Member Blog

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

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

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

At HUNTED;

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

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

I’m not really sure if I like mazes.

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

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

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

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

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

Here are five of the top causes of succession failure:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Remember why you were looking for a new role.

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

• Consider the work environment.

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

• Are you delaying the inevitable?

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

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

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

Digital Marketing agency, Bigfork, have cooked upa new website for a frozen dessert manufacturer – Langtons. When creating the website, Langtons used high quality photography which is essential in selling and promoting their products. The new websiteuses the latest parallax scrolling effect design which you can see over onhttps://www.langtons.com

Bigfork – we make websites stand out

t: 01603 513080

www.bigfork.co.uk

The late great CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, once said, “Hiring the best is your most important task.” It is more important now, in our current employment climate, than ever to make sure you are hiring the right person for the job. The cost of hiring a bad employee is most likely to outweigh their contribution value. Training someone who is not right for the job will result in a loss of productivity and could cost you a lot of money in the long run.

If you want to reduce the likelihood of employing the wrong person follow these simple tips;

• Create an in-depth job description

Many employers will create a short and succinct description for the role they are looking to fill. However, a detailed description is more likely to attract the right person for the job, particularly if that person is already in a role.

• Assess your company culture

What type of culture do you promote at work? A collaborative one? A normative one? Understanding your company’s culture is a very important aspect in hiring, as you need to evaluate whether or not your potential candidate will thrive in that environment.

• Don’t rush

Often the clock might be ticking and it is essential that you need a vacancy filled. It is important to make sure that you hire the right individual, if you have time on your side then use it. Rushing in to a hire can prove very costly in the long run if the employee does not work out.

• Use the latest tools and technology

Using a recruitment specialist, like HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment who specialise in head hunting and attracting the highest calibre of candidates, will maximise your chances of hiring the perfect candidate. HEAD|HUNTED use the latest tools and technology to narrow the applicant pool and carefully shortlist the most suitable candidates for our clients.

If you would like to ensure a successful hiring process, contact HEAD|HUNTED Recruitment. Here at HEAD|HUNTED we search for active and passive applicants to ensure that our clients receive the very best candidates available, not just those who are actively looking for a new role. Each potential employee will be met with by one of our skilled head-hunters and only the very best will be shortlisted to our clients. HEAD|HUNTED also offer a referencing and DBS service if needed to make the full recruitment process that bit easier for our clients.

Following these four simple tips will greatly expand your chances of hiring the best candidates for your business.

Millions of working days are lost every year due to workers suffering with back pain and many experts put this down to our increasing sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, statistics issued by the UK Statistics Authority show an increase in the number of sick days taken because of this chronic condition. In 2013 7.7 million days were lost to back pain, this figure rose to 9.96 million in 2014.

Office workers can spend 65-75% of their time at work sitting down – a recipe for an increase in back pain.

How can sit standing desks help reduce back pain?

Many people are unaware that sitting in the same position for long periods of time can be harmful. Prolonged sitting increases the pressure on your discs which results in increased disc wear and eventually pain. You’ve probably noticed that the longer you sit the more uncomfortable you become in your neck, upper and lower back. One of the main remedies experts recommend is to take frequent breaks from sitting down. Regular movement can be beneficial by relieving the pressure on your lower back. Standing up can help decrease the stress on your spine. The recommendation is that if you work at a desk you should spend a minimum of two hours on your feet. With a Flomotion height-adjustable sit-stand desk you can adjust your desk in seconds at the touch of a button. Leaving you free to switch between sitting and standing easily and quickly. Sit stand working can improve your health, well-being and work engagement. It can improve muscle tone and posture.

Flomotion can help you discover the power of movement, increase productivity and concentration, improve your health and well-being and reduce healthcare costs.

“The problems I suffer with my back are the result of an old skate boarding injury, it’s really improved since using the Flomotion sit-stand desk.”

Daniel Crawford – Type&Numbers

We offer a free two week trial of our sit standing desks. There are no hidden charges and delivery is free. So why not call us today on 01603 490054 and book your trial and see how our desks can benefit your back problems.

• Price at today’s rates: £120 / annum / organisation payable in advance of using the software.
  • 3 concurrent users able to modify the data and send outward bound correspondence.
  • 1 Organisation – additional organisations may be added as and when required.
• ​The Membership List Database is a way of managing members of any organisation, and maintaining audited communication out.
• Please note that some time and care needs to be employed in any list membership system as confidentiality and structure of communication needs to be adhered to.
• The quality of the data is subject to the control one has in having the data updated and observing that email addresses remain up to date.
• Internal organisational procedures may be developed when dealing with member details informational changes to enhance the quality of the changing data. For instance, whenever a member requests that their email be changed this should only be actioned when an accepted email has been sent to the Organisation secretary. So for security purposes the new email may be verified, and there is an audit point from which we may proceed.
• Email addresses which are defunct may have the profile associated with them made inactive as sending to defunct emails is not good practice for the SMTP gateway being used. It might be blacklisted if mass emails are sent to bad addresses.
• Help, in the form of PDF documents, is available from within the product.
• The product is in a constant state of evolution and we are developing the software, in ways that make the product worthier of the user, and take feedback in for future development possibilities. JADER Ltd is looking for long term commitment to the product and for that reason shall keep the changes occurring.
• Features Include:
  • Templated message creation. 
    • Useful for preparing messages that are sent regularly. Time may be employed at this stage to make the messages consistent and accurate.
    • The recipients may be selected at this stage. Either by group or individual members.
  • Group Selection by Member Attribute
    • This means that members may be selected by intelligent attribute selection.
    • For instance, the attribute “Committee” might be applied to certain members and then used to select those members.
    • Also Active members may also be selected, or non-active may also be subtracted from the selection.
  • Member Update Link and Screen
    • It is possible to send out an update link to the current email on file. This update link may be sent to all members when setting up the list and annually when asking members to check their details.
    • The link may be sent on an Ad-hoc basis to new members and when members request that their information be changed.
  • Tokenised Insertion of Profile Information.
    • The information we have on profile may be inserted into any communication so as to personalise the message.
    • The customisation of the email may provide different information to different recipients depending upon the data held on file.
  • List reporting – output to PDF, Excel, printer
    • The member list may be reported on for informational purposes to inspect the data having been entered.
    • Two reports have been added so far, a summary and a detailed report.
  • 1 Organisation – Many Lists
    • It is possible to have 1 organisation which establishes member records for more than one attributable type of member. For instance, an association has members. They might also like to add “profiles” for events, so a set of market traders may be added with a particular attribute which may then be selected by to send out correspondence to those traders. Without affecting the association members. NB: It is possible to attach the attribute for market traders to members also therefore avoiding duplication. This sounds complicated, however, the system should handle this and make it procedural and organised to avoid confusion.
  • Mass Attribute Attachment / Removal
    • It is possible to attach / remove attributes using a mass approach.
    • This means attributes may be added / removed after the addition of certain profiles.
    • Allows for lack of information and subsequent design correction.

Our mission is your success.

Please contact JADER Ltd by email (preferred) on david@dar-jader.com, or Telephone +44 (0)1508 518051 (please leave a message if no answer).

ABC Estates (https://www.abcestates.co.uk/) are a well-known Estate Agency based in North and Central London. Having approached Tudor Lodge Consultants in 2015, they were looking for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work. The intention and focus was to boost ABC’s presence and reputation online. By increasing and improving the amount and quality of content that ABC have, as well as going through and optimising all of the technical details and features throughout the site, the results have been extremely positive.

With a clean, slick brand image already in place, it was important to keep with their image and branding. Aldermartin, Baines & Cuthbert Estates are a well trusted estate agency throughout London, from Harrow in the north, all the way to Richmond in the south of the capital and beyond.

What SEO we have implemented

ABC Estates’ website benefited from a number of very clean, focused, white-hat SEO techniques. From only ranking on Google for a handful of search terms, they are now ranking for over 50 search terms and occupy the top positions for many of those searches including ‘sell a property,’ ‘let a property’ and ‘block management’

Their website now boasts a much more customer friendly face. With images, readable content and promotional videos, the site is going from strength to strength. Additionally, as a result of the high quality SEO, branding and content work carried out, ABC has seen their overall site speed increase across both desktop and mobile.

In addition, their website now features 15 specially made, bespoke landing pages, drawing in new customers and readers to their site in a way previously never achieved. These pages are not only fully optimised to the most modern day SEO standards, but they are filled with swathes of interesting, useful and informative content. We have also created around a dozen personalised videos for ABC Estates showing the branch, team members and surrounding area – making the site more friendly and personal to potential customers.

We are continuing to generate PR for the estate agent, which already appears regularly on LBC radio, we have gained press in local news, blog and property magazines.

We are pleased to have helped ABC build a solid foundation and look forward to growing the relationship in 2016.

The changes to the requirements and process for registering trademarks in the European Union that came into effect on 23 March 2016 will impact many brand owners with trademark rights in the region. The first key deadline of which companies need to be aware relates to changes to class headings.

As of 23 March 2016, the European Union Trademark Regulation (EU TM Regulation) entered into force as part of the so-called ‘Trademark Reform Package’. This date also marks the beginning of a six-month window to update class headings and specifications (via an article 28 (8) declaration).

Click here to read an overview of the changes introduced by the Trademark Reform Package, in terms of both the EU TM Regulation and the changes to national trademark law set out by the EU TM Directive.

Why might class headings need to be updated? Each EU TM contains a description of the goods and services for which the trademark is used, based on one or more class(es) of the Nice Classification System. Under the upcoming changes, owners of EU TMs filed under the Nice System prior to 22 June 2012 may be required to clarify which goods and services the trademark has been registered to protect, if that right is to remain valid under the new system. There is a six-month window, beginning 23 March 2016, in which rights owners can record necessary clarifications.

The requirement stems from the landmark judgment IP Translator (Court of Justice EU, 19 June 2012), which stipulates that all registered trademarks must be described in a sufficiently clear and precise manner to be valid. This has become known as the ‘means what it says’ approach; in other words, the chosen classification terms will be interpreted literally. Importantly, this approach is to be applied retrospectively to existing registrations that were filed prior to 22 June 2012.

Do the changes apply to you? If you are the holder of an EU TM, filed prior to 22 June 2012, and used the (entire) class heading(s) of the relevant class(es), please pay particular attention to the following:

The scope of protection of your EU TM will be dependant on the extent to which the goods and services, for which your EU TM is used, fall under the literal meaning of the class heading(s) of the relevant class(es). If the goods and services for which your EU TM is used do not fall under the literal meaning, you will need to take action by filing an article 28 (8) declaration.

For example: if an EU TM was filed for a boots brand in class 25 using the entire class heading ‘Clothing, footwear, headgear’, the scope of protection of the EU TM will be deemed to cover ‘boots’ as boots fall under the literal meaning of ‘footwear’. No action will be necessary.

However, if the trademark related to e.g. ‘inner soles for footwear’, then the goods will not be considered to fall under the literal meaning of the class heading and, therefore, will not fall under the scope of protection of your EU TM. In that instance, filing a declaration in which ‘inner soles’ are specifically designated, will be necessary.

Why file an article 28 (8) declaration? The reforms give EU TM holders the option to declare that: “their intention on the date of filing had been to seek protection in respect of goods or services beyond those covered by the literal meaning of the heading of that class (…)” by virtue of article 28 (8) of the EU TM Regulation.

By making an article 28 (8) declaration, an EU TM holder can preserve the (broad) scope of protection of an EU TM as intended on the date of filing. To achieve this effectively, the declaration must designate: all relevant goods and/or services for the class(es) concerned that do not fall within the literal meaning of the class heading, but are included in the so called ‘alphabetical list’ of the Nice Classification System (as per the edition of the Nice Classification that was in force at the date of filing).

When is the declaration due? An article 28 (8) declaration must be made within six months of the entry into force of the EU TM Regulation. If such a declaration is not made before 25 September 2016, the scope of protection of an EU TM will be limited to the literal meaning of the class heading(s) that is/are used. The transitional period cannot be extended.

In summary The EU’s Trademark Reform Package may have major implications for the scope of protection of your EU TM. Therefore, please consider:

• Whether the entire class heading(s) were used when filing your EU TM, and if this is the case:
  • Whether the goods and/or services for which the EU TM is (intended to be) used, fall under the literal meaning of the class heading, and if not;
  • Please contact your trademark attorney to assist you in filing an article 28 (8) declaration before 25 September 2016 in order to preserve the broad scope of protection of your EU TM.

Vague terms We also would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of specifying possible ‘vague terms’ in the description of the goods and services of your EU TM.

In response to the IP Translator requirement of clarity and precision, trademark authorities have compiled a list with terms that by definition are considered to be ‘too vague’ to meet the requirement. If one or more of these vague term(s) have been used in your EU TM application, it is very important to specify these terms if you are to continue to be able to enforce your trademark rights regarding the goods or services affected. This must be done by form as per article 50 of the EU TM Regulation. Although no specific time limit is applicable, it is advisable to amend the relevant terms as soon as possible.

Click here for further information.