Your Development Manager: or call ABOVE: PAUL FOSTER WITH LUKE MASSIE OF VIBE TICKETS. RIGHT: FSB CONNECT GUESTS

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1 Lancashire & Cumbria Your Development Manager: or call March/April 2016 WOW FACTOR IS GENERATED AT FIRST FSB CONNECT IN REGION SEVENTY young people in business recently gathered for the first FSB Connect event held with Lancashire Business Views Young Uns. FSB Connect has been developed in line with the new branding for FSB as we target the recruitment of the next generation of business movers and shakers. Following a welcome from FSB member Richard Slater of Lancashire Business View, FSB Development Manager Paul Foster spoke about FSB aims and objectives and why it is crucial that we support young entrepreneurs. Guest speaker at the event was young entrepreneur Luke Massie of Vibe Tickets who inspired attendees with his experiences of challenging established ticket companies in the events management world armed with a determination to succeed and his own entrepreneurial flair. The ticket company was founded three years ago as Luke wanted to give fans the chance to not only buy and sell tickets, but also make new, like-minded friends at events. The businessman felt the current position of the secondary ticket market was flawed. An alternative ABOVE: PAUL FOSTER WITH LUKE MASSIE OF VIBE TICKETS. RIGHT: FSB CONNECT GUESTS peer-to-peer model, which allows real fans to communicate with one another and share tickets at face value, was, he felt, needed to enable fans to obtain tickets and stop them being ripped off by people who are touting tickets for a profit. Vibe is available across social media platforms and boasts a Twitter following of 160,000. Paul said: There was a wow factor at our first Connect event and working in partnership with Lancashire Business View was a natural fit. Their Young Uns programme has the same aims of promoting young entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future. FLOOD INFO TO MINISTERS We have been busy supporting members affected by the floods to access support to get business back up and running. Members have been signposted to grant funding being administered by Growth Hubs in Lancashire and Cumbria, flexible payment options from HMRC, and business rates support from local authorities. A big thank you goes out to members who took the time to give us case study information on how they were affected. These have been collated and shared with Small Business Minister, Anna Soubry, and Floods Minister, Rory Stewart, to aid our calls for better flood insurance support for small businesses. ANGER AT PARKING COSTS Now is the time when local authorities reveal their budget plans for the coming financial year. The Federation of Small Businesses keeps an eye on these submissions so we can challenge any plans which we feel will damage small businesses. At the time of writing budgets are work in progress, but we have already seen plans by Allerdale Borough Council to significantly ramp up parking charges and extend the period during which charges apply, including overnight charges. We have responded, arguing against these proposals, as well as plans to charge for recycling collection to Allerdale businesses. REGIONAL NEWS 2, 11, 14 BUSINESS UPDATE 3-10 REGIONAL CONTACTS 14 TO ADVERTISE CALL

2 PAGE 2 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ISSUES BUSINESS FLOOD GUIDANCE In the wake of the floods which have devastated parts of Lancashire and Cumbria, the Environment Agency (EA) have reissued guidance to help businesses assess the risk and prepare for future flood alerts. Flooding is the most common and widespread natural disaster in the UK, said the EA report. Since 1998 there has been at least one serious flood every year. Businesses like yours are more likely to be flooded than destroyed by fire. As our climate changes we can expect to see more extreme weather and more floods. We aim to reduce the likelihood of flooding by managing land, rivers, coastal systems and flood defences. While we do everything we can to reduce the chance of flooding, it is a natural process and can never be completely eliminated. By taking action to prepare in advance for flooding, most businesses can save between 20 and 90 per cent on the cost of lost stock and movable equipment as well as some of the trouble and stress that goes with such an event. This is a simple guide to some of the easy actions that you can take to make sure that your business is as well prepared as possible. It tells you about how to find out if your business is at risk, our flood warning service and what our flood warning codes mean. It also has a simple template to use to design a flood plan for your company. For more information about flooding and the full report visit or call Floodline on EDITORIAL: This publication is produced by and published for the Federation of Small Businesses, Sir Frank Whittle Way, Blackpool Business Park Blackpool, Lancs, FY4 2FE. Copyright 1996 Federation of Small Businesses all rights reserved. Editor: James Connor. Tel: james.connor@fsb.org.uk. Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of this publication errors or omissions are not the responsibility of the Federation of Small Businesses and opinions expressed are those of the authors and are not necessarily the policy of the Federation. SKILLS SUPPORT BOOSTS MEMBERS A 5.6m programme offering Lancashire companies free workforce training has been hailed a success after helping more than 5,500 Lancashire workers gain new skills and qualifications. Lancashire Skills Support for the Workforce launched in September 2014 and aimed to help Lancashire companies accelerate business growth by addressing skills gaps. It APPRENTICESHIP WEEK The drive to encourage more FSB members to take on apprentices will be further boosted in March by a series of events to highlight the importance of the initiative. National Apprenticeship Week runs from March 14 to 18 and there will be meetings all around the country to showcase businesses who already have apprentices and to encourage others to follow suit. With the Government committed to introducing three million apprenticeships over the next five years, FSB members will be particularly sought after because encouraging more small businesses to take on apprentices is seen as the key to making the ambitious programme succeed. The week of events aims to show employers that taking on an apprentice could not only give youngsters an important first career step but could also introduce invaluable assets to the workforce. Research shows that the vast majority of apprentices are ultimately Mark Sandamas Leylandbased Pennine Events have named St Catherine s Hospice as their charity partner for their latest venture. They have partnered APPRENTICE closed last Autumn after delivering training to 5,508 staff from 1,381 businesses in the county. The support available included a mix of basic and higher level skills, leadership and management skills as well as technical and industry specialist qualifications. Lancashire employers benefitted from workforce training in areas such as accounting, marketing, with Wiggle, to bring the North of England a brand new series of cycling, swimming and running challenges. Budding and seasoned sportsmen and women are invited sales, health and social care, customer service, engineering, manufacturing, catering and hospitality. FSB Development Manager, Paul Foster, was a member of the Programme Management Board and said: It was great to support members with quality training and we are keen that funding is secured to expand the programme. taken on by their employers and many now see this as the ideal route to take on trainees. Businesses are being incentivised to do so with the extension of apprenticeship grants which mean you could get grants of 1,500 per apprentice. In addition, you can also receive funding for training and gain support through local apprenticeship training organisations for all the necessary qualifications, HR issues and ongoing assessments you need, making it easier than ever to take on an apprentice. Supporting apprenticeships is a long-term FSB policy and our National Vice Chairman, Sandra Dexter, said: We hope National Apprenticeship Week will lead more businesses to consider taking on an apprentice. Quality apprenticeships are vital to the future of British business and they are a fantastic way to enable young people to gain the skills they need to succeed. Events are planned locally so visit MARK BIDS TO BOOST HOSPICE FUNDS to challenge themselves along routes that highlight the best the North West has to offer. Find out more at co.uk/shop/wiggle-4- counties-cycle-ride/

3 THROUGH KEYHOLE TO WORLD OF WORK WITH FSB FSB is currently forging closer links to the world of work for undergraduates. Many businesses tell us that young people, even at University level, are not fully aware of what it is like in the business world, and that they either miss out on job opportunities or are not able to hit the ground running in the workplace as a result. While many courses now include an element of work experience, small businesses, by their nature, are unable to commit to this. Lancaster University s Employer Connect programme aims to get around this by linking small business owners with students on an informal one-to-one basis to ANDREEA VASILE FROM allow discussion about LANCASTER UNIVERSITY their industry. Andreea Vasile, a student at Lancaster, commented on her experience of the programme: I am interested in consultancy and in exploring an entry level position working within management consultancy or business analysis roles. I was offered the opportunity to visit Yemi Shodipo, the Managing Director of Charis Management Systems in Preston and the student that is shadowing him in their office. They talked to me about the consultancy projects that they are working on and explained to me in detail what the process involved. This increased my knowledge and understanding of the scope of consultancy projects and the type of advice and support companies are seeking. She added: Yemi made me very welcome and offered the opportunity for me to ask questions during the meeting. I was very grateful to them for offering me their time. FSB are looking for more business-owners willing to give up a short amount of time to link with students interested in their line of work. If you would like to find out more please contact FSB s Development Manager for Lance and Cumbria, Paul Foster, on paul. foster@fsb.org.uk LAST CHANCE TO ENTER KEY NW AWARDS Companies, social enterprises and entrepreneurs wishing to enter the 2016 E3 Business Awards have until midnight on Monday, 14 March to submit their nominations. The awards evening is sponsored by FSB and will take place at the Macron Stadium, Bolton on Friday, 3 June. The awards are open to businesses, charities and individuals in the North West and they celebrate businessmen and women who have made a positive contribution to enterprise, education and employment. They are designed to promote diversity and to recognise the efforts of entrepreneurs not only E3 AWARDS WINNERS from the British mainstream but from all communities and backgrounds. In all the categories the judges will be looking for evidence that candidates are making a positive impact on their local communities or upon the wider regional economy. Candidates may nominate themselves or they may be nominated by third parties. Application forms are on the E3 Awards website: co.uk. The site gives details of the 16 categories and judging criteria. CONFERENCE HEADS FOR GLASGOW The Federation of Small Businesses is taking its National Conference and Small Business Expo to the SECC in Glasgow from 17 to 19 March. This exclusive event will attract hundreds of business owners from all over the UK. Hosting the prestige event is journalist and TV presenter Kirsty Wark. The Conference features a speech from SuperJam entrepreneur, Fraser Doherty, and we can guarantee you will not leave without feeling inspired. If you own a business or are even thinking about starting out on your own make sure you pay a visit. From telecoms to transit vans, pensions to payment terminals, Fintech to Funding, the Small Business Expo has it all and its free to enter. With one Networking Breakfast and two lunches and 1,000 smaller business owners, there are plenty of opportunities to make new contacts and meet fellow business owners. We also have seminars and keynote speeches from business leaders for smaller businesses aiming to grow and develop, covering a variety of subjects from energy management solutions to social media. FSB National Conference 2016 is the ideal place to pick up practical hints and tips for you to use in your company. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and raise the issues that concern you during our Business Debate and Question Time. The programme features keynote speeches from politicians and previous speakers include George Osborne, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband. To find out more and book your free places go to conference PAGE 11

4 ALL ROADS LEAD TO GLASGOW FOR FSB CONFERENCE 2016 Over 1,000 small business owners from all over the UK are beating a path to the SECC in Glasgow to be part of the annual FSB Conference and Expo from March Scotland s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will be adding her voice to an impressive line-up of keynote speakers alongside senior UK government and opposition MPs. Hosting the Conference and back on home ground, is TV presenter and journalist Kirsty Wark, whose job it will be to put the spotlight on the panel of influential decision-makers and quiz them about their plans and policies regarding small businesses. Kirsty, who grew up in Kilmarnock but now lives in Glasgow, tells of her pride in being part of the FSB Conference and how she s looking forward to meeting delegates during the three days. Glasgow is such a beautiful city she says and it s very welcoming, having been voted one of the friendliest cities in the world. Another well-known Scottish figure, Fraser Doherty MBE, of SuperJam fame has already confirmed his place as this year s main business speaker. Fraser will reveal the secrets of his amazing and meteoric rise from learning the art of jam-making as a schoolboy in his grandmother s kitchen to running a multi-million pound business exporting food When FSB s Business Expo opens its doors at the SECC, Glasgow from March, it will signal the start of three days of totally free business to business opportunities all brought together under one roof. This year the Expo is set to be bigger than ever with over 100 exhibitors, keynote speeches from some of the country s leading business gurus and inspiring seminars designed to help you improve and grow your business. If you have ever thought how handy it would be to network with over 1,000 other similar-minded business people from all over the UK, CONFERENCE VENUE IN GLASGOW products around the world - and all before the age of 30! This year s Conference has many new features including new sponsors Epson and British Standards Institute working alongside key FSB providers and supporters. Away from the main Conference platform, the theme of Invention, Innovation and Investment is running through the event itinerary with the co-located FSB Business Expo (details below). For those who also want to explore the delights of Scotland s largest city whilst they re there, a package of trips have been arranged which include the world famous Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. Registrations for the event are already breaking records and places are filling up rapidly so make sure you reserve your place by booking online at fsbexpo.co.uk or follow the QR code (inset in above picture). FSB BUSINESS EXPO 2016: BIGGER THAN EVER! well here s your chance. The Expo is all about encouraging you to build your contact list and find ways of growing your business and achieving your ambitions. It s the ideal place to pick up practical hints and tips and at the same time browse around the wide range of exhibitors, all with products designed specifically for smaller businesses offering advice and exclusive Expo deals and discounts. From telecoms to transit vans, pensions to payment terminals, fintech to funding, the Business Expo has it all and it s completely free to enter. We re showcasing dedicated open-access areas for pensions and auto enrolment advice, legal, tax and insurance plus moneysaving deals on your energy bills, business vehicles and a host of other services and benefits. Better still, why not join in as a new exhibitor? We have a range of exhibiting options and a special FSB member discount available. Registration is quick and easy just go to the website at to reserve your place and learn more about what s on offer for you at the Expo. GET MOST FROM YOUR TELECOMS Dave Millett of Equinox, a leading Telecoms Brokerage and Consultancy looks at getting the best from your telecoms. When did you last try calling your own company? This is often people s first experience of dealing with you. Whilst systems can measure time to answer and abandoned calls do you know how customers are greeted? If you use routing options such as press 1, press 2 etc. are they easy to navigate? It may save you time but it can create irritation for the caller. If you use an answering service are they creating the right impression for your company? Secondly, is your solution enhancing the productivity of your staff? Technologies that enable working on the move and at home are readily available. Services such as call recording to review customer service quality and video conferencing/webinar services to reduce travel costs are now available for small monthly fees. Costs have fallen significantly and it is worth revisiting many technologies to assess if they can benefit your business. When did you last check the costs you are paying? 80% of organisations have not reviewed, in detail, their bills in the last two years. Call costs have fallen significantly. Are you the 1 in 7 company that is paying for services they no longer use? If you are about to sign a new contract always check the following: 1. How long is it for? 2. What is the notice period? 3. Are prices fixed? 4. What are the cancellation penalties? 5. Have you got the costs of every element and destination? 6. Are there set up fees or minimum charges on calls? 7. Are unlimited or bundles right for you? PAGE 12

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6 MAJOR MOVES TO CREATE MORE ECONOMIC GROWTH Local Authorities across Lancashire are looking to develop a Combined Authority as they seek to harness opportunities for economic growth and establish new agreements around devolved powers and decision-making with central Government. FSB is supportive of the plans, especially if they will reduce duplication, deliver better value for money for council tax and ratepayers and allow more local control over boosting our economy. Councillor Alistair Bradley, who is Chairman of the combined authority council leaders group, said: This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for authorities in Lancashire to work together, bring more investment and jobs to the area and make sure we don t get left behind. He added: It is a chance for us to take on powers from the Government and ensure we have a bigger influence on what happens in our proud county. It has been stressed that a combined authority would not see the creation of a super council or local authorities merging. Each council would still be responsible for the services it provides, such as refuse collection, street cleansing, culture and leisure. PAUL DEVELOPING LINKS WITH LOCAL COLLEGES Students at Newton Rigg College near Penrith in Cumbria have benefitted from the college s engagement with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) with local Development Manager, Paul Foster, visiting hair and beauty course students to discuss the prospects for self-employment and business start-up. And FSB is developing links with other colleges. Newton Rigg, which is part of Askham Bryan College, one of the leading land-based colleges in the UK, is part of the largest provider of specialist landbased further education in England. The college not only offers courses in the land-based sector including agriculture, gamekeeping, animal and equine management, forestry, horticulture and agricultural engineering, but also offers general further education courses as well including uniformed public services, sport (indoor and outdoor), hairdressing and beauty therapy, childhood studies and health and social FSB is showing its support to Kendal businesses through sponsorship of Kendal s 2016 Festival of Food. FSB Regional Chairman Gary Lovatt PAUL FOSTER WITH NEWTON RIGG STUDENTS said: After the floods this is just the kind of support Kendal needs to get the message out that the town is very much open for business, we are keen to do our bit to care. When approached to help prepare students for life after college, Paul was happy to help. He said: Students need to know about what life is like in their chosen profession so that they are prepared when they complete their courses. The hairdressing and beauty students were initially unsure about the possibility of being selfemployed or running a small business but, once we had taken them through the support that organisations such as FSB can offer, they were much more comfortable with the prospect. The hair and beauty sector is known for having a large base of self-employed people and, despite some students expressing a wish to gain employment, there was an acknowledgement that the majority would be becoming their own boss. We talked about the benefits of selfemployment and offered suggestions as to available support. FSB BACKING AS KENDAL RECOVERS help small businesses in the area. Find out more about the Festival which takes place 12 and 13 March at www. kendalfestivaloffood. co.uk REGIONAL OFFICE Paul Foster Development Manager Federation of Small Businesses T: M: Just a few of the benefits of membership of the FSB LEGAL HELPLINE You need your membership number when you call. INLAND REVENUE In-depth enquiries. Remember to call the help line immediately you have any indication of Inland Revenue enquiry. EMPLOYMENT PROBLEMS Remember to call the help line before taking any action regarding staff problems. Follow the advice given and the FSB insurance cover will be valid if a tribunal results. LEGAL TAX CLAIMS To obtain a claim form telephone FREE BUSINESS BANKING Exclusive account with the Cooperative Bank. All standard transactions free, including unlimited cheques in and out, free cash deposits up to an agreed limit, free automated payments and more. VISIT FSB WEBSITE for national policy and other information. Click on Regions at the top of the page and then Lancashire & Cumbria for Regional and Branch information about future meetings. PAGE 14