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In this week’s episode James and Mark consider what differentiates great businesses from good businesses. In their usual informal but informative style they come up with 3 valuable tips drawn from the likes of Gary Player, Sir Clive Woodward and Roy Keane, whilst Mark confesses to a mild case of Tsundoku. 

Listen here, or download on Apple Podcasts!

Staff safety solution Safepoint has announced its new partnership with the Anglia Farmer Group (AF Group) – the UK’s leading farmer-owned buying group – to offer a tech-based safety solution to protect their members working within the farming sector.

Supported by Comm-Tech, a leading supplier of business communications, who are assisting with the sales and support, members who will now be able to sign up to Safepoint’s service directly through their AF Group account.

Michael Simnett, Communications Projects Lead for the AF Group, says:

“We have been looking for a system that gives farm owners and farm managers the ability to look out for the welfare of their staff, especially during tasks undertaken whilst working alone. Mental health and farm safety are key areas within the farming industry with owners looking out for the wellbeing of their staff. The Safepoint system is very user friendly, easy to navigate and a perfect for all types of memberships of our AF members”.

This month also sees the launch of Safepoint’s GuardianPlus service providing a dedicated 24/7 emergency response team on hand to manage any emergency situations for those businesses that have signed up to the plan. Based in East Anglia, Safepoint’s GuardianPlus Response Centre is a fully accredited state-of-the-art monitoring and alarm receiving centre (ARC), manned by a team of highly skilled and qualified experts, trained to deal with emergency situations.

Callum Coombes, CEO, says:

“Our goal at Safepoint is to make protecting your staff so easy and accessible that there’s no reason not to do it. Up until this point, businesses were responding to emergency alerts internally when using Safepoint, so we wanted to take this responsibility off their hands. This makes 24/7/365 real-time staff protection as easy as just downloading an app to your phone, there’s really nothing else that you have to do”.

Since 2019, Safepoint has successfully raised nearly £300,000 of investment with new funding secured this round through SFC Capital, University of East Anglia and New Anglia Capital. Officially launching a year ago. Safepoint’s innovative technology has helped hundreds of workers stay safe across a number of sectors including agriculture, health & social care, property and offshore / shipping.

For more information about Safepoint visit www.safepointapp.com

HR Apprenticeships in Norwich

Blue Sky Professional Development in partnership with Colchester Institute have spaces available on their HR Support (level 3) and HR Consultant/Partner (Level 5) apprenticeship programmes starting in February and May. These courses include a CIPD qualification and can be totally funded through your apprenticeship levy. Don’t pay the levy? 90% of the course can be funded by the government, the organisation pays just 10%. To ensure you or your colleague will have a place, or to find out more contact us now –  [email protected] 

Charlie Walker has opened a new walk-in small business tax and accountancy shop on 129 High Street in Huntingdon, to operate alongside his existing one in Bedford.

Charlie Walker, like all TaxAssist Accountants, has been incredibly busy over the last six months, helping his over 200 clients to navigate their way through the coronavirus pandemic. However, keen to continue with his planned expansion, he has now opened his second shop in Huntingdon. “It really was the perfect shop in the perfect location and will provide the ideal environment for me to meet with potential and existing clients,” explains Charlie.

“Both of my shops are open for clients to walk-in and we provide hand sanitiser, wear masks and have installed protective screens for face-to-face client meetings, although we also offer telephone and online meetings for those clients that would prefer this method at this time. Our aim is to be as flexible and helpful as possible. Do get in contact if you’d like a free initial consultation.” Charlie is looking positively on the future for his and his clients’ businesses. “Clearly the pandemic has caused a huge global shock, but with my services very much in demand, I believe now is the right time to expand, so that more businesses can benefit from our expertise.”

Knowing that there is a desperate need for guidance and support right now, Charlie recently jumped at the chance when he was offered his own monthly, one-hour radio show on Huntingdon Community Radio after a number of appearances as a business contributor on BBC Three Counties Radio last year. He hopes to have a local business section, as well as a national business update and special guests each month. The show is due to begin in the Autumn. “I’m passionate about helping the businesses in my area and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to offer the benefits of my business and accountancy experience, face-to-face, online and now via the air waves!”

If you are interested in finding out more, Charlie’s website is www.taxassist.co.uk/Huntingdon

BDH Tullford is delighted to announce that its new range of fun face shields is now available to order.

Made at the company’s facilities in the heart of Norwich, they’re designed to make PPE feel less alien to children as lockdown conditions continue to lift. Available in a range of designs, BDH Tullford can deliver visors to addresses across the UK. 

Since the beginning of lockdown, BDH Tullford’s teams have focused on helping clients across the UK adapt to new ways of working while keeping their teams and customers safe.

The company very quickly started supplying masks to the NHS and the introduction of themed visors are a natural next step. From dentists and opticians to shops and restaurants, the themed visor is a simple way to soften the appearance of PPE by adding some fun graphics.

Made from a single sheet of clear plastic attached to a head band, the themed face visors are:

• Lightweight: They’re just a few grams heavier than their Economy Face Shields.

• Hygienic: As a single sheet of plastic, there are no joins or edges to harbour germs.

• Branded: You can add your company logo to the headband.

• Cost-effective: Get in touch for a quote.  

Says Director James Fox: “We’re delighted to introduce themed face visors to our range. Many of us at BDH Tullford have children who dislike the appearance of PPE, so we wanted to find a solution to the problem. These new visors are a fun, simple and inexpensive way to make children feel welcome and safe in a range of environments.”

Call BDH Tullford on 01603 620780 to place your order.

Freebridge unveil new homes across West Norfolk

Freebridge unveil new homes across West Norfolk This month sees the latest in a number of new homes in West Norfolk being unveiled by Freebridge Community Housing.

The latest development, on the former site of an old police house in St Edmundsbury Road in King’s Lynn, will see work completed on three two-bed houses, two four-bed houses and one shared house, which will be leased and operated by the YMCA. Tenants are due to move in at the beginning of next month. This follows keys being handed over to the tenants of seven brand new homes on Priory Road, North Wootton earlier in the year.

Tony Hall, Chief Executive of Freebridge said: “Our mission is to develop homes and create opportunities for people in West Norfolk and the developments at St Edmundsbury Road in North Lynn and Priory Road in North Wootton are great examples of this.

“We are passionate about providing people with good quality homes to live in and are delighted that we’re able to continue to support the needs of the community by providing much needed housing in places where people want to live.”

In addition to these two developments work has also just begun on transforming the long closed Rampant Horse pub in Gayton into two one-bed and two two-bed houses and the site of the old Blockbusters Video site in King’s Lynn into eight flats and two commercial units.

Anglian Water are delighted to invite you to one of our regional stakeholder engagement events on Thursday 15th October 10:00-11:30. 

We will be facilitating a discussion with senior stakeholders from a range of organisations and government on how we collectively deliver the post-Covid levelling up agenda, sustainable investment and support for our vulnerable customers in the East of England.

As a supplier of a vital public service, Anglian Water are guided by our Purpose to bring environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve through our commitment to Love Every Drop.  Our priorities throughout the coronavirus crisis have been to keep water flowing to our customers, to protect and support our employees and to offer help and advice, as we have always done, to customers in financial difficulties.  However, as we look ahead as the nation starts to build back in recovery from COVID-19, it is important to discuss our collective priorities for the region and look forward to hearing your views.

The events are 90 minutes and will be hosted on Zoom to enable round table discussions and dialogue.  We will share our investment plans for your area and are keen to hear on how you would like to be involved going forward as we embark on developing our next business plan.

Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/116381477131

If you are unable to attend the event most relevant to your area, or have any further questions then please get in touch at [email protected] and we can arrange for you to attend on an alternative date. 

The Franchise Marketing Awards announcement follows TaxAssist being shortlisted for the Franchisor of the Year accolade.

The Franchise Marketing Awards shortlist, which celebrates exemplary marketing support within the franchise industry, has recognised the proven and comprehensive marketing package which TaxAssist Accountants provides to its franchisees.

This includes initial sales and marketing training, TV and digital advertising, a national lead generation service, national and local social media activity, local marketing advice and planning, a centralised email service and guides for pricing and profitability among many other initiatives.

As the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the TaxAssist Support Centre team were quick to provide additional support and an enhanced service, working tirelessly to ensure every franchisee had the resources they needed to effectively communicate with and assist their clients through the crisis.

This has included a COVID-19 Business Support Hub on the website to share news, articles, Q&As, videos and webinars, timely and increased social media posts and client guides covering key Government announcements and more than one million emails in total sent to clients from the centralised mailing system.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director, said: “We’re delighted that our marketing initiatives and COVID-19 support measures have been recognised by the Franchise Marketing Awards and testament to the hard work put in by our team at the Support Centre, who work so effectively to assist our network of franchisees and, in turn, their clients.

“The coronavirus pandemic has been completely unprecedented, and the Board of Directors made a bold decision in April to pause the national marketing payments required from the franchisee network for three months. As a franchisor, we have contributed more than £200,000 directly into the national marketing budget to protect the network from any potential downturn and keep the advertising momentum going.

“The extra work that was put in during the lockdown has already started to generate a huge amount of brand loyalty from our client base. This has developed new advocates for our brand who are recommending our services by sharing their experience of how we’ve helped them through these challenging times.

“All of this activity has generated over 5,100 qualified inbound leads this year and we were able to sign up more than 500 new clients during the height of the ‘lockdown’ period from March to May. On top of this, our entire network sales for June have resulted in a year-to-date increase of 4% over 2019, demonstrating the resilience of the TaxAssist franchise model and our strong culture to support our network no matter what happens.”

TaxAssist Accountants will be competing with 11 other well-known franchise brands in the category before a judging panel of industry experts, with the winner announced at The National Franchise Virtual Exhibition on Friday 2nd October 2020.

If you are interested in finding out more about TaxAssist Accountants, monthly Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can spend a day with the team to find out more about the business opportunity and support on offer. Click here for more information

Please click onto the document to read this weeks Market Summary.

Freebridge Community Housing Fund doubles donations to West Norfolk groups hit by Covid-19.   Freebridge has agreed grants double the amount normally paid out to local community groups and organisations in West Norfolk to mark the 10th anniversary of its Community Fund.   Thirteen projects across West Norfolk have benefitted from grants this year, with each being awarded amounts up to £1000.   This year Freebridge raised the amount available to the fund to £10,000, double the £5000 that is normally offered, to mark the fact that they’ve been providing this money to groups for a decade.   The fund gives local groups the opportunity to apply for the money to support community and voluntary activities that meet the needs of the community within West Norfolk.   The final decision on which groups are awarded the grants is made by a panel of Freebridge tenants and employees.   The panel specifically aims to support groups that: • Promoting health and wellbeing, • Tackling disadvantage, • Supporting local solutions to local needs, • Promoting community cohesion, • Developing sustainable and supportive communities, and • Improving the environment.   This year, the successful projects that will be funded include the provision of additional Covid-19 safety equipment to allow Access, a group that supports migrants across east Anglia, to plan for re-opening their office and restarting face to face appointments.   Supporting Family Action to continue providing allotment sessions at the Discovery Centre for people with mental health concerns or learning disabilities.   And covering the cost of additional training on domestic violence, substance misuse and wellbeing for those working at the Pandora Project.   One of the groups getting support is the Wells Community Hospital Trust. They will use the money to provide transport for people to get to their Fun & Forgetfulness sessions which are for people living with dementia, memory loss and cognitive disorders, their carers and families and people who are isolated or experiencing loneliness. Many of their visitors come from nearby villages such as Docking, Brancaster and Burnham Market.   Samantha Taylor, General Manager, said: “We serve a rural population with a higher than average percentage of older citizens and low-income families, many adversely affected by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Affordable, accessible, safe and reliable transport is essential for our community if they are to be able to access the opportunities they need to live well for longer.”   Freebridge Chief Executive, Anita Jones, said: “Freebridge is committed to supporting community groups across West Norfolk and the fact that we’ve now been doing this for 10 years is something we are very proud of. Over the years we’ve helped many groups across the area and since the fund began back in 2010 have provided over £50,000 in grants to them. “These groups make a real difference to the lives of our tenants and the wider community and we know that this year, perhaps more than ever before, they may need an extra helping hand.”

West Norfolk consumers are keen to support local businesses as shops and services in the district feel the impact of Covid-19.

That’s one of the findings from the Invest West Norfolk consultation which took place earlier this summer to understand consumer and business confidence in light of Covid-19.

In the consumer survey – which was carried out on behalf of the borough council and which saw over 150 people give their views – 96 per cent of respondents stated that it is important for them to use local businesses in west Norfolk. Of those, 60 per cent said it was extremely important.

However, whilst there is an appetite for using independent businesses, online shopping is becoming increasingly important for consumers in the area. 95 per cent of those taking part in the consultation stated that they do some form of shopping online – and overall, almost 20 per cent of people said they intend to do more online shopping in future.

The survey also revealed that around half of the participants intend to eat or drink out in the next three months, and people felt that protective measures in line with government guidelines would make it easier to return to pubs and restaurants.

The study also found that there has been a marked decrease in west Norfolk consumers shopping for pleasure with 54 per cent stating they are doing less non-essential shopping. But, over half – 55 per cent –  stated that they were confident about returning to the shops as lockdown eases.

Councillor Graham Middleton, Cabinet Member for Business Development said: “We know that the last few months have been difficult for everyone and through this consultation, we wanted to understand how consumers feel about accessing services as lockdown eases.

“It is really encouraging to learn that so many people are keen to use local businesses here in west Norfolk, and consumer support is so important, now more than ever. We will shortly be launching a campaign which will showcase the many great local businesses in west Norfolk so this feedback is pertinent and timely.

“We have already implemented a number of measures to make it easier for consumers to use businesses in west Norfolk. This feedback will help us to shape our support further so that people feel confident and safe to access the many brilliant local shops and services we have here.”

As well as the consumer survey, the consultation also sought feedback from businesses across the district with 114 giving their views.

The Invest West Norfolk business survey revealed that there has been a clear impact from Covid-19 with 88 per cent of respondents stating that the coronavirus has impacted on their business over the last three months. Of those, 63 per cent declared that the impact has been significant.

There is a great deal of uncertainty amongst businesses in the future, including around employing staff and long-term confidence.  Businesses feel that attracting and retaining customers and financial concerns are the biggest challenges they face in the next 3-6 months.

And, the areas where businesses feel they need help most is around financial support and marketing to bring in footfall and custom. In particular, a number of businesses said that they need training and assistance to adapt their services online in the next six months.

The business survey also revealed low levels of apprenticeship take-up. Businesses are being incentivised to take on apprentices – more information can be found here: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/education-and-learning/adult-learning/apprenticeships/employers

In spite of the difficult circumstances, 39 per cent of businesses participating said that they are confident for their prospects in the next 6-12 months.

Councillor Graham Middleton commented: “The feedback from businesses underlines what we already knew – Covid-19 has had an impact on so many companies and organisations in west Norfolk.

“I have been so impressed by the efforts of local businesses who have worked hard to adapt and develop over the last few months, bringing in Covid-19 safety measures to continue to operate.

“We understand their concerns and we are keen to support, where we can. I am pleased to confirm that we have recently launched two new grants schemes to help tourism, leisure, cultural and hospitality businesses to extend their season.

“The insight from this consultation will help us as we develop our actions and investment as part of our recovery and renewal from Covid-19.”

The consultation also asked respondents – including parish councils – to prioritise interventions that they would like to see with hand sanitiser stations in high streets/neighbourhood shopping areas and Covid safe posters and signage emerging as the top priorities. The hand sanitiser stations are set to be installed shortly.

The feedback will be used to guide the development of west Norfolk’s ‘Reopening the High Street plan’ after the borough council received European Union Funding to support the safe reopening of the high street. It will also help to inform how tourism funding is invested in the area. And, the council is working on a public realm strategy which will bring improvements to the appearance of streets and buildings.

The findings come as the borough council announces new funding for tourism, leisure, cultural and hospitality businesses in west Norfolk which will help them to trade safely and extend their normal operating season. There are two schemes available, the tourism adaptation business fund and the autumn and winter adaptation business fund. Each have a £45K funding pot and eligible businesses can apply for a maximum of £3k from each fund.

Further to this and other recent consultation, King’s Lynn town centre businesses are being invited to take part in a virtual business workshop from 5.30pm – 7pm on Wednesday, 9 September. Businesses wil be asked to share their ideas on topics such as making use of empty units, and enhancing the town centre offer. The feedback will help to shape the Town Investment Plan and any King’s Lynn town centre businesses wanting to join the workshop can register their interest via [email protected]

*The winners of the Invest West Norfolk prize draw were James Taylor, Helen Cross, and David Young.