Member Blog

You’ve done everything right, you found a buyer, you’ve answered all their questions, you even got the offer letter through, it’s all plain sailing from here right? Well not exactly…   For some people who are new to the world of corporate finance, the words ‘Due Diligence’ may not strike fear into their hearts, but for those of us a bit more grizzled, we are all too aware that Due Diligence is not “something that needs to get over and done with”. It is not without reason that we get that feeling of dread wash over us, this is when all the skeletons in the closet come out and unfortunately your buyer’s advisers don’t get any gold stars for not finding anything wrong.   This is why it is so important to prepare your business in advance of any sale event taking place. I can’t in good conscience sit here and tell you that you can plan for every eventuality, or that there won’t be a question that comes completely from left field, but there are certainly a few foundations you can be laying right now to ease the process.    People Almost certainly one of the biggest assets of your company, but they can also be a sore point in the Due Diligence process. Make sure that you have up to date, signed contracts of employment. Temporary or assumed contracts may not be the answer a buyer is looking for.    Over-generous contracts – any acquirer is required to take on your staff on a TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection Employment Regulations 2006 – Catchy right?) basis meaning that any existing contracts you have with staff have to carry over to a new owner. Company cars firm wide may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but could cause the wheels to come off a deal when an acquirer factors in the cost.   Issues with IP  There could be an entire article on intellectual property itself, but for now I will summarise. This is particularly relevant to technology companies, it is a given that anything an employee works on is property of the company, but what about if you subcontract to an outside developer? Or if you work with a customer to develop a piece of software? It is imperative that you understand who owns the IP you are selling and to get things in place before a sale event happens.    Contracts You’ve got an exclusive agreement with a national company to supply them with widgets, great news. Can you show the contract that confirms this? I hear this a lot, the sad truth is that a lot of time these relationships are never formalised, and while long term trading relationships count for something, a signed piece of paper means a lot more. Buyers are inherently cautious and are sceptical of anything that isn’t tangible. This may manifest itself in conditions on consideration, reduction of price, or in extreme circumstances, the collapse of the deal altogether in cases where there are significant dependencies.    Property Whether you rent or own the premises you operate out of, a buyer will be interested in just about everything.   If you are renting a property, now would be a good time to check how long you have left on your lease, make sure you have a change of control clause in the contract, or a break clause if necessary.   If you own the freehold, there are a number of issues to consider, whether you decide to sell the property as part of the transaction or not. It is standard practice for an acquirer to request EPC, PAT tests, Fire Assessments (with any issues identified and how they have been rectified), Asbestos audit (if relevant) details of any building works, the list goes on.   If the property is being retained by the shareholders, it will be necessary to work out the terms of the lease with the acquirer, who ultimately holds the lease and whether the property is transferred to the shareholders or gets moved up to a holding company as each of these have their own quirks.    Timely and Organised I cannot stress enough how important being timely and organised is.   Buyers will expect you to have all the information they are looking for, to hand and in a format they will understand. The reality is all too often very, very different! A quick due diligence process not only saves everyone endless sleepless nights, but also lets the buyer know that the company is run in an organised manner. As an added bonus, the quicker the process, the less time a buyer has to potentially chip away at the price.    Buyers will want to make sure any documents produced cross reference and can be reconciled. Hastily produced documents often don’t reconcile, so if you don’t already do something, please don’t start producing documents because of the DD process. Similarly, multiple versions of the same document will slow any process down, it may make sense to you that next year’s forecast is made up of a consolidation of six different documents, but this will more than likely confuse a buyer and let doubts creep in about the validity of the data you are providing.    Speaking from experience, we were going through Due Diligence, and the seller gave a document to the buyer, completely in good faith, that ended up not reconciling to any other documentation provided to that point. The truth was, it was never meant to, it was purely for internal use, but the ensuing confusion caused us and the seller to have to go back and try and reconcile the figures for the last three years. We ended up agreeing with the buyer to reconcile one year, an endeavour that ended up setting us back four weeks and threatened to derail the whole process.    Key takeaways, make sure the information you are providing is timely, accurate, cross referenced and perhaps most importantly, easy to follow.   There are considerably more things to consider when going through the Due Diligence process and we would always suggest speaking to an adviser well in advance of getting to this point, to make sure you are representing the business in the best light.    One of the benefits of working with a Corporate Finance adviser is that they have experience of working with both buyers and sellers, so will have a good idea of the things a potential buyer will be looking for. If you are thinking of selling your business or have been approached, we are happy to have a confidential, no obligation discussion about your business. Please feel free to contact a member of the Lovewell Blake Corporate Finance team on 01603 663300.      Ben Anstee is pictured (right) above with Lovewell Blake Corporate Finance Partner, Matt Crawley

There has been a major shift in the way we play gambling games, and it’s one that has taken the industry by storm. Where once we used to head to our local casinos, betting shops and arcades for the pleasure of placing a little bet. Now, all we have to do is look at our phones and access any one of a number of impressive high-tech betting apps.

It should be noted that some people still enjoy the social experience of visiting a specific location to gamble, and there’s nothing wrong with that, of course. The betting shops and casinos are a familiar sight on our high streets, and long may that continue, but it’s reassuring to know that these days we are able to enjoy the best of both worlds.The convenience of using online websites such as Duelz Casino is all too apparent from the moment you first use them. A growing number of people are making the switch to the online versions of games that we have known and loved for many years, and it seems that development is set to continue for a long time.

Online playing has advantages for both casual and committed players

While there are plenty of improvements that can be enjoyed when you play online, one of the more intriguing is the fact that you can play in healthy competition with other users. The thought that you could go head to head with someone from the other side of the world in real-time is one that many people should experience.

Perhaps the most important aspect of playing games online is the way we can fit our gaming around our lives. Even if you’ve been incredibly busy during any given week, there will always be time to settle back into a comfy chair and enjoy some fun. And of course, when you have your phone or tablet with you, the action is right in front of your eyes.

And if you’re one of those making the most of the technological revolution, you certainly won’t be on your own. The influential Ecommerce Foundation estimate that around 87% of UK residents will shop online at some point during 2019, and this is surely a trend that will continue for many years to come. If you are yet to play any type of online game on your phone or tablet, it could just be time for you to give it a try. There are so many ways for us to relax when we get the chance, but few of them can surely match the enjoyment of playing games while you’re sitting in a comfy chair and enjoying a refreshing drink. Give it a go – you might just find it incredibly pleasurable.

Method Marketing has launched a survey into the State of Content.

The aim is to learn more about attitudes towards the quality of written content across a range of platforms.

By investigating areas such as spelling, punctuation and grammar, the survey explores the impact of errors on consumer trust and spending habits.

Says Method Marketing founder Lucy Mowatt: “Having seen a decline in the quality of content over the past few years, I’m keen to learn if anyone else has spotted this trend. Does it affect the perception of a brand? Do businesses seem less trustworthy? Which industries are most affected?

“Some businesses may not believe that the quality of content is important. After all, if it’s not a core part of what they do, it may not seem like a priority. The results of this survey will demonstrate that this may be hurting their business and reducing profitability.”

Take the survey now.

The Tudor Lodge Consultants team is pleased to announce that we have started an SEO campaign with Fund Ourselves. The firm contacted us to help with its search engine optimisation strategy to help boost its Google rankings and website traffic for specific terms relating to personal loans, peer to peer loans and investments.

Fund Ourselves operates in the peer-to-peer industry, offering low cost loans to consumers, with the finance provided by other individuals who receive interest on lending out money. The keyword strategy is therefore based around attracting both borrowers and investors looking for a return.

With our background in financial services, this is how we have approached the Fund Ourselves project in the early stages.

Keyword research

One of the first steps we took in terms of an SEO strategy for the startup was conducting keyword research. This is vitally important, as once relevant keywords have been narrowed down it enables you to tailor content in order to drive traffic and target your audience in a more effective manner. The tool we use is Keywords Everywhere which allows us to see the keywords and their monthly search volume on Google, and then we transfer this to our keyword reporting tool of AWR.

Landing pages

Once relevant keywords regarding personal loans, investments and ISAs had been established following research, we set out to create individual landing pages for each. We also ensured that these pages had also been fully optimised, in order to ensure they are indexed properly by Google and to help improve overall rankings – and this is achieved through well constructed meta-titles, descriptions, heading structure (h1,h2,h3), images, calculators, internal links and more.

The idea is to make one landing page per keyword and not to overlap (otherwise Google will be confused and demote all pages). So it is best to have one page for personal loans, not 3 or 5.

Link building

We have been working on establishing credible and trustworthy links to Fund Ourselves, to help with its SEO strategy. This is important for any website’s Google ranking, as it builds up trust for the domain.

We focus on industry specific links from websites (not blogs or directories) and news sites relating to finance, startup, business, consumer finance – to ensure relevancy where possible. Therefore, we avoid links from food, sport or science, since this would lack relevancy.

We keep very safe with the anchor text, using brand name and ‘here’ and ‘read more’ where possible to avoid the risk of penalties.

Whilst early days, we expect to see small growth in the first few weeks, with solid growth over the 3 to 6 month period.

The England and Wales Court of Protection has recently set out guidelines for persons appointed as Attorneys under a Lasting Powers of Attorney (‘LPA’) to use when deciding whether they can spend the donor’s funds for the benefit of other parties.

These guidelines have been presented by the Court of Protection in the form of a decision tree, setting out the thinking process to be followed in the day-to-day context of a lay person acting as Attorney, making arrangements for management of the funds and contemplating whether they can use the donor’s funds to benefit someone else.

Dawn Parkes, Private Client Specialist and Hatch Brenner Managing Partner commented: “The decision tree produced by the Court of Protection will form a very useful tool for Attorneys who may be considering the correct actions concerning gifting. It is often assumed by Attorneys that they cannot benefit themselves or give away donor money, but there are exceptions to this. If the donor has habitually given funds to charity, or passed on monetary gifts to family members, friends or the Attorney themselves, perhaps at Christmas, it is acceptable for the appointed Attorneys to continue to use the donor’s funds to benefit someone other than the donor, providing there are enough funds available.”

Click here to read more information about Powers of Attorney and to find the decision tree as a downloadable pdf file.

For any queries relating to Lasting Powers of Attorney, or gifting, please contact Hatch Brenner Managing Partner Dawn Parkes on 01603 660 811 or at danwparkes@hatchbrenner.co.uk

For more information, please view an article on the STEP website: https://www.step.org/news/england-and-wales-court-protection-sets-out-rules-valid-gifts-third-parties

The recent demise of Thomas Cook and Zenith Home improvements left the public in shock and with Thomas Cook, required a significant operation to repatriate travellers. But what happens to the employees in such a situation, when an insolvency is sudden and unexpected? Jobs may be lost at short notice, leaving employees in a potentially very difficult financial situation. The employees are technically redundant, but the employer may be in a position where it is unable to pay statutory redundancy, notice pay or even outstanding wages.

Fortunately for such employees, certain amounts owed to employees by an insolvent employer are payable out of the National Insurance Fund (NIF), subject to certain conditions being met.

The NIF can pay:

1. Unpaid wages up to a maximum overall limit of eight weeks’ pay and subject to the current maximum statutory limit on a week’s pay (£525 at present), less tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs);
2. Holiday pay taken or accrued in the 12-month period ending on the date of the insolvency, up to a maximum overall limit of six weeks’ pay and subject to the current maximum statutory limit on a week’s pay, less tax and NICs;
3. Statutory notice pay (one week per full year of employment, up to a maximum of 12 weeks) up to the current maximum statutory limit on a week’s pay, less “notional” tax and NICs. The notice pay is reduced by the “notional” tax and NICs to reflect the fact that the employee would receive the net amount had it been paid directly by the employer. There is no actual deduction of tax and NICs that is paid to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). However, the employee is required to mitigate their loss by trying to find alternative employment and if they do so, then the notice pay can be reduced by the amount of actual pay they receive in the new role;
4. Statutory redundancy payment (broadly one week per full year of employment, depending on the employee’s age, up to a maximum of 20 years and subject to the current maximum statutory limit on a week’s pay) less any amount paid by the employer. Only employees with more than two years’ continuous service are entitled to a statutory redundancy payment;
5. A protective award where the employer has failed to inform and consult the employees’ representatives when proposing to make 20 or more redundancies.

In addition, HMRC becomes responsible for unpaid statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay, statutory paternity pay, statutory adoption pay and statutory shared parental pay from the date of the formal insolvency.

The conditions for payment are that:

1. An individual must be an employee of an insolvent employer;
2. The employee’s contract of employment must have been terminated;
3. On the “appropriate date” (the date when the employer became insolvent for unpaid wages and holiday pay; the later of the date when the employer became insolvent, the date when employment terminated or the date on which the award was made in relation to a protective award; and the later of the date on which the employer became insolvent and the date of termination of employment in relation to any other payment), the employee must have been entitled to be paid a “relevant debt” (one of the payments identified above);
4. The employee obtains a lifting of the automatic stay on proceedings in administrations and compulsory liquidations to claim a protective award and the claim must be established by an employment tribunal;
5. No payment will be paid out of the NIF unless the Secretary of State has received a statement from the relevant insolvency practitioner of the amount of the debt in question (except where the Secretary of State decides that no such statement is required);
6. In relation to a statutory redundancy payment, the employee must also show that their employer is liable to pay them an “employer’s payment” (broadly, a statutory redundancy payment or equivalent payment) and that one of the following applies:
   1. the employer is insolvent and the whole or part of the payment remains unpaid;
   2. the employer is not insolvent but the employee has taken all reasonable steps (but not necessarily legal proceedings) to obtain payment from the employer.

This will bring relief to employees who have concerns about ending up in such a situation, but where the insolvency involves a considerable number of employees, the liability to make such payments could have a significant impact upon the National Insurance Fund (which is also responsible for state pension and other government benefits).

Carla Gowing is an experienced Employment Solicitor who is able to advise employees regarding their particular circumstances. Call 01603 660 811 or email carlagowing@hatchbrenner.co.uk

Like everything else in your living space, an insanely clean carpet maintains a healthy lifestyle. Besides, carpets sprawl out acres of space and their cleanliness affects the overall hygiene of your home. Appearances of a carpet can be deceiving and you’ll only continue piling dirt underneath. Vacuuming only sucks up lint or trash leaving behind hidden debris. Deep spring-cleaning with steam purges dust embedded into the carpet, which may be hard to reach for vacuums. Carpets can stash dirt four times their mass stocking pet hair, dead skin cells, insect waste, mold, VOCs, allergens and dust mites. Intensive carpet cleaning using professional methods yearly enhances durability, décor and makes cleanup a breeze.

Purge Pollutants

Thorough carpet cleaning with high-quality equipment improves indoor air quality by wiping away pollutants, toxins and allergens. Frontrunners in the carpet cleaning industry like The Red Carpet employ advanced steam extraction techniques to uproot particles as tiny as 0.3 microns. They use eco-friendly cleaners that leave no traces of dirt-absorbent residue, toxic concoctions or unnatural whiff. Fall weather unleashes its fair share of contaminant. Red Carpet protects your family with efficient cleaning. Combined with DIY maintenance, you create an allergen-free, pristine indoor environment yearly.

A New Lease of Life

Grime and foreign particles open a new can of worms for your carpet diminishing the longevity. Therefore, sprucing up meticulously prevents dirt buildup to promote its aesthetics, resilience, and stain-resistant quality. A heavily-grimed piece becomes stubborn to clean making tidying up a hard row to hoe. A professional company will eliminate spots, oil spills or stains to prevent premature damage.  

Bright and Breezy Floors

Deep cleaning your carpet both sides improves appearance making it fresh and shipshape. It enhances the aesthetics of your interiors. A spiffed-up, neat carpet will deck out the decor of your living space with spotlessness.

Remove Stubborn Spots

In order to permanently erase stubborn spots or stains, you need powerful cleaner and machine. Professional cleaning services have commercial-grade products to wipe away stubborn stains. For vibrant surfaces, indelible spots ruin the apparent cleanliness. Experts hunt down the root of blemish to choose the appropriate formula like a protein digester to pulverize embedded dirt or grease.

Prevent Premature Wear

Carpets made of wool fibers cost the earth and require exquisite aftercare to prevent damage or shrinkage. Professional carpet cleaning providers handpick abrasive-proof solutions along with wet and dry carpet to safeguard the integrity of your investment. Wool shrinks when exposed to extremely hot water making experts the only safe pair of hands to rely on for serviceability. They have deep acquaintance with natural and synthetic materials to select effective methods such as coherent cleaning powders.

Incisive Cleaning Methods

Specialists tool up with steam cleaning equipment, high-pressure devices, extraction cleaning with oxidizing agent or advanced systems to agitate the fibers and dissolve grime. Carpet cleaning companies use methods such as hot water extraction cleaning, encapsulation and carpet shampooing to purge difficult-to-remove grease, dirt or other debris. Resilient bristles paired with powerful cleaning solutions cut through grime trapped within the fibers to restore your carpet into mint condition.

Maintains a Healthier Ambiance

Your pets and kids spend chunks of time on the floor making carpet cleaning to wipe out embedded dirt or allergens ineluctable. Specialized cleaning providers use high temperature methods to nuke allergens, microbial matter or dust mites. Children or hypersensitive dwellers can develop respiratory problems, allergies or other complications when exposed to soiled carpeting. Guilds of microbial life thriving beneath your carpet also emit odors, deep cleaning helps deodorize it for a healthier atmosphere.   

Eliminate Lurking Residue

Residential carpet cleaning machines may leave residue behind and this builds up with time. Professionals recommend safe carpet cleaning solutions for different materials to ensure you don’t sweep dirt under the carpet. A local service provider uses premium-grade products to eliminate the vestiges of dirt. They also use high pressure and hot water extraction systems that leave the micro-fibers free of grains of dirt or stains.

Obliterate Traffic Lane Effects

Sections of carpeting prone to heavy traffic will deteriorate rapidly than other areas. More dirt is deposited here creating variegated spots that taint the beauty of your carpet. Effective cleaning methods employed by experts will purge this sludge to slow down these knock-on effects. Resource-intensive maintenance ensures these variegated spots will melt away and the fibers regain their purity.

“All that mess and I don’t have enough time to take care of it. I can only look around my home and sigh at all that mess.” Isn’t that the thing you’ve been telling yourself every single day?! We all have to work. We all have our obligations towards our families and we don’t have any spare time to invest in our home. Perhaps you are selling or buying a new home and you are thinking of borrowing a magic wand from Hogwarts to get rid of all those things in the house so you can begin a new life. You are not Harry Potter and magic can’t help you, but you can clear all that waste. Waste clearance is the only solution to your problems. But how do you start a project like that? What to look for before you hire some waste clearance company?

Decide what is important and what is not

Before you start doing anything, you need to decide what you want and what you don’t want to keep. This will make the waste removal process easier. This process is maybe the longest and you need to be careful. You will find things you are emotionally connected to, nostalgia will grab you like a beast and will not let you go easily. Every family member will have an opinion of its own and you will debate about every single piece of furniture or anything you have in your backyard you “think” you don’t need any more. This is why you need to be decisive and ruthless when it comes to this. If you haven’t been using something in over a year and you don’t see yourself using it in the future, then it is a piece of junk. It is important to make sure you put the things you need somewhere safe. You don’t want to accidentally throw away something that is important to you or someone you love.

You need to make estimation on how much is being thrown away

If you know how much is being thrown away and what is in the waste collection pile, you can estimate whether or not you need to use the services of a waste removal company. It there are only a couple of items, then you don’t have a problem and the removal process will be very quick. But if you have more, then you should call professionals. I had the same problem. Luckily, a cousin of mine has worked for Big Ben waste clearance company from London. He told me that I could do the clearance all by myself but only if I have enough time to do it properly. Something a waste clearance company would do in a few hours would take an entire day for me to do all by myself. That is still not good if you don’t have that time to spend doing it. Especially if you have a busy schedule or a huge number of other family commitments.

How to dispose of all that junk

There are many ways to dispose the junk. Some of the options are: skip hire, selling all those items you don’t need, donating to charity, professional waste clearance company, or recycling all those items by yourself. You don’t have to choose one option from the list. You may use a combination of different options because you will need to dispose of all kinds of materials.

For example, if you need to dispose of some old furniture, you will give it to charity or sell it. But, if you need builders waste clearance done, then you need a special permit. You need to hire a waste disposal company that specializes in builders waste removal because there will be hazardous materials to remove. The same goes for electrical equipment or some other risky junk. However, if you decide to finish the job yourself, and then make sure you are well equipped and fit for the task. Household and garden waste clearance is a risky tasks. This is why you should consider hiring a professional waste clearance company if you doubt in your abilities. You will avoid any potential injuries if you decide to hire someone who is trained to do this job. Avoid companies that are trying to impose some strange or unforeseen charges. These include parking and loading fees. These kinds of companies will wait until the job is done and then “slap” you with some exaggerated bills. Make sure you agree on the charges before the job had even started.

Do it

In the end, it doesn’t matter which option you choose to dispose of all that waste. You need to do it so commit to it and stop over thinking. If you hire a professional then make sure you prepare everything so they could come and collect. If you hire a skip, then divide the job into batches. If you are taking the waste to a local recycling center, then make sure you rent an appropriate vehicle. And, in the end, if you decide to sell some stuff, do it over the net. It is easier. The most important thing is to protect your important data. If you are throwing away some personal documentation, then double and triple-check it for sensitive information. Shred or burn whatever you can because data security is extremely important.

The Big Debate

As a business owner, you want nothing more than to catapult your business into success. That is why it is of critical importance to invest your money wisely. One of the questions we get asked, as a finance broker, is how businesses can do just that! More specifically, whether purchasing assets outright or whether financing the assets makes the most financial sense… This is the big debate.

Below, we stated points on either side so that you have the tools to make the right decision.

Purchasing with cash:

• Purchasing outright may seem like the best option from the offset- and that is understandable! For instance, you get to own the asset without incurring an interest rate. This means that in the long run you end up saving money instead of paying over the RRP.

• You will also have ‘peace of mind’ as you are exempt from monthly payments, saving you the worry if at one point in time you cannot afford the payment.

• Owning the asset directly contributes to the overall value of your business

However, after having invested the majority of your capital into assets, what would you do if something were to go wrong- for example, if a system breaks, an asset fails, or you receive a significant VAT bill with demands from HMRC. Just how long would you have to wait for your cashflow to be replenished before investing in other areas of your business?

Whilst purchasing outright may seem preferable, it is important as a business that you prioritize your cashflow, leaving space for a contingency if unexpected costs arise.

Why should you choose to finance?

• Financing supports you in making smart business decisions. For instance, if you are a start up business a commercial loan may help you to conserve your cashflow whilst investing in multiple areas of your business-helping to get your businesses feet off the ground.

• Having a working capital equates to having financial health. Agreeing to a finance arrangement means that cash is readily available to facilitate the running of your business, support your growth ambitions enabling you to keep up with demand- in turn generating revenue.  An example, if a business was generating a 6% profit margin, it would be beneficial to retain the capital through the financing of critical equipment. This will help you to invest in staff and your growth ambitions- highlighting how the reduction of an upfront cost will support business growth through cashflow.

• Aforementioned, finance packages allow you to have a safety net of funds just in case the unexpected crops up. Having the means to stabilize your business and to maintain a high level of productivity is vital for when a situation occurs.

• Finance doesn’t just have to be a linear process of making a new asset affordable either… Finance can be utilized in ways to make use of what you already own. Refinance has the ability to release capital from assets you have purchased, so you can go on with upgrading machinery to execute your business plans.

Chatsbrook understand that even as a business owner, the prospect of finance is very personal. That is why we assess your business on what IS affordable for you, your trading periods and your requirement of the repayment period.

What Chatsbrook create is a perfectly tailored finance arrangement to suit you and your needs.

You can trust us to make your aspirations come alive.

Why not contact our friendly team on 01603 733500?

Share your ambitions and see your business thrive.

Carpets accumulate a lot of dirt with time. In offices, there are always people walking up and down at all hours. Things are dropped and spilt all the time. If the weather outside is inclement, as it often is in London – the signs will surely show up on the carpet! On the domestic from, whether you’re talking about a bedsit or a mansion, things are even more complicated. Dust, spillages that cause all sorts of stains. Dirt gathering in dark corners and under furniture; the amount of gunk on carpets is just amazing. While some people can’t be bothered to give their carpets a thorough clean, usually making just a quick sweep of visible areas, then replacing the carpet after some time. That’s an option if you can afford it, but there’s another option that works just as well. Cleaning even a small rug is no easy task by any means, but there’s an easy way out. Get a professional in to do the job! For a reasonable fee, your carpets get a new lease of life, and your home or office feels and looks refreshed!

Put it Down on Paper

As the saying goes, “If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail.” Writing down a business plan helps you get a clear picture of what will be involved in starting up your carpet cleaning business. This will include the costs of purchasing equipment and supplies, setting targets in terms of growth, getting the required training and certifications and other legal issues.

A business plan helps you plan for future growth and expansion. A simple search on the internet will yield lots of great sites and apps that ease the process of creating a plan to suit your particular needs. It will help you identify your market and find your niche. Most successful businesses are those that identify a need and find a way to provide a product or service that fulfils that need.

Find your niche and fill it well! The carpet cleaning market is huge, but this also means that competition is fierce. Having a targeted plan will get you off to a better start than fumbling about in the dark.

Getting Started

You can easily start small and grow with time and experience, as the guys at CleanCarpets.co did. Your immediate neighbourhood is a good place to get started. This will mostly involve domestic cleaning. People who know you are more likely to trust you and give you work.

As you learn the ropes, you can them expand – don’t forget, the best advertising is word of mouth. Do a great job and your customers are bound to recommend your services to friends and colleagues. Social media presence is a must in this day and age, and posting “Before, On The Job and After” pictures and videos, perhaps with happy customers exclaiming on the job, is a great way to attract attention. Set up a simple website giving details of your services and your location.

Branded merchandise such as t-shirts, caps, work clothing such as overalls and so on give you presence and a professional look. Another great way to build your customer base is to give incentives to your existing customers. Offer them a discount on the next job if they refer customers to you. Give them discount vouchers and flyers to give to friends and colleagues. In the beginning, you may be alone, or perhaps with a partner or friend or two. The products and equipment you require to start are quite basic and can be bought at any supermarket. As you grow, however, you must register a limited liability company. As the name suggests, this protects you from personal liability as it is a legal entity in itself. Having a registered company also gives potential clients the impression that you are professional.

Insure Your Business!

As with any business, insurance is obligatory. You work will involve going into peoples’ homes and offices in different locations, probably driving around in a van. Two types of insurance that are vital for a cleaning business are Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability Insurance.

Professional Indemnity insurance covers you against claims made by customers or employees. This typically involves customers dissatisfied with the work done or employees having issues with working conditions. This insurance pays invoices should a customer refuse to pay you and also covers your company should a customer make claims for damage caused at their premises by yourself or your employees. Your business is protected from disruptions in the day to day running of operations. Public Liability insurance protects you from claims made by third parties against you for personal injury or property damage.As your business grows and you take on employees, you are obliged to take out Employers Liability insurance.

The Future

As you grow, you must refer to your business plan from time to time to check that you are meeting your targets. The plan may need amendments as you go along. This is normal; unforeseen circumstances do happen and you should plan for them and react as necessary. Reward yourself and employees for meeting targets on or before time.

Enjoy Yourself!

This is the single most important thing in anything you do. When you’re enjoying yourself, it’s no longer a hard slog and you can’t wait for the day to end so you can put your feet up and enjoy a cuppa. Time just flies! People who enjoy their work are happier, more satisfied in life and do better work, so have fun!

Technology has taken over many aspects for a wide number of businesses. From restaurants to hospitals, technology plays a role in the daily operations of each one. As technology has advanced, it’s allowed for businesses to quickly and easily improve their operations without putting in much effort – or even money, in some cases. The following are some of the many industries that are seeing improvements and success due to the advancements of technology. 

Hospitals

One of the major ways that tech has improved hospitals is by providing databases that allow for immediate access to records and reference materials for both doctors and patients. They are also seeing improvements in training through virtual reality simulations that allow doctors access to life-like training experiences that do not exist in textbooks or class lectures. While doctors have residencies to teach them the ins and outs of their practice, VR training gives them a higher level of preparedness before hitting the internship floor. Technological advances are also facilitating surgeries, which has helped to decrease recovery times. With laser technology offering new methods of operation, rates of successful surgeries are increasing as well.

Casinos

The casino industry is adopting new technologies like bitcoin and automation to improve guest experiences. Implementing these new technologies allows casinos to improve guest experiences on the floor and in their rooms. With these new technological advancements, casinos reach a wider range of clientele, such as the techies of Silicon Valley who want to try out new methods of payment. And with automation, that keeps guests coming back for more because it offers them personalized experiences they can’t really get anywhere else.

Then there’s the massive world of online casino gaming, which has allowed casinos to grow from the brick-and-mortar establishments they once were. It’s completely changed the game and has allowed casino fans from all over the world to get the games they want, whenever they want, from wherever they are – no travel necessary.

Book Publishing

Through advancements in online technologies, publishing houses are finding ways to reach more readers and lower shipping costs. Many industries are going online to achieve a higher level of success and publishing has not been left behind. This online success translates to more than the publishing domains – technology has made book reading something to be done anywhere you can connect, which means that book sales are seeing heightened numbers online.

Corporations

Corporations of varying types are finding new ways to capitalize on business through technological advancements. Big data makes it possible to utilize better decision-making practices for businesses. By providing information about trends, customer bios, analytics, and forecasting, technology allows corporations to understand their customers better, in addition to providing improved insights into future needs.

Event Planners

Event planning takes a large amount of patience and meticulous planning. With new technology that allows finding the right venue for any event to be as easy as scrolling through a phone or tablet, it is no wonder that event planners are finding success through technology. As further advances are made in the technologies available to planners, they will be able to help their clients find what they need to achieve success in their events, creating a circle of success.

Entrepreneurs 

With so many companies going online and so many business expanding, technology has also made it easier for entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. Websites are more accessible and easier than ever to create with drag and drop platforms that can have a business up and running in a matter of days. This ease has led the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive. Writers, artists, and musicians, among others, are utilizing technology to find their voices in the business world.

New advances are made almost daily in the technology sector, from smartphones to smart currency. Making payments, hiring employees, playing games, and sharing hobbies are all moving to the fast-paced world of the internet and giving companies and customers alike an instant way to communicate, train, and shop right in the palm of their hand with just a push of a button. As these technologies advance, so do the levels of success many industries can find by implementing them into their daily business.

Dealing with trash can not only be stressful, but can also dangerous. This is more so if you’re dealing with toxic and hazardous chemicals, glass or waste with sharp edges. Therefore, most times if you find a large heap of trash piling up in business or office, consider hiring a waste clearance company.

So, what services does waste clearance companies offer? They offer junk removal services to homes, businesses, institutions, mills or factories. This is done by, collecting, transporting, processing and disposing waste materials appropriately.

They also make sure they recycle as much of it as possible.

Listed are 6 benefits of hiring a waste clearance company.

1.    Better Management of Time and Efficiency

If you run a business, your time is more valued and should be used to deal with important matters for the benefit of the business. You may also not get time to carry different types of waste to different places. For example, you cannot just throw hazardous chemicals anywhere, since they can be harmful to the environment.

By taking the waste to the dump or recycling facility by yourself, you take a lot of time that could be used for other purposes. Therefore, investing in waste clearance companies to perform the task for you will be beneficial to your business. Likewise, it saves your time and money.

2. Maintain Health and Safety

Moving waste, more so, the hazardous in nature can be a daunting task. You may also not realize that you are working with hazardous materials that should be legally and professionally handled. Careless handling of these types of waste can result to abrasions, cuts or even back strains. A good waste removal plan should be put in place to deter health and safety issues.

In the UK, and in big cities like London, there are companies that are specialized in waste clearance services and you can hire them if you have large heaps of waste. O’connor’s waste removal agency is among the most popular. They at all times use professional and environment friendly ways in their waste clearance services.

3. Protects the Environment

Waste clearance companies will not only save you money, time and effort, but also take care of the environment. This is what they provide-accountable and proper waste management.

It’s important to note that most of the professional waste companies are environmentalists. They have a better understanding of what and how to deal with waste. Moreover, they will collect your waste and transport it to depots. At this place, the waste is sorted and sent for recycling.

They are also better equipped and recycle the waste. By properly treating the waste, they help in protecting the environment in a much safer and environmentally friendly way.

4.    Economical

Are you a business or home-owner? If the answer is yes, then it’s advisable to seek the service of a waste clearance company.

Time, wages and other opportunity cost spent on, employees are higher compared to when you hire cleaning service. There are also possibilities of injuries and overtime cost.

Hiring waste clearance companies comes in handy and is both economical and efficient in business and you also to your home. Likewise, they guarantee reliability and efficiency.

5.    Improves your Brand Image

People judge a book by its cover and customers will judge your business by its appearance. They get are attracted to a clean and organized business environment.

By showing the customers that you recycle waste, they will learn that you preserve the environment and you do your part in preserving the environment. Also, you brand image is strengthened and people look at it in a more positive way. When you practice with your clientele base to promote the environment, they will also practice recycling and environment friendly way

6.    Management of Hazardous Materials

Some waste is harmful to the environment. And, it can be tricky to handle such waste. Some of these wastes, especially industrial waste contains harmful and hazardous chemicals that should not be handled by non-professionals. The professional has knowledge on how to handle such stuff and any precautionary measures to be taken so that these don’t come into contact with these materials directly.

Also, most people don’t know how and where to dispose these type of wastes. This is because you cannot just dispose them at any place. Therefore, you should seek professional services to handle for you this type of junk. Professionals know how to dispose them at the right place so that they do not cause harm to the environment.

Another reason is that industrial waste comes in large amount and can be difficult handle .As a result, the service of waste removal companies may came in handy.

The largest amount of waste is accumulated during construction or renovation project. The presence of these types of waste (glass, metal, cement etc.) at your building site can be a safety threat to the people who work there.

For security reasons and prevention of serious or even fatal injuries, use waste clearance service to help you dispose the waste appropriately, they will not only keep the site safe but also make it clean . 

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