News Archives - Page 28 of 53

Future-Proofing Your Finances

Posted on September 19, 2019 | by root

Established in 1986, London & Capital has become one of the largest independent UK-based wealth managers that specialise in strategic and future-proof financial planning. On the back of their recent success in the 2019 Business Elite Awards, where they were named ‘Most Outstanding US Private Client Wealth Planning Team’ in the United Kingdom’, we spoke with Managing Director and Co-founder Daniel Freedman to find out how they have become the de facto leaders in this sphere.

Whilst London & Capital provide a plethora of financial services to their clients, it is in their services catered to US clients that serve to truly distinguish the firm from a wealth of competition. Today, London & Capital boasts some £3 billion of assets under management as a direct result of the strength of its experience and expertise. Supplementing this is a diligent approach to wealth management which prizes, above all else, preserving capital despite economic volatility.

To begin, Daniel offers more insight into the company’s expertise. “London & Capital provide families and individuals with three core strategic services: financial planning, investment management solutions and family office style administration and reporting. We are regulated by the FCA, and the SEC in the US. Above all else, across all of our services, we remain dedicated to pursuing investment strategies that are very capital preservation orientated.”

Beyond that, Daniel credits a ‘familial’, collaborative atmosphere with driving London & Capital’s enduring success. “The firm has never lost its family feel. All of the owners and directors work in-house, and I still work with clients on a regular basis. The office culture is based on the popular saying of ‘the clients come first’ and, as such, we are very focused on providing trusted advisory services. Honesty, integrity and hard work are the key mantras that inform the way we do business.

“Most of our clients are introduced via accountants or lawyers, and referrals from existing clients. They come to us because of our technical expertise and good reputation in the professional financial market. As our minimum account size is £500,000 all our clients can be classed as ‘high net worth individuals’.”

Daniel himself has built a career out of a honed skill for managing American assets – and clients outside of the US, forging an impressive reputation in a rather niche, yet ever indemand service.

However, as Daniel goes on to explain, the future is far from set in stone, and the near future especially holds many challenges for any business currently operating in the greater wealth management and investment landscapes. “Going forward, the key challenge for us will be to keep our clients abreast of the investment markets. We are in the tenth year of the economic cycle and the risks of a downturn are increasing with each passing year.

“Clients need to understand how risky investing may lead to a loss of capital and can have disastrous consequences. Put it this way, there are a generation of wealth managers who have not worked through a crash which can lead to a complacency when it comes understanding how to react in a downturn or when one is imminent. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that a recession is coming at some point and being cautious and managing risk in your system is becoming incredibly important.”

As such, the future of London & Capital is aligned with this goal to inform and secure their client’s wealth for, during and after this imminent economic turn – as Daniel explains in his closing comments. “At the moment we are developing more services around helping our clients plan their financial futures. This is – and will remain – an area of particular priority for the firm.”

Small Business, Big Banking Dilemmas

Posted on September 18, 2019 | by root

Anders la Cour, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Banking Circle looks at how financial institutions can better-serve SMEs.

For many start-ups, having a brilliant idea and getting the business up and running is the simple part. The issue keeping increasing numbers of new and small business owners up at night is banking.

The problem is, with the businesses varying so dramatically in almost every way, no single traditional banking solution can possibly meet the financial needs of every one of these small businesses. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

It’s not just banks finding it difficult to serve SMEs effectively. Compared with the number of retail banking providers, few FinTech or challenger bank solutions cater specifically or successfully for the needs of SMEs either. The result is that SMEs are often caught between retail and corporate banking offerings, with neither option meeting their needs.

Depending on the size, structure, ownership and history of the business, and the bank they speak to, the banking options available to SMEs vary dramatically yet rarely suit the business. Application and set up takes too long, costs can be out of reach, credit repayments are inflexible.

As a business passionate about increasing financial inclusion for SMEs, Banking Circle recently commissioned MagnaCarta Communications to carry out research into these issues. The first report looking into the findings of the research was published in June 2019 – ‘Financial Inclusion for Europe’s SMEs: Building a Circle of Trust’.

A second report – ‘Circle of Trust or out of the loop?’ – features insights gained from some of the people working right in the midst of the challenges and the solutions hitting the market today. Speaking to these experts gave Banking Circle first-hand insights and experiences, uncovering where changes are happening, where opportunities exist, and where barriers are beginning to come down to improve SME financial inclusion.

Expert Insights

Kent Vorland, CEO of SmartTrade, explained why SME financial exclusion is such a serious issue: “Smaller merchants tend to have normal people problems. By that I mean that the problem isn’t that they want money so they can go on holiday or go out for a nice dinner. They need their money so they can feed their family, complete the jobs or orders for their customers, or to purchase stock for the customer who has ordered it.”

Roger Vincent, General Manager (UK&I) & CIO of Trade Ledger added, “Above a turnover of £1m, banks will flick businesses over to corporate banking from retail, and that’s the gap where companies are massively underserved.”

Paul Townsend, non-exec director of Vitesse PSP Ltd confirmed: “There are certain client groups where a bank is perfectly acceptable and works well. Where it becomes more challenging is when the client becomes more complex, requiring FX and cross border payments, having a small balance sheet and low number of employees. This brings concerns around cost-to-serve.”

Broadening SME banking horizons

Thankfully, providers are beginning to realise the potential held by the SME banking market. Valentina Kristensen, Director of Growth and Communications at OakNorth Bank said: “SMEs are still not top of the agenda for most financial services providers, but many are waking up to the benefits. They are realising that if they get an SME on board, they will be loyal and bring multiple cross-selling opportunities.”

As our report shows, bringing about real change and better financial inclusion for SMEs requires market participants to work together and develop joint solutions, collaborating to build bridges between individual innovations already in the market.

Roger Vincent of Trade Ledger added: “We are creating a new ecosystem of financial services providers, in partnership with other providers such as Banking Circle, to establish a new era of financial services which will better service customers and SMEs in the banking space. If we betterserve the banking space through the incumbents, then the SMEs will benefit greatly as they can access the services they want.”

He also believes providers could deliver the solution now: “I can assure you, every financial institution on earth could put together a risk structure that would allow these companies to have access to that finance. And on top of that all insurance companies in the world would be happy to insure those liabilities, so the risk wouldn’t necessarily even lie with those offering that financial inclusion. All in all, there is a long line of companies that would benefit from being given that level of flexibility.”

However, as our latest report shows, the progress and potential achievements will remain limited until further collaboration, communication and joined-up thinking becomes commonplace within the financial services industry.

As with any ecosystem, it must be perfectly balanced in order to function effectively. Only with all types of providers working together in collaboration, not competition, will the banking ecosystem be able to make significant improvements in SME financial inclusion.

The footballer turned Fin Tech CEO

Posted on September 12, 2019 | by root

The Footballer Turned Fin Tech CEO

Swedish footballer Philip Haglund used time out of the game when he was injured to create an app to equip the next generation with financial super-skills. Now his company, Gimi, has been named one of the top 250 most promising FinTechs in the world. Alison Brinkworth talks to the CEO about how it came about and what lies ahead.

Philip Haglund has already embarked on a successful career as a professional footballer but it’s his FinTech start-up that is setting him the most goals.

The 32-year-old Swede juggles playing as a striker for Swedish team IK Sirius with being CEO of Gimi, the financial application he founded in 2014 that has recently become the first neo-bank in Sweden developed primarily for children.

Stockholm-based Gimi teaches children from the age of seven about the meaning of money through the popular pocket money and chores app. It already has 1.2 million users, predominantly in the Nordics, and in coming months Gimi is officially expanding into other parts of Europe.

That includes the UK, where the app already has almost 40,000 users through word of mouth alone.

Shaking up the digital banking industry further, Gimi this year launched the Gimi Card in Sweden – a special Mastercard for children aged 10 and over, which allows parents to preload money onto a card for their children to spend in stores and online.

It’s linked to the Gimi app and enables young people to dip their toe into spending and saving their own money with the safeguard of parents having some control. Over 10,000 Swedish parents have expressed an interest in the Gimi Card for their children and Haglund explains that he is preparing to roll it out to other countries soon starting with Norway and the UK. The plan is to have 3 million active users in the next three years.

The Gimi app enables young people to dip their toe into spending and saving their own money with the safeguard of parents having some control.

The first ever neo-bank for children in Sweden

The Gimi Card, currently only available in Sweden, makes Gimi the first neo-bank – a special kind of digital bank like Monzo and Atom Bank – that has been developed specifically for children. The card and app helps young people understand basic financial concepts and money management but has also successfully engaged Generation Alpha, born after 2010 and the next generation of bank users, in a way that traditional banking institutions are struggling to do.

Philip Haglund said: “Financial literacy is an important topic worldwide because although schools teach maths and medieval history, knowledge about personal finances is lacking.

“Kids are simply not being taught how to save money, or what a mortgage really means, and these and other blind spots can have devastating consequences for them later in life. Financial illiteracy is one of the biggest social issues facing today’s and tomorrow’s society and Gimi hopes to address that.”

“Fin Techs have emerged because traditional banks aren’t changing.”

“All banks need to show profitability and it’s hard to do that with the youth segment. What I am doing with Gimi is educational and the effect of what I am doing will be seen in 10 years’ time when these children have grown up.”

Gimi’s record over the past five years speaks for itself. In Sweden alone, there are already 500,000 children using the app – the equivalent of one in every five children under 16 in the Scandinavian country. Last year, CBInsights named Gimi in the Top 250 most promising Fin Techs in the world in the digital banking category and it has raised £4.2m from investors including Collector Ventures, financial expert Harald Mix, and iZettle’s General Council Oskar Arndt.

How Gimi came about

It was when Haglund was playing for football team IFK Göteborg that he suffered a serious injury to his cruciate ligament in 2014, which triggered him to come up with the business venture and put the economics skills he learned at university to use.

“I was out of action for nine to 12 months with a bad injury and when I was lying on the sofa, I felt I had lost my identity and couldn’t do what I was good at anymore,” recalls Haglund.

“So, I looked at the big trends in the market and changes in society over the next five to 10 years. I was reading about the cashless society in Sweden with phone and electronic transfers and thought back to my childhood of running in a shop to buy candy and wondered how that would work with the next generation. How are they going to learn how to handle money and understand finances?”

“I searched for solutions online and couldn’t find anything and that’s when I got the feeling that I’m the only person in the world that has this idea and if I don’t act now, someone else will come up with it.”

“I wrote down the functionalities that it ought to have to be an app and called a few Swedish banks to pitch it to them but although they liked the idea, they said no thank you. That’s when I decided to create it myself and found freelancers to do code and design it.”

Haglund’s hunch turned out to be backed up by facts. There are 70% of adults worldwide who are financially illiterate and one in four teenagers are unable to make even simple decisions on everyday spending, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 results, published by the Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics in 2019.

Haglund adds: “It’s hard to do a start-up and every day feels like I’m doing something new. I was taught a lot of theory at university but in reality, you make mistakes and learn from them.

“There are so many different challenges but finding good people to work with is the most important thing. I found a good designer and as the company grew bigger, it attracted more talent. I have great people surrounding me that I can talk to about everything, which is extremely important.

“Looking after a team of people has been the biggest challenge for me. Problems solving app functionality and features are easy compared to how you inspire people and grow your own company – that has been the biggest learning curve for me. Along the way, I read a lot of books about it and talked to more experienced chief executives to hear what they thought.”

“What I have learned is that when something you are doing feels wrong for your business, you should do something about it. It always comes down to gut feeling.”

Children can document and log their real-world earnings from pocket money and chores.

Haglund and his team succeeded in creating a virtual piggy bank where children can document and log their real-world earnings from pocket money and chores. Despite the lack of real money, Gimi data was developed with stringent security, protected with 256-bit encryption and never stored on a user’s phone, tablet or computer.

It’s all about adults using the app with children so if a child registers as a user but does not connect to a parent within seven days, their account and personal data are deleted.

The app, which is free to download and comes in 10 languages and currencies, was developed by talking to children about what they would like and understand.

As a result, Gimi includes a financial advisor chatbot along with introducing children to the ideas of overdrafts and interest rates, teaching them how, in theory, leaving money in a savings account might accrue interest.

It also provides parents with a step-by-step guide on what the recommended allowance for their child should be, and how to raise important talking points such as savings or spending wisely, like having conversations in supermarkets about which toilet paper to choose.

Haglund adds: “People have got into the habit of spending on credit so they can buy now and pay later or buying things on their parents’ cards, but that’s how many have ended up bankrupt. The consequences of financial illiteracy and parents just handing over their cards are that many 18 to 20-year-olds are not able to pay their bills.

“Gimi has so much more great potential in the coming years as a company and to help solve this social issue.”

The rise of an international business

Posted on September 9, 2019 | by root

The rise of an international business

The UK is one of the largest trading nations in the world — the fifth largest, in fact. We rely heavily on international trade as a means of supporting this status, leading to businesses of all sizes often looking into international trade as part of their next growth step. But finding success in the international market can be difficult for both SMEs and big brand businesses.

There were an estimated 340,500 UK businesses trading internationally in 2017, which only accounts for 14.3 per cent of UK businesses as whole. 236,000 are considered SME businesses, and in 2018, this figure rose 6.6 per cent — despite, or perhaps spurred on by, concerns over Brexit. There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to international trade for businesses, as there is for any business model. In this article, we’ll be highlighting the key areas businesses need to consider if they hope to make it on the international market.

Learning from history

One tried-and-true method of finding success in any venture is to consider the attempts that came beforehand. Many brands have approached the global market, to varying degrees of success:

Building a global reputation: Houghton International

Founded in 1984 by Ron and Christine Mitten, the company’s initial purpose was to supply coils to Portland Electrical Repairs in Nigeria. After just four years of steady growth, thanks to their focus on speciality work, the company was able to move to larger premises. Soon after, the company won a contract with a firm in Hong Kong, which provided a valuable foot on the ladder in terms of international growth.

The growth allowed Houghton International to move once again to its current base in Newcastle upon Tyne. By ensuring every order was fulfilled to the highest quality, the company was able to stand out and build strong relationships with its clients. The process has certainly paid off: between 1984 and 1994, Houghton International’s customer count went from one to over 400.

Houghton International’s global reputation grew steadily over the years, until it secured a lucrative business opportunity across in the Texas oil market. Then, in 2001, the company was part of the UK’s top 100 fastest growing companies as listed in the Financial Times.

Following several years of continued growth, in 2018, Houghton International was recognised as the winner of the Services category in the North East Business Awards. The company had further expanded its range of services to include a dedicated pump repairs service and testing.

Not smooth sailing over Europe: Walmart

No one could call Walmart’ global venture a failure — they have stores in Africa, Canada, China, Japan, and of course, America. But the company did rather spectacularly misjudge their attempts to break into the European market when it set up shop in Germany.

It was a great example of why reputation and brand image can only carry a business so far. Undoubtedly Walmart had a consistent process, but sticking it too rigidly meant they lost out on the German market when their American style clashed with German tastes. For example, in a country renowned for its love of efficiency, having someone else bag your groceries did not sit well with customers. Plus, while Walmart is famous for its overly-enthusiastic greeters and smiling staff, these things didn’t translate well in Germany, or in Europe in general where people are little more reserved and favour personal space.

By 2006, Walmart was left with no choice but to cut its $1 billion losses and leave the German market.

International trading success: the secret?

Looking back and comparing Houghton International’s steady success across many countries, compared to Walmart’s more hit-or-miss successes, what lessons can be learnt by other SMEs who are looking to approach the international market?

Key takeaways include:

· Reputation building: Even in a digital age, word of mouth is a powerful thing. Small contracts can still make big waves, so by ensuring your business completes every contract to the highest standard, word will soon spread among the industry of your business name.

· Consistency: Your business must deliver results consistently. Fair or not, many successes can easily be tarnished by one oversight, and clients will certainly speak of such negative experiences far louder than they would of positive experiences.

· Growing within means: Being eager to grow as a business is fine but biting off more than you can chew will only lead to mistakes, impacting your consistency. Keep your short-term goals in mind as much as your long-term goals, and don’t be put off by going at a slower pace if needs be.

· One size does not fit all: Consistency is one thing when it comes to quality, but don’t mistake that as sticking rigidly to processes and service delivery. What lands well for an Australian client may not fly for a customer in Poland! It’s important to understand the cultural nuances of your prospective clients before you try to enter that market — failure to do so simply exposes your business as lacking awareness.

The cost of planning a networking event

Posted on September 5, 2019 | by root

The cost of planning a networking event

Networking events offer numerous benefits for businesses — but is the initial outlay worth it? Whether its tradeshows or seminars, networking events give you the space and opportunity to mix with other like-minded professionals and meet potential customers. They help to build relationships and generate new business leads, while raising your company’s profile in the process.

Clearly, there are many advantages that can be gained through hosting a networking event but when every penny counts, can you justify the expense? To help you better understand just how much the event will cost you, paper coffee cups retailer Inn Supplies has broken down the cost to help you better determine your options.

Venue
Often, securing a venue is the biggest expense you’ll face when planning your event. However, you can eliminate this expense completely if you choose to host your event in your own premises. How possible this is will depend on the scale of the event you’re planning and the image you want to convey. For example, if you’re hosting a gala dinner, it’s unlikely that your office will be a suitable venue.

Often, a venue will be able to cover your other requirements, such as catering, in with the event hire cost — but what makes a reasonable hire price? For venue hire and approximately two non-alcoholic drinks per person, expect a charge of roughly £10 per person. So for a suitable venue for 50 attendees, you could expect a cost in the region of £500.

This price will vary from region to region. For example, hosting an event in London may cost considerably more, but you must also consider the increase chances of more people attending your event in the capital. Weigh up your options to find a choice that works for your budget, location and requirements.

Audio/Visual
Your audio/visual requirements will vary hugely depending on the type of event you are hosting. For a standard event, you may just need a large screen to show your presentation on, as well as microphones and speakers for your presenters to use.

However, the right audio/visual setup can make a lasting impression with attendees at your event and is particularly important for setting the scene if you have a theme in mind.

You can often avoid AV costs through your venue choice. For example, if your venue has a designated conference space, they will likely provide the screens and audio equipment you’ll need — double check this before you book the space.

Of course, if you are planning a more spectacular setup, you can expect to pay considerably more to a specialist AV company. However, according to an estimate based on the Soulful PR Sessions, AV costs weigh in at £150 on average.

When considering your AV requirements, don’t forget about WiFi — most locations will provide this either for free or for a fee. You can’t scrimp on any of your AV needs, as doing so can severely impact the quality of the event you deliver, which could ultimately impact your reputation.

Catering
Again, the cost of catering for your event will depend on the length of your event. For example, if the event lasts a couple of hours, light refreshments such as tea, coffee and biscuits should be enough for attendees. However, for day-long events, you will need to consider providing lunch — which can drive up the cost of hosting your event.

You may have agreed for your venue to provide the catering for your event, which is normally agreed on a cost-per-head basis. Depending on the size of your event, this can be costly. A way of saving cash would be to provide the catering yourself—but consider that you’ll not only have to foot the bill for the ingredients, but also cook up the dishes too.

In the run-up to the event, this can take up time you don’t necessarily have. If you do choose this option, choose lower cost ingredients and serve meals that will go further, like soup or a stew for example.

When it comes to beverages, Event Interface provides a handy breakdown of how to work out how much you’ll need:

Morning Event:
Regular Coffee = attendance x 60%
Decaf Coffee = attendance x 25%
Tea = attendance x 10%
Soda = attendance x 25%

Afternoon Event:
Regular Coffee = attendance x 40%
Decaf Coffee = attendance x 15%
Tea = attendance x 20%
Soda = attendance x 65%

Are tickets free or paid for?
To offset the above costs, you may want to charge a fee for the event. Some argue that free-to-attend events will lead to a larger total attendance, while others believe that charging for tickets will attract only those who are serious about your event, creating a more targeted pool of attendees.

You may be able to absorb the cost of hosting the event in your marketing budget. If you do choose to sell tickets for the event, remember that some online ticket services — like Eventbrite, for example — will charge a base percentage of your ticket sales, alongside a fee per ticket. While this cost is relative to the price of your tickets, it’s worth remembering as it could eat into your revenue.

When it comes to hosting a networking event, there’s a lot to consider. By setting yourself a budget and prioritising your expenditure, you can host a successful event that will allow your brand to be remembered for all of the right reasons.

The importance of being involved in industry events

Posted on September 5, 2019 | by root

The importance of being involved in industry events

With over 1.3 million business events and exhibitions taking place in the UK every year, there is likely an event being held no matter what market or niche your business fills. Exhibitions and trade shows in the UK attract over 13 million visitors every year, as well as £11 billion in spending.

But, of course, attending or even showcasing at an industry event is a short-term expenditure for your company. Any expense needs to show some sort of return. With that in mind, Wyboston Lakes, who host many industry events at their conference centre in Milton Keynes, take a look at some of the key aspects that make industry events so useful to businesses.

Benefits in effective networking

An obvious benefit of industry events is meeting potential clients face-to-face. The digital age is a wonderful thing for businesses, but it does have its drawbacks. For example, while an email might be quick and convenient, it’s undoubtedly impersonal. Plus, people are flooded with emails every single day; it’s difficult to stand out and convince the reader to give them your attention.

This is where traditional methods, like face-to-face communication, cannot be beaten by digital alternatives. In fact, one study shows that a face-to-face request is 34 times more successful than an email. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, saw 45 participants each asking 10 strangers (for a total of 450 strangers) to fill in a quick survey. All the participants were given the same script, but half were told to request via email, and the other half were told to request face-to-face.

Though the participants were initially confident that they would be at least as successful in their email requests as face-to-face, face-to-face proved 34 times more effective. The study goes on to suggest the reason for this is rooted in a failure to realise that receiving an email is often met with suspicion, especially if it is out of the blue and asking the recipient to click a link; they cannot “see” what they are being asked to do yet. Face-to-face, the person can obviously see the survey with no risk.

Even with the rise of video conferences, the physical act of face-to-face meetings offered at industry events is invaluable. There are studies which show that despite seeing someone’s face in a video conference, something is still lost in translation when it comes to reading a person’s face in this way. One study showed a brainstorming session done face-to-face, over the phone, and with video chat — the face-to-face session produced more creative ideas in the end, as well as 30% more ideas than the video chat session. As such, 87% of people surveyed by Verizon noted a preference for face-to-face meetings.

The benefit of brand awareness

There’s also the matter of brand awareness at play. Similar to face-to-face meetings, seeing a brand image on a printed advert has been proven to be far more effective than a digital counterpart. In fact, one study exposed participants to a printed advert and a digital advert, and marked the results against nine attributes:

Attention — this attribute measured a customer’s focused attention for a period of time. Digital performed better here.

Review time — this attribute measured how much time a customer spent with the advert. Print performed better here.

Engagement — this attribute measured the amount of information the customer processed and absorbed. Both print and digital tied for this attribute.

Stimulation — this attribute measured the emotional reaction to an advert. Print performed better here.

Memory Retrieval Accuracy — this attribute measured accurate recall of the advert’s source and content. Both print and digital tied here.

Memory Speed and Confidence — this attribute measured how quickly and confidently a customer recalled an advert’s source and content. Print performed better here.

Purchase and Willingness to Pay — this attribute measured both whether a customer would buy the product, and how much they would pay. Print and digital tied here.

Desirability — this attribute measured the subconscious desire for the advertised product or service. Print performed better here.

Valuation — this attribute measured the subconscious value a customer put on the advertised product or service. Print performed better here.

Consider this in the context of an industry event. Having a stand at a trade show or event with printed media available in a banner or flyers will take advantage of an increase in customer review time, emotional response, recollection of your brand, and your product or service’s desirability. In a similar way, while attending an industry event, handing out business cards or flyers for your own business will prove a much more effective method of networking and brand building.

There are so many benefits to attending an industry event, not only for boosting your own industry knowledge, but from a business-building perspective. Networking in person at such events simply provides so many valuable connection opportunities that simply cannot be gained by other means.

How are modern day companies motivating their employees

Posted on September 2, 2019 | by root

Wildly unconventional benefits and perks have surfaced over the last few years, with research estimating that increasing happiness can boost productivity by around 12 per cent, showing the benefits of focus.

It’s hard to feel motivated when you’re at work. For most people, having a job is a necessity rather than a choice, and the best that they can do is to try and choose a career that they don’t hate. To combat this, companies are introducing innovative ways to help their workforce focus.

Here, we’ve compiled some of the best company benefits as well as some of the quirkiest perks. Anyone fancy a game of golf in between meetings?

Employee Progression
Knowing that your job has an opportunity for progression is an undeniable motivation in getting you to work hard. Climbing the career ladder is associated with added benefits and a higher salary — who doesn’t want a new car and more cash to go on holiday with?

Anglian Water has implemented a bespoke training programme individual to each employee’s aims, and it is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that those goals haven’t changed. They also offer the opportunity to complete specialist external training relevant to your role. It’s simple — more qualifications will lead to more money.

The positive outcome of offering training programmes is demonstrated by Marriott Hotels — the average employment of a hotel manager at Marriott is twenty-five years and around 10,600 employees have been there for more than twenty years.

Employee Perks
It’s always nice to be rewarded for the time and effort that you invest into your job. Perks are the fun part and some companies have taken that to the extreme. Craft beer company BrewDog offers all employees the opportunity to take one week of paid holiday leave to help their new dog settle into their home. Any excuse to get yourself a new furry friend, right?

The office of Southampton-based IT company Peer 1 houses a helter-skelter, putting green, giant swing, and if that wasn’t enough, they now have an office pub dubbed the Sherlock Arms.

Money is an undeniable incentive and software company Huddle tempts new starters with a whopping £5,000 joining fee – affectionately known as the Huddle Cuddle.

These perks may be light-hearted but, without a doubt, they help to combat a stressful working environment and no matter what career you’re in, less stress is best!

Company Benefits
Receiving £5,000 for simply being hired is great, but after three years it’s unlikely that the money will still be in your pocket — company benefits are a bit more long-term and are designed to keep staff motivated to remain at the company.

Travel fare giant Skyscanner provides a global discount to the meditation and sleep app Headspace. Employees are also encouraged to get involved with Skyscanner’s on-site mindfulness course and their Make Time Wednesday’s prohibit any meetings from being scheduled. By offering opportunities for rest and relaxation, companies are motivating their employees and reaping the benefits of a less stressful work environment.

Lookers, who provide car servicing plans, provides employees with a full year of maternity pay for individuals who have been with the company for more than twelve months at the time of birth. Data shows that children’s cognitive development is improved when parents can stay home — either part or full time — in the first year of life. Clearly, this is a hugely beneficial scheme for mums and their babies and takes the pressure off returning to work so that the focus can be on your new family.

It’s evident that the importance of motivation has been noticed by many businesses and benefits are being frequently tailored to encourage healthy morale. Whether it’s setting employee’s goals or reducing money worries after the birth of your baby, companies are motivating their workforce to work hard and remain with them.

No-one is saying that you’ll turn up to work on Monday morning feeling like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be but, being surrounded by pubs, dogs and positivity is surely not the worst thing — is it?

Sources
https://advice.milkround.com/top-10-coolest-company-perks-in-the-uk

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/careers/a13105654/best-staff-perks-jobs-uk/

https://bold.expert/the-benefits-of-paid-parental-leave-for-childrens-well-being/

https://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/issues/june-2018/skyscanner-keep-employees-engaged-with-bespoke-benefits-package/

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1900

https://www.anglianwaterbusiness.co.uk/about-us/careers/learning-and-development/

https://fortune.com/2015/03/05/employees-loyalty-marriott/

Going Global Live, London Excel – 27th & 28th of November

Posted on August 20, 2019 | by root

Going Global Live, London Excel – 27th & 28th of November

On the 27th & 28th of November, Europe’s leading event for expanding business overseas will be returning to the London ExCeL.

Going Global Live, sponsored by American Express, is the leading exhibition dedicated to providing businesses with absolutely everything they need to expand internationally and trade overseas. From globally recognised brands through to world-class seminars hosted by leading professionals, this event will be the one stop shop for all brands moving into the global arena.

2019’s edition of Going Global Live promises to be the most forward-thinking to date, focusing on some of the most significant political developments in decades, including post-Brexit trade and how this will affect the way UK companies conduct business with trade partners across the globe. Annually attracting experts from around the world, Going Global Live enables a highly interactive learning experience for both exhibitors and visitors. This year’s show will host professionals in all areas of international trade & export each leading their own informative seminar, providing visitors with second to none knowledge to utilise moving forward.

Going Global 2019 will answer every question a business has on international trade; provide unparalleled education and information on every trade agreement; and deliver an abundance of solutions and opportunities for UK businesses looking to go global. With exhibitors from across many sectors all coming together under one roof, it is hard to find a reason not to attend. Instead of spending hours searching for companies on the internet, speak to the people behind the solution face to face.

Going Global Live 2019 will be running alongside The Business Show and Foreign Direct Investment Expo, allowing for unrivalled networking opportunities across all of the events. Tickets to Going Global will grant access to the surrounding shows, opening up visitors to all the benefits of the surrounding events. Both of these shows will be providing their own valuable business masterclasses, so the opportunity to learn from international professionals has never been larger.

Meet experts from around the globe and access a whole new world of business at this years Going Global Live! Get your free tickets here!

CEO Monthly’s Q&A with Youpreneur CEO Chris Ducker

Posted on August 14, 2019 | by root

Please tell me about Youpreneur and your role as CEO.

Youpreneur is an education company for entrepreneurs who want to build future-proof businesses around themselves and their expertise. Youpreneurs include consultants, speakers, experts, financial advisors, thought leaders, coaches, mumpreneurs building businesses around their passions, authors, content creators, bloggers, podcast hosts, YouTubers. Basically, anyone in any industry building a business and offering products based around their experience and personality.

The Youpreneur concept grew naturally from my own work blogging and podcasting, which I started in 2010. It became evident to me that people were relating to me more than to the brand name of the podcast. They were saying, “Hey, listen to Chris’s podcast”. Eventually I realised that I had a personal brand myself. It wasn’t something I set out to do, but it came about with speaking, then the first book deal, then the second, and so on, until I realised I had built a business around myself. Now we’re at over 7 million downloads for the podcast, we host an annual live Youpreneur Summit in London each November, and we have private coaching and an online academy. Our goal is to become the world’s #1 education company for entrepreneurs.

For many years I was a traditional CEO working an 84-hour week running several businesses that employed 350 people around the world. But in 2009 I hit burnout big time. Now, at Youpreneur, I take an unorthodox approach to the role. I work primarily from home and connect with team members and clients around the world by phone, Zoom, and Skype. I work from 10am – 4pm Monday to Thursday. I don’t work Fridays and haven’t for six or seven years now. There is never anything on my schedule on a Friday. This short intense work week keeps me totally focused, positive and energised at all times. This helps me be the best CEO I can be.

What are three aspects of your job that motivate you to constantly do better and enhance your business?

People, people, people. The coaching, the mentoring, helping other entrepreneurs build their businesses and personal brand is what gets me out of bed in the morning. This is what I love about what I do – this is what it’s all about – being in the moment, connecting with people. The mentoring can get quite personal, even revelatory for entrepreneurs becoming Youpreneurs because the first step is to define who you are. Understanding who you are – your strengths and weaknesses – is key.

What would you say is the key to your success?

A very easy exercise I give everyone at the beginning of working with them is the self-assessment test. I ask them to write down the ‘flatter yourself’ list and then the ‘keep it real’ list. That list tends to be a slightly tougher one, especially for the Type A entrepreneurs we work with. It’s actually the more important one because once you know what your weaknesses are, you know what to avoid. Some people say you should work on your weaknesses, but I’m a big believer in avoiding your weaknesses, delegating your weaknesses. Instead, lean into the things you excel at; that’s how you find success. That’s how I’ve found success.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs?

I have 288 pages of advice for entrepreneurs in my most recent book! But if I had to boil it down to just one thing it’s to double down on your personal brand. Looking back across my career, I see that every deal I’ve landed and every success I’ve had has come from my brand, from me, and from my relationships. I hugely value relationships. The best decision I’ve ever made, hands down, has been to focus on building the business around my personal brand. We’ve more than doubled our annual revenue and tripled our employee numbers since we made that decision, and it’s brought massive opportunities our way, too. Leaning into it, going all in on it, has been the best decision. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping other people do likewise.

Have you faced any struggles leading up to creating Youpreneur?

In 2009, I was working an 84-hour week as a successful entrepreneur in the Philippines, running several businesses and employing 350 people around the world. Then I had a breakdown that landed me in the hospital for ten days and eventually led to back surgery from all those deskbound hours. I knew I had to make a change. By the end of 2010, we’d hired eight people to replace me – which gives you an idea of why I was burned out. I launched Youpreneur in 2015, and the transition from burnout in 2009 to Youprenuer in 2015 came about gradually. The blog had been growing, and the podcast had grown exponentially. People were coming to me to ask for help and coaching. So, we started with an online membership community for mentoring, and this was hugely successful, and we just kept building with the book, the live Summit, the coaching. The issue here more than anything else and why Youpreneur has done so well is that not only do we provide quality information in a convenient library – we provide community. Being an entrepreneur can be quite lonely. When you put yourself into a situation where you’re surrounded by people who get you, it all becomes so much easier. It’s important not just for when you stumble, but also for when you hit your goals and are looking for that high-five. I benefit from the Youpreneur community just as much as my team and clients do.

What’s next for your business? Any developments you would like to share with us?

For myself, I want to carry on doing what I’m doing in terms of striking a solid work / life balance for me and my family as well as being able to work on my own learning and my own growth as an entrepreneur and as a leader. I start at 10am so I get to be there for the kids in the morning, and I stop at 4pm so I can be there when they get home. That said, I don’t think work-life balance is a genuine thing. It’s an invented thing that makes a good sound bite, but it just isn’t real. If you run your own business, if you’re a CEO, that will always play a part in your personal life, and if you work from home as most Youpreneurs do, your personal life will always play a role in your business. As for the business, Youpreneur is something that we are working tirelessly on. We believe we’ve built the foundation to ultimately become the world’s #1 education company for entrepreneurs. We are launching an exciting new coaching product toward the end of this year that’s a game changer. And the next big happening in our schedule is our live Youpreneur Summit London on 9th, 10th, 11th November, where we focus on three main content and teaching principles: building, marketing, and monetizing. So that’s what’s next.

Flexible working has increased five-fold in the last 20 years

Posted on August 13, 2019 | by root

The number of people working ‘flexible hours’ has increased five-fold in the last two decades. That is according to an analysis of working trends by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

According to the 1999 Labour Force Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the percentage of people working flexible hours in the UK was 9.5% at that time. Recent statistics from CIPD, however, show that this number has drastically increased, with 54% of workers currently having the option to operate outside of typical nine-to-five office hours.

Despite this huge development in improving work-life balance, professionals still want more autonomy. The 2019 UK Working Lives Report reveals that two in three professionals (68%) would like to work flexibly in a way that is not currently available.

Commenting on the analysis, Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo, said:

“It’s great to see that employees are being offered greater flexibility and autonomy over their own work. This certainly is a step in the right direction in ensuring that the workforce is motivated and engaged in meaningful work. The advancements of technology over the past 20 years have no doubt played a significant part in making this possible. The collaborative software now available means that team members can communicate and work remotely with ease.”

“Flexible working also plays an important role in bringing equality to the workplace. People with disabilities or caring responsibilities, for example, often are unable to commute to the office or work conventional hours, therefore the option to work part-time, compressed hours or remotely is a necessity. As more employers begin to see the opportunities associated with flexible working, we can both boost diversity and inclusion and help end the dire skills shortages which are impacting many sectors.”

Simon Blockley, CEO of talent management consultancy, Guidant Global, added:

“Through offering the option to work flexibly, businesses can access a wider, deeper and more diverse pool of talent to drive increased innovation, creativity and profitability. Here at Guidant Global, 82% of our entire workforce have flexible working arrangements in place, allowing mums to fulfil their career goals, dads to spend more time with their children, neurodivergent people and people with physical disabilities the options to work in ways better aligned with their individual needs. We are also working with a number clients to ensure that this approach to flexible working – and the associated benefits – are replicated across the wider business landscape.”

A Leader in the Pensions Sector

Posted on August 9, 2019 | by root

TPT Retirement Solutions is a leading provider of UK workplace pensions, specialising in Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes. Following TPT Retirement Solutions’ CEO, Mike Ramsey, recently being named CEO of the Year for the United Kingdom, we took a closer look to find out more about this award-winning industry expert.

With more than 70 years’ experience in providing pensions, and with £10 billion of assets under management on behalf of their 300,000 members, TPT Retirement Solutions is one of the UK’s leading occupational pension schemes. As a notfor-profit, they have sought to distinguish themselves through a dedication to their members – offering a level of centricity that few can match.

As Mike explains, this memberfirst ethos trickles down across the entirety of the business, dictating TPT’s approach, services and – ultimately, future. “TPT’s flagship product, DB Complete reduces the amount of time and money a client needs to spend running their Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme, whilst maintaining a high level of professional governance under our DB Master Trust arrangement. Since our establishment in 1946, we have been keeping pensions simple, accessible and easy to understand.

“Our research indicates that we can typically save at least 30% on the total costs of running a DB scheme, and the size of TPT means that we can provide innovative and cost-effective solutions for those who face a challenge with their legacy DB pension arrangements. TPT Retirement Solutions accesses institutional funds at wholesale prices, with cutting edge investments and strategies.”

Worthy of particular note are Mike’s achievements as CEO, which secured his position as CEO Monthly’s UK CEO of the Year. Mike implemented a revolutionary strategy that transformed every tier of the business and its operations. “Chief among our core challenges was that we need to ‘break out’ of the not-for-profit sector and engage with schemes across the whole spectrum of the Defined Benefit (DB) pension market. Secondly, we have invested in our service delivery to ensure that existing customers continue to receive the very highest levels of customer service. The whole time ensuring members are engaged with their pension fund and achieving the best possible outcomes.”

As a result, TPT has seen remarkable growth during Mike’s tenure, and today they are making considerable efforts to solidify their enviable position in the market. “TPT is currently in advanced discussions with 16 Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes which are considering joining its DB Master Trust. The schemes represent about £1.3bn and over 18,000 members, and are from industry sectors such as manufacturing, logistics and retail. There’s also a strong resonance amongst the Building Societies, cooperatives and other mutual organisations.”

Address: Verity House, 6 Canal Wharf, Leeds, LS11 5BQ, United Kingdom

Website: https://www.tpt.org.uk/

Telephone: 0345 123 6660

Outstanding Excellence in Automotive Finance Services

Posted on August 9, 2019 | by root

Black Horse is one of the UK’s leading vehicle finance providers with an established presence across the country. In May, the firm was recognised as one of 2019’s Financial Leaders with the title of ‘Most Outstanding Finance Providers for Motorhomes’ by CEO Monthly Magazine. Following this success, we spoke with Black Horse’s Managing Director, Richard Jones, to find out more about their ethos, clients and history.

As part of Lloyds Banking Group, Black Horse consider Halifax, Bank of Scotland, and Scottish Widows as peers, acting as testament to their pedigree and impressive heritage. Yet, Black Horse’s success certainly stands on its own: partnering with over 4,500 dealers nationwide they provide a personalised approach to customer service and bespoke financial solutions across the UK.

As Richard explains, the company’s success has been defined by this dedication to the customer journey. “We pride ourselves on our clear and transparent communications with our customers in order to make finance as straightforward as possible. When you become a Black Horse customer, you are automatically registered with our online self-serve service, which will enable you too quickly and conveniently access and manage your account. You will also receive a personalised welcome video, sent by SMS, explaining the terms and conditions of your policy. Furthermore, we operate a Customer Contact Programme which contacts a number of customers within 24 hours of their purchase to check they understood the product and the process was professional and transparent, with a feedback loop to dealers.

Annually, we support 350,000 customer to finance the car, motorbike, scooter, caravan and or motorhome of their choice.

“Delivering a great customer experience is vital for any organisation, whatever their sector. As customer needs change, so too must the offering. Progression is not a choice, it is a necessity.” Richard says.

On the back of this, Black Horse have swiftly differentiated themselves in their industry, amassing no end of accolades from significant outlets over the years. Black Horse continue to flourish with a culture defined by constant improvement of the customer journey. “We continuously look to advance our current propositions and the support we offer to our dealer network. We utilise Net Promoter scores both from our Dealer Network and Customer Network to allow us to understand needs and to develop solutions accordingly. With this in mind, we were proud to be the winner of ‘Best Use of Digital to Improve Customer Experience’ at the UK’s Digital Experience Awards.”

Some of the company’s strongest assets are its partnerships with dealers groups and manufacturers, which includes some of the most prominent names in the automotive industry, as Richard discusses in more detail. “We have partnerships with large manufacturers including Jaguar Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Tesla. But we also see ourselves as partners to each and every dealer group we work with, providing them with the right materials, training and skills to offer our products through a transparent customer journey. We have various ways in which we approach potential new partnerships. The utilisation of the Black Horse website allows dealers to register their interest to become a Black Horse Dealer. In this way, our existing dealer network act as our strongest advocates, highlighting what we can do to fellow dealers that aren’t currently dealing with us.”

Finally, Richard offers some insight into Black Horse’s team, which – again- promotes an idea of personalised service and solutions. “Black Horse have a dedicated team of account managers, who hold specialist knowledge within their own fields. Our account managers are committed to supporting dealers and helping them respond to everchanging customer behaviours. We empower dealers to build strong customer relationships, understand the conduct agenda and provide training and tools to help customers understand finance driving positive customer experiences.”

Company: Blackhorse

Website: www.blackhorse.co.uk