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With not enough hours in the day, why should a business take the time and effort to increase their profile and engage locally, even if their main customer base is outside Norfolk?

There is much in the press about business confidence and how the lack of it can hinder the economy. I personally get a really positive feeling when I read about businesses that are recruiting, have a new contract or are involved in their local community.  I feel it is all our responsibility to realise the impact that good news stories have, not only on other businesses, but on our staff.  The more visible we can individually be the better for our local economy.

There is no doubt that is does take resource to celebrate success but the positive impact on your business will make it worthwhile.  Potential customers will become aware of you, current customers will feel smug that they are dealing with you, it will be easier to recruit new staff and your existing staff will love it!

There are many ways of achieving impact. Entering awards it one method which can seem pretentious but by looking at what your business has achieved, will both identify gaps, as well as help you celebrate success.  Although there can only be one winner the whole exercise can be very beneficial to the business.  You will only have to read the EDP Business Award 2013 shortlist supplement to appreciate the profile these businesses will have achieved from entering. 

At our B2B Exhibition on 17 October you can hear from 12 local ‘big thinking’ businesses who by being willing to share their stories, will increase their own profile.

Adding your good news stories or blogs to not only your own website but to third party websites and publications is also a great way to help increase your profile and make us all feed more positive. The EDP is always looking for good business stories for their publications and EDP24 website.  As is the Norfolk Chamber, good news stories added to our website are tweeted out to our 3000+ twitter followers and the best are include in our bi-monthly magazine.

Finally, get involved in your local community.  Your local school, charity and community all need your business help and expertise.  By getting involved you will not only increase your visibility but will be making a real difference to someone’s life.  It is also a great way to develop your staff and make them feel positive about your company at the same time. Norwich for Jobs for instance is a campaign to help halve Norwich’s youth unemployment.  Pledging your support, which does not commit you to anything further, strengthens the whole campaign and identifies you as a business that cares about young people.  It is not enough just to care, to really make a difference you need to be seen to care.

We all have a responsibility to make ourselves more visible. Confidence really does mean better business.

BIG THINKING empowers businesses with vision. It’s the attitude that drives smaller businesses to try out huge ideas, their refusal to accept lack of precedent tempered only by acknowledging that lessons can be learned from bigger players. Embracing the techniques and methods of sizeable companies into newer and smaller operations is key to BIG THINKING.

Equally, large organisations can learn from ‘the new kids on the block’, who can be inspirational to BIG THINKING big companies. Big or small, new or established, BIG THINKERS never set the default position; they always press the switch marked ‘power on’.

BIG THINKING is a concept enmeshed with the digital age. Now the smallest of start-ups can interact with the biggest of audiences, and the largest of corporations can target the narrowest of niches.

It takes BIG THINKING for a small business to use the new media to talk to the world. It takes seriously BIG THINKING for a big company to use the social media to talk to a single customer as an individual.

Companies of all sizes who embrace BIG THINKING know the dangers of simply ‘thinking big’. They know that for all the power of the internet you don’t build a brand or bolster the bottom line by simply putting up a website to say ‘look at us’. BIG THINKERS know that people buy from people; they network face to face, learn from research and then say ‘this is why you should buy from us’.

BIG THINKERS are people who never stop asking how, or why, or why not? They have the attitude that develops services and products that are right for now, and tomorrow.

And it’s about customers. BIG THINKING starts well before the sale, with a vision that’s then honed into a strategy. But it doesn’t end with the sale, because BIG THINKERS persist, with engagement, interactivity and service that retains customers and builds businesses.

If there is an ideal place to launch BIG THINKING it’s Norfolk. Birthplace of legendary brands like Colman’s, Start-Rite, Barclays and Aviva, all of the county’s commercial sectors pulse with innovation and excellence. Its BIG THINKERS have never been afraid to import the best of people and knowledge, and they have exported the best of products and services, sometimes having to overcome a cynicism about this county that others do not have to endure.

It’s the attitude that says we’ll do better business if we dare to innovate and develop our strategies creatively. We’ll do business better if we exchange ideas and realise that small and new businesses can inspire big and established ones, whilst in turn start-ups and tiny companies can learn from the experience of corporations.

Our Conference will have a stellar line up of speakers who exemplify the concept of BIG THINKING. You’ll hear how it’s worked for them. You’ll see how it can work for Norfolk’s businesses This is a Business Conference with Attitude.

‘Big Thinking’ is all about attitude. It’s the kind of thinking that makes small companies try big ideas. It’s about exchanging ideas, enabling smaller businesses to learn from big ones, and established companies to be inspired by the newer ones.

The concept is in tune with today’s digital age. Now the smallest of start-ups can interact with the biggest of audiences, and the largest of corporations can target the narrowest of niches. ‘Big Thinking’ is what drives a small business to use the new media to talk to the world and a big company to use the social media to talk to a single customer as an individual.

Big thinking businesses know that for all the power of the internet you don’t build a brand or bolster the bottom line by simply putting up a website to say ‘look at us’. They understand that people buy from people; they network face to face, learn from research and then say ‘this is why you should buy from us’. These are the people who never stop asking how, or why, or why not? They have the attitude that develops services and products that are right for now, and tomorrow.

And it’s very much about customer care. It starts well before the sale, with a vision that’s then honed into a strategy, but it doesn’t end there.  With the right attitude companies persist, with engagement, interactivity and service that retains customers and builds businesses.

It’s because businesses in West Norfolk are so committed to customer care that we’re particularly proud to be sponsoring that category in this year’s Mayor’s Awards.

We have outstanding businesses in West Norfolk and this concept, that spans the original vision through to after sales customer relations, is so right for them.

For the conference we’ve assembled a stellar line up of speakers who exemplify this dynamic concept. They’ll explain how it’s worked for them, and how it can work for Norfolk’s businesses.

This is a Business Conference with Attitude.

BIG THINKING, the Business Conference With Attitude 22nd November 2013, OPEN, Bank Plain, Norwich 9am – 1pm

Onshore wind farms have been in the press recently with mixed messages coming out from government. However the Norfolk Chamber is clear that offshore wind farms and the current and potential investment from Norfolk Chamber member East Anglia Offshore Wind (EAOW) and its contractors is good news for the Norfolk business community. EAOW is a joint venture between Scottish  Power Renewables (SPR) and Vattenfall.

To date EAOW have invest £7m in East Anglia and they have made it clear during conversations we have been having with them that they are trying to use local contractors where possible to ensure the region benefits as much as possible from jobs and investment as a result of the scheme. With support from Brandon Lewis MP I have written to John Hayes to ask for a meeting with him in Westminster, and have already organised a lunch with him and industry leaders in May 2013 after his keynote speech at our Sustainability 2013 conference on 9 May 2013 at John Innes, Norwich.

Ann  Stewart economic cabinet members Norfolk County Council and I  met up with Andy Paine EAOW programme director in Barrrow in Furness in September prior to visiting Vattenfall’s latest offshore wind farm Ormonde. Andy is clear that with the help and support of local contractors East Anglia Offshore Wind is making strong progress and is on schedule to lodge their first application for consent this year. Further opportunities will become available as the wind farm progresses through its consenting, construction and operations phases.

EAOW has already placed a number of contracts with companies in the region and that over the last two years, as part of plans to build one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world; it estimates it has helped support almost 170 jobs across East Anglia through its investments.

These include Chamber member Gardline marine services, marine researcher Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), fisheries consultants Brown and May, online consultation experts Consense, consultants Eastern Edge and land agents Freedom Group who are all working on East Anglia ONE, the first phase of the East Anglia Zone

There is still work for Norfolk members to do however to ensure that investment comes to this area and not further up the east coast. As mentioned earlier Ann Stewart Economic Cabinet member for Norfolk County Council and I spent time with Andy Paine and his team including Vattenfall’s President and CEO Oystein Loseth celebrating the official opening of  Vattenfall’s newest 30 turbine Offshore Wind Farm Osmonde just off Bury in Furness in September 2012. My pictures tell their own tale!

Until I physically visited the Osborne Wind farm  I had found it is quite difficult to understand the size of these turbines but seeing is believing. Each jacket foundations is  45 metres high and weights approximately 500 tonnes or putting it another way each individual jacket will weigh as much as 70 African elephants and if all thirty jackets were stacked end-to-end they would be 13 times higher than the Forth Rail Bridge! The Osmonde turbines cover an area of 8.7km2 and will meet the needs of more than 100,000 UK households so the development being planned by EAOW to power over five million homes is truly amazing

The four hour boat trip out to the Ormonde Windfarm with high winds, rain and significant swell convinced me that I am not looking for at a career change… but it did convince me that the potential for this region is vast.  Norfolk and Suffolk Chambers are having regular meetings with EAOW and will feedback supply chain opportunities to our members as and when they become clear.  In addition we will continue to lobby government so that they fully understand the importance of offshore wind farms to the UK economy and start to give some certainty to the industry.

 

The weather – and its effects on counties, towns and cities across England and Wales – has been  dominant this week.

In the weeks to come, and as the initial effects of the flooding begin to fade from the scene, the Norfolk Chamber will be advocating for:

• A fair deal from insurers – with swift compensation for affected businesses, and clarity on future cover and costs. The Association of British Insurers has set out customer commitments on flooding that we will be watching carefully.
• Help for affected companies – including proposals for zero-interest or low-cost loans to help companies rebuild or relocate
• Action on transport resilience – with short-term action to ensure roads and railways are open, and longer-term action to ensure networks can withstand future weather events
• Better coordination – with the police, local authorities, and key agencies listening to the needs of businesses and acting accordingly.

Ministers have also asked for our help to explain how government is helping businesses. At the request of Number 10, you can find out more about the government’s relief efforts here.

Thanks in part to our representations, the Prime Minister has already announced 100% business rate relief for affected businesses, and three months’ extra time to pay on VAT, PAYE, and Corporation Tax. It’s vital for companies to call HMRC’s hotline to set up these arrangements.

With luck, the severe weather that has affected us in recent weeks will soon pass. Yet we know that the recovery will take time, and will stay on the case. If you’d like to highlight specific issues tied to recent weather events, please do get in touch [email protected].

‘Look at Norfolk. See Success’ is the message we have conveyed in 2014. It’s time to celebrate, and build on, our increased visibility.

The end of a year is inevitably a time for reflection on both what’s happened in the previous twelve months, and what’s planned or hoped for in the next.  It’s seldom been more appropriate for Norfolk to consider those issues than right now, as we look towards 2015.

This year saw the county become more visible on the political agenda. The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce was influential in securing audiences with key politicians, at national level, and giving the region the opportunity to have its business voice heard.  Chukka Umunna, George Osborne, Vince Cable and David Cameron all came here at the Chamber’s direct invitation, and their primary reason for doing so was to hear what our members have to say, and see what we have to offer. Note the letter below of thanks from David Cameron. Just as importantly it was an opportunity to inform them what we need to realise the county’s demonstrable potential.

It’s potential that will be made deliverable with better infrastructure. Five years ago the A47 and A11 struggled to get on to the government’s agenda. Now they know that the A11 is vital for the growth of the local economy, and improvements to it could deliver over £600 million in economic benefits. What’s more, the work on the A11 is complete and the cones will disappear tomorrow.

Norfolk Chamber members from start-ups to large scale organisations, together with the rest of the business community, the LEPs and our MPs have been very successful in highlighting the business case for improvements to the A47. The message was that improvements along this route will open up opportunities for Norfolk businesses to deliver more economic growth, housing and jobs for our county.  The result of our being seen and heard is that the Prime Minister has pledged that the Government will commit £300million for work along the A47 route but we do need to continue to lobby for the dualling of the Acle Straight and the all-important Dereham, Swaffham, King’s Lynn corridor. We’ve shown that we’re on the road to success and we need to build on this success.

The rail links are as vital as the roads, and again the Norfolk Chamber business community has been successful in bringing its needs into focus. Improvements put forward by the Great Eastern Main Line Campaign will boost our ambition to be a mobile and accessible economy. Our voices were heard and, follliwng the commitment to a rail Taskforce by the chancellor at a Chamber event last November, in this year’s  Autumn Statement we have a commitment from Government to ensure that ‘Norwich in 90’ becomes a reality. The signals are set at go.

The poor strength of of our mobile and broadband signals is firmly on the agenda going forward. The Chamber actively engaging members in surveys, and gathering opinion to inform our dialogue with Government has allowed us to, collectively, make it known that it’s essential for every business in our region to be digitally enabled beyond the minimum on offer. Superfast broadband should actually mean superfast and not what is mainly on offer..

Feedback clearly shows that accessing skilled staff is considered a key concern, and restricts growth. With greater connectivity, and innovative technology expanding the economy comes the need for additional employment and the challenge for businesses to find people of all ages with the right skills.  There has been a great step forward with the development of apprenticeships but the business links with schools still has a long way to go to ensure that our young people understand the world of work and which careers are open to them. Westminster must understand of our needs and help us to encourage school to work closer with business.  

Central to all of this increased visibility for Norfolk has been the business voice. Working with our members, our MPs, the educational establishment, businesses and our partners we have made 2014 a vital and firm rung in the ladder to our success as a region. We have proved that the business voice counts.  Government has heard us. They’ve seen that looking at Norfolk means seeing success. And we can and must celebrate that. Please ensure that you do book onto our next MPs event to ensure we get a really loud Norfolk business voice on the 6 February, 2015.

To climb to the next rung is the work for 2015. We’ve shown what we can offer. We’ve successfully made our case for the tools we need to deliver it. We must now, with the same collective and cohesive determination, ensure that the promises are kept, and that we get on with the job and build on what has been put on the table.

Now that we have a focus, and are clearly in focus, we can be sure that when commerce and government look at Norfolk, they see success!