Small businesses are reminded to submit applications for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) before the end of the month.

The SBRR is available to ratepayers who occupy single properties with rateable values below £15,000 (or £21,500 in London) and offers reduced payments of up to 50 per cent for small firms. The deadline for applications for the 2006/7 financial year is 30 September.

It also applies to those who occupy multiple properties which each have a rateable value that is below £2,200, where the total value is less than the above threshold.

Previously, businesses could apply annually for rate relief but due to government changes, the next round of applications will not be until September 2010.

Ratepayers need to notify their local authority within four weeks if there is an increase in the value of any business property located outside the council area which provides their SBRR discount. They must also notify their local authority of any additional properties they occupy.

Philip Moody, Senior Member Services Representative at the Forum of Private Business, said:

“Many business owners will be unaware of this deadline. It does not apply to everyone, but they need to check their rates to see if they are eligible, and get their applications in if they are.”

Source: The Forum of Private Business, 13/09/2007

Businesses across Wales are set to reap the benefits of up to £3 billion in European Union funding.

West Wales and the Valleys has become the first region in Britain to have its EU Structural Fund programme legally adopted, leading the way for massive investment during the period 2007 to 2013.

Around £570 million will be ploughed into a Convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys, as a successor to the previous Objective 1 funding programme carried out between 2000 and 2006.

The European Development Fund (ERDF) will also provide an additional £856 million to support research and innovation, tackle climate change, and regenerate deprived communities.

Other new initiatives in the pipeline include the East Wales Regional Competitiveness scheme and an Employment programme.

Announcing the windfall in Swansea, First Minister Rhodri Morgan, said:

“We are now in a position to move forward with a seven-year plan to continue Wales’ transformation into a dynamic, thriving nation.

“In line with the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas of sustainable jobs and growth, we will be taking action to encourage full employment with quality jobs, as well as helping to ensure the growth and expansion of our businesses.”

Ieuan Wyn Jones, Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport, said:

“Our aim is to ensure that Wales continues to progress towards competitive, sustainable economic development.

“We want to create long-term, high quality jobs as well as providing the right environment to enable businesses to flourish and expand.”

The first round of projects set to benefit from the funding are due to be approved within the next couple of months.

Previous rounds of European Structural funds had seen more than £1.5 billion allocated in Wales to almost 3,000 separate projects.

Source: Welsh Assembly Government, 20/09/2007

More on Grant Funding

John

Are you looking to expand your business? 

Does your Company need a financial boost?

Could your business benefit from a highly experienced individual getting involved?

If so, then the bi-annual London Investment Fair could be the place for you. A simple set-up – we provide the venue, the coffees and the investors – you exhibit! It’s being held on Tuesday 6th November in Central London (St. James’s Street) with the doors opening at 10am and closing at 4.00pm.

For 7 years now, we have been running this highly successful event, attracting up to 200 private investors and institutions wishing to invest between £50,000 and £2m.
There will NOT be any service providers, just investors wanting to put money in SMEs.

“…an excellent event for us. As a direct result, we have secured commitments for more than two thirds of our equity funding requirement, and with the balance now in negotiation, we expect to complete our funding imminently. In short - money well spent!”

So, how much and what do I get? £800.00 + VAT + success fee

• The opportunity to promote your proposal face-2-face with investors.
• An Associate helping you before, during and after the event, maximising your presentation’s impact.
• Your synopsis mailed out to more than 1500 investors.
• An A5 colour entry in the catalogue, handed to all attending investors.
• And, of course, help with securing a deal!

There are just 30 spaces available! Due to the popularity of the event with exhibitor and investor alike, the spaces fill up fast. To avoid disappointment, don’t leave it to the last minute.

If you would like to know more, call Steph Iles on 0845 838 0936 or email strategy@nildram.co.uk

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the
American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his
needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs … I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

“And after that?” asked the Mexican.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second
one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty, perhaps 25 years,” replied the American.

“And after that?” the Mexican asked.

“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

Know where you’re going in life … you may already be there.

When I first begin speaking with prospects about working together the first question I ask them is “WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR WEBSITE TO ACHIEVE FOR YOU?” The answer to this helps us focus on the desired outcome right from the start.  If you are talking to us then the answer to this question has to be that you are looking for more traffic, more conversions and increased profits.

Next we talk about the story of your site so far – how old is the site, who is your target audience, who is responsible for the web design, have you implemented any SEO strategies so far, how do you measure your success, what works well and what doesn’t…. you can see how it goes!

Before we discuss how we might be able to work together to reach your goals it is important to us that you understand our services.   If you have any doubt at all about what SEO is and how it works I give you a short but comprehensive overview which seems to hit the spot!

Next we do a mini site review together, amongst other things we look at how your site is indexed in Google, what your meta tags look like, how your site is structured, we look at your inbound links and how each page may (or may not) be focused towards attracting a particular ranking or target phrase. 

Once we have a better idea of the current situation with your site and a clear idea of what you want your website to achieve we can recommend and discuss suitable SEO packages.

SEO services can differ hugely and its often hard to compare one company with another.  Much of the decision making process is built on trust so ask for references and evidence of success.  Our client relationships are long term so it is important that our clients know we can work well together so to that end we encourage you to ask questions and feel comfortable with what to expect.

If your SEO has not discussed the desired goals of your website with you then the service is not likely to deliver what you want.

If you would like to talk to us about how we may be able to help you increase your profits through more effective search engine optimisation please do contact us on 0845 838 0936 or email kath@strategyconsultinglimited.co.uk.

In this article we hope to provide practical, thought provoking advice to help in the marketing of your business. 

Successful marketing is about meeting the needs of customers – profitably.  People say to us marketing is the same as sales – but in our opinion they are wrong, selling an item is one thing, but did the customer really need the item and will the customer come back for more?  The value of a happy customer can be experienced for many years after the initial sale.

Other people say that marketing is advertising – but again we disagree.  Advertising is one form of marketing, which fits together with the many promotional opportunities open to a company.

Marketing is all about identifying what your customers need, and supplying it when they want it, where they want it, at a price they are prepared to pay, with a value that is perceived as better than the competition. 

How can I assess if my business offers customers this?

Quite simply ask them.  Large companies invest millions in market research, trying to understand as much as they can about the market they operate in.  Because it may not appear to be essential in the day to day operations of running a small business it is rarely achieved.  However, conducting research can not only be financially advantageous it can be interesting and intriguing.  It can provide you with valuable intelligence vital in making a decision.

The sort of areas a company should have an understanding on with regard to their market place include:

• Understand your customers -
  Who are they? 
  Why do they buy?
  What would they prefer to buy if they could?
  Individuals and organisations – what does each person look for when they buy my product or service?
• Who are my competitors?
  How do they promote themselves?
  How are we different?
  What messages do we convey?  Are we consistent?
  Do the messages get across?
• What is happening in my business?
  What are my strengths and weaknesses?
• What is happening in the market in which we operate in?
• What are my opportunities and threats?
  How will technology affect my business?

Do you know what your customers really want and why they want it?  Do you develop your products, services and promotional material to meet these requirements? 

Can you afford not to!

Many people think marketing is costly, but it should be seen as an investment.  Good marketing should test ideas and keep the investment to a minimum until you can assess the results. 

• Understand what customers want
• Understand why the customers want it
• Understand how, when and where they want it
• ASK them – don’t be afraid, don’t assume you know it!
• Develop a promotional strategy to let them know –combine your sales and marketing communications efforts to maximise results - direct mail letters, telephone calls, press statements, etc.
• Be consistent - Ensure your promotional tactics are consistent – advertising, web site and electronic marketing
• Ensure you deliver what you say you will
• Maintain the relationships to understand what else the customer might want

Implementation of marketing communication will require innovation, knowledge and flair in the practical elements of direct mail, advertising, public relations and web marketing, but the success of your business will rely on your knowledge of your customers. 

Strategy Consulting has supported numerous clients on helping them to understand more about their customers and the markets in which they serve.  From this valuable information, a qualified marketer has been able to develop a strategic marketing plan to help our clients meet their specific business objectives.  Once developed, the team at Strategy Consulting can also assist with the implementation of the marketing plan providing practical support in areas such as branding, public relations, direct mail and web marketing.

If you would like to know more about your customers and how you could gain a greater competitive advantage contact Strategy Consulting now.

We have relaunched our blog as a means of bringing you useful tips and up-to-date information that is relevant to the SME market.  Fund raising for business growth will be a major focus for us as we have a wide and varied offering including business angels, small firms loans, asset finance, factoring and invoice discounting, property finance, trade finance, grants and many more.

We will bring you examples of success and ideas for fund raising solutions so be sure to subscribe to our feed as you never know when this information might be useful for your own business!

Another topic we will talk about in some detail is search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) and other internet marketing strategies.  This information will be aimed at anyone interested in learning how they can make more money online.  Here you will find posts that explain the basics so that you can get an apprciation of how SEO works and how you can better take advantage of the opportunities the internet provides to grow your business.

If there are topics you would like to see included here feel free to email me at kath@strategyconsultinglimited.co.uk.

Thanks to Kay for her scripting skills and for revitalising our blog!