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PRESS RELEASE For immediate release August 2010
UK Business Advisors (UKBA) believe that, in most cases, the Managing Director is best equipped to decide what is best for their business. The role of the advisor is to offer guidance and support to back the MD’s judgement.
The UKBA network considers the Business Link website as an excellent source of knowledge which should be retained centrally, along with an appropriate call centre. However the UKBA believes the actual delivery of business advice is too individual and patchy to be delivered centrally and strongly supports the government’s initiative to localise business support.
According to the UKBA, the role of government should be to set the strategic framework, not to deliver it themselves. It would be far better to use advisors who can demonstrate real ‘hands on’ experience in business. The UKBA suggests that the government should set out the accreditation framework for the delivery of business advisors, and empower experienced business advisors to help the UK’s business grow.
UKBA believes that the MD of an SME is best equipped to decide what is best for their business. If an MD truly values the help and advice then they should be prepared to pay some contribution to it. This principle puts pressure on the advisor to provide high quality advice that really helps the businesses. If the advisor knows that they will only get paid if they add value, the advice dramatically improves.
UKBA suggests that the government should help by offering a government subsidy of say 25% to encourage business support and advice.
Brian Dash, chair of UKBA said “Trusting the judgement of MD’s and using the expert advisors that are available to SME’s will be the best route to achieving the government target of stimulating a best in class competitive economy.”
For full details visit the UKBA website www.ukba.co.uk or contact Brian Dash at UKBA on 0333 444 8522.
ENDS PRESS RELEASE For immediate release July 2010 UKBA (UK Business Advisors) has welcomed the review of the effectiveness of Business Link in providing advice to owners and directors of SMEs. They believe that Business Link has not provided quality or value for money for some time now. Because it is government funded, the focus for those running the various Business Links is inevitably on meeting the government targets. Quality of advice has been variable, but in too many cases the only interest seems to have been to meet an SME, hand over a standard template report and then be able to go back to the funder, tick a box and claim their payment.
This has been damaging to some businesses since they then erroneously believe they have received personal quality advice focused on their business.
UKBA long ago recognised that true independent advice is difficult to come by, but can be absolutely critical to the success of an SME. It is important that any advisor is actually a specialist in their specific field, and someone who is actually also running an SME is in a much better position to help a company. Such advisors also get paid by the SME. So if the advice doesn’t help the company, they don’t get paid. This is a much better incentive to providing quality advice and real help to a business than just needing to tick a government target box.
All UKBA advisers run their own business, so “know what it is like” to be a business owner; and most of their work comes from recommendations from other customers and businesses.
Brian Dash, Chairman of UKBA said, “We see companies needing help all the time. Getting high quality advice and help quickly and cost-effectively can make all the difference to an SME. This is why we welcome the review of Business Link which will hopefully ensure that they, or their successor, are only active in the limited areas where they can really help, such as signposting grants.”
For full details visit the UKBA website www.ukba.co.uk or contact Brian Dash at UKBA on 0333 444 8522.
ENDS For further PR information, please contact Phil Taylor of UKBA on +(44) 1895 622601, fax 0709 231 5207, email
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www.ukba.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE For immediate release June 2010 SME business owners rely on outside advice
A recent survey by EnterQuest highlighted the importance of independent advice to owners and directors of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). 80% of business owners said they sought help from other business owners, and 72% used contacts in business networks. However, only 36% used a local enterprise agency or support agency. The weakest reported skill was in sales and marketing, with one in three business owners saying they were quite weak or very weak in this area.
This report confirms what UKBATM (UK Business Advisors) have been saying for some time, that true independent advice is difficult to come by, but can be absolutely critical to the success of an SME. It is important that any advisor is actually a specialist in their specific field. Companies that claim to provide across-the-board business advice from a single adviser rarely provide much added value.
All UKBATM advisers run their own business, so “know what it is like” to be a business owner; and most of their work comes from networking and referrals from other customers and businesses.
Bob Francis, a sales and marketing specialist within UKBA said, “I see companies needing help all the time. If it is sales and marketing help, then I can provide it personally. However I also know I can call on an extensive network of many real experts in their field to address each company’s specific issues. In these times of tight financial management, getting the right advice quickly and cost-effectively can make all the difference”
For full details visit the UKBA website www.ukba.co.uk or contact Bob Francis at UKBA on 0333 444 8522.
ENDS
For further PR information, please contact Phil Taylor of UKBA on +(44) 1895 622601, fax 0709 231 5207, email
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www.ukba.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE - for immediate release - April 2010 SOLIHULL TO HOST BUSINESS BRAINSTORMING FIRST
Organiser, Martin Parry said:
“We all know that a problem shared is a problem halved, but sometimes in business we forget this.
“Sometimes we are simply too close to a problem to see a solution to it. Sometimes we are frightened to talk about it to others in case it makes us look weak or vulnerable.
“Our experience at MGBA, often advising businesses how to get out of difficult situations, consistently shows that whatever field of business you are in, the problems you face are often similar to those in a completely different sector.
“It does not matter if you are making cars or selling sausages, you still have to deal with staff, marketing, cash flow and recession. It is nearly always the case that ideas and solutions for one company can be adapted to suit another, however different the service or product.
“By bringing together a group of business people in a relaxed and informal setting we hope to be able to create an atmosphere whereby company bosses feel they can open up and let like minded individuals help. Surely 12 heads is better than one.” ...2
If the Solihull experiment is successful, the MGBA hope to roll out the programme across the West and East Midlands. For more details about this and future MGBA events, contact Martin Parry at
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Marketing out of a recession can open up opportunities for many SME’s, according to UKBA (UK Business Advisors) who are currently helping companies find ways of doing things better and cheaper for new or current customers, or increase sales at the same price.
However, to make use of the opportunity whilst minimising risk, UKBA recommends that organisations should focus on the marketing basics. Reviewing the foundations of a company and its marketing is not complicated, but is something that many firms forget to do regularly. The basic questions to ask include; Who are your best customers? Why do they really buy from you and not the competitors? What sort of new customers you really want? (profitable and good to deal with being preferable), and how do you want to be seen by your customers?
A good understanding of a company’s market position is not difficult to achieve, although it may often require external help. However without reviewing the real marketing position, significant amounts of effort and cost could be wasted. It is therefore basic good practice to review this regularly.
Producing a simple marketing plan will help to clarify the actions required to achieve results and also produce agreement within the company at all levels. Marketing tactics can then be employed to get the right messages in front of the right potential customers.
Phil Taylor, a marketing specialist within UKBA advises, “Now more than ever, it is vital that companies know why people buy from them and what makes them superior to their competitors. Understanding their unique selling proposition should drive the marketing initiatives through 2010, resulting in better sales opportunities down the line”.
For further information, please contact Phil Taylor of UKBA on +(44) 1895 622601, fax 0709 231 5207, email
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www.ukba.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate release - November 2009 (Download in Word) SME sickness policies can stop absence abuse According to UK Business Advisors (UKBA™), the introduction of a good sickness policy by SMEs could prevent holiday abuse by employees. This follows the recent European court decision to allow employees who claim to have been sick whilst on holiday, the opportunity to demand replacement holidays when they return to work, even though the employer may know nothing about the claimed sickness. Whilst most employees are not expected to misuse this ruling, it is inevitable that some will, potentially causing cost and logistics problems for the employer, and resentment amongst other staff. The UKBA™ advises employers to easily avoid this situation by the implementation of a good sickness policy. This can be a simple single-page document that puts the onus on the employee to properly report sickness. It does not have to be complicated, just properly prepared. Patrick Chamberlain, an HR and employment specialist in UKBA™ said “A good sickness policy is very easy to implement, but more difficult to introduce in hindsight when employees are misusing the system. This simple step can eliminate many difficulties for companies and prevent holiday sickness abuse. We recommend that prevention is better than having to look for a cure”. ***ENDS*** 203 words Background: Court ruling - On 10 September 2009, the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") delivered its judgment in the case of Francisco Vicente Pereda v Madrid Movilidad SA and held that where an employee does not wish to take annual leave during a period of sick leave, he or she must be permitted to take the annual leave at a different time. This means that employees who are taken ill during a scheduled holiday have a choice: they can either take their annual leave as planned, or insist on postponing their annual leave and instead take sick leave. For further information on this release, please contact Phil Taylor of UKBA on +(44) 1895 622601, fax 0709 231 5207, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate release - October 2009 (Download in Word) Business Plans taking on more importance in tough times With many companies under pressure to survive the recession, and looking to come out the other side successfully, a good working business plan takes on even more importance in these tough times. It should provide the foundation for all the operations of the company, and keep activities on track towards recognised measurable targets. A good plan will involve a number of key steps including; The Vision – a company’s future aspirations, The Mission – what a company does for its clients, The Objectives – defined targets for the business, Strategies – how the business is going to get there, and Plans & Actions – what the business is going to do to successfully achieve it. Putting together a business plan for a smaller company need not take a lot of time or cost, but the rewards can be immense and possibly even save the company. It is important to avoid a one-size fits all approach that some agencies offer, and that a company is assisted by a professional business people if they don’t have that level of advice available. UKBA™ (UK Business Advisors) is making a special offer for is highly effective offering planning sessions with one of its experienced business advisors, who are available around most of the country. See www.ukba.co.uk. The session results in a live concise plan that can be used by the business as a realistic base for moving forward. Brian Dash, Chair of UKBA™ said “We know the value of a good business plan in helping a company set its objectives and move forward in a measured way. However it is vital that it is not just something done once and stuck in a drawer. It must be regularly reviewed, preferably in conjunction with a business expert not connected with the day-to-day running of the business.” ***ENDS*** 296 words For further information on this release, please contact Phil Taylor of UKBA™ on +(44) 1895 622601, fax 0709 231 5207, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
