Join us for a dynamic and interactive in-person training series focused on enhancing your directorial skills and creating high-performance boards. This training will equip you with the knowledge and tools to lead effectively and drive exceptional results. ‘Director Training – High Performance Board’ is in association with Nigel Cushion, Mentor and Founder of Nelsonspirit.
On 10th October, we’ll be heating things up with a sponsored fire walk at The Forum, Norwich for World Mental Health Day. Join us for an unforgettable evening raising money and raising awareness around mental health. The money raised will help us to ensure that no one in Norfolk and Waveney has to face poor mental health alone. Your fundraising makes all the difference, so sign up to conquer the coals. It’s going to be an adrenaline and excitement-filled night to remember. Bring along your friends and family to join in the fun and watch you do something daring. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to support a great cause and push your limits. See you there!
In an ever-competitive job market, candidates are pulling out all the stops to stand out from the crowd. If you’re hoping to go up the career ladder, securing the role of your dreams will take time, preparation, and perseverance. Doing all that you can to beat other candidates is crucial, so here are 5 quick tips that will help you get hired fast.
Create a Strong CV
Employers see dozens upon dozens of CVs when finding candidates for a role, so it’s more important than ever to take your time to build a CV that catches the employee’s eye. Instead of relying on a generic format, you may be interested in visiting myperfectcv.co.uk where you can use a CV builder. My Perfect CV has a range of pre-written examples to help you build a CV that is interesting and relevant.
Tailor Your Cover Letter
When applying for your dream role, it’s only natural that you will want to do all that you can to impress employees. Instead of sending a generic cover letter, try and tailor it towards the role you’re applying for. For example, if you’ve applied for a business position, you should have a look at the job specifications of the role and incorporate it into your cover letter. Employers want to know you’ve taken the time to do research, and as they will have seen thousands of others before yours, they will be able to tell if it’s generic or not.
Dress the Part
If you have been given an interview for a role, dressing the part can be the make or break when it comes to securing the job. First impressions count, so from the moment you walk into your interview, you will want to feel confident and prepared. Before you go for your interview, make sure that you have a good night’s sleep and shower before heading out the door. It goes without saying that when we look good, we feel good, too, so make sure that you are well prepared.
Stay Consistent
With so many jobs being posted online every day and so many candidates fighting for the same position, it can be disheartening if you don’t land the role. However, you need to be realistic in your efforts. You’re not going to get every job you apply for, so if you stay focused, committed, and consistent with your job search, your hard work should pay off in the end.
Get Your Name Out There
The more people who see what you have to offer, the better. The internet is a powerful tool, and with so many job boards to check out, you may want to go one step further by creating your own LinkedIn account, enabling you to build and engage with your professional network.
No matter what sort of field you’re hoping to go into, it’s crucial that you have a CV that stands out from the crowd. Your cover letter should also be tailored towards the role you have applied for in order to impress employers. Dressing the part for your job interview, researching into the company, and staying consistent are all quick tips that will help you get hired fast.
Certain means of contact such as telephone calls and emails aren’t always the most reliable. For instance, emails have limited access, requiring Wi-Fi or an internet connection. What’s more, businesses may be too busy or unable to answer a phone call. This can often represent a missed opportunity if the customer forgets to ring back or leave a voicemail. Admittedly, texting would cover a few of these implications as it can be sent whenever and sits in the receiver’s phone until they look at it. However, texting isn’t deemed professional in the working world and this is where Google My Business’ new messaging feature could step in…
What is the new Google My Business messaging feature?
In the words of the search engine giant themselves: “Google My Business messaging allows customers viewing your listing to message you directly. Respond to questions, share information, and quickly connect, for free.“
What industries would this feature work best for?
This feature will work best for small businesses who interact personally with their customers and clients. This includes businesses such as hairdressers, taxi services, and car garages.
Typically, businesses such as these will benefit most as they’re able to answer customer queries relating to the business and find out more detailed information about what the customer needs. Instant contact also means their less wasted time that comes hand in hand with the delayed back and forth of email and missed phone calls.
On top of this, small businesses target clientele in their local area for the most part and will have the scope to answer questions from customers who live or are visiting the area. National companies may not have the knowledge of everyone’s local area to answer their questions accurately, so this could well present a golden opportunity for smaller businesses.
What is required to do this?
With this being a Google product, for the time being it’s only available to Android users. If you do own an Android device, the first requirement is to download the Google My Business app from Google Play or the App Store.
From here, it’s simple. All you need to do is open the location in your Google My Business account that you wish to manage messaging through, tap the ‘Customers’ tab and select ‘Turn on’ under ‘Messages’. You can also turn these off here, as well as delete or block any unwanted messages.
Once you’ve turned on this option for your Google My Business location, users will be able to see the ‘Message’ button within your listing. It can be found close to the ‘Call’ and ‘Website’ buttons.
Upon setting up this feature, there are various aspects to bear in mind:
You will receive notifications whenever a user contacts the company, so there’s no need to worry about missing messages.
It is possible to create an automated welcome message to ensure customers are aware that you’re active and likely to respond when given the chance.
Anyone who has access to your Google My Business location will be able to respond to messages – make sure you’re happy for everyone who has access to do this.
Customers will be able to see the profile name and photo of whichever Google account user responds to their message – ensure everyone has a professional and appropriate selection for these.
What does this mean for your other means of contact?
Whilst many customers, particularly younger audiences, may be quite taken with using this approach, there will be customers who prefer to speak to someone about their query or who need to carry out research on your website first.
Although it certainly seems that Google is constantly introducing new features to Google My Business that could make some aspects of your website redundant, your website is still the best platform for users to find out more information about your services and products. Once a user lands on your website, they’re unlikely to return to your Google My Business listing in order to contact you.
For now, we would look at the messaging feature on Google My Business as an addition to your current means of contact, helping to improve your response time and customer relationships.
In this 3-hour live session, you will learn how to gather insights on your target audience and use tools such as Google Analytics to understand the digital opportunity for your SME and where you need to be.
From there, you will learn how to transform those insights into actions enabling you to make the best decisions for your SME about where you spend your time and resources with digital marketing.
This session centres around how to create and measure your digital strategy in order to make better decisions for your online activity. This is not so much about the hands on implementation of digital tactics, but how to gather insights from tools like Google Analytics, keyword tools, and audience insight tools so that you can develop a clear picture of where your business is now, and work out how to improve your results.
Our digital marketing expert will walk you through a step by step process, how to compile your data and how to pinpoint digital opportunities and where you or your team could invest more time and effort to attract and engage with your target audience online.
Eligibility:
These small group in-person workshops are open to any business, freelancer, or charity based in Norfolk, UK. Please note that you will need to have registered for our fully funded business support service to participate, we will contact you to complete your registration.
Meet the Trainer Amy Hobson has been with SocialB as a Social Media and Digital Marketing Training Partner since 2015. After completing her degrees at Keele University and the University of Birmingham Amy feels very lucky to have had over 20 years varied experience working with many different industries. Her expertise, however, is marketing and business development with a particular focus on franchising and retail.
Amy loves training and her favourite part of any training course is seeing the “light bulb moments” when the delegates start to understand how digital marketing works and how they can apply it to their own business to really make a difference. Knowing that our delegates leave the course armed with the knowledge and a plan to make positive changes is very rewarding.
New Anglia Growth Hub can help your business access a range of business support services from hundreds of sources. The hub’s IMPARTIAL service is fully funded and provided at no cost to your businessand can help you access grants, finance, international trade support, skills, training and a range of other specialist advice from single point of contact.
Our Business Growth Advisers can talk with you over the phone or via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, or you can request a free appointment at your business premises.
Our Business Support is available to all SMEs throughout Norfolk and Suffolk (UK).
To get the most out of the service, call our local business support helpline:
Managing your finances can be tough, and sometimes you may need immediate assistance to help provide some relief. Some may consider taking help from friends and family to make ends meet or taking up a second job, but this is not a good idea. If money is not returned on time, then it can change an amicable relationship into a sour one, and undertaking a second job will only exhaust you of energy and be an added burden to the already present concerns in life. On occasions when money is direly needed, you can always take out a personal loan.
In this article, we will discuss some important reasons that should compel you to take out a personal loan instead of reaching out to other options. In case you are new to loans, you can always apply for a loan with Smart Loan.
1. Pay Off Credit Card Bills
On advantage of taking out a personal loan to pay off your card debts is that you will get lower interest rates. With lower interest rates, you can lower the amount of interest you pay, and the time it takes to repay off the credit card debt. This will allow you to pay off credit card debt as soon as possible.
2.Pay for a Wedding
We all know the expenses that accompany a wedding, such as paying for a photographer, flowers, food, cake, etc. It’s not easy to manage a wedding and taking out a personal loan can prove to lessen the burden of having to take care of the expenses on your own.
3. Remodeling Your Home
If you are planning to remodel your home, either a specific area of the house or the whole home itself, then taking out a loan would be a good option. Refurbishing your home can be pricey, but it will be beneficial in the long run.
4. Funeral Expenses
It’s sad losing a loved one, and we all would love to pay one last act of kindness. The funeral home services, casket, burial plot, and other expenses can add up to a few thousand dollars. Cremation can be expensive too. Taking out a loan in such a case will bring you happiness that you could help someone out one last time.
5. Go On Your Dream Vacation
Carrying out the same mundane routine can be a real bummer and have a bad effect on your health, thereby reducing productivity. Therefore, taking out a loan to go on that one dream vacation would prove to be wholesome and invigorating.
6. Pay for Your Medical Bills
This is another great reason to take out a personal loan. In present times, looking your best is probably something people are most concerned about due to which shows by the great increase in the rise of cosmetic and dental procedures each year. If you are interested in looking your best and feel that a surgical procedure will do the trick, then taking out a loan will help.
Conclusion
Taking out a personal loan should not be a deterring factor, especially when it’s something you can benefit from in the long run such as, renovating your home, getting a cosmetic or other medical procedure, going on vacation, etc. Investing in yourself is something you will not regret, so go for what you wish to do now; don’t let money hold you back.
HMRC have already provided guidance on certain steps that will help businesses prepare for a no-deal Brexit. These include making sure you have a UK EORI number (businesses already importing or exporting should already have one of these, but those who are only involved in intra-EC trade may not have). If you haven’t already got an EORI number, you’ll need one to ensure movements of goods into and out of the UK can continue uninterrupted post Brexit. In addition, if you’re going to continue to import goods in the EU post Brexit, you’ll need to apply for an EU EORI number as the UK number will no longer be valid for EU imports once we leave the EU. HMRC have recommended applying for an EORI number in the member state with which you do most business. You should be aware that HMRC have recommended businesses apply now. However, a number of member states have refused to issue an EORI as the business only requires one EU EORI and the UK number already satisfies that requirement (although certain member states have agreed to provisionally issue numbers, which will only have effect in the event of a no-deal Brexit).
HMRC have also suggested importers (and businesses that will be importers post Brexit) apply to use Simplified Transitional Procedures regarding imports and import taxes in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Businesses will also need to be aware that the EU member states may not introduce reciprocal simplified procedures, which may result in import VAT and duty needing to be paid before goods are released into free circulation, creating both a delay and cash flow impact on goods sent to the EU.
Both of the above steps are relatively straightforward, but they provide limited or no benefit if a Brexit deal is negotiated. However, the next steps are good practice regardless of the outcome of negotiations.
Preparing for Brexit with or without a deal
Understanding the supply chain and where goods originate from and how they reach your business is both good practice and crucial in understanding the potential impact of Brexit. We would recommend reviewing your supply chain to understand where goods originate, at what point they are brought in to the UK, the potential additional tariffs which would become due and where any potential shortages may arise.
Whilst we’re aware of a number of businesses stockpiling goods to mitigate the risk of shortages, this can tie up working capital at a time where businesses may need cash most. In addition, this may require additional warehousing and is unlikely to work for businesses trading in perishable goods.
We would advise any business directly involved in moving goods cross-border to review the commodity codes being used on declarations (either customs or intrastate declarations) to make sure the code being used is current and accurate. Thereafter, we would recommend businesses compare the commodity codes against HMRC’s list of post Brexit tariffs (with approximately 87% of tariffs set at 0% for a transitional period) and World Trade Organisation rates to understand the potential impact of additional, irrecoverable duty charges.
Any businesses who are moving goods within the EU, without the goods entering the UK, may be benefiting from simplified procedures such as triangulation or an intra-EU cross-border refund claim. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, then simplifications such as triangulation may no longer work and EU VAT registration requirements may arise. Similarly, the process for EU businesses making cross-border refund claims is currently more straightforward than the process for non-EU businesses, which may result in changing deadlines and processes of which businesses will need to be aware.
Finally, we would suggest reviewing agreements with EU customers/suppliers to understand who is responsible for the delivery of the goods. If your business is arranging collection or delivery, you’re likely to be the one who is responsible for the cost of additional declarations and taxes arising from the cross-border movement of goods.
Need help?
Our VAT team has worked with a wide range of businesses in preparing for Brexit and discussing their cross-border transactions. We’d be pleased to talk to you about any issues or concerns you may have. In addition, we have access to customs duty and VAT specialists throughout Europe and the rest of the world through our national network, MHA, and our international network, Baker Tilly International.
In this 3-hour live session, you will learn how to gather insights on your target audience and use tools such as Google Analytics to understand the digital opportunity for your SME and where you need to be.
From there, you will learn how to transform those insights into actions enabling you to make the best decisions for your SME about where you spend your time and resources with digital marketing.
This session centres around how to create and measure your digital strategy in order to make better decisions for your online activity. This is not so much about the hands on implementation of digital tactics, but how to gather insights from tools like Google Analytics, keyword tools, and audience insight tools so that you can develop a clear picture of where your business is now, and work out how to improve your results.
Our digital marketing expert will walk you through a step by step process, how to compile your data and how to pinpoint digital opportunities and where you or your team could invest more time and effort to attract and engage with your target audience online.
Eligibility:
These small group in-person workshops are open to any business, freelancer, or charity based in Norfolk, UK. Please note that you will need to have registered for our fully funded business support service to participate, we will contact you to complete your registration.
Meet the Trainer Amy Hobson has been with SocialB as a Social Media and Digital Marketing Training Partner since 2015. After completing her degrees at Keele University and the University of Birmingham Amy feels very lucky to have had over 20 years varied experience working with many different industries. Her expertise, however, is marketing and business development with a particular focus on franchising and retail.
Amy loves training and her favourite part of any training course is seeing the “light bulb moments” when the delegates start to understand how digital marketing works and how they can apply it to their own business to really make a difference. Knowing that our delegates leave the course armed with the knowledge and a plan to make positive changes is very rewarding.
New Anglia Growth Hub can help your business access a range of business support services from hundreds of sources. The hub’s IMPARTIAL service is fully funded and provided at no cost to your businessand can help you access grants, finance, international trade support, skills, training and a range of other specialist advice from single point of contact.
Our Business Growth Advisers can talk with you over the phone or via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, or you can request a free appointment at your business premises.
Our Business Support is available to all SMEs throughout Norfolk and Suffolk (UK).
To get the most out of the service, call our local business support helpline:
Exclusively for company directors, business owners and entrepeneurs who want to reflect and plan with purpose.
Strategic growth begins with clarity, but identifying what you want to grow is critical for building lasting value. In The Sounding Board‘s third session, we’ll explore the four core routes to business growth through the lens of increasing business value. After a scene-setting presentation, we’ll move into small-group workshops where you can share experiences with peers and uncover practical ways to apply these growth strategies within your own business.
What we’ll cover
Organic expansion – Growing your core business by strengthening existing capabilities, markets, and customer relationships.
Innovation – Creating new products, services, or processes that unlock fresh value and set you apart from competitors.
Acquisition – Accelerating growth by integrating complementary businesses, capabilities, or market access.
Collaboration – Partnering with others to share resources, reduce risk, and open up new opportunities for mutual value creation
Led by Chadwicks
Richard Ross – With over 30 years’ advisory experience, helping business owners navigate succession, exit planning, and long‑term value creation.
James Bacon – A Chartered Financial Planner, helping clients align their money with their values to build and protect long‑term wealth.
Guest Speakers
Mark Garner – A business leader with expertise in strategy, M&A, investment, and growth. As CEO at SWG Capital, he helps organisations align leadership and capital structures to achieve sustainable success, supported by a trusted network of partners.
Chris Sargisson – An innovation strategist and transformation leader, currently driving Hethel Innovation’s five‑year growth strategy. He has advised organisations nationwide on how to innovate, pivot, and scale, while serving on advisory boards across business, education, and the arts.
What’s in it for you?
The real value lies in small, closed‑group discussions where you can test ideas and gain perspective in a trusted environment alongside other leaders. Each session blends professional insight with peer‑to‑peer exchange. From refining your focus to designing your exit, you’ll learn what successful owners do to create lasting value and enjoy the rewards of their work.
As a learning organisation, we’re passionate about sharing knowledge. We create an environment that feels energising, not overwhelming, nurturing curiosity and connection among like‑minded people.
What is The Sounding Board?
Five years ago, we created The Sounding Board to connect experienced business leaders with growing companies. Building on feedback, we’ve refreshed the concept, blending the best elements into a long‑running masterclass series.
If you fancy an humorous storytelling and music, then please join Norfolk National Award-Winning Performance Storyteller, Andrew Brammer, for an evening of stories, songs and scribblings from the extraordinary HB pencil, guitar and mind of Stumpy Sanderson – the mischievous leader of a gang of working-class boys in the 1970s.
Previous attendees of Andrew’s many one-man shows have said:
“Lost in Andrew’s surreal and funny world, I blissfully forgot reality.”
“No one else is doing what Andrew is doing.”
“A hilarious and engaging cross between a punky Jackanory and Tiswas.”
Lovewell Blake ispleased to invite you to join us at our digital fraud seminar in conjunction with Barclays Bank.
With cyber-crime in the news on an almost daily basis, it is important to understand how you can take steps to protect both yourself and your business from these threats. The Barclays Business Digital Eagles will help you to understand what threats exist, and some steps you can take to help protect yourself.
Timings:7.45 amRegistration8.00 amPresentations9.00 amQuestions and answers followed by a full English breakfast
Tudor Lodge Consultants is delighted to announce that we have recently started working with business funding company Capital on Tap. Capital on Tap offer excellent business loans and credit cards, and have now lent over £1 billion to more than 65 thousand UK businesses.
Our team of SEO specialists have been working with the client to help boost their online visibility, implementing a range of different tactics to optimise the site and thereby improve its search engine rankings.
What are we doing for Capital on Tap
Tudor Lodge Consultants have been introducing a variety of different SEO techniques to the Capital on Tap site, helping to optimise the site and improve upon its rankings. Some of the main ways in which we are achieving this are through the following methods:
Link Reclamation – Capital on Tap have been mentioned in many different articles and online pages, however many of these sites have not included links back to the Capital on Tap website. Getting linked by as many reputable sites as possible can help to optimise a site and further improve its rankings on the Google search engine pages.
Our team went to work finding all mentions of Capital on Tap that did not include a link back to their site. After compiling a list of these sites, we then emailed them thanking them for their mentioned, and asking if they could kindly put a link back to the Capital on Tap homepage.
Introducing a Site Map – Tudor Lodge also advised the team at Capital on Tap to introduce a clean and concise site map onto their website. A site map provides a clear and concise list of all the site’s content, helping Google to crawl the website. After the sitemap was put up, the site’s search engine rankings went up significantly.
Guest Blogging – We have also started to write informative, high-quality content on other sites about Capital on Tap. Links and mentions of our client on other, reputable sites with a good trust flow can help to improve optimisation, and further help to boost the search engine rankings and online visibility of the site.
Keywords and further optimisation – We discussed with Capital on Tap the list of keywords they wanted the site to focus on, and have integrated these into the site’s content to help optimise it for these said keywords. One of the next steps in our optimisation of the Capital on Tap site is to introduce informative, high-quality landing pages with optimised content. This can help to make it easier for Google to recognise and digest the site’s content, integrating the list of keywords to help in this optimisation.
