chatbiz's posts: Recent Episodes
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What will the candidates bring to the table, if elected regarding local businesses in particular the retail sector, independent shop keepers, and within the town of Sudbury and surrounding area?
If elected what policies do the candidates have to secure investment that will retain and create long term, highly skilled, well paid jobs and apprenticeships in the local manufacturing industry?
Only 6% of NHS funding in the east of England is spent on mental health. Will each party increase spending on mental health provision, how will they fund it and what will they do to support people with mental health challenges to obtain employment and run businesses. The question is asked because mental health is a big issue and people with mental health challenges face many disadvantages in employment and in business.
The candidates for the South Suffolk Constituency for the General Election 2015 are: - Labour, Jane Basham Conservative, James Cartlidge Green – Simon Edge standing in for the candidate, Robert Lindsay who was out of the country Liberal Democrat, Grace Weaver UKIP – Steven Whalley
Do the candidates expect Sudbury to develop more of a dormitory role as links to London improve and Stanstead Airport expands?
Closing remarks and why should the public vote for you rather than the other candidates?
Have you ever thought of employing an ex-offender? Well it might surprise you that you may already have since job applicants don’t need to tell potential employers about spent convictions or cautions. You might even be surprised to find that you can’t turn someone down for a job because they’ve been convicted of an offence if the conviction or caution is ‘spent’ - unless an exception applies. Martin, Mark, Allison and James discuss the benefits of employing and ex offender with agency support.
So why not give some thought to helping turn around somebody’s life today?
It is not often that Small and Micro Business are offered something for nothing but it would appear that, for Norfolk and Suffolk small and micro businesses wishing to expand and take on people, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership have an offer that would almost seem to good to be true!
0:18 "We're supporting the Edge Project which is looking at relinking young people with apprenticeships in agriculture, horticulture and land based subjects." Julie West
Tim Passmore the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner talks about the importance of supporting the local economy.
1:24 They turned round to us and said can you tell us exactly what you want? What do small businesses need from the LEP? - Chris Soule 7:20 You have to sound out a lot of people to find out what the issues are with small businesses - Chris Storey 11:51 The Government are putting everything through the LEP with regards funding, all the policies ... so if the LEP don't engage where is all that work going? - Karon Sanders 16:56 This is going to require a much bigger staff and capable staff than the LEP have to deliver. They can't even do what they are doing at the moment. - Chris Soule 19:56 We are not going to see new trains - Chris Soule 22:15 The LEP is disproportionately dependent upon the County Councils and the District Councils - Chris Soule 25:10 One of the comments in there is regarding the portal that they have got for business to to find information ....do they scrap what they have done so far? - Chris Storey
"To ensure as you grow as a business you have a structure to grow into." Andy Wilson BSI
"If you take a typical ISO 9000 project for a company with 30-40 staff, including out costs, a budget of £5,000 will do it. " Andy Wilson BSI
".....you can actually save yourself money in terms of employing a consultant. " Andy Wilson BSI
"I think that one reason is complacency and I think that is almost the biggest reason. I think that generally in Suffolk people are comfortable. There has been plenty of job opportunities that have not necessarily required high job qualifications. People have been able to earn a good wage in the past without having to focus too much on education and overall there has been complacency in the system." Judith Mobbs Assistant Director of Skills Suffolk County Council
"Do you feel that it was a mistake to remove the School Improvement Partners?" Chris Soule Chairman FSB Suffolk
"We are now in a period of asking everybody else what they think about that before we fix the final action...." Judith Mobbs Assistant Director of Skills Suffolk County Council
"Our politicians are having to make some really, really tough decisions now. We have already taken many millions of pounds out of the Councils budget and we have to think about what the shape of the council will be in 4 years time and what kind of services will be there. It will be very different." Judith Mobbs Assistant Director of Skills Suffolk County Council
"We need employer to work with us ......we need to inspire young people by helping them to realise the opportunities that are out there for them." Judith Mobbs Assistant Director of Skills Suffolk County Council
"The whole idea of the LEP is to drive forward economic growth in the regions with the business community leading the charge from within the LEP. " Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"It is ludicrous that small businesses like yours are not doing business with the County Council they must be buying the things that you produce." Dave Baker Vice Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"The main one was access to finance and members wanting to have small chunks of money that they could get access to for a specific project and then pay it back. Infrastructure which covered everything really; broadband, mobile communication, which is practically non existent here, roads and rail, and then also business premises. In that they would like to see more incubator units where they can get started." Jeanette Thurtle FSB East Anglia Development Manager
"The owner was asked 'Why don't you diversify and make thing other than pencils?' He said that is because that is not the German way 'we make pencils to the best and highest standard, with the very best machinery with the best workforce and we make them better than anybody else in the world and the world is our oyster, its not Europe it's a Global business.'" Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"We don't do small business loans, although that is something we are considering." Paul Winter Chief Executive Ipswich Building Society.
"There is no extra money and I think that is worth emphasising. The money that is around in Whitehall we can get control of locally." Paul Winter BA FCIB. "We are going to offer a youth guarantee so that everybody coming out of school will either get a job or training or a combination of both." Paul Winter BA FCIB. "Some of the money that they are spending themselves now may need to go into a pot that everybody benefits from." Paul Winter BA FCIB. "What we really need is some more people at the top end of the firm, some graduates, but we can't actually afford to go out and get those graduates because actually they are not productive typically for around two years." Dave Baker Vice Chair FSB Suffolk.
"It still staggers me that, in financial services, we require a regulator to tell us to treat customers fairly." Paul Winter The Prince's Ambassador East of England Business in the Community.
"The Government's housing strategy is not joined up." Paul Winter Chief Executive Ipswich Building Society. "We could potentially see another house price bubble." Paul Winter Chief Executive Ipswich Building Society. "The Government's housing strategy is not joined up." Paul Winter Chief Executive Ipswich Building Society. "Most people want house prices to fall so their kids can buy houses - As long as it is not their house price that falls." Paul Winter Chief Executive Ipswich Building Society. "We are not building the hoses that people need.....we are building the same number as in the 1920s, which is ridiculous. We need to build around about 250,000 homes a year - We're just about achieving half that. " Paul Winter Chief Executive Ipswich Building Society.
"Because of changes to Local Government finance local authorities now have the wherewithal to start building again and indeed, for Ipswich, we are just in the process of helping them build 130 houses in round figures, on 3 sites." Stephen Javes Chief Executive of the Orwell Housing Association
"Depending upon the skills that you can bring, anything from as small as 5% through to 25% tranche, depending upon what you can do, you buy the equity in the house by finishing the house off" Stephen Javes Chief Executive of the Orwell Housing Association
"I think that if they are watered down and it is made too easy then it could cut off the supply of affordable housing " Stephen Javes Chief Executive of the Orwell Housing Association
"We deliver all of that ourself with in house teams, which is one of the reasons that we employ so many people " Stephen Javes Chief Executive of the Orwell Housing Association
"You can report it through Action Fraud but you can also report that direct to us. And if Action Fraud gets something that is an individual case they will still allocate it to us for investigation." Douglas Paxton Chief Constable for Suffolk
"We are no longer having to make the budget cuts we were a few years ago." Douglas Paxton Chief Constable for Suffolk
"Professionals in that setting can have unfettered access to intelligence and to data on both sides." Douglas Paxton Chief Constable for Suffolk
"Sheer speed of response to the vulnerability as soon as it emerges." Douglas Paxton Chief Constable for Suffolk
"What we do know from FSB research, which is one of the advantages that we have as a National organisation, is that when we have asked the question of our Policy Officers in London they have demonstrated that there has been traction on good procurement for small and medium size businesses in areas that tend to be unitary. there has been an attempt in Leicestershire, I think, with the LEP where the isn't a unitary .......but the real successes seem to have come in the unitary areas." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"......to try and take that model and get it transferred Nationally really needs a National program." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"I was appalled! Just how much money did the BBC loose?" Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"We had a visitors book on the stand and when you actually looked at it we had a lot of visitors. " Jeanette Thurtle FSB East Anglia Development Manager
"Agricultural show are having problems ....there are agricultural shows that are failing .....I think that there are little signs .... one of our members took his wife along who had not been to an agricultural show in 15 years and she said that she did not see it as an agricultural show." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"Some muppet on their committee had got a ‘bee in their bonnet’ about dogs and they are being put away about four fields away." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"I thought that it was a very good show and it is one that we will continue to support." Dave Baker Vice Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk "The County is going through a process of economic transition.......we are then going to be a county, a region, that is well placed for London, well placed for Europe, we are going to have superfast broadband.... are we going to be ready and planned to actually start to get interest from China from India from Eastern Europe from partners in Europe to actual look at Suffolk and Norfolk.... to actually be in place? .... to do that somebody has got to take the lead. Now is the LEP going to take the lead? I thought that the LEP were resistant to investment at the ISBA show and that was disappointing." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"There seem to be increasing numbers of organisations who have bits of money that can be made available to business .... but half of the problem is finding them." Dave Baker Vice Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk "If you don't want small businesses to become cynical and say yet another Government scheme that doesn't work then you have to give some considerable thought to the detail of how you are going to deliver it - And they always fail and they never learn and I just despair." Chris Soule
"At the moment we are being told that apprenticeships are really really important. It is coming up all over the place .... to enable the small business to have the confidence to take on an apprentice they have to see that there is a growth pattern." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"I think that the next step for the LEP...... is actually to drill down about what small business want." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"Every time we think that we have got a couple of regulation removed they bring in 6 or 7 others that are very much targeted at making business difficult for small business." Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"One of the thing that we have found is the way that they are written - They don't make sense!" Chris Soule Chairman of the FSB in Suffolk
"At our monthly meetings we do encourage members to come along and bring problems and issues to the table so that we can take them forward." Jeanette Thurtle FSB East Anglia Development Manager
"This week when the Prime Minister has asked me to be the Small Business Champion for the Conservatives. I am a Minister in the Department for Business but this is about going out especially to small businesses and listening to their concerns and also explaining the things that the Government has done already but finding out, most importantly, the things that we need to do more of to support small business." Matthew Hancock MP
"For individuals we've introduced Gov.uk which is award winning in its simplicity and ability to get the right information to individuals and we are looking at developing something similar for small businesses because it is about having an online retail offer. There is over 4 million small business so there needs to be an online retail website that can easily guide to what the Government offers and bring it all together in one place." Matthew Hancock MP
"One of changes I am most passionate about is the radical change we've made to health and safety by making it subject to a test of negligence. Because of a very simple change in the law we bought last year now there is not a strict liability on health and safety you have to have been negligent so in a court of law you've got a test of reasonableness. If you have acted reasonably you can not be convicted under health and safety rules" Matthew Hancock MP
"Writing to your MP does help. Business are often worried about writing to their MP on the grounds that they do not want to create a fuss and therefore be come down on harder. I have never, in my 3 year experience, come across a case where things have got worse not better as a result of writing to their MP......... but people are worried about that because they are worried about what the reaction of the local officer might be and the local officer might say 'oh don't write to your MP I wouldn't do that ' but there is a reason they say that. It's because they don't want their decision to be scrutinised by people who are more senior. So I would highly recommend getting your MP involved." Matthew Hancock MP
"So long as you know where you are going and what you want to achieve the machine is very good at responding to that and helping you get there." Matthew Hancock MP
"All the evidence shows that when companies take on an apprentice they then take on more." Matthew Hancock MP
We are constantly being told that the UK needs to export more goods and services to help balance the economy. Exporting can also be good for the stability of a company and help to grow a more profitable future. However, it can also be a daunting prospect to a business of any size and in this episode we talk to John Tingle, who is the UK Trade & Investment Trade Team Manager for the East, who talks to Karon about the Government support and assistance that is available to even the smallest of business considering the export option.
The first step for most business new to exporting is the trade mission. John talks about how a company can find out what missions are available to join and how to be included.
The UKTI have introduced a comprehensive program called ‘Passport to Export’ John talks about what is involved in the scheme.
Like any business activity exporting has its difficulties and to hear a cautionary tale you should listen to John talking about the common pitfalls.
UKTI is also responsible for importing business wishing to set up in the UK. They see their role as importing money.
We all have it but do we know what to do with it? A recent study by the Intellectual Property Office revealed that few of us do:
``` 96% of UK businesses do not know the value of their Intellectual Property Rights Only 11% of UK businesses know that disclosure of an invention before filing will invalidate a patent 74% of UK businesses could not correctly identify the owner of copyright when using a subcontractor
Only 4% of UK businesses have an Intellectual Property policy
```
In today’s chat Chris Smith from the Government’s Intellectual Property Office http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ tells Karon what a a business should know, including the use of the Trade Mark database. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-text/
Chris is part of the Patent Examiner’s Business Outreach Team where he specialises in measurement devices such as smoke alarms, satellite navigation systems and nuclear magnetic resonance machines. Chris has a degree in Astrophysics from Cardiff University.
We apologise for the sound quality of the telephone line.
If you have an idea for a bright new invention you can hardly afford to miss this episode where Jim Rogers, from the Research & Development unit of the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), joins Karon to to discuss the opportunities for businesses to reduce their tax liability using the Patent Box and Development (R&D) Relief for Corporation Tax.
Jim talks about how to get relief on worldwide sales by correct application of the Patent Box.
The benefits to a business of obtaining double tax relief cannot be overstated and in this clip Jim talks about this opportunity afforded by the HMRC.
Robert Ashton, known as the Barefoot Entrepreneur, joins Karon in the studio to look at his work to date and at how he got into consultancy. Over his long career as a business consultant he has written several books and is one of Britain's most prolific purveyors of business advice.
Much of his current work involves looking for new ways to help organisations to adapt and evolve. Have a listen and see what you think.
One of Robert’s current projects is a new look at apprenticeships and how they can be managed successfully for both apprentices and employers. Swarm Apprenticeship is a limited-by-guarantee company that is designed especially to suit the small and micro business and is being trialled at the moment in Norfolk. Could one of Robert’s part-time apprentices help your business develop?
Peter Aldous was elected Member of Parliament for Waveney in 2010. Before entering parliament, he helped look after the family pig and arable farm outside Halesworth and worked as a chartered surveyor in Norwich and Ipswich. He has been both a Waveney district councillor and a Suffolk county councillor, where he was Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group.
Sizewell is a major business opportunity for the UK and in particular for East Anglia, something we looked at in our previous episode with Tom McGarry of EDF Energy and Miles Varton of the Chamber of Commerce. This week we get the perspective of one of the local MPs, looking at the skills required within the local workforce and how difficult it might be for local companies to compete in a free market.
Suffolk is a beautiful county, ideally located close to London, making it an ideal place for tourism. However, in order for the local businesses to fully exploit their opportunities within the sector, it is important that the tourist organisations are operating effectively and are properly supported. Chris expresses his concerns as to how well marketing has been handled in the past and looks for a new focus in the future.
Business banking has been extremely difficult area for small and micro businesses in recent history with a lack of available finance crippling growth. Peter talks about the growth opportunities for large organisations and reflects on the plight of the small organisation.
The campaign by TV cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which helped crack the European Union’s intransigence over fishing discards, is discussed as an example of how effective the support of a celebrity can be in promoting a cause. Peter reflects on how hard he had worked on the subject for his constituents prior to Hugh’s intervention and the difference that intervention made.
Both small and large businesses struggle to implement European Union directives in the UK and a lot of blame has been put upon our civil service for their attitude to ‘gold plating’ or enabling legislation. Peter told us of his experiences in working with civil servants when he was trying to push through a Private Members Bill.
The construction of Sizewell C on the East Anglian coast is claimed to be on a similar scale to that undertaken for the 2012 Olympic Games. It mirrors the Hinkley Point C development in Somerset, where EDF Energy, which owns both sites, says: ”at least 5,000 jobs for Somerset people are expected during the construction".
In this episode of ChatBiz we’re examining the impact of Sizewell C and the potential opportunities for local businesses. We’re talking to Tom McGarry of EDF Energy and Miles Varton of the Chamber of Commerce who are responsible for ensuring that local businesses are made aware of Sizewell C and the supply chain database where local businesses can go to register an interest.
Raising finance through your local high street bank for your business has proved to be very difficult, without a track record and collateral, in recent years. This has lead to the rise of the Community Development Finance Association (CDFA) http://www.cdfa.org.uk which lends money to businesses, social enterprises and individuals who struggle to get finance from high street banks and loan companies. It helps deprived communities by offering loans and support at an affordable rate to people who cannot access credit elsewhere.
At Chat Biz we have learnt many 'Pearls of Wisdom' from David Baker who has kindly now offered to give away PDF copies of his book “Business Refreshment”. So if you want to know why Dave says: “Start with an end in mind ... envision where you really want to be with your business in one, three or five year's time” just email simon@chatbiz.org to receive your free copy.
Professional PAYG virtual support services for business owners and busy executives - from managing your day to managing CMS websites and social media accounts, to HR and recruitment admin, bookkeeping and expense management
Headway is a charity set up to give help and support to people affected by brain injury. A network of local Groups and Branches throughout the UK and Channel Islands offers a wide range of services, including rehabilitation programmes, carer support, social re-integration, community outreach and respite care. The services available will vary, depending on local needs and resources.
Business advisors and mentors working with company owners to 1) grow and develop their business; 2) turn around their business;3) prepare their business for sale
The Police and Crime Commissioners were elected last November to replace the old police authority. Tim Passmore was elected in Suffolk and on the 21st November 2013 he came to the monthly meeting of the Federation of Small Businesses, to address the local members concerning his progress in his new role. This is the recording of the speech he gave. The answers he gave to the subsequent questions can be heard in the following podcasts.
Tim Passmore the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk talks about the subject of the Norfolk and Suffolk IT systems.
Tim Passmore the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk talks about the subject of the statistics of solving crime
Tim Passmore the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk talks about the subject of the interface with the Crown Prosecution Service.
Tim Passmore the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk talks about the subject of rehabilitation of offenders.
Tim Passmore the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk talks about the subject of accountability for purchasing decisions within the Suffolk police force.
Businesses often thrive or wither on the standard of their customer service. It does not matter if you are in retail, wholesale, consultancy or service industry you will have customer relationship that you need to look after. We can all come up with appalling stories, as customers, of how we have been treated and how, we will have sworn, not to do business with them again.
In this weeks episode Karon and Dave discuss the issues of looking after your customers and take a look at an American book, 'Hug your Customer' by Jack Mitchell, which tells us how one business boosted sales using exceptional customer service.
The term apprenticeship conjures up images, for many, of shipyards, bakeries and building sites of the past and thoughts of TV exposés in recent times. However, despite that bad press it leads many youngsters into work and provides a structured training system that they can build upon for the rest of their working lives. For the Small and Micro Business it may seem like a lot of hassle and effort. However, with the right support, it can help bring stability and prosperity to the hard pressed business in 2013. In the podcast we ask for a simple explanation of the apprenticeship system, what it can bring to a business and how we should employ an apprentice within our own.
Small and Micro business have a fear of taking on staff and becoming enmeshed in employment law. This, it is believed by many business people, is holding back growth in the jobs market. This week Karon talks Human Resources (HR) with Albert Peters, who is Director and owner of a Suffolk based Human Resources consultancy Pegasus Human Resources, and Dave Baker of Charting Success, who is a Business Coach, to see how easy it is for an employer to deal with typical employment issues that affect many organisations. So if you are considering moving to the next level have a listen.
I run a mobile cafe doing the shows and would like to expand my business by buying another van and getting somebody else to run it. What should I consider?
I have difficulty with a member of staff in my dress shop who is often late for work and sometimes untidy. I have spoken to her about it but I find the rest of the day very uncomfortable. What should I do?
The recession has caused enormous difficulties for my haulage business and I am thinking about asking the two members of staff to go self employed. What should I consider?
Chris Soule Chairman of FSB Suffolk and Peter Martin East Anglian regional treasurer, member of the National Treasury Team and spokesman on key business issues talk with Karon this week on Chat Biz about what the Autumn Statement means to small and micro business. They talk about the Heseltine Report “No Stone Unturned in Pursuit of Growth” and how they think that it will affect the local economy.
It is difficult to envisage a business in the UK that does not use the services of a bank, most of whom will be the high street names. Names have been dragged through the mud after being so badly hit by scandals over the past few years. Peter Martin of Fowler de Pledge talks to Karon about the problems faced by small and micro business who have been affected by Interest Rate Swap Agreements (“IRSAs”) and what they should do next, the danger of the Interest Loan Guarantee scheme as implemented by some banks, and alternative options for the small an micro business to raise money.
Dr Daniel Poulter MP talks to Karon and Chris about what he has brought to the demanding role as an MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. Dr Poulter talks about his passion for helping people and talks about why he is still working for the NHS, on a voluntary basis, and how his knowledge from his first degree in law helps him in his work in Parliament. He talks extensively, from his own first hand knowledge, about NHS and Local Authority procurement and how Government is trying to help the Small Businesses.
Effective procurement of goods and services is a difficult issue for all organisations and in Local Authorities it has been found that they have, over the years, developed larger and larger contracts to simplify their administration. Many organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses FSB and the Royal Institute of British Architects RIBA have campaigned for smaller more local contracts and today we hear from those organisations.
In this episode we talk to two people who have been through the experience and from whom we can learn.
Proposed changes to permitted development rights for homeowners and business. A consultation for Permitted Developments rights for extensions to business premises in non-protected areas in England has been launched by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
These proposed amendments to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 are also intended to streamline the regime covering the installation of broadband infrastructure. • Increasing the PD size limits for extensions to homes and allow conversions of garages for residential accomodation. • Increasing the PD size limits for extensions to shop and professional/financial services establishments to 100 sq m, and allowing the building of these extensions up to the boundary of the property (except where the boundary is with a residential property), in non-protected areas, for a period of three years • Increasing the PD size limits for extensions to offices to 100 sq m, in non-protected areas, for a period of three years • Increasing the size limits for new industrial buildings within the curtilage of existing industrial premises to 200 sq m, in non-protected areas, for a period of three years • Removing some prior approval requirements for the installation of broadband infrastructure for a period of five years. Other changes to permitted development are also being taken forward separately: making it easier for commercial properties to be converted to residential use; and encouraging the reuse of existing buildings through making changes of use easier. Chat Biz will be responding on behalf of our listeners please let us have your thoughts or respond directly yourselves.
Most Small and Micro Businesses suffer from a shortage of money and people so it most important that you get all your assets working for you. In this episode Dave Baker talks about how to make the most of your sales team; your Business Cards, Web Site and Systems and has given us a "10 point Business Card Checklist". Dave has also summarised his thoughts on "How to Recruit a Star Sales Team Who Will Work For Nothing" and "Some 'appraisal' questions for your web site".
On 15 November 2012 a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will be elected for each of the 41 police areas in England (excluding London) and Wales. PCCs will take up office on 22 November and the current police authorities will be abolished. In this Episode Karon and Chis Soule, Chairman of the Suffolk branch of the FSB, ask the candidates for the post in Suffolk a range of questions from the Chamber of Commerce, ISSBA, National Farmers Union (NFU), Institute of Directors (IoD), Country Land Owners Association (CLA), Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Due to the length of the Episode it has been split into two parts. This is part 1
On 15 November 2012 a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will be elected for each of the 41 police areas in England (excluding London) and Wales. PCCs will take up office on 22 November and the current police authorities will be abolished. In this Episode Karon and Chis Soule, Chairman of the Suffolk branch of the FSB, ask the candidates for the post in Suffolk a range of questions from the Chamber of Commerce, ISSBA, National Farmers Union (NFU), Institute of Directors (IoD), Country Land Owners Association (CLA), Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Due to the length of the Episode it has been split into two parts. This is part 2
Karon, Linda and Simon have all worked and lived abroad and in this Pocast they start the discussion about how different cultures react. For the small business person considering taking their fist steps abroad they have a few helpful suggestions.
In the future more small business will be taking the plunge into different cultures and we are looking for the experiences of others, that can help ease the interaction. We have many listeners from abroad and it would be helpful if they could let us know about their experiences doing business with the British.
On this weeks Podcast we are welcoming a new contributor Chris Soule who is Chairman of the Suffolk Branch of the FSB, and runs his own pottery company. Chris talks about his early days in Suffolk and how a policing issue got him involved in the FSB. He describers the current business and police forum and the tripartite arrangement that the Poilce Chief Constable has with the Home office and the Police Authority. He goes on to talk about the appointment of the new Police Crime commissioners in November.
Chris also raises the acute and underlying problem that has the potential to affect the future prosperity of the county, that of the infrastructure, in particular the water and power shortage that are affecting developments right now.
In this episode #ChatBiz talks to Robert who has been in the publishing industry for most of his working life. We learn how to publish a book and what it takes to get it into production. So if you are interested in publishing your own book, catalogue or journal why not listen to what Robert has to say?
The first #ChatBiz Podcast introducing the team and discussing how they use Social Media. Focusing on Twitter and Facebook. Ideal listening for Small and Micro Businesses who are confused by Social Media and what it means for them.