Member News

TaxAssist Accountants has moved from 23rd to 21st in Accountancy Daily’s Top 75 Firms Survey 2020.

A key factor behind the continued growth of the TaxAssist Accountants franchise network was its 9.2% increase in fee income, up from £41.5m at Year End in December 2018 to £45.3m in 2019.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director, said: “It was pleasing to see TaxAssist Accountants move up two places in this league table, reflecting our network’s strong performance and continued growth of franchisees, client numbers and fee bank increases.

“The survey results reflect the industry mostly before the Coronavirus pandemic hit and we are likely to see growth falter for most firms in next year’s survey, however, in spite of the last unprecedented year, our growth rate remains healthy and we are continuing to see positive signs.

“The management board made a bold decision in April 2020 to pause a number of costs from the franchisee network for three months. The franchisor contributed over £200,000 directly into the national marketing budget to protect the network from any potential downturn and keep the advertising momentum going.

“The extra work that was put in during 2020 has already started to generate a huge amount of brand loyalty from our client base and that, in turn, has developed new advocates for our brand who are recommending our services by explaining to others how we’ve helped them through these challenging times.

“The TaxAssist franchise model remains resilient and the support we provided in 2020 is evidence of our strong culture to support our network no matter what happens.”

With over 400 TaxAssist shops and offices across the UK, the network still has some prime territories available. Discovery Days are the perfect starting point for anyone that is thinking of branching out on their own to run and grow an accountancy practice. We help accountants and finance professionals understand the TaxAssist business model, the support on offer and provide an opportunity meet the senior TaxAssist team. Visit the website www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk to find out more.

A link to the survey can be found here.

In this weeks episode of Impromptu Business Chat, James and Mark chat about how business owners and their teams can use body language to build rapport on video calls. As usual they provide 3 top tips, and along the way make reference to Richard Bandler (the co-founder of Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Tony Robbins and top road cyclist Peter Sagan.

Show notes:

NLP – eye patterns 

If you’re enjoying our podcast, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get you podcasts. Whilst you’re there, we would love it if you could leave a 5 star review, as this helps others find our podcast! 

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On Thursday 22 April the world celebrates Earth Day. And here at Breakwater IT, we’ve been thinking about this day for a few months now. Because this year, we launched our new Sustainability Policy. 

This policy sets out the actions we are taking as well as the support we’ve put in place to cut our impact on the environment. We’ve got a lot to learn and this is only the start of our journey.

Here are some highlights from the policy:

• We now plant five trees for every laptop we sell – plus we’ve backdated April’s sales! View our forest.
• We donate monthly to carbon offset projects
• We’re committed to only using 100% renewable energy providers
• We had electric car charging stations put in our office car park in 2018. Since then, 30% of our employees now drive electric or hybrid
• We’ve set a target to hold 50% of our client meetings remotely, even post-pandemic
• We recycle or dispose of old devices safely and correctly
• Plus much more!

Our policy is freely available for you to view. If you’d like to know more, head straight there.

Festo was initially founded in 1925 and has grown from manufacturing wood-cutting tools, most notably the first portable petrol chainsaw, to developing pneumatics and industrial products.

Over the years as Festo grew, it diversified into the automation and manufacturing industry and is now a market leader in electrical and pneumatics drive and control technologies. Along the way, Festo has acquired many new locations, employees and product ranges as they develop their offering.

Currently, Festo employs around 20,100 people across the globe with an annual turnover of over 3.1 billion euros. The business is still family owned, and their independent financial status allows the company to follow their path and commit to long-term projects.

Festo’s philosophies are focused on industrial education, resource conservation and contributing to the overall quality of life.

Parker Hydraulics and Pneumatics Ltd are proud to have one of the longest distributor relationships with Festo in the UK.  The partnership goes back to the early 1990’s and within this time a wealth of knowledge has been accumulated ensuring a level of technical support can be offered that is unrivalled. Parker Hydraulics has been awarded with Festo official partner.

The title of official Festo partner is a distinction for reliable cooperation with the supplier, highlighting our expert knowledge and experience, knowledge of the Festo product portfolio as well as service and support in the purchasing process and after the purchase of our clients. This is a motivation for continuous development and activity at the highest expert level.

Whether it is simply supply of component parts, where you will find a large range of the Festo ‘Blue Star ‘core products are stocked at the premises in Norwich.  Or you are looking for a complete project solution, from inception to completion, Parker’s are the company to turn to.

All completed pneumatic project solutions are supplied with schematic drawings and supporting documentation.  Components can be supplied loose or fully assembled onto backplates or into control panel enclosures as required, ready to install onto your machine builds.

As well as our own in-house engineering team there is also full support from Festo’s own product experts, whether this is with traditional pneumatic automation, process automation or electrical automation. Covering a wide range if industry segments including for food processing/packaging, pharmaceutical, agricultural, oil & gas, automotive and more.

We have a large warehouse and workshop facility.  As an official Festo Partner, we are able to source and supply both individual and bulk quantities of all products within the range. Our fully equipped workshops are designed for our engineers to build and test assemblies to our customers individual needs.

Our ordering and delivery options are easy and flexible so they can be tailored to suit your individual requirements. We also have a fully stocked trade counter where knowledgeable staff will help you to find the right product for your application. Together with our stocked tradecounter you can purchase direct from our website. To view our range of available Festo products please select from the categories below: FESTO ACTUATORS FESTO AIR PREPARATION FESTO PNEUMATIC TUBE & FITTINGS FESTO VALVES

Contact us for technical support, product information or a competitive price today!

In this latest conversation, Chris chats to Geoff Bligh, a co-owner of Hanks Deli, Suffolk’s popular vegan supermarket. Where many hospitality businesses faced struggles and closures during lockdown, Hanks Deli pivoted and expanded, meeting a demand that shocked even them!

The success of Hanks, and their expansion into a supermarket, take-away and pub means, for them, veganism is good for business! It’s a new reality for how we produce and consume food, and could be the key to the future of hospitality.

Geoff worked in the City for many years, before following his passion. His frustration at the lack of dining choices for vegans, resulted in opening the first shop and café in 2019. The ‘soft’ opening was anything but, and he chats to Chris about how they coped with demand, and with having to expand quickly, within their first year of opening. They opened Suffolk’s first fully vegan pub a mere eight weeks before the first coronavirus lockdown. Despite being forced to close, they remained positive and looked at other opportunities to meet the demand in the changing customer landscape, which doesn’t include just vegans.

Two take-away outlets ; which includes being part of Felixstowe’s recent Beach Street sea front renovation project; and a shop expansion soon followed, and their switch to shop deliveries during lockdown, which has been a key to their success during the past year.

Geoff talks openly about the worries lockdown initially brought around safeguarding jobs; the changes in customer behavior; and how re-opening the pub with restrictions was not initially a money maker, but important for brand awareness. He touches on how Brexit will impact their imports, many of which are still specialist, but how he has seen a change in the availability of products within the UK, as veganism continues to rise in popularity. As he says, if MacDonald’s are on board, it’s no longer a ‘fad’.

This drive, and approach to his business model makes for a must-listen episode.

You can learn more about Hanks Deli here. See what The Beach Street project at Felixstowe offers here.

Listen here!

After the amazing success of the first Canaryball Rally back in 2019 where we travelled through 8 different countries in Europe, raising over £75,000 for The Community Sports Foundation (https://www.communitysportsfoundation.org.uk/), we now reveal our next destination.

This year we are swapping Europe for the UK, and the football stadiums will be replaced with Highland Cows, fabulous views, the Loch Ness Monster, and the dulcet tones of a piper, but by no means will it be less fun!

In April 2022 the Canaryballers will be travelling up to the Highlands of Scotland and taking on the NC500 challenge.

From the experiences we had last time (https://www.credoassetfinance.com/the-canaryball-rally-2019-racing-our-way-to-a-100k/), we know just how much fun we will have and once again each day will be fun packed with fantastic scenery and fabulous places to visit.

As with the original Rally, the 2022 event will combine the driving with plenty of other fun challenges for participants to win points, including an exciting scavenger hunt and spot prizes that all go towards winning the coveted Canaryball Rally trophy!

Even though we will be having plenty of fun on the rally itself, our goal is to raise vital funds for The Community Sports Foundation (CSF), and we ask that each team agree to raise a minimum of £2,000. CSF will of course be on hand to help with fundraising ideas.

This will be a trip you will never forget, so if you would like further information then please get in touch and we will be happy to send you the details.

We only have room for 25 cars on this trip, and places are being filled quickly, so don’t delay, get in touch today!

Please e-mail fran@credoassetfinance.com for more details.

As the nation continues on the road out of lockdown, Great Yarmouth Borough Council is distributing further grants to support businesses in the borough.

This phase (phase 4) of Additional Restrictions Grant scheme (ARG) is to support businesses in the hospitality, non-essential retail and garage/MOT sectors only. Seasonal businesses are excluded from this phase.

Hospitality businesses that applied for the ARG phase 3 do not need to reapply; Council Officers will be emailing all those eligible to confirm an automatic payment will be made. If you believe your business is no longer eligible, you are asked to email discretionarygrants@great-yarmouth.gov.uk as soon as possible.  

CLICK HERE:

for the link to the online form, information and support about the grants, eligibility criteria and further business advice. For advice relating to the grants, call 0808 196 2240.

One-off payments are available under this scheme in five categories:

• Grants of £7,500 are available to business rated hospitality venues such as hotels, restaurants, pubs, cafes with seating inside or elsewhere on the premises (excludes pavement seating only) and nightclubs
• Grants of £3,750 are available to non-business rated hospitality venues such as hotels, restaurants, pubs, cafes with seating inside or elsewhere on the premises (excludes pavement seating only) and nightclubs
• Grants of £4,000 are available to non-business rated non-essential retail with fixed ongoing building costs, such as rent, a commercial mortgage or a lease
• Grants of £7,500 are available to business rated independent garages offering repair and/or MOT services, which can evidence a loss of income of at least 25% in the last year. Documents to support evidence of this loss will be required

Grants of up to £4,000 are available to market traders, with more information on eligibility available on the website 

Paul Whittingham from Ashtons Legal has helped PBD Biotech to secure £2.3m in funding for World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) validation of its rapid, accurate TB test.

Actiphage®, is a rapid, accurate test for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) that would enable farmers to effectively remove this devastating disease from their herds. PBD Biotech has secured a £2.3m investment to take Actiphage through to validation by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Full validation will enable international adoption of this novel, patented, diagnostic for mycobacterial diseases, which include human tuberculosis and Johne’s Disease.

Actiphage, has been described as “having the potential to be a game changer in tackling bTB,” by Professor the Lord Trees, head judge for the British Veterinary Association Innovation Award 2021. “Actiphage was a worthy winner,” he said.

The funding has come from a consortium led by fund managers Mercia and the Foresight Group, which were both investing from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund; the University of Nottingham; the government’s Future Fund; and private investors including farmers and veterinary practices.

Mark Hammond, CEO of PBD Biotech, says: “It has been shown on-farm that when Actiphage is used within a disease management strategy it is possible to eliminate bTB from a herd and maintain a disease-free status. There is a significant international unmet need for a diagnostic for bTB and Johne’s Disease; with this funding we will be able to commission the trials needed to fully validate the test and capture this market.”

Actiphage’s use in England and Wales is currently approved by APHA as an unvalidated test for use only in a chronic bTB breakdown. OIE validation would enable Actiphage to be used in parallel with the existing skin test, offering farmers and their vets a method of managing and eliminating the disease for the first time, therefore allowing a OneHealth approach to the eradication of bTB

Ashtons Legal, partner Paul Whittingham said: “I am delighted to have been supporting Mark and the team at PBD Biotech in securing investor funds to progress their TB testing programme. This is an exciting time for all involved and I really look forward to seeing their product come to market after all the hard work which they have done.”

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

We’re switching to Plain Not Speaking for two days this week as we go silent for Mind.

Being a PR agency,  speaking is a massive part of our day to day lives.  But for two days this week, silence will descend at Plain Speaking PR.

Plain Speaking PR is all about communication: building relationships, reputations and helping businesses, individuals, organisations and charities to succeed.  But this week we will be taking part in a sponsored silence and it is  for a very good cause.

Our managing director Pippa and our senior account director Hannah are taking part in a 24 hour sponsored silence for Norfolk and Waveney Mind because access to mental health support is vital.  Without charities such as Norfolk & Waveney Mind, so many people would not make it; or have to live with a truly unbearable amount of anxiety, fear, depression and unhappiness.  We think that’s simply not on.

So, on Tuesday 20th April Pippa will be completely quiet and on Thursday 22nd April Hannah will take a turn to zip it.

If you know us, you will already know how much we like to talk. This will be no easy task.  But we hope that that by challenging ourselves to stay silent for 24 hours (and that means keeping quiet on all forms of communication, social media, text messages, WhatsApp, emails, the lot!), it will help others struggling with mental health to find their voice and seek help.

Remember, it is ok to not be ok.  It is ok to seek help.  It is ok to speak out.

Please do not suffer in silence.  Organisations just like Norfolk and Waveney Mind are here for you.

Norfolk and Waveney Mind are busier than ever. 60% of adults and young people who did not experience poor mental health before the pandemic are now experiencing mental health issues.  We want to help Norfolk and Waveney Mind to be there for as many people as they can.

Visit their website to find out more.

If you would like to sponsor our team silence, please head to our Just Giving pages.

Hannah Freeman is fundraising for Norfolk and Waveney Mind (justgiving.com)

PHILIPPA LAIN-SMITH is fundraising for Norfolk and Waveney Mind (justgiving.com)

Thank you.

Break has released details of its GoGoDiscover 2022 Learning & Community Programme, sponsored by Dipple & Conway Opticians, and is calling for schools, colleges and community groups from across the county to stomp on board and sign-up to get creative with a T.rex sculpture.

Once decorated, the smaller T.rex sculptures, named Breakasaurus, will join the larger sculptures on the GoGoDiscover trail in Summer 2022. The Breakasaurus sculptures will be exhibited across public spaces in cultural and leisure hubs across Norwich, before being returned to the schools and community groups who decorated them.

Peter Marron, GoGoDiscover project manager for Break, comments: “The learning and community programmes have always been an integral part of the success of our previous trails and I know that this one will be just as important and exciting for everyone involved. Norfolk is filled with so much creative talent and this project really offers young people the opportunity to show off their skills. The activity also inspires learning in the classroom and, in addition to receiving the amazing T.rex sculpture, the package includes a creative educational resource pack for teachers filled with lesson plans and fun activities for everyone to really sink their teeth into.”

Packages are available now with an early bird offer until 1st July 2021. However, there are a limited number of Breakasaurus sculptures available, as Peter continues: “The main objective from all the trails and this Learning & Community Programme is to raise vital funds for Break, so that we can continue giving children and young people living in care, on the edge of care or leaving care across the region, the time and support they need to achieve their full potential. I am grateful to Dipple & Conway for sponsoring the Learning & Community Programme and excited to be working with them to bring this wonderful educational programme to life.  It is thanks to all our sponsors and partners who support the charity, that we can deliver such a fantastic programme of events.

The GoGoDiscover Learning & Community Programme is delivered by East Anglian based children’s charity Break, in partnership with Wild in Art. The main sponsor for the programme is Dipple & Conway Opticians, with support from Roarr! and Norfolk Museum Services.

Matthew Conway is a director of Dipple & Conway Opticians. “We loved being part of GoGoHares back in 2018 and being able to help Break to support local children and families,” says Matthew.  “We knew we wanted to get involved with GoGoDIscover and the Learning & Community Programme sits perfectly within our values and ethos as an independent, family-owned business.  We’re committed to providing the best possible clinical care, and eye-health education, to our clients and to playing an active role in the communities where we’re based. We are looking forward to working with Break, local schools and community groups over the next 18 months to help people discover their county and explore their creativity.”

Schools and community groups interested in getting involved in the Learning & Community Programme should visit break-charity.org/gogodiscover-2022

The first GoGoDiscover T.rex trail this summer takes place from Monday 12th July until Saturday 11th September 2021 and then the trail goes larger with even more T.rex and a new Steppe Mammoth sculpture to discover across Norfolk. Dates for the 2022 trail will be announced soon.

For more information about Break visit break-charity.org

Text TREX to 70085 to donate £3. Texts cost £3, plus one standard rate message. #GoGoDiscover

In what has been a very challenging year for so many businesses, Credo is delighted that it’s work to support a wide range of companies and SMEs has seen them honoured with three prestigious awards in quick succession.

It is not purely by chance that Credo has won these awards.

Credo Asset Finance is in it’s 15th year of trading and at the heart of our activities has been a real focus on customer service and listening to the needs of our clients. This has led directly to the development of a range of unique products and access to a wide-ranging portfolio of lenders which ensure we can tailor a finance solution whatever the individual or businesses circumstances.

If you’re considering a major purchase or interested in ways to improve cashflow, you can be confident that when you talk to Credo, you’re talking to one of the best in the industry.

Contact us today at sales@credoassetfinance.com quoting Norfolk Chamber to experience our award winning service!

In this week’s episode of Impromptu Business Chat, Mark and James talk about the importance of business owners challenging and embracing their use of technology. As usual they provide 3 top tips and along the way they take inspiration from The Way Home (by Mark Boyle), The Machine That Changed The World (by James P Womack, Daniel T Jones and Daniel Roos), supermarket checkouts, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Whilst you are there, please like us, and leave a comment. We would love to hear what you are enjoying about the podcast, and it helps others to find us!

Listen here!