugural confirmation statement.

The PSC register was introduced this month as part of the SBEE Act 2015, designed to improve corporate transparency by outlining who owns and controls UK-registered corporations.

A person with significant control is regarded as someone who meets a minimum of one of the following conditions:

• They hold more than 25 per cent of the company’s voting rights.

• They own more than 25 per cent of the company’s issued shares.

• They have the power to appoint or remove the majority of the board of directors.

• They have the right to exercise significant influence or control over the company.

• They have the right to exercise control over a company or trust that meets one of the other four conditions.

Small Business Saturday 2016 will be the fifth year of the campaign, which saw £623m spent with small firms throughout the nation during Small Business Saturday 2015 – an increase of £119m on the previous year.

The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter throughout the day last year, with over 100,000 campaign-related tweets sent by small business owners and customers alike.

More than three-quarters of local councils backed the campaign in 2015, providing considerable national reach for local communities.

Michelle Ovens MBE, director, Small Business Saturday UK, said: “Last year, small business owners, local authorities, a wide range of other organisations and members of the public embraced Small Business Saturday more than ever before.

“The British public has a great affection for small businesses and tapping into that continues to be important. The small businesses themselves really make the campaign as they effectively deliver it on the ground and collectively show the depth and breadth that exists within the sector.

“This year we aim to reach more people, get more engagement, and encourage more people to support small businesses.

“We will be talking a lot about community because whether they are selling to consumers online or in a particular location or B2B businesses working together and doing business together, our small businesses are a community that benefits both our local and national economies.”

This year’s campaign will feature events in the lead up to and on Small Business Saturday 2016 itself, including the nationwide bus tour. It will also feature the Small Biz 100: a feature that profiles 100 small businesses in the 100 days leading up to December 3rd.

The campaign will again be running Inspire: a nationwide series of free workshops led by experts and entrepreneurs for existing and aspiring small business owners.

New for Small Business Saturday 2016 is a podcast, packed with information about the campaign along with features of general interest to small business owners.

The first edition is already live; discussing this year’s campaign, the flourishing UK pet sector and why the Northern Irish capital of Belfast is now a hotbed for small businesses.

So you’ve decided to take a new job, but your current boss has supplied you with a counteroffer…

This is a common scenario for those who have been offered a new job. Before accepting or denying the counteroffer, consider these factors;

• Remember why you were looking for a new role.

– Why were you open to a new job in the first place? Was it a financial concern? Or perhaps you wanted a change of pace, a new work culture or a new challenge. Before accepting a counter offer, remember to think about your initial motivations. Typically, a candidate will consider leaving their place of work for a better job opportunity or career progression and not a higher salary or benefits. If your current employer offers you an increase in pay or benefits – assess whether or not these will change your current work experience.

• Consider the work environment.

– How will your work environment be if you decide to stay with your current employer? Although your manager wanted to keep you on, you must contemplate how comfortable you will be staying with a company who knew you were looking to leave. The offer may also come with more responsibility or longer hours. Make sure you consider any complexities that may arise if you stay with your current employer.

• Are you delaying the inevitable?

– Accepting the counteroffer at a firm you considered leaving might be the first indication that you are no longer happy with your work life. According to Cyber Coders, 80% of employees that accept a counter offer leave their job after a year.* A counteroffer usually implies that you are a critical member of the company, so it may be in their best interests for you to stay, but not yours.

Only you can decide whether or not to accept or reject a counteroffer, however, closely examining the above factors will help you make an informed and rational decision.

*CyberCoders. “Counter Offers.” CyberCoders. Accessed Apr 20, 2016. https://www.cybercoders.com/home/counteroffer/.