Face the Bournemouth 'Dragons' to Win £500 Start-Up Grant

Bournemouth Council are encouraging new businesses to apply for a small grant which will be awarded in a 'Dragons' Den' style competition.

£15,000 of the Council's £1 million recession fund has been allocated to this, meaning up to 30 start-ups could benefit.

So if you're considering starting a new business and have the confidence to pitch for the money, why not apply? The closing date is 20 May 2011, so there's still plenty of time to think about it.

The money could be put to a huge range of uses. Maybe you're thinking of starting a cleaning company, meaning you need equipment and a marketing budget. Or perhaps you've got a brilliant idea for a new product or service and the extra cash would be a useful boost to your funding.

The £500 grant isn't going to finance all your start-up costs but it's a useful contribution. What could be more valuable is the PR gained from winning and being followed by the Dorset Echo for a year. That's effectively free advertising.

Unfortunately the cash is only available to businesses which have not begun trading. This penalises the entrepreneurs who are already getting with the job of creating wealth through their own efforts.

Finally, don't be put off by the dates on the application form, which still refer to the 2010 grant scheme. If you believe those, you've already missed the deadline. We'll be contacting Bournemouth Council to let them know.

Dorset Businesses Encouraged to Claim Research and Development Grants and Tax Relief

If your business operates in engineering, science or technology, including IT, it could be missing out on R&D grants or tax relief.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that to qualify for R&D benefits you need to employ a bunch of white-coated boffins who spends weeks exploring seemingly madcap notions in the hope of discovering something entirely new to mankind.

For a while I worked for a small software company that regularly claimed, and was given, tax credits for R&D. They weren't engaged in anything particularly unusual - just writing custom web applications for an assortment of clients.

By a careful reading of the HMRC's guidelines for Research and Development (R&D) Relief for Corporation Tax, and an equally careful assessment of the work they were doing, they were able to claim thousands of pounds a year.

Members of the Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce were reminded of this relief by Richard Bugler of Albert Goodman earlier this week, at the monthly networking breakfast.

If you're engaged in any scientific or technology development work, it's worth talking to your accountant to see whether you could quality.

Grants for Research and Development

In a further bid to promote R&D within SMEs, from this month, the government is offering firms the chance to apply for grants.

A new scheme by the Technology Strategy Board is offering funds for projects in science, technology and engineering which could lead to new products. Established companies, start-ups or pre-start-ups are encouraged to apply.

Grants can cover work to prove the market, prove the concept and develop prototypes.

Dorset is full of small and medium sized businesses engaged in many activities, including information technology, engineering and scientific development. If yours is one of them, I recommend that you consider whether you could benefit from R&D tax relief and grants.

Business Networking at Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce

The first Tuesday of every month means it's the WPCC networking breakfast at the Rendezvous, Weymouth.

I'm a newcomer to both Weymouth and business networking. This was my sixth visit to the WPCC event and each one has been, from my point of view, a success.

Some are sceptical of networking events, and I can see why. If the main reason for doing it is to win business, that requires selling, and most of us don't like that. What we like even less is lots of people trying to sell to us.

I won't deny that one of my motives for networking is to find new customers. But I don't do it by selling. At every meeting I look for people I don't know and I ask them what they do. I want to know what business they're in and what motivates them to do it.

It's not that I'm looking for an angle to promote my wares. Having worked in various organisations over the years I am genuinely interested in how business works. For a while I interviewed and profiled a series of entrepreneurs on this blog, because I was keen to hear their stories.

Inevitably, conversations lead to business. I hear it happening around me and I do it myself. It's all conducted informally over bacon, eggs and coffee, overlooking the Weymouth harbour. Relationship building leads to relationship selling - the low pressure kind that we non-salesy people prefer.

Yesterday's WPCC meeting was packed. Capacity is around 75 and I think we were one short of that.

The Chamber of Commerce breakfasts have recently become hugely popular with local businesses. But don't let that discourage you from getting involved in this type of relaxed networking.

If you're not in Weymouth, there are plenty of other business networking opportunities in Dorset. And if you're reluctant to go alone, try to find a contact who's already involved with a networking group. Should that fail, you could always get in contact with me and come as my guest!

Why Objections to a Sale are a Good Sign

If you sell to other people you probably dread them raising objections. Particularly if sales is not your strength.

Learning how to overcome objections is a key part of sales training. But what's not always taught is that the objections themselves are a good sign.

Of course people in sales would prefer their prospect not to have any objections because it would make the sale much easier. But in the real world people do put up reasons why they shouldn't buy a particular product.

However, the presence of an objection should be seen as an opportunity, not a problem. That's not just management-speak. If a customer says: "But it can't do this" or "It can't do that", they're asking for a response. That's an open door for addressing their concerns, and it might be a way of finding out more about the customer's real issues or their understanding of the product.

What the customer really wants to hear is assurance that their issue will be addressed by the product. If they really didn't want it they wouldn't even waste time talking to you. That they're willing to invest in the engagement implies that they have a genuine interest, but also a genuine concern.

It may be that they're right and the product doesn't do what they want, and it's not appropriate for them. Perhaps a different (more expensive?) product would suit them better. Or maybe you've established that it's time for the conversation to end. Sometimes that happens.

Either way, try to look at objections as being positives rather than negatives. Think about the sort of questions you'd ask if someone was trying to sell to you. You don't raise objections just to be difficult; you do it to get clarification and to help you make the right decision.

Looking at objections in this way might just help you to approach your next selling engagement with more confidence.

Change of Direction for Bizoh

I set up this blog in early 2009 as an experiment. It was a home for some of the words that I first penned as a freelance copywriter for business. It also allowed me to interview some wonderfully enthusiastic entrepreneurs, who I profiled in my series on business start ups.

However, I've now decided to change the emphasis of Bizoh. It's now going to focus on doing business in Dorset, and particularly Weymouth and Portland.

Since moving to this area in mid-2010 I've discovered a thriving community of small businesses, working hard to more than just survive the currently tough times. They're run by ambitious local people who want to overcome the twin challenges of geography and the withdrawal of major employers from the area.

I'll put it on record here that I think Weymouth and Portland have a bright future. Being the venue for the London 2012 Olympic sailing is a welcome boost but even without that the combination of incredible scenery and an entrepreneurial spirit is going to drive the local economy forward.

Dusty and sometimes desolate, today's Portland is a grimy diamond waiting to be polished clean. Set in an azure sea, this almost island has hidden potential as a destination. Its position, in the heart of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, is a massive asset that's only just beginning to be recognised.

If you've got a story to tell about setting up or running a business in the Weymouth and Portland area, I'd love to hear from you. It doesn't matter whether it's a good news or bad news tale, or about a start-up or a firm that's been trading for years, even generations.

You can get in touch either through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Win a Testimonial With Great Customer Service

Nothing sells your product or your brand more effectively than a good story.

Potential customers want to hear what you've done for your existing clientele. They want to hear that you deliver value for money. You don't need to have designed and built a sophisticated solution or put yourself to massive inconvenience. Simply doing a good job for a fair price is enough for most people.

Here's a good example, from our recent experience, of someone doing exactly that.

It began when a survey of a potential new home indicated a possible woodworm problem in the roof timbers. The surveyor, like so many professionals, made the potential risks very clear to us, and then said the nature of the insect infestation, if any, was outside his remit and we needed to get a pest control specialist in.

The pest controller is the star of this story. Never having hired one before, we took the obvious step of typing 'pest control' into Google. Within a few moments we'd identified a couple of local suppliers, including Proactive Pest Prevention in Dorset, owned by Robin Elford.

We called the mobile number listed on the site. No answer. It was the middle of the afternoon so perhaps he was up a tree somewhere, chasing wasps or squirrels, or squeezing under the floorboards of a Victorian mansion hunting rats. We don't really know what pest controllers do when they're at work, but this one clearly wasn't in a position to answer his phone.

However, within minutes Robin phoned back, having spotted the missed call. We explained the problem and he asked some questions about the age of the house. Built in the 1990s it was unlike to have woodworm and he shared a quick tip for checking it for ourselves. As we didn't own or have access to the house he offered to take look himself.

We asked about cost. Time is money and professional expertise has a value. We were surprised when he said that preliminary site visits were free, if they were in his local area. Actually, we were staggered. At a time when business is tough here was a professional willing to give us the benefit of his knowledge for nothing.

Robin took a good look at the area identified by the surveyor, and concluded the holes were not made by insects. He also gave us several very plausible reasons why it was unlikely to be woodworm. With that he was on his way to another call, leaving behind satisfied customers who felt they'd had excellent service.

Robin was an example of a business owner who goes out of his way to ensure customer satisfaction. That's partly the sort of person he is and partly because he understands how important it is to invest in future business. We might never have another pest control problem but if we do, we're in no doubt who we'll be calling for help, and we've already started recommending Proactive Pest Prevention to friends.

How to Hire the Right Staff

Bringing a new employee into an SME business is a highly risky but unavoidable element of growth.

The perfect hiring decision can be a quantum leap for your business. The wrong decision can be costly and potentially damaging.

Subjectivity on the part of the business owner is often the main reason hiring goes awry: They want to find a carbon copy of themselves, and they believe that the new person will have the same level of passion for the business as they do themselves. In addition, they are not skilled at interviewing and selection and take decisions based on gut feel rather than using a structured process.

Worse even: Bob the neighbor’s daughter’s husband needs a job and because he only wants a little bit of money, he gets hired with no regard for what he can actually DO until he alienates the best client or runs off with the safe!

Reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person by taking these steps to develop a rigorous selection process and ensure objectivity:

1. Have a clear plan

• Understand clearly why you are recruiting. What are your desired outcomes?
• Which skills will complement you and your business without replacing yours?
• How do you want those skills to be applied to achieve desired outcomes?
• How will you remunerate the person?
• How will you determine whether the desired outcomes have been achieved – What will success look like? 

2. Write a job and person specification
Documenting your plan will act as a route map. It will inform potential interviewees and keep the interviews on track. It can also act as an induction document and form the basis for future discussions with the employee once you have made an offer. It specifies particular duties, targets, working hours and anything else you want to include (as long as it is legal!)

3. Find a good candidate pool

Never make an offer to the first person you interview without at least a comparison. Get a list of potential candidates before you start the interviewing process. This will help keep you objective and give you choice. The wider the candidate pool, the better the final selection is likely to be.

4. Interviewing is an art

Interview the applicant list and invite the best ones back for a second interview and another screening opportunity. Prepare a list of open questions, based on the job description, to probe skill areas. Ask everyone the same questions, and ask for evidence or examples to back up claims. Consider gaps in CV time scales and refer back to the job description to keep you on track. Be objective by using a scoring system based on your selection criteria in the job spec – Remember that the applicant who talks the most is not always the one best suited for the job!

5. Never, ever hire without checking references

This is where so many hires go wrong: Ask for references and follow them up with a phone call. You are under no obligation to make an offer to anyone until you have done the necessary due diligence.

Guest post by Cathy Richardson FIRP DipRP, an independent Recruitment Practitioner who assists SME businesses to grow through applying successful and efficient processes. For more information visit the website http://www.cathyrichardson.co.uk/ or email cathy@cathyrich.co.uk for more information