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REASSURING ADVICE

Meet start-up that won’t be thenext Hargreaves Lansdown – p2

122014NOV

HARD TALK

The CBI boss telling people whatthey don’t want to hear – p6&7

TRADING PLACES

How exporting can help yourSME to grow – pages 8&9

Entrepreneurs strike out on their own withnew clothing venture – see page 5

TEE TIME FORNEW BUSINESS

FA S H I O N

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2 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

STAFF at a security softwarecompany have been brewingbeer in the office basement.While this might be a sackingoffence at some businesses,

the management at ForgeRock havetoasted its success as a greatteam-building exercise.

The company, which makes soft-ware for IT security logins and PINs,moved to Bristol three years agoopening an office in Queen Square.

The beers are even branded withthe company logo and drunk at com-

pany events such as the summerbarbecue or Christmas celebra-t i o n s.

Software engineer Robert Wap-shott is the driving force behind thescheme, although many of his col-leagues have taken an interest too.

The 33-year-old developed an in-terest in home brewing after becom-ing a father.

“It’s a good hobby to fit in with myl i f e s t y l e, ” he said. “We ’re not goingout so much in the evenings and it’s atime tolerant hobby, if you haven’tgot time to do much you can leave itto it.”

He added that home brewing hadcome on a long way since the 1970s,when it gained a bad reputation.

The latest batch will be the fourth

brew the staff have made in the base-ment of the Queen Square office.

Company co-founder JonathanScudder, who heads up the Bristoloffice, said: “This has grown from acrazy idea, then we discovered wehad a couple of people who had donebrewing before and it has justg rown.

“It has become quite an engagingactivity for most of the staff in theoffice who help washing bottles andlabelling – and of course there arealways plenty of enthusiastict a s t e r s. ”

And the home brew is clearly notdoing Norwegian-founded businessany harm.

Jonathan said the business wasgrowing at a “phenomenal” r at e,

Golf

IT security

Group’s £8m dealtees up expansion� A COMPANY is driving itsbusiness forward after winning an£8-million contract with a leadinggolf service provider.

Regency Purchasing Group,based in Weston-super-Mare, isnow supplying more than 400 UKclubs after beingawarded acontract by golfp u rc h a s i n gc o m p a n y,MaterialMattersLimited(MML).

To g e t h e rthebusinesses aresupplying a rangeof goods andservices to golf clubs nationwide,with Regency offering a completefood and beverage service.

Both companies already workalongside Foremost Golf, the UK’slargest golf pro-shop buyinggroup, and this partnership willallow the three businesses to offergolf clubs the total solution.

RPG managing director AlexDemetriou said:“Between thethree businesses we now offer golfclubs the total solution from food,to golfing equipment, to fuel andanything else a golf club mayneed. We do not believe thatanyone else offers this.”

F i n a n ce

Investment advice ‘fills gap in the market’

BRISTOL is the home of theDIY investment market.Peter Hargreaves and Steph-en Lansdown pretty muchwrote the book and the firm

they founded in a bedroom has be-come the biggest player.

Just a few hundred yards away,another entrepreneur is starting outwith a very different approach.

Chris Williams is the founder ofWealth Horizon, an online financialadvice service.

Chris, 39, believes more peoplewant not just a supermarket with allthe options, but advice on how best toinvest their savings and – i n c re a s -ingly – p e n s i o n s.

In the past, that meant either vis-iting a high street financial adviser oran adviser visiting the customer.Both options involve high costs forthe business, which have to be passedon somewhere.

Chris thinks by creating a largelyonline platform he can offer the ease,speed and low cost of DIY investment,with the added reassurance of pro-fessional advice.

“We believe it’s the first one of itskind in the UK,” he said. “Someonecan log onto our site and within 20-30minutes they can have an investmentproposal we have vetted and checkedto be suitable. That’s fully regulatedadvice with the protection from theFCA that comes with that.

“You can do that without speakingto someone, within the comfort ofyour own home or wherever you wantto. Having said that, our researchshows that people still prefer someform of assistance through that pro-

cess and we have regulated adviserson the end of the phone or on live webchat who can guide people throughand answer any queries.”

Chris said the changes in regu-

“For the average person in the UKaccessing advice is very difficult andthey are left with two choices,” saidChris. “One is to do nothing, which Iwould advocate is not a great idea, or

Fo o d

Top chef puts Bart’s new range ofprofessional spices to kitchen test

Buzz at Clarks Woodafter buying sawmills� TIMBER business Clarks WoodCompany has expanded afterbuying the saw milling division ofBorder Group.

Clarks Wood Company, based inSt Philip’s, can now offer customersa secure source of products straightfrom the group’s own sawmills.

Simon Taylor, from the firm, said:“This is a very exciting acquisitionfor the group, one that we believehas the potential to have a bigimpact on our operations.

“The sawmills’ current financialperformance shows great potentialfor bringing improved earnings,significantly increasing the volumeof material we distribute, improvingour environmental credentials andgiving us a secure supply source offencing and pallet wood products,whilst in addition giving control ofthe quality and product rangep ro d u c e d . ” The mills are in Wales.

Award for inspiringScott letter campaign� MARKETING agency 375 haswon a top award for a campaignthat urged people to write a letter toinspire someone to do somethingamazing.

The Scott100Letters campaignwas to raise the profile of theWildfowl and Wetlands Trust, whichruns the bird sanctuary atSlimbridge. The organisation wasfounded by Sir Peter Scott, son of

Captain Scott who, in his final letterto his wife during his fatal Antarcticexpedition, had asked her to instil intheir children an interest in nature.

Queen Square-based 375, whichspecialises in sustainable brands,has been awarded the Grand Prix atthe 2014 Fresh Awards.

Wildlife television presenter KateHumble, above, posted the 100winning entries from the world’smost southerly post office inA n t a rc t i c a .

Ti m b e r

M a r ket i n g

Special brew Office staff producetheir own beer in the basement

MOST kitchens up and down thecountry will have something in thecupboard from Bristol company BartS p i c e s.

For the past 50 years Bart has beensourcing ingredients from across theglobe and selling a range of productsfrom herbs and spices to exotic Thaicurry pastes, Thai fish sauce andcoconut milk which are loved by bothprofessionals and home cooks alike.

Now the company, which employsabout 200 people, is introducing a newrange of products designed specific-ally for professional chefs, called Rep-er toire.

Chief executive David Collard said:“We are very excited to be intro-ducing Repertoire to our already ex-tensive range of products.

“All of the ingredients are chosenfor their exceptional quality andblended at our premises in Bristolaccording to authentic recipes.

“The range includes herbs andspices from basil to turmeric, but wealso have a range of seasonings in-spired by cuisines around the worldincluding Fajita, Aromatic Thai andRas el Hanout.”

To make sure it has hit the mark,the firm brought in Roux Scholarship

winner and head chef at the HattusaRestaurant in Bristol, Paul O’Neill, totry them out.

Paul took time out of his busykitchen at Berwick Lodge (Bristol) tospend a day in the development kit-chen at Bart Ingredients headquar-ters in Bedminster.

“Ninety-five per cent of great cook-ing is great ingredients,” said Paul.

“I am a firm believer in sourcingthe best ingredients for my menu andit is great to have such a fantasticproducer on my doorstep in Bristol.

“The Repertoire range is a wel-come addition to my larder, I’ll def-initely be using it.”

David added: “Having Paul cookwith the new spices in our devel-opment kitchen was the perfect be-ginning for this range as it broughtthese wonderful ingredients to life bycreating such amazing dishes.”

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

with 200 staff across offices in SanFrancisco, Vancouver, Oslo, Gren-oble and, of course, Bristol.

He added that the city had provenan “excellent location” for the com-pany thanks to the talented work-force, prompting the firm to investfurther in its base here.

It has already moved to biggerpremises once and expects to have todo the same again next year.

That growth is reflected in thebrewing too.

The first batch was five gallons butstaff numbers have since doubled to45, so the next batch will be 10 gal-lons, or 80 pints.

The only worry is that, if the com-pany keeps growing so fast, willthere be room for the brewing kit?

Revenues continueon healthy trend� DRUGS firm AstraZenecaposted its third consecutivequarter of growing revenues.

The firm employs 250 people ata plant in Avonmouth makingingredients for cholesterollowering drug Crestor and bipolartreatment Seroquel.

While revenues grewfive per cent onthe quarter to£6.5 billion,operatingprofit fell 68per cent to£541million.

Howeverthe firm saidthis was due tosignificantinvestment in itspipeline of products.

Chief executive Pascal Soriot,pictur ed, said: “I’m pleased toreport our third consecutivequarter of revenue growth, drivenby a strong contribution from ourgrowth platforms. Brilinta,respiratory and diabetes, our threecore franchises, increased salesby 38 per cent in the quarter,supported by continued selectiveallocation of sales and marketingre s o u rc e s . ”

The firm fought off a takeoverbid by US pharmaceuticals giantPfizer earlier this year.

P h a r m a ce u t i c a l s

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

C o n st r u c t i o n

More in-house trainingto beat skill shortagesA CONSTRUCTION firm believes itis sidestepping looming industry la-bour shortages by expanding its ownsuccessful in-house training pro-g ramme.

Pilning-based Helm Constructionis already bringing forward the nextgeneration of apprentices ratherthan recruiting from a rapidlydwindling labour pool or relying ons u b - c o n t r a c t o r s.

The faster than expected recoveryhas resulted in a shortage of trainedconstruction workers – with thenumber of bricklayers out of work

falling to just 1,775 in August from apeak of 15,425 back in 2009.

Site manager Kim Ritchings said:“Many firms abandoned their train-ing schemes and laid off their ap-prentices to save costs during thedownturn – which is one reason whyso many companies are struggling tofind properly trained staff now.

“We recognised the recoverywould begin in the construction sec-tor and were determined to ensurewe were fully prepared to meet thesteep increase in demand.”

The firm has just offered two new

apprenticeships to James Fox andLee Nicholls, while Kim, StuartRawlings and Scott Reeves have beenon CITB training courses to speedtheir progress through the ranks.

Kim said: “We have a strong recordof bringing on and promoting our

apprentices, secure in the know-ledge they have done things our wayfrom day one. Scott Reeves workedhis way up through the ranks to siteforeman after starting as an appren-tice during the recession.”

Recent figures showed the UK con-struction industry shed upwards of400,000 workers during the down-tur n.

Kim said: “We took the decisionfive years ago to invest in a com-prehensive apprenticeship pro-gramme in order to train the nextgeneration of bricklayers, car-penters and electricians and this iscertainly paying dividends for usn ow. ”

move to DIY investing solutions.”As a financial adviser by back-

ground – he recently ran AshcourtRowan, a London-based firm of in-dependent advisers – Chris said ad-vice is in his DNA. And he isconfident there is a market for it.

He said: “We believe about 22 mil-lion people in the UK are investing ontheir own through a DIY platform.Probably half – t h at ’s 11 million – ofthem are only really doing this be-cause they can’t get proper advice.

“It seems ludicrous that the abilityto access advice depends on howmuch money you have got.”

Wealth Horizon’s typical customerwill have £20,000-£100,000 to invest.Chris said they can keep costs downby being digital focussed and nothaving a network of advisers trav-elling with country with travel ex-penses and sales bonuses to pay.

The firm makes its money from a0.25 per cent fee for the initial set up,then an ongoing 0.75 per cent annualfee to manage the portfolio.

Chris believes this makes themcompetition with their DIY compet-itors but with the added service ofregulated advice.

The firm employs about 10 people,as well as using outside digital andcreative experts, but plans to grow.

“The demand side has never beeng reater,” he said. “With the changesto pension legislation next year,everything is moving to stage wherepeople need and want these types ofservices which no one else is provid-ing. We’re filling a gap in the mar-ke t . ”

Chris grew up in and lives in NorthSomerset so he plans to keep the firmin Bristol, however big it grows. It’sbased in an office at the Harbourside.He doesn’t have to look far for in-spiration as to how big a Bristolinvestment business can become.

Chris Williams

“ Someone can log ontoour site and within 20-30

minutes they can havean investment proposal

we have vetted andchecked to be suitable.

lation had made financial advicemore costly to provide, pushingbanks out of the market while advicespecialists shift focus to the wealthywith at least £100,000 to invest.

� Chris Williams, founder of Wealth Horizon, a new online financial advice service

� Paul O’Neill, head chef atBerwick Lodge hotel’sHattusa Restaurant inBristol, tries out the Bartspices range

� Staff at ForgeRockwith a batch of theirhome brew beer,brewed in thebasementPic: DaveBetts

� James Fox and LeeNicholls, who have beenoffered apprenticeshipsHelm Construction

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2 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

STAFF at a security softwarecompany have been brewingbeer in the office basement.While this might be a sackingoffence at some businesses,

the management at ForgeRock havetoasted its success as a greatteam-building exercise.

The company, which makes soft-ware for IT security logins and PINs,moved to Bristol three years agoopening an office in Queen Square.

The beers are even branded withthe company logo and drunk at com-

pany events such as the summerbarbecue or Christmas celebra-t i o n s.

Software engineer Robert Wap-shott is the driving force behind thescheme, although many of his col-leagues have taken an interest too.

The 33-year-old developed an in-terest in home brewing after becom-ing a father.

“It’s a good hobby to fit in with myl i f e s t y l e, ” he said. “We ’re not goingout so much in the evenings and it’s atime tolerant hobby, if you haven’tgot time to do much you can leave itto it.”

He added that home brewing hadcome on a long way since the 1970s,when it gained a bad reputation.

The latest batch will be the fourth

brew the staff have made in the base-ment of the Queen Square office.

Company co-founder JonathanScudder, who heads up the Bristoloffice, said: “This has grown from acrazy idea, then we discovered wehad a couple of people who had donebrewing before and it has justg rown.

“It has become quite an engagingactivity for most of the staff in theoffice who help washing bottles andlabelling – and of course there arealways plenty of enthusiastict a s t e r s. ”

And the home brew is clearly notdoing Norwegian-founded businessany harm.

Jonathan said the business wasgrowing at a “phenomenal” r at e,

Golf

IT security

Group’s £8m dealtees up expansion� A COMPANY is driving itsbusiness forward after winning an£8-million contract with a leadinggolf service provider.

Regency Purchasing Group,based in Weston-super-Mare, isnow supplying more than 400 UKclubs after beingawarded acontract by golfp u rc h a s i n gc o m p a n y,MaterialMattersLimited(MML).

To g e t h e rthebusinesses aresupplying a rangeof goods andservices to golf clubs nationwide,with Regency offering a completefood and beverage service.

Both companies already workalongside Foremost Golf, the UK’slargest golf pro-shop buyinggroup, and this partnership willallow the three businesses to offergolf clubs the total solution.

RPG managing director AlexDemetriou said:“Between thethree businesses we now offer golfclubs the total solution from food,to golfing equipment, to fuel andanything else a golf club mayneed. We do not believe thatanyone else offers this.”

F i n a n ce

Investment advice ‘fills gap in the market’

BRISTOL is the home of theDIY investment market.Peter Hargreaves and Steph-en Lansdown pretty muchwrote the book and the firm

they founded in a bedroom has be-come the biggest player.

Just a few hundred yards away,another entrepreneur is starting outwith a very different approach.

Chris Williams is the founder ofWealth Horizon, an online financialadvice service.

Chris, 39, believes more peoplewant not just a supermarket with allthe options, but advice on how best toinvest their savings and – i n c re a s -ingly – p e n s i o n s.

In the past, that meant either vis-iting a high street financial adviser oran adviser visiting the customer.Both options involve high costs forthe business, which have to be passedon somewhere.

Chris thinks by creating a largelyonline platform he can offer the ease,speed and low cost of DIY investment,with the added reassurance of pro-fessional advice.

“We believe it’s the first one of itskind in the UK,” he said. “Someonecan log onto our site and within 20-30minutes they can have an investmentproposal we have vetted and checkedto be suitable. That’s fully regulatedadvice with the protection from theFCA that comes with that.

“You can do that without speakingto someone, within the comfort ofyour own home or wherever you wantto. Having said that, our researchshows that people still prefer someform of assistance through that pro-

cess and we have regulated adviserson the end of the phone or on live webchat who can guide people throughand answer any queries.”

Chris said the changes in regu-

“For the average person in the UKaccessing advice is very difficult andthey are left with two choices,” saidChris. “One is to do nothing, which Iwould advocate is not a great idea, or

Fo o d

Top chef puts Bart’s new range ofprofessional spices to kitchen test

Buzz at Clarks Woodafter buying sawmills� TIMBER business Clarks WoodCompany has expanded afterbuying the saw milling division ofBorder Group.

Clarks Wood Company, based inSt Philip’s, can now offer customersa secure source of products straightfrom the group’s own sawmills.

Simon Taylor, from the firm, said:“This is a very exciting acquisitionfor the group, one that we believehas the potential to have a bigimpact on our operations.

“The sawmills’ current financialperformance shows great potentialfor bringing improved earnings,significantly increasing the volumeof material we distribute, improvingour environmental credentials andgiving us a secure supply source offencing and pallet wood products,whilst in addition giving control ofthe quality and product rangep ro d u c e d . ” The mills are in Wales.

Award for inspiringScott letter campaign� MARKETING agency 375 haswon a top award for a campaignthat urged people to write a letter toinspire someone to do somethingamazing.

The Scott100Letters campaignwas to raise the profile of theWildfowl and Wetlands Trust, whichruns the bird sanctuary atSlimbridge. The organisation wasfounded by Sir Peter Scott, son of

Captain Scott who, in his final letterto his wife during his fatal Antarcticexpedition, had asked her to instil intheir children an interest in nature.

Queen Square-based 375, whichspecialises in sustainable brands,has been awarded the Grand Prix atthe 2014 Fresh Awards.

Wildlife television presenter KateHumble, above, posted the 100winning entries from the world’smost southerly post office inA n t a rc t i c a .

Ti m b e r

M a r ket i n g

Special brew Office staff producetheir own beer in the basement

MOST kitchens up and down thecountry will have something in thecupboard from Bristol company BartS p i c e s.

For the past 50 years Bart has beensourcing ingredients from across theglobe and selling a range of productsfrom herbs and spices to exotic Thaicurry pastes, Thai fish sauce andcoconut milk which are loved by bothprofessionals and home cooks alike.

Now the company, which employsabout 200 people, is introducing a newrange of products designed specific-ally for professional chefs, called Rep-er toire.

Chief executive David Collard said:“We are very excited to be intro-ducing Repertoire to our already ex-tensive range of products.

“All of the ingredients are chosenfor their exceptional quality andblended at our premises in Bristolaccording to authentic recipes.

“The range includes herbs andspices from basil to turmeric, but wealso have a range of seasonings in-spired by cuisines around the worldincluding Fajita, Aromatic Thai andRas el Hanout.”

To make sure it has hit the mark,the firm brought in Roux Scholarship

winner and head chef at the HattusaRestaurant in Bristol, Paul O’Neill, totry them out.

Paul took time out of his busykitchen at Berwick Lodge (Bristol) tospend a day in the development kit-chen at Bart Ingredients headquar-ters in Bedminster.

“Ninety-five per cent of great cook-ing is great ingredients,” said Paul.

“I am a firm believer in sourcingthe best ingredients for my menu andit is great to have such a fantasticproducer on my doorstep in Bristol.

“The Repertoire range is a wel-come addition to my larder, I’ll def-initely be using it.”

David added: “Having Paul cookwith the new spices in our devel-opment kitchen was the perfect be-ginning for this range as it broughtthese wonderful ingredients to life bycreating such amazing dishes.”

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Advertising RobertRodgersonCall07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapman

Call 01179 343025Email jane.chapman

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

with 200 staff across offices in SanFrancisco, Vancouver, Oslo, Gren-oble and, of course, Bristol.

He added that the city had provenan “excellent location” for the com-pany thanks to the talented work-force, prompting the firm to investfurther in its base here.

It has already moved to biggerpremises once and expects to have todo the same again next year.

That growth is reflected in thebrewing too.

The first batch was five gallons butstaff numbers have since doubled to45, so the next batch will be 10 gal-lons, or 80 pints.

The only worry is that, if the com-pany keeps growing so fast, willthere be room for the brewing kit?

Revenues continueon healthy trend� DRUGS firm AstraZenecaposted its third consecutivequarter of growing revenues.

The firm employs 250 people ata plant in Avonmouth makingingredients for cholesterollowering drug Crestor and bipolartreatment Seroquel.

While revenues grewfive per cent onthe quarter to£6.5 billion,operatingprofit fell 68per cent to£541million.

Howeverthe firm saidthis was due tosignificantinvestment in itspipeline of products.

Chief executive Pascal Soriot,pictur ed, said: “I’m pleased toreport our third consecutivequarter of revenue growth, drivenby a strong contribution from ourgrowth platforms. Brilinta,respiratory and diabetes, our threecore franchises, increased salesby 38 per cent in the quarter,supported by continued selectiveallocation of sales and marketingre s o u rc e s . ”

The firm fought off a takeoverbid by US pharmaceuticals giantPfizer earlier this year.

P h a r m a ce u t i c a l s

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

C o n st r u c t i o n

More in-house trainingto beat skill shortagesA CONSTRUCTION firm believes itis sidestepping looming industry la-bour shortages by expanding its ownsuccessful in-house training pro-g ramme.

Pilning-based Helm Constructionis already bringing forward the nextgeneration of apprentices ratherthan recruiting from a rapidlydwindling labour pool or relying ons u b - c o n t r a c t o r s.

The faster than expected recoveryhas resulted in a shortage of trainedconstruction workers – with thenumber of bricklayers out of work

falling to just 1,775 in August from apeak of 15,425 back in 2009.

Site manager Kim Ritchings said:“Many firms abandoned their train-ing schemes and laid off their ap-prentices to save costs during thedownturn – which is one reason whyso many companies are struggling tofind properly trained staff now.

“We recognised the recoverywould begin in the construction sec-tor and were determined to ensurewe were fully prepared to meet thesteep increase in demand.”

The firm has just offered two new

apprenticeships to James Fox andLee Nicholls, while Kim, StuartRawlings and Scott Reeves have beenon CITB training courses to speedtheir progress through the ranks.

Kim said: “We have a strong recordof bringing on and promoting our

apprentices, secure in the know-ledge they have done things our wayfrom day one. Scott Reeves workedhis way up through the ranks to siteforeman after starting as an appren-tice during the recession.”

Recent figures showed the UK con-struction industry shed upwards of400,000 workers during the down-tur n.

Kim said: “We took the decisionfive years ago to invest in a com-prehensive apprenticeship pro-gramme in order to train the nextgeneration of bricklayers, car-penters and electricians and this iscertainly paying dividends for usn ow. ”

move to DIY investing solutions.”As a financial adviser by back-

ground – he recently ran AshcourtRowan, a London-based firm of in-dependent advisers – Chris said ad-vice is in his DNA. And he isconfident there is a market for it.

He said: “We believe about 22 mil-lion people in the UK are investing ontheir own through a DIY platform.Probably half – t h at ’s 11 million – ofthem are only really doing this be-cause they can’t get proper advice.

“It seems ludicrous that the abilityto access advice depends on howmuch money you have got.”

Wealth Horizon’s typical customerwill have £20,000-£100,000 to invest.Chris said they can keep costs downby being digital focussed and nothaving a network of advisers trav-elling with country with travel ex-penses and sales bonuses to pay.

The firm makes its money from a0.25 per cent fee for the initial set up,then an ongoing 0.75 per cent annualfee to manage the portfolio.

Chris believes this makes themcompetition with their DIY compet-itors but with the added service ofregulated advice.

The firm employs about 10 people,as well as using outside digital andcreative experts, but plans to grow.

“The demand side has never beeng reater,” he said. “With the changesto pension legislation next year,everything is moving to stage wherepeople need and want these types ofservices which no one else is provid-ing. We’re filling a gap in the mar-ke t . ”

Chris grew up in and lives in NorthSomerset so he plans to keep the firmin Bristol, however big it grows. It’sbased in an office at the Harbourside.He doesn’t have to look far for in-spiration as to how big a Bristolinvestment business can become.

Chris Williams

“ Someone can log ontoour site and within 20-30

minutes they can havean investment proposal

we have vetted andchecked to be suitable.

lation had made financial advicemore costly to provide, pushingbanks out of the market while advicespecialists shift focus to the wealthywith at least £100,000 to invest.

� Chris Williams, founder of Wealth Horizon, a new online financial advice service

� Paul O’Neill, head chef atBerwick Lodge hotel’sHattusa Restaurant inBristol, tries out the Bartspices range

� Staff at ForgeRockwith a batch of theirhome brew beer,brewed in thebasementPic: DaveBetts

� James Fox and LeeNicholls, who have beenoffered apprenticeshipsHelm Construction

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4 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Rapid rise Fro mfiling clerk tothe boardroom

Soul trader T-shirts designed tocelebrate your ‘inner temple’

IT’S often said that fashion goesround in cycles, but one up andcoming designer has gone a littlefurther back than 70s flairs or80s shoulder pads for his inspir-

at i o n .Samuel Witts has taken inspiration

for his latest designs from WilliamMorris, the textiles designer who pi-oneered the Arts and Crafts move-ment in the late 1800s.

The 30-year-old has been designingT-shirts, album covers, flyers andskateboards for local businesses formore than a decade but now he’s goneinto business for himself.

Working with entrepreneurCharlie Tupman, they have formedHidden Temple clothing brand.

After proving a hit on the festivalcircuit, the range has just beenlaunched in Natives store in UnionS t re e t .

While T-shirts often carry politicalmessages, the pair wanted theirdesigns to be about looking good.

Charlie, 29, said: “We really wantedto get away from the idea that yourT-shirt defines your culture and in-stead try and produce things thatpeople just love to wear.

“Each one of our hand tie-dyedT-shirts or crop tops is unique and wewant people to feel that when they putit on.”

While discount stores sell T-shirtsfor next to nothing, the HiddenTemple founders are counting onpeople being prepared to invest inquality and originality.

They say they have opted to pro-duce higher quality garments than

are often found on starting streetware labels.

Their T-shirts are exclusively prin-ted on American Apparel trackshir ts.

Their winter collection includeshoodies and jumpers from Contin-ental Clothing with new designs anda range of colour beanies sporting theHidden Temple brand.

The firm also ships internationallyand is in preliminary talks with out-lets in Thailand and the US.

Sam said his designs were basedmore on form than fashion.

“A lot of my designs are influencedby the strong sense of geometry andpattern found in the wonderful worksof the late William Morris and MCE s h e r, ” he said.

NEXT time you read a story on a newswebsite saying that one in three menpluck their eyebrows – or some othereye catching survey claim – it couldbe a Bristol company behind it.

From its offices in Abbey Wood, 72Point works with the PR industry toget news coverage for their clients,often using quirky surveys to grabthe headlines.

Now the company is expanding tothe US where it will be taking on themight of BuzzFeed, which makesmoney using the same kind of contentoften provided and sponsored byb r a n d s.

The Bristol firm is launching arange of content-led marketing andsocial media products in the USwhich it says will rival those offeredby BuzzFeed.

Founder and group chief executiveJohn Sewell said: “We create enga-ging survey-led news that is pub-lished by multiple publishers bothhere in the UK and the US, includingleading news sites like the MailOn-l i n e.

“We then amplify our success viasocial media and content syndica-tion, and guarantee that the story willreceive over one million views via

social media.“This means we give our clients the

‘BuzzFeed effect’ several times overfor much less money.

“Because we achieve coverage withour news content on multiple onlineplatforms, we can engage with amuch wider demographic thanBuzzfeed where the focus is mainlyon fun, light stories and surveys.”

The company works with morethan 80 per cent of the top UK PRagencies helping them get sur-vey-based news coverage for theircl i e n t s.

It owns OnePoll, an online researchbusiness, which means it can carryout all activities in-house, from ideageneration to fast-turnaround onlineresearch, infographic design and di-gital and social media outreach.

The New York office is its firstinternational base, 12 years after thefirm was founded in Bristol.

News service looks to grab headlines in the US

Label salutes troopsof First World War� A DESIGN agency has createda limited edition beer label to markthe 100th anniversary of the startof the First World War.

Last year Dirty Design, based inPark Street, created awardwinning packaging for TheChiltern Brewery’s Ruby Ale tocelebrate 40 years of CAMRA’sGood Beer Guide.

Writer and editor of CAMRA’sGood Beer Guide, Roger Protzsuggestedbrewing aFlanders Alewith TheChilter nB re w e r yto markthecentenaryand theclosebrewing linksbetweenBelgium and Britain.

Martin Brewer, account directorat Dirty Design, says: “We drewupon cues from the periodfeatures of Belgian architecture, tocreate an ornate Art Nouveauinspired design, which capturesthe spirit of the time and securesits deserved premium positioningon shelf.”

Chiltern head brewer TomJenkinson added: “We hopeFlanders Pale Ale will be a fittingmemorial to the spirit and braveryof the soldiers of 1914 and acelebration of this wonderful beerstyle and the many links betweenthe Belgian and British brewers.”

BeerCorking idea to givewater aid to needy� A NEW business is hoping toreverse the Bible story and turnwine into water.

Founded by entrepreneur ChrisColes from Blagdon, VIN2O is anonline business offeringwine-lovers the chance to buywines from independent producerswho are passionateabout theirp ro d u c t s ,consider theirimpact on thee n v i ro n m e n tand areethical intheiroperations.

Thebusinessoperates as asocial enterprise andthe profits are used to provideclean water projects charity PumpAid.

Chris said: “Food and drink is anindustry I am interested in andalways have been, coming from afamily of farmers, fishermen andfood educators and having workedon new product launches before. Iwanted to use my knowledge andlove of wines and turn this into abusiness and charity venture.

“VIN2O is based on a reallysimple idea. We turn great wineinto clean water for people whoneed it most.

“Wine-lovers can enjoy theselections of wine delivered tothem while raising money for afantastic cause.”

“I try to ascribe similar shapes andforms to our own Hidden Templeethos. Hidden Temple means that weare all temples and we all have as-pects of our soul that are sometimeshidden and should be brought outand shared.

“We use the peacock on our designsto resemble the soul inner within ourt e m p l e. ”

Conference to markWorld Usability Day� USER experience professionalsfrom Amazon and NationwideBuilding Society are among theluminaries sharing the secrets ofdigital success at CollaborateBristol today.

The one day conference, aims toinspire and develop collaborationin Bristol’s creative industries;helping and encouragingbusinesses to discover theuntapped benefits of digital.

The event, which is being heldon November 12 at St George’swill cover topics from the devil inthe detail to “making things totesemosh and dead amaze to engagemillenials”.

Now in its second year,Collaborate Bristol is a UX, IA anddesign conference in celebrationof World Usability Day, run bystrategic digital design agencyNomensa.

The firm’s chief executive SimonNorris said: “The shift into a newphase of ‘digital’ is well known todesigners and technologists - fromBig Data, The Internet of Things toCloud Computing, data carried viadigital is more pervasive than ever.

“We are seeing more and moreorganisations looking to gobeyond a great website or mobileexperience, wanting to transformtheir business to take a truly digitalfirst approach.

“At Collaborate Bristol delegateswill be able to hear more abouttaking a digital-first methodologyand how collaboration is key tothriving in the digital society weare living in.”

Speakers at the event includeNick Finck of Amazon webservices and Dan Healy userexperience consultant forNationwide Building Society.

Fuel savings prompt recordorder to supply 50 vehicles

I n s u ra n ce

Transpor t

Media

Collaborate Bristol

Wi n eFa s h i o n

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

WHEN James Woollamfirst walked into the of-fices of insurancebroker Hayes Parsonsin 2004, he was there to

do a bit filing.Now he’s the managing director. He

had family ties to the firm as his dadBernard had been a director but hedied two years before James joined.

“They needed someone to come inand do a little bit of administrativewo rk , ” he said. “I think it came from aconversation with my mother. Shethought I should be doing somethingother than going abroad and avoidingwork so she volunteered me.

“I planned to come in for threeweeks to save some money but I reallyenjoyed it so I took a three-monthcontract.”

A full-time job followed, starting atthe bottom, and by 2010, James wasMD. Since then the company hasmade some big changes.

“We had a look at the market and it

was clear you’re either getting big orbeing really good in specialist areas,”said James, now 33. The firm madethe decision to specialise in educa-tion and charity; marine trade; tech-nology; real estate; and Bristol.

“There aren’t many true independ-ent brokers left,” he said. “Bristol hasan independent spirit. We have anindependent mayor, Gloucester Roadhas one of the largest rows of in-dependent shops in Europe. We wantto become the broker for Bristol’sindependent businesses.”

Some business owners will chooseto go directly to insurers assumingthey’ll get a cheaper deal. But Jamesbelieves the broker’s knowledgemeans that’s not generally the case,and they should also consider the costof their time. The firm handlesclaims, for example, which can be ahuge burden on a business owner.

The company takes on at least onetrainee or apprentice each year andJames is keen to change the per-ception of the industry.

He said: “I’ve yet to meet anyone inthe insurance field who sat at schoolthinking ‘I want to be in insurancewhen I grow up’. It’s a bugbear ofmine. People want to be lawyers and

accountants but being an insurancebroker is not yet a professional vo-cation in the way it should be.

“Yet we could be insuring £100 mil-lion of assets, if we get somethingwrong on a contract and it’s notcovered the implications could endyour business. I would love to get to asituation where insurance broking isseen in that light.”

He encourages everyone at the firm

to work towards exam qualifications,even though they are not compulsory.It’s part of ensuring the future for thefirm, which is 50 years old this year.

It’s a future the firm is looking atwith confidence. It has moved to newoffices in Colston Tower, with room togrow, and has a new website andbranding. In 2009 revenue was £1.1million but this year will be £1.65million. Not bad for a filing temp.

#GETEXPORTING: PAGES 8&9

� John Sewell,founder and groupchief executive of72 Point

� Some of the T-shirt designs

A COMMERCIAL dealership has won a re-cord breaking contract to supply 50 vehiclesto one company.

Avonmouth-based Mercedes-Benz dealerCity West Commercials won the order fromSomerset family firm Hopkins Concrete.

Dealer principal Graeson Clarke said: “T hesigning of the deal with Hopkins Concrete is asignificant development for the constructionindustry in the South West.

“We are delighted that Hopkins Concreteare reaping the benefits of the new Arocsrange and we look forward to further sup-porting their business growth.”

The buyer, which supplies readymix con-crete and aggregates, and provides muck-away and concrete pumping servicesthroughout the South West, placed the bigorder after seeing an improvement in fuelefficiency and payload from an initial smallerorder of four trucks.

Most of the trucks ordered will be Arocs 8x4rigids with S day cabs and 290 kW (394 hp)Euro VI engines. It’s a record order for therang e.

Of these, 25 will be Arocs 3240B models withlightweight Hymix mixer drums, and 20 willbe 3240K tipper chassis fitted with steel muck-away bodies by Abba Commercials. The re-maining five vehicles will be Arocs 2545tractor units with StreamSpace cabs, 330 kW(449 hp) engines and mid-lift axles.

Ben Legg, operations manager at the Win-canton-based firm, said: “We ’ve seen a re-markable improvement in economy from theArocs. In some cases they’re as much as amile-and-a-half per gallon ahead of our es-tablished vehicles.

“Due to the nature of our work, we do nothave the luxury of motorway trunking and,spending a lot of time on hills and countrylanes, it is rare that we achieve the highest

fuel figures. But the Arocs are typically re-turning eight mpg and sometimes a littlemore on exactly the same runs where we werepreviously getting 6.5-7 mpg.

“An improvement of that magnitude, if rep-licated across the entire fleet, is worth a lot ofmoney to the business. What’s more, our newMercedes-Benz vehicles are not even fully runin yet; we should start to see the optimum fuelperformance once they have 30-40,000 mileson their clocks.”

An added attraction was that City WestCommercials will be inspecting and servicingthe new trucks during the evenings, a newservice the business recently introduced.

� Graeson Clarke

� James Woollam of Hayes Parsons Pic: Dan Regan

BusinessGuide

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Coming soon in January 2015

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www.westerndailypress.co.ukprint • online • mobile

REACHING THEREGION’S BUSINESS

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4 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Rapid rise Fro mfiling clerk tothe boardroom

Soul trader T-shirts designed tocelebrate your ‘inner temple’

IT’S often said that fashion goesround in cycles, but one up andcoming designer has gone a littlefurther back than 70s flairs or80s shoulder pads for his inspir-

at i o n .Samuel Witts has taken inspiration

for his latest designs from WilliamMorris, the textiles designer who pi-oneered the Arts and Crafts move-ment in the late 1800s.

The 30-year-old has been designingT-shirts, album covers, flyers andskateboards for local businesses formore than a decade but now he’s goneinto business for himself.

Working with entrepreneurCharlie Tupman, they have formedHidden Temple clothing brand.

After proving a hit on the festivalcircuit, the range has just beenlaunched in Natives store in UnionS t re e t .

While T-shirts often carry politicalmessages, the pair wanted theirdesigns to be about looking good.

Charlie, 29, said: “We really wantedto get away from the idea that yourT-shirt defines your culture and in-stead try and produce things thatpeople just love to wear.

“Each one of our hand tie-dyedT-shirts or crop tops is unique and wewant people to feel that when they putit on.”

While discount stores sell T-shirtsfor next to nothing, the HiddenTemple founders are counting onpeople being prepared to invest inquality and originality.

They say they have opted to pro-duce higher quality garments than

are often found on starting streetware labels.

Their T-shirts are exclusively prin-ted on American Apparel trackshir ts.

Their winter collection includeshoodies and jumpers from Contin-ental Clothing with new designs anda range of colour beanies sporting theHidden Temple brand.

The firm also ships internationallyand is in preliminary talks with out-lets in Thailand and the US.

Sam said his designs were basedmore on form than fashion.

“A lot of my designs are influencedby the strong sense of geometry andpattern found in the wonderful worksof the late William Morris and MCE s h e r, ” he said.

NEXT time you read a story on a newswebsite saying that one in three menpluck their eyebrows – or some othereye catching survey claim – it couldbe a Bristol company behind it.

From its offices in Abbey Wood, 72Point works with the PR industry toget news coverage for their clients,often using quirky surveys to grabthe headlines.

Now the company is expanding tothe US where it will be taking on themight of BuzzFeed, which makesmoney using the same kind of contentoften provided and sponsored byb r a n d s.

The Bristol firm is launching arange of content-led marketing andsocial media products in the USwhich it says will rival those offeredby BuzzFeed.

Founder and group chief executiveJohn Sewell said: “We create enga-ging survey-led news that is pub-lished by multiple publishers bothhere in the UK and the US, includingleading news sites like the MailOn-l i n e.

“We then amplify our success viasocial media and content syndica-tion, and guarantee that the story willreceive over one million views via

social media.“This means we give our clients the

‘BuzzFeed effect’ several times overfor much less money.

“Because we achieve coverage withour news content on multiple onlineplatforms, we can engage with amuch wider demographic thanBuzzfeed where the focus is mainlyon fun, light stories and surveys.”

The company works with morethan 80 per cent of the top UK PRagencies helping them get sur-vey-based news coverage for theircl i e n t s.

It owns OnePoll, an online researchbusiness, which means it can carryout all activities in-house, from ideageneration to fast-turnaround onlineresearch, infographic design and di-gital and social media outreach.

The New York office is its firstinternational base, 12 years after thefirm was founded in Bristol.

News service looks to grab headlines in the US

Label salutes troopsof First World War� A DESIGN agency has createda limited edition beer label to markthe 100th anniversary of the startof the First World War.

Last year Dirty Design, based inPark Street, created awardwinning packaging for TheChiltern Brewery’s Ruby Ale tocelebrate 40 years of CAMRA’sGood Beer Guide.

Writer and editor of CAMRA’sGood Beer Guide, Roger Protzsuggestedbrewing aFlanders Alewith TheChilter nB re w e r yto markthecentenaryand theclosebrewing linksbetweenBelgium and Britain.

Martin Brewer, account directorat Dirty Design, says: “We drewupon cues from the periodfeatures of Belgian architecture, tocreate an ornate Art Nouveauinspired design, which capturesthe spirit of the time and securesits deserved premium positioningon shelf.”

Chiltern head brewer TomJenkinson added: “We hopeFlanders Pale Ale will be a fittingmemorial to the spirit and braveryof the soldiers of 1914 and acelebration of this wonderful beerstyle and the many links betweenthe Belgian and British brewers.”

BeerCorking idea to givewater aid to needy� A NEW business is hoping toreverse the Bible story and turnwine into water.

Founded by entrepreneur ChrisColes from Blagdon, VIN2O is anonline business offeringwine-lovers the chance to buywines from independent producerswho are passionateabout theirp ro d u c t s ,consider theirimpact on thee n v i ro n m e n tand areethical intheiroperations.

Thebusinessoperates as asocial enterprise andthe profits are used to provideclean water projects charity PumpAid.

Chris said: “Food and drink is anindustry I am interested in andalways have been, coming from afamily of farmers, fishermen andfood educators and having workedon new product launches before. Iwanted to use my knowledge andlove of wines and turn this into abusiness and charity venture.

“VIN2O is based on a reallysimple idea. We turn great wineinto clean water for people whoneed it most.

“Wine-lovers can enjoy theselections of wine delivered tothem while raising money for afantastic cause.”

“I try to ascribe similar shapes andforms to our own Hidden Templeethos. Hidden Temple means that weare all temples and we all have as-pects of our soul that are sometimeshidden and should be brought outand shared.

“We use the peacock on our designsto resemble the soul inner within ourt e m p l e. ”

Conference to markWorld Usability Day� USER experience professionalsfrom Amazon and NationwideBuilding Society are among theluminaries sharing the secrets ofdigital success at CollaborateBristol today.

The one day conference, aims toinspire and develop collaborationin Bristol’s creative industries;helping and encouragingbusinesses to discover theuntapped benefits of digital.

The event, which is being heldon November 12 at St George’swill cover topics from the devil inthe detail to “making things totesemosh and dead amaze to engagemillenials”.

Now in its second year,Collaborate Bristol is a UX, IA anddesign conference in celebrationof World Usability Day, run bystrategic digital design agencyNomensa.

The firm’s chief executive SimonNorris said: “The shift into a newphase of ‘digital’ is well known todesigners and technologists - fromBig Data, The Internet of Things toCloud Computing, data carried viadigital is more pervasive than ever.

“We are seeing more and moreorganisations looking to gobeyond a great website or mobileexperience, wanting to transformtheir business to take a truly digitalfirst approach.

“At Collaborate Bristol delegateswill be able to hear more abouttaking a digital-first methodologyand how collaboration is key tothriving in the digital society weare living in.”

Speakers at the event includeNick Finck of Amazon webservices and Dan Healy userexperience consultant forNationwide Building Society.

Fuel savings prompt recordorder to supply 50 vehicles

I n s u ra n ce

Transpor t

Media

Collaborate Bristol

Wi n eFa s h i o n

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

WHEN James Woollamfirst walked into the of-fices of insurancebroker Hayes Parsonsin 2004, he was there to

do a bit filing.Now he’s the managing director. He

had family ties to the firm as his dadBernard had been a director but hedied two years before James joined.

“They needed someone to come inand do a little bit of administrativewo rk , ” he said. “I think it came from aconversation with my mother. Shethought I should be doing somethingother than going abroad and avoidingwork so she volunteered me.

“I planned to come in for threeweeks to save some money but I reallyenjoyed it so I took a three-monthcontract.”

A full-time job followed, starting atthe bottom, and by 2010, James wasMD. Since then the company hasmade some big changes.

“We had a look at the market and it

was clear you’re either getting big orbeing really good in specialist areas,”said James, now 33. The firm madethe decision to specialise in educa-tion and charity; marine trade; tech-nology; real estate; and Bristol.

“There aren’t many true independ-ent brokers left,” he said. “Bristol hasan independent spirit. We have anindependent mayor, Gloucester Roadhas one of the largest rows of in-dependent shops in Europe. We wantto become the broker for Bristol’sindependent businesses.”

Some business owners will chooseto go directly to insurers assumingthey’ll get a cheaper deal. But Jamesbelieves the broker’s knowledgemeans that’s not generally the case,and they should also consider the costof their time. The firm handlesclaims, for example, which can be ahuge burden on a business owner.

The company takes on at least onetrainee or apprentice each year andJames is keen to change the per-ception of the industry.

He said: “I’ve yet to meet anyone inthe insurance field who sat at schoolthinking ‘I want to be in insurancewhen I grow up’. It’s a bugbear ofmine. People want to be lawyers and

accountants but being an insurancebroker is not yet a professional vo-cation in the way it should be.

“Yet we could be insuring £100 mil-lion of assets, if we get somethingwrong on a contract and it’s notcovered the implications could endyour business. I would love to get to asituation where insurance broking isseen in that light.”

He encourages everyone at the firm

to work towards exam qualifications,even though they are not compulsory.It’s part of ensuring the future for thefirm, which is 50 years old this year.

It’s a future the firm is looking atwith confidence. It has moved to newoffices in Colston Tower, with room togrow, and has a new website andbranding. In 2009 revenue was £1.1million but this year will be £1.65million. Not bad for a filing temp.

#GETEXPORTING: PAGES 8&9

� John Sewell,founder and groupchief executive of72 Point

� Some of the T-shirt designs

A COMMERCIAL dealership has won a re-cord breaking contract to supply 50 vehiclesto one company.

Avonmouth-based Mercedes-Benz dealerCity West Commercials won the order fromSomerset family firm Hopkins Concrete.

Dealer principal Graeson Clarke said: “T hesigning of the deal with Hopkins Concrete is asignificant development for the constructionindustry in the South West.

“We are delighted that Hopkins Concreteare reaping the benefits of the new Arocsrange and we look forward to further sup-porting their business growth.”

The buyer, which supplies readymix con-crete and aggregates, and provides muck-away and concrete pumping servicesthroughout the South West, placed the bigorder after seeing an improvement in fuelefficiency and payload from an initial smallerorder of four trucks.

Most of the trucks ordered will be Arocs 8x4rigids with S day cabs and 290 kW (394 hp)Euro VI engines. It’s a record order for therang e.

Of these, 25 will be Arocs 3240B models withlightweight Hymix mixer drums, and 20 willbe 3240K tipper chassis fitted with steel muck-away bodies by Abba Commercials. The re-maining five vehicles will be Arocs 2545tractor units with StreamSpace cabs, 330 kW(449 hp) engines and mid-lift axles.

Ben Legg, operations manager at the Win-canton-based firm, said: “We ’ve seen a re-markable improvement in economy from theArocs. In some cases they’re as much as amile-and-a-half per gallon ahead of our es-tablished vehicles.

“Due to the nature of our work, we do nothave the luxury of motorway trunking and,spending a lot of time on hills and countrylanes, it is rare that we achieve the highest

fuel figures. But the Arocs are typically re-turning eight mpg and sometimes a littlemore on exactly the same runs where we werepreviously getting 6.5-7 mpg.

“An improvement of that magnitude, if rep-licated across the entire fleet, is worth a lot ofmoney to the business. What’s more, our newMercedes-Benz vehicles are not even fully runin yet; we should start to see the optimum fuelperformance once they have 30-40,000 mileson their clocks.”

An added attraction was that City WestCommercials will be inspecting and servicingthe new trucks during the evenings, a newservice the business recently introduced.

� Graeson Clarke

� James Woollam of Hayes Parsons Pic: Dan Regan

BusinessGuide

Showcase your business in the

Coming soon in January 2015

FIND OUT MORE 0117 934 3025

www.westerndailypress.co.ukprint • online • mobile

REACHING THEREGION’S BUSINESS

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

S3

6 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

B R I S T O L’S entrepreneurs need tax breaks tohelp their companies grow, according to one ofthe city’s leading professional services firms.

Mike Lea, p i c t u re d , managing partner at theBristol office of Smith & Williamson, saidthe city was leading the way but striv-ing businesses needed more help.

He said: “The increasingly en-trepreneurial culture in the Westof England and across the UK hasthe potential to bring huge be-nefits to our society but we need todo more to incentivise business.

“This includes a more favour-able tax regime for entrepreneursand start-ups as well as tax breaks forestablished companies looking to investin, mentor or support entrepreneurs andtheir new ventures.

“This is one of the reasons why we are urgingVince Cable to bring back the Corporate Ven-turing Scheme, which proved to be the right toolbut at the wrong time.”

The scheme was aimed at companies con-sidering direct investment in earlier stage,higher-risk businesses, and provided tax in-centives for corporate equity investment. The

aim was to increase the availability ofventure capital and foster wider cor-

porate venturing relationshipsbetween otherwise unconnectedc o m p a n i e s.

Smith & Williamson has pub-lished a report titled UnleashingBritish Business, which putsforward a number of measures,

i n cl u d i n g :� More family-friendly tax

policies;� Reintroduce a small company tax

r at e ;� Remove costly red tape that puts SMEs andself-employed off recruiting;� More investment in digital, housing andtransport infrastructure both inside and out-side major UK cities such as Bristol.

We need to give tax breaksto our start-up companies

The Big Interview

Deborah Waddell has a passion for walking, whichis handy as her role as regional director of the CBImeans she’ll be wearing out the shoe leathermeeting businesses in the towns, cities and ruralcommunities of the South West. Gavin Thomsponcatches up with her in Bristol.

BUSINESS needs to talk aboutunpopular issues. Generallyspeaking, business ownersare more pro-European thanmost and more supportive of

immigration too.But some businesses are afraid to

talk about it. That’s where an or-ganisation such as the CBI comes in.

Deborah Waddell recently steppedup to become South West regionaldirector of the CBI, or Confederationof British Industry. With a growingeconomy, it might seem like an easiertime to take on such a role, but De-borah has a lot of her plate. Startingwith some of those unpopular is-s u e s.

On Europe, she says there is a“massive job” to have a more in-formed debate. “I think the businesscommunity, whether its the CBI orindividual companies, have to starthaving that sensible debate onE u ro p e, ” she said.

“Forty-five per cent of our exports

‘IT’S TIME WE HAD A SENSIBLE DEBATE ON EUROPE‘

are to the EU – t h at ’s huge amount ofwhat we do and where we make ourm o n e y.

“Success in business is aroundgrasping opportunities and we’ve gotto stop pretending that retreat fromEurope is sensible or possible in thisglobal economy.”

She said business leaders and own-ers recognised that. Eight out of 10member of CBI voted to stay in re-formed EU a year ago, and in South

West that was even higher.But while the bosses grasp that,

what those who work for them, theengineers, designers, labourers?

“We need to talk about how wecommunicate that amongst the work-force not just senior management,”said Deborah.

One of the key principles of theEuropean Union, and one that hasbeen controversial of late, is freedomof movement. It’s a debate that busi-ness is losing, but Deborah feels itn e e d n’t be that way.

“The openness of trade and thefreedom of movement of goods andhumans is quite essentially British,”she said. “We ’ve always been a trad-ing nation. It’s not just big businesseither, 55 per cent medium sizedfirms in our survey said that was apositive. You’ve got companies suchas Wyke Farm selling cheese to theFrench, that’s pretty impressive.”

She said: “We do have to acknow-ledge there is a toxic-ness around thatdebate and tackle it head on. Im-migration in 2005, two thirds of theBritish population was in favour offreedom of movement, in 2013 2/3 ofthe British population was against it.We can’t ignore that.”

So how can the CBI change it?“We need to talk about the benefits

skilled workers bring to the eco-n o my, ” she said. “British workers doit too, my sister works in Germany,she’s over there taking their jobs!That freedom of movement is a reas-on a number of companies say theyinvest in Britain, particularly aroundfinancial services.”

Surely with a sluggish Eurozone,businesses should be looking outsideof Europe to grow their exports?

“Ye s, ” agrees Deborah, “We havegot to look further.” But she saysbeing part of the EU is important fort h at .

“We ’re looking at the moment isTTIP (Transatlantic Trade Invest-ment Partnership) looking at freetrade between Europe and America.

“I met South West firm make softfurnishings. They have to set fire totheir products to see how they burn tocomply with fire regulations.

“Because they are starting to tradein America, they have to do the samefor the America because fire reg-ulations are slightly different.

“Yo u ’ve got an SME starting totrade in America that is having to setfire to £60,000 of products every year.If we could have the same regulationbetween Europe and America, theywould only have to set fire to £30,000worth of products. For that company,t h at ’s one job. That’s a real job.

“Would America be dealing withBritain on that basis? Not until it hasdealt with Europe because that’s amuch bigger customer. So we need tobe at the table when those inter-national trade deals are being made.The same for Japan, we are looking attreaties on a European basis.

“T hat’s where thinking retreat ispossible is wrong, we have to be sens-ible. We have to be at the table andleading that debate.”

The CBI isn’t blind to Europe’s

My working day

Vital statisticsName: Deborah WaddellAge: 37Bor n: Newcastle but movedaround with a “hobo” childhoodFirst job: Worked in plasticsfactory packing ice creamcontainers before they had icecream in them in old miningtown in Derbyshire, It was a longhot summer.C a re e r : Ran an educationcharity working with businessesthat went from being 100 percent grant funded to zero with72 hours notice. Grew thebusiness from £400,000 when Istart to seven figure turnoverwhen left at the start of this year.Inspiration: This sounds terriblyclichéd, but my mum. I’m thefirst generation that went touniversity, my mum left schooland trained to be a nurse andworked her way up andeventually ended up beingprofessor of midwifery andbecome one of the mostinfluential midwifes in the world.She wrote the standard textbookfor midwifery. the Myles textbook. She’s somebody whowent into a vocation andsucceeded and is also so nice -she never has a nasty word tosay about someone.

Typical day: Meeting members, finding out what’s working or not, whatthey would like me to do for them. Talking to people the media. Irecently had the honour introducing Steve Varley at DistinguishedExecutive Address (pictured above). I’m humbled by how fortunate Iam to do this and job and the access that I get and companies I get tosee. The CBI badge carries a lot of trust and it’s one I’m proud to wear.Mainly split my time between Exeter and Bristol, probably in Bristol twoto three days, a week. Living in Devon, that means I see a lot of hotels.

failings, however. “We don’t think theEuropean project is perfect,” shesaid. “We need to get bureaucracydown and we need to say where andhow, we need to focus on trade ele-ment and not mission creep intoother areas of life.

“And we need to have an honestdebate. Some of the upset and anxietyis often around things that can becontrolled by the British Govern-ment, for example social security.There is no European social securitysystem, if we are unhappy with thebenefits system for people cominghere to work, that is within our con-trol. We have to be careful not toblame Europe for everything.”

Deborah spends around two to

three days a week in Bristol, and therest of her time in Exeter and else-where. Much of her time is takenmeeting and talking to local busi-n e s s e s.

Those businesses are pretty pos-itive right now, though there are chal-leng es.

“We are not just seeing greenshoots, we are seeing positive sus-tained growth,” she said. “But we stillhave a massive deficit of £68 billion soit’s going to go away. We’ve got weakEurozone, we want Europe to bestrong so they can buy our stuff.Sterling is increasingly strong whichis not good for exports. The servicesector is doing really well which isfantastic for places like Bristol.

“Where we are lagging behind andwant to see much more activity ismanufacturing and construction.

“The deficit has got to be a priorityfor which government in May and weare going to have to see some difficultdecisions about where we spend ourcash.”

But the CBI believes business needssome of the limited budget to be spenton infrastructure.

“One of our biggest concerns at theCBI is that infrastructure is in thehands of the politicians and that in-frastructure is so critical it can’t be-come a political football,” saidDeborah. “We would like to see anindependent body which would take astrategic view on infrastructure pro-

Deborah Waddell

“ Forty-five per cent ofour exports are to theEU. Success in businessis around graspingopportunities and we’vegot to stop pretendingthat retreat from Europeis sensible or possible

My downtimeTime off: Myfavourite activity iswalking. We live inSouth West and itis a fantastic placeto live. I loveDartmoor, Exmoor,Somerset. I get togo to London once amonth for work sotake the opportunity togo to see music, I’m anenthusiastic but not expert classic musicfan. I like cooking, which seems to benational pastime, but I can’t bake.

jects for 25-30 years. That would stop politi-cians ducking the question and it wouldprovide continuity between elections.”

One area Deborah has seen a change is thatmore businesses are working together. A goodexample is South Gloucestershire packagingfirm Smurfit Kappa and food producerT u l i p.

“They have invested in joint member of staffso that they both have the deep understandingof packaging process, the products and thec o n s u m e r, ” she said. “It’s interesting to seetwo companies investing to share that in-telligence. Where we see that kind of longterm strategic investment we need to en-courage it and support the government to findways to do that.”

Some people see the CBI as for big business,but Deborah says they speak for smaller firmstoo – particularly the medium sized man-ufacturers. While an organisation such asBusiness West has large numbers of staffdelivering services such as export help tocompanies, the CBI’s focus is on influence,employing a team of 150 policy experts.

“Our job to listen, lobby and get results,”said Deborah. “We don’t just lobby butprovide a vehicle for companies to do itthemselves. When we brought Ed Balls toBristol for a round table, he knew we arefollowing up on what he says. When we hadthe Treasury down, it’s giving business accessto have a voice.

“There are also really interesting network-

ing opportunities. We had a round table with aminister on defence supply chains. We had amedium-sized company from Bristol area sit-ting at table with the chief executive ofRolls-Royce. That’s a phenomenal networkingoppor tunity.”

Whether it’s big or small companies, theissues are often the same.

“The topics that come up every time aretalent – skills shortages – and infrastructure,whether digital and transport system,” saidDeborah. Plenty of work still to do, then.

E n t re p re n e u rs

BUSINESS owners and entrepreneurs are beingoffered a chance to meet experts from a se-lection of private equity firms and professionaladvisers to demystify the process.

Accountancy and investment managementgroup, Smith & Williamson, is holding an InsidePrivate Equity event at its offices in PortwallLane, Bristol on Tuesday, November 25, fea-turing a range of experts, including GrowthCapital Partners, Business Growth Fund, LDC,Mobeus Equity Partners, Chelverton AssetManagement and Vistage.

Smith & Williamson’s partner David Ropert

said: “For many entrepreneurs and businessowners, the world of private equity is extremelycomplicated. Few understand what it is, who theinvestors are, how it works and whether it issuitable for their business.

“This event is a rare opportunity to hear froma selection of leading private equity firms andprofessional advisers, to interrogate the pro-cess and consider the options for financinggrowth, succession or exit.”

To book contact Rebecca Walford on 01173762067 or rebecca.walford@smith.williams o n . c o. u k p l a c e.

Find out if private equity is right for your business growth

Part of the Local World group

Whether your conference is on a small or large scaleour expert knowledge will give you a professionaland stress free event by providing you with theright presentation equipment, lighting and sound.

Audience Response

Presentation Production

Video Presentation

Staging your Conferencedoesn’t have to cost a fortune...

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

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6 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

B R I S T O L’S entrepreneurs need tax breaks tohelp their companies grow, according to one ofthe city’s leading professional services firms.

Mike Lea, p i c t u re d , managing partner at theBristol office of Smith & Williamson, saidthe city was leading the way but striv-ing businesses needed more help.

He said: “The increasingly en-trepreneurial culture in the Westof England and across the UK hasthe potential to bring huge be-nefits to our society but we need todo more to incentivise business.

“This includes a more favour-able tax regime for entrepreneursand start-ups as well as tax breaks forestablished companies looking to investin, mentor or support entrepreneurs andtheir new ventures.

“This is one of the reasons why we are urgingVince Cable to bring back the Corporate Ven-turing Scheme, which proved to be the right toolbut at the wrong time.”

The scheme was aimed at companies con-sidering direct investment in earlier stage,higher-risk businesses, and provided tax in-centives for corporate equity investment. The

aim was to increase the availability ofventure capital and foster wider cor-

porate venturing relationshipsbetween otherwise unconnectedc o m p a n i e s.

Smith & Williamson has pub-lished a report titled UnleashingBritish Business, which putsforward a number of measures,

i n cl u d i n g :� More family-friendly tax

policies;� Reintroduce a small company tax

r at e ;� Remove costly red tape that puts SMEs andself-employed off recruiting;� More investment in digital, housing andtransport infrastructure both inside and out-side major UK cities such as Bristol.

We need to give tax breaksto our start-up companies

The Big Interview

Deborah Waddell has a passion for walking, whichis handy as her role as regional director of the CBImeans she’ll be wearing out the shoe leathermeeting businesses in the towns, cities and ruralcommunities of the South West. Gavin Thomsponcatches up with her in Bristol.

BUSINESS needs to talk aboutunpopular issues. Generallyspeaking, business ownersare more pro-European thanmost and more supportive of

immigration too.But some businesses are afraid to

talk about it. That’s where an or-ganisation such as the CBI comes in.

Deborah Waddell recently steppedup to become South West regionaldirector of the CBI, or Confederationof British Industry. With a growingeconomy, it might seem like an easiertime to take on such a role, but De-borah has a lot of her plate. Startingwith some of those unpopular is-s u e s.

On Europe, she says there is a“massive job” to have a more in-formed debate. “I think the businesscommunity, whether its the CBI orindividual companies, have to starthaving that sensible debate onE u ro p e, ” she said.

“Forty-five per cent of our exports

‘IT’S TIME WE HAD A SENSIBLE DEBATE ON EUROPE‘

are to the EU – t h at ’s huge amount ofwhat we do and where we make ourm o n e y.

“Success in business is aroundgrasping opportunities and we’ve gotto stop pretending that retreat fromEurope is sensible or possible in thisglobal economy.”

She said business leaders and own-ers recognised that. Eight out of 10member of CBI voted to stay in re-formed EU a year ago, and in South

West that was even higher.But while the bosses grasp that,

what those who work for them, theengineers, designers, labourers?

“We need to talk about how wecommunicate that amongst the work-force not just senior management,”said Deborah.

One of the key principles of theEuropean Union, and one that hasbeen controversial of late, is freedomof movement. It’s a debate that busi-ness is losing, but Deborah feels itn e e d n’t be that way.

“The openness of trade and thefreedom of movement of goods andhumans is quite essentially British,”she said. “We ’ve always been a trad-ing nation. It’s not just big businesseither, 55 per cent medium sizedfirms in our survey said that was apositive. You’ve got companies suchas Wyke Farm selling cheese to theFrench, that’s pretty impressive.”

She said: “We do have to acknow-ledge there is a toxic-ness around thatdebate and tackle it head on. Im-migration in 2005, two thirds of theBritish population was in favour offreedom of movement, in 2013 2/3 ofthe British population was against it.We can’t ignore that.”

So how can the CBI change it?“We need to talk about the benefits

skilled workers bring to the eco-n o my, ” she said. “British workers doit too, my sister works in Germany,she’s over there taking their jobs!That freedom of movement is a reas-on a number of companies say theyinvest in Britain, particularly aroundfinancial services.”

Surely with a sluggish Eurozone,businesses should be looking outsideof Europe to grow their exports?

“Ye s, ” agrees Deborah, “We havegot to look further.” But she saysbeing part of the EU is important fort h at .

“We ’re looking at the moment isTTIP (Transatlantic Trade Invest-ment Partnership) looking at freetrade between Europe and America.

“I met South West firm make softfurnishings. They have to set fire totheir products to see how they burn tocomply with fire regulations.

“Because they are starting to tradein America, they have to do the samefor the America because fire reg-ulations are slightly different.

“Yo u ’ve got an SME starting totrade in America that is having to setfire to £60,000 of products every year.If we could have the same regulationbetween Europe and America, theywould only have to set fire to £30,000worth of products. For that company,t h at ’s one job. That’s a real job.

“Would America be dealing withBritain on that basis? Not until it hasdealt with Europe because that’s amuch bigger customer. So we need tobe at the table when those inter-national trade deals are being made.The same for Japan, we are looking attreaties on a European basis.

“T hat’s where thinking retreat ispossible is wrong, we have to be sens-ible. We have to be at the table andleading that debate.”

The CBI isn’t blind to Europe’s

My working day

Vital statisticsName: Deborah WaddellAge: 37Bor n: Newcastle but movedaround with a “hobo” childhoodFirst job: Worked in plasticsfactory packing ice creamcontainers before they had icecream in them in old miningtown in Derbyshire, It was a longhot summer.C a re e r : Ran an educationcharity working with businessesthat went from being 100 percent grant funded to zero with72 hours notice. Grew thebusiness from £400,000 when Istart to seven figure turnoverwhen left at the start of this year.Inspiration: This sounds terriblyclichéd, but my mum. I’m thefirst generation that went touniversity, my mum left schooland trained to be a nurse andworked her way up andeventually ended up beingprofessor of midwifery andbecome one of the mostinfluential midwifes in the world.She wrote the standard textbookfor midwifery. the Myles textbook. She’s somebody whowent into a vocation andsucceeded and is also so nice -she never has a nasty word tosay about someone.

Typical day: Meeting members, finding out what’s working or not, whatthey would like me to do for them. Talking to people the media. Irecently had the honour introducing Steve Varley at DistinguishedExecutive Address (pictured above). I’m humbled by how fortunate Iam to do this and job and the access that I get and companies I get tosee. The CBI badge carries a lot of trust and it’s one I’m proud to wear.Mainly split my time between Exeter and Bristol, probably in Bristol twoto three days, a week. Living in Devon, that means I see a lot of hotels.

failings, however. “We don’t think theEuropean project is perfect,” shesaid. “We need to get bureaucracydown and we need to say where andhow, we need to focus on trade ele-ment and not mission creep intoother areas of life.

“And we need to have an honestdebate. Some of the upset and anxietyis often around things that can becontrolled by the British Govern-ment, for example social security.There is no European social securitysystem, if we are unhappy with thebenefits system for people cominghere to work, that is within our con-trol. We have to be careful not toblame Europe for everything.”

Deborah spends around two to

three days a week in Bristol, and therest of her time in Exeter and else-where. Much of her time is takenmeeting and talking to local busi-n e s s e s.

Those businesses are pretty pos-itive right now, though there are chal-leng es.

“We are not just seeing greenshoots, we are seeing positive sus-tained growth,” she said. “But we stillhave a massive deficit of £68 billion soit’s going to go away. We’ve got weakEurozone, we want Europe to bestrong so they can buy our stuff.Sterling is increasingly strong whichis not good for exports. The servicesector is doing really well which isfantastic for places like Bristol.

“Where we are lagging behind andwant to see much more activity ismanufacturing and construction.

“The deficit has got to be a priorityfor which government in May and weare going to have to see some difficultdecisions about where we spend ourcash.”

But the CBI believes business needssome of the limited budget to be spenton infrastructure.

“One of our biggest concerns at theCBI is that infrastructure is in thehands of the politicians and that in-frastructure is so critical it can’t be-come a political football,” saidDeborah. “We would like to see anindependent body which would take astrategic view on infrastructure pro-

Deborah Waddell

“ Forty-five per cent ofour exports are to theEU. Success in businessis around graspingopportunities and we’vegot to stop pretendingthat retreat from Europeis sensible or possible

My downtimeTime off: Myfavourite activity iswalking. We live inSouth West and itis a fantastic placeto live. I loveDartmoor, Exmoor,Somerset. I get togo to London once amonth for work sotake the opportunity togo to see music, I’m anenthusiastic but not expert classic musicfan. I like cooking, which seems to benational pastime, but I can’t bake.

jects for 25-30 years. That would stop politi-cians ducking the question and it wouldprovide continuity between elections.”

One area Deborah has seen a change is thatmore businesses are working together. A goodexample is South Gloucestershire packagingfirm Smurfit Kappa and food producerT u l i p.

“They have invested in joint member of staffso that they both have the deep understandingof packaging process, the products and thec o n s u m e r, ” she said. “It’s interesting to seetwo companies investing to share that in-telligence. Where we see that kind of longterm strategic investment we need to en-courage it and support the government to findways to do that.”

Some people see the CBI as for big business,but Deborah says they speak for smaller firmstoo – particularly the medium sized man-ufacturers. While an organisation such asBusiness West has large numbers of staffdelivering services such as export help tocompanies, the CBI’s focus is on influence,employing a team of 150 policy experts.

“Our job to listen, lobby and get results,”said Deborah. “We don’t just lobby butprovide a vehicle for companies to do itthemselves. When we brought Ed Balls toBristol for a round table, he knew we arefollowing up on what he says. When we hadthe Treasury down, it’s giving business accessto have a voice.

“There are also really interesting network-

ing opportunities. We had a round table with aminister on defence supply chains. We had amedium-sized company from Bristol area sit-ting at table with the chief executive ofRolls-Royce. That’s a phenomenal networkingoppor tunity.”

Whether it’s big or small companies, theissues are often the same.

“The topics that come up every time aretalent – skills shortages – and infrastructure,whether digital and transport system,” saidDeborah. Plenty of work still to do, then.

E n t re p re n e u rs

BUSINESS owners and entrepreneurs are beingoffered a chance to meet experts from a se-lection of private equity firms and professionaladvisers to demystify the process.

Accountancy and investment managementgroup, Smith & Williamson, is holding an InsidePrivate Equity event at its offices in PortwallLane, Bristol on Tuesday, November 25, fea-turing a range of experts, including GrowthCapital Partners, Business Growth Fund, LDC,Mobeus Equity Partners, Chelverton AssetManagement and Vistage.

Smith & Williamson’s partner David Ropert

said: “For many entrepreneurs and businessowners, the world of private equity is extremelycomplicated. Few understand what it is, who theinvestors are, how it works and whether it issuitable for their business.

“This event is a rare opportunity to hear froma selection of leading private equity firms andprofessional advisers, to interrogate the pro-cess and consider the options for financinggrowth, succession or exit.”

To book contact Rebecca Walford on 01173762067 or rebecca.walford@smith.williams o n . c o. u k p l a c e.

Find out if private equity is right for your business growth

Part of the Local World group

Whether your conference is on a small or large scaleour expert knowledge will give you a professionaland stress free event by providing you with theright presentation equipment, lighting and sound.

Audience Response

Presentation Production

Video Presentation

Staging your Conferencedoesn’t have to cost a fortune...

Call us on: 01684 575832Email us at: enquiries@aneventservices.co.ukVisit us at : www.aneventservices.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

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8 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

YOU don’t have to be big toexport but it’s a great way tohelp your business grow. Yetlarge swathes of businessesin the region still think it’s

not for them.Russell Jones, regional director of

Government business support armUK Trade & Investment, is urgingfirms to take up the opportunities todo business overseas.

He said: “If you are successful inthe UK, there is no reason why youc a n’t sell abroad, if you do your re-search and plan properly.”

But despite the potential to helpfirms grow, research released byKPMG this week shows almost halfsmall and medium-sized businessesin the South West have no plans toexpor t.

Speaking during Export Week,

KPMG’s study of 94 SMEs in theregion found 45 per cent said theyhave no interest whatsoever in ex-ploring overseas markets.

One in five said complex legal re-gimes are the main barrier prevent-ing them from taking advantage ofthe huge growth potential offered byoverseas markets with 14 per centsaying they lacked understanding ofinternational markets, and 11 percent felt they didn’t have strongenough networks overseas to exploreopportunities outside of the UK.

Nick Hall, enterprise partner atKPMG in Bristol, said: “It is notsurprising that SMEs who have sur-vived the global recession are choos-ing to focus solely on the domesticmarket in the UK, but it is short-sighted given the huge appetite forBritish goods and services abroad.

“Making the leap into overseasmarkets is not nearly as daunting asit seems on paper. There are somegreat success stories of SMEs whohave achieved massive growth by suc-cessfully moving to overseas mar-

kets. Linking in with organisationswho run trade missions overseas orhave good networks abroad is thefirst step on a journey that is notnearly as complex as SMEs believe itto be and the rewards can be huge.”

Some of those businesses lookingto reap the rewards are currentlytaking part in a UKTI trade missionto South Africa.

Trade adviser Sandra Warne, whois leading the visit, said: “SouthAfrica is a sophisticated and prom-ising market, offering a combination

WITH 311 million potential customersand a GDP of $16 trillion, the US is anexciting place to export. However, be-fore boarding the plane starry-eyedand dreaming of the millions you will

make, stop to consider how Americans like to dobusiness. Yes, they love your Britishness, yourFour o’clock tea and your cool accent.

Yes, they are generally an enthusiastic bunchwh o ’ll always give you a chance. But that’s as far asit goes. You need to deliver on their terms when itcomes to actually winning business.

Yo u ’re probably thinking, I speak English, I’veseen all of the latest Oscar winners, I’ve even been toNYC, so what could be so different? In fact, quite abit, and not only when it comes to trunk vs. boot andloo vs. bathroom. As an American who has lived inthe UK for 4 years, the cultural and businessdifferences still astound me. Here, I’d like to sharewith you some of the stand-out differences and tipsto help you become a rock star US exporter.Communication StylesHave you ever called someone and not left a message‘giving the missed call’? Come on, you know you’vedone it. Strange I know, but this doesn’t work in theStates. Leave a message! A detailed, and to the pointmessage or risk losing the deal. Americans willappreciate it and might even share your much-lovedaccent with their friends. They communicatethrough voicemails like we do with emails. Speak-ing of emails, Americans generally try to answeremails within 24 hours and this is in-line with theirget an answer NOW mentality. Please communicateand follow-up NOW or risk Americans losing in-terest or questioning your dedication.Is that a YES?Americans are a straightforward bunch. They aredirect, to the point and loathe wasting time. If theylike what you have to offer, they will tell you andwant to move ahead quickly. If Americans can’t seea good fit, they will tell you. They don’t sugar coat.But remember, the US is a “ye s - we - c a n ” c o u n t r y.Americans like to find a way to say “ye s ” to you andthey don’t want you to stop at a “no”.

This means, look for ways around a “no” and besure to ask the magic question, “What will it take foryou to say yes”? If it’s still a NO, then ask the nextmagic question, “Do you know someone else whomight be interested”? Americans are natural con-nectors, and if they can think of someone withintheir network who is interested they will connectyou. Trust me this works.

When I was selling UK brands into the US marketI was told “no” by a top retailer but the buyerreferred me to their competitor, complete with theirdirect phone number! This is part of the Americanculture, where everything has been built on acollaborative competitiveness, close networks, andsharing of ideas.Ask for the Business!Here in the UK, I’m constantly amazed at howindirect people can be, in business and elsewhere. Inthe States, when it comes to negotiating, Americansexpect to be sold to and expect you to ask for thebusiness directly, laying out why you should winand what is unique about your offering. If this is alldelivered quickly, clearly and confidently, thechances of success are much higher. Delivery of thepitch is everything in the States because this is seento reflect how the real business will play out.

In the UK, this kind of approach is felt to beawkward and obnoxious, assuming and over-con-fident. In the US, you have to go a lot further beforeover-confidence becomes a problem.

Finally, keep trying! Each state is different, sowhat didn’t sell in California might be the next bestthing in Ohio.

Key tips on how to fulfil yourAmerican exporting dream

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

There’s a whole world ofopportunities for small andmedium-sized businesses outthere for those willing totake them, as GavinThompson finds out

Russell said business people shouldnot let size put them off.

“I strongly believe that most com-panies can and should export – f ro msingle-owner operations to large cor-p o r at i o n s, ” he said. “At UKTI weknow that striking out into new andunfamiliar territory can be daunting,but many more South West compan-ies could and should be taking ad-vantage of the opportunitiesinternational markets offer and thewide range of support UKTIp rov i d e s.

“All the evidence shows that busi-nesses new to exporting who useUKTI’s valuable range of services dobetter than trying to go it alone –whether it’s using OMIS (OverseasMarket Introduction Service) whichgives businesses access to knowledge-able and experienced trade teams inBritish embassies abroad or the pop-ular Passport to Export scheme, anassessment and skills-based pro-

New York visitinspired me,says designerCase study

Beerd growingsales of hoppyales in SwedenCase study

Export special

I F Y O U CAN MAKE IT HERE, YOU CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE...

Russell Jones

“At UKTI we knowstriking out into new andunfamiliar territory can bedaunting, but many moreSouth West companiesshould take advantage ofthe opportunities ininternational markets.”

gramme that provides new and in-experienced exporters with thetraining, planning and ongoing sup-por t.

“If you attend just one businessevent this week, then it should beExploreExport on November 13.

“Trade officers from over 60 coun-tries will be on hand and ready toadvise you on how best to approachspecific markets and what the com-mercial opportunities are in thosecountries. It really is an event not tobe missed.”

Ameeta VirkLanguage and Culture Adviserat UKTI, Business West

Expert eye

EXPLOREEXPORT

� Tomorrow sees the return of the region’s biggestand best export event – E x p l o re E x p o r t .

Local businesses can book one-to-one meetingswith market specialists, participate in exportseminars, engage with exhibitors and network withhundreds of fellow exporters.

Commercial officers from more than 60 globalmarkets will visit The Bristol Hotel in Prince Street tooffer valuable export advice. Whatever stage of yourexport journey, ExploreExport can help yourbusiness reach new heights. If you’re new toexporting you’ll hear all about specific opportunitiesin numerous markets and learn the best way toapproach international trade for the first time.

Doors open at 8.30am and you can register on theday (£50 per delegate). One-to-one meetings andseminars are allocated on a first come, first servedbasis.

� Designer PennySeume who wasinspired by a visitto New York

MoussaClarke, above

“Sweden isa newermarket forBeerd, but Ianticipatethe beerswill quicklybecomeimportantbrands forus.”

of a well-developed economic infra-structure with a vibrant emergingmarket economy and provides sig-nificant opportunities for UK com-panies across a range of sectors.

“The country has abundant nat-ural resources, a well-developedbanking system, good infrastructure,with major capital injections to up-grade this further, a business culturethat is similar to that of the UK, and isthe gateway to other African mar-ke t s. ”

Among those on the trip are theBloodhound Project, an Avon-mouth-based team hoping to breakthe land-speed record next year, andGrey Matters, which specialises inhigh voltage earthing systems.

The latter’s aim is to protect peopleand property from lightning strikesusing new earthing technology.

Ian Griffiths, from the Bristol andBath Science Park-based firm, saidthe country was a great potentialmarket for them.

“Technically, South Africa sits in ahigh lightning active area with geo-logy that can make earthing a par-ticular challenge,” he said. “Inaddition, the country suffers frommetal theft on infrastructure.”

He said the prospect had been madeless daunting thanks to the supportthey had been given.

“The entire UKTI team has beenswitched on, supportive and know-ledgeable in this market, in which weare hoping to open up manufacturingpartnerships for some of the hardproducts in South Africa,” he said.“I’m also hoping to share my know-ledge gained on similarly difficulttechnical projects.”

� CRAFT brewer Beerd hascemented its foothold in theScandinavian market after just twomonths with ten cities in Swedennow stocking its beers.

Taste for craft beer in the region isalready well-established andB e e rd ’s hoppy American andAustralian-style brews are provingpopular with the locals.

Established by the people behindWarmley-based Bath Ales, Beerdwas set up last year with the aim ofcreating maverick beers that excitedrinkers seeking something a littlebit different from the norm.

Moussa Clarke is the exportmanager who is driving forwardsales overseas. He said: “We onlystarted exporting Beerd beers twomonths ago, but already thereaction has been fantastic.

“In Sweden customers are very upon beer and brewing trends and arevery demanding in terms of qualityand a point of difference, Beerdseems to have slotted in very well tothe market.”

He said the brew Razor, a hoppyfull bodied IPA with a passion fruitaroma, was leading the way, but ourother pale ales such as Vigilante(American style), Convict (golden incolour and chock full of Australianhops) and Monterey (a West Coaststyle ale with plenty of pine on thenose and palate) were alsoperforming well.

Bath Ales secured a major deal incontinental Europe in January this

year to export its core brands suchas Wild Hare and Gem. Thebusiness is aiming high and has seta target of quadrupling combinedBeerd and Bath Ales export volumesby the end of the year.

Moussa said: “Sales of the BathAles core range overseas aregrowing and we now export to 10countries.

“Sweden is a newer market forBeerd, but I anticipate the beers willquickly become important brandsfor us. Our Swedish distributorhandles a whole range ofwell-respected drinks from aroundthe world, so we’re in good hands.”

Bath Ales’ i n c re a s i n g l yinternational outlook was confirmed

with a recent gold medal for flagshipbeer, Gem, at The International BeerChallenge.

Exports to Sweden is in kegs atthe moment, and two of the bottledBeerd brands – Silvertip andMonocle – are already being sold inDenmark. Beerd kegs will also beavailable in Finland very soon.

Beerd is also making in-roads intoIreland and New Zealand, who werequick to snap up some of the latestb re w s .

Moussa added: “Next I’ve got mysights set on Spain as this would bea great market to break into, again itis showing a burgeoning interest inthe global phenomenon of artisanalb e e r. ”

� AN artist may draw inspirationfrom things that the averageperson barely notices. For PennySeume, it is urban landscape thatgets her creative juices flowing.

Living and working in Bristol,Penny’s designs subtly capture themood of the original site, be it thelights of London or theskyscrapers of New York City.

She then uses traditional fine arttechniques and contemporarydigital print to create bespoke andlimited edition high quality fabricsand home accessories.

At home Penny started outselling to local galleries andhigh-end interior designbusinesses. In 2011, she visitedNew York sparking a wholecollection inspired by theManhattan skyline. Her New Yorksofa and cushion covered in GoldSkyscraper fabric, which she madein collaboration with Dulux InteriorDesign, went on to win aDistinction award from the Societyof Designer Craftsmen show at theMall Galleries, London in 2013.

Her New York fabric won a‘highly commended’ accolade atthe New Design Britain awards atthe NEC Interiors show.

While in New York, Penny alsoattended ICFF and the New YorkDesign Centre, to see what highend retailers were interested in atthe time.

“I’m drawn to urban landscapesand the architecture of cities andI’ve always been fascinated bycolour and texture,” says Penny. “Icapture the atmosphere of a city inmy paintings and collages, andtransfer these onto luxuriousfabrics like velvet, silk and linen.

“New York is obviously an

exciting place to be, and I wasinterested to know whetherretailers, interior designers andconsumers there would appreciatemy work.”

On her return to the UK, Pennygot in touch with UKTI. She talkedwith an International Trade Adviser(ITA) about the potential for herbusiness in the US, and thepossibility of exhibiting at ICFFherself the following year.

The ITA agreed that Penny’swork was certainly of the rightcalibre and put the designer intouch with the British EuropeanDesign Group (BEDG). Thisaccredited trade organisationreceives funding through UKTI’s

Tradeshow Access Programme(TAP) to take British companies tointerior design shows.

As a result, Penny was able toshow her products at ICFF in May2012, in a group of 20 Britishdesigners. As well as displayingher designs and products on herown stand, she attended anengaging programme ofinformational and networkingevents organised by UKTI aroundthe show, which took place at theBritish Consulate in New York.

“Without the TAP funding thatBEDG got from UKTI, I wouldn’thave been able to afford toexhibit,” says Penny. “Going therefor the first time as part of a British

delegation and with the support ofBEDG and UKTI was invaluable.T h e re ’s so much to learn aboutthese events: how to ship yourwork overseas, lay out your standand make the most of your time. Iwouldn’t have felt confident to doit alone at that stage.”

Penny came away with a new listof contacts with whom she nowkeeps in touch via a regularnewsletter. Today, around a third ofher business comes from outsidethe UK, primarily from the US.

“Breaking into new overseasmarkets can be a long anddaunting process, but I’ve foundthat UKTI has something to offerevery step of the way,” she said.

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8 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

YOU don’t have to be big toexport but it’s a great way tohelp your business grow. Yetlarge swathes of businessesin the region still think it’s

not for them.Russell Jones, regional director of

Government business support armUK Trade & Investment, is urgingfirms to take up the opportunities todo business overseas.

He said: “If you are successful inthe UK, there is no reason why youc a n’t sell abroad, if you do your re-search and plan properly.”

But despite the potential to helpfirms grow, research released byKPMG this week shows almost halfsmall and medium-sized businessesin the South West have no plans toexpor t.

Speaking during Export Week,

KPMG’s study of 94 SMEs in theregion found 45 per cent said theyhave no interest whatsoever in ex-ploring overseas markets.

One in five said complex legal re-gimes are the main barrier prevent-ing them from taking advantage ofthe huge growth potential offered byoverseas markets with 14 per centsaying they lacked understanding ofinternational markets, and 11 percent felt they didn’t have strongenough networks overseas to exploreopportunities outside of the UK.

Nick Hall, enterprise partner atKPMG in Bristol, said: “It is notsurprising that SMEs who have sur-vived the global recession are choos-ing to focus solely on the domesticmarket in the UK, but it is short-sighted given the huge appetite forBritish goods and services abroad.

“Making the leap into overseasmarkets is not nearly as daunting asit seems on paper. There are somegreat success stories of SMEs whohave achieved massive growth by suc-cessfully moving to overseas mar-

kets. Linking in with organisationswho run trade missions overseas orhave good networks abroad is thefirst step on a journey that is notnearly as complex as SMEs believe itto be and the rewards can be huge.”

Some of those businesses lookingto reap the rewards are currentlytaking part in a UKTI trade missionto South Africa.

Trade adviser Sandra Warne, whois leading the visit, said: “SouthAfrica is a sophisticated and prom-ising market, offering a combination

WITH 311 million potential customersand a GDP of $16 trillion, the US is anexciting place to export. However, be-fore boarding the plane starry-eyedand dreaming of the millions you will

make, stop to consider how Americans like to dobusiness. Yes, they love your Britishness, yourFour o’clock tea and your cool accent.

Yes, they are generally an enthusiastic bunchwh o ’ll always give you a chance. But that’s as far asit goes. You need to deliver on their terms when itcomes to actually winning business.

Yo u ’re probably thinking, I speak English, I’veseen all of the latest Oscar winners, I’ve even been toNYC, so what could be so different? In fact, quite abit, and not only when it comes to trunk vs. boot andloo vs. bathroom. As an American who has lived inthe UK for 4 years, the cultural and businessdifferences still astound me. Here, I’d like to sharewith you some of the stand-out differences and tipsto help you become a rock star US exporter.Communication StylesHave you ever called someone and not left a message‘giving the missed call’? Come on, you know you’vedone it. Strange I know, but this doesn’t work in theStates. Leave a message! A detailed, and to the pointmessage or risk losing the deal. Americans willappreciate it and might even share your much-lovedaccent with their friends. They communicatethrough voicemails like we do with emails. Speak-ing of emails, Americans generally try to answeremails within 24 hours and this is in-line with theirget an answer NOW mentality. Please communicateand follow-up NOW or risk Americans losing in-terest or questioning your dedication.Is that a YES?Americans are a straightforward bunch. They aredirect, to the point and loathe wasting time. If theylike what you have to offer, they will tell you andwant to move ahead quickly. If Americans can’t seea good fit, they will tell you. They don’t sugar coat.But remember, the US is a “ye s - we - c a n ” c o u n t r y.Americans like to find a way to say “ye s ” to you andthey don’t want you to stop at a “no”.

This means, look for ways around a “no” and besure to ask the magic question, “What will it take foryou to say yes”? If it’s still a NO, then ask the nextmagic question, “Do you know someone else whomight be interested”? Americans are natural con-nectors, and if they can think of someone withintheir network who is interested they will connectyou. Trust me this works.

When I was selling UK brands into the US marketI was told “no” by a top retailer but the buyerreferred me to their competitor, complete with theirdirect phone number! This is part of the Americanculture, where everything has been built on acollaborative competitiveness, close networks, andsharing of ideas.Ask for the Business!Here in the UK, I’m constantly amazed at howindirect people can be, in business and elsewhere. Inthe States, when it comes to negotiating, Americansexpect to be sold to and expect you to ask for thebusiness directly, laying out why you should winand what is unique about your offering. If this is alldelivered quickly, clearly and confidently, thechances of success are much higher. Delivery of thepitch is everything in the States because this is seento reflect how the real business will play out.

In the UK, this kind of approach is felt to beawkward and obnoxious, assuming and over-con-fident. In the US, you have to go a lot further beforeover-confidence becomes a problem.

Finally, keep trying! Each state is different, sowhat didn’t sell in California might be the next bestthing in Ohio.

Key tips on how to fulfil yourAmerican exporting dream

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

There’s a whole world ofopportunities for small andmedium-sized businesses outthere for those willing totake them, as GavinThompson finds out

Russell said business people shouldnot let size put them off.

“I strongly believe that most com-panies can and should export – f ro msingle-owner operations to large cor-p o r at i o n s, ” he said. “At UKTI weknow that striking out into new andunfamiliar territory can be daunting,but many more South West compan-ies could and should be taking ad-vantage of the opportunitiesinternational markets offer and thewide range of support UKTIp rov i d e s.

“All the evidence shows that busi-nesses new to exporting who useUKTI’s valuable range of services dobetter than trying to go it alone –whether it’s using OMIS (OverseasMarket Introduction Service) whichgives businesses access to knowledge-able and experienced trade teams inBritish embassies abroad or the pop-ular Passport to Export scheme, anassessment and skills-based pro-

New York visitinspired me,says designerCase study

Beerd growingsales of hoppyales in SwedenCase study

Export special

I F Y O U CAN MAKE IT HERE, YOU CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE...

Russell Jones

“At UKTI we knowstriking out into new andunfamiliar territory can bedaunting, but many moreSouth West companiesshould take advantage ofthe opportunities ininternational markets.”

gramme that provides new and in-experienced exporters with thetraining, planning and ongoing sup-por t.

“If you attend just one businessevent this week, then it should beExploreExport on November 13.

“Trade officers from over 60 coun-tries will be on hand and ready toadvise you on how best to approachspecific markets and what the com-mercial opportunities are in thosecountries. It really is an event not tobe missed.”

Ameeta VirkLanguage and Culture Adviserat UKTI, Business West

Expert eye

EXPLOREEXPORT

� Tomorrow sees the return of the region’s biggestand best export event – E x p l o re E x p o r t .

Local businesses can book one-to-one meetingswith market specialists, participate in exportseminars, engage with exhibitors and network withhundreds of fellow exporters.

Commercial officers from more than 60 globalmarkets will visit The Bristol Hotel in Prince Street tooffer valuable export advice. Whatever stage of yourexport journey, ExploreExport can help yourbusiness reach new heights. If you’re new toexporting you’ll hear all about specific opportunitiesin numerous markets and learn the best way toapproach international trade for the first time.

Doors open at 8.30am and you can register on theday (£50 per delegate). One-to-one meetings andseminars are allocated on a first come, first servedbasis.

� Designer PennySeume who wasinspired by a visitto New York

MoussaClarke, above

“Sweden isa newermarket forBeerd, but Ianticipatethe beerswill quicklybecomeimportantbrands forus.”

of a well-developed economic infra-structure with a vibrant emergingmarket economy and provides sig-nificant opportunities for UK com-panies across a range of sectors.

“The country has abundant nat-ural resources, a well-developedbanking system, good infrastructure,with major capital injections to up-grade this further, a business culturethat is similar to that of the UK, and isthe gateway to other African mar-ke t s. ”

Among those on the trip are theBloodhound Project, an Avon-mouth-based team hoping to breakthe land-speed record next year, andGrey Matters, which specialises inhigh voltage earthing systems.

The latter’s aim is to protect peopleand property from lightning strikesusing new earthing technology.

Ian Griffiths, from the Bristol andBath Science Park-based firm, saidthe country was a great potentialmarket for them.

“Technically, South Africa sits in ahigh lightning active area with geo-logy that can make earthing a par-ticular challenge,” he said. “Inaddition, the country suffers frommetal theft on infrastructure.”

He said the prospect had been madeless daunting thanks to the supportthey had been given.

“The entire UKTI team has beenswitched on, supportive and know-ledgeable in this market, in which weare hoping to open up manufacturingpartnerships for some of the hardproducts in South Africa,” he said.“I’m also hoping to share my know-ledge gained on similarly difficulttechnical projects.”

� CRAFT brewer Beerd hascemented its foothold in theScandinavian market after just twomonths with ten cities in Swedennow stocking its beers.

Taste for craft beer in the region isalready well-established andB e e rd ’s hoppy American andAustralian-style brews are provingpopular with the locals.

Established by the people behindWarmley-based Bath Ales, Beerdwas set up last year with the aim ofcreating maverick beers that excitedrinkers seeking something a littlebit different from the norm.

Moussa Clarke is the exportmanager who is driving forwardsales overseas. He said: “We onlystarted exporting Beerd beers twomonths ago, but already thereaction has been fantastic.

“In Sweden customers are very upon beer and brewing trends and arevery demanding in terms of qualityand a point of difference, Beerdseems to have slotted in very well tothe market.”

He said the brew Razor, a hoppyfull bodied IPA with a passion fruitaroma, was leading the way, but ourother pale ales such as Vigilante(American style), Convict (golden incolour and chock full of Australianhops) and Monterey (a West Coaststyle ale with plenty of pine on thenose and palate) were alsoperforming well.

Bath Ales secured a major deal incontinental Europe in January this

year to export its core brands suchas Wild Hare and Gem. Thebusiness is aiming high and has seta target of quadrupling combinedBeerd and Bath Ales export volumesby the end of the year.

Moussa said: “Sales of the BathAles core range overseas aregrowing and we now export to 10countries.

“Sweden is a newer market forBeerd, but I anticipate the beers willquickly become important brandsfor us. Our Swedish distributorhandles a whole range ofwell-respected drinks from aroundthe world, so we’re in good hands.”

Bath Ales’ i n c re a s i n g l yinternational outlook was confirmed

with a recent gold medal for flagshipbeer, Gem, at The International BeerChallenge.

Exports to Sweden is in kegs atthe moment, and two of the bottledBeerd brands – Silvertip andMonocle – are already being sold inDenmark. Beerd kegs will also beavailable in Finland very soon.

Beerd is also making in-roads intoIreland and New Zealand, who werequick to snap up some of the latestb re w s .

Moussa added: “Next I’ve got mysights set on Spain as this would bea great market to break into, again itis showing a burgeoning interest inthe global phenomenon of artisanalb e e r. ”

� AN artist may draw inspirationfrom things that the averageperson barely notices. For PennySeume, it is urban landscape thatgets her creative juices flowing.

Living and working in Bristol,Penny’s designs subtly capture themood of the original site, be it thelights of London or theskyscrapers of New York City.

She then uses traditional fine arttechniques and contemporarydigital print to create bespoke andlimited edition high quality fabricsand home accessories.

At home Penny started outselling to local galleries andhigh-end interior designbusinesses. In 2011, she visitedNew York sparking a wholecollection inspired by theManhattan skyline. Her New Yorksofa and cushion covered in GoldSkyscraper fabric, which she madein collaboration with Dulux InteriorDesign, went on to win aDistinction award from the Societyof Designer Craftsmen show at theMall Galleries, London in 2013.

Her New York fabric won a‘highly commended’ accolade atthe New Design Britain awards atthe NEC Interiors show.

While in New York, Penny alsoattended ICFF and the New YorkDesign Centre, to see what highend retailers were interested in atthe time.

“I’m drawn to urban landscapesand the architecture of cities andI’ve always been fascinated bycolour and texture,” says Penny. “Icapture the atmosphere of a city inmy paintings and collages, andtransfer these onto luxuriousfabrics like velvet, silk and linen.

“New York is obviously an

exciting place to be, and I wasinterested to know whetherretailers, interior designers andconsumers there would appreciatemy work.”

On her return to the UK, Pennygot in touch with UKTI. She talkedwith an International Trade Adviser(ITA) about the potential for herbusiness in the US, and thepossibility of exhibiting at ICFFherself the following year.

The ITA agreed that Penny’swork was certainly of the rightcalibre and put the designer intouch with the British EuropeanDesign Group (BEDG). Thisaccredited trade organisationreceives funding through UKTI’s

Tradeshow Access Programme(TAP) to take British companies tointerior design shows.

As a result, Penny was able toshow her products at ICFF in May2012, in a group of 20 Britishdesigners. As well as displayingher designs and products on herown stand, she attended anengaging programme ofinformational and networkingevents organised by UKTI aroundthe show, which took place at theBritish Consulate in New York.

“Without the TAP funding thatBEDG got from UKTI, I wouldn’thave been able to afford toexhibit,” says Penny. “Going therefor the first time as part of a British

delegation and with the support ofBEDG and UKTI was invaluable.T h e re ’s so much to learn aboutthese events: how to ship yourwork overseas, lay out your standand make the most of your time. Iwouldn’t have felt confident to doit alone at that stage.”

Penny came away with a new listof contacts with whom she nowkeeps in touch via a regularnewsletter. Today, around a third ofher business comes from outsidethe UK, primarily from the US.

“Breaking into new overseasmarkets can be a long anddaunting process, but I’ve foundthat UKTI has something to offerevery step of the way,” she said.

10 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014

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In pictures Leigh Court landmark party

200th birthday Celebration marksspecial year for historic mansion

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

E x p l o re E x p o r t : Delivered byBusiness West in associationwith UK Trade & Investment(UKTI), gives you the opportunityto explore over 60 marketsaround the world in just one day.At The Bristol Hotel on ThursdayNovember 13 offers companiesthe opportunity to develop atailored programme ofone-to-one meetings within-market experts from BritishEmbassies and Consulates fromover 60 countries. £50+VAT/Register at explor eexport.ukti.g o v. u k / b r i s t o l .

Bristol Distinguished Address:UWE’s series giving the chanceto meet the leaders of industrycontinues with Anne Francke –CEO, CMI. Leigh Court, AbbotsLeigh, 6pm, November 13.Register via UWE.

Inspiring Women Live! Meetand network with other amazingwomen and be inspired by theevent’s speakers. The Pavilion,Hanover Quay, 6.30-9pm,Thursday, November 13. Bookvia eventbrite.

Mix Growth Roadshow: Thisevent, jointly sponsored byHSBC and WSI, is aimed atpeople who would qualify forGrowth Accelerator or GrowthVoucher funding support, whichare typically: organisation/business with less than 250employees, based in Englandwith a turnover of less than 50million euros. Friday, November14, HSBC, Temple Back East.Register at Eventbrite.

The Six Steps to a BetterBusiness: Free seminar will givebusiness owners the six stepsthat they need to follow to helpthem create a better business.Delivered by award-winning localActionCOACH, Rob Carter.Friday November 17, LeighCourt, 8:30am-1pm with buffetlunch. Register at Eventbrite.

Ladies Who Latte: Flexible,informal networking forentrepreneurial women. Held atNew World Business Centre,Station Road, Warmley,10am-12, Thursday, November20. Contract Sarah or Liz on0117 332 0900 or emailinfo@newworldbusinesscentr e.co.uk.

Environmental managementseminar: EEF, them a n u f a c t u re r s ’ organisation, isrunning a course to help localfirms understand and adapt tothe new standard forenvironmental management.Takes place at Engineer’s House,The Promenade, Clifton Down,focusing on key changes beingmade next year to ISO14001.Thursday November 20. More atw w w. e e f t r a i n i n g . o r g . u k / i s o 1 4 0 0 1 .

Prepared for Investment: Oneday training course providingcomprehensive introduction tothe issues and processesassociated with investmentsmade into private limitedcompanies. £360+VAT. LeighCourt Business Centre, AbbotsLeigh. 9.30am-4pm, November20. Register via Business West.

Breaking the ice over cool drinks

In pictures SXS Events’ ice bar party

IT must have been the coolestbusiness event in the city, whenBristol-based SXS Events invitedlocal companies to an ice barpar ty.

The events firm, which is based inBristol but does most of its work fornational clients in London and else-where, wanted to test out the conceptfor an upcoming project.

So they invited the business com-

munity to come and try it out and, notsurprisingly, the offer was well re-c e ive d .

A crowd of more than 100 came tothe event, where cocktails wereserved from ice glasses and DJs per-formed. The Brislington studio spacewas kitted out with lighting, decor,video and snow machines.

Johnny Palmer, from SXS Events,said: “We invited friends of the com-

pany to come to our Brislington stu-dio to help test the ice bar. The testsession went well and we gainedsome excellent technical data whichhelps us refine its use in a live en-v i ro n m e n t .

“We are so pleased to have the spaceto do this, as mockups like this giveSXS a huge competitive advantage ofour London-based rivals, which helpsus win major contracts.”

� Cathy Palmer (SXS), Dan Kenney (Party Doctors), James Cook, Vicki Cook (both Spider Group)

� Helen Wimble (Houghton Stone BusinessRecovery), Chris Horn (ArchitecturalAssistant), Robert Barnes (Thrings)

� Beth Nicholls (Thrings), Liz Cornelius(Teacher); left inset, Mark Andres (VoucherCloud)

� Tim Gilbert, Essi Froberg, Kerry Gilbert (Damar Training) and Simon Gilbert (DAS Law)

ALMOST 100 local businessesgathered to celebrate LeighCourt mansion’s 200th birth-day. The evening was a gath-ering of decision makers and

influencers who were treated tospeakers and canapes culminating ina spectacular fireworks display.

Jeremy Richards, director of JonesLang LaSalle provided insights aboutBristol through the ages and the fu-ture of the city’s offices.

It is estimated that by 2050 a stag-gering 70 per cent of businesses willbe located in the city centre and withthat will come a growing demand forresidential space.

James Monk, commercial servicesdirector at Business West regaledguests with a potted history of LeighCourt throughout its 200 years.

Starting out as a resplendentprivate residence for an entrepren-eurial Bristol ship owner – the firstrecorded millionaire, Leigh Courtwas visited by many a noble manincluding King Charles II.

With several interesting changes inownership over the years includingbecoming an NHS mental health in-stitution, it is now the home of Busi-ness West, the business supportorganisation that runs the Chambersof Commerce in Bristol, Bath, Wilt-shire and Gloucestershire.

Today it continues to foster en-trepreneurial skills in start-ups andgrowing businesses.

Sue Turner, communications dir-ector, Bristol Port Company, said: “Itwas fantastic to see Leigh Court in allits finery. As a long standing memberof Business West’s Chamber of Com-merce & Initiative I’m delighted tohave been able to celebrate LeighCour t’s 200 years.”

The evening culminated with ashow-stopping display fromFirestorm Fireworks which lit up thesky in an explosion of colour andnoise – a fitting way to celebrate thisbeautiful grade two listed mansion’s200th anniversary.

Business West managing directorPhil Smith said: “It was great to see somany local business people here toshare in our birthday celebrations.

“Leigh Court has had many usesover the years not least as the home ofBusiness West and we are proud tosupport South West businesses fromthese prestigious premises”

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Above and below, guests at the Leigh Court anniversary celebration

To learn more about expanding your business,visit rbsbusinessconnections.co.uk,call Steve Wilson on07919 210737or email steve.j.wilson@rbs.co.uk

How SMEs are expanding andreaching out to new customers

GROWINGYOURbusiness

Despite some recent globaleconomic storm clouds, theUK’s financial environment

haswitnessed seven consecutivequarters of growth. Consumerconfidence has risen asunemployment falls and resilientSMEs have aspirations to expand.Having a key sales strategy is

important to any business. To existin themarketplace, a businessneeds to generate sales, with apro-active sales culture and acustomer-focused approach.While improving turnover is at

the heart ofmost expansion plans,a strong growth strategy shouldensure improvements inproductivity are in place.Companiesmay have fantastic

products but, if they can’t get themto customers in an efficient fashion,

they risk being beaten to sales.Formany, innovation is key,

whether that’s innovating internalprocesses or adding new productsand services, as competingon price and quality is nolonger enough.A buy-and-grow strategy is one

optionmany SMEs are considering.Turning to acquisitions to growwilladd value,more complementaryproducts, a new sales channel anda new geographicmarket.Firms are not alonewhen

it comes to developingtheir business.Organisations such as the

Federation of Small Businesses,Business Growth Fund, IOD and CIBcan help businesses to expandthroughmentoring, specialistmasterclasses and investment.

Special feature

SteveWilSon, Director ofCorporate Banking, Bristol

Gina Fucci, ManagingDirector, Films at 59

The goal of most businesses is togrow and reach their full potentialand my team of relationshipmanagers has extensiveexperience in watching hundredsof businesses enjoy success.

Whether you’re thinking oftaking on more staff, moving tobigger premises or investing innew machinery, we’re here toguide you through the options.To expand, businesses needconnections and we have a strongnetwork in the community.

We put on business-to-businessevents and seminars on a rangeof topics, from trade finance tocybercrime. We want to give youall the tools you’ll need to growand prosper.

Business growth is a realconundrum because there’s a fineline between growing and stillproviding your valued, individualservice to clients. The danger isbecoming too big. The televisionindustry has periods of acquisition,expansion and rebalancing.

Sustainable growth is aboutspotting the opportunity, workingtogether, andmaking sure you havesupplier relationships that cansupport growth. A bank can be keyto supporting growth as they canadvise on economic, aswell asindustry, trends and if you have astrong relationship, theywill adviseon how the plan is unfolding againstperformance. Inmy experience, atransparent relationship is essential.

10 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014

EPB-

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w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

In pictures Leigh Court landmark party

200th birthday Celebration marksspecial year for historic mansion

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

E x p l o re E x p o r t : Delivered byBusiness West in associationwith UK Trade & Investment(UKTI), gives you the opportunityto explore over 60 marketsaround the world in just one day.At The Bristol Hotel on ThursdayNovember 13 offers companiesthe opportunity to develop atailored programme ofone-to-one meetings within-market experts from BritishEmbassies and Consulates fromover 60 countries. £50+VAT/Register at explor eexport.ukti.g o v. u k / b r i s t o l .

Bristol Distinguished Address:UWE’s series giving the chanceto meet the leaders of industrycontinues with Anne Francke –CEO, CMI. Leigh Court, AbbotsLeigh, 6pm, November 13.Register via UWE.

Inspiring Women Live! Meetand network with other amazingwomen and be inspired by theevent’s speakers. The Pavilion,Hanover Quay, 6.30-9pm,Thursday, November 13. Bookvia eventbrite.

Mix Growth Roadshow: Thisevent, jointly sponsored byHSBC and WSI, is aimed atpeople who would qualify forGrowth Accelerator or GrowthVoucher funding support, whichare typically: organisation/business with less than 250employees, based in Englandwith a turnover of less than 50million euros. Friday, November14, HSBC, Temple Back East.Register at Eventbrite.

The Six Steps to a BetterBusiness: Free seminar will givebusiness owners the six stepsthat they need to follow to helpthem create a better business.Delivered by award-winning localActionCOACH, Rob Carter.Friday November 17, LeighCourt, 8:30am-1pm with buffetlunch. Register at Eventbrite.

Ladies Who Latte: Flexible,informal networking forentrepreneurial women. Held atNew World Business Centre,Station Road, Warmley,10am-12, Thursday, November20. Contract Sarah or Liz on0117 332 0900 or emailinfo@newworldbusinesscentr e.co.uk.

Environmental managementseminar: EEF, them a n u f a c t u re r s ’ organisation, isrunning a course to help localfirms understand and adapt tothe new standard forenvironmental management.Takes place at Engineer’s House,The Promenade, Clifton Down,focusing on key changes beingmade next year to ISO14001.Thursday November 20. More atw w w. e e f t r a i n i n g . o r g . u k / i s o 1 4 0 0 1 .

Prepared for Investment: Oneday training course providingcomprehensive introduction tothe issues and processesassociated with investmentsmade into private limitedcompanies. £360+VAT. LeighCourt Business Centre, AbbotsLeigh. 9.30am-4pm, November20. Register via Business West.

Breaking the ice over cool drinks

In pictures SXS Events’ ice bar party

IT must have been the coolestbusiness event in the city, whenBristol-based SXS Events invitedlocal companies to an ice barpar ty.

The events firm, which is based inBristol but does most of its work fornational clients in London and else-where, wanted to test out the conceptfor an upcoming project.

So they invited the business com-

munity to come and try it out and, notsurprisingly, the offer was well re-c e ive d .

A crowd of more than 100 came tothe event, where cocktails wereserved from ice glasses and DJs per-formed. The Brislington studio spacewas kitted out with lighting, decor,video and snow machines.

Johnny Palmer, from SXS Events,said: “We invited friends of the com-

pany to come to our Brislington stu-dio to help test the ice bar. The testsession went well and we gainedsome excellent technical data whichhelps us refine its use in a live en-v i ro n m e n t .

“We are so pleased to have the spaceto do this, as mockups like this giveSXS a huge competitive advantage ofour London-based rivals, which helpsus win major contracts.”

� Cathy Palmer (SXS), Dan Kenney (Party Doctors), James Cook, Vicki Cook (both Spider Group)

� Helen Wimble (Houghton Stone BusinessRecovery), Chris Horn (ArchitecturalAssistant), Robert Barnes (Thrings)

� Beth Nicholls (Thrings), Liz Cornelius(Teacher); left inset, Mark Andres (VoucherCloud)

� Tim Gilbert, Essi Froberg, Kerry Gilbert (Damar Training) and Simon Gilbert (DAS Law)

ALMOST 100 local businessesgathered to celebrate LeighCourt mansion’s 200th birth-day. The evening was a gath-ering of decision makers and

influencers who were treated tospeakers and canapes culminating ina spectacular fireworks display.

Jeremy Richards, director of JonesLang LaSalle provided insights aboutBristol through the ages and the fu-ture of the city’s offices.

It is estimated that by 2050 a stag-gering 70 per cent of businesses willbe located in the city centre and withthat will come a growing demand forresidential space.

James Monk, commercial servicesdirector at Business West regaledguests with a potted history of LeighCourt throughout its 200 years.

Starting out as a resplendentprivate residence for an entrepren-eurial Bristol ship owner – the firstrecorded millionaire, Leigh Courtwas visited by many a noble manincluding King Charles II.

With several interesting changes inownership over the years includingbecoming an NHS mental health in-stitution, it is now the home of Busi-ness West, the business supportorganisation that runs the Chambersof Commerce in Bristol, Bath, Wilt-shire and Gloucestershire.

Today it continues to foster en-trepreneurial skills in start-ups andgrowing businesses.

Sue Turner, communications dir-ector, Bristol Port Company, said: “Itwas fantastic to see Leigh Court in allits finery. As a long standing memberof Business West’s Chamber of Com-merce & Initiative I’m delighted tohave been able to celebrate LeighCour t’s 200 years.”

The evening culminated with ashow-stopping display fromFirestorm Fireworks which lit up thesky in an explosion of colour andnoise – a fitting way to celebrate thisbeautiful grade two listed mansion’s200th anniversary.

Business West managing directorPhil Smith said: “It was great to see somany local business people here toshare in our birthday celebrations.

“Leigh Court has had many usesover the years not least as the home ofBusiness West and we are proud tosupport South West businesses fromthese prestigious premises”

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Above and below, guests at the Leigh Court anniversary celebration

To learn more about expanding your business,visit rbsbusinessconnections.co.uk,call Steve Wilson on07919 210737or email steve.j.wilson@rbs.co.uk

How SMEs are expanding andreaching out to new customers

GROWINGYOURbusiness

Despite some recent globaleconomic storm clouds, theUK’s financial environment

haswitnessed seven consecutivequarters of growth. Consumerconfidence has risen asunemployment falls and resilientSMEs have aspirations to expand.Having a key sales strategy is

important to any business. To existin themarketplace, a businessneeds to generate sales, with apro-active sales culture and acustomer-focused approach.While improving turnover is at

the heart ofmost expansion plans,a strong growth strategy shouldensure improvements inproductivity are in place.Companiesmay have fantastic

products but, if they can’t get themto customers in an efficient fashion,

they risk being beaten to sales.Formany, innovation is key,

whether that’s innovating internalprocesses or adding new productsand services, as competingon price and quality is nolonger enough.A buy-and-grow strategy is one

optionmany SMEs are considering.Turning to acquisitions to growwilladd value,more complementaryproducts, a new sales channel anda new geographicmarket.Firms are not alonewhen

it comes to developingtheir business.Organisations such as the

Federation of Small Businesses,Business Growth Fund, IOD and CIBcan help businesses to expandthroughmentoring, specialistmasterclasses and investment.

Special feature

SteveWilSon, Director ofCorporate Banking, Bristol

Gina Fucci, ManagingDirector, Films at 59

The goal of most businesses is togrow and reach their full potentialand my team of relationshipmanagers has extensiveexperience in watching hundredsof businesses enjoy success.

Whether you’re thinking oftaking on more staff, moving tobigger premises or investing innew machinery, we’re here toguide you through the options.To expand, businesses needconnections and we have a strongnetwork in the community.

We put on business-to-businessevents and seminars on a rangeof topics, from trade finance tocybercrime. We want to give youall the tools you’ll need to growand prosper.

Business growth is a realconundrum because there’s a fineline between growing and stillproviding your valued, individualservice to clients. The danger isbecoming too big. The televisionindustry has periods of acquisition,expansion and rebalancing.

Sustainable growth is aboutspotting the opportunity, workingtogether, andmaking sure you havesupplier relationships that cansupport growth. A bank can be keyto supporting growth as they canadvise on economic, aswell asindustry, trends and if you have astrong relationship, theywill adviseon how the plan is unfolding againstperformance. Inmy experience, atransparent relationship is essential.

EPB-

E01-

S3

12 We d n e s d a y, November 12, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The back pagePe o p l e� After 40 years working withbusinesses around the South West,RBS corporate director for the areaRichard Holland, below, is takingearly retirement.

“I can still remember my first day,standing outside Eastville branchwaiting to be let in and meet thestaff and yes it does seem like along time ago,” he said.

“I am delighted to be handing overmy team at the end of the year tomy colleague Steve Wilson whocurrently looks after the South Walesand Gloucester team.

Richard will retire from his role asdirector for Bristol, Bath & Swindonuntil the end of the year, when Stevewill take on the new area of Bristol,Bath, Cheltenham and Gloucester.

� KPMG has announced two seniorpromotions in the firm’s Bristolo ff i c e .

Carol Newham and LaurenceMarsh have been promoted to thepost of director.

Carol specialises in insurancetaxation and works with many of theUK’s major insurance groups,advising them on corporate taxissues and the products they offer totheir customers.

Laurence works in KPMG’smanagement consulting team andleads programmes that helpbusinesses and public sectororganisations tackle cost reduction,procurement, sourcing, processimprovement and strategicchallenges.

Regional chairman Phil Cottonsaid: “We are focussed ongrowing our business atthe top and bottom lineand this year’s directorpromotions aredesigned to helpdeliver this.”

� Property consultancyJLL has boosted itsproperty and assetmanagement team in Bristolwith two new appointmentsand promotions.

Jo Edwards, far right, has takenover as lead director of property andasset management across the SouthWest, a business worth £1.3 million

in the region. Jo has been with thefirm for 19 years and a director inproperty and asset management forthe last ten years.

Jo said: “Over almost 20 yearswith JLL I’ve seen the business go

from strength to strength andthe quality and quantity of

the assets under ourmanagement increasesignificantly. It is a veryexciting time to beappointed into the rolenow that the market isactive once again.”Caroline Cubbin has

joined the property andasset management team,

having started her career withJLL in 2012 under the graduatep ro g r a m m e .

P l a ces

Get networking – it could open up new doors

DEVELOPING a businessshould be fun but because ofthe worries associated withstarting something new andwhich will undoubtedly af-

fect one’s life going forward, the fun isoften contaminated with worry.

Young people in particular can, un-derstandably, suffer from a lack ofself-confidence. However self-confid-ence can be developed through get-ting to know people who can help anew entrepreneur develop both per-sonal and business skills. In this re-gard networking is a powerful tool.

Many people avoid networking. En-trepreneurs often feel they’re toobusy and employees sometimes onlygo because it gives them an oppor-tunity to break with routine.

However networking events offermuch if they are used properly so hereare some tips:� Mix! I know it sounds obvious but

you would be surprised at how manypeople don’t do it and just stick closeto colleagues or people they alreadyknow all evening. Developing newcontacts and consolidating existingones is the name of the game so makesure you do it.� Take plenty of business cards anddish them out like confetti. You neverknow whose hands they might end upin.� Follow up with an email or phonecall. Consolidate the connection byhaving lunch or coffee at a later dateaway from the event.� Decide before going what you want

� Above, Templeback; right, 15-16Lower Park Row, Bristol

Advice from the Phone Box Millionaire

to get out of the event and whetheranyone on the list is particularly im-portant to meet. Seek them out andopen a friendly and honest discussionabout your reason for wanting to meetthem. Hopefully it will be of mutualbenefit.

Remember you never know whoyou will meet! Many years ago I wentto a networking event in San Fran-cisco, it was focused on companiesengaged in selling educationalproducts across North America.

I didn’t really want to go as I hadbeen invited to a San Francisco Gi-ants game that evening and fanciedthat rather more! However I was per-suaded to go by a more focused part-ner and, feeling a bit miffed, I went.

Business first after all! At the eventI met an American billionaire whobecame a personal friend. That was 37years ago!

As I said you never know who you

will meet and how that meeting mightaffect your life, so be positive and bealert to networking opportunities inyour industry or interest area.

Listening to relevant radio is im-portant too. At Ujima Radio the focusis on the community and how it canpositively influence people’s lives.

T hat’s the whole point of my oncemonthly Dr Fears Business Remediesprogramme which I co-host withRoger Griffiths.

Our aim is to help people from allwalks of life, especially ethnic minor-ities and people who feel disenfran-chised by the system, to develop beliefin themselves and create new busi-nesses which ultimately createwealth for both themselves and theirlocal area or even globally.

With the right attitude and focus itreally is possible to create a success ofanything you set your heart. So don’twait, do it now.

� Property advisers DTZ and AlderKing have been appointed to marketone of Bristol’s most prominent andlargest office developments.

The joint agents will be marketing78,000 sq ft of vacant grade Aspace at Templeback on behalf ofasset managers Cube RealEstate acting on behalf ofBenson Elliot whorecently acquired thebuilding.

The waterfrontbuilding is the biggestvacant grade A office inthe city and will bere f u r b i s h e d .

Andy Heath, director ofoffice agency at DTZ inBristol, said: “With the rapidlyreducing level of grade A stock inboth the city centre and out-of-townmarkets, coupled with theprogramme of works we have

planned, Templeback provides oneof the few opportunities to acquiregrade A waterfront offices with aflexible approach.”

� Proteus Creative Communicationshas moved into Queen Square,meaning a prominent periodbuilding is almost full.

The agency has taken 2,436 sq ftof open plan space at King William’sHouse on a ten-year lease.

The firm, which employs 16 staff,has moved from Redcliffe Parade.

The Georgian mid-terracedproperty formerly operated as apotato processing factory.

Ross Wigley of joint letting agentsJLL, said: “This letting follows aresurgence of interest in high quality,newly refurbished space in Bristol.”

� The fast-growing cafe bar chainLoungers has moved into a newo ff i c e .

The group, which opened its firstvenue on North Street in theBedminster area of Bristol in 2002,now runs nearly 50 restaurant/cafebars across England and Wales.

Tom Dugay, office specialist atAlder King which finalised theletting, said: “Loungers’ rapidgrowth over the past 12 years,together with its ambitiousexpansion plans, required it to havea larger office base in its home cityand the premises at Lower ParkRow will serve them well.”

� Bannatyne’s Health Club and Spain Bristol celebrated its 20thbirthday with its longest standingm e m b e r.

Simon Robinson, 59, from Bristoljoined the Redland Road

health club on the first dayit opened 20 years ago

and is still enjoyingusing the facilities.

Simon, who enjoyeda slice of cake whichhe no doubt burned offin the gym after, said:

“Deciding to join thehealth club all those

years ago was one of thebest decisions I’ve made.

“Not only have I managed to getmyself much fitter, I’ve met some ofmy closest friends, some of whom Igo skiing with every year.”

Your digest of the week in business

In numbers

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

Corporation tax

21 %20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

122 .50pUnleaded

127 .1 3 pDiesel

129 .7 1 pSuperunleaded

67 .6 1 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.50%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

Inflation (CPI)

1.2 %

Weekly earnings

0.8 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %

S o u rc e :

Cambridge &Counties Bank

Inflation (RPI)

2.3 %

Stephen FearBristol businessman andentrepreneur in residenceand ambassador BritishLibrary, London

� Bannatyne’sHealth ClubBristol generalmanager NeilRees with loyalmember SimonRobinson