Let’s start with the businessman’s bargain - membership of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Their definition of small is generous: anyone with less than 200 employees. Membership fees are based on the number of employees, starting at £100 with a £30 joining fee and you get a lot for your money: the biggest safety net is up to £50,000 for professional representation for in-depth Inland Revenue investigations, appeals to VAT tribunals, motoring prosecutions and prosecutions under health and safety legislation. These are the instances where the small business feels most vulnerable, so membership offers a valuable element of insurance.
There is also anecdotal evidence that Revenue & Customs avoids taking on businesses which display membership of the FSB because it knows it’ll get a fight. The FSB is equally useful as a source of advice. The legal advice line runs 24/7, offering advice on tax, VAT, DSS and employment law. There is also advice and cover of costs for employment and PAYE disputes. However, perhaps the most important benefit is that you feel there is someone with real clout on your side.
As well as the protection side of the operation, the FSB has wielded the power of its 200,000 plus membership to good effect: free business banking with the Co-operative Bank would eat a big hole in your membership costs; likewise, it offers savings on BT call rates that do not require you to have a high call rate; add in discounted insurance, including medical insurance, and you’ll probably be in credit.
Does the business need new vehicles? Take a look at the International Van of the Year results before just picking the best price on offer. The award is given to the van which is judged to have made the greatest contribution to road transport efficiency which covers all the key factors in choosing a new van. The overall winner announced in October was the Ford Transit with the Sevel combination from Citroen/Peugeot/Fiat coming in a close second and the Mercedes sprinter not far behind. The European Directive on emissions for light duty vehicles has meant a lot of updating, so check the website www.roadtransport.com from early December before going to a dealer.
If you do not have a shredder, you would be well advised to remedy that. Granted it’s not going to win you any business but it will defend the company against identity theft, both your own and your customers’, which is an increasingly serious threat. They start at about £12 for a straight-cut shredder, but you are well advised to buy a cross-cut model for the significantly greater security, which start from about £15. However, your needs might require heavier duty capability than the entry model and there is a wide range - ask a serious stationer for guidance. He’ll probably recommend one of the brands which are dominant in the market: Swordfish, Rexel, HSM and Fellows.
Do not go out without mobile e-mail access. Also do not assume that mobile email automatically means a Blackberry. Look, instead, at OpenHand. Its software is compatible with more than 250 handheld devices: PDAs (personal digital assistants) and many mobile phones, including Nokia 60 and 80 series and Ericskson UIQ, Pocket PC and Smartphones, one of which you probably have. OpenHand provides greater flexibility than BlackBerry and also offers a fully hosted version which includes host Microsoft Exchange.
OpenHand costs £11 per month plus vat, compared with £33 for Blackberry, with no minimum contract and no server licence fee. To buy or to set up a trial, visit the company website - www.openhand-mobile.com - for your nearest of the 394 dealers. Open Hand will help load it on your phone/PDA, show how it works and provide professional back-up. The system has a high level of security compared with its competitors and it works worldwide, which many others do not. In 2003 one per cent of businessmen had email on the move; in 2008 that is predicted to be 40 per cent; beat the competition by joining the 40 per cent now.
Paying attention to green issues is becoming good business. On one hand customers are generally positive about eco-friendly businesses. On the other hand, addressing the issue invariably saves you money. The Carbon Trust Energy Efficiency Helpline 0800 085 2005 (or the website www.carbontrust.co.uk) is the starting point. The helpline can handle a wide range of enquiries, from simple requests for information to in-depth questions on highly technical issues. You may also find the action plan on the website a very useful structure to work with. The Trust says a 20 per cent saving is often easily achieved - for many smaller businesses that amounts to a five per cent sales increase. They can provide surveys, usually for free, completed by specialist consultants and Energy Efficiency Loans from £5,000 to £100,000 are available. You should also ask about enhanced capital allowances, which give 100 per cent tax relief; the Energy Technology List, managed by the Carbon Trust, is a 6,000 strong set of products which qualify for this allowance.
While you are considering green issues, look at two other organisations. First is Eco Incentives - www.ecoincentives.co.uk - whose 200 plus range of business gifts are all made from recycled material, or are otherwise eco-friendly, such as the water-powered calculator, which requires no batteries. As well as being intrinsically different and interesting, they also do a highly effective job of keeping your name in front of customers. Second is Liftshare.org. As the name suggests, it offers a route for staff to cut commuting costs. MD Ali Clabburn says the employer saves the dead-money cost of parking spaces as well as £1,000 and a tonne of carbon per year - that’s as good as a payrise. Using the website is free, although the company charges businesses to set up their own schemes as part of the green transport plans required by all businesses employing more than 50 people.
An obvious investment in the business is to improve your selling skills. There is no shortage of courses in this field, but they are mighty expensive - three-day courses often cost £1,500, with even the one-day variety coming in at £500. What’s more you probably do not have three days to spare. If that is the case, consider Bite Size Seminars at www.bitesizeseminars.co.uk, which has recognises that small businesses do not like either the price or duration of the standard product. The company runs a wide variety of half-day sales courses, located all over the country. They are focused, practical and effective, without the spurious theories and jargon that often bedevil these programmes. Better still, they cost just £97 per delegate, and even less for group bookings.
Finally, if you do not like such events, or cannot commit to even half a day, you could perhaps improve your sales skills with some reading. There is a huge choice of books available on this subject, so it’s a case of knowing where to start. Blackwells has as good and authoritative a name as any book-seller; its seven best-sellers on the topic are: How To Persuade People Who Don’t Want To Be Persuaded by Joel Bauer, £16.99; Selling To Win by Richard Denny, £9.99; The New Solution Selling by Keith Eades. £19.99. Be A Sales Superstar by Brian Tracy, £9.99. Pocket Guide To Selling Greatness by Gerhard Gschwandtner, £12.99; The Sales Success Handbook by Linda Richardson, £8.99; 100 Greatest Sales Tips of All Time by Leslie Pockell, £8.99. Each one will have ideas you can use successfully.
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