Employers are morally and legally responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all their employees, especially those that work alone. In this article Safepoint explores how organisations employing lone workers can better protect their staff and company, and what some of the ramifications are if they get things wrong. Read more here: How should employers protect lone workers – and what are their liabilities?
63%!! That’s an awfully big statistic and a lot of business lost – it’s the rock-star of communication.
If you think this is a great idea for you, call us and we’ll support you all the way 01603 513111 or email me at wendy@livelinkresource.co.uk
One of the biggest problems that many gamblers face is the ability to do business with a casino company for many years. Longevity is not a thing that gambling companies are known for, especially in the age of the online casino. In this environment, however, there are still some innovative and strong companies that have stood up to the test of time, becoming better as they go. Here are some casino companies with great longevity that you can definitely trust if you are a gambler who is looking for a homebase.
There are many other brands like Casumo.com that are showcasing the same properties as these long-standing icons in the industry. Newer brands are also making their way into the online space, so you can expect to see some of the big names in the industry follow suit. However, the new and expanded world of online gambling allows for many new brands to take market share without necessarily stepping on the toes of the big boys. We can probably expect to see many more casino companies with great longevity in the near future, as new technology allows innovative people within those companies to create unique experiences for their clients.
Many people know MGM as the movie studio, but it is actually a brand that owns many iconic casinos around the world. Its flagship in Las Vegas is one of the most highly trafficked gambling centers on the planet. Its portfolio also includes the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the Mirage in Las Vegas and many other huge performers in Springfield, Macau and other international cities.
Caesars Entertainment definitely has longevity. As one of the oldest company brands in the casino industry, gamblers can expect a great time from its more than seven decades of experience. Under the Caesars umbrella resides the Horseshoe and Harrah’s brand of casinos. Its portfolio also includes Caesars Atlantic City, Ballys Atlantic City and many casinos in the international market such as its holdings in Vietnam and Egypt.
As the biggest casino company in Australia, Crown Resorts is a huge holder of many brands in the land down under. Australian billionaire James Packer was the fuel in the fire behind this brand for many years, and he was actually the catalyst for the brand launching in many new markets outside of Australia. Crown Resorts recently opened its new building in Macau after it teamed up with Melco International. The brand was actually blocked in Sri Lanka, but it is building in Las Vegas.
This company is based in Hong Kong and serves as a holding company for many brands that come out of that area. Stanley Ho, Hong Kong billionaire, is the wind in the sales of this company. Its portfolio includes the Casa Real, Lisboa Casino Hotel and Ponte 16 Resort Macau.
Steve Wynn, billionaire and chairman, is responsible for some of the most luxurious casino properties in the world. This is a brand that has survived many eras of the casino industry. Its portfolio now includes incredible properties in Las Vegas and Macau. They are also building a new location in Boston Harbor.
Coming out of Hong Kong, this brand has concentrated itself strictly on the Macau market. However, it will soon begin construction on a location in Boracay of the Philippines in 2019. The family owned company comes out of the Lui family of Hong Kong. Its portfolio includes the Waldo Casino Hotel, the Broadway Macau, the Starworld Casino and Hotel, the Galaxy Macau Casino and the President Casino and Hotel.
Health and safety policy cannot be effective without good communication and trust between lone workers and their employers. What tools are available to help employers and staff take responsibility for their health and safety, and how you can you build a better safety culture in your organisation? Find out more here: How can employers and lone workers share responsibility for health and safety?
There are a plethora of blogs and articles on the internet about working from home. Whether that’s occasionally or, from a home office. Self-employed, employed or consultant. This is my personal story of employing remote workers.
Some people think having their team working from home is great, others are much more sceptical. The one thing that comes up time and time again is productivity. People hand-wringing that their employees won’t be productive as they’ll be lured away by something interesting on the TV, cooking their dinner or even dusting (whatever dusting is!).
My question would be – is the work being done? If it is, does it matter if they’ve sloped off to watch Homes Under the Hammer (you can see what my guilty pleasure is). Does it matter when it was done if it was done well and the deadline was met?
I’ve called this the Productivity Myth, as that’s exactly what it is – a myth. When the right team is working together with the same shared vision, what happens? Productivity soars. It doesn’t matter if they are warming the seat in the swanky office or bent over their desk at home.
If you have a team member that’s going to sit back and not care, they’ll do that in your expensive office too. All that’s happening is you’re adding to your business cost and your blood pressure is rising to stratospheric levels trying to manage them.
How do I know that lack of productivity is a myth?
Because I have done both. Previously, all my team were based in that (expensive) office. Buses were ‘late’, lots of ‘headaches and tummy pains’ and I was paying for that. Not just in money, but in time, stress and frustration.
A little over two years ago, I saw the light and hired my first two home workers. They are still with me today. Today, every member of the team works from their home office. I keep a small serviced office in Norwich and I’m the only person that uses it.
What have been the pitfalls?
There is one pitfall and it’s probably not what you think it will be. It’s getting the right person. Our hiring process is long and in depth. Applicants think they want to work from home, and it will be great (or easy), but soon find out it’s neither. Some find the isolation hard.
What’s great?
Almost everything!
Would I go back to having an office-based team. Never – it wouldn’t enter my head.
A warrant control is a legal document that is given by the court if you have any debt and it is the type of document that allows the agents of warrant control to have a check at your place, and they are allowed to get control over the things you own. Whatever they seize will typically be sold at auction to collect the debt that is required from you. It is necessary that the warrant of control is given by the court, and the court has the right to file such warrants against you if you have not paid a fine charged within the country of the court judgment.
Bailiffs are also known as enforcement agents, who are hired by the court and may be allowed to enter your home if do not pay your debts on time. The court will first send you a notice to pay your debt within a set period of days or weeks and if you do not clear the charge fined on you then the bailiffs may be allowed to enter your house, and may well be allowed by the court to take certain posessions from your place without your express permission.
It is advisable to get rid of the CCJ payment as soon as possible to avoid getting into the situations which may lead to the issuing of a warrant of control, but if you are late then you can still get rid of this warrant by applying for the necessary paperwork from the court. This paperwork will likely help you to get rid of this warrant as soon as possible.
There are certain rules under which the bailiffs are required to work:
What Can Bailiffs Seize?
What Can Bailiffs Not Seize?
If you have any further queries regarding bailiffs or the warrant of control, you can simply view this website for more information.
In the last year in which full data is available the arts and culture sector supported 360,000 jobs, contributed £10.8 billion to the nation’s economy, and had a gross value added per worker of £62,000 compared to £46,800 for the wider UK economy. Chris Gribble, CEO of National Centre for Writing, began his talk at our Norwich Networking Breakfast on Tuesday 16th July with these facts as a way of highlighting to the business community the contribution the arts and culture sector makes to the local and UK economy.
There is a booming culture scene in Norfolk and Suffolk with proportionally more people working in the sector than regionally or nationally. Considering that Norfolk is steeped in history this is hardly a surprising statistic, but the thing that did surprise a number of people in the room was just how much has always been going on in our fine city. Norwich was the first city in England to establish a municipal library in 1608 and the Millennium Library has been the most used public library in 6 out of the last 7 years. If you’ve ever been to an event as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival you’ve attended England’s oldest city arts festival, which began in 1772. Julian of Norwich, one of Europe’s great mystics, wrote Revelations of Divine Love in an anchorite cell in Norwich and was the first woman to be published in English. Britain’s first and most famous MR Creative Writing was founded at the University of East Anglia and the first student was Ian McEwan! In 2006 Norwich became the first and only UK city to join the International Cities of Refuge Network which promotes free speech and supports persecuted writers.
Chris was a hard act to follow but Hannah Garrard, Programme Manager, did an excellent job. She highlighted the programme the National Centre for Writing ran to encourage young people to consider a career in the arts sector. As part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival the Engage! Group put together a festival in a day which included programming 5 events, designing the logo and marketing, and managing the event on the day. The feedback the event received was extremely positive and the National Centre for Writing are planning on running a similar event for next year’s festival.
Everyone came away from the morning with fun Norwich facts to wow people with and a renewed excitement for the arts and culture sector in Norwich. We are certainly going to be taking advantage of some of the fantastic events and venues on our doorstep and encourage you to do the same!
Big thanks go to the team at the National Centre for Writing and Ginger Lily for providing us with some fantastic food.
You can find all the slides from the morning here and information about 1000 years of Norwich’s history here.
What does the term Corporate and Social Responsibility (CS&R) mean to you? Chances are it is something that you associate with large scale companies who have budgets that enable them to make generous donations to good causes or are able to allow employees time off to do charitable work. However, there is plenty that even a sole trader can do to fulfil their own CS&R ambitions, which can be equally rewarding both for the business and for the recipients of their goodwill.
As a self employed florist and balloon decorator I deal with lots of requests on a regular basis asking for support in various forms. Having done a three year stint on our local school PTA I know only too well how difficult it is to generate support from local businesses to help boost often very small scale fundraising events. As a result, I choose to support certain local good causes in 3 different ways;
Raffle prizes with discount vouchers
With so many requests for raffle prizes, I now support a number of small scale events near me with a balloon arrangement and a discount voucher. A table of vouchers which may have considerable value on paper, can look quite uninspiring so by donating something visually attractive it can really encourage raffle ticket sales. It has even more impact when the charity gives permission for their logo to be replicated onto a balloon! The inclusion of a voucher also encourages the lucky recipient to redeem it against my products at a reduced rate.
Paid balloon décor with a charitable discount
For bigger events, larger scale décor is more appropriate but not so cost effective for me to just give away. Instead, I can apply a percentage discount which allows the charity to WOW their guests with some impactful décor at a more affordable price. Personalising balloons with the charity logo really brings the décor to life, and reinforces the branding message during the entire event.
Free balloon décor
This year I have had the privilege of working with two amazing local good causes, whose stories have really touched me; littlelifts.
I first met Oa, who founded littlelifts, at a networking meeting where we took part in a comfort box packing event. Oa was diagnosed with primary breast cancer at just 28 years old. Having received lots of little packages and gifts during her treatment, Oa decided to give something back by creating comfort boxes containing items that help with the side effects of chemotherapy and other products that give a ‘little lift’ at a very difficult time. These boxes are now distributed to women at the start or during their treatment at various hospitals across East Anglia, and the boxes are funded as the result of money raised at various events.
At Easter, littlelifts ran a cupcake decorating workshop. I donated two balloon bouquets (including the littlelifts logo) and a stuffed rabbit raffle prize which drew a lot of attention! This event raised £500 which is enough to support 12 women facing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
To find out more about littlelifts and how you can support them, please go to www.littlelifts.org.uk
The other good cause I have chosen to support is Sunshine and Rainbows, a not for profit scheme run by local photographer Shellie Wall. Shellie offers free photography sessions for families with a child who has a life limiting or life threatening condition, and some local businesses contribute something towards a gift box that the family receive. I donate a personalised helium balloon which Shellie uses as part of the photoshoot, and whilst donating a single balloon is a small gesture for me, the impact on the children (who have all adored their balloons) is far, far greater. The smiles on their faces are priceless and melt my heart, and the photos themselves become absolutely priceless to the whole family if things take a turn for the very worst.
If you can donate anything to help Shellie keep this truly wonderful service going, please head to https://shelliewallphotography.co.uk/sunshine-rainbows/
Being able to give back is very important to me, and I truly believe that if all businesses could give a little something to a local cause, we could soon make an amazingly positive impact in our local communities!
If you’ve enjoyed this blog, why not have a look through some of my other Blogs!
Claire Carney is an independent florist, a Certified Balloon Artist and NABAS Approved Balloon Décor Instructor based near Norwich, Norfolk, UK.
I first met the lovely Martin and Nikki from Breakers cafe in Cromer back in April 19. Martin had been waiting for over 6 weeks for a card machine he had ordered from his banks recommended merchant service and was feeling completely let down. As the new owner of Breakers cafe the last thing Martin needed was to be messed around, he wanted to be able to offer his customers a way to pay by card and risked losing trade.
During my first meeting with Martin I knew I could help him, knowing how efficient me and my customer service team are, I was certain I could have Martin up and running in a matter of days. But low and behold whilst I was there, a DPD driver walked through the door holding the card machine he had ordered 6 weeks before.
So that awkward moment…. do you convince the customer that the card machine is a bag of spanners or do you just walk away. Well neither, I said “you need to do what’s right for you and your business and what’s going to get you up and running straight away. So can I help install it for you and show you how to use it?” Kindly declining my offer and apologising for the situation, I then left. But staying true to my belief that no matter what, I am here to help my local businesses even if that means I can only offer free advice. It’s often the case in my line of work that customers are not advised on how card processing works, whether that be how to use their card terminal correctly or how to avoid additional charges just because no one spent the time explaining things to them. Which is why we want to be different.
We don’t just send a customer a card machine and say get on with it. We fully explain how to prevent unnecessary charges, install the equipment and train them and their staff. A few days later Martin called and explained the card machine wasn’t suitable and could I go back to see him. Another reason it’s important for merchant services to take the time to figure out which type of card machine is best for a business. So that same day I returned to process his application and 4 days later I was back again completing the installation.
Now good to go, Martin could finally relax and focus on running his business. Knowing Martin was also keen to introduce a new epos system in the future, I made sure the card machine was suitable to integrate with this. Two months on and Breakers Cafe are now up and running with a new epos system, which we have supplied and helped add all the menus to, so that Martin could switch over to his new system over night. Like with any new software there are teething problems, and fully understanding this, I was on hand each day to make changes quickly. With 24/7 support provided by eposnow, Martin was also able to learn how to use the system through dedicated training sessions.
Now Breakers cafe is ready to tackle their first summer season, with a fantastic choice of menus (I highly recommend the Breakers Belly Buster) and an efficient system that allows them to have complete oversight of their business, staff and profit margins. And more importantly the ability to offer their customers an option to pay by card!.
It’s been pleasure to work with them and I wish them all the best for the future.
P.S if you are in Cromer make sure you pop in to Breakers cafe, you wont be disappointed ❤
Most of the products we use at home or offices end up being junk. The waste should to be taken away from our homes and we need that person or service to do it for us. A good number of people fear being involved in the business because of the misconception that dirt is for the poor. They simply don’t want to be associated with dirt because they assume that working with junk makes them dirty. This is not the case since junk collection business can be an awesome source of income.
This is among the preliminary steps you should take. Try as much as possible to get enough information on how junk collection business is performing. With emphasis in the area you are interested in starting your business. Likewise, have an in-depth analysis and understand why the existing companies offering same services have succeeded.
Junk removal (waste removal) business is very lucrative in the UK, London. Especially because a lot of companies have their seats in it, and a lot of people are living there. However, there is also competition, so you have to set up your business on the right way. Sometimes, it is smart just to copy what successful people do, and Handyrubbish is a great example of a successful rubbish removal company. Study their website, learn more about the website and what they do. Try to repeat the same and you’ll have very good chances for a success.
Some other important information you should be on the lookout for is how much it takes to dispose junk, the location for disposing the junk, what type of junk you will be dealing with and the number of employees you will need to help you run the business. Also, you will have figured out whether you will need to hire a company to perform the job for you or you will be able to do it by yourself. Either way, choose an option that will suits you best.
Look for a good name that fits junk collection and register your company with the registration of companies in your area. Having the right papers will help you with having fine issues with the authorities.
After collecting all the vital information, the next thing you have to come up with is business plan. A good business plan should consist of what kind of business you will be involved in. It should also have your objectives and why you are in the market. Moreover, it has to contain the type of services you offer, the market strategies you will use and lastly the projection of your business in future. You can write the business plan by yourself or seek a professional writer to write it for you. After the business plan, strictly abide by the plan for the success of the business.
You might need an office to operate from but this will depend on your initial capital. If you have enough capital then you can rent a bigger space, but if you are starting small, consider renting a place that will double up as a store. Your workers will have a place where they can meet in the morning before dispersing and in the evening. It will also act as a store to keep the equipment.
Come up with a plan on the specific areas you want to work in. While it’s advisable to work in areas with people of middle and low income, it’s also good to work in places with richer folks. This adds up your profits and client base. Additionally, don’t work in areas that are far from the dumping site.
Junk removal business will be hectic for you to run without the correct equipment. You will have to put all the equipment in place before you commence the business. Some core equipment you will need are; a truck that will be used for transporting the junk, brooms, shovels, rake and a spade and you are good to go.
For every business to be successful, it should have the right employees. Employees who share your mission and vision and who participates in the success of the company. You can decide to employ already trained workers or newbies and train them while you continue with the business.
It’s important to come out with the best marketing strategies for you company. You company is still new and you need a space in it. There are several ways in which you can advertise your business. For example, you can target the online clients by use of blogs, Facebook or in websites. For the sake of reaching the customers who are not online, use bill boards or brochures. Another way is by painting your trucks so that the customers get the message and the service at the same time.
It’s no secret that the UK has one of the most expensive and consistently unreliable rail networks in Europe. Each and every day, passengers across the UK take a collective 4.7 million train journeys. All in all, this adds up to around 1.7 billion journeys each year. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of peak-hour trains end up horrifically overcrowded and uncomfortable. It’s not uncommon for the number of passengers on a rush-hour train to exceed its official capacity by more than 100%. And if all this wasn’t enough, even the shortest train journeys in the UK are becoming increasingly expensive.
Not just expensive, but downright extortionate.
In a working example, let’s say you were heading from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport. A one-way ticket would set you back approximately £33, while a return is (inexplicably) priced at £85. If this was your standard commute, you’d be looking at spending approximately £20,000 on train journeys per year.
Even if you went with a discounted season ticket, you’ll still be looking at more than £12,000 per year, or a minimum of £1,000 per month. All for the privilege of sitting (or standing) in a packed train, which probably isn’t going to be on time, anyway.
Most would agree that this kind of money for uncomfortable and unreliable train travel is downright ridiculous. In which case – why not consider a cost effective alternative? For the sake of argument, let’s reduce this monthly train travel expense to £500. Armed with £500 per month, you could easily drive away in an outstanding vehicle on a PCP deal. All while having an additional £500 in your pocket to cover insurance, fuel, repairs and so on.
Personal contract purchase – aka PCP – bears many similarities to leasing a vehicle. The difference being that at the end of the contract, you can take ownership of the car if you choose to do so. As with a more traditional hire purchase agreement, it’s a case of paying an initial deposit, followed by a series of affordable monthly repayments.
In this instance, affordable really means affordable. Should you be applying for car finance with bad credit, there are many options offered by reputable dealers and brokers to support you. Pick up a Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 95 SE on a three-year PCP deal and you’ll be looking at less than £200 per month, along with a relatively low £750 initial payment. You benefit from the comfort and convenience of your own vehicle, you save an astonishing amount of money per month and you get to choose from three options at the end of the term:
Personal contract purchase effectively combines the affordability of a leasing agreement with the benefits of a traditional hire purchase contract. Whichever way you look at it, it’s also an exponentially more cost-effective option than train travel. Especially if you decide to keep the vehicle at the end of the term, as you’ll have something tangible to show for your money. With train travel, you’re largely investing in frustration and disappointment.
Accessing affordable car finance has never been easier. First of all, establish your budget and explore the available options using an online vehicle finance calculator. After which, all you need to do is submit your application via an experienced independent broker. If public transport simply isn’t doing it for you, why not go private?
Maybe you are a calm person that would like to work alone and in peace. Perhaps you are assuming that you should become a florist because that is the one business that is offering that kind of working conditions. However, being a florist is a more labor-intensive than what most of you would assume. A typical day for a good florist starts at 4AM and will see you collecting and transporting goods to your store where you have to clean them and process them as finished products. Not to mention all kinds of people that would enter your shop.
Being a florist is not an easy job, but is there such a thing as an easy job?
You might think that cutting and arranging flowers is a delicate job. However, this job will see you spending hours on your feet just moving buckets full of flowers and water and organizing them in storage. You will have to lift 50-lb buckets of water and flowers, carrying deliveries and boxes of centerpieces through kitchens, and that is something I call hard work. You will have to clean after yourself and there will be a lot of things to clean.
You will need to be better than “snoozers”. Get up with the sun and start your working day way before the “OPEN” sign goes up at 9am. You Will Need an Online Promotion A flower shop business can be a small shop, led only by one person, or it could be a national chain with hundreds of locations. Some of the most successful flower shops sell flowers online only and don’t actually have physical shops. This is why it is very important to choose a good domain name. However, most .com or .co.uk domains have already been sold out. This is why you could start thinking about some org.uk or just .uk domains. A good example for a successful online flower shop that chose an alternative domain is flowerdelivery.org.uk, a flower delivery shop from London that is among the more popular shops. People from the UK often use it to buy or send flowers nationwide.
Even though the best domain names have already been taken, it is always a good idea to take a look at the less popular “domain extensions” because there is a chance that your brand name is still available on those.
Many people think that being a florist is a peaceful, solitary experience in which you work alone, surrounded only with flowers and nature. However, you will spend thousands of hours trying to bring in potential customers, finding best suppliers, organizers and collaborators you can and constantly working on your social networks. You will not only work with future brides, event organizers and catering companies, but the entire online world. This should be a huge opportunity for your business. Flowers have a reputation of being timeless, romantic, and fairly traditional, but that doesn’t mean that you should lead your flower business like it is 1960s. Start your online shop, post regularly on social networks and stay in touch with your customers.
A florist should be comfortable talking to people no matter what they are going through. You will have customers (daily) who are planning weddings, celebrating major accomplishments and those who have loved ones who are seriously ill or recently passed away. Sometimes, you will have all those profiles in your shop at the same time.
According to Wikipedia, the floral industry in the US has grown six percent annually, and the global trade volume in 2003 was US$101.84 billion. It consists of three major components: the growers, the wholesalers and the retailers and their businesses are interconnected. However, the combination of huge international corporations coupled with their offshore sourcing of flowers has put independent florists and local growers in a difficult situation. Imports from countries like Kenya and Columbia are forcing prices down and an increase in market share for large retail outlets and they are putting pressure on florists to compete on every level. Digital customers and the increasing number of digital competitors are completely changing the industry landscape and you have to adapt. This world will not give you a chance for romantic notions of slow-moving days in your “quiet” flower shop.
A flower shop business usually costs somewhere between $10,000 and $50,000 to open. However, there are some successful florists who started their businesses in their living room with a $50 box of tools.In reality, you will have to buy coolers for keeping your flowers fresh, leasing a location, buying an initial order of flowers from a wholesaler and getting some of the most important supplies like floral tape, vases, floral foam, etc. Wages will not be a problem at the very beginning because you will most probably be the only worker. After a short period of time you will start thinking about purchasing a van that will help you deliver orders, and that will be the right time to hire the first employee – a driver.
“Everyone’s got to start somewhere; You should start before you are ready.”
You will need to know the basics about the flowers, and you will have to love what you do. But you don’t have to know everything or have some perfect plan. Maybe you will have some side-job until you get your business started, but the business will get it up and running. There are hundreds of tutorials that you can find online, or you could master your skills by working at some flower shop. So, you will need to understand the industry, learn new floral design ideas, train, and to keep upgrading your flower care knowledge. You have to be better than your competition!