Impromptu Business Chat is back for series 6! Mark and James reflect on the recent World Mental Health Day and the work of the late great Trevor Moawad. We learn that saying something negative is up to 70x more powerful than thinking a positive thought, so we must be very careful what we say! In their trademark casual but informative style, they come up with 3 top tips and make references to some musical links along the way! Show note links:
We love hearing from you – get in touch at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk – Are there topics you want us to cover? Business experts you know that we should be talking to? Maybe that expert is you!? Either way, don’t be shy! Listen here!
We are excited and pleased to launch a weekend of understanding and coding within the Akcela offices and our incubator space. The introduction to full stack development, two day course in Norwich, Norfolk, will give individuals a chance to gain an introductory understanding of full stack. Whilst having some fun. Speaking on the event, Akcela Managing Director James Adams feels that this a great opportunity for those interested to have a first taste of what full stack means. “First and foremost, we really hope this is going to be a fun event, where people who are interested in a potential future in coding, or even just to understand how development comes together and where each piece of the puzzle sits. People will have a chance to get hands on with some code and output a mini project too.” Having launched the business incubator in the heart of Norwich City, the team feel this is the first step in bringing more technical founders and an understanding for non-technical founders, to the incubator community. “Our incubator is industry agnostic, that’s one of the great things about the community we are building. We aren’t just about tech, but we are aware that tech is instrumental in so many businesses. We hope this is the first step of building that.” Akcela are delighted to be partnered by our amazing supporters, making the incubator and fantastic opportunities like this possible. This support comes from Ashtons Legal, Farnell-Clarke Accountants, MAD-HR and FUEL Studios.
A report published on the 13th October 2021 by NatWest sets out the potential opportunity that exists for the UK economy from the transition to net-zero, finding that SMEs could create up to 130,000 new jobs, produce around 30,000 new businesses and result in an estimated £160 billion opportunity for the UK economy. The report finds that there is a significant opportunity for the UK to be a global leader in the transition to net-zero. The report also found that the UK’s 6 million Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can achieve 50% of the UK’s Net Zero decarbonisation goals, if they receive the right support through funding, knowledge, and training. NatWest has announced a series of initiatives, leading with a target to provide £100 billion of Climate and Sustainable Funding and Financing (CSFF) by the end of 2025. Part of this new CSFF target will help to support the investment needed to transition the UK to a net zero economy and will help to support the bank’s customers including SMEs on their transition to a net zero and a more sustainable economy*. This marks an acceleration in NatWest’s ambition to support UK decarbonisation and the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, in-line with the 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. The report and its associated initiatives are intended to support the efforts to halve the bank’s financed emissions by 2030 and meet the net zero targets by 2050, in line with its commitments as a founding member of the Net Zero Banking Alliance. While the report’s finding that less than 10% of SMEs currently see climate action as a source of future growth, it found that SMEs have two distinct opportunities to create value from delivering climate action: driving business value by reducing their own emissions and unlocking growth through wider climate action. With the right support, the vast majority of SMEs could benefit financially from reducing their carbon footprint, and through supporting the UK’s transition by delivering activity like residential retrofitting, installing renewable power equipment, upgrades to the electricity grid and installing electric vehicle charge points. The report calls on financial institutions, government, industry bodies and large corporates to play their role in collectively supporting SMEs to unlock the climate opportunity. NatWest also plans to launch a new green loan product for SME customers, new specialist Accelerators for Clean Transport and Circular Economy, new tools for businesses to monitor their carbon footprint, and mandatory climate training for all its relationship managers in collaboration with University of Cambridge and University of Edinburgh. The report makes six clear recommendations where SMEs need most support to achieve effective transition:
Funding Access – financing that reflects the societal benefit of delivering climate action and ensures that business initiatives and investments make financial sense.
Awareness – support to recognise the opportunity from climate action, highlighting key skills required to transition successfully.
Knowledge – help to reduce their impact and improve their ability to measure and report their impact.
Skills and capabilities – support to develop new skills to deliver transition, such as training employees, achieving accreditations and certification, and management capabilities.
Market access – improved financial certainty of the benefits of broader climate action.
Navigation – support to navigate the complex and evolving landscape, understanding what support is available and what will most benefit their business.
Alison Rose, Chief Executive, NatWest Group said: “According to the Springboard to Sustainable Recovery report published today, SMEs play a critical role in the UK economy, contributing around 50% of total UK turnover and around 60% of employment. We have identified the potential opportunities as being worth £160bn for SMEs and the UK economy, and we want to do everything possible to support our customers in achieving a share of that prize. This report is the response to what our business customers are telling us they need in terms of practical support as they face a complex decision-making process. “We are with them on every step of the journey that takes them from awareness and understanding, to ability to act, and finally to achieving positive climate and financial impact. Our ambition to play a leading role in the UK’s transition to a net zero economy is why we are targeting £100 billion of Climate and Sustainable Funding and Financing by the end of 2025. “I’m firmly of the view that we should never underestimate the power of the small – and in this instance SMEs – for leveraging big advances. What this report tells us, in clear numbers, is that all sectors of the economy will need to play their part in helping the UK achieve its climate ambitions. We must look at this not just as an imperative, but as an opportunity for businesses.” Lord Nicholas Stern, Chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment, said: “In the fifteen years since we published The Stern Review, governments and businesses have been slow to recognise the enormous and growing threat that climate change poses to economic development. This report by NatWest is timely and important, and makes it clear that the UK’s small, start up and innovative firms need support to capitalise on the emerging opportunities from the transition to a low-carbon economy. “Fifteen years from now, we will know whether we will succeed or fail to meet the UK’s net-zero target, and the UK’s SMEs will play a defining role in the outcome.” The report is the second in NatWest’s ‘Springboard’ series of reports, following March’s ‘Springboard to Recovery’ report into SME recovery, post-pandemic. The report was created in consultation with partners including McKinsey, Microsoft, British Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, CBI, Blackrock, CoGo, HVM Catapult, ScaleUp Institute and National Farmers Union (NFU).
A quiet revolution is taking place in not-so-sleepy Norfolk, England. Aviation, an industry that is rarely paired positively with the words ‘clean energy’, is going green. Norfolk’s Charter Operator service, SaxonAir, is at the heart of it all. Alex Durand, the company’s CEO, is taking an industry lead, overseeing drastic action at the facility and working with staff to minimise the operation’s carbon footprint. Having undergone a rigorous programme to upgrade the building and educate its 50+ staff on greener practices, including investment into day-to-day running and even keeping bees, the company is aiming to be a trailblazer in the industry and well on its way to meeting its ambitious targets to be carbon neutral by 2025. From having initially found the industry reticent to address some of the negative media surrounding the industry, Durand recently spoke at SaxonAir’s ‘Clearing the Air’ event to highlight and debunk notorious misconceptions surrounding aviation. In particular, he drew comparison to over running road works that, after just one-month, equal to SaxonAir’s entire 2019 carbon emission output. He said: “Whilst the industry is not claiming to be green, it should have a fair chance at addressing its issues and cleaning its act up. When I first embarked on this journey, I found there was very little support, despite optimistic government targets and that many senior industry people felt paralysed by inaction due to sensationalist media headlines. I’m pleased to say it does feel like there has been a huge shift with organisations such BBGA prioritising the issue at its next conference.” “Along our journey, I have discovered true innovators within the industry, one of whom are local to us, NEBO Air.” NEBO Air, based in Beccles, Suffolk is aiming to be the world’s first sustainable, cost-effective micro ‘airline’ with zero CO2 emissions. The pioneering company joined forces with SaxonAir to support the Clearing the Air in mid-September, addressing a number of the mistruths surrounding the industry’s reputation and to celebrate clean innovation within industry. The company offered delegates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become of the first twenty people in the world to travel in an all-electric aircraft, the Pipistrel Velis sharing one of the industry’s most significant developments in the fight against climate change. Sergei Gratchev, Founder of NEBO Air, said: “The entire aviation community is incredibly excited about this new and rapidly developing project. We are receiving daily correspondence requesting information about specs of the aircraft and charging stations.” “Airfields across the UK and Europe are sending letters of intent wishing to join the project and enhance our network,” he continued. “This will soon create a web of electric aircraft charging facilities throughout the UK and beyond allowing Zero Emissions aviation to become a reality. The environmental revolution in aviation and transport has begun!”
Helping businesses trade globally is a key mission for every Accredited Chamber of Commerce. Recently, businesses have been faced with a variety of new and significant challenges when operating internationally. The voice of businesses with direct experience of these issues needs to be heard – both on the immediate challenge of international trade, and on wider business issues. In this 7-minute survey, we’re seeking your views on several broad areas: • Current business conditions and pressures; • Your investment plans; • Barriers to trade; • Impacts flowing from Brexit; and • Priorities for the net zero agenda. Your input is totally unique because it is shared directly to the most senior policy makers in UK government to create better trading conditions for your business. Since 2016, tens of thousands of Chamber members have contributed to our research on trade and Brexit. The feedback we have collected from these surveys has helped your Chamber network to directly influence decision-making at the highest levels of government, including delays to the introduction of some scheduled post-Brexit border controls. As a business community, our collective voice has never been more important. Follow this link to complete the survey.
Ashtons Legal regards the recruitment and training of solicitors as a vital part of the development of the firm and as such has recently appointed five new trainee solicitors. Existing staff members Tom Beattie, Nathalie Fearnley and Taaher Robanni have been joined by external recruits Kurt Glencastle and Luke Evans. All five commenced their training contracts in September 2021 and will qualify as solicitors at different stages in the next few years as a result of various exemptions. They are working across a range of legal disciplines – employment, lifetime planning, corporate and commercial, dispute resolution and commercial property. Ashtons Legal – who became amongst the first firms nationally to adopt the Six Year Solicitors Apprenticeship (originally known as Trailblazer Apprenticeships) – now has a total of 14 staff training to become qualified solicitors. Ed O’Rourke, CEO of Ashtons comments: “I am delighted to welcome Kurt and Luke to Ashtons and congratulate Tom, Nathalie and Taaher on getting through our rigorous training solicitor selection process.” He adds: “We continue the firm’s successful strategy of training and development by supporting the long term plans of employees. We have a mix of solicitors trained through the ‘traditional’ route and those given the apprenticeship opportunity should they not wish to go to university or law school. Whichever route they take, our trainee solicitors are trained to be potential leaders of the future and we pride ourselves on an excellent training record.”
Team Breakwater are excited to be exhibiting at The B2B Exhibition on Thursday 14 October. We’ll be on stand 55 this year with an interactive competition, a space to chill and chat about IT and you can plant a tree in our forest! Plant a tree at our stand You can plant a tree when you visit us on stand 55! Look out for our tree planting banner, grab one of our recycled leaf stickers and add it to the tree. Every sticker on the banner at the end of the day will plant one tree. To see our forest so far, visit: ecologi.com/breakwaterit As well as tree planting, you can take part in our interactive competition. We’ve got some Jabra Headphones up for grabs so come along and get involved!
Kings Lynn’s Captain Fawcett Ltd (Manufacturer and Purveyor of simply ‘First Class Gentleman’s Grooming Requisites’) has been flying the flag for West Norfolk on an epic 1,671-mile motorbike ride across Scotland and England to raise funds for a most marvellous national children’s charity. The fifth BarbersRide was an absolute triumph, with funds reaching over £20K – with more donations still coming in. Huzzah! On the 7th August a fine fellowship of mad-cap adventurers, united by their passion for bikes and barbering, set off on a mission to supportMake-A-Wish® UK, the charity which grants life-changing wishes to those whose childhood has been cut short by the diagnosis of a critical condition. Richie Finney, West Norfolk Champion and owner of Captain Fawcett Ltd is one of the founding members and key sponsor of BarbersRide, an annual road trip adventure bringing barbers and bikers together on a journey of camaraderie and merry mayhem. By day taking to the highways in all manner of wild and wonderful British weather, each evening features a legendary after party with live music, food and drinks to revive spirits after fantastically formidable trails such riding through the Scottish Highlands, a favourite with this year’s riders. Past Rides have to date raised over £66K for The Lion’s Barber Collective plus London’s Great Ormond Street and Liverpool’s Alder Hey children’s hospitals. BarbersRide have supported Make-A-Wish since 2019, saying: “Make-A-Wish grants special wishes for sick children – bringing positivity and happiness in times of distress. We really wanted to work with a national children’s charity so that children from each region could benefit – Make-A-Wish is the perfect organisation to partner with. We even managed to ride in 2020, observing social distancing, and garnered incredible support from our sponsors, our riders, the barbers and barbershops and of course the guests at every event.” Make-A-Wish Chief Executive Jason Suckley said: “We are hugely grateful to BarbersRide and all those who have supported their brilliantly unique way of fundraising for Make-A-Wish over the years. Any money they raise will help us with our ambitious mission to light up the lives of every child in the UK who has a critical condition, by granting their wish. From the moment they are diagnosed, the joy of childhood is often brought to an abrupt end while treatment, medical appointments and worry take over. It can’t be underestimated how powerful a wish can be in bringing light and joy to those children, as well as their loved ones, creating positive moments and cherished memories that have a lasting impact on all their lives.” In 2022 we ride again. Are you with us?Sign-up www.barbersride.com/2022
National treasure and cancer survivor, Stephen Fry, has voiced his support for Big C’s new cancer centre in Norwich via video. In the recording, Mr Fry talks about the urgent need for increased support for those affected by cancer in our local communities. He urges everyone who can, to keep fundraising and to help make the charity’s vision a reality. To date, over £640,000 has been raised by Big C’s loyal supporters for the Nearer to Home Appeal, of which every penny will go directly towards a new state-of-the-art Cancer Support and Information Centre in Dereham Road in Norwich. Carole Slaughter, Big C’s Head of Fundraising said “We have just over £100,000 left to raise to enable completion of the centre building and for the facility to become operational. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has donated so far and we’re asking for one last push to help us to deliver this very special support service for Norwich and the wider region.” Norwich’s new Cancer Support and Information Centre will offer a warm welcome to those visiting, with a light, calming central seating area and a bright space for group activities. There will also be private rooms for one-to-one counselling and a sensory wellbeing garden. Once open, the centre will provide a centre of wellbeing with services such as support groups, counselling, the opportunity to talk to registered nurses, complementary therapies, welfare advice, bereavement support and individually tailored health and fitness programmes. View Stephen Fry’s video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0twWhs9hqA&t=3s To donate to Big C’s Nearer to Home Appeal, please visit https://nearertohome.co.uk/
Local cancer charity, Big C, has been awarded gold accreditation as a Best Employer Eastern Region 2021. Best Employers Eastern Region is a biennial programme comprising an employee survey provided by co-founders ERAS Ltd, that measures employee engagement, company culture and development, across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. Big C was also further recognised receiving the ‘Alex Pearce Award for Most Improved’. The judges’ comments were, “Big C scored well in terms of overall engagement and survey participation and the judges gave them solid scores in all categories. Unsurprisingly, the Big C operates a clear set of values and has used the motivational maps to understand the engagement drivers of its employees. Its standout is its commitment to inclusion and diversity, particularly in encouraging the recruitment for those with disabilities and focus on learning and individual progression.” Dr Chris Bushby, Chief Executive at Big C, said, “This accreditation celebrates and reflects the teamwork, passion and commitment shown by everyone at Big C, as we together meet our mission to provide outstanding and constantly improving cancer support services, when and where they are needed. The 2021 results demonstrated a 25% increase from the 2018 survey scores which is very rewarding given the challenges that we, along with many other organisations across the region, have been facing through the pandemic as a charitable organisation and team. “We believe in putting our people at the centre of our organisation and this recognition will be valuable in strengthening our employer brand and helping us to attract the best future employees as we grow.” For more information on Best Employers Eastern Region visit – www.best-employers.co.uk.
Lotus named ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at prestigious News UK Motor Awards
Lotus wins national award, voted for by The Times, Sunday Times, The Sun and Driving.co.uk
Lotus commended for “impressive additions to its range and pioneering exciting new product development”
Judges commented: “The Evija and Emira are simply sensational… the future is bright”
Award collected at London ceremony by Lotus Design Director Russell Carr
“The future is bright for one of the world’s most iconic car brands” – the words of Rob Gill, Motors Editor at The Sun, as Lotus was honoured as ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at the News UK Motor Awards 2021.
The prestigious award was presented by respected political journalist and Times Radio presenter John Pienaar at an exclusive ceremony, and collected on behalf of Lotus by Design Director Russell Carr.
The judges included a number of highly respected motoring writers and commentators. Together they felt Lotus was a worthy winner as it has… “continued to up its game in the last 12 months, making impressive additions to its range and pioneering exciting new product development”.
On behalf of the judges, Rob Gill commented: “We are starting to see the first harvest from Geely’s huge investment in Lotus and, wow, the Evija and Emira are simply sensational. The Evija is the perfect blend of art and science, the Emira is a shrink-wrapped supercar, and the transformation of the historic Hethel HQ will warm the heart of every true car fan.”
He concluded: “The workforce has doubled to 1,700 people, Delia Smith is running the kitchen, and the famous old fountains have been switched back on again. The future is bright for one of the world’s most iconic car brands.”
Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus, said: “This is a massive honour for Lotus, and a tribute to everyone working tirelessly at our facilities all round the world to transform our business and brand. That transformation got underway with the launch of the world’s first British electric hypercar – the Evija – and was followed by its younger sibling – the Emira – revealed in July to a reception that’s been nothing less than sensational. Things are moving fast at Lotus, so watch this space – there is so much more to come.”
Collecting the award, Russell Carr (above, right, with Will Dron from driving.co.uk) commented: “Rob Gill’s reaction when he visited Hethel recently suggested we are doing something right – he seemed very impressed with all we have achieved, from the new design language on our cars to the refurbishment of the site. I didn’t expect it to lead to this wonderful award, but we’re very honoured and proud that all the hard work and achievements of Lotus in the last couple of years have been recognised in this way.”
The Motor Awards is in its fourth year and brings together the collective expertise and audiences of The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, Driving.co.uk and talkSPORT. Rob Walsh, Automotive Director, News UK, commented: “Motors is a cherished subject here at News UK, a love shared by our editorial teams and our readers and listeners. The ambition is therefore to celebrate motoring best in class and support the automotive industry during challenging economic times.”
Norfolk County Council is supporting small to medium-sized businesses by launching its Insight Apprentice Programme at the B2B Exhibition, organised by the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday 14 October.
The team will be on stand no. 30 from 10am to 4pm at the Norfolk Showground. Entry and parking for businesses is free of charge.
Insight Apprentice is a project part-funded by the European Social Fund which supports Norfolk’s businesses, with less than 250 employees, to realise the full benefits of apprenticeships.
Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Growing the Economy, said: “We know that there is a myriad of different projects and initiatives out there to support employers but time and again businesses tell us it’s difficult to navigate through the systems. The Insight Apprentice project will help by providing a locally based Business Development Officer to support you throughout the apprenticeship process, ensuring that you can recruit the right person, onto the right apprenticeship at the right time.
Our Officers will be on hand at the B2B Exhibition. It is the ideal opportunity to find out how we can help, so please visit our stand and meet the team.”
The business sectors Insight Apprentice would like to reach include:
Advanced engineering and manufacturing
Agri-tech
Clean energy
Digital and ICT
Voluntary and social economy;
and any business diversifying, growing or needing to retrain/recruit staff as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Companies that invest in apprenticeship programmes report many other benefits including reduced recruitment costs, higher staff loyalty, enhanced job satisfaction, improved knowledge and skills as well as achievement of corporate social responsibility outcomes.
86% of employers say apprenticeships help them develop skills relevant to their organisation.
Business Development Officers will give employers the INSIGHT on apprenticeships to help businesses and their employees unlock their full potential.
The Team will be based countywide, working with key partners at the College of West Anglia, East Coast College, Poultec, City College Norwich and the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce. The project has also linked with Steadfast Training to provide expert learning and development to businesses and their future apprentices.
Insight Apprentice offers a bespoke package for employers providing help with setting up an apprenticeships scheme, access to funding and grants and ongoing support.