winter 2019 · 2019-12-10 · 0800 1422 522 [email protected] ne expo 14.11.19 | sy expo 20.11.19....

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PREMIER BUSINESS SHOWS & EXPOS

Winter 2019

Digital Audio Advertising

By What Measure?

Success Or Failure

Changing Life Inside Out

Helping to save the planet is a realistic possibility with SOS Workspace Solutions

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SOS are very proud to be showcasing the revolutionary Go-Greener desk range, made entirely from recycled waste plastics. Find out more about these amazing desk designs and how your next desk could offer a genuinely positive impact on the environment.SOS are delighted to introduce a range of desk solutions which help tackle common workplace issues and even help businesses save up to £260 per desk* per year in energy costs by using i-heat technology. In addition, new SOS solutions address wellbeing, posture, cable management, improving collaboration and maximising space.Research conducted by energy analysts have found that men and women tend to prefer different temperatures.

Men in general, have much faster metabolisms than women by about 30 percent. As a result, men’s bodies give off more heat, so they feel more comfortable when the office is colder. It is not uncommon to find half of an office sat in coats with fan heaters positioned under the desks, even in summer. Getting the temperature right can boost job satisfaction and productivity. Getting it wrong can make workers slow and unhealthy, leading to costly absenteeism.

Call: 0345 2308080 Website: www.sosgroup-ltd.co.uk/furniture *subject to circumstances and energy providers

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19

NEE Chamber raises £154k for Durham Cathedral Restoration

Eight hundred North East business leaders celebrated the region’s many achievements in Durham Cathedral in September and raised over £154,000 for the building’s restoration.

North East England Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner guests heard keynote speaker Sir Tim Laurence, chair, English Heritage emphasise the importance of buildings like the cathedral. Sir Tim, who studied at Durham University, said: “Durham Cathedral helps to give people a sense of community and we know from research it can also improve their sense of well-being.

As well as this, your fantastic cathedral plays an important role in attracting visitors with money to spend, which supports your local economy. Heritage and business work very well together as exemplified by this evening.” The Dean of Durham, The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett said:

“It was my pleasure to welcome our friends from the North East England Chamber of Commerce, back to our magnificent cathedral, for their annual dinner. The event offered the opportunity for us to share the rich heritage of the cathedral, with the North East business community, colleagues and partners alike.

“It also provided an unrivalled occasion for businesses in the region to come together in aid of Foundation 2020, our campaign to create a £10 million endowment fund to support the annual programme of conservation work that is required to maintain this world famous architectural treasure.

“We are delighted that on the night we managed to raise £154,000 towards the campaign, through the generosity of donations and matched funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Barclays.”

Chamber President, Lesley Moody, AES Digital Group spoke about the great strength of the region’s business community and the tremendous privilege of being able to hold the dinner in the cathedral which she described as ‘a space of such historic and spiritual significance’.

Her speech also pulled no punches about the current situation facing North East businesses “We will continue to do all we can to prevent No Deal and to urge Government and Parliament to secure a Brexit outcome that preserves our trading relationship and protects jobs. ‘We will do this not because of ideology, but because it is in the interests of the North East economy.’

NEE Chamber of Commerce Aykley Heads, Durham



Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums is one of the UK’s largest archive and museums service which receives 1.4 million visits per annum to the nine venues and Archives for Tyne and Wear which it manages.

TWAM is responsible for some of the best loved venues in the North East which include 4 museums, 3 galleries, 2 UNESCO heritage sites, 1 archive as well as the annual the Late Shows weekends every May.

Exhibitions which have opened in the last month:

- The Enchanted Interior, The Laing Art Gallery, until Feb 2020, www.laingartgallery.org.uk

- Roy Lichtenstein, The Hatton Gallery, until 31 December 2019, www.hattongallery.org.uk

There are many ways in which individuals and businesses can get involved with TWAM or one of our venues, events or programmes. Feel free to visit our stand at the NE Expo and speak to Nigel Alston-Phillips who will be on hand to answer any questions and be able to introduce you to our wonderful people, venues, collections & communities.

Venues across the county include, Discovery and Great North Museums, Hatton, Laing and Shipley Art Galleries, Arbeia Roman Fort, Segedunum (Wallsend), South Shields Museum & Art Gallery and Stephenson Railway Museum.

To discuss any of these venues contact:

Sophia Stovall, Head of Development

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums TWAMT: 0191 277 2261 E: [email protected]: www.twmuseums.org.uk

The Enchanted Interior arrives at the Laing

Stockton Riverside College Group is forward thinking provider of training and education in the Tees Valley, focused on building skills for industry through quality teaching, recognised qualifications and responsive to the needs of businesses in our region.

Boost workplace efficiency through our wide range of tailored training options

COMMERCIAL TRAINING AND BESPOKE RECRUITMENT

For more information call 01642 777189 or email [email protected]

APPRENTICESHIPSFor more information call

01642 865577 or email [email protected]

BESPOKEDYNAMICRESPONSIVE

NEW

FOR2019

Short Courses

Online CPD


NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19

Putting the Social back into Social MediaEllie has over 6 years’ experience in marketing and specialises in social media digital marketing.

Ellie founded Collab Media in 2016 while studying Brand Management at UCLan. Based in the heart of the North East Collab Media is a 24/7 social media marketing consultancy.

Collab Media’s mission is to help independent businesses build an online presence and help create brand awareness through the use of social media and blogs. If done correctly, social media management can turn your accounts into the go to place. For a fraction of the cost and hassle it would take to do in house, Collab Media not only builds awareness around your venue but gets customers in the door and spending money. Our in house team of creatives, which includes photographer, graphic designers, content writer and communications; all work together closely with the business to produce appealing social media content that gets measurable results which will make your business stand out over competitors.

Ellie also owns a successful lifestyle blog which has a readership of over 250,000 and has a significant online following on social media and is regarded as a social influencer, nationally and in the North East network. Ellie is also the founder of Women in Collaboration which is a networking event for women in

business. WIC monthly evening meetings are free are hosted in a laid back environment in a different venue every month across Teesside. Web: www.collabmedia.co.uk

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Poor Cashflow WillKill Your Business!• Fed up with your customer not paying you on time?

• Getting the run around with non-paying customers?

• Cashflow system in your business ineffective?

Working with large and small organisations, our in-depth specialist cashflow protection training programmes are

designed to improve and implement proven cash flow systems that protect working capital, prevent bad debts

and if required, provide training to recover debts with the full force of the law without expensive lawyer fees

Our training services include:

• Bespoke training either through small classes on our Master

Class Programmes or 1-1 Consultancy

• Showing you how to easily use the Court system from your own

desk as many times as you require to recover a bad debt with

lots of easy to follow examples

• Working with you to improve your cashflow processes

• Mediating between yourself and a customer to help resolve a

problem without involving the courts or expensive fees

Do you need:

• A permanent fix to poor cashflow?

• Consistent customer payments?

• Reduction in your bad debt?

• Training to recover a debt and maintain a customer relationship?

• To take back control of your business finances from experienced consultants?

www.cashflowprotectiontraining.co.uk

Newcastle office: 0191 4661073

[email protected]

London office: 0203 0111904

To find out more call us on 0191 466 1073 or ring Gary on 07963489752. Come and see me on Stand B2.

HELPING LOCAL BUSINESSES TO REDUCE THEIR CARD PROCESSING

COSTSSimple Solutions, Professional Service • No PCI Compliance Fees• No Authorisation Fees • No Minimum Monthly Service Charges • Fully Integrated Payments and Reporting

www.cardindustryprofessionals.co.uk

Certified Partner

CIP_NEE_Ad.indd 1 01/10/2019 22:04

Dedicated to supporting and developing organisations, individuals, and the supply chain profession as a whole.

www.ioscm.com 0800 1422 522 [email protected]

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19



Capital B Media shortlisted for brace of prestigious awards Celebrating 5 Years!

A South Yorkshire public relations and communications agency has been shortlisted for two prestigious industry awards.

Capital B Media has been named as a finalist in both categories it entered for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

The annual PRide awards, judged by a team of leading industry experts, recognise the outstanding work of PR agencies and in-house teams across the UK.

Capital B Media has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Small Consultancy category. The company has seen profit treble and turnover increase by a third in the last year, with several new client wins. A new digital account executive has also been recruited to work solely on video content. The agency picked up a Silver award in the same category in 2017.

Capital B Media has also been nominated in the Best Publication category for its work on the Pulmonary

Hypertension Association UK (PHA UK) member magazine, ‘Emphasis’. The consultancy has produced the quarterly publication for the national rare disease charity for the last four years, and it won gold in the same category in 2017.

Capital B Media, which has its headquarters near Barnsley, is made up of communication specialists and former journalists. The agency also has a base at the Media Centre in Huddersfield. Clients include businesses, local authorities and national charities.

Kate Betts, director of Capital B Media, said: “This is a fantastic achievement. I’m working with a brilliant team and that is reflected in the excellent year we have had.

“We have won at least one CIPR award every year since 2016, so the pressure is on to keep up our record!”

Capital B Media, which was set up in 2006, also provides UK-wide media training and crisis communications services, with clients including the Care Quality Commission, Government Events and Michelin Tyres.

Claire Saxton Director of Saxton Marketing Ltd a marketing consultancy agency designed to help business owners reach their marketing goals talks to ReFresh about her 5 year milestone.. I’ve always known that I want to work in marketing and after studying at the University of Derby, worked as a campaign manager for local Building Societies, says Claire.

Saxton Marketing started life 5 years ago after Claire realised that working in a corporate marketing environment wouldn’t give her that all important family balance.

She is delighted to be celebrating the 5th anniversary of her business because she can look back on all the businesses, large and small, that she has been able to help over that time. From setting marketing goals and creating plans to make them a reality, to getting hands on with social media marketing and event management.

Over that time Saxton has won several awards for their work as marketing consultants, and more specifically, being noticed for the Twitter marketing services they provide. It’s through Twitter that they have won over 30 awards for clients (and counting!) and why they have earned a reputation as Twitter experts and social media masterminds.

Working with business owners, corporates and agencies to set marketing goals and reach them is their passion. Whether it’s a critical friend that can cast a strategic eye over your marketing and suggest improvements, or you are looking to outsource your marketing tasks such as social media, proofreading and content marketing, Saxton help with that.

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19

A North East based business has reached their first birthday just one month after one of the directors Adam Wood, graduated from the University of Sunderland with a BA (hons) in Broadcast Journalism.The three entrepreneurs, Abbie Burgess, Adam Wood and Ethan Lowerson-Marshall met whilst studying at the University of Sunderland, and formed intoitMEDIA in a pub last summer.Having spent the last year learning how to ‘do business’ the team are looking forward to enjoying their success and developing the business further.intoitMEDIA has worked on exciting projects throughout its first year including the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival which is a Sunderland City Council initiative as well as working on the Hylton Castle Project with the heritage team.

A North-East business reaches milestone

Consider the strength of digital audio advertisingIn the last month it has been announced that 53% of us now consume radio through either mobile, smart speaker or online. Advertisers are at last realising that the high consumption of radio advertising and podcasts digitally is a genuine opportunity for a low-cost entry-level campaign which offers niche targeting yet also can reach high reach volume.

DAX (Global’s Digital Audio Exchange) can allow advertisers to regionalise their national brands like Capital, LBC and Classic FM down to town level and add layering of targeting which analyses habits and interests.

Spotify can do the same even targeting people who listen to certain genres of music. It’s all reportable in terms of delivery and the listener on DAX doesn’t even know their ad break is any different to anyone else’s.

It’s the personalisation of online advertising being applied to radio advertising and it works.

Connecting with your online audience

El Long of Liberty Communications can be contacted on [email protected]


Going into their second year, projects have included working with TyneHealth, a GP Federation located in North Tyneside strengthening the business’ brand in the wider marketplace. Expanding the portfolio, Flamee, a new business which will be launching this summer, has been a project into a new sector for the team into catering.

Adam Wood of IntoitMEDIA | www.intoitmedia.co.uk/


Who We AreThe CH Digital Hub is an exciting new initiative aimed at providing digital training solutions across many different sectors of the North East economy. The Hub is a cutting edge, bespoke training space based at Cardinal Hume Catholic School in Gateshead, created to specifically combat the shortfall in digital skills across the region and to address the demands and needs of employers. We firmly believe that our unique partnership between an outstanding education provider and innovative industry special-ists places CH Digital Hub at the forefront of developing a digitally literate workforce for the region.

CH Digital HubIntroducing our state of the art facilities offering high-tech training space

What are the benefits of using CH Digital Hub?• Outstanding facilitators from both industry and education partners• Brand new training facility

» 20 powerful HP Elite Tablet computers » Conference facilities » Two large Clevertouch Interacative LED touchscreens

• Highest quality CPD leading to industry recognised qualifications• Bespoke training packages to suit the needs of all organisations• Central location with excellent transport links

What Can CH Digital Hub Provide?• World Class educational provider• NECC Chamber Member and LEP Partner School• Offering apprenticeship training for Teacher’s Technology Apprentices • Developing and delivering bespoke master classes & training programmes

to local employers• Enabling local communities to become more digitally literate

CCS Training is an organisation dedicated to the provision of quality training.

CCS Training was formed from a direct response to requests from companies’ wishing to undertake industry based Health and Safety training.

Recently CCS Training has been re-branded to accommodate our International markets and can offer comprehensive training packages tailored to your needs. All of the staff at CCS Training are highly experienced,

qualified professionals delivering quality training in the workplace with a friendly and approachable manner.

Although the Company is based in the North East of England it has the ability to offer training both nationally and internationally.

In association with a new Awarding Body that offer qualifications developed in industry for industry.

For further details contact: Trevor Miller [email protected] or Maureen Miller [email protected]

CCS Training Ltd • Newcastle Business Village • 33 Bellingham Drive • Benton • NE12 9SZ

Tel: 0191 250 1250 | Web: www.ccstrainingengland.com

CITY & GUILDS AWARDS and ABIOSH – Awarding Body of International Occupational Safety and Health awards.

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19

Success or failure odds are 50/50 (ish)In a time when a large majority of businesses in every sector are SME’s and a fifth of those are in construction, add to this mix; consumer trends, fluctuating economic variables and uncertain markets, it is more important than ever for SME’s to be aware and pro active rather than reactive.

Contributing factors are:

• Lack of start up capital• Poor inexperienced management• Lack of market awareness • Pricing• Rapid growth out of pace with cash flowThe biggest reason can be directly linked to a lack of credit management. So many businesses don’t think about this, not using terms and conditions, account application forms or understanding legal entities and debt recovery protocols. Raising incorrect invoices, failing to assess for credit and putting all their eggs in one basket.

Poor credit management & credit control = poor cash flow = creditor pressure = (if not corrected) business failure.

Outsourcing Credit control brings added value, in addition to debt recovery the costs of which are returned into your business.

ICM want to help your business stay in business call us today on 0113 457 5199.

And don’t be fooled into thinking this only applies to early-stage ventures or small businesses. In their book ‘The Founder’s Mentality’, Chris Zook and James Allen proved that the ability to sustain an Entrepreneurial Mindset across a business as it grew delivered a sustainable competitive advantage, allowing those businesses to substantially out-perform companies who failed to do so.

We firmly believe that a strong collective Entrepreneurial Mindset lies at the heart of what we term Growth Capability – quite simply, the beating heart at the core of any business that anchors performance and the means to accelerate and de-risk growth.

Zook and Allen’s research also pointed out that 90% of the root causes for companies failing to achieve their growth targets were internal, and within their control. For that reason alone, companies need to understand the extent to which an Entrepreneurial Mindset is present across their business.

How prevalent is it in your business? How do you know?

Article by: Chris Graham

So, what is this entrepreneurial mindset? It’s a way of thinking that motivates people to view their career as their ‘business’ and provides the stimulus to apply their unique talents to impact both company and personal growth.

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Looking for that elusive silver bullet to Improve your business?

All this negative information can affect your behaviour and short term business planning.

In most cases, we will just stick to what we’re already doing, which means that our businesses end up following the general market trends. The implications of being market led are that your business will be at the mercy of the market trends and will be particularly vulnerable if/when the market falls.

How to take up the reins of your business and drive it in the direction you want to go;

1. Set a clear plan of what you want your business to do for you! Not just “I want to grow the business to sell it one day,” but be specific and put a number on it, set a time scale and understand what adds value.

2. Do your market research, determine demographic trends or what industry sectors your current customers operate in? What’s the future looking like for those markets? Which sectors are doing well and have future opportunities? Determine who the prospects and key companies are in these markets. Set a plan to engage with these opportunities.

3. Review your current product and service mix, by volumes, by gross margin, by customer, by sector. What are your sales trends internally versus what are the trends

externally? Do all your customer know what you sell? A good tip is to harvest your existing client base and focus on selling more of the things that make you the higher margins.

4. What’s your competition doing? Where are they strong? Where are they weak? What can you learn from them? They may have a great website, or always in the press supporting social enterprises. Ultimately, you want to understand clearly the threats but also the key opportunities for your business.

5. What are your current resources and capabilities? Do you have the right structure, systems, processes and people to deliver your plans? How well is your business and brand known? What’s your reputation? Where do you need to improve? Where are you vulnerable?

6. Share your plans with your employees, work together to agree the necessary short and medium term actions. Decide who takes responsibility for what, support each other and agree follow up timescales.

Then it is a matter of focusing on and supporting your team. So take the reins and lead your people and company in the direction you want it to go. This will be tough at times but keep your focus on the overall objective and keep the momentum going.

Want to learn more - [email protected]

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19

How’s your bounce back-ability these days? 5 ways to improve your mental resilience...It’s the skill every employer wants but most hardly ever talk about: the ability to bounce back in the face of constant challenges. It’s time we talked about mindset and mental resilience.

1. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is a bit of a buzzword these days and if you’re a big, tough executive you’re probably thinking it’s a bit airy fairy.

But there’s a lot more to mindfulness than deep breathing and meditation.

Done right, mindfulness is a rigorous and continuous mental re-evaluation of your circumstances in any given moment. Mindfulness is all about focusing on the here and now, being fully present in the moment. Constantly pulling yourself back from distractions to focus on your immediate goal not only improves your mental self-discipline, it also helps you get things done.

2. Set boundaries. We all know how important it is to set clear boundaries between the personal and the professional, between work-time and me-time. Study after study shows that rested employees are happier and more productive employees.

But it is possible to take this approach a step further. One of my clients insists upon theming her days and blocking her calendar to give clarity and purpose to her day. She has set days for client work, set days for marketing, set days for business development and even set days for sanity checks! Within those days, she blocks time for emails, for calls, for meetings, for networking events. By refusing to switch contexts, she feels more in control of her business and stays focused on her immediate goals - which ultimately helps her get more done.

Setting time for your gym routine, family time, self-development is also required and can be booked in!

Time is the most valuable resource any of us have and it’s important to set boundaries and guard it, in the same way that you’d protect a meeting with a new prospect or a customer. It may not be possible for you to theme your days in the corporate world but you can certainly have set times for emails and meetings (preferably in time with your natural energy peaks and troughs).

3. Stop and take a break. This is such an obvious, common sense thing to say but it’s true - taking breaks and getting your mind off work can improve your mental resilience and your

productivity when you go back to work. Lean out! Do something completely different and put your work in its proper context:

It’s work.

It isn’t your life.

My calendar blocking client does this, too. If she feels herself getting distracted from her work, she gets up and does something completely different. She’s home-based, so she usually does some sort of household task - something that doesn’t involve using her brain. Washing up, the ironing, hoovering. Anything that doesn’t require mental processing! By the time she’s finished, she’s ready to go back to work.

(I have another client who takes naps. If you work from home and the kids are at school, why not? Make your own rules!)

What could you do during the day to give yourself a break? Track down the colleague you’ve been meaning to speak with? Sit outside for 10 minutes and give your partner a call? Facetime with the kids while they’re at their grandparents?

Whatever works for you!

4. Choose your responses. When we’re caught up in the heat of the moment at work, it’s easy to react to situations from an emotional place, especially when we’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed (highlighting why the breaks are crucial too!). That might mean laughing in somebody’s face when they make an honest proposal (I’ve seen it happen), or it might mean lashing out in anger when a team member isn’t performing (I’ve been on both sides of that!).

It’s always tempting to give in to our emotions (and it is harder for some people than others), but as rational adults we all have the capacity to step back, take a breath, and choose how we respond to situations instead of simply reacting.

So whenever you feel yourself losing your temper (or fighting the urge to laugh):

Stop.

Take a deep breath.

Ask yourself how you’re feeling.

And then choose how you’re going to respond.

Give yourself the mental space to make that choice, and you’ll feel more in control of the situation, which in turn allows you to think clearly about the way forward. You can then clearly communicate the direction of travel to your team and colleagues - a major bonus!

5. Be authentic (with yourself as well as others). This is really important when we’re trying to build supportive, respectful, productive and above all happy teams. People can sense inauthentic behaviours in their leaders and they usually reciprocate, causing the relationship between team and leader to break down.

Article by Cheryl Lee


Rolls-Royce Leisure Association, Moor Lane, Derby, DE24 9HY

Weddings | Ceremonies | Receptions

Conference Rooms | Team Building | Banqueting

Fitness Centre | Exercise Classes | Sports Hall

Outdoor Pitches | Football | Cricket | Bowls

Events | Entertainment | Live Music

Rolls-Royce Giftware | Dry Cleaning

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner Menu’s

www.rrleisure.co.uk

[email protected] | 01332 248027

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19

What Kind Of Impostor Are You?

In our work with business owners or those struggling in their career there are common themes: • they are good at what they do; • they self-sabotage.We hear:“I can’t sell myself at pitches. I just do what I do because I love it!”“I’ve been lucky. I’m stuck. I can’t progress. Others are more experienced than me.”They can’t accept their success!So where do you sit?1. The expert - believes they’re lacking in the knowledge necessary to be successful. They have to keep learning.2. The soloist - avoid asking for help. Shows weakness to ask. Must do everything themselves. 3. The genius - believes that anything that requires hard work is something you don’t do well. An expert should be able to handle anything quickly and easily.4. The perfectionist - is never happy. Sets impossibly high standards and confirms lack of expertise by failing to attain them. If high standards are attained, it could have been better!5. The superhero – constantly compares to others. Attempts to prove worth by outdoing everyone. The one that comes in early and stays late, skips breaks and works unnecessary weekends.Identify? Chances are you’re exceptional, conscientious and care. Perhaps you just need to understand what’s going on for you. Beverly Sherratt, LaunchPad HR, Tel: 0191 3037 775 | www.launchpadhr.co.ukSpeaking at Teesside Expo on 3 October 2019, Wynyard Hall.

When it comes to building relationships, growing your network and winning new clients, most people agree that trust is the key thing that you should focus on.

But what is trust? Its often seen as something intangible that feels hard to grasp and define. While many people have heard the expression “people buy from people they know, like and trust”, it is sometimes easy to see beyond the know and like, while the focus on trust remains. Think how hard it would be to do any business with an individual or an organisation you simply didn’t trust.

An effective way to build trust is to focus on the other person and their specific needs. Let’s say they are a potential client, focus on the best outcomes for them, see the world through their eyes and do the things that they want not the things that are easiest for you. Its very easy to miss the simple things you can do to add trust in every interaction.

If you want to find out more about building trust then download a free resource on trust here: https://newresults.co.uk/resources/trust/

What’s trust got to do with it?


Did your competitor bring out a product yesterday and you’ve been asked to come up with a plan by tomorrow?

What if you’d spotted the growing need four years ago, planned the next generation product three years ago, started it two years ago and allowed for some delays, which all meant that you were still ready in time to launch at that November trade show?

What if it was your next new product development (NPD) that had the competitors scrambling, instead of being the one on the back foot? What would first mover advantage be worth to you? How much calmer and in control would your days be knowing that you were the one writing your own destiny? How much time would your staff save not having to react to the activities of others? I’m too busy mopping up to turn off the tap!

Whilst there are almost always opportunities to realise greater efficiencies in the running of projects, in the cases listed below, the complaints of slow development projects are a symptom of gaps in other areas of the business, rather than the fault of the development team.

A lack of forward planning, a lack of a product roadmap, leads to organisations reacting to events, rather than planning or (even better) being the disruptor in their industry. In these cases, the development team just happens to be the last group in a long chain of accumulated missed opportunities.

The top 3 triggers putting you at risk of falling into reactive development mode are:

1. Operations Focus - To be operationally efficient is good. When a business sets efficiency savings as the primary driver for profit, the danger for NPD is that the technical functions become seconded to support Operations and Quality at the expense of longer term, less urgent developments. Warning signs might be comments from senior managers such as “It’s production that pays your wages” without a balancing reference to the wider business context. Other signals may be R&D groups being used to batch test for Operations or being used as an extension to Quality to analyse customer returns.

2. Tactical Focus - When the Marketing function within the business is directed to develop short term, tactical opportunities to increase sales for the quarter; effectively becoming an extension of the Sales function. Another sign of this is development groups working on a high proportion of minor customisations and face-lifts.

3. Hobby Projects - When a business does not have clear ambition for where it wants to be, the next shiny ball, the next customer meeting, the next conference is seized upon as the future. In this organisation priorities might change with such frequency that projects cannot be finished, or else the skills required to pursue a diversity of new directions are simply not present.

While there are almost always some efficiencies to be found in project execution, some knowledge and skills that could be improved, if an organisation wishes to move from fast follower to disruptor, the greater benefit is to view product development as a pipeline and start planning over a range of time horizons.

Article by: Damien Cook


By what measure?

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19



North East England Chamber of Commerce

America Trade Mission

The North East England Chamber of Commerce is a powerhouse of influence, connections and member services and due to its success over the past year, has now been shortlisted for Chamber of the Year.

Winner of this national accolade will be announced in London on 28 November.

Closer to home, the Chamber supports its 3,000 members to grow their businesses with over 140 networking events, knowledge workshops, HR and legal services and powerful campaigns.

Ashley Carney, Chamber events executive, organises the Chamber Showcase at the North East Expo. She said:

“Opportunities like the Expo are fantastic for our members as they get a chance to showcase their products and services at one of the largest business to business events in the region. It is a perfect opportunity for us to support them by linking them with other members, providing interesting seminars and promoting everything they offer to the thousands of visitors.

“At the Chamber we work hard to ensure our members get the very best service possible, at the Expo, we always have a great team presence, so it’s a perfect chance for members to meet everyone face to face.”

On behalf of its members the Chamber has a number of campaigns to ensure the North East gets the funding it needs to exploit its strengths. Under the Stronger North East banner, it is pushing for greater clarity on Brexit, so businesses can plan what they need to do to prepare to leave the EU.

It is also campaigning for more investment in the region’s rail network with Fast Track North East, highlighting how improved, reliable connectivity could help businesses.

The Chamber Showcase is located on the top floor of the NE Expo and is holding a number of seminars by leading speakers on subjects including, Mac Eddy – The Customer Experience Masterclass – How to make your customer experience world class and increase your revenue, Ben Drury – Too Busy? How?, Cheryl and Donna, Now is your Time – Mindset Masterclass – Change your mindset, change your life

The Chamber membership team will be hosting our own stand on the Chamber Showcase on the second floor and there will also be hospitality for Chamber members in the Power Up refreshment zone.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Chamber are arranging a Northern Powerhouse trade mission for established and experienced exporters or high-growth businesses in the life sciences and healthcare sectors to Washington and Atlanta.

This is a unique opportunity for companies to explore and develop trade and collaboration opportunities in the USA, a major partner for trade and investment.

The mission will visit two key centres for life sciences and healthcare, Washington and Atlanta. More information on what makes both destinations compelling destinations for UK companies interested in developing the US market is below.

Julie Underwood, Chamber international trade director said: “Our aim for the mission is to showcase the best that the Northern Powerhouse has to offer in the life sciences and healthcare sectors.

To be suitable for the trade mission, companies should be actively selling products or services in the healthcare and life sciences sectors and based in the Northern Powerhouse region (North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber) and meet the specific criteria including having a minimum annual turnover of £5m.

The visit programme will be flexible to allow delegates some time to pursue their own programme of 1:1 appointments and attend events that may be of particular interest to them.

The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday, 29th November or when all 15 places on the mission are filled, whichever is sooner.

Julie Underwood explained why the trade mission was going to that part of the US. “The Washington area has a thriving BioHealth and Life Science Industry. There are over 800 Biotech companies, 2,500 Life Science Firms, 70 federal labs and a 700% increase in Venture Capital funding in the last year.

“Amazon chose Arlington, Virginia as site for its second HQ, and the region is home to 15 Fortune 500 companies including Danaher, Leidos, and Discovery. Why, because it’s also more affordable – Rent for life science companies averaged $24.35 per sq. ft. in comparison to $47.39 in San Francisco and $49.61 in Boston.”

“In regard to Atlanta, it is considered the economic engine of the Southeast US, the state of Georgia has a GDP equivalent to Sweden and a bilateral trading relationship with the UK worth some $5.2 billion. At its heart sits Atlanta, a vibrant metropolis of increasing national importance: economically, socially and culturally and is synonymous with its home-grown global brands such as Coca-Cola Company, UPS Inc, Delta Airlines and CNN.

Its strategic location on the east coast – bolstered by the Port of Savannah – means that 80% of the USA market can be reached in a two-hour flight – or less; or 80% of the market by land in just two days.”

For further information is available from - [email protected] or +44 (0)345 136 0169

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19


Anniversary DinnerThursday 5th December

from 7pm

TICKETS £49.50 (plus any booking fee) on Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/Oasis35th

Hosted by TV’s Reverend Kate Bottley With football legend Malcolm “Supermac” Macdonald

Three course meal and coffee Hilton Gateshead Newcastle

83369 OASIS COMMUNITY HOUSING - 35TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER LEAFLET.pdf 1 17/10/2019 14:48

One of the highest stones from Durham Cathedral’s Central Tower has a new home at Learning Curve Group (LCG) in Durham Gate, Spennymoor after it helped to raise funds for the ongoing programme of restoration at the Cathedral.

At the 2018 NEE Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner an auction was held to win the 150-year-old stone which had formerly been in place at the top of the Cathedral’s Central Tower before it was removed and replaced. LCG were successful at auction with a £6,500 bid. This amount formed part of £75k raised that year, a figure which was doubled at the Dinner this year.

Matthew Kirk, Durham Cathedral relationship and development manager said: “We were thrilled when LCG won this fabulous stone at last year’s Chamber annual dinner auction at the Cathedral. For the past three years we’ve been removing and replacing a number of stones from

the Cathedral’s tower and this stone was one of the finest we removed. We are glad to know this stone, which has stood guard over Durham for over 150 years, will have a new life welcoming people to the LCG building.

Neil Whittaker, LCG said: “As a business that has been based in Durham since its inception, it’s an honour to have such a remarkable piece of history standing proudly at our head office. We hope that all our 430+ members of staff are proud of its origin and our visitors enjoy admiring such a brilliant piece of local history.”

Learning Curve Group has been transforming lives through learning for 15 years. Established in 2004, 2019 brought with its 15th birthday, a head office relocation to a purpose-built space where it was able to reunite some of its supporting satellite sites, the accolade as one of the Sunday Times’ Best Companies to Work for and the launch of brand new provision across the North East.

The Lord Crewe Arms, part of The Calcot Collection, is pleased to announce the appointment of Emma Broom as the hotel’s new Head Chef. The Lord Crewe Arms, tucked away in the honey stone village of Blanchland, Northumberland, is home to The Bishop’s Dining Room, celebrating seasonal ingredients plucked from the local countryside and The Crypt, a medieval vaulted a medieval vaulted pub, with its very own Lord Crewe Brew on tap.

Prior to joining the Lord Crewe Arms, Emma worked at Terry Laybourne’s 21 Newcastle as the Senior Sous Chef for two years, and her impressive career includes positions as the Head Chef at several of the country’s top hotels and restaurants, including the Macdonald Hotel in Windsor, Idle Rocks in St Mawes, St Michael’s Hotel in Falmouth, alongside Luscombes Restaurant near Henley-on-Thames.

Emma is passionate about being a produce-driven chef, celebrating and showcasing the best regional and seasonal foods, including ingredients grown in the beautiful grounds of the Lord Crewe Arms.

Since joining the team, she has already put her own stamp on the menus, changing up to three dishes per week according to seasonal variations and the abundance of fresh,

local ingredients, whilst honouring the classic favourites with the locals.

Emma said, “I’m delighted to have joined the Lord Crewe Arms to lead such a strong team of chefs, producing dishes that embody the best of British flavours and produce. I’m already enjoying experimenting in the kitchen and plan to use as much produce that can be grown right on our doorstep in these wonderful grounds as possible.”

Emma also has exciting ideas for developing the food events at the Lord Crewe Arms, including offering workshops in the foodie haven that is The Gatehouse, a private room equipped with open kitchen. The space is perfect for hosting events such as classes on making sourdough, chocolate, macaroons and pastry, garden produce, and regional chef evenings.


Durham Cathedral’s Central Tower has a new home at Learning Curve Group (LCG)

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NE Youth, is a Tyneside-based a charity which specialises in support for young people to become more involved in their communities, improve their employability skills and well-being.

It is run by Medomsley resident Jon Niblo who started his career playing professional football for Halifax Town and now ensures other young people get the same chance to achieve their potential, no matter what their background.

Jon Niblo said: “I’ve been involved in youth work for about 25 years, since I was a teenager, so I know how powerful it can be as a force for change.”

He has Degree in Youth and Community Work at Durham University. Following those qualifications he worked for Stockton, Gateshead and Durham County Councils. He was Senior Manager for the Youth Service by the end of time at Durham, specialising in access and inclusion, supporting young carers and young people with disabilities.

He said: “I found this time so rewarding but knew I wanted to be free to deliver services that I believed could be even more impactful, directly in the charity sector. When I joined NE Youth (Formally Northumberland Boys Clubs) we had just two employees and no profile at all. Now we have a team of 10 and 15 seasonal youth workers with long-standing members of staff who have been with us for a number of years.

“Working with our directors we developed a long-term strategic plan and changed from being an organisation that was an affiliation network for boys clubs and junior football teams into something much more pro-active, engaging and inclusive.

NE Youth is also supporting the development of the provision at Auckland Youth and Community Centre in Bishop Auckland.

The substantial growth in the organisation in the last five years is now being built on as Jon Niblo has more ambitious plans. As part of this approach he has recently appointed Steven Irvine-Duffy as business development manager.

Steven will be helping the NE Youth to work collaboratively with the business community, encouraging pro-bono work, CSR relationships and corporate fundraising at various Youth North East events. One of the largest of these is a Burns Night Ball at the Grand Hotel, Gosforth in January.

More information on its various events is on www.neyouth.org.uk/shop/

An apprenticeship programme developed in partnership with Brewin Dolphin and Gateshead College to attract new talent into the financial services sector has proved so successful it’s now started recruiting for its seventh cohort of students.

The wealth management company teamed up with the college back in 2017 to invest in apprenticeships for the first time, hiring three business administration trainees to work in its business support division.

Since then Brewin Dolphin has taken on apprentices at regular intervals – 24 in total – with ten landing permanent jobs at the firm and a further 13 currently working through their two-year apprenticeship.

Robert Irving, Head of Business Support Newcastle at Brewin Dolphin Newcastle, says: “We want to cement our strong position in the marketplace by being proactive and working out what skills we need, both now and in a few years’ time. That’s why we’re working with a trusted partner in Gateshead College, to identify any potential skills gaps before they appear and put in place a succession plan for the future.

The apprentices undergo on-the-job training within various departments of Brewin Dolphin’s Newcastle-based business support function, where they gain an overall understanding of the business and develop specific competencies in finance operations, IT, administration and the financial services regulatory environment. They also benefit from a mentoring scheme, where experienced Brewin Dolphin employees assist them through their apprenticeship programme.

Gateshead College has more than six decades’ experience of delivering high-quality apprenticeship programmes with large companies and SMEs. The college is leading the way in education and skills by providing industry with the skilled workforces it needs now and in the future.

Working as a trusted training partner with businesses large and small in any sector, the college deliver high quality workforce training. They work closely with organisations to understand their business challenges, training needs and ambitions for the future, designing training solutions that are tailored to their needs and deliver results.

Talk to us about how we could help your business on 0191 490 2258 or visit gateshead.ac.uk

NE Youth - Tyneside based Charity

Apprenticeships help Brewin Dolphin swim in the fast lane


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Instagram, marketing platform or a place to hang out!When I say the word Instagram most people envision 20 somethings on beaches looking amazing with a drink in hand living their best lives. Now don’t get me wrong, Instagram is flooded with these gorgeous people but don’t let that distract you from the fact that it’s also one of the fastest growing social media platforms for business.

There are currently over 1 billion active users. I recently got asked by a 50 something man with an interest in photography if Instagram was the place to promote his business, in short HELL YES! Instagram can work for everyone!

No matter what your business or niche, Instagram is the perfect place to reach out to your potential clients and Instagram are doing more and more to make this process as easy as possible. So what’s the secret to making sales? Well it’s an amalgamation of things.

First and foremost, the content you share with your audience needs to be solving their problem, whether this be giving them advice on a product or service or sharing out a review of something they will find useful. Content is key!

After curating incredible content you then need to focus on making sure that it’s seen by as many people as possible and that’s where hashtags come into play!

To keep it simple think of each hashtag as a search word. You can use 30 hashtags which means you have 30 opportunities to be found by users.

Without doubt the most important thing to focus on when using Instagram for business is building relationships. Providing followers with amazing content, value and a behind the scenes look at what goes on in your business

are crucial steps in making sales. People prefer to buy from real people…what is going to make you stand out in a crowded social media platform when there are hundreds and thousands of people selling the same product or service? YOU!

Show your personality authentically. Tell the story of your business through your images and take your followers on a journey behind the scenes.

Estelle Keeber is the author of Amazon #1 best seller The MIBA Guide to Growing your Instagram and leading expert in the Instagram field. To find out more email Estelle on - [email protected].


Falcon Direct Ltd is a reputable courier company that provides unmatched nationwide delivery services. Based in Burton-on-Trent, our dedicated drivers travel across the UK to make same-day and next-day deliveries. Recognised in the profession for more than 30 years, we speciawe specialise in transporting important materials from A to B. With competitive prices and no middle man involved, you can rely on our workforce to safely take your company’s belongings to where they need to be.

ABOUT USSAME-DAY DELIVERIES

NEXT-DAY DELIVERIES

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Not only is the scheme a cost-effective way to hire graduate talent, the support in finding the right graduate is excellent.

Paul Dunn, Quality ManagerRokshaw Ltd

A GRADUATE INTERN WILL ADD VALUE TO YOUR BUSINESSJoin the hundreds of North East SME’s who have accessed funding and support to grow their team, bringing fresh ideas and talent into their business. Recruit a graduate intern on a 12-month contract and receive £3,375 towards their salary.

[email protected] 515 3045sunderland.ac.uk/recruit-talent

‘‘ ‘‘

Internship ad 105x148.5mm Aug19.indd 1 28/08/2019 09:46

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Why is engagement more important than followers? When it comes to social media everyone is always focused on how many followers they have, they want to log in to their account and be greeted by a large number and therefore if you acquire thousands of followers you’re instantly deemed successful. However, if your followers aren’t engaging with your posts, they become irrelevant as none of them are showing any interest in your content.

That’s why it’s important to stop obsessing about your followers and start focussing on increasing your comments, shares, likes and clicks. As these factors show that your followers are investing in your brand. They want to talk to you, promote you and invest in your products or services.

So no matter if you have 50 or 5-million followers make sure you are posting relevant content. Ask questions in your posts, share helpful tips and info and most importantly be consistent and honest. As by doing all of these things, you’ll slowly increase your engagement rate.

To work out your engagement rate, add up the total number of interactions you’ve had on a platform (say over the last month). Then divide the total by your followers, next multiply that number by 100! Anything between 1-3% means you’re doing all the right things - By Jane Moscardini

www.listenandlike.com


TEL: 07900 951 292 | [email protected] #leadtheheard

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19


The beating heart of your business!If the consciousness of your business is a driving force to succeed, then your brand should be its beating heart; it should have life, passion, and longevity behind it. That’s where brand identity plays a vital role. Brand identity is a journey that goes beyond simply producing a recognizable logo. It is the life force of your business and, without a successful brand identity strategy, you are undermining your efforts to beat the competition.

As photographers and videographers, brand is where we live: we create the professional assets that bring brand identity to life. Our photos and videos act as building blocks, helping to construct a long-lasting and inspiring reputation. Businesses who build on their brand in this way not only send an important message of professionalism out to the world, they also share the human element behind the business: the journey of their brand and the passion behind it.

Businesses can take advantage of our creative photography and compelling videos that tell their story in a memorable, accessible way: a key step in building a brand identity that stands out from the competition.

Article by: Chris Thompson

An easy to understand strategy that is communicated and bought into by a workforce or group of people is a powerful tool. It’s no coincidence, that all successful companies have a strategy. Those with a strategy will be more internally aligned, externally better informed and work with a collective sense of purpose. Those with purpose stand a better chance of surviving change and challenge.

Many business owners shy away from strategy, therefore they and their workforce come to ‘work’ and the business owner operates under the terms of ‘faith’. Faith that the company is doing the right thing in the market for the right audience – usually known as the ‘scatter-gun’ approach. It is possible to operate like this and make a profit but its like operating under a dim light and not knowing what’s in front of you.

So, how does your business operate, on faith or strategy?

One of our specialities is helping businesses formulate a strategy for its sales function, if you need help building a sales strategy, please get in touch.

Website – www.reflexivecoaching.co.uk

Article by: Sean Folkard

“Faith is not a strategy”



How having well-briefed, quality exhibition staff can help your business.

Having hardworking, personable and well-presented people on the frontline can be of prime importance to your business and how it prospers. Whether it be from automotive exhibitions to beauty shows, reliable and articulate staff can build lasting relationships with the consumer. Having well-briefed, quality staff is essential.

Proactive and well-groomed communicators are key to creating lasting experiences with the consumer, in a positive and reinforcing environment.

Well-briefed staff are crucial to creating a positive brand image, and they must work effectively as part of a team to do this.

The benefits can be seen further down the line.

This is a real investment in money, time and people. By creating a feel-good factor, and constructing a strong brand image, you can raise your brand profile, increase your market share long-term, reinforce your consumer base and serve to increase profits.

Fern Snailham, Founder of Uneek Staffing a promotional, exhibition & event staffing agency, providing the best talent for all sectors UK wide.

Fern Snailham | Uneek Staffing | 0191 6911332 | [email protected]

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Top 5 website mistakes – how many are you making?

There are some mistakes I see time and again on websites I visit and making these could be costing your business leads.1. Out of date informationIncorrect contact details, broken links and outdated images are some of the easiest to spot errors on a website.2. Page speedA little technical but if your website is taking ages to load people will give up. You can test your sites speed by visiting: https://gtmetrix.com/ and you will also get some pointers on how to improve it.3. Too much textOr too many pages! Google prefers around 400 words per page and if you break these up with formatting and images you should be along the right lines4. You don’t have call to actionYou need to make it easy for visitors! Make sure your call to action is big and bold so that it jumps out of the page. 5. Your website isn’t mobile friendlyWith most people visiting via a mobile device your site needs to display well on small screens. You can check your website on different screen resolutions by visiting: http://whatismyscreenresolution.net/multi-screen-te



Do you know your ROAS?

Does your PPC agency report your ROAS? Many of us will be familiar with CPC, CTR, CPA and the number of bamboozling terms thrown around the world of PPC. But for us, there’s only one measure of success that really matters.

ROAS is Return On Advertising Spend. In Google Ads world it’s quite simply - the ratio of how much you’ve sold online compared to how much money you’ve spent on Google Ads. For example, a ROAS of 2:1 means that you’ve made £2 for every £1 you’ve spent on your ads. Simple.

Some agencies seem to deliberately mystify Google Ads and deciphering some reports can feel like more effort than it’s worth. At Be Found Be Chosen, our goal is simply to make you more money online. We focus on delivering a high ROAS, with some of our clients achieving ROAS of 19:1.

If you could make back 19x the amount you spend online, would you?

Get in touch to see how we can help transform your online presence and make you more money online. Just Google “increase my ROAS”.

Jeff Lyall – Be Found Be Chosen

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19


Digitalab win big at the societies of photographers convention 2019Digitalab brought home an incredibly impressive FOUR industry awards at this year’s Trade Awards, held by the prestigious Societies of Photographers in Hammersmith, London. Digitalab, a family run professional photo lab based in the North East of England scooped Best Professional Lab, Best Professional Frame, Best Professional Product and Best Professional Customer Service.The trade awards represent the pinnacle achievement within the UK photographic industry and form the centrepiece for the Societies of Photographers Convention, a yearly ‘feast of education’ spanning four days of power-packed training programmes for photographers, along with a comprehensive three-day Trade Show.Jill Roe, owner and granddaughter of company founder, Bob Fountain, said “Winning these four prestigious awards at the societies convention is both overwhelming and humbling. I am so proud of the team who have worked so hard, producing amazing quality prints and frames and giving our clients exceptional customer service.”These awards reflect the focus and dedication Digitalab have directed toward increasing their reach within the industry. Through proactive and targeted marketing campaigns, workshops, roadshows and large-scale exhibitions, Digitalab have spoken directly to photographers of all levels.An unprecedented year of growth has seen the company work with more photographers than ever before, whether it be prints and wall art for studio-based photographers or

large-scale exhibitions in some of Britain’s most prestigious venues, it certainly hasn’t been a quiet year at the lab.With the company celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2019, the four awards have certainly provided the perfect way in which to kick off a huge year for the lab.Business Development Manager, Alex Ingram, summarised what the awards mean for the company by saying, “We are all incredibly proud to be recognised as the Best Professional Lab in the country this year, especially as the awards are all voted for by the people who matter the most – our customers! Not only do the Lab, Frame and Product awards recognise the quality of work we are producing but the fact that we also won the Best Customer Service award means that we are making it as easy and stress-free for our photographers to order and receive these amazing products. Most of our clients are self-employed sole traders with huge demands on their time. We are committed to providing support and guidance to our customers wherever possible – becoming more of a lab partner for their business rather than simply somewhere they send their images to be printed.”The success at the Societies Convention is only the start of a busy year for the team however. Several new product launches are coming within the first quarter of 2019 and the lab will be introducing Fujifilm’s new Maxima HD paper into their range. There are a number of Workshops and Roadshows planed, both at the lab and around the UK as well as hosting the second of their ‘Residency of the North’ events in July, all ensuring that Digitalab’s 70th year will be its busiest and most successful 12 months yet.


tel: 01325 529829 email: [email protected] web: www.darlingtoncreditunion.co.uk

How well do you knowyour employees?Research shows that poor financial well-being can affect physical, mental and social wellbeing, which can result in poorer job performance, poor short-term decision making, a reduced ability to concentrate, absenteeism, mistakes, accidents, and lower productivity.

A series of recent studies reveal that financial stress is the number 1 concern for UK workers, ahead of concerns such as health and work/life balance and that money worries were the biggest source of stress to UK employees.

In half of UK businesses surveyed by AXA, employees spend time during their work day sorting out their finances and dealing with money problems

1 in 5 have taken time off due to financial problems and lose sleep over worrying about finances

Lost productivity from financial stress impacts the bottom

line by 4%

Nearly half of UK employees (46%) worry about their finances while 2 in 10 said that worrying about finances affects their work

89% of employers agree that financial concerns have an impact on employees’ workplace performance

Absenteeism and presenteeism (people coming to work ill) from financial distress cost businesses approx. 4 % of payroll costs per year.

Financial stress costs the UK economy £121 billion and

17.5 million working hours lost to financial stress

In our Annual Satisfaction Survey, 96.2% of employees saving via payroll deduction were satisfied/very satisfied with their account and services provided.

92.4% believed that DCU’s payroll deduction scheme was an excellent addition to their employees benefit package

Darlington Credit Union’s payroll deduction scheme helps reduce the effects of financial stress in the workplace by offering employees direct access to our savings and loans.

Sources: Neyber, 2016; Barclays, 2014; CIPD, 2017; FCA, 2017; AXA, 200

ZZZ

67485 DCU Know employees.indd 1 16/09/2019 10:42

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For over 65 years the Percy Hedley Foundation has been giving care, education and support to thousands of disabled people across the North East. Through our two specialist schools, our further education college, our children’s and adult’s residential facilities and adult day facilities we help over a thousand disabled people every year.

Kieran is 19 and has been part of the Percy Hedley family since he started Percy Hedley School in September 2003 at the age of just 3 years.

Kieran has gone right through Percy Hedley School, into Percy Hedley sixth form and is now attending Percy Hedley College.

Kieran has cerebral palsy which affects him globally. Since joining us Kieran and his family have had a close relationship with The Foundation to support him and ensure he always has the best opportunities available.

In October 2017 Kieran got his first Voice Output Communication Aid and staff worked closely with him to support him to have a ‘voice’ for the very first time. This has been life changing for Kieran and his entire family.

Last year, this inspirational young man, with the help of his family took part in the Great North Run for the very first time, with the help of his mum Nicola who pushed him the whole way.

“When Kieran said he wanted to take part in the Great North Run for Percy Hedley what could I say? Let’s do it!!!!” Nicola, Kieran’s mum.

This year, Kieran and his mum will be joined by Kieran’s dad Keith who just could not be left out this year.

“After witnessing Kieran’s amazing sense of achievement and sheer delight last year, I just had to be part of it in 2019. To take on this amazing challenge to raise funds for the Percy Hedley Foundation that has been such a huge part of Kieran’s life is just wonderful”. Kieran’s dad Keith.

Also Part of Team Vose, joining Kieran, Nicola and Keith Vose are their friends Christine, Jim, Nicola, Suzy, Marissa and two of the staff from Percy Hedley that work with Kieran, Jenny Wilkin and Jane Wright, making this a huge effort to raise funds!!!

Article by: Maria Hallett

65 years old and still growing!



Anxiety can be a debilitating thing. You get no sleep. The sound of your alarm triggers a panic attack. What do you do? Force yourself into work and try to limit the crying and heavy breathing to your scheduled half an hour break? Decide not to go and call in sick? Quit and give up all together? Well let me tell you, I tried all three.

Eventually, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and come up with a solution. I decided to start my own business. By working on my own terms, I gave myself the flexibility to have ‘mental health days’ where I recharged and nurtured myself and gave myself the opportunity to have a limitless potential. I didn’t have to prove to anyone that I had the potential to succeed. I believed in myself, and that was enough.

I had always been a bit of a wheeler-dealer. When I was 16, fed up with not being able to find a job that would fit around my college studies, I started making and selling things. I sewed bunting. I had never sewn anything before so it was trial and error. I figured out what worked (anything with kids names on) and what didn’t (everything else!) I loved having the ability to make the business as successful as I wanted. When a shop approached me wanting to stock my products, 16 year old overwhelmed me couldn’t cope with the demand, panicked (here’s the anxiety rearing its head) and threw in the towel, acting like the whole business had never happened.

Over the following years I struggled at work. I loved to be busy and to be achieving but I felt limited by people’s beliefs in me and the restraints of each role I was in. I got told once (by a careers advisor none the less), that I shouldn’t bother going to university because I “wouldn’t cope”. I spent those next few years trying to prove her wrong, motivated by the idea of achieving more than people believed I could.

So here I am. I am 23 years old and I am self-employed. I sometimes work from my home office. I sometimes work from the park in the sun. I sometimes work short weeks because I am focusing on other things and I sometimes work none stop because I’m focused on the business. By being my own boss I have given myself the ability to do whatever I want to do without restrictions, on my own terms. I encourage myself to do some yoga every morning and eat healthy meals because I have no excuse when I’m next to my own kitchen. I encourage myself to take up new hobbies because I am not restricted to 9-5 working hours. I arrange my work so that I am able to take the same days off as my partner so that we can spend time together.

Working for myself has given me the freedom to enjoy life.

Jemmavirtualassistant.co.uk | [email protected]

Anxiety and the workplace

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19


Time, information and money(The cause of, and solution to most of your problems in business).Now the first thing that you should be thinking is what has this picture got to do with the headline and my response is would you have taken the time to read this if we used the picture of a clock; which was first considered I might add. Also, wouldn’t you like more time doing things like this?

Time

We all have the same amount of time in our working day but so few of us can honestly say that we have enough. It is how we choose to spend this that causes the issues so here are three quick tips:

1. Planning is key – set aside time for doing the right tasks at the right time and hold yourself accountable against these tasks to ensure they aren’t missed

2. Measure it – look for where time is wasted and do something about this

3. Change – when you’ve planned and failed or succeeded, learn from this to be better going forward.

Technology can help or hinder greatly here but without at least considering technology you are already falling behind.

Information

In this day and age, we have a deluge of information around both in terms of advice from our peers and via some other form such as the internet.

Choose wisely here when it comes to information and build on those successes around you but again embrace technology to summarise the wealth of information already at your disposal before going investing time and money looking at further information out there in the market.

Money

Yes, money might be the solution the previous two problems and you might have the money to invest to fix them; but do you have to?

Let’s quickly look at income and costs:

• Income – why do businesses often focus and spend more on attracting new customers rather than developing relationships with existing ones?

• Expenditure – people are often looking to cut costs but why not first focus on getting more from what you already pay out such as from your accountant. The financing of costs is also important with ‘debt’ no longer being such a ‘dirty’ word; when managed correctly.

Technology can help in so many ways but alongside a great accountant and a trusted network of contacts all of these issues can quickly be overcome.

Article by: Graeme Tennick



Is your customer feedback really driving sales for your business?Businesses have been running feedback surveys for years, but how effective have these been?

If you’ve run any kind of survey to your customers or contact list, you’ll know it’s useful to get feedback to benchmark how you’re doing, but is that where the usefulness of surveys ends?

North East based survey marketing company, ResponseSuite.com have changed the game when it comes to how businesses are using surveys and instead of simply collecting feedback, they’re powering their marketing using the results.

Where most survey responses end up in a pie chart that you throw up on a wall at meetings or drop into reports to break up all that text, what if surveys could drive your sales and marketing?

Connect Your Feedback To Sales and Marketing

By connecting your surveys to your marketing systems, you will be able to follow up with every single person in the most appropriate way.

Here’s how it works:

Next time you ask for feedback, include a question which asks what else they need help with and offer a series of tick-box choices.

In doing so, not only have you let them know about other things you can help with, but if you then connect your survey to your marketing systems you can also start a series of communications with them that offer your solution.

Take, for example one ResponseSuite.com customer, local business coach Maria.

Coach Maria Makes More Sales By Responding To Feedback

Maria helps local business women to develop their personal brand and build a business. Within that there are lots of products and services she can offer.

After a small event she hosts, Maria sends out a short (4-question) survey asking for feedback, but includes the question:

Which of these is your biggest challenge right now?

A. I’m struggling to figure out my ‘zone of genius’ (expertise)

B. I don’t have a clue how to represent myself (your personal brand)

C. I feel like I’m constantly running around, putting out fires (productivity, time management, focus and strategy)

D. I want to create my first product and can’t figure out how to do that (product creation)

Let’s say I’m a sassy woman who feels like I’m constantly running around fixing stuff so I choose option C in Maria’s survey.

The next day I get an email or a phone call from Maria to tell me she’s got a video training about simplifying my life and managing work/life balance so you can focus on the most important activities.

That’s exactly what I was looking for so I’m likely to snap Maria’s hand off (and buy the program).

On the other hand, someone else was feeling a bit grouchy at the event (there’s always one sourpuss, isn’t there?).

In the survey I rated my enjoyment at the event at a 4 our of 10.

First off, your survey should skip questions like ‘would you recommend a friend?’ and ‘What would you like more help with?’, and then if you’ve connected your survey to your marketing system have it use this low satisfaction score to trigger something to reach out and contact this person. You never know, you might be able to help them in some other way, or at least save the relationship and any negative rep you might get as a result.

You Should Respond To Every Person’s Feedback

The big lesson here is to react and respond to every person’s feedback and use that to power the next conversation with them. If they love you (which I’m sure they do), then start new conversations about how else you can work together (increasing the lifetime customer value), and if they don’t then make sure you do something about it.

Even better if you have a marketing automation system that can make this work on auto-pilot for you to some degree. If you’re using Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Infusionsoft or something like that you can deliver an amazing customer follow up which you can set up once, and have run on autopilot as much as you like.

To find out more about how to build surveys that connect to your marketing systems and to take a 14-day test drive, visit ResponseSuite.com

NE Expo 14.11.19 | SY Expo 20.11.19


Why are you advertising that job vacancy?I’m not saying you shouldn’t by the way – I’m just questioning whether advertising is the right tool for the position you’re trying to fill?

Let me explain;

It’s estimated that around 20% of the workforce are actively looking at any point in time – most of them either unemployed, or those relatively new to the world of work and looking to climb away from near the bottom rung of the career ladder.

So the question for you as employers is; what are the other 80% of the workforce doing with their eyeballs while your ad’s running and the answer is – they’re not looking at it. They’re getting on with their jobs and hopefully being well looked after and well-rewarded by their current employers.

Now someone said to me recently; “ah yes Larry, but the power of social media enables you to reach a much wider audience” and they’re right it does - a much wider audience of active job seekers.

Being active in the job market is a very time-consuming, energy-sapping, frustrating, and often demoralising experience and you have to be seriously committed to do it. Why would you do it if you didn’t have to? A job ad fired across social media to the inbox of a talented high-achiever who is relatively happy and settled in their job won’t be enough to spur them into action.

By the way – Millennials will soon make up the bulk of the today’s workforce and this is what they’ll think when they see your ‘We’re Hiring’ statement; “Yeah – And – So - What!” Tell me what’s great about working for your company first and I might think about trying to find out more before deciding whether or not to submit a formal application.

How do I know this? – Well, my nephew is an IT Manager and a Millennial and never in a million years would he dream of applying for any job without having first done some research on the company.

The other problem I see with job ads is that most of them are deadly dull!

They usually start with a text-heavy, arms-length list of duties and responsibilities, skills and experience and qualifications required and if you’re lucky there’ll be a sentence or two of benefits at the bottom of the page, by which time anyone half-decent will have already tuned out.

Would any of the major retailers ever think that publishing a list of what they sell is a good way of convincing people to shop there? Of course they wouldn’t and an internally -focused list of what you’re looking for is an equally bad basis for a job advert.

At best, it only describes what the company needs or wants, and does little or nothing to address the wants and needs of the candidate. Not a lot of wooing going on there then!

Action Points:

If you decide that advertising is the right tool for the position you’re looking to fill – ALWAYS, ALWAYS put the candidate first. What are they going to want to see and hear that’s great about working for your company that will get them revved up about the idea of working for you, before you start hitting them with boring details.

Also – today’s workforce are stimulated by images (over 80% of the World’s internet traffic is video), so try to make your ad visually appealing so that it stands out from the crowd.

If you have a marketing department – get them involved to sharpen up the kerb-appeal of your ads and if not, speak to your friendly local creative design consultancy who I’m sure will be delighted at the opportunity to help.

In summary – advertising is still an effective medium for front-line/entry level types (particularly if you leverage the power of social media) but it doesn’t work for professional people established in their careers, so before you go the time, trouble and probable disappointment of advertising that Sales Manager or Engineering Manager position etc. and not getting the response you’re looking for; ask yourself “how many people do we know are likely to be in our target talent pool and if only 20% of them are actively looking right now, are they the type of people we’d want to employ?” If not, you might need to think about using a different recruitment channel to find them.

Happy Hunting!


winter 2019 · 2019-12-10 · 0800 1422 522 [email protected] ne expo 14.11.19 | sy expo 20.11.19....

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