Member News

This December, BDH Tullford in Norwich revealed that it had recently made a brand new investment in a state-of-the-art flatbed applicator.

The printer and point-of-sale manufacturer made the investment in the new Bubble-Free Pro Flatbed Applicator to support its national signage project for Waves.

Easy to use and fast, it allows the company to produce the large-format outdoor signs and displays required by the project in a shorter time frame, ensuring that project meets its 2021 deadline. 

Thanks to the machine’s versatility, it enhances the company’s existing portfolio of services. It can be used on any flat surface up to 60mm giving a smooth, wrinkle-free finish, while also adding application tape for simple hanging. Thanks to the simplicity of its functionality, it can also be used by one member of staff, improving the team’s productivity levels. 

Says Director David Hutchins: “We’re delighted with our new flat-bed applicator. The installation and set-up process was rapid and efficient, which meant we could produce high-quality client graphics right away. We’re looking forward to using the equipment on a wide range of projects in the future.”

Get in touch to find out how the new applicator could be used on your next signage project.

Of course, everyone wants to be happy, who doesn’t but it’s about so much more than this. Through the science of Positive Psychology we can use Happiness not only improve our lives, our businesses our productivity but also our health. This is a timely blog for me as I have been working with a health coach and improving my physical health alongside my more ‘mental health aspects’ and I have seen real crossover in both.

Traditionally psychology (and medical culture unfortunately) kind of focuses on a bit of lack mindset unfortunately, what is wrong with people, how do we fix them, what is wrong with situations. It is very much ingrained within our society. Its playing out very much at the moment, as well as lack and what’s not working there is also a lot of fear.

Fear is a very easy state for the human body because our brains have been designed in a way that protects us from harm, they are ready to look for danger and protect us from being attacked by that imaginary tiger. Yes, the brain doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined danger.

So as we sit and watch the news, scroll the news app on our phones or listen to recycled news from our friends and family…yep you guessed it, the fight or flight response reacts in the brain and guess what happens then? Because our resources are focused on fighting or run away, everything else shuts down, including our immune system, making us far more likely to be susceptible to illness.

So yes the news is making you sick, the fear in society at the moment is making you sick, people who trigger your fight/flight response are making you sick…

However there is a different way, we can absolutely do something about this and it all starts with turning this fear response around.

Positive Psychology flips this all on its head and is based on the latest neuroscience and research around when we focus on what is right rather than wrong. We look at how we can elevate our levels of positive emotion and this releases amazing happy chemicals in our brain, fuelling our brain and giving it energy, reducing our fight/flight mechanism and enabling us to be creative, innovative and productive as a result.

It also very importantly shuts down the fight/flight response, the brain cannot be happy and fearful at the same time, we are actually hacking our brains to move us away from the fear response and into really useful responses which give us the ability to strengthen our immune system as well as a whole host of other benefits.

In the past I have experienced this fear response first hand, I used to have such high levels of anxiety that my immune system was compromised, I used to get tonsillitis a few times a year and IBS. When I learned and applied Mindfulness and Positive Psychology to my life it all changed.

So with Mindfulness as we are building present moment awareness we can notice the first niggle of the fear response coming in (i.e tight chest, heart pounding) and we can stop and breathe and bring in self kindness, thinking about the mindful action step we may want to take to be kind to ourselves and give that fear response the chance to switch off and our bodies the chance to be well and healthy. We can also notice the first signs of feeling unwell, I know for me I will notice the first niggle of a sore throat and will head to the vitamin C very quickly!

So what are the practical ways you can bring these happiness habits into your life? (These will really shift you if you dedicate time to them, I promise!)

In TEDx I talk about these and they come from the research of Shawn Achor which I’ve completed my own research on and seen dramatic results.

So we are basically looking at ways to bring positive emotion into your life, tapping into joy, choosing joy every day. As we now know this is not just a self-care or nice thing to do there is a responsibility to do this for our friends, family, clients and the world and even just our health!

This could be as simple as flipping into gratitude every day, with gratitude thinking of 3 things you are grateful for every day has been shown to massively shift positive emotion and even be more powerful than antidepressants. This can be a big thing you are grateful for or a small thing such as a cup of tea! Its doesn’t matter, its getting into this thinking that’s important creating new brain pathways for happiness (a bit like the pathway through the woods I talk about in TEDx!). As we flood the brain with gratitude the fight/flight response shuts down and we give our immune system a chance without the increased cortisol.

With Mindfulness this can help to build our awareness of both positive and negative emotions and think about what we need to process or heal with the negative emotions.

I found in a recent Mindfulness programme it actually shifted the way people worked, improved their relationships and one client looking to lose weight actually cancelled her weight loss programme as Mindful eating had far more powerful results! This was because the body stores more fat when we are in a fear state and we eat when we are stressed. My transforming the mindful eating experience you not only lose weight potentially through processing food better but give your health a huge boost too!

The minimum amount of time to benefit from Mindfulness is 6 minutes and Marines were shown to have dramatic impacts on their focus in the field after 12 minutes of Mindfulness. Where do you have 6 minutes in your day? Where could you fit this in?

What could you achieve with more brain fuel? If this resonates with you and you would like to incorporate happiness habits into your life and business and really start to make this shifts in your own life please get in touch.

P.s Please stop watching the news! Go to reputable sources to find out information and stop feeding your fear response, do it at least for your health!

If you have any questions or want to know more please get in touch www.thehappinessbranch.com

“Are you listening? Your Big dream here”

What’s your big dream and vision?

When we look at our big vision and dream its really important to face into and do the work around any blocks that are preventing you from achieving that dream. This has been one of the biggest breakthroughs in building a business as a Highly Sensitive Person for me and my clients. For me this was social anxiety, I used to have anxiety so bad I couldn’t speak to a room of 10 people let alone the thousands I spoke to doing my TEDx.

A really key thing is a lot of the time we can lose track of our big dream and vision, we start to to focus on what’s wrong, what’s not working, the problems. By tuning back into this big dream and vision, it becomes that lighthouse in the dark for where we are heading, it helps to guide us back to where we should be going, bring us back into flow. If we can also add gratitude into the equation this gives an even bigger boost and it helps us to course-correct and go back to what we need.

When I first set up The Happiness Branch I was doing it as a side hustle on top of my corporate job and I didn’t have much energy to give to it. I’d heard that its good to network, so I spent most of my non-corporate time networking and meeting people for coffee. My 1 day a week I had for my business quickly filled up. Those coffee chats ended up being people who wanted to sell to me or those who wanted free coaching, soon I was drained with nothing left to give and nothing to show for it.

When I stopped and tuned into my big dream and listened to my body it made me stop. I could see the bigger picture and I could see I was heading for burnout. See as highly sensitives the ‘general’ way doesn’t always work for us, yes it will get us so far but it will never be ground-breaking. We continue to push and in this state we are telling our bodies we are in fear state and we need to shut down anything remotely useful and just survive. This has all sorts of knock on effects on us such as physical illness, weight gain (I used to get a really dry mouth when I pushed myself to work in London regularly, it was my body freaking out!).

This also enables you to tap into your intuition. Your intuition usually knows the way but we cloud it with so much pushing through its hard to hear it through the noise as the body is simply at breaking point. By knowing your bodies ‘yes’ and ‘no’s when you tap into intuition can really help here too (Have a think about a decision that turned out to be a)a right one and b) a wrong one, can you feel in your body where you feel those?).

By listening I was able to stop and this stopping helped to recharge me and then bam….the business became a success because I was allowing it to happen and I had energy, great energy I could put into my work. Its as simple as asking yourself what do you need right now? Stopping and listening and Mindfulness can help with this too…

So Long term – What’s my goal and vision and how can I get there?

Short term – What does my body need right now in this moment?

Sometimes for me this means being in nature, taking my laptop to a café, working with just my notebook on the beach, hiding in the car and meditating before TEDx (That’s a story for another time!). I used to struggle with the push/pull all the time, feeling like when I took care of myself I was pulling back and wasn’t getting anything done but the reality was I was doing so much more in this way, I was giving out great energy and clearing my own blocks. This is a real responsibility if you work with clients, so stop and clear so you can be that clear channel to help others.

This also comes into boundaries – how, when and who you work with, what you say no to. Tune in, your body knows what decision to make.

Yes I do feel like I’ve spent significant time hiding but sometimes we need to retreat and pull back, we are far from lazy and we are usually giving ourselves a hard time, its time to give your body a chance to stop fighting and getting ready to run and reset back to a peaceful still point one where you can see clearly and listen to what you really need as this is what is going to tune you back into your big dream.

In The Shine Academy, we work with this first, giving you ways to process and clear before moving onto the techniques to work with clients, its super important to take this responsibility first for making sure you are in a high vibrational place before moving forward, scientifically (think fight/flight), energetically (hello blocked chakras) and just from a place of self love and love for your friends and family and service to your clients.

What will you do to honour your big dream/vision and your body?

Becoming a Mindfulness Teacher and feeling the need for intense periods of meditation and reflection, practicing what I preach is what sparked my interest in retreats. Each retreat I go on I end up by chance working on something different in myself and never what I expect. From judgement and acceptance in Sussex when I got food poisoning, from inner child work on anxiety from the retreat in Suffolk, a wake up call about self care in Essex. This time I followed a calling…

Glastonbury first came to me in a meditation, it was never somewhere I had thought about going. I always associated it with the festival but it kept popping into my head and there was a calling. I have learned over the years it is best to follow these intuitive hits, they mean something, they are not there by chance but linked to something bigger.

For example leaving my corporate job, it didn’t make logical sense but the intuitive hits became physical illness until I was brought to my knees and had to make the leap. Sometimes it easier to follow the intuitive hit!

I had been learning about masculine and feminine energy in business for a few months and I hadn’t realised the connection. I had already re-shifted the way I worked from an over working, over pushing masculine energy (where I was triggering my own anxiety and not taking care of my body) to a business where the masculine structures allow the feminine flow, creativity and care. I had allowed my intuition coming back after so long (it had been dulled down with anxiety and over stimulation).

When I arrived in Glastonbury, I knew it was a special place. Without Google Maps I definitely would have struggled to find it, there were no road signs signposting it, in fact I only saw one when I was about 2 miles away through tiny winding roads. I arrived at the little barn I was staying in full on anticipation and excitement, I was tired from the drive but excited to get out on my first mission which was the Tor.

Reaching the top of the mound and tower of the Tor I was breathless but I felt a sense of calm and serenity, the majority of the people at the top, men and women were meditating, some were meditating in the Tor itself, I felt comfortable, accepted and at home as I sat down to meditate.

As my curiosity unfolded over the next few days and I visited Chalice Well Springs, The White Spring, the quirky shops and the Abbey this sense of being accepted continued as I balanced my explorations with deep meditation, reiki, journaling and I even wrote and sang my own song (my creativity came out when I gave it time!).

Two days before I had left for my trip, I’d seen an online event pop up on Facebook, no idea how Facebook knew I was going to Glastonbury (but that’s probably a privacy discussion for another time!). It was an Equinox event, I decided to just go not knowing anything about it. Little did I know the connection between this event and why I had been called to Glastonbury.

On the second day I was walking down the high street when a little courtyard caught my eye as a man was singing with a guitar on the corner, I saw a sign that said ‘Goddess’ and so I followed it, within this little courtyard was the Glastonbury Goddess Temple. I felt pulled to go in, I had no idea what to expect, the lady inside asked me to take off my shoes and as I walked through there was an alter with a picture of a goddess, candles and everything was decorated in orange and autumnal theme to honour the equinox. A lady was sat down meditating so I sat down too and joined her. The energy in the temple was serene and calming, as I sat for a few minutes tears started to stream down my face and it all clicked into place.

For so many years our world has been led by patriarchy, traditional religion in this country was about sacrifice, I very much felt this visiting the Abbey earlier this day too, your body didn’t matter, it was something outside of you that you worshipped. Especially with the reign of Henry VIII churches were stripped bare and religion became basic and starchy, monks were allowed one piece of bread a day. Societies, cultures, for so many years Women were silenced, were killed even for not following the patriarchal traditions, for being healers, for honouring the earth.

With the Goddess and the tradition of the Goddess being kept alive in Glastonbury it did not appear sacrificial to me, it was honoring, nourishing, an honoring of your body and also of mother earth. A honouring of the seasons.

It was the same for the online event, there was about 60 of us, men and women and there were 5-6 Priestesses of Avalon who each shared a story, a song or a blessing. The priestesses train in Glastonbury and were from all over the world, they train in the ways of the Goddess and keep her alive from the traditions and legends of Avalon (The mystical land which honoured the Goddess which legend suggests was where the Tor is now, it was surrounded by lakes at the time before the Somerset Levels were drained for farming. At this time the God and the Goddess was worshipped across the land).

This all fits in well with everything I have learned on my journey and work with clients on, Mindfulness is a way of connecting back to your body and focusing on those nourishing self care practices. It links with Kindfulness, Love resonance and Gratitude too, the honoring of autumn and the land is a kind of gratitude, a thankfulness, a simpleness. The Goddess tradition feels like a self worship, a deep self love and a nourishment for the body.

So, I didn’t expect to come to Glastonbury on the equinox on a quest to learn about the Goddess Energy, and to start a mission with bringing forth the Divine Feminine but it appears this is now even further ingrained in the work I am here to do, for the work you are here to do.

Its time to shift the balance, in all of us, to balance that masculine and feminine energy, to honour our bodies, honour the land, take care of our Earth. Its about balancing the masculine and feminine, letting the masculine structures guide the feminine flow, this is where the magic happens in your life and business.

I strongly believe through this slowing down and connecting in too we can create so much magic in our life and business especially as highly sensitive people. This is about wellbeing, this is about living, this is about love, this is about changing the world…

What will you do?

If you need some support on balancing your masculine and feminine energy and honouring yourself we cover this in the incredible Shine Academy, my 4 month coaching programme on using your Sensitivities as Superpowers working with me as an ICF accredited Coach, further details here

https://www.thehappinessbranch.com/shineacademy

Almost 70 potential franchisees have attended virtual Discovery Days in 2020.

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, and the need for social distancing measures, TaxAssist Accountants converted its popular monthly Discovery Days to a virtual format.

This new format held over Zoom has provided an opportunity for interested parties to find out more about the successful business model, the support provided, and to meet the award-winning support team. Attending a Discovery Day is the first step for those interested in joining the franchise.

Seth Brown, Senior Manager UK Recruitment, said: “We have now hosted nine virtual Discovery Days this year, and while we miss not being able to host prospective franchisees in Norwich, the virtual format has allowed those interested in the franchise to continue to fully explore the TaxAssist opportunity. The response to our virtual Discovery Days has been overwhelmingly positive with feedback from delegates praising their content, format and smooth operation.

“Enquiries have increased throughout the year, with a 51% increase on 2019 in the second half of the year. Driving interest in particular, is the wish to work closer to home, take control of your own destiny and build an asset for the future, as people mull their future due to redundancy and career uncertainty.

“I’m pleased to say that we’ve continued to recruit well too, with 13 joining as new franchisees, two joining as franchise resales and two as new franchisee partners, bringing us up to 244 franchised areas in the UK. We also already have our first sign up to the February 2021 course.

“With the Initial Training Course also fully adapted for online delivery, we now have a seamless online journey to becoming a franchisee. We will continue to offer a £4,000 cash back on our franchise fee to reflect the change of setting, and this offering will be available for as long as we choose to run the course virtually.”

If you are interested in attending a TaxAssist Accountants virtual Discovery Day, give Nikki Haythorne, UK Franchise Recruitment Manager, a call on 0800 0188297 or for more information, visit our website here.

A new grant scheme launching on Monday will enable micro, small and medium-sized businesses to make better use of digital technology through funding and one to one support.

Go Digital is being launched by Norfolk County Council to help businesses based in the county identify digital opportunities. It will provide expert one-to-one consultancy and the ability to apply for grants of up to £500.

Digital opportunities could include how to sell products and services online, reach new customers using social media, build customer databases, develop new or existing websites and attract new visitors, or how to work out the best homeworking options for teams.

Successful Go Digital applicants will be assigned an experienced business advisor who will conduct a ‘digital audit’ and provide a comprehensive report to identify digital opportunities. The advisor will help the business put together an action plan and then businesses will have the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £500 to help them deliver projects using this plan.

The launch of Go Digital comes during a year of lockdowns, which has left many businesses facing the challenge of reaching their customers remotely by utilising digital services in new ways.

Cllr Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Growing the Economy, said: “We’ve carried out research and found that there is untapped potential for Norfolk businesses using more digital technology. Launching our Go Digital business support scheme is just one of the ways we’re helping businesses adapt and continue providing services for their communities through the Coronavirus pandemic.

“I’d urge business owners to apply as soon as possible, whether you’re looking to make use of more digital devices and tech, tap into the power of social media, or improve your online presence.”

Businesses can find out more and apply on the Norfolk County Council website at 

But for many business leaders, there is still uncertainty about how digital technology can benefit their business, as well as an upfront cost which for many is harder than ever to square financially.

Dear Reader,

I am pleased to announce the addition of another Director to one of my companies, JADER Ltd.

One Simon Watts of Beccles fame.

He has a wealth of industry experience in the computing arena, and can be found on Linked in for more information.

He is of great benefit to the JADER Ltd enterprise.

He only lives 4 miles form me and it is good to be able to keep an eye on each other.

We first met at Clinks Care Farm, when I was becoming a volunteer there.

Our friendship has grown and I trust him more. Not, very wisely, I state, completely 🙂

KR

David

Managing Director

JADER Ltd

PS This is actually old news, because he has been a director for several months now. 🙂

It can be tricky for any business to find the time to keep your website up-to-date. For some, the solution to that is to work with a marketing agency who can take care of that for you.

But how does it work when you are the marketing agency?

“It’s a challenge! We’ve been chipping away at our new site for months, but client work always come first. However, there comes a time where you just have to go all in on your own business, and our seventh anniversary was the perfect self-imposed deadline!”

So says Emma Raines, owner at Example Marketing and Web Design, who have recently launched their own new website. After a team-wide push to get everything finished, the website went live on the 18th November, the same day as the company was celebrating seven years in business. Emma continues:

“We wanted to create a site that reflected our focus on understanding our clients’ businesses and working flexibly to provide a service that works for them. We also wanted to get across our personality, so it’s a bit quirky, a bit fun. We’re pleased with the finished result.”

Check out their new website at www.examplemarketing.co.uk, and if you fancy an upgrade yourself, why not email hello@examplemarketing.co.uk and speak to a member of the team.

Help light up the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) Giving Tree this Christmas by buying a virtual light, bauble or Christmas present. You’ll be able to leave a personal message with your donation, and can upload a photo too. Watch as the Virtual Giving Tree gradually lights up with gifts over the Christmas period!

By buying a virtual light, bauble or Christmas present, you can help pay for a gift of care for the life-threatened children and young people we care for. For example:

• £5 could pay for fifty sheets of coloured card, used by children and families in Art Therapy or memory-making sessions.
• £18 could pay for ten hand and footprint kits, used by families to help make precious memories they can keep.
• £45 could pay for one hundred feeding bottles, used to help the many children at EACH who are tube-fed.

Help us decorate the tree: https://visufund.com/each-christmas-giving-tree

Businesses that have been forced to close during the second national lockdown and were not eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant, can now apply for the Additional Restrictions Grant and receive a one-off payment.

The Additional Restrictions Grant is also available to businesses that have been allowed to stay open but have had a significant financial impact because of the national lockdown restrictions. It is these businesses, along with those outside of the business rates system and were forced to close which the scheme seeks to prioritise. Examples include businesses which supply the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors or businesses in the events sector.

The grant is available for businesses that are operating within the boundaries of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and had been actively trading before 4 November 2020. The grant was open to applications until the end of the current national lockdown but has now been reviewed subject to local restrictions and has been extended to 14th December 2020. Businesses that have been allowed to stay open through the national lockdown restrictions but have been financially impacted because of reduced footfall, bookings and loss of contracts and therefore had a significant reduction in income for the period of restrictions can also apply for the grant. The council will administer and pay out these latest grants as soon as possible. If you are a business with any immediate concerns, then please get in touch. Lots of information and support about the grants, eligibility criteria and further business advice.

Visit www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/coronavirus-advice-businesses for the link to the online form, information and support about the grants, eligibility criteria and further business advice. For advice relating to the grants, call 0808 196 2240. For other business advice, contact the Growth Hub via 0300 333 6536 or www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk.

What happens when an award-winning chocolate company and an award-winning photographer work together? An award-winning and very tasty looking advertising image, of course! Norfolk’s premium vegan chocolate and ice-cream provider Booja-Booja commissioned local advertising photographer Joe Lenton to create their Christmas advertising image for Vegan Food & Living magazine. Having seen examples of his creative chocolate photography, the Booja-Booja marketing team knew that Joe would be a good fit for their creative designs. 

Lauren & Simon from Booja-Booja created a cocoa Christmas tree with decorations out of chocolates, nuts and honeycomb. Lauren wrote the message “Be More Booja This Christmas” in the cocoa and gave a final flourish with chocolate drizzle. Joe built the lighting setup to create the feel that they were after. The tree’s decorations needed highlights while the cocoa needed a good amount of contrast to make the writing stand out and be easy to read. Joe then edited the final image to complete the vision and this became the final advert that would adorn the back cover of the magazine.

After the magazine came out, Joe then entered the image into the Advertising section of The Societies of Photographers competition. Everyone was thrilled when the image was awarded “highly commended”. It joins over 70 other international photography awards gained by Joe and is a proud achievement. Booja-Booja have also won numerous awards for their chocolates and ice cream. The partnership has continued with new adverts being created for 2021. Keep an eye out for these food based works of art! 

In this week’s episode, Mark and James reflect on 2020, and look ahead to 2021 and the inevitable New Year’s Eve Resolutions. They impart advice on how to make change stick for the long term, referring along the way to melting icebergs, Princess Gabriele and Mark’s “B” in GCSE German! 

Listen here!

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Whilst you are there, please like us, and leave a comment. We would love to hear what you are enjoying about the podcast, and it helps others to find us!