Digital tech businesses are at the heart of the UK economy and are playing an important role in driving growth. Norwich has some amazing organisations doing great things and as part of the latest report, Norwich is on the map again as a top Tech City.
Although this is great news, Norwich and Norfolk still has a lot of work to do as a region.
Weaknesses for the region (from the report) include low sector awareness, weak digital infrastructure and limited access to finance.
Benefits include access to commercial property, local networks and talent education.
There may still be the perception of a lack of internet connectivity, slow connection links to the rest of the UK, etc, but we as businesses need to change this perception. Norwich has received great PR as a great place to work (recent Guardian article) but as businesses, it’s time to make it a great place to do business too.
If your business is large enough to have employees, treasure them. With the right people in the right places, your employees are the most important asset your business has.
To get the best out of your staff, they need to know you value them. But with the day to day focus on operational needs, it’s all too easy to let staff motivation fall down your list of priorities.
However, taking care of employee engagement should form a key part of your strategic planning, not be an afterthought.To keep your staff motivated you need to identify what makes them tick and provide the right environment to nurture them. This is particularly important during times of business change where people can be pushed into situations they’re not comfortable with.
Key to success is ensuring that all staff have a clear understanding of a future that they see as secure and sustainable, so they have the willingness to change with you. Poorly motivated staff results in high staff turnover and a direct impact on the bottom line.
A big part of what I do is working directly with the employees to ensure any transitions are smooth and that the workforce feels valued.Listening to your employees is as important as listening to your customers. When I go into an organisation, I need to get employees to open up and discuss any problems with me. I can then come up with a strategy to resolve any issues. Communication is key.
Education is another vital part of staff motivation. A motivated employee is confident that they have the support and the skills they need to complete their job. And the other important ingredient?
Recognition. A big motivator for staff is having their hard work recognised. A simple ‘thank you’ when someone achieves an agreed goal can go a long way, but is all too often forgotten!
Ican help identify and nurture talent through coaching and mentoring. These foundations might not seem tangible, but you will feel the positive change within your organisation and see your business grow.Feel free toget in touch to find out more.
Christmas is a special time of year. Even so, it doesn’t stop health and safety being – wrongly – cited as a reason for preventing pretty harmless activities from going ahead.
Not only does this needlessly ruin the festive spirit but it also trivialises the true purpose of health and safety: protecting people from real risks at, or connected with, work
There are more than a few old chestnuts in this list, which has been compiled by HSE from media reports and correspondence received.
1. Children being banned from having snowball fights 2. Office workers told they can’t put decorations up 3. Panto performers ordered not to throw sweets into the audience 4. Being sued for clearing snow from outside your business or home 5. Preventing people from putting coins in traditional Christmas puddings 6. Seats being removed from shops – despite weary Christmas shoppers wanting to rest their feet 7. Traditional shopping centre Christmas trees being scaled back or replaced by artificial alternatives 8. Christmas lights needing electrical (portable appliance testing) PAT tests every year 9. Santa being ordered to buckle up on his sleigh 10. Carol singers being classed as a health and safety risk (well i guess this one depends on how good the singing is)
With everything it is about risk management- putting sensible controls in place! Unfortunately common sense is not all that common– and in these festive times we can forget simple precautions
If you are unsure about any Health and Safety Legislation contact us on www.redcat.gb.com We are a team of ex- enforcement officers that live & breathe Health and Safety- we can give you sound sensible & pragmatic advice & guidance
If your business is looking to recruit new talent or develop a database of candidates, the smartphone may be the answer. In recent years, the smartphone has taken over as the number one device we use for our Internet activity. We use smartphones to browse social media, watch videos and now we can apply for jobs. According to techradar.com, “twenty-eight percent of job seekers said they searched for jobs on mobile devices.” So what does this mean for you- a business owner or employer? Well, if your business has an online presence, you need to ensure that it is also mobile optimised. Simply, this means that your website translates well to smartphones and is easy to navigate. According to Career Builder, 65% of workers who search for jobs via mobile devices will leave a website if it isn’t mobile optimised. So it is in your best interests to make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
Social media is also a great way of gaining applicants. A lot of businesses already make use of LinkedIn to feature jobs, but Facebook and Twitter are also effective ways of making people aware of job openings straight away. Social media is a fantastic way to advertise jobs as most of us have an online presence on at least one form of social media, which we access via our smartphones.
To some, the experience of applying for a job on a mobile device will seem strange. Understandably, it’s hard to imagine someone answering a series of questions and submitting a CV on an iPhone. However, you should ensure that a mobile application will take no longer than fifteen minutes. Apps like Dropbox and Google Drive allow people to submit a CV and cover letter online. So ensure that your mobile application form asks for a CV, an email, and a few personal details.
Things to keep in mind:
-Ensure that your company has an online presence, which spans at least two social media websites.
-Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
-Mobile application forms should only take a potential candidate 15mins to complete
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.
Have you ever pondered which type of blind to choose, or what a certain design of fabric would look like in a blind?
Take a look at the images associated with this article. We’ve picked three fabric designs and show you what that fabric looks like in each type of blind – Vertical, Roller and Panel.
The pictures show
Vertical blinds made from Louvolite’s Como Ocra design fabric alternating with Carnival Navy:
Como Ocra fabric in made to measure Roller Blinds:
Como Ocra design fabric, again alternating with Carnival Navy, but this time in made to measure panel blinds:
The type of blind makes quite a difference, doesn’t it?
Add in the huge choice of fabric designs, and that’s quite a decision for you to make.
This is where our experience comes in. We have been making blinds for over 35 years, so we have seen all different styles, in a huge range of fabric, in a variety of settings – both home and office.
Here are a few more comparisons for you:
Roller blind with Louvolite Tropicana Apple Mojito fabric
Panel blinds with Tropicana Apple Mojito and Carnival Kiwi Chive fabric
Closed Vertical blinds with Tropicana Apple Mohito fabric and Carnival Kiwi fabric
Vertical blinds with Tropicana Apple Mojito and Carnival Kiwi and Chive
And for blinds with a block colour:
Carnival Breton Blue Panel blinds closed
Partially open Panel blinds with Carnival Breton Blue fabric
Panel blinds with Carnival Breton Blue fabric complemented with Zepher Quarts and Carnival Taupe fabric
Roller blind with Carnival Breton Blue fabric from Louvolite
Intangible assets typically make up more than 50% of the value of a modern business. In some sectors (for example, pharmaceuticals), that percentage is much higher. In general, IP forms the greater part of these assets; it is hardly surprising that purchasers of businesses and their assets should pay careful attention to the process of perfecting ownership of IP rights.
As with the transfer of ownership of real property, there is a significant difference between agreeing to transfer and the completion of formal change of ownership. The latter requires compliance with formal procedures across multiple jurisdictions and often with multiple authorities.
Advance preparation is crucial for any transfers of IP ownership. Yet, no matter how extensive IP due diligence has been, the recordal process rarely passes without hitch. Updating records is, in general, a time-consuming and often costly process, bound as it is by the cleanliness of the existing records and the vagaries of each jurisdiction’s recordal system. However, there are steps that companies can and should follow to smooth the process and minimise the demands on their internal resources. In the first of our in-depth looks at the recordal process, we set out the process that should be put in place before the sale is even completed.
Smoothing the completion process To ease the completion process, due diligence should include the following in relation to the IP assets being acquired:
Exactly which entity is recorded as the owner of each right?
What is the status?
Are the rights in force?
Are there licences in force and recorded against any rights?
Are there charges or other interests recorded against any rights?
Do the registered rights match those used in the business?
Are there any unregistered rights?
Obtaining the answers to these questions in advance enables effective planning for the recording of changes of ownership.
Good housekeeping The extent to which companies are diligent in the registration and maintenance of IP and IP records varies. If the vendor has followed best practice, either as a matter of ongoing routine or in preparation for an asset sale, then this inevitably makes the recordal process easier to execute. When IP rights are in force, with a sensible ownership structure and up-to-date ownership details recorded, then this is very helpful.
If rights are not kept up-to-date then they are at risk in terms of validity and /or enforceability. This should come out during the due diligence process and may result in more complicated requirements for the post-completion recordals (as well as potentially impacting the sale process itself).
Obligations on the vendor It is usual for an agreement between parties to place an obligation on the vendor to assist the purchaser in taking all the necessary steps to record the change of ownership of IP rights. This generally includes a requirement to complete whatever documents are needed in order to meet the formal requirements of recording the change.
There should also be an obligation on the vendor to provide information relating to IP. This is particularly important when it comes to unregistered rights where creation and use are important factors in the ability to register or enforce rights post-completion.
The scope of the obligation on the vendor should be clear and broad enough to enable effective future protection of rights as well as enabling recordal of the change of ownership to happen without problem. Clearly, it is in the interests of the purchaser to have as long a duration of these obligations as possible. However, there will normally be a time limit and the purchaser needs to be mindful of this limit when planning the recordal process.
The client is a social enterprise that provides one-on-one coaching for individuals who are looking for employment and education.
Their sessions are infrequent and varied, therefore they require a flexible room hire that allows them to only pay for the time they need. They required a private coaching room, but didn’t want the formality of a boardroom or a business meeting room.
The Space’s Informal MeetingRoomSolution
We providedthe Loungeat anhourly rate, which gave the client flexibility to book and pay only when the space was needed.
The room is furnished with sofas and chairs, creating a more informal atmosphere.
The room hire also included refreshments of tea and coffee with no added cost.
The client used thefree parkingavailable on site, allowing them to avoid busy city traffic and high parking prices.
Shutters are very popular because they are insulating and economical as well as being extremely versatile.
Our 10% off offer last year was so popular that we’ve decided to re-run it for the month of April 2017.
The offer applies to domestic shutters and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Why Shutters? In the Winter, shutters are more effective at keeping the warmth in than blinds and curtains. This helps to reduce energy bills.
In the Summer you have many options – shutters can be opened completely to let the light in, closed completely to keep the room cool or you can open the louvres to let air flow in. You can even have one shutter open and one closed.
Because our shutters are made to measure they can suit almost any room, and are especially useful in older properties with windows that might not be perfectly shaped. They also look great in bay windows. At Norwich Sunblinds we can cater for special shapes e.g. circles, arches, gable installations.
Shutters are easy to clean, provide additional security and can also help to deaden sound – especially useful if you live near a busy road.
“It’s been a long time coming”David Higgins is a self-proclaimed ‘cyber-security geek’, used to working all over the world with the Foreign Office, now resident in Norfolk. He recently founded the county’s first cyber security cluster and is keen to get everyone talking about it. “In the past, it was generally hard to get people interested in security – they don’t think it’s something they need be concerned about – but nowadays people are getting a little more savvy”. Similar clusters are dotted all over the UK, seventeen in total, with the nearest one in Cambridge – David plans to get the Norfolk branch up and running before beginning a similar group in Suffolk. The cluster aims to meet once a month at various Norfolk locations, with the inaugural event in June. The regular meet-ups are free for SMEs, but larger companies are welcome for a modest charge. “I’m hoping it will be a big networking group to get the word of cyber security out. We’ll get developers, other techies and interested businesses in, even just to chat about what they do and how they do it” says David. The events won’t be limited to tech-talk either. Remember the young lad from Norfolk who was convicted of hacking mobile giant TalkTalk a couple of years ago? “I think I’ve got the solicitor that got him off coming to speak at some point!” As well as looking for members to join the cluster, which is free to do through the website, David is also asking for bloggers to contribute interesting and relevant pieces, as well as speakers for future events. “I’d like the cluster to be a big sharing portal where we can all learn and help each other in the Norfolk business community”. To join and find out about forthcoming events visit https://www.norfolkcyber.net/ To email suggested blogs, speakers or other ideas – [email protected] Words by Lauren
No? OK, so we might mention blinds and curtains a lot, but one thing we don’t often mention is that we can also make matching soft furnishings.
Take cushions, for example. We can source from a huge selection of fabrics to complement your handmade roman blinds or curtains. There is something to suit every style and taste from classic to contemporary, cosy cottage to city apartments and everything in between. All our work is made to measure by local craftspeople, and designed to your exact requirements.
To complement your blinds and curtains, we can help you design some other great finishing touches that will add flair to a room and pull your entire design scheme together.
For example, if you are decorating a bedroom you might consider covering the bed headboard in a material that matches or adds contrast to your other soft furnishings. Equally, you might like a range of cushions, or even lampshades, for your bedroom in different sizes and fabrics to add subtle variety to your decorative scheme.
You might also want to consider pelmets and valances for your rooms. These can be created in any fabric and style of your choice. In the appropriate setting, they add a wonderful elegance to a room.
We can even make table runners to create a focal point in your dining-room, tying in all the other soft furnishings. Having a table runner made to measure can also be useful if you have a particularly large table and are struggling to find one of a suitable size and style.
So don’t forget, if you are planning new blinds or curtains for your decorative scheme, have a chat with us about how we can also co-ordinate your soft furnishings for you.
You can visit our Showrooms in Norwich or Attleborough, phone 01603 334035 or book an appointment online for a free consultation at your home or office.
People’s barriers start to rise the minute they hear the word ‘sales’. Images of cheap-suited, fast-talking phone drones appear, desperately trying to sell something nobody wants or needs. Scarier for some are the words ‘sales training’ – being taught how to give the hard sell, hit the targets and seal the deal no matter what. This ruthless vision harks back to the Eighties and is still conjured up in many minds when dealing with the topic of sales. This figure is outdated however, and the sales training that Naked Element receive couldn’t be further from it. The Naked Element team are trained weekly through the ‘Sandler‘ methodology by Ermine Amies who uses psychology to understand potential clients (and occasionally coloured plastic dinosaurs). The Sandler style encourages businesses to affect lasting changes in how they operate, not a big buck quick fix. Sandler offers a systematic approach to sales, rather than focussing solely on sales targets. It’s about understanding people and their needs, about building relationships. It also offers the opportunity to get support and advice from peers, to share ‘war stories’ and help to expand each other’s knowledge and gain practical experience of a sales environment. While not everyone will think they have the time or money to invest in such training, for those who are serious about improving their business skills and broadening their professional repertoire it can prove invaluable. It improves relationships between a business and their potential customers, increases the number of positive interactions between them and ultimately leads to an increase in successful results! When Naked Element makes a sales call, they really do want to get to know you and your business first, and sell you something second. Click here to read the blog on our site. Words by Lauren