Member Blog

A third of leisure travellers say they would not return to a hotel that offered inadequate wireless access, and this number rises to two-thirds of business guests.” – Hotel Industry Magazine

These are pretty scary numbers for hotel owners. In other words, you can provide great food, a shower that wakes you up in the morning, crisp white bed linen, but if the average business traveller can’t get their emails, then they simply won’t return. There’s an image that often floats around on LinkedIn which uses Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to identify the importance of good Wi-Fi in our lives – it jokingly shows Wi-Fi as more important than food, warmth and a roof over our heads. I’ve been on holiday with two tweenagers and the first thing they ask for when we hit our accommodation is “what’s the Wi-Fi code?”. The desire for us to be in constant communication is driving an insatiable appetite for a good quality network connection.

So, why are certain hotel owners, public venues, coffee shops still getting it so wrong in Norfolk? Here are my top three theories :

Venues don’t use the bandwidth they have to ensure each visitor has a consistent experience. Here in Norfolk, we all know about limitations on broadband and general connectivity, but you have to work with what you have. For instance, if a hotel only has a 10Mb/s broadband line coming in, why allow one guest on a Breaking Bad Netflix all-nighter take up the whole lot? If you had visibility of your Wi-Fi network, then you’ll have the ability to provide users with individual bandwidth limits or restrict things like Netflix altogether. That way, everyone can get their emails, login to Facebook, keep up to date on WhatsApp and Instagram – all minimal bandwidth stuff to maintain happy visitors.

Getting logged in is really tiresome. I’ve given up even trying to log into certain Wi-Fi locations simply due to a dreadful login process. Why would the provider want to collect all sorts of information? We’re happy to give up our email address so that you can let us know about great offers, but home address and mobile numbers are just a step too far in return for a bit of bandwidth. Make it as simple as you can for your guests and they’ll return for more. Providing a simple splash page welcoming your guest or even telling them about your special offers on dinner for the evening would provide a pleasant experience. Even better, might be to use social media logins, such as Facebook. That way, your guest will be telling everyone that they’re enjoying coffee or staying at your venue.

Weak Wi-Fi signal. A lot of venues and hotels jumped on the Wi-Fi bandwagon 10 years ago and invested heavily in “future tech”. The problem is, the IT world has seen enormous change in that period. I typically carry three devices around with me, each with a different purpose, but all with the capability to connect. We also have a massive array of devices with huge amounts of power and intelligence that are now incompatible with older Wi-Fi platforms. To add to the complexity, 10 users with 3 devices each means 30 connections and older access points just can’t cope with the density.

The good news is that Wi-Fi technology has come a long way to cope with this changing connected world. There are multiple vendors out there offering technologies that can solve the issues mentioned above and provide you with valuable data analytics to grow your business. For hotel owners, it sounds as though it’s as important as getting the dinner menu right, providing a clean bathroom or ensuring you have the right staff to say hello in reception.

This edition is all about innovation, and as much as I am a big technology fan, I’m going to leave the techy stuff to the other contributors. I want to talk about creating the culture of learning and innovation in your business. This culture well help organisations unlock ideas to drive forward the business and also help empower and motivate team members.

In their 2008 Harvard Business Review Article, “Is Yours a Learning Organization?”, David A. Garvin, Amy C. Edmondson, and Francesca Gino, explore the three building blocks of becoming a learning organisation as follows;

1: A supportive learning environment. An environment that supports learning has four distinguishing characteristics;

i. Psychological safety. Team members need to be safe to ask questions, try things out and make mistakes, without fear of reprisal

ii. Appreciation of differences. Recognising the value of alternative views increases energy and motivation, sparks fresh thinking, and prevents lethargy and drift.

i. Openness to new ideas. Learning is not simply about correcting mistakes and solving problems. It is also about crafting novel approaches. Employees should be encouraged to take risks and explore the untested and unknown.

ii. Time for reflection. Supportive learning environments allow time for a pause in the action and encourage thoughtful review of the organisation’s processes.

2: Concrete learning processes and practices. A learning organization is not cultivated effortlessly. Learning processes involve the generation, collection, interpretation, and dissemination of information. They include experimentation to develop and test new products and services; intelligence gathering to keep track of competitive, customer, and technological trends; disciplined analysis and interpretation to identify and solve problems; and education and training to develop both new and established employees.

3: Leadership that reinforces learning.Organisational learning is strongly influenced by the behaviour of leaders. When leaders actively question and listen to employees-and thereby prompt dialogue and debate-people in the organisation feel encouraged to learn. When leaders demonstrate a willingness to entertain alternative points of view, employees feel emboldened to offer new ideas.

The three building blocks of organisational learning reinforce one another and, to some degree, overlap. Just as leadership behaviours help create and sustain supportive learning environments, such environments make it easier for managers and employees to execute concrete learning processes and practices smoothly and efficiently. They foster learning and to cultivate that behaviour in others.

To read the article in full, please visit www.hbr.org

Consumer Contract Telephone Helpline Changes If you are in business selling goods and services or digital content to a consumer – these regulations will on the whole apply to you. Whilst there are some exemptions we would recommend that you study the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and plan accordingly for the 13th June 2014.

What Does This Mean? By the 13th June 2014 all telephone numbers which you provide for Post Contract queries (customer services, payments etc.) must cost no more than “Basic Rate”

• Basic Rate means not more than a geographic or mobile rate, the following number types wouldcomply:

– Geographic numbers starting 01, 02 or 03 – Mobile numbers starting 07XX – Free to call numbers such as 0800 or 0808 • Sole use of Premium rate (09XX) and other revenue sharing ranges (e.g. 0844, 0871) for postcontract lines will no longer be legal.

• Reduction (or complete loss) in revenue share when using 0844/0871

What Can I Do? • Issue new “Basic rate” numbers for use on Post-Contract calls and ensure they are advertised as prominently as the normal ones. These “basic numbers” can run in parallel with your existing numbers but remember you will need to tell customers who ring the old number, that a cheaper number is available.

• Companies using numbers starting 08XX, can apply for an equivalent 03XX number from their service provider. There’s no need to remember new numbers just substitute the 8 for a 3.

• Where calls are answered using Automated Attendant or IVR type systems, messages can be played to the caller telling them of the alternative number to ring for post- contract queries.

• Separate post sales calls and allocate new numbers ensuring you advertise these

• Choosing 0800 numbers for post contract calls may result in mobile customers being charged and then customers requesting a refund of the additional costs. This is due to change in 2015 when OFCOM change the mobile rates for 0800 and calls to such numbers from mobiles become “free to caller”.

For further guidance on these changes visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/fil…

Work at Height Regulations Do’s and Don’t s

Firstly what do the Work at Height Regulations cover?

There are many myths around Health and Safety- and the most commonly quoted is that Ladders are banned, or that the Work at Height regulations only apply to work above 2 metres: both are wrong.

The Regulations do have a code of practice/ guidance document that explains their meaning in more straight forward terms; but essentially under the Regulations, you must ensure:

• all work at height is properly planned and organised- Risk Assessment is key!
• those involved in work at height are competent- not just trained, but have the right knowledge and attitude to work safely, and are able to protect those who may be affected by the work at height
• the risks from work at height are assessed, and appropriate work equipment is selected and used; the equipment needs to be fit for purpose and used correctly
• the risks of working on or near fragile surfaces are properly managed- whether roofs, loft spaces or sky lights
• the equipment used for work at height is properly inspected and maintained- a simple checking regime is essential

We have compiled some simple Do’s and Don’t based on the Code of Practice

Do….

* as much work as possible from the ground- this is safer – take advantage of new technology & equipment

* ensure workers can get safely to and from where they work at height- this is often forgotten – the whole task needs to be planned

* ensure equipment is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, maintained and checked regularly- User checks are essential.

* take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces

* provide protection from falling objects

*consider emergency evacuation and rescue procedures; things can and will go wrong, so plan for this

Don’t…

* overload ladders – consider the equipment or materials workers are carrying before working at height. Check the pictogram or label on the ladder for information, Use team members, tool belts etc

* overreach on ladders or stepladders- a common cause of injury; it takes a few seconds to step down and move the ladder

* rest a ladder against weak upper surfaces, eg glazing or plastic gutters; plan safe work at height- generic assessments will not suffice

* use ladders or stepladders for strenuous or heavy tasks, only use them for light work of short duration (a maximum of 30 minutes at a time) Longer periods of time would suggest that a safe system of work is available

* let anyone who is not competent (who doesn’t have the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job) work at height- or who is suffering from a medical condition which affects their balance – or has a habit of working with their shoe laces untied!

To conclude- Work at Height needs to be planned, in simple terms you need to think of the Environment where the work at height is going to undertaken, the task that is going to be undertaken,and all the equipment that will be required, and who will be doing the work, and who could be affected by the work that is being undertaken.

Norfolk County Council is keen to promote sustainable travel in Norfolk and Norwich, especially business travel. We have put together our Business Travel Pack, which is part of the Better Bus Area (BBA) initiative. Norfolk County Council has been successful in securing £2.583m from the Department for Transport’s Better Bus Area Fund (https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/BetterBusArea).

The Business Travel Pack is a useful business resource to find information about car sharing, cycling to work, buses, as well as tips on avoiding roadworks to make your daily commute as stress-free as possible.

We listened to what local businesses told us they wanted help with and there are a number of benefits to getting involved:

• Reducing car park pressures
• Reducing business expenditure
• Helping you attract and retain staff
• Active travel increases productivity

We have a team that is dedicated to helping you with the travel needs of your business. Visit the Business Travel section to download your Business Travel Pack by clicking this link: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/BusinessTravel

Please join our LinkedIn group – the Business Travel Network for Norwich, which we regularly update with helpful information for business on how to promote sustainable travel. The link is: www.tinyurl.com/BusinessTravelNetwork4Norwich

One aspect of the Business Travel Pack is personal travel planning (PTP). Liftshare.com has produced a handy tool called myPTP which automates PTP, taking out the research time and administration and making it a much easier service to deliver to staff and customers.

Norfolk County Council have purchased a number of myPTP credits from Liftshare.com and are in the process of offering these (at no cost) to businesses in Norwich. We’re initially offer up to 250 free credits but may be able to extend this depending on demand from other businesses.

If you are interested in obtaining your free myPTP credits for your business, please download our simple PDF form, save it to your PC, complete it, and email it to me (travelplans@norfolk.gov.uk). Don’t miss your chance to get this great tool for free! The link to the form is: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/view/ncc148924

Feel free to contact me on my details below if you have any further questions and I’d be happy to help!

Kristen Jones Sustainable Travel Plan Officer Travel and Transport Services Environment, Transport and Development

Tel: 01603 223370 Email: kristen.jones@norfolk.gov.uk Norfolk County Council County Hall Martineau Lane Norwich NR1 2SG

Digital technology is not only changing how we shop, book holidays and watch films, but it’s also changing what we do for a living. In fact, a recent report by O2 claims that between 2013 and 2017 we’ll need a whopping 745,000 additional workers with digital skills to meet employers’ needs and to support the economy. A fifth of these jobs could be filled by employees aged 25 and under.

Enter our graduates: educated, enthusiastic and ready to learn! University leavers are among the ideal candidates for jobs in sales and marketing in the digital industry. At the moment, recruiters are seeing a boom in vacancies in this field across the East of England, and job seekers are suddenly finding themselves spoilt for choice. A sharp contrast to the last few years of recession!

There’s a lot of information out there about how we can arm young people with key skills for the long term, but if you’re looking for graduate talent now, you need to know how to attract these selective job seekers. As your trusted recruitment consultants in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, we thought we’d offer some advice! So, with inspiration from Conscious Communications, (introduced to us by the lovely Creative Front – a noisy voice for the creative industries in Cambridgeshire), we’ve come up with some tips for recruiting first-rate graduates into the digital industry.

1. Show that you’re a responsible business Pure is big on corporate social responsibility and cites this as one of the most important factors in attracting young talent. Graduates want to work for an organisation that contributes to its local communities. Whether it’s an annual charity fun day or a more strategic partnership, graduates want to be part of an organisation that is a responsible corporate citizen.

2. Be flexible with your requirements First-class degrees aren’t necessarily the sign of a great employee. It’s just as important to attract candidates who ‘get’ your organisation and its culture. Since the digital industry is forever changing, it’s essential that the young recruit can adapt and have vision. Top-scoring students may be smart, but are they also flexible? So, be open to education, existing skills and experience, otherwise you could miss out on the most suitable candidates – and that would be a real shame!

3. Provide a positive workplace If Google’s success is anything to go by, the company’s indoor slides, sleeping pods and Swiss chalet meetings rooms seem to bring out the best in its workers! However if ‘chillaxing’ on inflatable sofas doesn’t fit with your corporate culture, look at other measures. Social events, staff awards and free massages could attract young starters who work hard but who also want something in return that goes beyond a salary.

4. Visit your future employees Students start thinking about their career a lot earlier than they used to so it makes sense to meet them before they actually graduate. Build a strategic partnership with a university; give workshops, exhibit at career fairs and generally have a presence on campus. You get to tell students that you’re recruiting and you also get insight into what they’re looking for in a career.

5. Give them a springboard into full-time work Graduates benefit hugely from internships, work experience and job shadowing. Running programmes like these can help them get to know your organisation and industry, while doing a valuable job for you.

6. Take their careers seriously Tell graduates that you’ll take their career development seriously. It’s essential that you have a structure in place that supports careers from day one. Bright, young people are more likely to join you and stay with you if they know they can develop their skills, and invest them in the company’s development. Get this right and your graduates may one day become your directors!

Final exams will soon be over and our graduates will be ramping up their job hunts – good luck and we hope our tips have helped!

The recent weather that the UK has been having of late has highlighted to us – as experienced and qualifiedsign makers and fitters – just how important it is not to scrimp when it comes to making sure all types of signage are fitted correctly from first installation.

We are the UK and Ireland’s leading signs and graphics company – and we didn’t get that accolade by chance. It’s come from making sure all of our centres undergo the correct training, have the right ethics and take pride in everything they do. Being the leading company in the industry doesn’t always make us the most price competitive – not because we’re in it to ‘make a quick buck’ but because we know the true cost of designing, printing and installing quality signs – and this in turn is reflected in the quotes that we provide.

In the past, our honest pricing policy has seen us lose out on business to other sign makers who perhaps don’t realise the importance on investing in the right equipment, fixtures and fittings when completing a sign project. With the weather we are having at the moment, many of these companies have now been back in touch with our centres because their original signage and fixtures, installed by one of our cheaper competitors, has since rotted and is no longer safe – in some instances the signs have indeed blown free from their fixtures and are in fact hazardous.

We’re obviously more than happy to correct these problems and we always make sure that all the signs that we produce are fitted using industry standard procedure and the correct materials for the job. What we’d really like to see, however, is a change in the mentality to all sign making companies. Yes, corners can be cut and prices driven down – but for what gain? We believe public safety to be the utmost importance and would never fit any signage without making sure it was as safe and secure as possible.

Next time you need a quote from a sign maker, take a detailed look at the costs provided – if the value for fixtures and fittings looks too low compared to the other quotes you’ve received there’s probably a reason. Make sure you investigate it thoroughly before rubbing your hands together in glee at the few pounds you may save yourself in the short run because it could end up costing you much more in the future.

For more information on the quality of service, products, materials, fixtures and fittings you can expect if you approach one of the 70 Signs Express centres across the UK and Ireland, then Managing Director, Craig Brown, would be more than happy to discuss our ethics and policies with you.

Make sure you wrap up warm in these high winds and floods, look out for one another and most importantly stay safe.

The first rule of marketing: know your customer.

The second rule of marketing: really know your customer.

I can’t emphasise it enough. No amount of flashy marketing will help your business if you’re not targeting it at the right people. And the only way to make sure you’re reaching the right people with the right messages is to know who you need to speak to in the first place. Marketing is, after all, about satisfying a customer need. It may sound really obvious, but it’s often overlooked – an expensive mistake to make.

What should you know about your customer?

The specifics of what you need to know about your customer will vary slightly depending on the type of business you’re running, but here are some suggestions:

Where are they? If you’re a plumber, for example, you may well be targeting a local area. But how wide should your target market be? If you’re offering a wider service, is it national or international? Are most of your customers focused in certain areas?

What are they looking for? If you’re a pub, for example, are most of your customers (or potential customers) looking for somewhere to have a quiet drink? Or are they after some food, or somewhere they can bring the kids? What’s important to your customers?

What would motivate them to choose you? Is price the most important factor, or is it quality? Is it where your goods come from? Is a personal service important to them?

Where would they start if they were looking for your goods or service? Would they search online? Or ask a friend? Or might they simply be driving by and like what they see?

How much are they willing to pay for your goods or service? How affluent are your customers? Are you pricing yourself correctly? Would customers like to see different pricing options for your service (e.g. for different delivery times)?

How can you find out?

As a small business, you might not be in the position to commission an extensive piece of market research to find out more about your customers. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps you can take yourself to get to know your customers better.

1) Speak to them. You don’t need to grill every customer that comes your way, but it’s helpful to ask, for example, how they heard about you.

2) Analyse the data you already have. What can you already tell about your customers from any previous sales? Can you begin to define their geographic location? What are most people ordering or buying and what is the average spend?

3) Use social media. Never before has it been so easy to have a conversation with your customers. Building up a business network on social media can take time, but you could even use your personal Facebook account. Ask your friends to imagine they were looking for your business and tell you where they’d start and what they’d look for.

4) Run a short online survey. You can create a simple online survey for free using an online tool like survemonkey.com . It’s really simple and it collects all your results so you can see them easily. Let people know about it on your invoice/receipt/menu and offer an incentive to get them to complete it. This is also a great way to collect testimonials that you can use on your website and marketing literature (just make it clear on the survey that you might use any quotes in this way).

5) Run a focus group. There is an art to running a great focus group, but getting a few of your target market into a room and asking them a few questions could still give you some valuable feedback. Just remember they are only a small sample and may not be representative of all your customers.

6) Use free tools like Google Analytics. If you have a website, you should have Google Analytics running behind the scenes. This will give you lots of data about your site visitors to help build up a picture of who they are and what they want from you.

What next?

Once you’ve built up a pretty good picture of who your customers are and what motivates them, you can use this information to plan some really targeted marketing to help you grow your business.

For example, if most of your customers say they would start trying to find you by searching online, you need to make sure your website looks great and that it ranks well in Google. If customers say they’re mainly motivated by price, you could try running a special offer for a short time to attract new customers. If you’d like to expand your geographic reach, find out where your customers are at the moment, then target the next town or village out with a leaflet drop, local advert or event.

The one thing you can be sure of is that being clear who your customer is, or indeed who you want them to be if you’re just getting started, will help you plan your marketing more effectively. Good marketing always starts with the customer.

A well thought out and executed staff survey can be gold dust to your organisation’s development plan, but how do you go about it?!

As luck would have it, Pure has just launched the 2014 Best Employer, Eastern Region (BEER for short) staff survey with our partner eras ltd. Designed for organisations large and small in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk or Suffolk, this survey is free (yes, free!) to implement. It’s your perfect opportunity to gauge how you’re doing as an employer. First ran in 2012, this tried-and-tested survey has helped employers including Benefit Cosmetics, the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, Jackson Civil Engineering and creative agency Spring continue to develop their corporate culture and values to the benefit of staff, customers and the whole organisation. You also receive advice and guidance throughout the process, and a free tailored report (also free) which you can download instantly at any point in the process. Not only that, but you could also scoop a ‘Best Employer’ award, presented at our Best Employer seminars in your region this autumn! The survey covers a broad spectrum of themes that, together, form the corner stones of good business practise, employee wellbeing and customer loyalty. When the results are reported back, you’ll get an accurate insight into aspects that are going brilliantly, and which areas need improvement with valuable guidance on how best to do so. Here are a few examples of those key themes… 1. Communication Staff communications are essential in keeping your staff engaged in your organisation’s developments. It’s also vital for workers to have forums where they can voice their ideas and opinions. Noticeboards, newsletters, access to management and clear HR procedures are all forms of internal communications, which are critical to building staff trust, and, therefore, commitment. 2. Customer focus Customer service is not only key to successful business; it can also impact on your employee’s own pride in their work. Knowing how to meet your customers’ needs can help your staff do their jobs well. By misjudging customer requirements your employees may be at the receiving end of negative feedback and will struggle to feel as if they’re able to do their work well. It helps everyone by getting to know your customers and keeping up to date of changing trends.

3. Quality working standards Providing an excellent standard of working practises can positively influence employees’ attitude to work. An audit of internal procedures and conversations with staff about how you can improve efficiency is a great way to start this process 4. Innovation When an organisation uses innovation and motivates employees to create ideas, it leads to new ways of working, improved customer satisfaction and increased income. Innovation is also essential if you want to stay ahead of the curve in your industry, and offer customers something unique. Your employees also get to use a wide range of skills and feel part of something exciting in being among the first to explore new techniques. 5. Team work When working in teams staff feel supported and collaboration with others can be instrumental in enhancing their wellbeing. When a team is working towards the same goal, but accountable for their own contributions, everyone feels part of a broader vision, which is essential for employee morale and to create that all-important sense of achievement. 6. Physical environment Giving staff a positive, comfortable working environment cannot be underestimated in terms of boosting their performance. Everyone wins by creating a workplace that employees look forward to walking into every morning, and know that their mental and physical health isn’t put at risk.

If the opportunity to get your employees involved in a survey sounds interesting, when we tell you that the usual value of the survey is around £2,000, we’re pretty sure you’d like to find out more! The survey is available for a limited time only and closes in July. Get the ball rolling today by talking to Anna Hill, Marketing Manager at Pure, on: 01223 209888 or Anna.Hill@prs.uk.com.

TELEPHONE FRAUD

Telephone Fraud, Phone Hacking, Dial Through Fraud, Phreaking – whatever you want to call it, this sophisticated crime is real and is happening in the UK now.

The recent economic down-turn is seeing a rise in this form of criminal activity and the UK is one of the top 5 countries being hit and it is currently reported to be costing UK businesses around £1.3 billion per year.

Typically, criminals will hack into your phone system on weekends, public holidays and outside your office hours when they are least likely to be detected and usually will call out to premium or international numbers. It is hard to say how much telephone fraud could cost your business, but it can range from £1,000 to over £90,000 depending on the destination dialed, the number of calls made and how long it is allowed to continue before being detected and stopped.

Many businesses will think it won’t happen to them or affect them if it does. What they do not realise is, that the liability of the debt caused by this criminal act lies with the company or person contracting the phone lines. Due to the nature of the fraud, justice is very rarely served and any recovery of costs is primarily based on your insurance cover and maybe any goodwill that your provider may offer.

There are some simple steps your business, system maintainers or phone line provider can take to reduce the risk of phone hacking:

Bar Premium and International Numbers

If your business does not need to make international or premium rate calls, ask your line provider to put a bar in place so they cannot be made.

Lock Down Phone Systems and Change PINs and Pass Codes

Phone hacking is most commonly perpetrated by gaining access to a company’s internal telephone system or PBX. Often, this is achieved by dialing in and accessing the voicemail, then they set up a call divert to another number (often an expensive international destination). It is essential that you change your voicemail PIN / pass code on a regular basis (and ensure they are not still set to the default “1234”). If you don’t require the dial through or divert facilities on your phone system, disable them or ask your system maintainer to do so.

Make Sure You Are Alerted To Suspicious Activity

Where you can, set up email alerts with your provider to highlight any unusual activity.

Check Any Firewalls Attached To Your Phone System

Make sure any firewall has as many ports disabled as possible and has a strong password.

DON’T BE A VICTIM, TAKE ACTION NOW AND PREVENT CRIMINALS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR PHONE SYSTEM

With the glamorous movie industry award season upon us, we’re joining the buzz of the glitzy ceremonies by adding our own little twist.

Not only is it the Hollywood elite hoping for recognition for their hard work, but we want employers in the East of England to also seek out awards that’ll boost their profile. A bit of media coverage always helps – whether you’re the amazing Cate Blanchett or alocal cupcake baker. The benefits of making the finalist list, let alone winning, are multiple.

But before you start indulging in the fantasy of working your way to the stage in your tuxedo or oscar style frock to collect your award, let’s go back to the beginning. Let’s look at how you can win the award in the first place!

1. Read criteria and eligibility guidelines

Before putting in any work into the application make sure your organisation is actually eligible. Check the rules for geographic restrictions, size of workforce, turnover or form of organisation (e.g. social enterprise, profit-making or charity). Also, think about cherry-picking aspects of your business that meet the award’s criteria. So you have a strong sustainability policy? Do you have a highly successful employee engagement strategy, which is reaping fantastic results?

2. Check the small print

As with many competitions worthy of winning, there are rules to obey! Take the time to read every word so you don’t complete an application only to have it disqualified immediately. Find out if you can enter more than one category. And, importantly, note the submission deadline. Mark it in big red letters on your wall planner, in your private diary and in colleagues’ diaries if they’re involved. Miss the deadline even by one hour and you could be left bitterly disappointed.

3. Find out who the judges are

Researching the judging panel could help you plan your application. For example, including case studies of projects that are of more interest to middle managers when the judges are director level, you probably won’t do yourself any favours. Show them something new or show off your innovation. Whatever you do, blow their socks off with a relevant application that is aimed at senior decision-makers.

4. Understand the scoring system

Do you know how the awards will be scored? Will you be scored highly on areas that you feel may be your weaker points? If so, is it worth applying this year? By looking at the scoring you can plan your application strategically and pull out areas of your work that are appropriate to the highest scoring sections.

5. Ask questions

Some award programmes offer webinars or videos to help applicants with the process. Alternatively, give the organisers a call to go through your questions. It’s always better to make sure you have everything straight before you even so much as fill out your name on the application form.

6. Write inspired words

Completing award applications can be a bit of a time-consuming exercise, but don’t let your language reflect your fatigue! Remember, the judges are likely to be busy professionals who are looking for applications that grab their attention immediately. Although some of the text may need to be a little dry (to describe services or functions for instance), you can still make your narrative engaging. Aim to build excitement through your writing – include the best results, key customer benefits, favourite testimonials and use words that have an impact (but don’t go over board since you’re not writing the awards speech – yet!).

7. Always be truthful

You can talk about being the best in your field, but stick to the facts. Don’t exaggerate or be dishonest; if you get the award your customers are likely read about why you won. If they recognise misleading information you can bet they’ll either question you, leave you or, even worse, tell the world about it via their social media networks.

8. Proofread your application

Get someone else to give the application a final proof before you submit it. Especially if you’ve left it until the last minute and it’s been a bit of a rushed job (it happens!). If you want the application to reflect your organisation’s excellence in your application, typos and bad grammar will drag down the quality and undermine your chance of being shortlisted.

As a quick, final summary: choose your awards and categories carefully, plan your approach and put effort into it. If you’ve done a good job, you’ll soon be dusting off that black-tie outfit and practising your Oscar-worthy smile for the cameras. Good luck – we’ll keep our fingers crossed for you!

Your business has gone well and now you have too much work to do!

So now, you think you need an employee to grow the business.

Firstly, if you are doing everything, look at the admin tasks you can give to someone else or automate.

For example, who enjoys doing the bookkeeping or procedures.

• There are good bookkeepers who are freelance. For as little as an hour a week, they will keep things in order and probably lower the accountant’s fee at the end of the year.
• There are health and safety specialists who write procedures for a living.
• There are people who word process from dictation at all hours.
• Use something like google diaries and ask for access to your subcontractors’ diaries.
• There are others.

After these adjustments, you will spend more time using your real expertise with less irritation. If you still have more than enough work. Do you know others that will freelance with you and not steal your customers?

Draw up an agreement you can find sources to cover the issues. However, the experience, loyalty and motivation of the person are much more important. What will they do when tempted with short-term gain versus delayed gratification? If they do not pass this test, you do not want them. (put Marshmallow Test into Google).

You need to make sure they are really self-employed see https://www.hmrc.gov.uk/calcs/esi.htm None of the above involves any major change in cash flows. If you want to take on an employee, it does involve looking at cash flow and the employment laws.