The London Business Journal September 2014 Issue 2

Luxury designer, AlexanderAmosu, has beencommissioned to create theworld's most expensiveApple iPhone 6.With a hefty price tag of£1 .7 mil l ion, the uniquecreation wil l be crafted in 1 8carat gold and ful lyencrusted with diamonds. I twil l take approximately twomonths to produce.Alexander has labelled thiscreation the “Amosu Call ofDiamond iPhone 6”, andwas commissioned to createit a day after Appleannounced the generalrelease of the mobile device.

Known for bridging the gapbetween luxury andtechnology, his past workconsists of creating some ofthe world's most expensiveproducts. Some notableones include: the mostexpensive iPhone 2 (sold for£89,000); the mostexpensive blackberry (madein solid gold and encrustedin diamonds, sold £1 20,000);the most expensive suit inthe word (currently in theGuinness book of records forbeing sold at £75,000) andthe most expensivechampagne in the worldvalued at £1 .2m.

LONDON DESIGNER TO

EXPENSIVE iPHONE 6CREATE WORLD'S MOST

More than 1 500 companiesacross a wide range of sectorshave undertaken training needsanalysis, thanks to the LondonCapital Colleges group (LCC).The consortium of 1 2 ofLondon’s largest col legessecured £1 6m last year to fundwork-based qualifications for upto 9,000 working adults, toimprove employment skil ls in thecapital.Led by Newham College, Skil lsSupport for the Workforce isfunded through the EuropeanSocial Fund (ESF) and awardedby the Skil ls Funding Agency.The money is being used by theLCC members, along with threeother participating FE Colleges,to give free workplace training,helping the city’s workforce gain

skil ls and qualifications toadvance their careers and boostbusiness growth.Employees working forcompanies that employ fewerthan 250 staff have beentargeted by the LCC, with aparticular focus on assistingindividuals with low skil ls tostrengthen their position in thejob market and promoting in-work progression ontoapprenticeships and furthertraining at higher levels.At the outset of the project,Chair of the LCC and Principal ofSouth Thames College, SueRimmer OBE, said: “This fundingis great news for the capital andshould have a real impact onpeople’s skil ls and confidence atwork.”

Sue Rimmer OBE: Chair, LCC

Volume 1 Issue 2 September 201 4

INSIDE:

£16M PROGRAMME BOOSTS LONDON SME WORKFORCE

Daniele deWinterMonaco'sBeautyBusinessPage 45

Fashiolacomes tothe UKPage 24

JohnWilsonRedefinesGlobalRecruitmentPage 20

Nicola Cookon sales &WIIFMPage 40

www.londonbusinessjournal.co.uk

www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukSeptember 201 4

www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews:

Firms Remain Upbeat as Growth Slows in Service SectorThe pace of the recovery in theservice sector slowed somewhatin the three months to August,but optimism continued toincrease, according to the latestCBI Services Sector Survey.Furthermore, there areexpectations for a return togrowth in the coming quarter.Growth in business volumeseased compared with recentquarters, and profitabil ity alsorose at a slower pace, but thiscame after multi-year highs inthe previous quarter.Other indicators in the survey

painted a healthier picture ofactivity in the sector. Growth innumbers employed in thebusiness and professionalservices sector – which includesaccountancy, legal andmarketing firms – reached itshighest rate in nearly sevenyears, with expectations for thecoming three months at a recordhigh since the survey began in1 998. Investment intentions forthe year ahead in the consumerservices sector – which includeshotels, bars, restaurants, traveland leisure firms – are

particularly robust, with plans forspending on vehicles, plant andmachinery also at a record high.Katja Hall , CBI Deputy Director-General, said: “The slowing inthe pace of growth and profits inthe service sector reflects ourview that momentum in theeconomy wil l ease in the secondhalf of the year. But this doesn'tnecessari ly mean a gear changein the recovery. I t's encouragingthat our service sector firmscontinue to feel upbeat,especial ly when looking ahead tothe next quarter."

Mid-Sized Businesses Reluctant to Export Despite GrowthUK mid-sized businesses arebeing too conservative in theirexport ambitions and are notconsidering key growth marketsoverseas, even though they areaware of the benefits, newresearch from Lloyds Bankshows.Almost three out of five firms(58%), turning over between£25m and £750m, said that theydo not currently export and lessthan one in ten (7%) are lookingto do so within the next five

years, indicating that over half ofmid-sized businesses are sti l lcautious in considering theirlong-term export strategy.This reluctance to expandoverseas comes despite recentindicators showing that firms aremore bull ish about the UKeconomy with businessconfidence reaching a 22 yearhigh according to the Bank'srecent Business in Britain report.Tim Hinton, Managing Directorfor SME and Mid-markets

Banking at Lloyds Bank said:“Although business confidencehas reached a record high, mid-sized firms often appear to beoverlooking the benefits ofexporting.“Businesses are focusing theirefforts on their UK operationsfirst, looking to reduce their costsand increase productivity beforeembarking on global growthopportunities.”

New Initiative Will Open Up Free Business CourseA new initiative, launched thismonth, wil l al low anyone,anywhere in the world to get abetter understanding of how torun a business, thanks to acollaboration between globalaccountancy body ACCA (theAssociation of CharteredCertified Accountants), theUniversity of Exeter BusinessSchool and online learningplatform FutureLearn.Together, they have launched aMassive Open Online Course(MOOC) – Discovering Business

in Society – which is free tostudy and open to anyone in theworld with access to the internet.The aim of the eight-weekcourse is to give anyone theopportunity to learn theprinciples of business, includingprospective undergraduatestudents, working professionalswithout a background inbusiness, people looking toreturn to work after an absence,or anyone seeking to furthereducate themselves.Clare Minchington, ACCA

Executive Director, said: “Thewhole point of this MOOC is thatit is al l encompassing. Yes, itcan be a way for someonelooking to begin their journeyinto the finance profession withACCA, but equally it could beuseful to someone seeking tostart a business to get a betterunderstanding of what'sinvolved, or a parent looking toreturn to work with a new set ofskil ls. I t's not unusual today forthose people already in work tolook to change career."

2

HM Treasury - Video games companies across the UKcan now claim up to 25% tax relief on their productioncosts. Copyright: jDevaun



Video Games Companies to Claim Tax Relief

Video games companies across the UK can nowclaim tax rel ief on their production costs, fol lowingthe government's new cultural regulations.The tax rel ief is only available for companiesproducing games that are certified as cultural lyBritish, to support the production of cultural ly

British games.Video games mustachieve a level ofpoints which they areawarded based on theircultural content, culturalcontribution and thelocation of the game'sdevelopment andnationalities of keypersonnel working onthe project.The BFI has alreadyreceived a number ofapplications that passthe cultural test. Theseinclude Dino Tribes byBlazing Griffin,MazeCraft by PWStudio, Beyond Flesh &Blood by Pixel BombGames, Mega CoinSquad by Big PixelStudios and

Spacepants by BoxfaceGames.Financial Secretary tothe Treasury, DavidGauke, said: "Thegovernment iscommitted tosupporting the creativeindustries, which makea valuable cultural andeconomic contributionto the UK. Companieswil l be able to reallybenefit from the taxrel ief we haveintroduced, enablingthe UK to continue tobe a world-classproducer of videogames."Video games tax rel iefbuilds on the successfulmodel of the fi lm taxrel ief.

3

www.card-cutters.co.uk



20 Business Schools Receive SBC Award

Lord Young with Sir Peter Bonfield CBE FReng, Chairof the Small Business Charter Management Board:Above. Pic below, Sir Peter Bonfield

The London Business Journal


Contacts

News/[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

General enquiries:[email protected]

The London Business Journal is produced by LONDON BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS &PUBLISHING (LBCP), 24-26 Arcadia Avenue, Finchley, London N3 2JU. Telephone: 0208 45371 85 / 07043 020 287. © 201 4 all rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner or any language,in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. All material in this journal isprovided for your information only and may not be construed as business advice or instruction.No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead,readers should consult appropriate business related professionals on any matter relating to theirprofession/trade/business. The information and opinions expressed here are believed to beaccurate, based on the best judgement available to the authors, and readers who fail to consultwith appropriate authorities assume the risk of any financial setbacks or otherwise. In addition,the information and opinions expressed here do not necessari ly reflect the views of everycontributor to The London Business Journal. The London Business Journal acknowledgesoccasional differences in opinion and welcomes the exchange of different viewpoints.The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Subscribe to The London BusinessJournal by visiting www.LondonBusinessJournal.co.uk or send an email to:[email protected] other enquiries, cal l 0208 453 71 8 / 07043 020 287

Facebook.com: londonbusinessjournalTwitter: @londbizjournalTwitter: @WomenInBusines3

Lord Young, the Government’s Adviser onEnterprise, hosted a celebration ceremony at 1 0Downing Street to award 20 business schoolsthe new Small Business Charter Award inrecognition of their work to support start-upsand small businesses.The Small Business Charter Award schemehas already helped 4,700 students to find workplacements in Britain’s exciting micro-businessand start-up sector. Small Business Charterbusiness schools have directly helped over8000 small businesses – working with themthrough workshops, mentoring and otherbusiness support. Over 800 new businesseshave already been started as a result of SmallBusiness Charter schools.The award also brings significant benefits forsuccessful business schools. They wil l have theabil ity to play an active role in schemes such asGrowth Vouchers, Growth Accelerators andStart-Up Loans provided by the Government.

The 20 Business Schoolsbeing awarded the SmallBusiness Charter are: AstonUniversity, Aston BusinessSchool; Coventry University,Coventry Business School;Edinburgh Napier BusinessSchool; Kingston University,Kingston Business School;Lancaster UniversityManagement School;Loughborough UniversitySchool of Business andEconomics; ManchesterMetropolitan UniversityBusiness; Nottingham TrentUniversity, NottinghamBusiness School;Southampton SolentUniversity, Faculty ofBusiness, Sport &Enterprise; UniversityCollege London,

Department of ManagementScience and Innovation;University of Birmingham,Birmingham BusinessSchool; University of Leeds,Leeds University Business;University of LeicesterSchool of Management;University of LiverpoolManagement School;University of NorthamptonBusiness School; Universityof Nottingham, NottinghamUniversity Business School;University of Salford,Salford Business School;University of Strathclyde,Strathclyde BusinessSchool; University of theWest of England, BristolBusiness School; Universityof Wolverhampton BusinessSchool.

4


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Finance/Banking/Accounting

Lloyds Banking Group to Oversee Government Drivefor Improving Digital Skills for SMEs and CharitiesLloyds Banking Group has beenannounced to drive forwardGovernment-led work toincrease the digital capabil ity ofSMEs and charities across theUK and contribute to their targetof reducing the number ofpeople without basic digital ski l lsby 25 per cent by 201 6.This is part of the workoverseen by the Digital InclusionDelivery Board of which LloydsBanking Group is the only bankto sit on. The working group wil lwork with Government, thedigital ski l ls charity Go ON UKand the six other partners tohelp businesses and charitiesmake better use of informationtechnology.

The first step for the workinggroup wil l be to establish wherethe major gaps in support andprovision for SMEs and charitiesare to help them increase theironl ine skil ls. The group wil l alsoidentify solutions by building onwork and support carried outthrough Local EnterprisePartnerships and mentoringprogrammes and linking this toother stakeholders andGovernment departments.The drive for improving digitalski l ls fol lows the publication ofthe Lloyds Bank UK BusinessDigital Index, which showed thatas many as 1 .7 mil l ionorganisations in the UK have avery low level of digital capabil ity

and over a third of al l SMEs andcharities don't have the basiconl ine skil ls, as defined by thedigital ski l ls charity GO ON UK.Miguel-Ángel Rodríguez-Sola,Group Director for Digital ,Marketing & CustomerDevelopment at Lloyds BankingGroup said: “We're proud to siton the Digital Inclusion DeliveryBoard and chair this importantpiece of work for SMEs andcharities. Through ourpartnership with Go ON UK, weunderstand the importance ofdigital and how valuable it canbe for individuals, businessesand charities."

The Co-operative Bank hasrevealed a record level ofcustomer engagement with itslatest pol l on its values andethics with over 73,000customers and Bank colleaguescompleting the survey.The results of the poll wil l beused to renew and refresh theBank's ground-breaking EthicalPolicy and define the Bank'swider values. The poll marks thefifth point at which the Bank has

reviewed its Ethical Policy,hearing from over 323,000(250,000 + 73,000) customers intotal. After the last review, theBank introduced nine newstatements reflecting changes incustomers' views.The poll sought views on thefive pil lars of the Bank's currentethical framework but alsogauged opinion around threenew areas which the Bankbelieves wil l be important for the

future: responsible banking;transparency; and treatingcustomers fairly.Nial l Booker, Chief Executive ofThe Co-operative Bank, said:“I 'm delighted that we've hadsuch a strong response from ourcustomers and colleagues. I tshows just how important peoplethink our values and ethics areas we continue to transform theBank and rebuild trust in thebanking sector.

Co-Operative Bank Hails Record Customer Engagement

UK Consumers Open to Pure Digital BanksOne-quarter of UK consumerswould consider using a puredigital bank – a bank with nobranches or call centres that isonly accessible via laptops andmobile devices, according to the

latest survey of UK currentaccount customers conducted byAccenture. Customers aged 25to 34 are most keen on the ideaof a pure digital , branchlessbank; 33 percent would consider

using one, while the youngestgroup of bank customers – thoseaged 1 8 to 24 – are the leastreceptive, with only 22 percentsaying they would consider it.

5

http://tinyurl.com/oszmrw3

PSI-Pay,one of theUK’sleadingend-to-end,accountand card-basedpaymentsolutionscompanie

s, has announced that CraigJames has joined its board ofDirectors.Craig is a highly Experienced

FCA (FSA)/E-Money andPrePaid Compliance/Regulatoryand Anti Money Launderingspecial ist. Having overseen thecompliance / MLRO functions oforganisations such as Firepay(Optimal Payments) andPaysafecard he bringsconsiderable businessexperience and knowledge,along with a ful l understandingof balancing risk management,regulation and performance.He has a significant track recordin e-money and paymentservices, including advising on

the development and release ofsome of the largest pre-paidschemes in the UK and advisingnumerous non-UK pre-paidorganisations. He is also theChairman of the industryrepresentative body PIF(Prepaid International Forum).“I am delighted to help assistthe PSI-Pay team in its nextphase of development. I havebeen closely associated withPhil Davies and PSI-Pay overmany years and look forward tobeing a part of its on-goingsuccess,” said Craig

Craig James


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Finance/Banking/Accounting

PSI-Pay Appoint Compliance & Anti Money Laundering Specialist

6,500 Barclays Branch Staff Promoted to Reflect ChangeBarclays has launched the newrole of a Community Banker,promoting more than 6,500branch staff to a highly skil ledteam who are focused onmaking our customer's l iveseasier.The move reflects the radicalway banking is changing withcustomers increasingly choosingto conduct basic transactionsthrough a digital platform andinstead using branches for morein-depth conversations with

staff.With a more flexible andempowered team, staff wil l havemore time to support ourcustomers from branchesthrough to the wider community.From 1 October, Barclays wil levolve the traditional 'Cashier'role into one 'CommunityBanker role'. Every 'B1 Cashier'wil l move up a grade to 'B2Community Banker', moreaccurately reflecting their rolewith customers.

At the same time Barclays isinvesting in branches to makethem counter-less, with staff inthe banking hall helpingcustomers on iPads rather thanremaining behind a window.Steven Cooper, CEO, BarclaysPersonal Banking, said: "Weknow that real ly helpingcustomers requires a lot ofvaluable people skil ls and thischange is about investing in ourcolleagues and recognising theirtalents.”

Whitehall 'Revolving Door'Costing Taxpayers

The world's largest accountancy body, ACCA (theAssociation of Chartered Certified Accountants)has warned that urgent up-skil l ing in financialmanagement across Whitehall was needed if thecivi l service was going to make long-term savingsand improved service delivery.ACCA says that while there is strong expertise inthe finance function of the UK's public sector,there is a need for Whitehall to invest in skil lsdevelopment in areas such as data analysis,procurement, project as well as financialmanagement if savings in government are goingto be made over the long term.

6

http://tinyurl.com/ppj3yju


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Property/Construction

Plans Approved to Restore Coco Chanel’s Love NestPlans to restore Coco Chanel’s formerHighland love nest back to its formerglory have been given the green light byplanning officials.Despite remaining dormant for morethan 60 years, Rosehall Estate nearLairg in Sutherland, wil l now be ful lyrestored under a project to be managedby Bell Ingram Design.The 20 room Georgian mansion thatl ies at the heart of the estate was theromantic hideaway for the fameddesigner during her ten year affair withthe 2nd Duke of Westminster, HughGrosvenor. Plans have now beenapproved by Highland Council for theestate and home to be converted into an

upmarket boutique hotel with fiveluxury holiday apartments andspa.Iain Cram, Director at BellIngram Design, who are workingon behalf of cl ients GhulamChoudry and Aamer Waheed,said they are thri l led to receivethe news that the famousproperty wil l be brought back tol ife. “A great deal of work wil l beneeded to restore Rosehall assadly it has been uninhabited forthe past 60 years. The council

has been very supportivethroughout this process however,so seeing the plans final lyapproved is great. The sensitivelandscape on which Rosehall isbased means we had to takeseveral factors into considerationincluding wildl ife studies, batsurveys and mitigating strategiesto ensure all local habitats weresafe.”A team of special ists who act onbehalf of the Chanel Archive hasalready been to view the

property and offered theirsupport in giving access to al ltheir records. Due to the propertylaying derel ict for so many years,the majority of the internalfeatures have not survived withas much as 60% of the building’sinteriors having worn away.“Rosehall sti l l encompassesmuch of the detai l from when thesecond Duke of Westminsterl ived there which makes theconservation of the property veryinteresting for us," Ian added.

Rosehall Estate: Coco Chanel’s former Highland love nest

Skills Shortage Concerns Reach Highest Level Since 2008Skil ls shortage concerns in theconstruction industry now standat their highest level since 2008,with 54% of respondents sayingthere are insufficient numbers ofQuantity Surveyors currentlyavailable to meet workloads (upfrom 41% in Q1 201 4).The figures, revealed in theRICS UK Construction MarketSurvey Q2 201 4, show privatehousing, commercial andindustrial sectors are drivingstrong growth across the wholeof the UK, with particularlyencouraging performance in the

Midlands, which saw workloadsrise at a record pace (57% netbalance).However, a shortage of whiteand blue collar workers (59% ofrespondents reported shortagesof bricklayers and 51% reporteda shortage of managerialworkers) coupled with difficultiesin the sourcing of some keybuilding materials (brick importswere 63% higher than in Q2201 3) is l ikely to result inupward pressure on costs andprices, while also presenting achallenge to further strong

growth in the sector.Alan Muse, RICS Director ofBuilt Environment said: “The UKconstruction market is mirroringthe natural consequence of arise in demand after fivesubdued years. The upsurge inhousing demand is creatingpressure across an industrywhich fai led to invest inattracting new talent or in thetraining of existing employees atthe height of the economicdownturn and this in turn iscreating similar effects amongmaterial supply.”

7


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Property/Construction

UK House-Building Increasing Ahead of Other EU CountriesHouse-building statisticsreleased by the Department forCommunities and LocalGovernment (DCLG) show thatthe rate of UK house-buildinghas risen significantly for the lastfive quarters in a row (since Apri l201 3).This supports research byDeloitte that UK house-buildingis recovering faster than itsEuropean neighbours. Thenumber of new homes startingconstruction in 201 3 increasedfrom 201 2 in only threeEuropean Union (EU) countries -the UK was the highest (up23.4%), fol lowed by Belgium and

Germany (1 2% and 7.2%respectively).The Overview of EuropeanResidential Markets reportshows that overal l residentialdevelopment across the EUdeclined over the last threeyears, with the number ofcompleted homes fal l ing from arate of 3.9 per 1 ,000 citizens in2011 to only 2.5 in 201 3. Therate for new homes completed inthe UK in 201 3 was 1 8% belowthe EU average.James Pargeter, head ofresidential projects at DeloitteReal Estate, said: “The UK isone of the very few EU countries

in which housing constructionnew starts - per 1 ,000 people -actual ly increased from 201 2 to201 3, and by nearly a quarter.Whilst we sti l l need to build farmore housing here in the UK,this increasing trend inconstruction is a positive signthat we are at least moving in theright direction. This is beingmaintained into 201 4, with lateststatistics showing annualhousing construction starts areup by another 22% in the 1 2months to June 201 4. We expectthis ongoing performance tocontinue to compare well to therest of the EU in 201 4.”

RAM Estate Agents Expands Into ChiswickOne of London’s fastest-growinglettings and estate agencies, RAMEstate Agents, has opened its fifthoffice, in Chiswick.The RAM Estate Agents team hasincreased to twelve with the openingof the new office and ManagingPartner, NS Suthakaran expects toemploy a total of 20 people, within thenext few months.Mr. Suthakaran believes that RAMEstate Agents has more to offer than

most agencies, as he says: “We’revery tuned in to what Londoners want.Buyers, sel lers, landlords and tenantstel l us that they l ike our friendl iness,efficiency and in-depth knowledge ofthe local property market. We alsoreflect the diversity and needs ofLondoners – our team speaks a totalof 20 languages between them, whichfurther enhances the quality of ourservice.”

UK Appetite for Dining Rooms WaningA poll conducted on behalf ofOceanFinance.co.uk has revealedincreasing popularity of kitchen-diners, where the kitchen is extendedto create a space to eat, and theoption for famil ies to eat their mealtogether in the l iving room, perhaps infront of the TV.This means that there’s one room inthe average UK home that’s gettingl ittle use. Ian Wil l iams, spokesman forOcean Finance said: “I t seemshouseholds are gravitating moretowards the l iving room or kitchen as

a place to spend time together, anddining rooms are becoming obsolete.“One reaction to this has been thegrowing popularity of the kitchen-diner, and knocking through betweenthese two rooms is a homeimprovement project many mightconsider investing in. I t would appearto be a popular time to do renovationwork l ike this too, as Ocean saw a50% increase in home improvementloan enquiries in March, comparedwith January and February.”

8

http://tinyurl.com/nbx3wky


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukProperty

Amanda Lamb on Interiors For The HomeSome hot tips from one oftelevision's favourite propertyexperts

What is the easiest way to add value toyour house?“Kitchens and bathrooms always add value toa property. De-clutter it, freshen it up, give it al ick of paint from top to bottom get rid of al lthe junk – we have far too much clutter in ourl ives so de-clutter it, and think about yourKerb appeal as well , think about what theproperty looks l ike from the outside, not justthe inside.”

Tell us about conservatories…“A lot of people can’t afford to move up sothey are extending their existing properties,whether that be a conservatory, a loftextension, a basement conversion or any of

that. Anything you can do to gain a l ittle bit more squaremeterage is great. ”

Where would you consider to be a property hot spotat the moment?“I think if you’re talking abroad I think there any somebargains to be had in Spain, there’s some great bargainsin Florida, but my biggest piece of advice would be buywhere you want to buy. Don’t buy where people dictateyou should buy.”

What would you say is the most relevant flooring?“You need to think about it from a practical point of view.How do you live? Do you have dogs, do you have pets?Do you have children? If you have, it doesn’t matterwhether wooden floors are out, get them in! Look at yourl ifestyle, look at what you’ve got and what you need.”

We spoke to Amanda Lamb at Tesco’s Mum of theYear Awards. For more information visit:

www.tescoliving.com/mum-of-the-year

9


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukProperty

Is a Mortgage Buddy Right For You?I t's very popular now for first timebuyers to boost their buyingpower by looking to their friendsfor a ‘mortgage buddy’. In fact,some mortgage lenders activelyadvertise buddying up withfriends and family. Many first timebuyers look towards co-ownership as a mutuallybenefiting business arrangementwhere they can get onto theproperty ladder, benefit from anincrease in property value andback up the arrangement with alegally binding document such asShared Ownership Protection.I f you are considering sharing amortgage you need to thinkseriously about the pros andcons for you as an individual andagree all the ‘rules’ upfront.People's situations inevitablychange, so buyers need to beprepared for this, and shoulddiscuss as many eventual ities aspossible.

1 . Sharing a mortgage isn’t for lifeI t’s best to look at sharing amortgage in the same way as abusiness relationship. You decidehow the business is going to runand agree a clear ‘exit’ pointwhen you are going to sell . As ina business, you share anyincrease or decrease in theproperty value and with a clearexit strategy, co-owners can worktowards this date. Usually mostmortgage buddies wil l move onafter a few years taking anyincrease in property value andbuy a place on their own, or withtheir love interest.So when you are choosing amortgage buddy, don’t think, ‘canI l ive with them forever?’ Think,‘can I l ive with you for a fewyears while I get myself on the

property ladder?’

2. Stay secure and in controlPeople have been safely meetingnew people on dating websitesfor years; in fact they estimate50% of new relationships wil l befound this way within 20 years.However be sure never to giveout any personal information toanyone straight away.I f you are using online sites suchas Shareamortgage.com to find abuddy, make sure you protectyour personal detai ls by stayingwithin these sites. Communicatewith potential buddies by usingthe secure platform provided andonly once you are ready, pass onyour mobile number to talk tothem. Don’t feel rushed intodoing anything you don’t want todo.

3. Shared Ownership ProtectionBuying a home requires a lot ofthought and having a legaldocument to protect co-owners isincredibly important. As withanything, you never needsomething unti l you really needit. When you find your perfectmortgage buddy, make sure totalk about how you are going tol ive together, set down houserules and document them. A legaldocument focused on co-ownership is the SharedOwnership Protection availablefrom Shareamortgage.com.

4. Be flexibleYou may not be able to afford thepalace you initial ly dreamed of,or l ive on the exact road youwanted so it’s always a goodidea to be open to new ideas anddifferent options. Make sure youtake the time to discuss what you

want, as well as l istening to thoseof your mortgage buddy. Be clearon what is acceptable to you andwhat is not. However, justremember, without each otheryou wouldn’t be able to buy aproperty.

5. Stay on top of your financesFrom the outset you both need tobe clear on what you can afford,not only as a deposit but in termsof the ongoing maintenance ofthe property. Make sure you bothhave your finances in order andthat you can afford the bil ls. Youneed to be ful ly aware of eachother’s financial situation beforecommitting to purchasing aproperty together. Remember, nol ies or secrets. They wil l onlycome back to haunt you later.Buying a property is an excitingtime. You’l l never forget thefeeling of taking down the ‘forsale’ sign and enjoying sleepingin your own home for the firsttime. Sharing that elation is nowcommonplace and means you’l lbe able to get onto the propertyladder sooner, rather than later.

Written by Andrew Boast, Co-Founder of Shareamortgage.com

Andrew Boast

1 0

Event host, Nicola Cook is a bestsel l ing author in the field ofprofessional sel l ing and business growth, and has recruited,bui lt and developed sales teams for some of the world’s mostprestigious organisations including P&G, American Express,Chase Manhattan Bank and Gucci.


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Business Accelerator

Top Entrepreneurs to Share Secrets of Business GrowthA careful ly selected group ofthe UK’s top entrepreneurs andbusiness leaders are set toshare their tips and secrets foraccelerating business growth ata special Company Shortcuts

event.Organised by renownedentrepreneur Lara Morgan andbest-sel l ing author Nicola Cook,Business Accelerator providesa rare opportunity for attendees

to spend a whole day gaininginvaluable and applicable ideasfrom leading experts.The impressive speaker l ine-upof nine fascinatingentrepreneurs includes:

A serial entrepreneur whofounded and grew Dreams toover 200 superstores beforesell ing it in 2008. Through hiscompany, Clarenco LLP, Mikenow has an astounding propertyportfol io of unique towers,castles and monasteries underthe “AmaZing Venues” division.

Best known for bringing theSt. Tropez self-tanning rangeto the UK, and mastermindingthe marketing, PR and salesstrategy to establish the brandas the market leader. Nowrecognisable as a TVpersonality, she knows what ittakes to make it in business.

Judy Naaké: St. TropezMike Clare: DreamsLara Morgan: Pacific Direct

Founded Pacific Direct aged just23, manufacturing and sell ingtoi letries to the luxury hotelindustry before sell ing hermajority share for £20mil l ion.Today she focuses on a numberof angel investments, includingGate8 luggage, Global AmenitiesDirect, Kitbrix and Activbod.

Malcolm Durham: FlexibleDirectors LtdChairman of Flexible DirectorsLtd. , a company special isingin providing flexible Finance,Sales and HR Directors on apart-time basis. At 28 he wasthe youngest Finance Directorof a l isted company, whilst atthe same time chairing hisfamily’s construction businesswhich subsequently sold toVinci.

Business Accelerator, Company Shortcuts’ flagship event,is due to take place at The Church House in London on 23September 201 4.Tickets are priced at £500 and can be purchased fromwww.companyshortcuts.com/businessaccelerator

1 1

www.companyshortcuts.com/businessaccelerator


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature

"The Pen Is Mightier Than The Spade"Over the years, Alan Titchmarsh has become as commonplace on the British gardening scene asMiracle-Gro or the Chelsea Flower Show. At 65-years-old, the established horticulturalist hasbecome synonymous with gardening journalism, whilst also finding the time in between histelevision work to write fiction novels. JackRoss spoke to him about his creative process andhow he goes about sharing the workload between writing and gardening…

“This is number nine for me,”says the gardener-cum-writer.“I always set my stories inplaces that I know and love,and I hadn’t written one aboutScotland. The highlands ofScotland are so vast andmajestic and beautiful . Thebook itself was all written in mybarn in Hampshire, but Itravelled there in my mind and Il ike to make my books as muchabout a sense of place aspossible.”Original ly from I lkley in WestYorkshire, Titchmarsh startedhis move South in the early‘70’s to study in Hertfordshire,and then to the Royal BotanicalGardens in Richmond where hepicked up his diploma. He isbest known for hisbreakthrough on Britishtelevision screens in the latenineties, hosting the successfulGardener’s World and GroundForce shows. However,Titchmarsh considers himself tobe a writer first and foremost,and has continued the craftever since he finished studying.“Writing is al l about music. I t’sabout rhythm and pitch andpace. A story has its ownrhythm and its own meter, so itis very different to writing strictlyabout gardening. But I writeevery day at home, either in anewspaper column or a non-fiction book, or fiction. I t’s adiscipl ine, but then you breakthrough that discipl ine into whatyou’re writing about and you’re

involved with the words on the page and how they affect the reader. That can be whether they’reputting across information in a clear and concise fashion or tel l ing them a story. I ’ve written for a l ivingfor forty years now. I started writing

1 2



in 1 974 and ever since I ’ve beenliving with my pen and myspade!”Taking Alan on a walk down

memory lane, he describes howhis interest in gardening beganearly on, and recalls spendingtime at his grandfather’sal lotment. “I ’d built a greenhouseout of polythene and wood bythe age of ten, and just lovedgardening from about eight. Ialways wanted to do it. I ’ve got apicture of me in tiny baggybloomers aged about 1 8 monthsbeing walked through myGranddad’s sweet peas…”Sixty years on, the green-

fingered veteran shows no signsof slowing down, proving thatgardening truly is accessible atany age.“I f I could hope for anything, Iwould hope that I ’ve madegardening a little bit easier to

understand, perhaps even madeit more exciting. I ’d l ike to thinkthat had happened, but that’s forothers to say rather than me. Ijust keep sharing my passion inan enthusiastic way, which Ihope is infectious and easy tounderstand.”The Yorkshireman has certainlybeen instrumental in betteringthe nation’s relationship withtheir own back gardens. Thegreat admiration of his shows isenough to prove it. Titchmarshcontinues his broadcasting andexhibited his first garden at thesold-out Chelsea Flower Show inmore than 30 years. I t seemsclear through talking to him thathe is very much a salt of theearth chap.With his roots in British cultureand inarguably a nationaltreasure, he ends ourconversation on a fitting note. “I

love this country,” he says. “I ’mdevoted to Britain and itslandscape, and keen to get morepeople out there appreciatingwhat we’ve got. ”

Bring Me Home by Alan Titchmarsh is published in hardcover by Hodder & Stoughton at £1 8.99

1 3

www.link4growth.biz

www.thebusinessshow.co.uk


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Automotive/Transport

Gu

mp

ert

Ap

oll

ota

tto

oe

dc

ar.

Ima

ge

co

urt

es

yo

fL

on

do

nM

oto

rG

rou

p

London-based tattoo artist,Aleksy Marcinow, joined LondonMotor Museum owner Elo toreveal the unique GumpertApollo, one of the fastest cars inthe world, which was tattooed byAleksy for the London Supercarworkshop. With inspiration forthe car’s tattoo design comingfrom Japanese art and irezumi,

the project took Aleksy twoweeks to complete.Elo, London Motor Museumowner and founder, commented:“I wanted Aleksy, one of thehottest tattoo artists to date, totattoo a very special car to me.We used the same process asyou would use on a body, just ona car. I felt confident leaving

Aleksy to it and the result is justfantastic – it’s al l his own art. ”Tattoo artist, Aleksy Marcinow,said: “I remember when Eloasked me to tattoo a car, thinkingit was a crazy idea, but I real lyloved the contemporaryapproach that I could take to thisproject and was interestedstraight away.”

Aleksy Marcinow Inks Gumpert Apollo Supercar

Goodyear Selects MAM as Strategic IT SupplierMAM Software has been chosen tosupply a new point-of-sale andmanagement solution forGoodyear's company-owned retai lstore locations and is making itavailable to Goodyear'sindependent tire and automotiveservice dealers.The new solution wil l leverageMAM's VAST POS application anddeliver a versati le and feature-richsolution that can be delivered on

premise or via the cloud. Theadvanced management tool wil lprovide all the latest featuresneeded in the rapidly advancingtire and auto service business,while remaining intuitive and easyto use. I ts comprehensive point-of-sale, estimating and jobmanagement functions wil l helpstore managers in areas such asadministration and cost control.

1 5

http://tinyurl.com/klggxd4

www.t10expo.co.uk


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Manufacturing

Manufacturing M&A Deals Hit Six Year High

Deal activity in the last quarter amongstUK manufacturing firms reached itshighest level for six years according to anew report.According to the Experian Corpfin dataand analysis from national law firm, IrwinMitchell , manufacturers in the UK werethe target of 200 deals during the secondquarter of 201 4. This compares to 1 83 inQ1 and takes the total number of dealsthis year to 383 – 28% more than thesame period in 201 3.

To further demonstrate thecurrent strength of thesector, I rwin Mitchell 's reporthighl ights that not since2008 have the number ofmanufacturing dealscompleted in a three monthperiod stood at 200 or more.The South Eaststrengthened its number oneposition with 32.4% of thetotal volume ofmanufacturing M&A, whilstthe North West's claimed1 4.6% of deals. Thispercentage was higher thanYorkshire, the WestMidlands, the South West,the East Midland and EastAnglia.The report also reveals asl ight increase in thepercentage of manufacturingdeals which involved privateequity. National ly in the firstquarter of 201 4, the figurestood at 1 5.3%, but thisincreased to 1 6% in Q2. I twas sti l l below levels seen in201 3 when 28.5% ofmanufacturing M&A was PE

backed.Chris Rawstron, Partner andHead of Corporate &Commercial at Irwin Mitchellsaid: “The message is clear.The manufacturing sector isdriving a significant amountof M&A activity and with dealflow now 28% higher than atthe same time last year, thesigns are that we are in for avery strong year.“There was a slightimprovement in Q2 in termsof the number of dealsbacked by private equity, butthe percentage figure is sti l lwell down on what we haveseen in previous years.“Despite this, there aresome very encouragingsigns for the manufacturingsector and it is vital that anycompany currentlyconsidering their strategicoptions ensures that theytake the appropriateprofessional advice toensure their position in themarket ahead of any sale orpurchase is optimised.”

Manufacturing Pay Runs Ahead of Wider EconomyManufacturing employers arebeing offered expert advice onmanaging effective relationshipswith their employees in the newpost-recession landscape, on theback of new data showingmanufacturing pay outstrippingthat of the rest of the economy.According to the data from EEF,the manufacturers' organisationthe average pay settlement in thesix months from February to Julywas a healthy 2.6%. Importantly,this includes Apri l , one of the

year's major pay rounds, which isseen as a good indicator for paythis year.At 2.6% the figure is an increaseon last year where paysettlements averaged out at2.4%. Furthermore, paydeferments and freezes havecontinued to fal l with the 3 monthaverage freezes in July this yearrunning at just 6.4% compared to1 4.6% in July 201 3.Jeff Neild, National Head ofEmployment & Industrial

Relations at EEF said: “Aftermany challenging years,manufacturers are now literal lypaying their employees back fortheir support to keep jobs andbusinesses going. Businessacross the sector has clearlybeen on the up but this new post-recession landscape is, however,presenting employers with a newset of challenges in managingrelationships with theiremployees.”

ChrisRawstron,Partner andHead ofCorporate &Commercial,Irwin Mitchell

1 7

http://tinyurl.com/ppj3yju

1 . Develop a real focus onyour culture, particularly if youhave taken the eye off thisparticular ball in the last fewdifficult years. Think of inspiringbut implementable ways tocreate a transformational cultureand allocate a generous budget.Appoint a Head of Amazing?2. Ensure your culture isbased on the three principlesof purpose, autonomy andmastery. Are you setting thecontext? Do you have thecourage and confidence togenuinely give your peopleautonomy? Is yours really alearning culture in which yourpeople grow and develop everyday? If not, now is the time to dosomething about it. A culture isnot expensive to create. I t justtakes time and commitment.3. Have culture as the topic ofyour next retreat. Take your keyteam offsite to uncover andagree the intent in your business.What purpose do you serve? Areyou inspiring and ral lying yourpeople and their passions aroundthat purpose? Ensure it issomething that you and yourteam can take pride in. Try to findsome emotive language that wil lengage your people at a deeperlevel. External facil itation is agreat idea.4. Unless you have recentlyconducted a full and propervalues exercise that you areproud of, do one this quarter.Appoint a champion to run it foryou but you MUST be actively

involved as sponsor. Have yourchampion run a workshop orseries of workshops so thateveryone has the chance tocontribute. Ensure you definewhat your values mean andattribute measurable behaviours.5. Choose to focus on yourleadership style. Leadership isabout confidence, vision andinspiration. The source of al l ofthis is an understanding of yourown intent and purpose. Find it!In other words, make sure youare very clear of your context.Manage the energy of your teamevery day. Collaborate but havethe confidence to trust yourinstincts and ensure you aredecisive and clear. Considercoaching if you feel it wil l helpyou.6. Improve yourcommunication abilities. Whatis the Nelson Touch to you?Consider adopting 1 0 Things in1 00 Days or another way toimprove communication in yourbusiness. Communicate regularlyand honestly with your team.Consider a daily or at least aweekly blog. I f your people are atmultiple sites use technology. Ihave found PresentMe(www.presentme.com) to be agreat tool for creating engagingcommunication of factualinformation.7. Take a good look at yourtalent. Define very clearly whatgood looks l ike. Work out how tomeasure that. Agree the valuesand motivations that areimportant in the talent you seekto hire.8. Think about what learning,skill transfer and coachingmeans in your organisation.Create a strategy for continualdevelopment of the whole team.Remember that the most

motivated people are those thatfeel they are challenged andconstantly developing mastery.9. Start to definitively measurethe capability of yourorganisation. Create a capabil ityscorecard of some sort so thatyou can measure capabil ity at anindividual and organisationallevel. Measure progress relativeto self. Use this measure to plotprogress which wil l generateenergy and confidence foryourself and the team.1 0. Start to systemise yourculture, talent and capabil ity asmuch as possible. At everyopportunity put in placedocumented systems and writtenpolicies for culture, recruitment,talent management, capabil ity,etc. Pass this skil l on to the nextlevel of management so that youcan move on, leaving a replicablesystem in place.

This advice is taken from JohnRosling’s new book TheSecrets of the SevenAlchemists: A Blueprint forBusiness Success Taking Youto £1 0 Million and Beyond


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukBusiness Development

Building Your Business Assets: Culture, Talent and Capabilities

John Rosling

1 8


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Human Resources/Recruitment

Futureheads Win Top Award for Excellence in Leadership

London-based digital recruitmentspecial ists, Futureheads, won topaward for Excellence in Leadership andcame second in Best Workplaces, smallcategory at the 201 4 Great Place toWork™ awards.“We were delighted when we receivedthe call tel l ing us that we had beennominated into the top 25 as a 'GreatPlace to Work', as well as for a specialaward for Excellence in Leadership, ”said Gil l Arnold, Futureheads’ ManagingDirector. “We have always strived tobuild a company where people enjoycoming to work, and a managementstructure where everyone is treated asfamily. So I was humbled to find that ournomination is due to 1 00% of ouremployees believing that overal l ,Futureheads is a “great place to work”. ”Arnold, along with fel low directors BeKaler and Rachel Murray, establ ishedFutureheads in 2009, having workedtogether in previous firms. From astartup of four people, Futureheads nowhas 26 staff and an annual turnoverclose to £1 0mil l ion.

Futureheads’ employeesbenefit from working closelywith the directors as bothcollaborators and mentors.“Our management

philosophy has always beento support from below ratherthan rule from above,”explained Be Kaler.

According to the Office forNational Statistics, the numberof people leaving self-employment has fal len.Of people who were self-employed in 2009, 23% were nolonger so by 201 4, the lowestoutflow rate from self-employment for any period overthe last 20 years, a new reportfrom ONS has found. Thereforethe rise in self-employment canbe accounted for by fewer

people leaving self-employmentthan in the past.Some 886,000 people whowere self-employed in 2009 hadleft by 201 4, compared with 1 .3mil l ion who were self-employedin 2004 leaving by 2009.The rise in employment overthe past six years has beenpredominantly among the self-employed. There were 1 .1mil l ion more workers in Apri l-June 201 4 compared with

January-March 2008, amongwhom there were 732,000 moreself-employed.In total in Apri l to June 201 4there were 4.6 mil l ion peoplewho were self-employed, andthe three top self-employmentroles were in 201 4 constructionand building trades (1 67,000people), taxi drivers andchauffeurs (1 66,000 people)and carpenters and joiners(1 44,000 people).

Self-Employment Rises as Fewer People Leave

1 9

http://tinyurl.com/pbcv3tb


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Recruitment

Redefining Global RecruitmentBy John Wilson

The growth of global enterprise and the

importance of high-quality talent has shaped

the current state of recruitment process

outsourcing (RPO). A single-vendor RPO modelis increasingly becoming the preferred solutionfor multinational organizations’ hiring needs. AnRPO provider with global reach and the abil ity tocreate a streamlined hiring process, coupled withon-the-ground recruitment professionals al laround the world and the knowledge ofemployment intricacies in each region, makes itan attractive option.“Multinational RPO partnerships are in such

demand that within the next few years, I bel ieveyou’l l have to offer global RPO solutions in orderto be a major player, ” said Kim Pope,WilsonHCG’s Vice President of RecruitmentSolutions. “A growing number of organizationsare seeking out global RPO partnerships for theease of having one point of contact and to ensureefficiencies and consistency across their entiretalent acquisition function.”Many areas of the world are experiencing talentshortages, so this begs the question, “How areRPOs going to tackle this challenge?” Although itis a global issue, the strategies required toovercome the talent scarcities vary greatly from

John Wilson, CEO WilsonHCG

region to region. While North America is facingtalent shortages in high-tech and pharm/biopositions for example, the UK is having issuesrecruiting e-commerce/digital and financial servicessector talent. Therefore, the recruitment strategiesimplemented in North America and the UK aregoing to differ. So, RPOs dealing with multinationalcl ients must ensure a globally-unified employmentwith targeted recruitment strategies regionally.With the global talent shortage comes the need fora proactive recruitment model, including workforceplanning initiatives. In order to remain competitivein the employment market, companies must identifytheir requirements and put a plan in place to satisfythem well before there’s a need. ComprehensiveRPO solutions now incorporate the forecasting ofworkforce trends and planning ahead for theircl ients’ hiring ramp-ups or periods of downswing.Market research goes hand in hand with workforceplanning, as it helps to identify compensationtrends in different regions, candidate attractionfactors and supply and demand of talent, forexample.

"Multinational RPOpartnerships are in suchdemand that within thenext few years you’ll haveto offer global RPOsolutions to be a majorplayer"

Kim Pope

20

John Wilson is the founder and CEO of WilsonHCG (www.wilsonhcg.com), a top global

recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and human capital consulting firm. He has spent

more than a decade building WilsonHCG into a premier RPO provider that is bringing

innovation to the industry. John’s extensive experience has made him a respected authority

in the industry. He regularly educates business leaders on a range of human capital topics,

including talent acquisition, diversity leadership, employment branding, workforce

planning and employee engagement and retention, and is regularly featured in industry

media. John’s hands-on leadership has been instrumental in driving growth every year

since the company’s inception.


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Recruitment

As RPO continues to evolvefrom a tactical approach gearedtoward cost savings and “fi l l ingseats,” to a more strategicapproach, employment brandingis a major factor in implementinga proactive recruitment model.“The consultancy side of RPO isnecessary as talent becomesharder to attract and retain. Thechallenges we have seen in theUK include companies struggl ingto build trust with candidates, sostrategic employer brandinginitiatives have become key torecruiting top-tier talent, ” saidJerry Wright, WilsonHCG’sManaging Director of EMEA.A proactive recruitment modelmust also focus on talent

community building initiativesand nurturing relationships withpassive candidates for theidentified future employmentneeds. Employment brandinginitiatives complement talentcommunity building as theyfacil itate the exchange ofintriguing information about thecompany. The talent communitywil l enhance the employmentbranding strategy by providing aplatform to share content withestablished and engagedcandidates. The community wil lalso offer options to targetbranded messaging tosegmented groups, ensuring theright communications are beingimmediately seen by relevant

candidates and guaranteeingyour community is developing avaluable pipel ine.A comprehensive and proactivetalent acquisition solution,including workforce planning,employment branding and talentcommunities, is essential for anRPO to have an impactfulinfluence on its cl ients’recruitment function. And asmore organizations leverage aglobal recruitment partner andholistic solution provider, thecompanies wil l real ize theirrecruitment efforts as morestrategic, and thereforeemploying higher quality talent.

Kim Pope

Jerry Wright

"Howwill RPO's tackle talent shortages?"

21


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Technology

Scripps Networks Launch Two Channels on TVPlayer

TVPlayer, the free TV streamingapp for mobile and tablet, hasannounced a licensing deal forpopular l ifestyle entertainmentchannels Food Network andTravel Channel, including theirplus ones, from Scripps

Networks UK & EMEA.Food Network and TravelChannel are the only dedicatedl ifestyle entertainment channelson the platform and includeprogramming such as Diners,Drive-Ins and Dives, Ina Garten’sBarefoot Contessa and AndyBates Brazil ian Street Feasts onFood Network and MichaelPalin’s Around the World in 80Days, World’s GreatestMotorcycle Rides and Coach Tripon Travel Channel. Bothchannels wil l now be available towatch online for free, viaTVPlayer.Adam Smith, Founder and CEOof the Simplestream Group plc,the owner of TVPlayer, said: “We

are delighted to welcome FoodNetwork and Travel Channel toTVPlayer, offering our users agreat selection of premiumprogramming. The addition ofScripps channels form the startof a series of updates over thesummer period, which wil l addfurther channels and functionalityto TVPlayer, culminating with thelaunch of our PVR service laterin the year. With the number ofset top boxes currently in themarket, we think the TVPlayerapp offers a welcomedalternative to tech-hungryaudiences, who are looking towatch TV on their mobile andtablet devices whilst they are outand about as well as at home.”

Adam Smith,Founder andCEO,SimplestreamGroup

Cross Match Introduces Guardian Module Biometric CaptureDesigned to meet the needs of biometric APC kiosks and eGates

Cross Match Technologies, thelargest independent globalprovider of biometric identitymanagement solutions,announced the formal launch ofthe new Guardian® Module. TheGuardian Module provides acomplete biometric capturesolution that includes the latestten-print technology, biometricmiddleware and customisableuser guidance interfacedesigned to seamlessly integratewith Automated Passport Control(APC) kiosks and eGates.APCs and eGates areincreasingly being deployed byairport authorities to reduce

passenger wait times, improvethe traveler experience andsecure the overal l borderprocess. Airport authoritiesimplementing APC reportreducing passport inspectionprocessing times by 89 percentwhile lowering overal l airport waittimes by 50 percent.“The Guardian Moduleleverages our industryleadership in biometricenrol lment and, in particular, ourGuardian l ine of ten-printfingerprint scanner technologyand biometric middleware,” saidRichard Agostinel l i , CEO ofCross Match. “We offer kiosk

and eGate integrators the latestfingerprint capture technologypackaged in a compact, easilyintegrated form that is wrappedwith our unique user interface forbiometric identity capture.”Designed to prompt theapplicant/user through anunattended imaging of theirfingerprints in a simple,pictogram-based approach, theGuardian Module ensures thehighest quality image capture inthe shortest amount of time.Cross Match has over 80,000Guardian family ten-printscanners deployed around theworld.

22

http://tinyurl.com/ob5lrdl


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Technology

MSAB Release Latest Evolution of XRY Digital ForensicsMSAB, the mobile leader inforensic technology for mobileexamination and pioneer of XRYhas announced the release of thelatest version of its international lyrecognised XRY platform. XRYallows users to perform forensical lysound digital extractions of datafrom mobile devices. Version 6.1 0offers a number of new featuresand capabil ities includingexpanded access to smartphoneapps and broader interoperabil ity.“The latest version of ourgroundbreaking XRY technology

wil l enable access to 1 2,41 5 deviceprofi les — offering unparal leledcapabil ity to users, al lowing themto keep pace with latest versions ofapplications and new technologiesin the personal devicemarketplace,” said Glenn Hickok,President of MSAB Inc. “This latestversion was driven by the evolvingneeds of law enforcement anddirect feedback from the field—wefeel the latest XRY platformprovides our customers with aunique and powerful tool, that wil lbe a real game changer.”Glenn Hickok, President MSAB

Invisalign G5 'Metal Out, Plastic In' for OrthodontistsInvisal ign, the clear al ignersystem which has changed theway people straighten theirteeth, has announced the UKlaunch of Invisal ign G5, asignificant col lection ofadvanced new features andtechnological innovations.“Invisal ign G5 makes it mucheasier than before to treat deepbite with clear al igners, which isone of the most common andmore challenging types of

orthodontic problems we see,”said orthodontist Dai Roberts-Harry who presented the newproduct at its launch in London.“With Invisal ign G5, I can nowuse Invisal ign to treat a widerange of complex teethstraightening issues, and I seeInvisal ign with the sameadvantage as metal braces. Inmy opinion and from myexperience, Invisal ign iscomparable in terms of results,

treatment speed and efficiencywith fixed braces. In the lastdecade this technology hastaken us in a direction that veryfew of us could have predicted.”In addition to the aesthetic,emotional and conveniencebenefits of Invisal ign, theremovable nature of Invisal ignmakes it easier to maintain goodoral hygiene while in treatmentbecause aligners are removed toeat and brush teeth.

Hosting.co.uk Launch Contest To Kick-Start BusinessesHosting.co.uk has launched a contest to helpindividuals, entrepreneurs and start-ups succeedonline. Launching the contest through Facebook,Hosting.co.uk aims to help 300 people get onl inewith professional, business-class, web packages.The overal l winner wil l win a Microsoft tablet SurfacePro 3.Frederick Schiwek, CEO of Hosting.co.uk said: “Youmay have an exciting new business idea, but lack theseed capital to get it promoted online. That’s wherewe can help! We are offering a Microsoft tabletSurface Pro 3 to the best idea and the lucky winnerswil l get start-up business cloud packages whichinclude a .Biz domain name, Exchange 201 3,CakeMail , BackupAgent and a website builder."

23

http://tinyurl.com/nb7j5ts



www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: eCommerce

Enabling The British FashionistaInternational fashion search engine Fashiola recently launched in the UK. TheDutch company has grown tremendously by helping the fashion-concious findexactly what they are looking for. Peter Langenkamp, it's Managing Director tellsRonnie Ajoku why the Fashiola brand has grown so fast in the world ofeCommerce and why the UK is an important market

ifferentiating themselveswith a unique searchtechnology for finding

fashion seems to be workingwell for Fashiola, 'The FashionFinder'. In the Netherlands andGermany, Fashiola enjoys twomil l ion search queries eachmonth, and 700,000 uniquevisitors; offering over 3 mil l ionproducts from 500 shops."Fashiola the fashion finder"

solves the problem of findingthe right clothes, in the rightsize, at the right price, at the

best webshops. I t makesfashion shopping online easier.You can find al l the popularfashion shops and brands onone site where everything iscategorised to help you findwhat you are looking for, ”Fashiola's Managing Director,Peter Langenkamp explains.

“You can search morespecifical ly using the convenientfi lters l ike sizes, colours,brands, shops, materials,discount levels, price range,themes, etc. We have our

dedicated fashion experts thatwrite blogs and makestylebooks daily, so there isinspiration every day on whatto buy. Our visitors are alsoencouraged to be creative, asthey can use the stylebooktool and make their ownfashion stylebooks using aselection of products. Fun todo and easy to share withother fashionistas!”The brand has seen a

commendable growth inrecent years and Peter hopesto replicate the winningformula in the UK. “In 201 2we launched kleding.nl in TheNetherlands and in 201 3 welaunched Fashiola.de inGermany. We generated anoveral l €1 0 mil l ion in salesvolume for the shops in bothcountries in 201 3. Now in201 4 we have launchedFashiola.co.uk in the UK.

D

Peter Langenkamp, MD, Fashiola

24


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: eCommerce

“The UK has one of the strongestfashion eCommerce markets inthe world and it was inevitablethat we would venture into theUK, after succeeding in theNetherlands and Germany.Shops that we already work withhave specifically asked us tolaunch in the UK, after theirexperiences with us in theNetherlands and Germany. Weare looking forward to growingtheir sales volumes in these three

countries now, and are alsopreparing our launches in Spainand France.”

Despite the many searchavenues and eCommercewebsites out there competing forcustomers, Fashiola has come upwith it's own unique way ofkeeping customers happy andloyal. “Users can set a sale alerton a product, which will alert themby email as soon as that productcomes on sale. They can also

save a specific search query andbe notified of new availableproducts matching their search.We encourage loyalty by havingdaily interaction with our users onour social media and love to hearabout what they would like to seemore of. We also inspire peoplewith our blogs and stylebooks like'Get The Look' of a celebrity andalso run an exclusive giveawaycompetition every week for ourvisitors,” he concluded.

“TheUKhas one ofthe strongest fashion eCommerce markets in the world"

"We generated an overall €10 million in salesvolume last year"

25


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukMotivation

Ideas for reaching the ‘impossible to reach’

Send them something far moreinteresting than the normal andexpected glossy brochure,perhaps something entertaining.I once sent a buyer a tube ofSavlon – he had explained thatif he supported my prices hismanagement would beat him up.I pointed out on theaccompanying compliment sl ipthat I could not help with theprices, as they were value formoney, but that perhaps I couldhelp him recover from thebeating.

Remember that you are just oneof a myriad of voices in pursuit ofa sale. I find there is nothingmore boring than a repetitivepitch without imagination, andI ’ve been on the receiving end ofmany since the sale of PacificDirect. People who asked from

the outset whether the call wasconvenient made an immediatelygood impression by putting mefirst.

Do you make it utterly simple forpeople to contact you? Are allyour contact detai ls on all thecommunications stuff you sendout? Do you text new customersthese detai ls immediately after afirst conversation to make theirl ives easier?

Have you networked andattended dinners in your industryto meet the power players? Haveyour worked your socks off to getother customers to reference youto their contacts? Introductionsl ike these are priceless.

Make sure you leave energising,interesting and compell ing voice

messages. Be more entertainingthan the rest, and moreapproachable.

When you meet your ‘hard toreach’ target don’t forget to:SmileSpeak in a confident voice andchange your tone to suit theperson you are speaking toBe enthusiastic in whatever yousay or askMaintain good eye contactOffer a firm handshakeBe sincere – you can’t fakefriendl iness, stand tal lHave a manner thatcommunicates the expectationthat you deserve and expect toget what you request.

So get organised, get dedicatedand get cal l ing.

This extract is taken from More balls than most © Lara Morgan, 201 1 (published by Infinite

Ideas). Lara is founder of Company Shortcuts – a consultancy dedicated to excellence in

sales and leadership. For tips, checklists and templates to help you grow your business,

visit: www.companyshortcuts.com

By Lara Morgan

26



The Queen of British Chick-lit is Back!Aprolific author with 13 bestsellingtitles, Catherine Alliott has built areputation as the British queen ofchick lit. While Alliott always had aninterest in writing, it wasn’t a pathshe pursued until, discoveredscribbling away at her first novelunder her desk at her copywritingoffice job, she was unceremoniouslygiven the sack. Speaking to thesuccessful author, Camilla Davieswonders ifshe saw this as a literarycall to arms…

“I think I was a bit peeved, actual ly! Looking back Ithought ‘right, I ’ l l show them. ’ I saw it as a way to proveto myself I could do something creative. I was workingin a creative industry anyway, so writing a bookseemed even better at the time.”Newly unemployed, All iott suddenly found the time todevote to her hobby. “Yes, and then I had my first babywho slept about 4 hours a day so I had plenty of timein which I couldn’t leave the house. I wrote whilst heslept which was ideal real ly. I t worked rather well -though later when I had three children under 4 I didn’thave so much time on my hands! I think if you’re tryingto hold down a day job and write at the same time it’sjol ly difficult. ”That’s not to say she’s encouraging aspiring authors toquite the day job though.“My advice would be to do a bit of writing a day, notleave it for weeks at a time and then have another go;to try and keep a momentum going and maybe do a bitin the evening.

I t’s real ly corny but do be true to what youknow, as if you write about things you don’tknow it doesn’t come across as overlytruthful. And if you think you’re in danger ofwriting a bit of purple prose and banging ontoo much then throw in a joke - that’s what Itend to do.”Clearly one to practice what she preaches,All iott’s own novelistic ideas are very muchdictated by her day to day life. “I used towrite about girls in flats when I was youngerthough I can’t write about that anymorebecause I don’t know anything about it! So Iwrite about middle aged women living incountry houses and all the shenanigans thatgo on with their friends, neighbours, teenagechildren, animals, grandparents … my booksare very much character led so I don’t sitdown and plan out a plot with a structure,rather I start with my main character andusually write in the first person, so thatcharacter dictates the book in a way.”Not tempted to dip her toes into other l iterarygenres - “only because I wouldn’t knowwhere to begin - I don’t real ly think about thegenre I ’m writing in, I just write whatbecomes apparent and that’s the best way ofexplaining it” – she spends her spare timeriding horses, enjoying a rural Hertfordshirel ifestyle.

My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott published by Penguin paperback is now available,

priced £7.99

Photograph courtesy of Neil Cooper

27

www.cerint.com


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Marketing/Advertising/PR

AdRoll Opens London Office, Appoints Michael Bertaut

Web3 Consulting Opens London BranchOnline 'SEO for PR' specalist Web3Consulting is expanding its operations tothe United Kingdom with a new Londonoffice.The new office is located in the centralGarden Studios in Covent Garden, andwil l increase Web3 Consulting’s cl ientelebase further into the UK sector. Thelaunch coincides with a new-look websiteat Web3Consulting.com and fol lows a

successful expansion from thecompany’s original Dublin location.Founder and CEO of Web3 Consulting,Radek Kotalarek, said of the opening:“We’re delighted to become part of theentrepreneurial digital community incentral London, and look forward toexpanding our London team in the nearfuture to reflect our excellent growth inrecent years.”

AdRoll , the world's mostwidely adopted retargetingplatform, has announced theopening of its London officeand the appointment ofMichael Bertaut as ManagingDirector of EMEA StrategicSales. Bertaut, Google'sformer Country Manager forI taly and ex-Head of NewBusiness Sales in LatinAmerica, wil l be responsiblefor building out a London-based strategic sales

organisation, focusing onbringing AdRoll 's cross-device,cross-platform, transparentdigital advertising solutions tosophisticated larger brandsand agencies across EMEA."AdRoll is one of the world'sleading ad tech businessesand this investment in ongoinginternational expansiondemonstrates our commitmentto staying front and centre inthe industry," said Bertaut.

Rant & Rave Hires Phil EvansRant & Rave, the SaaS Customer Engagementsolutions provider, has taken on Phil Evans as itsnew Chief Revenue Officer.The company, which has adopted an aggressivebusiness strategy to challenge the status quo ofthe customer engagement industry, wil l be usingPhil ’s extensive expertise to help grow thecompany – both in the UK and overseas.Phil has more than 1 5 years of experience insales in the tech industry – across an array ofplatforms; e-commerce, web analytics, fashionanalytics, social media and retai l .Phil says: “For the past few years I have workedwithin fast growth start-ups, helping them toscale up quickly and build a structure able towithstand that growth. Rant & Rave is a fantasticcompany because it is edgy, dynamic and wil l ingto experiment to win new customers and makean impact."

Mark Wilson JoinsTaylor Rafferty

Taylor Rafferty, the world's leadingcross border investor relationsagency, has announced theappointment of Mark Wilson asManaging Director, based in thefirm's London office.Mark was previously with Bank ofNew York and BNY Mellon for 33years, having graduated from TheLondon School of Economics in1 980.Mark said: "The firm has built areputation for consistently helpingcl ients to achieve their capitalmarket goals through the provisionof high quality IR advice andsupport. I am delighted to joinTaylor Rafferty's leadership team."

MichaelBertaut,ManagingDirector,EMEAStrategicSales

29



www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Branding

The Role of Personal Branding in Today's Digital Economy

Howdoes personal branding contribute to business growth? Is it fluffor is there realsubstance? Does personal branding have a role to play in the digital economy? Howcan ‘Personal Brand’ be used to engage customers and increase profit? Brandingexpert Katy Ennis enlightens us...

In our digital world a businessis no longer a logo and astrapline; regardless of thesize of the company, from one-man-band to large corporateorganisations, they are amelting pot of identities –Personal Brands.

"Regardless ofage,

regardless ofposition,

regardless of the business

we happen to be in, all of

us need to understand the

importance ofbranding.

We are CEOs ofour own

companies: Me Inc…

Everyone has a chance to

be a brand worthy of

remark"

Tom Peters

"Personal branding unites

your passions, strengths,

skills, behaviours,

attitudes and core values

in a focusedmessage. It

makes you instantly

recognisable, differentiates

your uniqueness, builds a

loyal following andmakes

you relevant to your target

audience"

Kathy Ennis

To understand how personalbrands can contribute to businessgrowth, it’s important to understandhow ‘brand’ is used withinbusiness. Yes, it is part of themarketing process, but it does haveits own specific role in ensuring:

•Recognition•Differentiation•Loyalty•Relevance•A focussed marketingmessaging

Personal branding ‘borrows’the principles of productbranding and applies them toa person. In a businesscontext it is about taking thecore values of the individual(or individuals) who start thebusiness, translating theseinto a set of company valuesand communicating themcoherently so that theybecome understood by atarget market.

30



The company identity can be just asimportant as its product when it is time for abuyer to make a purchasing decision.Therefore, in the same way as branding aproduct or a service, the key elements of apersonal brand must be applied consistentlyand congruently across all media.Congruency is consistency, al ignment andharmony. Congruency builds credibi l ity.Credibi l ity builds trust, respect and loyaltyand is an absolute requirement for al lbusinesses. This convergence of congruencyand credibi l ity is the cornerstone of personalbrand development and, as a consequence,the basis for a business with a clear visionand mission.With the method I have developed forenabling individuals to identify and build theirpersonal brand – The 4Vs Principle© – all fourelements must al ign as they areinterconnected and have an interdependency.

Values - who you are, what you believe, whatyou want and your strategic route toachieving your goalsVisuals - your visual impact and the visualimpact of your companyVocals - what you say, how you say it andwho you say it toVerbals - bui lding your reputation, promotingyour personal brand and establishing yourexpertise through the written word

While al l four elements are equally essentialin developing a strong, engaging and profitboosting personal brand online as well asoffl ine it is the fourth V, verbals, that is mostclosely concerned with leveraging a digitalpersonal brand.The fear expressed by many business

owners about the adverse effect onl ineactivity can have on an organisation is oftenwell-founded.

"Your beliefs become your

thoughts. Your thoughts

become yourwords. Your

words become your

actions. Your actions

become your habits. Your

habits become your

values. Your values

become your destiny"

Mahatma Gandhi

Every day there are examples of socialmedia faux pas that have a detrimentalimpact on society’s view of an individual oran organisation which, unl ike a passingconversation, may live on in the internetforever.However, because a digital personal brandinvolves everything from visual identity tocontent creation, to digital marketing and PRit must to be rooted in authenticity andhonesty and should exactly replicate offl inel ife. Simply, an online personal brand wil lguide online actions embedded withinprofessional and business goals.

As for those gaffes? Are they the fault ofsocial media or rather a true reflection of theindividual who Tweeted, Posted, Uploadedetc?

Does personal branding have a role intoday’s digital economy? Certainly.

Bottom line is, a well-developed onlinepersonal brand increases recognition bypeers, customers and competitors whilesimultaneously giving a company a socialand, more importantly, a financial boost.

Kathy Ennis is an expert in visual communication, engagement marketing, brand creation andpersonal branding. She has designed and delivered coaching, business consultancy, training andlearning programmes to a wide variety of individuals and organisations in the UK, Europe andScandinavia. As a mentor, business consultant and trainer Kathy uses the concepts of branddevelopment and engagement marketing as methods of business creation and growth strategies. Seewww.kathyennis.co.uk. She is also a Founding Partner of The Business Support Group:www.tbsg.org.uk

31



Branding With Tools of The Trade

Celebrity chef JamesMartin has spent the pastfifteen years teasing thetaste buds of tellywatchers across the UK.Aman with a clear passionfor the dishes he produces,Martin’s engaging TVpresence has seen himconsistently on our screensacross the years. FromReady Steady Cook totoday’s Saturday Kitchen,the Yorkshire man mayalternate from RedTomato to Green Pepperbut he’s remained one ofTV cooking’s mostrecognisable faces. Wespoke to the chefabout histools ofthe trade…

Growing up on a pig and cattlefarm, James Martin discoveredhis aptitude for the culinary worldat an early age. He may havestruggled with undiagnoseddyslexia during his school years,but in enrol l ing at cateringcollege at 1 6, found himselfthrice awarded Student of theYear and at just 22 wasappointed head chef at Hotel duVin in Winchester. Martin’s spentthe past six years hostingSaturday Kitchen, and when he’snot whipping up dishes againstthe clock, you’l l find the chefdevising cookbooks orcollaborating with his long termcookware partner, Stel lar.

“Stel lar approached me andasked if I ’d l ike to work withthem. I said ‘I wil l if it’s actual lybeneficial to you, if I can helpyou develop stuff, ’ and that’swhere we’ve come from. I t’s nota matter of ‘there’s the product,stick your name on it’ , i t’s been arelationship we’ve had for 1 6years – they come to me withideas, and I come to them with

ideas.”Martin’s partnership with Stel larhas seen him produce wideranging kitchen products. “Firstlypans, then we worked on knives,cutlery, an accumulation of a lotof things from salt and peppermil ls to pizza wheels to al lmanner of different stuff. ”A professional chef, Martin

obviously needs equipment that

"With Stellar wedevelop thingstogether. It's not acase ofhere is theproduct, now stickyour name on it"

32



wil l serve him well in the kitchen, stressing, “we reallytry to find the best quality that people can afford. Andthat’s a tal l order when you’ve got everybody elsedoing cheap, cheap, cheap…“Take baking tins; whenever you get a cheap tin it’sflexible, the minute you apply strong heat or anythingit’ l l twist and then you end up wrecking your cake. Soit’s gotta be made out of a decent material , now thatcomes from how we develop that material , knowingwhat we want, what it needs to do, what it needs towork l ike. And then they come back and say ‘whatabout this…?’ and it goes back to the drawing boardagain. And then we eventual ly come to a mediumwhere we are both happy and off we go.”Like any creative process, there exists an element oftrial and error. Take Martin’s custom knives, forexample. “I can’t do my job without them!” he tel ls us,but the product took time to perfect.“When we were looking at knives to sell retai l wise Ioriginal ly asked for the handle to be too thick. When Igave it to my mother and friends to test, they turnedaround and said, ‘it’s a nice knife, it’s great in the

dishwasher, but the handle is too thick. ’ So wewent back to the drawing board with a thinnerhandle.”Now, Martin’s baker’s dozen range covers justabout everything you can think of. “I t’s al l thestuff that I ’ve worked with over the years ofbeing a pastry chef put into one collection soyou’ve got muffin tins that you can do Yorkshirepuddings in, to Swiss rol l tins to cake tins.”And with shows like The Great British Bake Offcausing a nation of amateur bakers to jump fortheir rol l ing pins, Martin agrees that “baking’ssti l l a huge, huge thing. Not as big as it is inAmerica by any means but it’s getting there.”Though whether or not people are routinelykneading their own bread is another question.“They’l l have a go and probably make a cock upof it and don’t bother again!”Happy that people are getting back into thekitchen, Martin warns against readymadesupermarket produce. “I t’s not the stuff chefsare cooking on TV that’s unhealthy, it’s al l thecrap that Joe Public’s eating from burgers toreadymade pizzas to bought in lasagnes to allthat stuff. What makes you fat is the stuff that’sin fizzy drinks, al l the hidden stuff that’severywhere, not the food on your Sunday lunchtable.”Sceptical about recent research recommendingpeople should eat ten different fruit and veg aday - “Well good luck to anybody who wants totry that one…” the chef laughs – Martin revealshis own food heaven and hell to use before he’soff – “crab and horseradish!”

To learn more about James Martin’s cookware ranges with Stellar please visit

www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/shop or www.stellarcookware.co.uk

33

A few weeks ago I went to meet up with an oldfriend who lives in Sweden. We’ve known eachother for over 1 5 years and have supported eachother in good and bad times.I no longer l ive in my home country of Sweden somy visits to see some of my friends are not regularenough. Unfortunately, in this instance makingarrangements aboutwhere andwhen tomeet upturned intoan argument.I felt real lysad. Themeeting thatwassupposed tobe a happyevent turnedinto a fightand both ofus had toexpressourselvesand reallysay what wefelt.Thankful ly, it al l turned out ok and we spent a fewhours catching up and sharing some nice stories.What this did to me was that it chal lenged mythoughts about meeting up. We had somedifferent ideas about how to arrange things, butthe outcome was great for both parties. We bothdared to express what we felt and how we wantedthings to be done, and that is what I bel ieve wemust al l do more often when we work using ourcreative force and innovative spirit.

Steve Jobs and John SculleyAn idea is rarely ful ly developed unti l i t has gonethrough the magic process of having input fromseveral people. I recently watched an interviewwith Steve Jobs on Netfl ix entitled ‘The LostInterview’ in which Jobs shares his views oncreativity.Do you remember when Apple almost went bustunder the leadership of John Sculley, the former

CEO of PepsiCo? Sculley and Jobs had a hugeargument about the creative process and how todevelop new products and the rest is history –everyone has heard the story about Sculleykicking Jobs out of Apple. Jobs claims that Sculleysuffers from a disease, a disease that makes youthink that 90% of a great product is a great idea.

Jobs argues thata great ideaevolves by ateam taking itthrough thecreative process,and that includesarguments anddifferent ideasinteracting witheach other. Thisthen creates aproduct that isshaped forsuccess. He alsoadded that hehas worked withthe top experts inhis field andwhen doing thisit is challengingto manage

people. You have to let their creativity add value toyour final product.Have you ever agreed to go along with a

suggestion because you had to stroke someone’sego? If your answer is yes then this person maysuffer from the same disease as Sculley did:thinking that you only need a great idea to developa great product.

When do you feel creative?When does the next level of creativity come andknock on the door? And how do you know it’sthere? I ’ve spoken to lots of people about this andthe creative force often turns up at very oddmoments.Grainne McGuinness, a TV and fi lm producerbased in Belfast, told me that it was when she wasa sleep deprived mother of two young children thatshe had the most fantastic ideas: ‘Sleepless nightsand the joy of spending time with my kids made


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Creativity

Conflicts, talents and welcoming new ideasBy Sofie Sandell

34


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Creativity

me come up with some amazing off the wallideas, one of them Bia Linn, a cookery show forkids. ’We never know when we wil l feel creative andwho would have imagined that sleepless nightscould contribute to your creativity? Maybe it’swhen we let our ideas go through the tumble-dryer in our mind and mix them with otherpeople’s ideas that magic happens. What doyou think?One of the most disruptive things you can do isto work with people who can never be wrong.Have you ever had that experience? If oftenhappens when people are not open to l isteningto new ideas and suggestions. Creative peoplelove to bounce thoughts of others and get otherpeople’s perspective.When you produce a TV programme you aredependent on many talented people to make ithappen. You need them to help you; you can’tdo it by yourself. You might have the idea, butit’s thanks to the group and their creativity thatyou are able to create something wonderful.Great marketing wil l not sel l a bad product in thelong term. Any customers you do get wil l leaveyou.

Too many ideas

I once spoke in front of a group of digitalmarketers whose principal problem was thatthey had too many ideas. They worked for alarge supermarket in the UK and they didn’thave a process in place to help them nurturetheir ideas. Instead, they often felt overwhelmedby all of the creativity around them and theyoften kil led ideas because there was no time todo anything about them.What you want to do as a supermarket is tocreate a great experience for your customersand to make their time spent shopping quickerand easier. How do you then channel al l your

ideas internal ly? This question comes down tothe culture of the business, the way things aredone.Did the digital markets I spoke to not haveenough room to try out their ideas? Should theyhave set up a beta website where they could tryout their new digital ideas? Should they haveestablished an unofficial marketing lab wherepeople could go and be a bit artistic? They thinktheir l imits are time and people, but is it real ly?People need to express themselves and if youare not letting them do that then you are notgoing to be able to root out the best ideas.

Creativity can be painful and hard to catch, sowhen it happens you need to be ready for it.

Sofie Sandell is a lecturer in digital marketing at INSEEC business school in London. She is

the author of the book 'Digital Leadership' which is inspiring you to be more creative with the

digital tools. Sofie was born in Sweden and now lives in London. www.sofiesandell.com

35

www.sofiesandell.com


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukMedia

WWhhaatt mmaakkeess aa vviiddeeoo ccaammppaaiiggnn eeffffeeccttiivvee??

Move your customers...

By Ravinol Chambers

I f a picture can paint a thousandwords, imagine what video canachieve. As well as tel l ing yourtarget market exactly who youare and what you do, acampaign video can moveviewers emotionally, enablingthem to connect with you andyour brand.

Ninety per cent of al l internettraffic is predicted to be videocontent in the next three years.Much of this wil l be personal,homemade fi lm, butprofessional-quality corporatecampaign videos can make abig splash when made anddistributed well . I f you're notusing fi lm as part of yourmarketing mix already, now is

definitely the time to start.

When making a video, eitheryourself or by commissioning aprofessional productioncompany, there are keys togetting it right. Firstly, decidewhat it is you want to achieve.

Have a conclusion in sightthroughout the process. Keep itsimple with a single theme,make it entertaining enough forrepeat viewings and aim forbrevity (around three minutes) –much like a classic pop song.

Ima

ge

sc

ou

rte

sy

of

Be

Ins

pir

ed

Fil

ms

36


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukMedia

Indeed, l ike the best pop music, successfulcampaign videos are emotive. John Lewis'sChristmas advert is now a much-anticipatedevent, expected to bring a tear to the eye andfestive joy to the heart – and making thedepartment store one of the biggest brands ofthe season as a result. By including a 'face' ofthe company, brands can also build a personalrelationship with viewers, in the much the sameway as soap actors often get stopped by fansin the street to discuss their on-screentraumas. Video can create relationships withcustomers and key contacts without you evenmeeting them.

However, this personal connection can only bemade through honesty. Whether your messageis happy or hopeful, sad or si l ly, an audiencewil l only connect if you are being truthful:there's nowhere to hide with so muchinformation on show. Yet with customersdemanding more transparency from theirfavourite brands, this lets video shine as anadvertising medium. As the fi lmmaking mantra

goes, 'show, don't tel l '; with video you don't need totel l the viewer about your great service or productl ine, you can show them what it looks l ike, yoursatisfied customers, your successful project inaction. You can literal ly open your doors and showpeople around your business.

Look to other successful onl ine videos andtelevision adverts for inspiration, but the bestcampaigns are inventive, ambitious and honest.

Ravinol Chambers is the Founder of Be Inspired Films, a socially minded video

production company. For further information visit www.beinspiredfilms.co.uk

37


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Nick Hewer

From charity treks to Kazakhstan to reunitingrunaways, PR man Nick Hewer has been busy

Street Child’s latest campaign,‘Every Child in School’ ,determines to put theimpoverished children of Liberiaand Sierra Leone back intoeducation by building schoolsand improving l iving conditions,getting kids off the streets andinto safe accommodation.I t was a chance meeting withStreet Child founder Tom Hewittthat alerted Hewer to the plight ofWest African children. Learningthat there are over 50,000 streetkids in Sierra Leona alone, theformer PR impresario decided tolend his expertise to the cause.

“What Street Child does isidentify kids and reunite famil ies,but what they do in order to stopthe children from running awayagain is give them a little groundof just £50. In Sierra Leone thisis a lot of money, though for usit’s nothing. When these kids canstay at home they can go toschool. In the rural areas, if thereisn’t a school we build one forthem. We don’t need muchmoney to build a school - it onlycosts £1 2,000 to build a schoolthat would be big enough for 250children. That isn’t a lot ofmoney, is it? And it only costs

£1 000 a year to run and thenkids get a decent education. Andeverything stems from getting adecent education.”Ever the business minded sage,Hewer notes the appeal of thisparticular charity. He believes thegoals the campaign strivestoward to be tangible – not tomention achievable. Havingtaken part in charity treks toKazakhstan and spent time inRwanda, Hewer has witnessedfirst-hand how an industriousapproach can achieve palpablegoals.

As Lord Sugar’s aid, NickHewer has refined the art ofThe Apprentice selection process, andhe appears just as content watching over the Countdown clock. Now, the PRmagnate hastaken to matters away from the TV cameras, becoming involved with Street Child, a charityseeking to help the poorest children in West Africa.

38


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Nick Hewer

“Street Child is doing incrediblework, making tremendousinroads.” He tel ls us. “And theunusual thing about this projectis that it can be done. I ’m not inany way being disrespectful ofthe efforts of Children in Need,but that is so big that it issometimes hard to see what isbeing done and what needs tobe done. What we are sayinghere is that we only need enoughfor 50,000 kids. We could do thisin a couple of years. I t is not

impossible to see an end to thiscraziness. I t is achievable. Youcould actual ly finish this one off. ”As a famil iar face on Britishtelevision, Hewer knows that his‘celebrity’ status can aid thecauses he holds dear. “I amconvinced it is a very worthwhilething to support. And if that ishelpful, then why not?”He also makes use of his wellrenowned sternness whenimploring people to give to aworthy cause. “I t’s al l very well

saying we have Governmentbacking, but we have to raise themoney. I t’s just £50 to save afamily. Al l you have to do is nottake your girlfriend out for dinneron Saturday.”Aside from his charitable

endeavours, Nick Hewer remainsa best known as Lord Sugar’sright hand man, and he promisesus that The Apprentice wil l returnbetter than ever in this autumn.“Oh, it wil l come roaring back,you can be sure of that. ”

You can support Street

Child in their quest to help

thousands of children

leave the streets and

receive an education. To

donate £3, text

‘STREETCHILD £3’ to

70707 or visit www.street-

child.co.uk for more

details.

39


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukSales

Create a visual goal board. Take your l ist from theprevious exercise and find pictures that represent your

goals, preferably with you in them (even if you super imposeyourself onto an existing picture) then stick the picture to agoal board that you hang somewhere where you see it everyday. Every time you glance at your goals, take a brief momentto focus your intentions on living that goal and how that feels.

Stick a post-it note to the bathroom mirror, and then everymorning as you wash your face, you wil l also re-focus

your mind. Stick a post it on a white board in your office, oralternatively do as I do and write a goal in l ipstick across themirror! No way can you avoid them then.

Write a cheque to yourself, dated for the day you anticipatecashing it and carry it in your wallet or purse.

Create a certificate of achievement and frame it.

Laminate a goal and place it on the side of your bedsidecabinet or even on the ceil ing above your bed, so that the

last thing you see at night and the first thing you see in themorning is that goal.

Create a goal book. Just as with the goal board, exceptplace your goals within a book that you carry with you and

fl ick through every day.

I require everyone that has ever worked in any of my salesteams to complete this exercise. I obviously want them

working hard for me and the business, but their efforts have totransfer into something meaningful for them. I enjoy seeing thepictures of them on a luxury holiday with their family, or drivingtheir dream car, or owning their own home, plastered all overtheir desks and I take great joy when they are able to fulfi lthose ambitions as a direct result of their own efforts. I alsofind as a sales manager that it’s extremely useful to know whatmotivates the people within my team.

Fun Ways to Tune Into WIIFM FMBy Nicola Cook

This is an extract from The Secrets of Success in Selling by Nicola Cook, published by

Pearson. Nicola is MD of Company Shortcuts – a consultancy dedicated to excellence in sales

and leadership. Join her at the next Company Shortcuts Business Accelerator sales growth

conference. Find out more at www.companyshortcuts.com/businessaccelerator

1

2

3

6

4

5

7

There are a number of fun ways in which you can tune in to What's In It For Me (WIIFM) daily.

Select a few from the list below and surround yourself with your own emotional drivers, so

that when you need to, you only need to focus on a goal to remind yourself why you need to

pick yourself up and dust yourself down and get back out there.

40


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukAccounting

The Company Financial Year-End:

By Riz Wasti

A company’s financial year is a requisite for tax

paying purposes. Similar to the way we pay ourpersonal taxes, businesses have the obligation toreport on their net income at the end of eachfinancial year, which wil l serve as a base forpertinent tax calculations. The financial year-end isalso the moment when a company informsshareholders about the company’s annual profit.

I t is important to keep in mind that a companyfinancial year-end doesn’t necessari ly have tocoincide with the last day of the calendar year orthe personal tax year (5th Apri l in UK). Let’sassume that a business starts its activity in July. I tsfinancial year-end would be in June, the fol lowingyear.In any case, you must meet the financial year-endwith accurate and complete financial reports. Thatwil l ensure that your taxes wil l be accuratelycalculated.

What does it imply?

Riz Wasti (ACMA) is a member of the Business Mentoring Meetup Group and a Director

at 2E Accountants Ltd. www.2eAccountants.co.uk

For this you need to make sure that

• all business transactions are

properly finalised and reflected in

your business’ bookkeeping records

• reconciliations are accurate and

complete

The financial year-end usually implies alot of work and stress. The preparation ofthe company’s taxes can only beaccurate if al l the bookkeeping records,al l through the year, have been keptperfectly organised fol lowing the basicaccounting principles e.g. matchingprinciple, accrual, historical cost etc.

This is the reason why many businesseschoose to employ bookkeeper andoutside tax accounting services. Thisway they wil l make sure that al l taxfi l l ings are professionally calculated andthat they fol low the latest tax laws.A professional tax accountant wil l keepabreast of al l issues related to businesstax. In addition, they wil l be able to makethe most of the possible tax savings.

Riz

Wa

sti

:D

ire

cto

r2

EA

cc

ou

nta

nts

Ltd

41


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Business Evaluation

Your business could be worth 40% lessthan you think and other scary things!

By Tony Gimple

Despite the somewhat difficulttrading cl imate over the last fewyears, many businesses are sti l lmaking money but, instead ofreinvesting or distributing thoseprofits, directors are holding onto the cash. Now there’s nothingwrong with putting money asidefor a rainy day, the trouble is thatby leaving money on deposit theshareholders could be loosingout on Business Property Relief(BPR), which means that theirestate wil l pay 40% inInheritance Tax (IHT) instead ofnone.In a not dissimilar vein, where a

business has surplus cash,HMRC may deny a shareholderEntrepreneurs’ Relief at the pointwhen they come to sell theirshares. This means that CapitalGains Tax (CGT) could bepayable at the ful l rate of 28%.However, by putting the surpluscash to good trading use, thebusiness can restore theavailabi l ity of Entrepreneurs’Relief to its shareholders,meaning that CGT wil l only bepayable at 1 0% whichrepresents a significant saving.Carrying on the theme of HMRCgiving you a hard time, if you are

a director, and regardless ofwhether you are also ashareholder, if for any reason thebusiness fai ls to pay NationalInsurance Contributions, ourfriends at HMRC can issue youwith a Personal Liabil ity Notice(PLN). The effect of the PLN isdramatic, with l iabi l ity for thecompany’s unpaid NIC (plusinterest and penalties)transferring from the company toyou personally and thus fal l ingoutside the l imited l iabi l itycriteria. You might say that this isnothing new, but HMRC areactively looking for ways to

42



maximise the tax intake and ahungry wolf is an especial lydangerous one.A mil l ion businesses across theUK are now exposingthemselves to serious financialrisk by not having the legal orfinancial cover in place to makesure that their businessborrowings would be repaid ortheir share in the business could,when they die, be bought byfamily or colleagues. Thatsalutary fact sti l l remains trueeven though the death of abusiness owner has a greaterimpact on a business’s futurethan their premises burningdown, with over half of businessowners ranking the death of anowner as the worst scenario theycould experience, saying that thebusiness would eitherimmediately cease trading or do

so within the fol lowing two years.Despite that, almost half of UKbusiness ownersexpect the remainingfel low owners to buytheir share of thebusiness in the eventof their death, but lessthan a tenth of UKbusinesses have aPartnership orShareholderAgreement and, ofthose that do, overhalf have notreviewed them in thelast year and more than a thirdadmit that they have neverreviewed their Agreements at al l .Yet, although four out of fivesmall business owners say theywould l ike to pass on theircompany shares to specificbeneficiaries in the event of them

passing away, almost half haveyet to put any legal instructions

in place to ensurethese wishes arehonoured.No doubt you’l l

agree that there areplenty of morepressing things toworry about, suchas closing the nextdeal or which Mercto buy etc. , withoutdelving into the lessobvious ways inwhich you can be

tripped up when you’re lookingthe other way. Likewise, youmight think that because yourlawyer or accountant hasn’talready mentioned these horrorsthat they don’t apply to you - ifonly that were true!

Feature: Business Evaluation

Tony Gimple is the Founder of Succession Planning (www.planned-succession.com) - a referral

only legal support provider in wills, probates, share holder agreements, and succession

planning. He is also a mentor at the Business Mentoring Meet Up group

"Amillionbusinessesacross the UKare nowexposingthemselves toseriousfinancial risk"

43



www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNews: Fashion

World’s First Wheelchair Dress is Just the Ticket

(left to right) CEO ofThe British Polio Fellowship, Ted Hill MBE, withParalympian and The British Polio Fellowship Ambassador AnneWafula-StrikeMBE, in the first ever designer dress totally designed around the wheelchair itself.

Paralympian athlete unveils innovative train ticket dressto promote Polio and Post Polio Syndrome (PPS) awareness

Inspirational LondonParalympian athlete AnneWafula-Strike, MBE unveiled a‘catwalk’ designer dress made of3500 train tickets in London, in abid to raise awareness of Polioand Post Polio Syndrome (PPS).The bespoke dress was madeby haute couture designer AleahLeigh for Anne, an Ambassador

of The British Polio Fellowship.Anne said: “I am a big believerthat disabil ity is no bar toanything, and the greatestdisabil ity of al l is in fact howsome people think. Polio andPPS has not stopped me fulfi l l ingmy sporting or career ambitionsand it should not stop peoplelooking good. Just because you

use a wheelchair, it doesn’tmean you can’t be sexy andglamorous and this designerdress is a great way to get thatmessage across. I t was awonderful, l iberating feeling toturn a few heads today andchallenge some misconceptionsabout disabil ity, Polio and PPSalong the way.”

British designers urged to close the gap between creativity and businessThe British Fashion Council (BFC) unveiled areport commissioned in collaboration with LondonBusiness School (LBS) and in partnership withLand Securities highl ighting the importance ofcommercial guidance and special ist business

partners for up and coming designers.The new report, ‘Commercial ising Creativity –Creating a Model for Success for British FashionDesigners’, reveals the commercial secrets ofsuccess for creative fashion businesses.

44


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukWomen In Business: Daniele de Winter Monaco

From The Inside Out...Beyond Superficial Beauty

ot many people can claim tobe a beauty pioneer, healthexpert and best sel l ingauthor at the same time, but

for Daniele de Winter she is al lthat and more.Having found fame and successat a young age with her bestsel l ingbook, Eat Yourself Beautiful ,Daniele went on to create Danielede Winter Monaco, a luxury,hol istic beauty and spa companybased in Monte Carlo. After threeyears of product development,Daniele successful ly launched herinnovative and medical lydeveloped skin rejuvenation rangein 2006.

Daniele de Winter InsideOutbeauty skincare is today soldworldwide, used by celebrities androyalty from Monaco to Japan andavailable in some of the mostfamous spa’s in the worldincluding the Mandarin Oriental inTokyo, The Adlon in Berl in, thehotel Vierjahreszeiten in Munichand the Kempinski in DubaiAjman.

By Ronnie Ajoku

45



hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Munichand the Kempinski in DubaiAjman.Beauty Shot and Skinergie,the latest addition to her high-performance luxurious skincarerange, launched in Apri l at TheDeck of the National Theatre inLondon.So what made her go from

being an author to developing asophisticated range? “MyMother, a true entrepreneur, hadalways inspired me to start myown business ‘one day’, and myfather infected me with apassion for health. I t was all thequestions I received during myUS book tour and a realisationthat there was a gap in thebeauty market that gave me theidea to create my own'synergistic, InsideOut beauty'product l ine.“What final ly gave me the

courage to start a company was

being recruited in the late 90’s toan Internet startup in Munichthat fai led miserably. I t was ahorrible experience – but we allsurvived, and going through thisgave me the courage to give 'theentrepreneurship thing' a go bymyself – but this time do thingsmy way.”Daniele is the daughter of DrJan de Winter, a pioneeringcancer special ist who openedthe UK's first Cancer PreventionClinic in 1 982. She worked withher father in cancer prevention,focusing on the l ifestyle choicespeople can adopt to reduce theirrisk of contracting the disease.From this she developed aphilosophy that health andbeauty are inseparable, leadingher to write her first book, Whatthe Doctor Ordered, at the ageof 1 5! This was fol lowed by theUS bestsel ler Eat YourselfBeautiful , which Daniele wrote at

the age of 21 . Her third book,InsideOut Beauty, was publishedin 2006 to accompany thelaunch of her InsideOut beautyskin rejuvenation system.Daniele de Winter, who has an

MBA from Insead, spent yearsresearching and sourcing theprecise combination of 1 00%natural ingredients to provide theoptimum benefits to the healthand appearance of skin. Aimedat educated women and meninterested in natural ly beautifulskin and an energized, youthfulbody, what makes the rangespecial according to Daniele isthat “deW InsideOut beautyskincare, supplements anddrinks do not just regenerateskin cells – they work toregenerate your whole body – itis a natural, hol istic approachthat del ivers results.“Some of our customers areindividuals with very dry or

“MyMother, a true entrepreneur, had always inspiredme to startmyownbusiness"

46



incredibly sensitive or problemskin that have previously had toresort to pharmaceutical gradeskincare to rel ieve the redness,dehydration or acne in anymeasurable way. deW InsideOutbeauty nourishes andrebalances their sebum and skinimmunity from within – peopleare amazed that somethingnatural can work so well . ”As an in-demand speaker, sheis passionate about creating ahealthier world. “I am mostpassionate about holistic anti-ageing, beyond ‘superficial ’beauty. Our ‘civi l ized world’ isfighting a losing battle against anepidemic of burn-out, high bloodpressure, obesity, diabetes andcancer – all of which can beprevented and often curedthrough gentle l ifestyleadjustments combined with theright supplements. Unfortunatelythe pharmaceutical model –which is al l Doctors are taught -is entirely disinterested in curing

anyone : they just want to keepthe patient al ive for an long aspossible so they can sell thegreatest amount of drugs.“Over the next 20 years, thenumber of obese adults in theUK (to say nothing of children) isforecast to soar by a staggering73% to 26 mil l ion people1 ,leading to a matching rise inheart disease, diabetes andcancer. I would love to gain theleverage in order to make a bigdent in those numbers and makeit clear that there is anothermuch, much better way.”Although the marketplace is atough one fi l led with big industryplayers, Daniele has managedto continue the growth of herbusiness thanks to certainunique factors, not least of whichis the authenticity of her brand:“We are underpinned by a lot ofhol istic science due to the 20years I spent working with myfather, visionary anti-agingdoctor Dr Jan de Winter. Our

InsideOut beauty approach (thatsynergistical ly combinesskincare with 1 00% naturalsupplements and drinks) is sti l lrelatively unique. We target thecauses of skin inflammation,col lagen glycation andpremature ageing from bothinside and out so that 1 +1 = 5 interms of results. Once peoplesee how our products work theyusually stick with them.“We are also from Monaco,which sti l l enjoys a wonderful lyexclusive ‘cachet’ that helps dialup the chic of Daniele de Winteras a brand. We are also trulyauthentic; I am a real person, myname is on the boxes and thereis no huge corporation in thebackground. I think people l ikethat. My small team is composedof fabulous, passionateindividuals and we lovecustomers to engage with usand really appreciate having arelationship with them.”

Daniele's Tips For Success

• Get a job at a company you admire

in the industry you are targeting

before starting out on your own to get afeel for how the industry functions. Youwil l learn a lot and avoid many of themistakes that I made starting a beautycompany from scratch.

• Find one or two close friends to

start the business with . There isnothing l ike ‘sweat equity’ to drive abusiness forward. You want people whocare as much about the business’ssuccess as you do. Employees are forlater.

• Be brutally honest – would YOU buy

your own products/service? You needto be able to answer YES withouthesitation to have a chance of success.

For more information please visit www.danieledewinter.com

47


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukWomen In Business: Make it global

The Make It Global project is a £1.5 millionfunded project that aims to support theinternationalisation of women-led small andmedium enterprises (SMEs) in London. Theproject is funded by the EU, through theEuropean Regional Development Fund(ERDF). If you want to find out more abouthow your business can benefit from Make ItGlobal visit: uel.ac.uk/makeitglobal

Yasemin Guzeler: ChantamFollowing the collapse of Lehman Brothers andthe ensuing shakeup in the industry, Yasminfound herself without a contract.“I used to be a finance professional, mostlydoing contract work for legal firms. In December2008 I was in between contracts and met twofriends of mine for pre-Christmas drinks. Inoticed a woman at the next table waiting for herfriend, who later arrived wearing a black coatwith a gorgeous Harris Tweed handbag. Shelooked very styl ish. I thought it was a nice way tocompliment dark winter coats with a colourfulhandbag to uplift, ” says Yasemin.After spending hours searching for the sametype of bag she was unable to find one and sothe seeds for her business were sewn. “Ireal ised there was a gap in the market for goodquality yet affordable Harris Tweed handbags.Most of the handbags I found on internet wereeither cheap and low quality or very expensivedesigner ones. I had worked in the fashionindustry before and appreciate high qualityfabrics produced in Britain and so decided toproduce my own design of Harris Tweedhandbags.”Yasemin has seen her business more thandouble in just a few years, proving that shemade the right decision in choosing her targetmarket.“Make it Global helped me to catch up with therecent trends in marketing and businessdevelopment. I learned to develop a costeffective but very powerful marketing strategythat wil l help to grow my business much faster.”

For further information on Chantam visit

www.chantam.com

Sannapanda is a unique business started bySanna King, aimed at helping people to sleep.“I met a lot of people who said they could notsleep without their eye-mask or hot-water bottlefor comfort, so I started designing sleepy setsfor people to use at home or for when theywere travell ing.“I wanted to make individual pieces that peoplecould collect and use to create their own cosylittle sanctuary - and get some rest whereverthey happened to be.“The style is very much influenced by my

mother's Finnish roots. That meant I wasalways surrounded by beautiful and practicalhousehold goods, with vibrant patterns andcolours.”Sannapanda has been involved with a numberof craft and design events over the last fewyears showcasing their products.

Networking has proven beneficial toSannapanda's expansion plan and throughthese events and some independent boutiquesit has started to build up a small but growingcustomer base, predominantly in London andthe UK.On the role played by Make It Global in helpingher business she said: “Make It Global haveprovided us with lots of useful business advicein general and, more specifical ly, how to growand reach international customers.“They have lots of essential information onresearching different markets in differentcountries and cultures, and understanding thedifferent approaches needed to appeal to them.They also provided important insights into thelogistics and legalities involved when exportingor trading abroad.”

www.sannapanda.com,Facebook.com/sannapanda.uk, Twitter:

@sannapanda

Sanna King: Sannapanda

48


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukWomen In Business: Clover Lewis

Creative Hub offers advice andsupport responding to the needsof small to medium creativebusinesses in fashion, jewellery,texti les, accessories, softfurnishings, homeware, digitaland visual media. I t has basesin Bermondsey Street’s Fashion& Texti le Museum and Soho’s01 Zero-one studios.

www.creative-hub.org.ukClover Lewis is an entrepreneurthat has attended CreativeHub's courses and this is herstory.

Clover Lewis is a London-

based post-surgery

swimwear designer. Shetrained at Central St Martinsand has had a varied creativecareer spanning several yearsin fi lm, physiotherapy, andcostume design. However, itwas while recovering from herbreast cancer diagnosis that

she combined her skil ls tocreate Clover Lewis Swimwearin 201 2 as a recovery project.“By intuitively detecting an

aggressive form of breastcancer that was completelyhidden from all medicalscreening, I survived and havebeen clear for 4 years,” Cloversays of her ordeal.

I t was her horrific experiencethat led Clover to target womenthat have experienced amastectomy.“After my cancer diagnosis I

wanted to tick a lot of boxes onmy ‘desire to do’ l ist and high upon that l ist was learning how todive. My partner and I booked aholiday to Bali for me to earn an

Clover Lewis Swimwear

“After mycancer

diagnosis Iwanted to ticka lot ofboxeson my ‘to do’

list"

49


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukWomen In Business: Clover Lewis

open water diving certificate.While preparing to go on thisexciting trip I couldn’t findswimwear that made me feelcomfortable or confident enoughto be seen on the beach, whichalso concealed my breastimbalances after mastectomyand whilst I was undergoingreconstruction. This was souldestroying! So, after my fruitlesssearch, I created a gorgeousbikini for myself, went to Bali andreturned with my divingcertificate. My confidence wasboosted.“On my return I startedspeaking with hundreds ofwomen though online breastcancer forums, surveys andbreast care nurses - most ofwhom expressed similardisappointment around choosingswimwear. From this, the ideafor Clover Lewis Swimwear was

born.”Clover's business caters to thepost surgery segment that iscurrently underserved. “Themajority of postsurgery/mastectomy swimwearproducts available arefunctional, yet very conservativein design,” Clover points out.Post-surgery swimwear needn’tonly be functional. “Womenyearn to feel gorgeous in aswimsuit, especial ly after breastcancer, and this is my brand'smotivation. I have experiencedthe transformative effects of howlooking good on the outside canhave positive effects on theinside after my own breastcancer diagnosis, which is why Ihave this ethos at the forefrontof my design process.”The training received atCreative Hub was fashionindustry specific, and has been

very useful for raising herprofessionalismand effective communication within the fashion industry.“I attended both 'Preparing thePerfect Presentation' and 'Meetthe Buyer' training courses atCreative Hub. Together withuseful one-to-one sessions withthe trainer, these coursesenabled me to create industry-standard paperwork such as linesheets, practice pitching my postsurgery swimwear brand, andprepare for a myriad of buyers'questions. The overal l result ofthis is I was well prepared fordialogues with fashion buyers atmy swimwear brand's prototypelaunch, at the Startup's Festivalat Selfridges Old Hotel. ”

Clover, hopes to attend somemore courses at Creative Hub inthe near future.

For further information visit www.cloverlewis.com , twitter.com: @CloverLewisSwim ,Facebook.com/CloverLewisSwim, Linkedin.com/CloverLewis

"The training Ireceived atCreative Hubwas fashionspecific"

50

www.thebusinessshow.co.uk


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Fashion

Is there room for change in the fashion business?London Fashion Week is undoubtedly one of the most renowned events in the fashionindustry's calendar. The buzz behind models, designers and labels had everyone talking.But isn't it time for an industry so set in its ways to embrace change? Models ofDiversity's Ruth HarrisonRoberts thinks so...

The Fashion industry – where dowe begin? Models, designers,brands…it’s a big business.Chanel, Dior, YSL… we all knowthe big names. But what aboutthe l ittle people? The lesserknown names in the industry thatare making a change? The faceswithin the fashion industry thatare pushing for progress?Why aren’t we seeing changewithin the industry? On the 28thof Apri l , Models of Diversity heldtheir first l ive Q&A session anddue to the success of it heldanother on the 8th of August. Theunderl ining issue was whetherthere is enough diversity in thefashion industry and theconclusion was that much morecould and should be done.Everybody in the industry needsto take responsibi l ity for makingthose changes happen, even us.I f we don’t make our voices heardthen who is going to l isten?

There is a definite ripple effectthat starts with a voice and lendsitself out to the stores, to thesuppliers and to the designers,and this all stems from theimages that we are presentedwith in the first instance. Talkingamongst ourselves is all verygood but it doesn’t make achange. Working alongside thelarger brands is where we will seechange starting to happen.Over the last ten years retailersand designers have changed theway we shop to a considerabledegree. We now have a greaterchoice of plus size lines, clothingavailable in taller sizes as well aspetite and even fashionablematernity wear. So shopping hasbecome easier if you are theaverage sized UK woman (size1 6).Debenhams recently launched

size 1 6 mannequins in its stores,however it stil l isn’t enough. Whatabout the size 0 models whowear these designs in the firstplace? A majority of the timecampaigns cause a sensation;after all, the brand is fighting forlife in a sea of other designs andneeds to stay afloat and the keyto doing this is by getting yourcampaign noticed. Name a brandthat hasn’t used a shock tacticover the last few seasons? Shockcampaigns are a flash in the pan,yet many brands are applaudedby those who see it as foresighton the brands behalf that they areusing plus size models, models ofcolour or models with a disabil ity.These models all get their brandsnoticed. Unfortunately thesecampaigns only last a season andthey are gone the next — back tothe standard practise.

An example of size 1 6 mannequins recently introduced

Ruth Harrison-Roberts

Photographer Credit:

Simon Blower

52


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukFeature: Fashion

Ji l l ian Mercado, broke themould earl ier this year whenshe was picked to be the faceof Diesel’s campaign. Ji l l ian isin a wheelchair.“I think that we are slowly, butsurely, seeing a change in thefashion industry. They'renoticing that not everybodycan be a perfect skinny model.I t's unrealistic, . especial ly ifyou want to sel l clothing toeveryday people. I f every timepeople look at the models andall they ever see is a tal lskinny model, insecurity wil lstart forming. This is whyDiesel under Nicolas’ directionis so amazing because he issaying we need people torelate to clothes — to connectpeople together. Each andevery model on the campaigncan be relatable to someone,”Ji l l ian told models of Diversityabout the campaign.So is it the modell ing

agency's fault for supplyingthese models for campaigns?Many agencies now have a'plus' or 'curvy' model sectionas well as a classic modelsection on their websites. Oneagency that is making achange is Leni’s ModelManagement. Eleni Rentonhas a strict vision for her

agency — ‘to create anagency that puts the healthand well-being of the modelsthey represent at the forefrontof its ideology. ’ As a rule,Leni’s wil l not take on a modelthat doesn’t have a healthyBMI.I f the agencies are starting tomake a change what aboutthe designers themselves? Onthe runway we aren’t seeingmuch happen in the way ofdiversity. The general excusefor this is that it isn’t costeffective for a designer tomake their samples in a rangeof sizes. I sti l l haven’t had aresponse from anyone withregards to why they won’tmake a standard sample asize 1 2.So what can be done to

change this way of thinking?As the Front Row proved, it’snot about talking aboutchange. I t’s proving that thechange needs to be made –and for this we are allresponsible. Fashion is anindustry which has manysectors that need to work inunison to create a product,just l ike any other industry,and within industry change isinevitable.

"I think that we areslowly, but surely,seeing a change"

Jillian Mercado

Ruth Harrison-Roberts is a spokesperson for Modelsof Diversity, an organisation aimed at campaigning for

diversity within the fashion industry. To lend yoursupport or for further information visit

www.modelsofdiversity.org

Jill ian Mercado

"Name a brand that hasn’t used ashock tactic over the last fewsasons?"

53


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukPrime Time

Rima Abboushi's Chachoulie (Chachoulie.com)

Chachoulie is a new businessthat proves that there is more toPalestine than what we areaccustomed to seeing on ourtelevision screens.The brainchild ofRima Abboushi,Chachoulie(Chachoulie.com)produces beautifulhandmadeaccessories thatmake use the currentenvironmental lyfriendly trends,recycling and up-cycling. “Seven yearsago the PalestinianAmbassador's late wife hadsecured an Embassy presenceat the Children and Famil iesAcross Borders (CFAB.org)annual spring fair, held at theKensington Town Hall . At myrequest she kindly sourcedpanels of embroidery from awomen's cooperative inPalestine, that I then stitched

into trendy handbags. Thesewere then donated to thecharity's spring fair. Ivolunteered and donatedannually to this event and

watched the enthusiasmwith which peoplewanted to buysomething fromPalestine. They seemedto want to express theirsupport to the people,culture and heritage ofPalestine. I thenbranched out intojewellery, T Shirts andsilk shawls, ” Rima says.

Although initial ly aimed at theworldwide Palestinian diaspora,Chachoulie has branched out,attracting a wider audience. Onfuture growth Rima hopes to“make contact with retai l outletsin the UK and Middle East,such as Liberty's andBloomingdales.” She hasalready received an offer fromDubai based online shopping

website, Aura-b.com.PRIME has played a significantpart in real ising her dream.“Attending the PRIME courseoffered me a more seriousapproach to what I hope wil l bea flourishing business.Completing the assignmentsforced me to view my craft witha business and financial mind,as well as remove the isolationthat working from home canbring. The team at PRIME havegiven me direction, support andongoing contact that helps keepme focused.”To others hoping to start, Rimahas some words of advice: “I fyou have an idea, research itand try it, even if it is just ahobby, do it. Don't go beyondyour means and don't borrowunti l you understand the marketand have a customer base. Andof course attend a PRIMEcourse, it is there to help.”

To find out more visit Chachoulie.com, Twitter: @Chachoulie,

Facebook: facebook.com/chachoulie

The Prince’s Initiative forMature Enterprise (PRIME) is a national charityhelping people over the age of50, who are not working or unemployed, starttheir own businesses.With rising unemployment and increases to the retirement age, PRIME helpsthe over 50s explore self-employment as a different option through onlineresources, workshops, business clubs and mentoring schemes.PRIME believes that self-employment is a suitable option for older people asthey have experience and are highly skilled, qualities that naturally lendthemselves to enterprise.

RimaAbboushi and Selve Krishnan are two entrepreneurs that have received supportfrom PRIME...

"The team at

PRIME have

given me

direction,

support and

ongoing

contact that

helps keep me

focused.”

54

Before starting CommunicationLinks, Selve Krishnan workedwith the NHS, a local authorityschool and as a locum speechand language therapist.Determined to bring value toher cl ients she decided to setup her own speech andlanguage therapy business in201 2. Communication Linksworks in partnership withindividuals, famil ies,educational establ ishments,charities and businesses tohelp people withcommunication difficulties attaintheir potential communicationgoals. “My business is aimed atnurseries, schools and anybusiness that serves oremploys people withcommunication difficulties, ”Selve explains.PRIME’s input was extremelyimportant in setting up herbusiness properly. “Beforeattending PRIME’s “Preparingto Run Your Own Business”

course, I was underchargingcl ients as I had not worked outmy survival budget and break-even costs due to my fear ofreviewing my bank statements.”Communication Linkscontinues to grow, acquiringnew clients along the way. “Ihave now started working withanother charity to deliverspeech and language therapytraining to schools to helpchildren who are trai l ing behindtheir peers - due to socio-economic factors. Havinganother person on board hasreduced my anxiety and I feelmore energised,” she said of anewly acquired cl ient.Selve knows it's never too lateto start: “The thought of startinga business after 50 mightsound daunting. But rememberyou have a lifetime ofexperience, talents and skil lsthat would help you movetowards your goal for self-employment.”

Regarding the course offeredto her by PRIME she said: “Thecourse guided me through allmy fears and also provided mewith structured templates towork out my costs. By the endof the course I developed asound business plan which I feltvery confident in showing to abank and a business advisor.After the course PRIMEprovided me with a businessmentor which proved invaluablein developing my networkingskil ls. The PRIME community isvery supportive and I wasprovided with networking andexhibition opportunities too.”


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukPrime Time

Selve Krishnan's Communication Links

To find out more visit Chachoulie.com, Twitter: @Chachoulie,

Facebook: facebook.com/chachoulie

“Before attending

PRIME’s 'Preparing

to Run YourOwn

Business' course, I

was undercharging

clients as I had not

worked out my

survival budget"

PRIME is currently looking for business mentorsFor more information email: [email protected]

or visit www.prime.org.uk

55

I f you are a total newbie innetworking, there are few thingsthat I usually teach, that youneed to remember. To start with,a lot of people come tonetworking events aiming to selltheir services. Remember,networking isn’t sel l ing, it’s al labout connecting with otherprofessionals, making friendsand having fun. I f you feeluncomfortable going to events,just remember that you are thereto make friends and this wil lease you a bit.When you have found an eventthat you are happy with, makesure you keep going back. I f yougo to different events al l thetime, you wil l not have a chanceto bond with people. Once youbecame a regular member andpeople meet you frequently, theywil l know that you are seriousand consistent. After seeingyou a few times, they wil l feell ike knowing you, therefore theywil l trust you more.Prepare for each eventphysical ly and emotionally. Forpeople to take you seriously, youshould be dressed up inaccordance with what you do. Ialways say: “I f you are abusiness person, look l ike abusiness person. I f you are arock star, look l ike a rock star, ”

it’s that simple. People alwayslook at your appearance whenthey meet you.Do you know who you wouldl ike to meet? I t’s always good tohave an idea of thetype of person thatyou would l ike toconnect with.What’s their age,gender, profession,etc? Again, I neveradvice to look forcl ients, it’s muchbetter if you wil l lookfor someone youcould potential lywork with, maybe JV, or buyfrom them.Many networking events have aregistrar of attendees that youcan see in advance. You cansee their names, pictures and abrief description. This way youcan check in advance particularpeople that you want to connectwith.Once you are already at theevent connecting, part of firstimpression is your handshake.While getting to know theperson you are communicatingwith, real ly l isten to them —instead of talking the whole timeabout yourself. Listening is thekey to any type of relationshipand it isn’t any different in this

case.After communicating andlistening you wil l be able torecognise their needs and wantsand therefore to provide valuefor that person. By providing

value I mean dosomething for them. I tcan be something asl ittle as introducingthem to somebodyvaluable, providingthem with helpfulinformation that theymight need, oranything else you wil lcome up with during

the conversation, or after.Remember to always do whatyou promised and over deliver.Very last thing, if you found thecontact useful, remember tofol low up. You wil l be surprisedby the amount of people thatnever do. I f you won’t fol low up,whatever you achieved duringthe event won’t real ly matteranymore and unless you wil lmeet over and over again, youwil l be forgotten.Once you start using al l thesestrategies on regular basis, yournetworking skil ls wil l dramatical lyimprove. I wish you lots ofvaluable connections. HappyNetworking!

"When you havefound an eventthat you arehappywith,make sure youkeep goingback"


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukNetworking

Networking for NewbiesBy Svietlana Lavrentidi

Svietlana Lavrentidi is the Founder & CEO of the Entrepreneurial

Women’s Network

www.entrepreneurialwomensnetwork.com

Facebook.com/EntrepreneurialWomensNetwork

Facebook.com/svietlana.lavrentidi

56


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukEvents: Review

Eventbrite at Google HQ – what’s not to l ike? All threefounders of the bil l ion-dol lar ticketing firm went to Google’spalatial London HQ and were gri l led by members of theLondon tech community for a couple of hours. The viewswere immense, both out of the windows, and from thefounders. This team is a seriously impressive bunch. Farmore start-up than Forbes, they exuded passion for theproduct, and what it could do. They spoke frankly about theirbusiness and lifestyle, both from the stage and moregeneral ly on their UK trip.I t was the kind of from-the-heart event which people wil ltake a variety of messages from, but for me, the key things Ilearned were…

Be humbleEven if your firm is worth a bil l ion, you can’t stop for asecond. Jul ia in particular charmed with a combination ofpassion and humil ity. She’s clearly a woman with a talent fordrawing people to cooperate on a vision, and was genuinelyinterested in the audience questions - often visibly excited atthe chance to answer something which had caught her eyeon the sl i .do voting system. Furthermore, the whole teamwas quite happy to admit when successes came fromfortune, not planning. Their largest ever event came as acomplete surprise, when Eventbrite was used for a Latin-American public gathering.

Raise when you don’t need itFar from banging the drum for their vision to VCs, theEventbrite team went out and made it happen. They chasedcustomers, not capital – only raising when the brand had

clear traction.

ListenThis wasn’t, strictly speaking, partof the event – but when I caught upwith Jul ia and Kevin later, they werereally keen to hear suggestionsabout the Eventbrite product. Thiswas no pretence – they handed outtheir cards, and fol lowed up quicklyon suggestions by email . Thisclearly shows a genuine concern forusers - and a real striving to dobetter, and to be better.I ’ve seen and heard a lot of wealthyand talented people talk andEventbrite’s team impressed melike Buffet impressed me.

Startup Grind with Eventbrite Founders

By Andrew Lockley

Founders of Eventbrite: Renaud

Visage, Kevin and Julia Hartz

Andrew Lockley is an

entrepreneur and the Founder

of Business Training News:

businesstrainingnews.com

Further ‘Startup Grind’ events can be foundon Meetup.com, or on Eventbrite

at http: //www.eventbrite.com/o/startup-grind-london-631 0960637?s=26247683

57


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukEvents: Startup Socials

Startup Socials is a global community ofentrepreneurs built to connect andempower people in the startup ecosystem.

They host social and educationalevents around the globe whereentrepreneurs can network, learn, and createnew relationships for current and futurestartup ventures.The first of their London events, which wassponsored by SoftLayer, took place on June26 at Casa Negra, and another is set totake place on September 1 7.

The next Startup Socials Mixers event is set to

take place on September 1 7.

Venue: Cargo, 83 Rivington Street,

London EC2A 3AY

Time: 1 9:00 – 23:30

For further information visit:

www.startupsocials.com

I f the first event is anything to go by, and you areserious about your startup, you simply cannot affordto miss it! Unl ike many other networking events,attendees are able – and encouraged - to 'let theirhair down' and interact with each other.In such a friendly environment even the most shy ofentrepreneurs wil l come out feel ing l ike a networkinghero. “We allow entrepreneurs from around theworld to connect with Sil icon Valley talent and tapinto other ecosystems easier and accelerate theirgrowth,” said Co-Founder, Yuri Rabinovich.

Above: Co-Founder, YuriRabinovich

58


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukEvents: Startup Ready

Startup Ready will behosting a free networking

event on 22 Septemberaimed at professionalswho have an interest in

entrepreneurship

For further details on the mixer visitwww.meetup.com/StarupReadyNet/events/202104692

www.startupready.net

Venue: 51 Red Lion St, London WC1R 4PFTime: 18:30

59




www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukDining

The Holborn Dining Room

Offering classic Britishcuisine in a refinedhistoric setting, theHolborn Dining Room&Delicatessen is ideal for abusiness breakfast, lunchor dinner meeting and issure to impress. It formspart ofthe newly openedRosewood London,which has beenmeticulously restoredfrom a 1914 EdwardianBelle Epoque building.

60


www.londonbusinessjournal.co.ukDining

The lunch and dinner menu, comprised oftraditional British dishes made from the finestlocal ly sourced ingredients, is divided into sections:Charcuterie, Cold Counter, Hot Counter,Crustacea, Hot Kitchen, Sides, and Afters. Startersinclude; Pressed Ham Hock and Goats Cheese &Red Onion Tart from the Hot and Cold Counters,whilst main courses such as Whole Lobstermayonnaise and the Royal Seafood Platter can beselected from the Crustacea section.Prompt service and efficiency offered by the staffensure you get much more than you bargained for,leaving you with an experience rarely found inother places. Apart from the beautiful interior, thereis also the terrace were you can soak up theambience while enjoying your meal, should youchoose to dine in that section.With its design of reclaimed oak, antique mirrors,red leather, tweed banquettes and two antiquecopper-topped bars, Holborn Dining Roomprovided the perfect setting for the exciting final ofMasterChef (shown on BBC 1 ), where the final istswere tasked with cooking an exquisite four-coursemenu for four leading chefs, Tom Kitchin, SimonRogan, Nathan Outlaw and Michael Caines.

Holborn Dining Room & Delicatessen

is situated at 252 High Holborn,

London WC1 V 7EN

See www.holborndiningroom.com

61

Wantto advertise? Email [email protected]

Want to subscribe? Email [email protected]



Like us onFacebook: londonbusinessjournal

Followus onTwitter: @londbizjournal

FollowourWomen InBusiness onTwitter: @WomenInBusines3

www.t10expo.co.uk

Date post:	03-Apr-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	the-london-business-journal
View:	218 times
Download:	3 times

The London Business Journal September 2014 Issue 2

Documents