Case Study - Quarter (1) 2010 Loop Publishing

Background
Loop Publishing has been in business for over 5 years; they produce magazines, Northern Life, Northern Life Family, Colne Life, and Craven & Aire Valley Life. They also have a shop, art gallery and can offer venue hire. They recently moved to new premises in Colne, as the company outgrew their premises in Nelson; the new premises are double the size of the original. They needed to go from a free publication to a paid one and were unsure how to achieve this successfully. They wanted to maintain the contact and response from both advertisers and readers, but were uncertain how this could be accomplished. The main issues were the areas of publication and the timescale that was imposed.

The Action
Community and Business Partners successfully found a great Guardian in Ian Aitkin who has a sound media background. During their numerous meetings, where he spent many hours with them, they discussed all aspects of making the magazine a paid for publication, including waste, sales, financial figures and promotions. We also found the advice and expertise of our Guardian was invaluable.

To date/ early results
They have successfully gone from a free publication to a paid one; they have effectively learned and introduced timescales and improved planning and preparation. Ian has also helped them resolve the distribution issues and with conversion to different areas. Due to the increase of new outlets for magazine sales, a new member of staff who looks after all the magazine sales has a lot more sites to visit; this is where the improved planning is key.

They have recruited 1 new member of staff to take charge of distribution, who has successfully gained new outlets to sell the magazine from eg Asda, Sainsburys & many new newsagents. This has increased the revenue within the magazine sales department.

A new database has been introduced for the distribution and delivery of the magazine; although this is a relatively new system so it takes time to input the data. Once all the information is loaded the system will make the process a lot quicker.

They Say
“We found the Guardian Angel encounter invaluable and a great experience and would recommend this program to everyone. We have not only improved sales and become more organised we are confident going forward.”

Case Study - May 2010 ecompli

Background
We were at a stage when we needed to recruit someone in order to assist with supporting the day to day duties of running our office, especially the administrative area of the business. Whilst we were eager to recruit, we were unsure on how best to go forward with it and needed support so that we could learn all of the options that employers have in our area.

Before coming in to contact with the Job Ticker scheme through Community & Business Partners we thought we knew what support was available. However after the meeting we realised that we did not understand just how much support there is for local employers. This was a real confidence boost as we knew that we could take on an apprentice who would be very keen to learn and to build up their skills and experience whilst working full time within a business.

We needed advice on the best recruitment method e.g. Do we go for an apprentice or someone with vast experience. Once we decided it would be the apprentice option, we then needed help to source the best possible candidate who would fill our selection criteria. We also wanted to ensure that they would receive free training so that they could gain even more skills which would benefit them and the business.
The main issue was finding the right candidate to fit the role e.g. whilst we are fully committed to training the individual we also required them to have a certain level of ability when using a computer and other office machines such as Photocopier / fax etc.

The Action
Job Ticker provided us with all of the options that were available to a small business like ours. Following their advice we have now taken on an apprentice who is significantly helping to support us allowing us to drive the business forward.

We were referred to Training 2000 so that they could help us source the candidate, provide free training and help the candidate through their NVQ.

Since taking on the apprentice we have been able to free up our time which was getting spent dealing with administration. We can now use this gained time to focus on providing even higher levels of customer service and increasing our customer base.

The main resolved issue is that we now have further support within our office which has helped to reduce the burden of administration. The Directors of the business also have another element of support and many tasks can now be completed by the apprentice. The other key fact is based on affordability as it would have been quite difficult for us to take another staff member onboard who was not on the apprenticeship scheme.

As employers we have learned that there is a lot of local business support out there if you need it, and we can instantly see results following the quality advice through the Job Ticker scheme.
Our new apprentice is taking a lot of tasks off us and learning how to support the business by completing a lot of varied administrative work.

This will allow us more time to focus on increasing our customer base, to improve our service standards, to market more concisely and to build up our name and reputation within our market.

What The Employer Says
“We have been very impressed with the support that Job Ticker has provided to us. Until we discussed our requirements we had no idea on the level of support that is available to employers within our region. The overall experience has been very positive as we have taken on a keen apprentice who wants to gain valuable experience working within a busy office. The end result will see us having more time to focus on supporting new and existing customers and building up our reputation within our market.”

(Pictured: Suzanne Gibson)

Case Study - May 2010 The Depository

Background
The Depository is a document storage solution business based in Blackburn and running for over 3 years now. The Depository has always benefited from the business support services Community & Business Partners provides. On this occasion The Depository were looking to recruit an additional member of staff due to continued success and healthy growth on previous year.

The Action
Paul Hanson (Sales Manager for The Depository) contacted Community & Business Partners and arranged a meeting with Amin Vepari (who manages the Job Ticker project). Through a thorough yet simplistic explanation covering the employment support provision in the borough, Paul felt it would be beneficial to recruit an apprentice – giving the opportunity to a young person in the area. Amin explained the process and the training providers in the area who could deliver this. Paul was introduced to 3 providers via Job Ticker and decided himself who would be best suited to meet his requirements. An apprentice was sourced and started soon after. The Depository also benefitted from a £2500 grant for taking on a young person – Job Ticker brought this incentive to the attention of the employer and got them in touch with the provider who saw them through the process.

Early Feedback
The Depository have benefited from the employment support services made available through Job Ticker and have successfully received the Apprenticeship Grant. The business is doing extremely well with a 35% increase on the previous year’s turnover and once again looking to recruit more people from the local area who can help them grow from strength to strength.

Case Study - May 2010 Class Of Your Own

Background
Founded in 2009, Class Of Your Own gives school students a practical insight into the construction industry by allowing them to take control of their own sustainable building projects. It is the brainchild of land surveyor Alison Watson and allows children and students to adopt roles of construction industry professionals and get involved with every aspect from design through to marketing of building projects.

The Action
Alison has benefited from the support from her Guardian Angel mentor Greg Marshall, who has a wealth of sales and marketing experience. Almost from day one Alison’s business has attracted a great deal of interest from a variety of stakeholders and partners in a short space of time and Greg has proved to be a useful sounding board as Alison has plotted Class of Your Own’s strategy. She now believes she is now ready to take the business to the next level.

Results
Thanks to Alison’s vision and drive Class of Your Own is thriving. It got off to a flying start with the first project at Accrington Academy and now has a number of others in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Sheffield. It also has a number of key partners already on board and in 2009 Class of Your Own won the Lancashire Business Environment Award. From a personal perspective Alison believes her own confidence has improved massively – and says that her Guardian mentor Greg is in part responsible for this development.

She Says
"Greg is a great sounding board. He has encouraged me to believe in myself and that I can achieve what, at the time, might seem impossible. I’ve made contact with some extremely high level people to gain support for what we at Class Of Your Own are trying to achieve for young people, and Greg has helped me discover the tools I need to unlock the business’ potential. We now have some great projects in the pipeline and an award on the mantelpiece."

Case Study - May 2010 Choice Mobility

Background
Choice Mobility is a Blackburn based retailer specialising in mobility equipment and approved by the NHS. The business has been running for just over 2 years and through a period of sustainable growth decided it was time to recruit an employee in order to aid with the expansion and ultimately for the successful individual to grow with the business. This was the first time they needed to recruit and through previous support provided from Community & Business Partners Guardian Angels scheme, they found out about Job Ticker - which is another project delivered by Community & Business Partners to support employers with recruitment, training and development and encouraging them to recruit local people who are currently unemployed.

The Action
After speaking with and meeting Amin Vepari, who manages the Job Ticker project, Choice Mobility found a whole new arena of support available to employers who are looking to recruit and all of it at no cost to them what so ever. Amin listened to what the employer required and explained the process involved. Shortly after that a shortlist of candidates was sent to Choice Mobility, sourced through a number of partner agencies in the borough. The candidate who was successful happened to visit the showroom and during an informal conversation the employers decided he was the right person for the job and a few days later offered the position, which the individual happily accepted and a day later commenced employment. The successful applicant was sent to Community & Business Partners through Reed In Partnership, who are an organisation helping people on health related benefits back in to work. Choice Mobility’s new employee resides within the borough and had previously been on Incapacity benefit for 2 years. Through the Job Ticker scheme, Choice Mobility also benefited from a 13 week wage subsidy for recruiting someone who had previously been on Incapacity Benefit, this was through Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Employment Access.

Results
Choice Mobility have benefited from the employment support made available through the Job Ticker and have successfully received the Employment Access wage subsidy. Their new recruit has now settled in to the business and doing well.

Choice Mobility Says
“The whole support package offered through Job Ticker was extremely useful. The process from initial contact through to final selection of our new employee was effortless. As we are a small, growing company, we do not have the luxury of spare time to trawl through endless potential candidates. Amin listened to our specific requirements and an ideal candidate was selected with the minimum of effort. The wage subsidy has also proved invaluable as it has minimised our outgoings whilst training our new member of staff.”

Case Study - Feb / March 2010 Search Engine Partnership (Nitro Globe Limited)

Background
They are operating in a highly competitive market (Online marketing) and were new to financial and sales business processes and required help with marketing strategy and pricing alignment. They needed to build a comprehensive business and marketing plan and required guidance from someone who has ‘been there’. They had issues with finding successful marketing approaches – they were doing a lot of prospecting which was taking up a lot of time but did not reap rewards. They have identified their sales closure techniques require development and have requested a mentor with these specific skills also.

The Action
We allocated Dave Roberts a marketing specialist. He suggested that they take up more networking opportunities and develop online forums for people who have questions relating to Internet Marketing issues. He guided them through a business planning process to enable a strategic marketing plan to be developed. He gave them support face to face and telephone support.
Another Guardian Graham Winskill is currently looking at their financial management systems and processes with a view to the potential requirement for capital injection. They are soon to apply for funding.

To Results So Far
They have developed a business plan and are currently implementing it. They have developed a marketing plan and re-structured the company processes to cope with the level of business they will achieve. They have relocated into the Blackburn Enterprise Centre and now employ another person and have developed their business management & marketing skills. They are planning for expansion and will be applying for funding soon.

They Say
“The mentoring service is extremely successful & reliable”

Case Study - Jan / Feb 2010 Little Voices

Background
Jane Maudsley and Holly Hammond founded Little Voices in September 2007 and formed the limited company in 2008. They had centres for Drama and Singing in Blackburn, Bury, Clitheroe and Bolton. They had opened a centre in Fulham, London in September 2008 and were hoping to expand and grow the business further but needed guidance, as neither partner had a business background. Jane desperately needed assistance with the finance and accounting side of the business so that the foundations were strong on which to build the business. There was no set marketing strategy in place and Health and Safety was also an area that had been unknown territory.

The Action
Little Voices were assigned Shelagh Brownlow as their Guardian Angel. Jane needed training on the quickbooks accounting package and indeed the accounts needed a lot of reorganising. This enabled Jane to be much more time efficient and more importantly enabled her and Holly to have information about the business at their fingertips.

Shelagh helped to get all the Shareholders agreements and insurances in place and really investigated the business so that its fundamentals were sound. She helped them to keep costs to a minimum and make decisions relating to admin staff that they were finding difficult to make. She chaired a Directors’ meeting to set out their marketing plan and goals and aspirations for the future. Follow up meetings were arranged to see the progress on the tasks she had set them. Having goals set by the Guardian Angel was of immense benefit.

To Results So Far
Everything has improved. They have a very efficient accounting package now. Jane is well trained and has been able to save thousands in accountancy fees by submitting very well executed accounts. A marketing strategy is in place for the local areas and they are now working towards a framework that they can roll out nationwide. Through Shelagh’s help they have acquired so many core business skills in finance and marketing and their business has a solid foundation on which to build. They now understand ‘break even point’ in each of their teaching centres, they can forecast, create cash flow predictions and profit and loss accounts.

They have increased their sales by 46%. Shelagh helped them to know and focus on their target market. She has introduced them to several new contacts in the independent school sector and they are now in the process of creating lasting partnerships with these schools for extra curricular Singing and Drama lessons. This would not have happened if it wasn’t for their Guardian Angel.

They Say
“Our guardian has been invaluable to us. We would never have achieved the business we have today without her help. Shelagh has given us so many tools to move forward with Little Voices indeed, within a very uncertain economic climate. Her guidance has brought about personal development in us as business partners and our business. She has been a fabulous listener, supporter and believer in us and we cannot thank her enough. We still have so many mountains to climb but we would not even be at the foot of the mountain without our Guardian Angel.”

Case Study - April / May 2009 Unistage

Background
Unistage had received grant funding from No Limits and support from BwD support team to develop its web presence and product development; they referred Unistage to Guardian Angels. Stephen has a sound background in design and manufacturing and knowledge and experience of supplying to the Education and entertainment sectors. He has a clear vision for the brand. The company consisting of 3 divisions; Unistage, Unipace and Uniactive had grown quickly and the HR infrastructure was ineffective. The staff team were motivated to achieve but adhoc recruitment, unclear roles and responsibilities and skills analysis were needed to maximise the growth potential. Stephen, as MD needed to focus more on the strategic development of the company rather than being the main designer and overseeing the operations. Unistage was introduced to Guardian Anne Slater, an HR specialist in February 2009.

The Action
Anne reviewed the organisational structure, roles and responsibilities and all HR basics. A review of the Health and Safety practices was also undertaken. Following a training needs analysis a training and development plan was developed for members of the team who had autonomy to take action but who would benefit from additional knowledge and skills to be more effective in their roles.

To Results So Far
Each staff member was given a contract and a clear role with responsibilities to match. A couple of roles were altered to fit the business need and to support the future development of the company. The general manager’s role has changed and now supports the MD more effectively. A sound and legally compliant recruitment system has been developed; one new member of staff has been recruited and another will be taken on soon. A training and development plan has been developed and started and has meant several staff are undertaking NVQs and other training. The warehouse staff required process and fork lift truck training and this has started, and other staff, sales training etc. Much of this training has been sourced without financial burden to the company. Sales are continuing to grow and the new structure and training plan will enable further business to be secured.

The business now requires assistance with the introduction of management accounts to review the costs and profitability of each division and to maximise its marketing effectiveness and therefore another guardian with these specialisms will be introduced when they are ready.

They Say
“Our guardian was very helpful. She gave us an objective insight into human resource practice and how it applied to our HR issues. It was something we were not equipped to deal with as we had no internal expertise and the cost of employing a full-time HR specialist was prohibitive. Now that all HR basics are in place along with compliant systems and procedures and a training and development plan we can plan the company growth more effectively”.

Case Study - April / May 2009 Acumen Sales Coaching Ltd

Background
Coral and Rae have both worked in sales for 20 years, within many positions from sales people to managers and trainers. Having met many small business owners over the years they recognised that their sales knowledge would be of great benefit to them. This was the basis for them starting their own sales training and coaching business to assist SMEs with growing their sales.nique.

The Action
They started on a business plan and contacted Business Link for advice and were referred to Get Started their local enterprise agency where they received help and advice from one of their advisors. They contacted other training companies to look for sub contracting work and targeted a large training firm called Winning Pitch. The Managing Director was Ian Brookes who also works as a business mentor via Guardian Angels. Coral and Rae met with Jane from Guardian Angels and Ian was assigned as their mentor. Ian’s direct experience of running a large training company was extremely relevant in the advice he was able to give to Acumen. They meet regularly to discuss growing the business.

Following the advice of Ian they underwent a re brand and also developed an extensive sales coaching programme which they now conduct in conjunction with Winning Pitch and their local council working directly with SMEs helping them to grow their sales.

To Date
Acumen have secured bookings for the first quarter that exceed the turnover of the previous nine months, they have registered as a limited company and for vat. They have also been short listed for the prestigious Lancashire Business Awards, “The Bibas” for best new business of the year. Acumen wrote and delivered specific training courses for Guardian Angel companies based on the needs of the local businesses. This has lead to further requests for additional training courses both in Blackpool and Pennine Lancashire. Coral and Rae work tirelessly to gain funding for clients to assist them with accessing their training and are referred by Business Link and Train to Gain. Considering the economic climate they are doing very well in growing their client base and turnover. They have gathered testimonials from clients attending their workshops, that has helped them to spread the word and they are gaining a good reputation.

Case Study - April / May 2009 Key Driver Training

Background
Steven and Linda have many years experience in the field of driving instructor training and they are well respected by the Driving School Associations. This was the basis of their desire to run their own driving school (both for driving lessons and also for instructor training) throughout the UK. This meant a large investment in technology and ensuring that effective and appropriate systems and processes were in place. It was essential to establish clear brand messages and review the routes to market and strategic development of the brand.

The Action
Immediately they were referred to Get Set to ensure the business plan and financials were reviewed and submitted for funding and they were referred to the Digital Development Unit for website development. Steve and Linda were introduced to Dave Roberts, a Guardian with extensive business acumen and with a specialism in Marketing. They took a critical look over the finances, brand and marketing material, discussed their plans on their chosen routes to market and were provided with ideas for consideration. They also required additional investment in technology and were referred to a number of mainstream lenders. This investment was used to develop a quality website that is clear and easy to use and supported by the new brand image (above).

Due to the current economic situation they are looking to offer credit facilities to those wishing to become instructors and those undertaking lessons. Although this will be difficult to place (due to the shortage of finance, the intangible nature of a course and the likelihood of many young people with low credit scores) they have sort our help again and several options have been suggested including local Credit Unions.

To Date
They have experienced dynamic growth from 2 to 11 employees, sales exceeded all expectations and they have relocated to Northbridge House in Burnley for more space. This has given them the opportunity to sustain their growth and have a central base in Pennine Lancashire. The heavy investment in technology has paid dividends as all courses can be booked online and means driving instructors have this online non-bureaucratic resource at their fingertips. They also offer a Franchise Package and help to other driving schools to provide them with training drivers.They hold all the quality marks (ORDIT and ADI), run a 24 hours, 365 day helpline and already have several good testimonials on their website.Steve and Linda have built a solid business, they are not afraid of hard work and continue to review the business performance and offering, to stay ahead of the competition.

Case Study - April / May 2009 Excellent UK

Background
Sam established his company in 2006 after many years in the Cleaning industry. He planned to offer all types of cleaning and to both industrial and domestic customers. He excelled at customer service and had experience and product knowledge to draw upon and this enabled very bespoke services to be offered; several to very niche markets. Sam had the drive to make the idea work, a strong value ethic (hence the name) but needed a focussed approach to develop his plans. He wanted to franchise the business and was offered Mike Murray as his mentor in 2007.

The Action
Mike helped Sam to draw up an action plan and look carefully at the franchise model. He was introduced to How to Franchise. Mike helped Sam to put together an in depth business plan with the financials to support the model.  The companies financial management systems were improved and accurate P & L and cash flow forecasts produced. Mike discussed various methods of raising capital to fund the franchise development and Sam explored them. The details regarding the operation of the franchise were discussed, including simple financial systems and an operations manual discussed and started. The legal implications of franchising were discussed and a draft franchise agreement developed. Sam worked with Blackpool and The Fylde College to gain an A1 Assessor Award in order to deliver, assess and verify NVQ’s in cleaning and support services and especially to those not in education or training and his own staff for higher level awards. Those who are the cream of the crop from this training could also become suitable franchisees.

To Date
Currently moving the business into the Blackpool Academy to enable easy delivery and support to NVQ trainees. The core business is growing steadily and the franchise model is almost ready to roll out. Turnover has increased by 100% between 2007/08 and 2008/09 and staff numbers from 8 to 15.

Sam Said
“ The Guardian Angel model has been crucial to move us forward. No one else offered help in the same way and a sympathetic ear and impartial advice were essential in order to achieve both business and personal goals. It is important that the Guardians exist especially with the economy the way it is. Mike has been great and we are very busy thanks to his advice and have not experienced any downturn in business”.

Case Study - October 2008 Handford Design

Background
Philippe Handford started his company, designing unique outside furniture from vandal resistant materials and natural products such as pebbles, in Colne in February 2008. Handford Designs has created a range of garden and street furniture that is both eco friendly and unique.

The Action
Philippe needed some advice on pricing strategy and promotion to his various target markets and began working with Guardian Stuart Taylor who has a background in manufacturing, sales and marketing and contract negotiation in both the public and private sector.

Since they linked up Handford Design has started to make good progress. Philippe has made his first sales to a school and a public authority and a further order from another school was placed in September 2008. Philippe has attended and exhibited at a number of regional exhibitions and is getting interest from a number of directions so Stuart (his GA) is looking to introduce Handford to a distributor with a view to granting them agency or distributorship rights in the UK.

Via the Guardian Angel network, Philippe has also been introduced to Alan Varley, a Guardian with an architectural background with a view to introducing his work to specific architectural practices. They have reviewed the format of the pitch to architectural practices and discussed how to use the listings on architectural websites, menus and headings to narrow down the firms to contact. Alan is also advising about procurement in other local councils.

Some Early Results
After working with his Guardian, Philippe now has a clear pricing strategy, he has condensed his range of designs to concentrate on specific target markets and made 2 sales to schools and 1 to a public authority. He is now displaying his work in A White Room and this has given his work a high street presence. He has also undertaken commissions with Prosperity Recycling as they design and install school playgrounds and this has provided a good spring board for future discussions with architects for environmentally sound street furniture.