2EPB-E01-S4

Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

BLIND INVESTMENT

Why you’ll want to back 10 techstart-ups you’ve never heard of

FIT FOR GROWTH

Component maker secures£100,000 grant to move site

WIN DESK SPACE

Six months’ free space at LaunchPoint for a start-up or micro firm

INSIDE

SPECIALDELIVERYWhy your company needs to be on theexport bandwagon – and how to do it

THE EXPORT ISSUE

092013OCT

Exploit new export opportunitieswww.businesswest.co.uk

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2 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Gary White (Sales & Engineering Director) and Justine Witherden (Finance Director) of Fowlers receive a grant fromthe Bristol Post Going For Growth campaign Photograph: Dave Betts BRDB20131007E-005_C

AMONTPELIER manufactur-ing company has been awar-ded a £100,000 grant to help itmove to a new site within thec i t y.

Fowlers of Bristol (Engineers)makes sheet metal components, pre-cision machined parts, welded fab-rications and pressings for theaerospace, defence and automotivei n d u s t r i e s.

It applied for money from theGoing for Growth campaign, whichaimed to get money to businesses tospur growth and job creation in theBristol economy.

Finance director Justine Wither-den said: “The fact is that our currentpremises are really not suitable forus any more and are hampering ourg rowth.

“The buildings are old, inefficientand poorly laid out and as each yearpasses becoming more difficult tomaintain, this restricts the efficientflow of work and is frustrating for usand our skilled workforce.

“We need somewhere with morespace, height and natural light togive our employees a much betterworking environment and to projecta more positive image to ourc u s t o m e r s. ”

The money will help the companyto make that move, although it is notyet decided exactly where the newsite will be, and hopefully expand itsbusiness and take on more workers.

Mrs Witherden added: “We arelooking at another site at the momentwhich will give us the opportunity toimprove the factory layout and grow

the business to the extent thatwe plan to employ another fivemembers of staff.

“We were delighted to be successfulwith our application because itmeant we could go ahead with ourplans to move. We wouldn’t have beenable to afford to without it.”

The Going for Growth campaignwas run by the Local EnterprisePartnership and the Bristol Post todistribute £25 million of money fromthe Government’s Regional GrowthFund earlier this year.

After a large response, the LEPteam is working through the ap-plications and getting the money towhere it’s needed - Bristol busi-n e s s e s.

Business adviser Anthony Downessaid: “Our team was delighted to helpFowlers through the process, in par-ticular, making sure that their am-bitions matched the criteria of thefund.”

After handing over the award,mayor George Ferguson said: “T heGrowth Fund is providing a tre-

� The delegation from Oman at the Mansion House formal dinner as part of their visit to Bristol

Trade visit C o n st r u c t i o n

Omani delegation mission could lead to big deals for local companies

C o m p et i t i o n

Train your staff, urges Lord Jones

SMALLER businesses in Bristolshould export to sharpen theirperformance, according to oneof the country’s leading busi-nessmen.

Lord Digby Jones – the former headof the CBI and trade minister – s p o keto businesses in advance of a talk he isgiving at the Rotary charity event laterin the month.

Lord Jones praised the city’s strongeconomic credentials but urged smalland medium sized businesses to keepdriving forward.

“The message to SMEs in Bristol isthey should constantly train theirpeople, up-skill their people,” he said.

“They must look for other and bettermarkets. Smaller businesses whichexport become more competitive andmore productive at home because theyexpose themselves to bigger and bet-ter competition.

“And they should look at constantly

investing in kit so that they constantlybecome effective.”

Lord Jones, who said he visited thecity often through his work with firmssuch as Jaguar - which sees Bristol as akey market - and JCB, said he had seensmaller businesses in the city wereinvesting in training and skills andwas encouraged by the improving pic-

ture in the region’s general economy.“Bristol is starting with two bullets

in the barrel,” he said. “First, you havegot three fabulous universities withina few miles – Bristol, UWE and Bath –and knowledge will be the way that wehold our own in the world.

“Secondly Bristol is the capital ofthe European aerospace industry.

Toulouse might arguewith that but withoutBristol, there is noToulouse. It’s world classfor aviation anda e ro s p a c e. ”

He added that businessalso needed to take a role in

dealing with some of the so-cial issues in city.

“There are challenges in Bristolin terms of social inclusion that comefrom areas such as St Paul’s and ineducation and how you deal with thosewill be one of the ways the city isjudged in the next 20 years.

“These need leadership from politi-cians and leadership from business.”

Lord Jones echoed the recent com-ments of the Prime Minister thatprofit is not a dirty word, and called forless regulation that hampers busi-n e s s.

“Only business creates wealth. Lotsof other people will tell you how tospend it but the only people who willcreate it are businesses,” he said.

“Without profit, there’s no tax, andno policemen, schools and other pub-lic services.”

Financial services

Award for the founders of local success story finance company

Best deals - How the numbers stack upBusiness currentaccounts

National averagepetrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

Allied IrishBank

1.01%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofIndia

0.10%£25,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %20 %

Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

132 .5 4pUnleaded

139 .30pDiesel

140 .62 pSuper

unleaded

70 .56pLPG

Pub and restaurantdeal worth £38million� MITIE, the Bristol-based FTSE250 strategic outsourcing company,has been awarded a £38 millionwaste management and cleaningcontract with pub and restaurantchain Mitchells & Butlers.

Mitie will provide recycling andenvironmental services at 1,600restaurants and pubs all over the UKfor three years. It will also clean at650 establishments.

The company’s brands includeHarvester, Toby Carvery, All BarOne, O’Neills’s and Browns.

Martyn Freeman, managingdirector of Mitie’s facilitiesmanagement business, said: “Weare delighted to be working withMitchells & Butlers, and building onour strong relationship to providethem with our world-classenvironmental services. Thisimportant contract award demon-strates how Mitie can bring value,innovation and high quality servicesto clients through a strategicfacilities management model.”

Jamie Swanston, head ofcorporate and retail procurement atMitchells & Butlers, said: “Mitiedemonstrated its ability to managean estate of the scale and diversityof Mitchells & Butlers.”

O u tso u rc i n g

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.75%£1,000 deposit

0.25%£0.01 deposit

1.75%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

1.45%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus

MeltonMowbray BS

1.2%£1,000 deposit

Inflation

2.7 %Weekly earnings

-0.7 %Base interest rate

-0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

-3.99 %Source: Business Moneyfacts - moneyfacts.co.uk

New home for factory with£100k Going for Growth grant

ONE of the city’s highest profile busi-ness success stories in recent yearshas been honoured for its contri-bution to the local economy.

Peter Hargreaves and StephenLansdown, the co-founders of finan-cial services company HargreavesLansdown, were presented with theaward at a ceremony at the MansionHouse by Master of the Guild ofGuardians Nigel Puddicombe.

The prize is said to be the firstbusiness award the FTSE 100 com-pany has ever received, despite itsphenomenal growth since launchingin a Bristol bedroom in 1981.

Hargreaves Lansdown now has a

market capitalisation of £4.8 billion,employs more than 700 people andmanages £36.4 billion on behalf of itscl i e n t s.

Mr Puddicombe said: “Peter andStephen have made an immeasurablecontribution to Bristol’s economyand it is a privilege for the guild to beable to recognise them.

“Their story is the stuff of Hol-lywood, which should be an inspir-ation to budding entrepreneurs andis testament to what can bea ch i eve d . ”

Mr Hargreaves said: “It is a greathonour to receive this award and I’dlike to thank the guild for recog-

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call 0117 934 3352Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

nising our work in developing Har-greaves Lansdown over the last 30ye a r s. ”

The Guild of Guardians also re-cognises young local entrepreneurs.

Nick Hime was presented with agrant of £1,500 and the prestigiousAlfred Telling Award, which recog-nises a young business person whohas started or developed a businessbased on traditional craftsmanship,for his Classic Sash Company.

The Guild of Guardians is a re-gistered charity that aims to promotethe city of Bristol, its traditions,trade and commerce and to improvethe quality of the civic life.

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

� LORD Jones will be speaking onthe subject of What Business Needsto Succeed in Asia’s Century at adinner organised by the Rotary Clubof Bristol on October 22.

Tickets for the four-course meal inthe Grace Room at GloucestershireCounty Cricket Club cost £75, withproceeds going towards theRotary’s charity work, includingclean water projects in Nepal.

But for up to 10 youngentrepreneurs, the evening will befree, and a great opportunity to bothnetwork and listen to a highlyrespected business figure.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

mendous boost to small and mediumsized enterprises in Bristol and I amdelighted to have the chance to visitone of the deserving recipients.

“This company is already a successstory and the grant will allow them todevelop even further, providing jobsand apprenticeships for our youngpeople. It is important that we keep avibrant manufacturing and engin-eering sector because it helps createa balanced economy, offering the op-portunity of employment to thewhole community.”

Advertising SimonCoy Media Sales

Executive - BusinessCall 07736 900 705.

Email simon.coy@b-nm.co.uk

Campaign launchedto raise profile� A CAMPAIGN is being launchedto raise the profile of small andmedium sized manufacturers in there g i o n .

Manufacturing Matters is the ideaof the Manufacturing AdvisoryService to promote a sector whichaccounts for more than 110,000businesses.

Simon Howes, MAS area directorSouth West, said: “There is nobetter time to launch ManufacturingMatters with recent reports and PMIdata suggesting a three-year high inconfidence, investment and output.

“The larger companies are theones that usually get the columninches and airtime, yet it is theSMEs in the supply chain that makeup 95 per cent of industry.”

He added: “We want it to beinclusive so firms and theiremployees need to come forwardand actually shout about all thegood things they do and why theyare proud of the industry they workin.

“If we get more people talkingabout the sector, watching videos oreven teachers just talking to pupilsabout it in schools and colleges,then the initiative will have beensuccessful.”

You can find more details on thewebsite http://manufacturingm a t t e r s . m y m a s . o rg .

Assisting big and smallfirms to work together� BIG buyers have until Friday,October 11 to sign up for a chanceto meet small- and medium-sizedcompanies who could provide themwith goods and services.

Bristol City Council and theFederation of Small Businesses,with support from Regus (TempleQuay), are organising a Bristol Meetthe Buyer event on November 20.

Buyers frequently find it tootime-consuming to sort through themyriad of local suppliers to locatethose who might be able to offerthem something better.

Smaller businesses, often withinnovative products and services,can find it difficult to make effectiveapproaches to larger buyers.

The event will streamline theprocess for both sides – makingintroductions to help shorten supplychains, save money and improveproducts and services for thebuyers, while boosting thesmall-business sector and deliveringa positive economic impact to theBristol region.

Mayor George Ferguson said: “Iam pleased that the council isrunning this kind of event to helpsmaller businesses work with biggerbuyers. A healthy economy relies onboth large and small business, fromglobal corporations to local nichesuppliers. This will bring themtogether with the aim of formingbetter relationships and help boostlocal trade.”

Among the buyers already signedup to attend are the University of theWest of England, RaddisonBlu HotelBristol, MITIE Technical FacilitiesManagement, Bristol and WestonNHS Purchasing Consortium, Tesco,Avon and Somerset Constabulary,Sarafan Sports, and SpecsaversBristol. The city council will also beon hand to provide advice on itsprocurement processes and how todo business with the authority.

Buyers wishing to take partshould contact the council’s JasonThorne at jason.thor ne@bristol.gov.uk or on 0117 922 2042.

SMEs

Meet the Buyer event

CPI

Unity TrustBank

United TrustBank

1.50%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

0.12%£1 deposit

CooperativeBank

Cambridge andCounties

A DELEGATION from Oman hasbeen visiting Bristol building trustand relationships that could even-tually lead to big deals for local com-p a n i e s.

The official remit of the delegationis to learn about the automotive partsand aftercare industry but the hope is

that the face-to-face meetings with arange of firms around Bristol duringthe visit will blossom into productivebusiness relationships.

During the week-long stay the del-egation visited Leigh Court, home ofBusiness West which organised thetrip along with Flying Penguin En-

terprises, the Bloodhound superson-ic car in Avonmouth and enjoyed areception at the Mansion House.

Business West director Clive Wraysaid: “This visit has gone incrediblywell and we hope it is just the start ofbuilding strong business connectionsbetween the Government of the Sul-

tanate of Oman and our city.“It could well result in great op-

portunities for companies in the Westof England to become part of thesupply chain in Oman. In Oman cul-ture it is all about ‘who you know’ andwe have opened this door and madeconnections at high levels.”

� Stephen Lansdown and PeterHargreaves with their award

To apply for thetickets you must be 35or under on October 22and either running yourown business or playinga part in the success of abigger business.

Email entries to Ron Stagg atron.stagg@healthyfocus.co.uk withLord Jones Competition Entry asthe subject line, stating why youwant the tickets, and including yourname, age and business.

The most inspiring entries will bechosen to get tickets. Entries mustbe in by 5pm tomorrow.

Win tickets to see DigbyGavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

EPB-E01-S4

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E01-

S4

2 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Gary White (Sales & Engineering Director) and Justine Witherden (Finance Director) of Fowlers receive a grant fromthe Bristol Post Going For Growth campaign Photograph: Dave Betts BRDB20131007E-005_C

AMONTPELIER manufactur-ing company has been awar-ded a £100,000 grant to help itmove to a new site within thec i t y.

Fowlers of Bristol (Engineers)makes sheet metal components, pre-cision machined parts, welded fab-rications and pressings for theaerospace, defence and automotivei n d u s t r i e s.

It applied for money from theGoing for Growth campaign, whichaimed to get money to businesses tospur growth and job creation in theBristol economy.

Finance director Justine Wither-den said: “The fact is that our currentpremises are really not suitable forus any more and are hampering ourg rowth.

“The buildings are old, inefficientand poorly laid out and as each yearpasses becoming more difficult tomaintain, this restricts the efficientflow of work and is frustrating for usand our skilled workforce.

“We need somewhere with morespace, height and natural light togive our employees a much betterworking environment and to projecta more positive image to ourc u s t o m e r s. ”

The money will help the companyto make that move, although it is notyet decided exactly where the newsite will be, and hopefully expand itsbusiness and take on more workers.

Mrs Witherden added: “We arelooking at another site at the momentwhich will give us the opportunity toimprove the factory layout and grow

the business to the extent thatwe plan to employ another fivemembers of staff.

“We were delighted to be successfulwith our application because itmeant we could go ahead with ourplans to move. We wouldn’t have beenable to afford to without it.”

The Going for Growth campaignwas run by the Local EnterprisePartnership and the Bristol Post todistribute £25 million of money fromthe Government’s Regional GrowthFund earlier this year.

After a large response, the LEPteam is working through the ap-plications and getting the money towhere it’s needed - Bristol busi-n e s s e s.

Business adviser Anthony Downessaid: “Our team was delighted to helpFowlers through the process, in par-ticular, making sure that their am-bitions matched the criteria of thefund.”

After handing over the award,mayor George Ferguson said: “T heGrowth Fund is providing a tre-

� The delegation from Oman at the Mansion House formal dinner as part of their visit to Bristol

Trade visit C o n st r u c t i o n

Omani delegation mission could lead to big deals for local companies

C o m p et i t i o n

Train your staff, urges Lord Jones

SMALLER businesses in Bristolshould export to sharpen theirperformance, according to oneof the country’s leading busi-nessmen.

Lord Digby Jones – the former headof the CBI and trade minister – s p o keto businesses in advance of a talk he isgiving at the Rotary charity event laterin the month.

Lord Jones praised the city’s strongeconomic credentials but urged smalland medium sized businesses to keepdriving forward.

“The message to SMEs in Bristol isthey should constantly train theirpeople, up-skill their people,” he said.

“They must look for other and bettermarkets. Smaller businesses whichexport become more competitive andmore productive at home because theyexpose themselves to bigger and bet-ter competition.

“And they should look at constantly

investing in kit so that they constantlybecome effective.”

Lord Jones, who said he visited thecity often through his work with firmssuch as Jaguar - which sees Bristol as akey market - and JCB, said he had seensmaller businesses in the city wereinvesting in training and skills andwas encouraged by the improving pic-

ture in the region’s general economy.“Bristol is starting with two bullets

in the barrel,” he said. “First, you havegot three fabulous universities withina few miles – Bristol, UWE and Bath –and knowledge will be the way that wehold our own in the world.

“Secondly Bristol is the capital ofthe European aerospace industry.

Toulouse might arguewith that but withoutBristol, there is noToulouse. It’s world classfor aviation anda e ro s p a c e. ”

He added that businessalso needed to take a role in

dealing with some of the so-cial issues in city.

“There are challenges in Bristolin terms of social inclusion that comefrom areas such as St Paul’s and ineducation and how you deal with thosewill be one of the ways the city isjudged in the next 20 years.

“These need leadership from politi-cians and leadership from business.”

Lord Jones echoed the recent com-ments of the Prime Minister thatprofit is not a dirty word, and called forless regulation that hampers busi-n e s s.

“Only business creates wealth. Lotsof other people will tell you how tospend it but the only people who willcreate it are businesses,” he said.

“Without profit, there’s no tax, andno policemen, schools and other pub-lic services.”

Financial services

Award for the founders of local success story finance company

Best deals - How the numbers stack upBusiness currentaccounts

National averagepetrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

Allied IrishBank

1.01%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofIndia

0.10%£25,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %20 %

Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

132 .5 4pUnleaded

139 .30pDiesel

140 .62 pSuper

unleaded

70 .56pLPG

Pub and restaurantdeal worth £38million� MITIE, the Bristol-based FTSE250 strategic outsourcing company,has been awarded a £38 millionwaste management and cleaningcontract with pub and restaurantchain Mitchells & Butlers.

Mitie will provide recycling andenvironmental services at 1,600restaurants and pubs all over the UKfor three years. It will also clean at650 establishments.

The company’s brands includeHarvester, Toby Carvery, All BarOne, O’Neills’s and Browns.

Martyn Freeman, managingdirector of Mitie’s facilitiesmanagement business, said: “Weare delighted to be working withMitchells & Butlers, and building onour strong relationship to providethem with our world-classenvironmental services. Thisimportant contract award demon-strates how Mitie can bring value,innovation and high quality servicesto clients through a strategicfacilities management model.”

Jamie Swanston, head ofcorporate and retail procurement atMitchells & Butlers, said: “Mitiedemonstrated its ability to managean estate of the scale and diversityof Mitchells & Butlers.”

O u tso u rc i n g

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.75%£1,000 deposit

0.25%£0.01 deposit

1.75%£500 deposit

Bank ofIndia

1.45%£10,000 deposit

Bank ofCyprus

MeltonMowbray BS

1.2%£1,000 deposit

Inflation

2.7 %Weekly earnings

-0.7 %Base interest rate

-0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

-3.99 %Source: Business Moneyfacts - moneyfacts.co.uk

New home for factory with£100k Going for Growth grant

ONE of the city’s highest profile busi-ness success stories in recent yearshas been honoured for its contri-bution to the local economy.

Peter Hargreaves and StephenLansdown, the co-founders of finan-cial services company HargreavesLansdown, were presented with theaward at a ceremony at the MansionHouse by Master of the Guild ofGuardians Nigel Puddicombe.

The prize is said to be the firstbusiness award the FTSE 100 com-pany has ever received, despite itsphenomenal growth since launchingin a Bristol bedroom in 1981.

Hargreaves Lansdown now has a

market capitalisation of £4.8 billion,employs more than 700 people andmanages £36.4 billion on behalf of itscl i e n t s.

Mr Puddicombe said: “Peter andStephen have made an immeasurablecontribution to Bristol’s economyand it is a privilege for the guild to beable to recognise them.

“Their story is the stuff of Hol-lywood, which should be an inspir-ation to budding entrepreneurs andis testament to what can bea ch i eve d . ”

Mr Hargreaves said: “It is a greathonour to receive this award and I’dlike to thank the guild for recog-

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call 0117 934 3352Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

nising our work in developing Har-greaves Lansdown over the last 30ye a r s. ”

The Guild of Guardians also re-cognises young local entrepreneurs.

Nick Hime was presented with agrant of £1,500 and the prestigiousAlfred Telling Award, which recog-nises a young business person whohas started or developed a businessbased on traditional craftsmanship,for his Classic Sash Company.

The Guild of Guardians is a re-gistered charity that aims to promotethe city of Bristol, its traditions,trade and commerce and to improvethe quality of the civic life.

Sign uphere forbusinessnews directto yourinboxevery day

� LORD Jones will be speaking onthe subject of What Business Needsto Succeed in Asia’s Century at adinner organised by the Rotary Clubof Bristol on October 22.

Tickets for the four-course meal inthe Grace Room at GloucestershireCounty Cricket Club cost £75, withproceeds going towards theRotary’s charity work, includingclean water projects in Nepal.

But for up to 10 youngentrepreneurs, the evening will befree, and a great opportunity to bothnetwork and listen to a highlyrespected business figure.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

mendous boost to small and mediumsized enterprises in Bristol and I amdelighted to have the chance to visitone of the deserving recipients.

“This company is already a successstory and the grant will allow them todevelop even further, providing jobsand apprenticeships for our youngpeople. It is important that we keep avibrant manufacturing and engin-eering sector because it helps createa balanced economy, offering the op-portunity of employment to thewhole community.”

Advertising SimonCoy Media Sales

Executive - BusinessCall 07736 900 705.

Email simon.coy@b-nm.co.uk

Campaign launchedto raise profile� A CAMPAIGN is being launchedto raise the profile of small andmedium sized manufacturers in there g i o n .

Manufacturing Matters is the ideaof the Manufacturing AdvisoryService to promote a sector whichaccounts for more than 110,000businesses.

Simon Howes, MAS area directorSouth West, said: “There is nobetter time to launch ManufacturingMatters with recent reports and PMIdata suggesting a three-year high inconfidence, investment and output.

“The larger companies are theones that usually get the columninches and airtime, yet it is theSMEs in the supply chain that makeup 95 per cent of industry.”

He added: “We want it to beinclusive so firms and theiremployees need to come forwardand actually shout about all thegood things they do and why theyare proud of the industry they workin.

“If we get more people talkingabout the sector, watching videos oreven teachers just talking to pupilsabout it in schools and colleges,then the initiative will have beensuccessful.”

You can find more details on thewebsite http://manufacturingm a t t e r s . m y m a s . o rg .

Assisting big and smallfirms to work together� BIG buyers have until Friday,October 11 to sign up for a chanceto meet small- and medium-sizedcompanies who could provide themwith goods and services.

Bristol City Council and theFederation of Small Businesses,with support from Regus (TempleQuay), are organising a Bristol Meetthe Buyer event on November 20.

Buyers frequently find it tootime-consuming to sort through themyriad of local suppliers to locatethose who might be able to offerthem something better.

Smaller businesses, often withinnovative products and services,can find it difficult to make effectiveapproaches to larger buyers.

The event will streamline theprocess for both sides – makingintroductions to help shorten supplychains, save money and improveproducts and services for thebuyers, while boosting thesmall-business sector and deliveringa positive economic impact to theBristol region.

Mayor George Ferguson said: “Iam pleased that the council isrunning this kind of event to helpsmaller businesses work with biggerbuyers. A healthy economy relies onboth large and small business, fromglobal corporations to local nichesuppliers. This will bring themtogether with the aim of formingbetter relationships and help boostlocal trade.”

Among the buyers already signedup to attend are the University of theWest of England, RaddisonBlu HotelBristol, MITIE Technical FacilitiesManagement, Bristol and WestonNHS Purchasing Consortium, Tesco,Avon and Somerset Constabulary,Sarafan Sports, and SpecsaversBristol. The city council will also beon hand to provide advice on itsprocurement processes and how todo business with the authority.

Buyers wishing to take partshould contact the council’s JasonThorne at jason.thor ne@bristol.gov.uk or on 0117 922 2042.

SMEs

Meet the Buyer event

CPI

Unity TrustBank

United TrustBank

1.50%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

0.12%£1 deposit

CooperativeBank

Cambridge andCounties

A DELEGATION from Oman hasbeen visiting Bristol building trustand relationships that could even-tually lead to big deals for local com-p a n i e s.

The official remit of the delegationis to learn about the automotive partsand aftercare industry but the hope is

that the face-to-face meetings with arange of firms around Bristol duringthe visit will blossom into productivebusiness relationships.

During the week-long stay the del-egation visited Leigh Court, home ofBusiness West which organised thetrip along with Flying Penguin En-

terprises, the Bloodhound superson-ic car in Avonmouth and enjoyed areception at the Mansion House.

Business West director Clive Wraysaid: “This visit has gone incrediblywell and we hope it is just the start ofbuilding strong business connectionsbetween the Government of the Sul-

tanate of Oman and our city.“It could well result in great op-

portunities for companies in the Westof England to become part of thesupply chain in Oman. In Oman cul-ture it is all about ‘who you know’ andwe have opened this door and madeconnections at high levels.”

� Stephen Lansdown and PeterHargreaves with their award

To apply for thetickets you must be 35or under on October 22and either running yourown business or playinga part in the success of abigger business.

Email entries to Ron Stagg atron.stagg@healthyfocus.co.uk withLord Jones Competition Entry asthe subject line, stating why youwant the tickets, and including yourname, age and business.

The most inspiring entries will bechosen to get tickets. Entries mustbe in by 5pm tomorrow.

Win tickets to see DigbyGavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

4 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

I nvest m e n ts

web-service companies, so we will bejudging the entrepreneurs, not theidea. If they have the drive, skills andjudgement to see it through, we willgo for it.”

Mr Jackson is planning to invest£30,000 of his own money in the firstfund through Seedrs, giving him atwo per cent equity stake in each ofthe 10 companies.

Jeff Lynn, chief executive of Seedrs,said: “We set out to be a new kind offinancial-services firm that makesinvesting in startups simple and re-w a rd i n g .

“Setting up this fund complementsthat by making it much easier forpeople to diversify their investmentsand show their support for the thriv-

ing tech ecosystem that has emergedin Bristol over the last several years.

“Bristol benefits from close prox-imity to London, a rich manufac-turing heritage, thriving universitiesand a fantastically-vibrant culture.Young people are expressing an in-terest in staying instead of movingaway to Tech City.

“The WebStart Bristol fund is look-ing to mould and mentor young techcompanies – with the support of theirinvestors – and make them stand outamong the tech world’s finest.”

The minimum investment pledge is£100 and the identity of the start-upswill not be revealed until next year.

Visit w w w. w eb s t a r t b r i s t o l . c o m tofind out more.

Scheme offering stakein 10 tech start-ups

Queen’s Award

Innovation prize‘a reward forstaff dedication’

A FIRM from St Philips which makesmedical-skills training products hasbeen given the Queen’s Award forEnterprise Innovation.

Limbs & Things makes realisticartificial body parts – designed andproduced in its factory in SussexStreet – for doctors and surgeons totrain on.

On Friday it was presented with theprestigious award by the Queen’sLord-Lieutenant Mary Prior at a ce-remony at the company’s headquar-t e r s.

The award, which is the UK’shighest accolade for business suc-cess, was given in recognition of thec o m p a ny ’s innovative contributionto skills training in medicine.

Limbs & Things’ in-house designand manufacturing process com-bines traditional craft-based sculpt-ing techniques with the cutting-edge

technolo gies.The result is an innovative range of

products whose realistic look and feelallow doctors, nurses, surgeons andother healthcare professionals tobuild their confidence and skills toultimately improve the care of pa-t i e n t s.

Margot Cooper, president of Limbs& Things, said: “We feel extremelyhonoured to have been awarded theQ u e e n’s Award for Enterprise Innov-at i o n .

“This award ceremony was a cel-ebration to recognise and thank ouremployees for all their hard work.

“It is their sheer dedication, cre-ativity and continuous innovativework that has ensured our remainingat the forefront of the industry.”

Also attending the award ceremonyto give presentations at the eventwere Bristol East MP Kerry Mc-Carthy and city mayor George Fer-guson.

They saw an interactive exhibitionof Limbs & Things’ key products andhad a rare opportunity to tour thec o m p a ny ’s on-site factory.

Ms Cooper said: “Our vision hasalways been to develop and supplyproducts which allow clinical edu-cators to deliver their curriculumrequirements in physical examina-tions and procedural skills success-f u l ly.

“We remain committed to workingclosely with leading clinicians andembracing new materials and tech-nologies to help meet the educationalneeds of tomorrow’s doctors andnu r s e s. ”

Among Limbs & Things’ n ewproducts is the breast-examinationt r a i n e r.

This provides a realistic platformfor acquiring the delicate skills re-

Team of 70 in extreme endurance race

The Mudder of all challenges

� L o rdLieutenantMary Prior(left) handsthe award toM a rg o tCooper;right, a viewinside theworkshopsduring thep re s e n t a t i o nceremony atLimbs &Things in StPhillips.Photos: DanRegan

Construction firms incurry networking day

� A NEW networking event is beinglaunched in the city with a view tobuilding strong relationships amongthe property, finance andconstruction industries.

The Curry Club will be held at4,500 Miles From Delhi Indianrestaurant on Colston Avenue –pictured below – on the secondThursday of the month, startingt o m o r ro w.

Although it has a sector focus, theclub is open to all firms within that,from the contract cleaner to theproperty giant.

Nick Carter-Brown, of Portal Tax,is organising the Bristol club, a spin-off from others that have beenrunning in places such asManchester for 40 years.

Mr Carter-Brown said the event

Building

Boy band tributeto help hospice� BRISTOL hotel has chosen StPeter’s Hospice at its charity of theyear and is staging a boy bandtribute night as its first fundraiser.

Hits from Take That, Westlife, OneDirection and more will get businessboppers on the dance floor of theNovotel.

General manager Tim Howes said:“The event is intended to be a funfilled evening to lift the autumnalblues between summer andChristmas and to raise lots ofmoney for St peter’s Hospice.

“We hope that people from localbusinesses will get together to takea table and come along for afantastic night out.”

The evening also includes atwo-course dinner and disco.

The event takes place on Friday,November 1 and tickets cost£24.50.

Fu n d ra i se r

Landmark buildingsold in £7.5m deal

� A LANDMARK Clifton office blockhas been sold in a deal worth £7.5million.

Kames Capital, represented byindependent property consultantGVA, has bought the freehold ofEmbassy House – pictured – f ro mRockspring, advised by KnightFrank.

The multi-let, six-storey officetower accommodates shops and abankinghall on theground andfirst floor.

The60,248 sqft propertyis let to 19tenants,including Barclays, Austin Reed,Savills, Ranstrad and Failand PaperServices.

Richard Howell, investmentdirector at the Bristol office of GVA,said: “This is a well-known buildingin Clifton, that benefits from openplan floor plates.

“There are significantopportunities to add value throughactive asset management, asconfidence in the occupier marketscontinues to improve.”

Proper tySpecialist firmsold for £15million� A FORMER Bristol boy has soldhis company for £15 million.

Jeremy Warren, 55, grew up inAlmondsbury and went to school atThornbury Grammar, later MarlwoodSchool. He has sold his firmNanoSight, which makes specialisttechnology and instruments toMalvern Instruments.

Mr Warren lives in Marshfield, andset up his firm in Amesbury,Wiltshire, where it developed andcommercialised nanoparticletracking analysis technology, whichallows fast analysis of manydifferent types of nano-sizedparticles.

He said: “The plans we have areambitious and exciting, and thesupport and reach of the Malvernorganisation will allow us to growmore rapidly than we could alone.”

N a n ote c h n o l o g y

Get the bigger picture.Business news from Bristol,Bath, Gloucestershire and

Somerset. Scan to sign up fornews direct to your inbox

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

quired for clinical breast examina-tion.

Made from realistic soft “tissue”,with the versatility of interchange-able pathologies, the product teachestrainees about the identification ofanatomical landmarks and lymphn o d e s.

STORY RECAP HERE

BUSINESS NEWS ON THE MOVE Ourreporters file on the move, and youcan keep up to date out and aboutvia the mobile versions of our website

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Agency acquisition� PR and news agency 72Point hasacquired specialist website andgraphic design agency, DrenchDesign. The deal, which follows onfrom the acquisition of ResponseFusion, and Radio PR, extends therange of services 72Point offers toits clients, chiefly in the design area.

D es i g n

WIN DESK SPACE free for six months for your business at Launch Point, worth up to £900Launch Point is office space in the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone beside Temple Meads station, run by Business West to give a hassle-free and flexible way for companies to have a base without the long-term commitments.

Entrants must be either a start-up business or micro business (up to 10 employees) and have a turnover of less than £1.6 million a year.

To enter, tell us why your business deserves to win and fill in the form below.My business should win Launch Point desk space for six months because:

Business name:

Your name:

Phone number:

Email:A judging panel from the Bristol Post and Business West will select best entry as the winner.The closing date is 5pm on Friday, October 11. Entries can be posted to Launch Point Competition, Marketing department, Business West, Leigh Court, Abbots Leigh, Bristol, BS8 3RA or filled out online at www.bristolpost.co.uk/launchpointcompetition. By entering this competition you agree to take part in publicity around it, including a story about the winner to be featured in the Bristol Post.Winners will be subject to the terms and conditions of Business West’s licence agreement at 2 Rivergate. Standard Local World terms and conditions apply, for a full list visit www.bristolpost.co.uk/houserules.

Entry FormBRING THIS PAGE TO LIFE Get our new app(by searching Bristol Post on the App Storeor Google Play) and use it to scan the pageto see the video

GET THE VIDEOA TEAM of runners from Bristolbusinesses took part in a 12-mileextreme endurance race to raise£5,000 for a local cancer charity.

Penny Brohn Cancer Care,which has its headquarters in Pill,benefited from the endeavours ofthe runners who ran through thecourse, designed by the BritishSpecial Forces, near Newport insouth Wales.

The hilly and muddy course wascalled the Tough Mudder and fea-tured obstacles ranging from fires,water courses, electric shocks, tun-nels and heights. Only 78 per cent ofentrants completed the full 12m i l e s.

The team of 70 runners werefrom Bristol-based personal train-ers firm Synergi Fitness and Physi-cool – a producer of innovativecooling bandages whose directorshave recently made an appearanceon the BBC’s Dra gon’s Den.

The product is soaked in rapidlyevaporating alcohol, offering in-flammatory and pain-relieving be-nefits without the need for ice orrefrig eration.

The bandages are already usedby the NHS and Physicool estim-ates they could save the NHS

£20 million annually, compared toother aftercare methods followingknee surgery.

The bandages are also used by

physiotherapists and sports peopleand are available at independentpharmacies, retailers and clinicsin Bristol.

� Synergi Fitness and Physicool joined forces to make one big team of70 for the Tough Mudder event

AN incubator to nurture Bris-tol tech start-ups is beingcreated in the city’s Enter-prise Zone. WebStart Bristollaunches next year – but po-

tential investors can get in early toback the projects through acrowd-funding platform from thiswe e k .

However, they will have no ideawhat the companies they are invest-ing in will be.

Mike Jackson, founder of WebStartBristol, said: “We are creating a spacefor bright young things who want tobecome the next Mark Zuckerbergand we will show that you do not haveto go to Silicon Roundabout to dot h at . ”

The 51-year-old was inspired afterreading about incubators in techno-logy magazine Wi re d .

The scheme will see 10 webstart-ups receive 10 weeks of intens-ive mentoring in areas such asproduct development, finance andmarketing, as well as use of the officeand IT facilities at the Engine Shed inTemple Meads.

Investors are being asked to backthem through crowd-funding plat-form Seedrs. Instead of backing oneidea, they will get a stake in all 10. Acombined total investment of £150,000will give backers a share of a 10 percent stake in each start-up.

Mr Jackson, a father of two fromWestbury-upon-Trym, said: “I nve s t -ing in any start-up is a bit of a lottery– only a few succeed but out of 10 theodds are that at least one will besuccessful. And with the high mul-tiples in the internet sector, youmight only need one.”

Applications to the join the incub-ator programme, which starts inJanuary, are still open, as are thosefrom would-be investers.

Mr Jackson said: “Most peoplewould not have spotted any of thecurrent super-successful app and

was “speaker led”, with the firstguest being Alan Hyde from EDFEnergy, talking aboutopportunities in the region springingfrom the new Hinkley Point nuclearpower station.

He added the venue in ColstonAvenue was the perfect spot for anetworking event, and not justbecause of the central location.

“Because the building used to bea pub, unlike a lot of restaurants ithas space for people to movearound and talk,” said MrC a r t e r- B ro w n .

He added: “First of all this isabout making people aware of allthe commercial propertyopportunities in Bristol.”

The series is being sponsored byfinancial firm Smith & Williamsonand chartered accountantsSanderson Weatherall.

Those wanting to attend cansimply turn up on the day.

The event costs £25 and runsfrom noon to 2pm.

MikeJackson,

founder ofWe b S t a r t

Bristol

We arecreating aspace forbrightyoungthings whowant tobecomethe nextMarkZuckerberg

“

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

TO LETNeighbourhood CentreBridgwater, StockmoorVillage TA6 6AH

Retail Premises

Available Immediately

Varietyof Uses– A1, A2, A3,A4, A5 & D1

Now Open

Only3Units

Remaining

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

4 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

I nvest m e n ts

web-service companies, so we will bejudging the entrepreneurs, not theidea. If they have the drive, skills andjudgement to see it through, we willgo for it.”

Mr Jackson is planning to invest£30,000 of his own money in the firstfund through Seedrs, giving him atwo per cent equity stake in each ofthe 10 companies.

Jeff Lynn, chief executive of Seedrs,said: “We set out to be a new kind offinancial-services firm that makesinvesting in startups simple and re-w a rd i n g .

“Setting up this fund complementsthat by making it much easier forpeople to diversify their investmentsand show their support for the thriv-

ing tech ecosystem that has emergedin Bristol over the last several years.

“Bristol benefits from close prox-imity to London, a rich manufac-turing heritage, thriving universitiesand a fantastically-vibrant culture.Young people are expressing an in-terest in staying instead of movingaway to Tech City.

“The WebStart Bristol fund is look-ing to mould and mentor young techcompanies – with the support of theirinvestors – and make them stand outamong the tech world’s finest.”

The minimum investment pledge is£100 and the identity of the start-upswill not be revealed until next year.

Visit w w w. w eb s t a r t b r i s t o l . c o m tofind out more.

Scheme offering stakein 10 tech start-ups

Queen’s Award

Innovation prize‘a reward forstaff dedication’

A FIRM from St Philips which makesmedical-skills training products hasbeen given the Queen’s Award forEnterprise Innovation.

Limbs & Things makes realisticartificial body parts – designed andproduced in its factory in SussexStreet – for doctors and surgeons totrain on.

On Friday it was presented with theprestigious award by the Queen’sLord-Lieutenant Mary Prior at a ce-remony at the company’s headquar-t e r s.

The award, which is the UK’shighest accolade for business suc-cess, was given in recognition of thec o m p a ny ’s innovative contributionto skills training in medicine.

Limbs & Things’ in-house designand manufacturing process com-bines traditional craft-based sculpt-ing techniques with the cutting-edge

technolo gies.The result is an innovative range of

products whose realistic look and feelallow doctors, nurses, surgeons andother healthcare professionals tobuild their confidence and skills toultimately improve the care of pa-t i e n t s.

Margot Cooper, president of Limbs& Things, said: “We feel extremelyhonoured to have been awarded theQ u e e n’s Award for Enterprise Innov-at i o n .

“This award ceremony was a cel-ebration to recognise and thank ouremployees for all their hard work.

“It is their sheer dedication, cre-ativity and continuous innovativework that has ensured our remainingat the forefront of the industry.”

Also attending the award ceremonyto give presentations at the eventwere Bristol East MP Kerry Mc-Carthy and city mayor George Fer-guson.

They saw an interactive exhibitionof Limbs & Things’ key products andhad a rare opportunity to tour thec o m p a ny ’s on-site factory.

Ms Cooper said: “Our vision hasalways been to develop and supplyproducts which allow clinical edu-cators to deliver their curriculumrequirements in physical examina-tions and procedural skills success-f u l ly.

“We remain committed to workingclosely with leading clinicians andembracing new materials and tech-nologies to help meet the educationalneeds of tomorrow’s doctors andnu r s e s. ”

Among Limbs & Things’ n ewproducts is the breast-examinationt r a i n e r.

This provides a realistic platformfor acquiring the delicate skills re-

Team of 70 in extreme endurance race

The Mudder of all challenges

� L o rdLieutenantMary Prior(left) handsthe award toM a rg o tCooper;right, a viewinside theworkshopsduring thep re s e n t a t i o nceremony atLimbs &Things in StPhillips.Photos: DanRegan

Construction firms incurry networking day

� A NEW networking event is beinglaunched in the city with a view tobuilding strong relationships amongthe property, finance andconstruction industries.

The Curry Club will be held at4,500 Miles From Delhi Indianrestaurant on Colston Avenue –pictured below – on the secondThursday of the month, startingt o m o r ro w.

Although it has a sector focus, theclub is open to all firms within that,from the contract cleaner to theproperty giant.

Nick Carter-Brown, of Portal Tax,is organising the Bristol club, a spin-off from others that have beenrunning in places such asManchester for 40 years.

Mr Carter-Brown said the event

Building

Boy band tributeto help hospice� BRISTOL hotel has chosen StPeter’s Hospice at its charity of theyear and is staging a boy bandtribute night as its first fundraiser.

Hits from Take That, Westlife, OneDirection and more will get businessboppers on the dance floor of theNovotel.

General manager Tim Howes said:“The event is intended to be a funfilled evening to lift the autumnalblues between summer andChristmas and to raise lots ofmoney for St peter’s Hospice.

“We hope that people from localbusinesses will get together to takea table and come along for afantastic night out.”

The evening also includes atwo-course dinner and disco.

The event takes place on Friday,November 1 and tickets cost£24.50.

Fu n d ra i se r

Landmark buildingsold in £7.5m deal

� A LANDMARK Clifton office blockhas been sold in a deal worth £7.5million.

Kames Capital, represented byindependent property consultantGVA, has bought the freehold ofEmbassy House – pictured – f ro mRockspring, advised by KnightFrank.

The multi-let, six-storey officetower accommodates shops and abankinghall on theground andfirst floor.

The60,248 sqft propertyis let to 19tenants,including Barclays, Austin Reed,Savills, Ranstrad and Failand PaperServices.

Richard Howell, investmentdirector at the Bristol office of GVA,said: “This is a well-known buildingin Clifton, that benefits from openplan floor plates.

“There are significantopportunities to add value throughactive asset management, asconfidence in the occupier marketscontinues to improve.”

Proper tySpecialist firmsold for £15million� A FORMER Bristol boy has soldhis company for £15 million.

Jeremy Warren, 55, grew up inAlmondsbury and went to school atThornbury Grammar, later MarlwoodSchool. He has sold his firmNanoSight, which makes specialisttechnology and instruments toMalvern Instruments.

Mr Warren lives in Marshfield, andset up his firm in Amesbury,Wiltshire, where it developed andcommercialised nanoparticletracking analysis technology, whichallows fast analysis of manydifferent types of nano-sizedparticles.

He said: “The plans we have areambitious and exciting, and thesupport and reach of the Malvernorganisation will allow us to growmore rapidly than we could alone.”

N a n ote c h n o l o g y

Get the bigger picture.Business news from Bristol,Bath, Gloucestershire and

Somerset. Scan to sign up fornews direct to your inbox

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

quired for clinical breast examina-tion.

Made from realistic soft “tissue”,with the versatility of interchange-able pathologies, the product teachestrainees about the identification ofanatomical landmarks and lymphn o d e s.

STORY RECAP HERE

BUSINESS NEWS ON THE MOVE Ourreporters file on the move, and youcan keep up to date out and aboutvia the mobile versions of our website

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Agency acquisition� PR and news agency 72Point hasacquired specialist website andgraphic design agency, DrenchDesign. The deal, which follows onfrom the acquisition of ResponseFusion, and Radio PR, extends therange of services 72Point offers toits clients, chiefly in the design area.

D es i g n

WIN DESK SPACE free for six months for your business at Launch Point, worth up to £900Launch Point is office space in the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone beside Temple Meads station, run by Business West to give a hassle-free and flexible way for companies to have a base without the long-term commitments.

Entrants must be either a start-up business or micro business (up to 10 employees) and have a turnover of less than £1.6 million a year.

To enter, tell us why your business deserves to win and fill in the form below.My business should win Launch Point desk space for six months because:

Business name:

Your name:

Phone number:

Email:A judging panel from the Bristol Post and Business West will select best entry as the winner.The closing date is 5pm on Friday, October 11. Entries can be posted to Launch Point Competition, Marketing department, Business West, Leigh Court, Abbots Leigh, Bristol, BS8 3RA or filled out online at www.bristolpost.co.uk/launchpointcompetition. By entering this competition you agree to take part in publicity around it, including a story about the winner to be featured in the Bristol Post.Winners will be subject to the terms and conditions of Business West’s licence agreement at 2 Rivergate. Standard Local World terms and conditions apply, for a full list visit www.bristolpost.co.uk/houserules.

Entry FormBRING THIS PAGE TO LIFE Get our new app(by searching Bristol Post on the App Storeor Google Play) and use it to scan the pageto see the video

GET THE VIDEOA TEAM of runners from Bristolbusinesses took part in a 12-mileextreme endurance race to raise£5,000 for a local cancer charity.

Penny Brohn Cancer Care,which has its headquarters in Pill,benefited from the endeavours ofthe runners who ran through thecourse, designed by the BritishSpecial Forces, near Newport insouth Wales.

The hilly and muddy course wascalled the Tough Mudder and fea-tured obstacles ranging from fires,water courses, electric shocks, tun-nels and heights. Only 78 per cent ofentrants completed the full 12m i l e s.

The team of 70 runners werefrom Bristol-based personal train-ers firm Synergi Fitness and Physi-cool – a producer of innovativecooling bandages whose directorshave recently made an appearanceon the BBC’s Dra gon’s Den.

The product is soaked in rapidlyevaporating alcohol, offering in-flammatory and pain-relieving be-nefits without the need for ice orrefrig eration.

The bandages are already usedby the NHS and Physicool estim-ates they could save the NHS

£20 million annually, compared toother aftercare methods followingknee surgery.

The bandages are also used by

physiotherapists and sports peopleand are available at independentpharmacies, retailers and clinicsin Bristol.

� Synergi Fitness and Physicool joined forces to make one big team of70 for the Tough Mudder event

AN incubator to nurture Bris-tol tech start-ups is beingcreated in the city’s Enter-prise Zone. WebStart Bristollaunches next year – but po-

tential investors can get in early toback the projects through acrowd-funding platform from thiswe e k .

However, they will have no ideawhat the companies they are invest-ing in will be.

Mike Jackson, founder of WebStartBristol, said: “We are creating a spacefor bright young things who want tobecome the next Mark Zuckerbergand we will show that you do not haveto go to Silicon Roundabout to dot h at . ”

The 51-year-old was inspired afterreading about incubators in techno-logy magazine Wi re d .

The scheme will see 10 webstart-ups receive 10 weeks of intens-ive mentoring in areas such asproduct development, finance andmarketing, as well as use of the officeand IT facilities at the Engine Shed inTemple Meads.

Investors are being asked to backthem through crowd-funding plat-form Seedrs. Instead of backing oneidea, they will get a stake in all 10. Acombined total investment of £150,000will give backers a share of a 10 percent stake in each start-up.

Mr Jackson, a father of two fromWestbury-upon-Trym, said: “I nve s t -ing in any start-up is a bit of a lottery– only a few succeed but out of 10 theodds are that at least one will besuccessful. And with the high mul-tiples in the internet sector, youmight only need one.”

Applications to the join the incub-ator programme, which starts inJanuary, are still open, as are thosefrom would-be investers.

Mr Jackson said: “Most peoplewould not have spotted any of thecurrent super-successful app and

was “speaker led”, with the firstguest being Alan Hyde from EDFEnergy, talking aboutopportunities in the region springingfrom the new Hinkley Point nuclearpower station.

He added the venue in ColstonAvenue was the perfect spot for anetworking event, and not justbecause of the central location.

“Because the building used to bea pub, unlike a lot of restaurants ithas space for people to movearound and talk,” said MrC a r t e r- B ro w n .

He added: “First of all this isabout making people aware of allthe commercial propertyopportunities in Bristol.”

The series is being sponsored byfinancial firm Smith & Williamsonand chartered accountantsSanderson Weatherall.

Those wanting to attend cansimply turn up on the day.

The event costs £25 and runsfrom noon to 2pm.

MikeJackson,

founder ofWe b S t a r t

Bristol

We arecreating aspace forbrightyoungthings whowant tobecomethe nextMarkZuckerberg

“

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

TO LETNeighbourhood CentreBridgwater, StockmoorVillage TA6 6AH

Retail Premises

Available Immediately

Varietyof Uses– A1, A2, A3,A4, A5 & D1

Now Open

Only3Units

Remaining

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

6 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 7We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

In pictures: Business people outWomen Outside The Box festival of female entrepreneurship at Arnolfini

Business West Access All Areas at new pavilion of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

NOVOTEL Bristol and St Peter’s Hospice are proud to present.....

Friday 1st Nov Tribute Act • Dinner • Disco from £24.50

THE ULTIMATE BOY BAND!Chart hits from TAKE THAT, BLUE, ONE DIRECTION, THE WANTED and more...

0117 976 9936

minimum £5 to St Peter’s Hospice from every ticket

h5622-sb@accor.com

Social networkingWhat the business world isposting online

@gavin_thompson1uk.linkedin.com/pub/gavin-thompson /67/624/281/Edit

#BristolBusiness

Follow us on social media

@BristolPost

@swbusinessnews

� Good debate today on womenon boards – but myfocus is pipeline.And it’s widerthan women,what about race,disability, age?

@RubyMS

� Huge tks to all the Filton folks.World-beating output from them.#A400M #BristolBusiness.(referring to delivery of the firstA400M, the French government)

@AirbusMilitary

� My sort of bank and banker.RT @gavin_thompson1: Meet thebanker from @Triodos who saysprofit isn’t everything.

@Hugh_de_Funki

� Great business case 4 #Bristol#Arena. Bristol is “last frontier”without a large music venue.Nearest 95 miles away

@GeorgeFerguson

� Delighted to host a group ofautomotive business ownersfrom Oman. @MDBusinessWestwelcomes our guests to #Bristol

@ B W _ B u s i n e s s We s t

� New speaker: Paul Robertsonis there to sweep up the pieceswhen an organisation’s crisis hasturned to failure.

@TEDxBristol

� I n c re d i b l yexcited toannounce webought theBristol Children’sHospital Gromitat auction lastnight! Here heis!!

@ We s s e x G a r a g e s

� @WOTBFestival@SpillaneConsult @AmbitiousprHuge well done for great event.@JulieMarieMeyer a definitehighlight plus all those fabwomen!”

@kathchristie3

� Great to see so many femaleentrepreneurs today@WOTBFestival We loved@barchocolatcafe @smattamatsand @amiaonline

@BeeSocialSmart

� Left, JoniFarthing,WOTBfounder andheadlinespeakerJulie Meyer;right, thelivelyauditorium;far right,members ofthe monthlyWOTBbusinessclub at thefestival

All photos:NaideneRheeder

� Above and right, inside the new-look pavilion atGloucestershire County Cricket Club. Above right,Dev Chakraborty of Business West; and Tim Davies,of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club; below, PhilLawrence, of Veale Wasbrough Vizards; PaulaHorton of Prolific Solutions Ltd; and Franky Fatica ofAnything Stone UK Ltd

and about

� Left,SarahCook andthe teamfrom TheBeautyEvent;right,CeceliaThirlway ofCeceliaUnlimitedwith JudithHeale ofG re gLatchams

� Left, aspot ofre l a x a t i o ncourtesy ofre f l e x o l o g yfrom theFestivalElderflowerCompany;right,HelenPhillips ofDunkleysC h a r t e re dAccountantsPhotos:NaideneRheeder

Send us photosfrom your event,

with namesplease, tobusiness

@b-nm.co.uk

Get inthe picture

(Ruby McGregor-Smith)

First Intuition Bristol, 6th Floor City Point, BS1 6PL

Simon Wilshire CIMAT4 - March / May 2013Fiona Walker ICAEWAdvanced Stage Business Change - July 2013

Samantha Barnes (2 papers)Tom Foster (1 paper)

- June 2013ICAEW Professional Stage

approved rate for all papers byfirst intuition Bristol students - June 2013

ACCA92% pass rate

100% pass rate

3 regional firsts

2 world firsts

ICAEW Advanced Stage & Case Studyfor all our first time students - July 2013

fi.co.uk

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6 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 7We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

In pictures: Business people outWomen Outside The Box festival of female entrepreneurship at Arnolfini

Business West Access All Areas at new pavilion of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

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FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

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� Good debate today on womenon boards – but myfocus is pipeline.And it’s widerthan women,what about race,disability, age?

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� Huge tks to all the Filton folks.World-beating output from them.#A400M #BristolBusiness.(referring to delivery of the firstA400M, the French government)

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� My sort of bank and banker.RT @gavin_thompson1: Meet thebanker from @Triodos who saysprofit isn’t everything.

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� Great business case 4 #Bristol#Arena. Bristol is “last frontier”without a large music venue.Nearest 95 miles away

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� Delighted to host a group ofautomotive business ownersfrom Oman. @MDBusinessWestwelcomes our guests to #Bristol

@ B W _ B u s i n e s s We s t

� New speaker: Paul Robertsonis there to sweep up the pieceswhen an organisation’s crisis hasturned to failure.

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� I n c re d i b l yexcited toannounce webought theBristol Children’sHospital Gromitat auction lastnight! Here heis!!

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� Great to see so many femaleentrepreneurs today@WOTBFestival We loved@barchocolatcafe @smattamatsand @amiaonline

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� Left, JoniFarthing,WOTBfounder andheadlinespeakerJulie Meyer;right, thelivelyauditorium;far right,members ofthe monthlyWOTBbusinessclub at thefestival

All photos:NaideneRheeder

� Above and right, inside the new-look pavilion atGloucestershire County Cricket Club. Above right,Dev Chakraborty of Business West; and Tim Davies,of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club; below, PhilLawrence, of Veale Wasbrough Vizards; PaulaHorton of Prolific Solutions Ltd; and Franky Fatica ofAnything Stone UK Ltd

and about

� Left,SarahCook andthe teamfrom TheBeautyEvent;right,CeceliaThirlway ofCeceliaUnlimitedwith JudithHeale ofG re gLatchams

� Left, aspot ofre l a x a t i o ncourtesy ofre f l e x o l o g yfrom theFestivalElderflowerCompany;right,HelenPhillips ofDunkleysC h a r t e re dAccountantsPhotos:NaideneRheeder

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8 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 9We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

DESPITE the national tradedeficit and the widespreadbelief that the golden age ofBritish exporting is behindus, figures suggest there is

light amongst the gloom.According to the Office for National

Statistics, UK exports in the secondquarter of 2013 reached £78.4 billion, arecord high.

And there’s no doubt that for theadventurous, forward-thinking SME,the global village of the 21st Centurygenuinely is their oyster.

Regionally, the South West is im-proving its levels of exporting custom,being one of few regions in the UK toactually grow in annual export value,according to HMRC figures which runup until June 2013.

The total value of exports from theregion in the year was £13.26 billion.

Our region now represents six per

cent of England’s exports and 4.5 percent of those in the UK, with thesecond highest regional figure for thechange in the number of exporters inthe 12 months since the middle of sum-mer 2012.

Like the rest of Britain, the SouthWe s t ’s main trading area remains theEurozone, but look further afield toemerging economies such as Brazil,Russia, India and China and oppor-tunities abound.

For example, India and China alonecontributed more than 20 per cent tooverall global GDP.

Russell Jones, regional director forUK Trade & Investment (UKTI) in theSouth West said the increase in ex-ports and the growth in companies inthe region which are exporting wasextremely encouraging.

He also urged the region’s firms torenew their efforts and take advant-age of the support available to busi-nesses via UKTI’s services.

He said: “The latest statistics are

Once companies start exportingt h e re ’s no limit to where you can go.UKTI works hard with its many part-ners to help ensure companies have allthe support they need to succeed.”

Support is in place for SMEs want-ing to look further afield to new mar-kets for business.

Business West has recently imple-mented its Acorn Interactive web plat-form, which supports exporters withall aspects of international trade.

It also offers a Letter of Credit ser-vice whereby exporters can submitthe correct documentation serviceand dramatically improve the chancesof being paid on time – a constant bug-bear for small businesses working totight margins and with few funds tofall back on.

James Durie, director of BusinessWest, said: “As the world becomes an

THERE is no questionthat Bristol and theSouth West’s exports areon the up. The regionwas one of the few to

grow its exports in the secondquarter of this year, up 3.5 percent compared to a UK averageof a 0.1 per cent slip.

T hat’s good news.But we must also be honest

with ourselves. We are startingfrom a low base.

The recent quarterly tradestatistics from HM Revenue andCustoms showed the value ofexports from the region stood at£13.26 billion, and that we, toquote the UKTI release, “nolonger have the smallest totalvalue of exports among the Eng-lish regions”. I’m not hangingout the bunting just yet.

Indeed, the region is hardly anexporting powerhouse, withonly the North East exportingless in England.

In Bristol we have some greatforeign trade success stories.The big manufacturers such asAirbus, GKN and Rolls-Royceare obvious names and there aresome smaller companies doinggreat things too.

But too many firms still lookinwards for their sales.

When a luminary such as LordDigby Jones, on page 2 of thisedition, says his key message tobusiness is to export more, weshould pay attention.

Lord Jones says exportingsharpens up performance as itexposes firms to tougher com-petition.

His view is backed up by tradeadviser Sandra Warne, on page10, who remarks that businesseswhich export have coped betterwith the recession.

Exporting is not just for bigcompanies, small and mediumsized firms can export just aswe l l .

There are good examples onthis very page.

And, with the wide range ofsupport available through thelikes of UKTI, there is no longerany need to be daunted.

Exporting is not a big scaryword. But it is a big opportunity.Let’s take it.

Why we mustexport more

Opinion

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

As more Bristol companiesare looking to export,Rupert Janisch looks at theopenings that await in thelands of opportunity

� A BUSINESS which startedalmost a decade ago as a series ofc h i l d re n ’s illustrations about a littlegirl and her soft toy rabbit is nowbecoming an international range ofp ro d u c t s .

Mandy Sutcliffe first starteddrawing Belle and Boo back in2004 and used to sell their imagein the form of high-quality prints.

She joined business partner KateShafe in 2006 who helpeddeveloped the images into retailproducts. Since then Kate’shusband Patrick has joined themanagement team and thebusiness strategy has been todevelop a range of hand-madeBelle & Boo products but also givereproduction rights to a number ofpartner licensees.

And the game-changer has beenthe production of a series of fourbooks through an internationalpublisher, giving the characters avoice and opening up many newopportunities.

Translations of the books have

Case study:Belle & Boo

Case study:Alvis Bros Ltd

Exporting special

O P P O R T U N I T I E S K N O C K A B R O A D FOR FORWARD-THINKING FIRMSGavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� A BRISTOL law firm is winningvaluable contracts from the MiddleEast by specialising in Islamicfinance.

Foot Anstey LLP is one of veryfew firms in the country to be ableto arrange finance deals inaccordance with Islamic law.

Partner Imam Qazi has recentlyreturned from a marketing trip inKuwait arranged by UK Trade andInvestment (UKTI) where he builtnew relationships with potentialpartner firms and secured workfrom new clients.

The Islamic finance team at FootAnstey has enjoyed considerablerecent success in advising Islamicbanks and Middle Eastern investorson a range of high value andcomplex transactions. They havecreated structures to allowconventional and Islamic financiersto work together.

Case study: Foot Anstey LLPFoot Anstey has also helped the

Sharia compliant real estateinvestment firm, 90 North, tocomplete a string of deals includingthe £42 million acquisition of astudent village in Canterbury andthe £18 million acquisition of a newHQ for Siemens in Lincoln.

Foot Anstey has advised otherMiddle Eastern investors on othersimilar deals, including the £19million purchase of EverythingE v e r y w h e re ’s Bristol offices atAztec West.

Imam Qazi, pictur ed, who worksfrom the firm’s Bristol office, said:“Islamic finance is fast becomingthe prevailing method of finance insome Middle Eastern states, aregion where conventional financeonce dominated.

“We have established an Islamicfinance practice to take advantageof the opportunities presented by

Middle Eastern financial institutionsand investors who want to dobusiness in the UK.

“Islamic banks cannot chargeinterest so deals must be structuredto accommodate this, for instance,the bank might buy the property orland and lease it to the client, whowill buy it at the end of the lease.

“To be compliant with Islamic law,

Foot Anstey has used UKTI’sPassport to Export scheme whichassesses a company’s readiness forinternational trade and helps it builtc a p a c i t y.

UKTI International Trade AdviserGraham White said: “Foot Ansteyhave identified and tapped into afast growing market for Islamicfinance and are starting to reap the

� REDHILL-based farm andcheesemaker, Alvis Bros Ltd, istaking Korea by storm with itsconventional and organic Lye CrossFarm products.

The company, which has been inbusiness for 61 years, makes 70tons of cheese a week and majorretailers in the UK, as well asexporting to more than 30 countries.

Lye Cross Farm has been doingbusiness in Asia for the last fouryears, mainly focusing on Koreawith some business more recentlydeveloped in Japan.

The company first found an Asianappetite for its products at theANUGA international food show inCologne in 2009.

Lye Cross Farm cheeses caughtthe attention of a Korean distributorwith European connections and withtheir help started supplying majorstores including Homeplus (Tesco),Lotte and E-Mart.

Bulk shipments of its WestCountry Farmhouse Cheddar werealso made to major Korean dairies.

In March 2012, the companyattended a UKTI trade mission toKorea, which involved a fullprogramme of store visits,networking, sampling opportunitiesand meetings with key dairycustomers and retail buyers.

Tim Harrap, head of collaborationat Lye Cross Farm, said: “2012 hasbeen a pivotal year for the companyin Korea, with sales growing by 50percent in the 12 months.

“Much of this success can beattributed to the market insight andsupport received from UKTI, as wellas showcasing the brand andeducating trade and consumersabout cheese and productionmethods.

“Nothing beats actually takingtime to visit and explore Korea even

all of our financing dealshave to be approved bythe bank’s ShariaSupervisory Board whichconsists of independentIslamic scholars.

“Although most of ourbusiness has been in theMiddle East, where thereis still huge potentialgrowth, we are nowlooking to expand intoSouth East Asia aswell.”

re w a rd s .“The valuable new

contracts they arewinning not only easesthe way for foreign,especially MiddleEastern, investment intothe country but alsoadds to the local

economy throughadditional profits

generated at aWe s t c o u n t r yfirm.”

when you already have businessthere. You can’t escape the energyand drive there – they’re keen to dobusiness and there are always newopportunities.

“There is such a strong interest inBritain and its culture so ourimported products are sought afterby consumers.”

been published in Japan, SouthAfrica, Sweden, Norway, Franceand Germany, as well as in manyEnglish-speaking countries.

In Japan, a licensee is makingtoys, clothing and iPhone

accessories, all under the watchfulapproval of the Montpelier-basedfirm, for which Belle & Boo gets amonthly royalty payment.

Not forgetting their UK roots,Belle & Boo products are also sold

in 512 retail outlets here, as well ashaving almost 5,000 registeredonline customers.

Sales were up 26 per centyear-on-year and retail sales for2012/13 reached £2.7 million.

increasingly open and interconnectedmarket place, it is vital that companies‘think global and act global’ and de-velop a mindset that is naturallygeared towards exporting and enter-ing new markets.

“Despite improvements in export-ing, however, our trade deficit is stilltoo large and we aren’t makingenough progress in rebalancing oureconomy towards net exports.

“We are lobbying the Governmentto seize the momentum and do more tohelp British exporters penetrate newmarkets and compete on a level play-ing field in key areas such as tradefinance, insurance and promotion.

“Business West through Acorn In-teractive, UKTI and EnterpriseEurope Network is working hard topersuade potential and reluctant ex-porters to become dynamic, interna-

tional traders.“As the leading Chamber of Com-

merce in the region we are in a uniqueposition to build partnerships withbusiness communities through ouroverseas Chambers and UKTI net-work in embassies across the world, toraise awareness of the export supportavailable both at home and abroad.

“We need more companies from ourregion exporting to help the UK winthe ‘economic war’ the Prime Minis-ter has so often spoken about.

“The Government must play its parttoo and adopt measures to foster anexport-friendly environment wherebusinesses can continue to trade in-ter nationally.

“We must secure Britain’s future asa leading exporter; only by doing thiswill we move our economy forwardfrom adequate to outstanding.”

great news. Exporting is a proven wayof growing the South West economy,bringing wealth and jobs to our re-gion. That’s why I am so pleased thatso many more companies in our re-gion are going down this route.

“UKTI in the South West wants tohear from companies from all sectorswho want to take their companies tothe next level and are considering theinternational trade route.

“We have the skills, products, ser-vices and expertise as a region to cap-italise on international opportunitieswherever they arise, and I am quietlyconfident that we will continue driv-ing forwards for the remainder of2013.

“Although the prospect of tradinginternationally can be daunting,UKTI support is available, with accessto essential knowledge and expertise.

� Belle andBooillustratorMandyS u t c l i ff e ,centre, withKate andPatrick Shafe

� Lye Cross farm cheeses from Bristol on sale in Korea; left, Tim Harrap

Russell Jones

“The latest statistics aregreat news. Exporting isa proven way of growingthe South Westeconomy, bringingwealth and jobs to ourre g i o n .

Exploit new export opportunitieswww.businesswest.co.uk

• Overseas market research• Export strategy• International business partnerships• Export documentation• Workshops, master classes & training courses www.businesswest.co.uk

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8 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 9We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

DESPITE the national tradedeficit and the widespreadbelief that the golden age ofBritish exporting is behindus, figures suggest there is

light amongst the gloom.According to the Office for National

Statistics, UK exports in the secondquarter of 2013 reached £78.4 billion, arecord high.

And there’s no doubt that for theadventurous, forward-thinking SME,the global village of the 21st Centurygenuinely is their oyster.

Regionally, the South West is im-proving its levels of exporting custom,being one of few regions in the UK toactually grow in annual export value,according to HMRC figures which runup until June 2013.

The total value of exports from theregion in the year was £13.26 billion.

Our region now represents six per

cent of England’s exports and 4.5 percent of those in the UK, with thesecond highest regional figure for thechange in the number of exporters inthe 12 months since the middle of sum-mer 2012.

Like the rest of Britain, the SouthWe s t ’s main trading area remains theEurozone, but look further afield toemerging economies such as Brazil,Russia, India and China and oppor-tunities abound.

For example, India and China alonecontributed more than 20 per cent tooverall global GDP.

Russell Jones, regional director forUK Trade & Investment (UKTI) in theSouth West said the increase in ex-ports and the growth in companies inthe region which are exporting wasextremely encouraging.

He also urged the region’s firms torenew their efforts and take advant-age of the support available to busi-nesses via UKTI’s services.

He said: “The latest statistics are

Once companies start exportingt h e re ’s no limit to where you can go.UKTI works hard with its many part-ners to help ensure companies have allthe support they need to succeed.”

Support is in place for SMEs want-ing to look further afield to new mar-kets for business.

Business West has recently imple-mented its Acorn Interactive web plat-form, which supports exporters withall aspects of international trade.

It also offers a Letter of Credit ser-vice whereby exporters can submitthe correct documentation serviceand dramatically improve the chancesof being paid on time – a constant bug-bear for small businesses working totight margins and with few funds tofall back on.

James Durie, director of BusinessWest, said: “As the world becomes an

THERE is no questionthat Bristol and theSouth West’s exports areon the up. The regionwas one of the few to

grow its exports in the secondquarter of this year, up 3.5 percent compared to a UK averageof a 0.1 per cent slip.

T hat’s good news.But we must also be honest

with ourselves. We are startingfrom a low base.

The recent quarterly tradestatistics from HM Revenue andCustoms showed the value ofexports from the region stood at£13.26 billion, and that we, toquote the UKTI release, “nolonger have the smallest totalvalue of exports among the Eng-lish regions”. I’m not hangingout the bunting just yet.

Indeed, the region is hardly anexporting powerhouse, withonly the North East exportingless in England.

In Bristol we have some greatforeign trade success stories.The big manufacturers such asAirbus, GKN and Rolls-Royceare obvious names and there aresome smaller companies doinggreat things too.

But too many firms still lookinwards for their sales.

When a luminary such as LordDigby Jones, on page 2 of thisedition, says his key message tobusiness is to export more, weshould pay attention.

Lord Jones says exportingsharpens up performance as itexposes firms to tougher com-petition.

His view is backed up by tradeadviser Sandra Warne, on page10, who remarks that businesseswhich export have coped betterwith the recession.

Exporting is not just for bigcompanies, small and mediumsized firms can export just aswe l l .

There are good examples onthis very page.

And, with the wide range ofsupport available through thelikes of UKTI, there is no longerany need to be daunted.

Exporting is not a big scaryword. But it is a big opportunity.Let’s take it.

Why we mustexport more

Opinion

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

As more Bristol companiesare looking to export,Rupert Janisch looks at theopenings that await in thelands of opportunity

� A BUSINESS which startedalmost a decade ago as a series ofc h i l d re n ’s illustrations about a littlegirl and her soft toy rabbit is nowbecoming an international range ofp ro d u c t s .

Mandy Sutcliffe first starteddrawing Belle and Boo back in2004 and used to sell their imagein the form of high-quality prints.

She joined business partner KateShafe in 2006 who helpeddeveloped the images into retailproducts. Since then Kate’shusband Patrick has joined themanagement team and thebusiness strategy has been todevelop a range of hand-madeBelle & Boo products but also givereproduction rights to a number ofpartner licensees.

And the game-changer has beenthe production of a series of fourbooks through an internationalpublisher, giving the characters avoice and opening up many newopportunities.

Translations of the books have

Case study:Belle & Boo

Case study:Alvis Bros Ltd

Exporting special

O P P O R T U N I T I E S K N O C K A B R O A D FOR FORWARD-THINKING FIRMSGavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� A BRISTOL law firm is winningvaluable contracts from the MiddleEast by specialising in Islamicfinance.

Foot Anstey LLP is one of veryfew firms in the country to be ableto arrange finance deals inaccordance with Islamic law.

Partner Imam Qazi has recentlyreturned from a marketing trip inKuwait arranged by UK Trade andInvestment (UKTI) where he builtnew relationships with potentialpartner firms and secured workfrom new clients.

The Islamic finance team at FootAnstey has enjoyed considerablerecent success in advising Islamicbanks and Middle Eastern investorson a range of high value andcomplex transactions. They havecreated structures to allowconventional and Islamic financiersto work together.

Case study: Foot Anstey LLPFoot Anstey has also helped the

Sharia compliant real estateinvestment firm, 90 North, tocomplete a string of deals includingthe £42 million acquisition of astudent village in Canterbury andthe £18 million acquisition of a newHQ for Siemens in Lincoln.

Foot Anstey has advised otherMiddle Eastern investors on othersimilar deals, including the £19million purchase of EverythingE v e r y w h e re ’s Bristol offices atAztec West.

Imam Qazi, pictur ed, who worksfrom the firm’s Bristol office, said:“Islamic finance is fast becomingthe prevailing method of finance insome Middle Eastern states, aregion where conventional financeonce dominated.

“We have established an Islamicfinance practice to take advantageof the opportunities presented by

Middle Eastern financial institutionsand investors who want to dobusiness in the UK.

“Islamic banks cannot chargeinterest so deals must be structuredto accommodate this, for instance,the bank might buy the property orland and lease it to the client, whowill buy it at the end of the lease.

“To be compliant with Islamic law,

Foot Anstey has used UKTI’sPassport to Export scheme whichassesses a company’s readiness forinternational trade and helps it builtc a p a c i t y.

UKTI International Trade AdviserGraham White said: “Foot Ansteyhave identified and tapped into afast growing market for Islamicfinance and are starting to reap the

� REDHILL-based farm andcheesemaker, Alvis Bros Ltd, istaking Korea by storm with itsconventional and organic Lye CrossFarm products.

The company, which has been inbusiness for 61 years, makes 70tons of cheese a week and majorretailers in the UK, as well asexporting to more than 30 countries.

Lye Cross Farm has been doingbusiness in Asia for the last fouryears, mainly focusing on Koreawith some business more recentlydeveloped in Japan.

The company first found an Asianappetite for its products at theANUGA international food show inCologne in 2009.

Lye Cross Farm cheeses caughtthe attention of a Korean distributorwith European connections and withtheir help started supplying majorstores including Homeplus (Tesco),Lotte and E-Mart.

Bulk shipments of its WestCountry Farmhouse Cheddar werealso made to major Korean dairies.

In March 2012, the companyattended a UKTI trade mission toKorea, which involved a fullprogramme of store visits,networking, sampling opportunitiesand meetings with key dairycustomers and retail buyers.

Tim Harrap, head of collaborationat Lye Cross Farm, said: “2012 hasbeen a pivotal year for the companyin Korea, with sales growing by 50percent in the 12 months.

“Much of this success can beattributed to the market insight andsupport received from UKTI, as wellas showcasing the brand andeducating trade and consumersabout cheese and productionmethods.

“Nothing beats actually takingtime to visit and explore Korea even

all of our financing dealshave to be approved bythe bank’s ShariaSupervisory Board whichconsists of independentIslamic scholars.

“Although most of ourbusiness has been in theMiddle East, where thereis still huge potentialgrowth, we are nowlooking to expand intoSouth East Asia aswell.”

re w a rd s .“The valuable new

contracts they arewinning not only easesthe way for foreign,especially MiddleEastern, investment intothe country but alsoadds to the local

economy throughadditional profits

generated at aWe s t c o u n t r yfirm.”

when you already have businessthere. You can’t escape the energyand drive there – they’re keen to dobusiness and there are always newopportunities.

“There is such a strong interest inBritain and its culture so ourimported products are sought afterby consumers.”

been published in Japan, SouthAfrica, Sweden, Norway, Franceand Germany, as well as in manyEnglish-speaking countries.

In Japan, a licensee is makingtoys, clothing and iPhone

accessories, all under the watchfulapproval of the Montpelier-basedfirm, for which Belle & Boo gets amonthly royalty payment.

Not forgetting their UK roots,Belle & Boo products are also sold

in 512 retail outlets here, as well ashaving almost 5,000 registeredonline customers.

Sales were up 26 per centyear-on-year and retail sales for2012/13 reached £2.7 million.

increasingly open and interconnectedmarket place, it is vital that companies‘think global and act global’ and de-velop a mindset that is naturallygeared towards exporting and enter-ing new markets.

“Despite improvements in export-ing, however, our trade deficit is stilltoo large and we aren’t makingenough progress in rebalancing oureconomy towards net exports.

“We are lobbying the Governmentto seize the momentum and do more tohelp British exporters penetrate newmarkets and compete on a level play-ing field in key areas such as tradefinance, insurance and promotion.

“Business West through Acorn In-teractive, UKTI and EnterpriseEurope Network is working hard topersuade potential and reluctant ex-porters to become dynamic, interna-

tional traders.“As the leading Chamber of Com-

merce in the region we are in a uniqueposition to build partnerships withbusiness communities through ouroverseas Chambers and UKTI net-work in embassies across the world, toraise awareness of the export supportavailable both at home and abroad.

“We need more companies from ourregion exporting to help the UK winthe ‘economic war’ the Prime Minis-ter has so often spoken about.

“The Government must play its parttoo and adopt measures to foster anexport-friendly environment wherebusinesses can continue to trade in-ter nationally.

“We must secure Britain’s future asa leading exporter; only by doing thiswill we move our economy forwardfrom adequate to outstanding.”

great news. Exporting is a proven wayof growing the South West economy,bringing wealth and jobs to our re-gion. That’s why I am so pleased thatso many more companies in our re-gion are going down this route.

“UKTI in the South West wants tohear from companies from all sectorswho want to take their companies tothe next level and are considering theinternational trade route.

“We have the skills, products, ser-vices and expertise as a region to cap-italise on international opportunitieswherever they arise, and I am quietlyconfident that we will continue driv-ing forwards for the remainder of2013.

“Although the prospect of tradinginternationally can be daunting,UKTI support is available, with accessto essential knowledge and expertise.

� Belle andBooillustratorMandyS u t c l i ff e ,centre, withKate andPatrick Shafe

� Lye Cross farm cheeses from Bristol on sale in Korea; left, Tim Harrap

Russell Jones

“The latest statistics aregreat news. Exporting isa proven way of growingthe South Westeconomy, bringingwealth and jobs to ourre g i o n .

Exploit new export opportunitieswww.businesswest.co.uk

• Overseas market research• Export strategy• International business partnerships• Export documentation• Workshops, master classes & training courses www.businesswest.co.uk

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

10 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 11We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

FOR someone with a global out-look, Sandra Warne is ratherenjoying being back at home.The 52-year-old has recentlyreturned to Bristol after five

years as a vice counsel in SouthAfrica, helping UK companies makeconnections and do business in thec o u n t r y.

But once her five-year tour of dutywas up – any longer and the CivilService worries people will forgetwho they are working for – there wasonly one place Sandra was cominghome to, despite her Welsh accent.

She said: “My husband and I havelived in Bristol since 1994. We con-sider Bristol our home.

“When I have gone overseas wealways kept our house here knowingthis is where we would come backt o. ”

In her ever first non-Civil Servicejob, Sandra has taken a role as one of36 international trade advisers in theSouth West. Based from her Bristolhome (she has turned the spare roominto an office, always dresses for work– “you feel more professional if youdress for work” – and shuts the doorfirmly in working hours), she deliv-ers services for UK Trade and In-dustry and is employed by AbbotsLeigh-based Business West.

Now she is advising companies onhow to export – and her time in Africagives her a wealth of experience fromthe other side.

Sandra said: “I was vice counsel butheaded up the UKTI team there, help-ing companies enter the South Afric-an market as smoothly as possible. Wegave as much or as little hand-holdingas required.

“We would identify best route ofentry, for example through a distrib-utor or a partnership, inform them of

potential competition in the market,talk to them about their pricing andso on.

“We would open doors for compan-ies. For example, if we identified thatthe best route of entry was distrib-utorship, my role would be to do coldcalling for the companies – ‘UK Tradeand Investment calling from the Brit-ish Consulate. I have a company fromthe UK interested in doing business,do you have five minutes to talk?’.

“I could virtually guarantee fiveminutes because the person on theother end would think ‘This must be aserious company going through thisofficial route to talk to me’.”

Sandra’s role was not to do the dealsbut give feedback to the companiesabout who was or was not interested,and why.

She said: “For example, when help-ing a whisky producer we found outthat South African whisky has to bestronger and come in larger bottle

HELPING LOCAL ENTERPRISEAfter a five-year mission overseas, international trade adviserSandra Warne is supporting Bristol companies in boldly goingwhere they have not gone before. Gavin Thompson met theexport expert.

My working day

Name: Sandra WarneAge: 52Place of birth: Llwynypia( Wa l e s )School: PenyrheolC o m p re h e n s i v eFirst job: Excludingbabysitting for theneighbours’children, itwas the CivilServiceHero orinspiration:NelsonMandela (right)

Vital statistics

My downtimeWhat’s your perfect weekend?Meeting up with friends on a Fridayor Saturday night for dinner andafter five years in South Africa Ireally appreciate being able to seefamily over the weekend.What’s your favourite book orfilm or TV show? I don’t have onefavourite book but my book case ismostly made up of all sorts oftravel guide books (sad), and forfiction its anything from PauloCoelho (The Alchemist) through toDan Brown’s latest (The LostSymbol) with a few ‘Harry Potters’thrown in. TV show has to beeither Only Fools and Horses orGavin and Stacey butthis could be becauseI’m a Welsh ladymarried to an Englishman.What are your hobbies(if any)? Travel – one ofthe reasons I enjoy myjob so much.

IWONDER how muchthought went into choosingthe venues for the recentpolitical party conferences?A nightmare, one would

think, for the person put incharge of the most importantevent of the year for not alonethese heavyweights but for eventhe smallest of businesses.

Taking a day out of everyone’sbusy schedule to meet and plannext year’s strategy or review ofthe year is a very importantdecision for all businesses. De-ciding where to then go is justas important. People want tocome to and from the day withpositive thoughts and feel in-vigorated, ready for action.

Nowadays the choice of venuehas risen dramatically and theinner city hotels are far fromthe only option although theymay well suit on some fronts.Moving outside of the citycentre adds something extra tothe event whilst still providingthe focus that one needs.

Many golf clubs lend them-selves perfectly to either thecompany conference, salesmeeting , or even a place for theboard to meet away from theevery demands of the office. Onething every golf club can offer isspace – and invariably meetingrooms with lovely views – wh i chin turn provides the necessaryvitality to get across the day’simportant messages.

With club members demand-ing quality food constantly, del-egates are sure to enjoy thisaspect of the day. When thechance to break arrives there isalways plenty of lovely fresh airto breathe in beautiful sur-roundings. Golf clubs such asThe Kendleshire, situated onthe north east of Bristol andonly 15 minutes from the hub ofthe city, have positioned them-selves perfectly for the return-ing conference organiser. Clubssuch as this have rooms ofvarying sizes equipped with allthe necessary technology to runany event.

When the hard work is over, ofcourse there is always the barwith attentive, thoughtful staffwho normally remember yourface and name when you visit.Clubs, by their very nature,realise that service is vital andwill normally provide dedicatedstaff who look after your everyneed during a visit.

Finally, when choosing anyvenue these days cost is a majorconsideration. The country ven-ues tend to come out on top heretoo with no parking fees and areal desire to please and makeyou come back again.

Pat MurphyDirector ofGolf at theKendleshir eGolf Club

Choosing theright venue

Know how

She helps firms looking to get intoall countries, but due to her back-ground is a champion within the re-gion for South Africa.

Sandra said: “We work by identi-fying where a company is at the mo-ment and where it would like to be atsome time in the future.

“We survey the market – is this theright market for them or should we belooking at somewhere else? We createan action plan and strategy.

“My role is to help them along thatjourney and help them achieve theiro b j e c t ive s. ”

Through Business West, there is asurprising amount of help availableto companies looking for support,much of it free.

Sandra said: “What we do is avail-able to any British-registered com-pany. My help and support are free ofcharg e.

“We have the Passport to Exportscheme which has a £500 joining feebut they immediately get a two-dayresidential workshop which costsmore than £500 to put them through.

“That helps create strategy, how toappoint a managing agent and how toget the best export prices. Companiesalso get a £3,000 match-funding grantto use on anything that helps theircompany become more internation-ally friendly.

“It could be to redesign a website orcreate product literature in other lan-guages. I worked with one companywho had their business cards trans-lated into Japanese.”

There are chances to join trademissions abroad. Sandra is hostingone to South Africa next month andthere are 20 flying out over the next 12months to destinations includingIndia and Singapore.

But right now Sandra is having aball travelling around the West, talk-ing to companies about their goals.

She said: “I am enjoying the varietyof industries I am working with in myjob, from food and drink to advancedengineering.

“The smaller companies are as pro-active as the larger ones.

“For a lot of companies it is ex-citing.

“Coming back after five years I didnot know what to expect after hearingso much about the recession.

“But I have been very impressedwith the amount of drive and de-termination out there.

“I have been really encouraged bywhat I am seeing – the number ex-porting seems to be growing.

“Companies which are exportingare managing to ride out the down-turn better than those which are not.It is spreading the risk.”

� The trade mission to SouthAfrican leaves from Bristol Airporton November 16. If you want to takepart, register online at http://southafrica2013eventbrite.co.uk or emaila n g e l a . m a y n a rd - s m i t h @u k t i s o u t h w e s t . o rg .

sizes than in the UK. So with thatinformation the company can thinkabout whether it is still going to becost effective to go into the market.”

The new role sees her working at anearlier stage in the process, whenfirms are just beginning to thinkabout exporting.

Sandra said: “Now I am at the coalface, at the starting point for export-ing.

“I will work with companies new toexporting who have got no idea aboutit. My role is to show them that al-though it is going to be another jour-ney for them, it need not be a difficultjour ney.”

Her patch covers Bristol, Bath,South Gloucestershire andG l o u c e s t e r s h i re.

You wake up at? 7amWhat do you have forbreakfast? Toast or cerealWhat time do you start work?8.30amWhat happens in yourtypical workingday? It’s probablyeasier to describemy typical weekbecause Inormally have twodifferent type of‘typical’ days.These are dayswhen I work fromhome or days when Iam out visiting clients.Ideally it would be made up ofthree days of visits and twoworking from home but it isdriven by the needs of myclients.

Typically working from homemeans that I will start my dayby catching up with e-mails thatmight have come in during thenight or whilst out visiting.Working in international trademeans that there are no real

time patterns to e-mails. Therest of the day is spent onresearch toanswer clients’ questions, report

writing or speaking withmy

Passport or Gatewayclientsfinding out howthey areprogressing withtheirinternational tradeplans.On my visiting

days – I try to planvisits in the same area

on the same day whichmeans on a good day I canmeet with three of my clients.However the area I cover is thewhole of Gloucestershire, SouthGloucestershire, Bristol andBath so often this equates totwo visits in a day.What time do you go home? Itry to finish at around 5pmDo you take workhome/attend eveningfunctions? Yes to both.

� The Alchemist byPaulo Coelho; andGavin and Stacey

The Kendlesh ire

0117 956 7007 theKendlesh ire .com Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

Where conferences are more productive.

Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

£50 M&Svoucherfor the organiseron thefi rst booking

� International trade adviser Sandra Warne by Robben Island, South Africa;top, at an event at Leigh Court Main photo: Dan Regan BRDR20131003C-003_C

� Dave doesn’t know themeaning of the word “action”.What happened to that cast-ironguarantee of an EU referendum?It turned out to be all talk and noaction! Now he is promisingaction again sometime after 2017(if we are lucky). Expect yetanother u-turn.

E u ro s c e p t i c

� This prime minister (pictur ed)is so out of touchwith reality thathe should berenamed asRobinsonCrusoe.

The onlybusiness tobe in if he getsin to powerwithout a coalitionin 2015 will be the food bankbusiness.

r i c h a rd 3 5

Rail passengers in Bristol havebeen promised improvementson key routes after First GreatWestern was given a 23-monthextension to its franchise forthe region.

� So no real improvements forBristol then. A couple of sleepercarriages, some wi-fi (no doubtextortionately priced) and trainswith fewer first class seats.We ’ve been suggesting this foryears. Hardly seems grounds fora franchise extension with a costof over 77p per mile for a singlejourney to London.

a re a l b r i s t o l

� When I went to ameeting beforethe mayoralelection, TimKent(pictur ed)was extollingthe virtues ofthe First trainservice. I toldhim that Icouldn’t afford thetrain fares to London (though I’mclearly paying his expenses) andhe actually told me to useNational Express coachesinstead!

J12345678

Airbus delivers its first A400Mmilitary transport plane to acustomer

� Good news, but it’s a shamewe’ll never see one land at Filton.

To n y M o l e n

Bristol business leaders callfor action to back up DavidC a m e ro n ’s warm wordstowards business

BRING IN FOREIGN TRADEC o m m e n ts

What you’ve been saying aboutour business stories online

w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k/business

EPB-E01-S4

EPB-

E01-

S4

10 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 11We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

FOR someone with a global out-look, Sandra Warne is ratherenjoying being back at home.The 52-year-old has recentlyreturned to Bristol after five

years as a vice counsel in SouthAfrica, helping UK companies makeconnections and do business in thec o u n t r y.

But once her five-year tour of dutywas up – any longer and the CivilService worries people will forgetwho they are working for – there wasonly one place Sandra was cominghome to, despite her Welsh accent.

She said: “My husband and I havelived in Bristol since 1994. We con-sider Bristol our home.

“When I have gone overseas wealways kept our house here knowingthis is where we would come backt o. ”

In her ever first non-Civil Servicejob, Sandra has taken a role as one of36 international trade advisers in theSouth West. Based from her Bristolhome (she has turned the spare roominto an office, always dresses for work– “you feel more professional if youdress for work” – and shuts the doorfirmly in working hours), she deliv-ers services for UK Trade and In-dustry and is employed by AbbotsLeigh-based Business West.

Now she is advising companies onhow to export – and her time in Africagives her a wealth of experience fromthe other side.

Sandra said: “I was vice counsel butheaded up the UKTI team there, help-ing companies enter the South Afric-an market as smoothly as possible. Wegave as much or as little hand-holdingas required.

“We would identify best route ofentry, for example through a distrib-utor or a partnership, inform them of

potential competition in the market,talk to them about their pricing andso on.

“We would open doors for compan-ies. For example, if we identified thatthe best route of entry was distrib-utorship, my role would be to do coldcalling for the companies – ‘UK Tradeand Investment calling from the Brit-ish Consulate. I have a company fromthe UK interested in doing business,do you have five minutes to talk?’.

“I could virtually guarantee fiveminutes because the person on theother end would think ‘This must be aserious company going through thisofficial route to talk to me’.”

Sandra’s role was not to do the dealsbut give feedback to the companiesabout who was or was not interested,and why.

She said: “For example, when help-ing a whisky producer we found outthat South African whisky has to bestronger and come in larger bottle

HELPING LOCAL ENTERPRISEAfter a five-year mission overseas, international trade adviserSandra Warne is supporting Bristol companies in boldly goingwhere they have not gone before. Gavin Thompson met theexport expert.

My working day

Name: Sandra WarneAge: 52Place of birth: Llwynypia( Wa l e s )School: PenyrheolC o m p re h e n s i v eFirst job: Excludingbabysitting for theneighbours’children, itwas the CivilServiceHero orinspiration:NelsonMandela (right)

Vital statistics

My downtimeWhat’s your perfect weekend?Meeting up with friends on a Fridayor Saturday night for dinner andafter five years in South Africa Ireally appreciate being able to seefamily over the weekend.What’s your favourite book orfilm or TV show? I don’t have onefavourite book but my book case ismostly made up of all sorts oftravel guide books (sad), and forfiction its anything from PauloCoelho (The Alchemist) through toDan Brown’s latest (The LostSymbol) with a few ‘Harry Potters’thrown in. TV show has to beeither Only Fools and Horses orGavin and Stacey butthis could be becauseI’m a Welsh ladymarried to an Englishman.What are your hobbies(if any)? Travel – one ofthe reasons I enjoy myjob so much.

IWONDER how muchthought went into choosingthe venues for the recentpolitical party conferences?A nightmare, one would

think, for the person put incharge of the most importantevent of the year for not alonethese heavyweights but for eventhe smallest of businesses.

Taking a day out of everyone’sbusy schedule to meet and plannext year’s strategy or review ofthe year is a very importantdecision for all businesses. De-ciding where to then go is justas important. People want tocome to and from the day withpositive thoughts and feel in-vigorated, ready for action.

Nowadays the choice of venuehas risen dramatically and theinner city hotels are far fromthe only option although theymay well suit on some fronts.Moving outside of the citycentre adds something extra tothe event whilst still providingthe focus that one needs.

Many golf clubs lend them-selves perfectly to either thecompany conference, salesmeeting , or even a place for theboard to meet away from theevery demands of the office. Onething every golf club can offer isspace – and invariably meetingrooms with lovely views – wh i chin turn provides the necessaryvitality to get across the day’simportant messages.

With club members demand-ing quality food constantly, del-egates are sure to enjoy thisaspect of the day. When thechance to break arrives there isalways plenty of lovely fresh airto breathe in beautiful sur-roundings. Golf clubs such asThe Kendleshire, situated onthe north east of Bristol andonly 15 minutes from the hub ofthe city, have positioned them-selves perfectly for the return-ing conference organiser. Clubssuch as this have rooms ofvarying sizes equipped with allthe necessary technology to runany event.

When the hard work is over, ofcourse there is always the barwith attentive, thoughtful staffwho normally remember yourface and name when you visit.Clubs, by their very nature,realise that service is vital andwill normally provide dedicatedstaff who look after your everyneed during a visit.

Finally, when choosing anyvenue these days cost is a majorconsideration. The country ven-ues tend to come out on top heretoo with no parking fees and areal desire to please and makeyou come back again.

Pat MurphyDirector ofGolf at theKendleshir eGolf Club

Choosing theright venue

Know how

She helps firms looking to get intoall countries, but due to her back-ground is a champion within the re-gion for South Africa.

Sandra said: “We work by identi-fying where a company is at the mo-ment and where it would like to be atsome time in the future.

“We survey the market – is this theright market for them or should we belooking at somewhere else? We createan action plan and strategy.

“My role is to help them along thatjourney and help them achieve theiro b j e c t ive s. ”

Through Business West, there is asurprising amount of help availableto companies looking for support,much of it free.

Sandra said: “What we do is avail-able to any British-registered com-pany. My help and support are free ofcharg e.

“We have the Passport to Exportscheme which has a £500 joining feebut they immediately get a two-dayresidential workshop which costsmore than £500 to put them through.

“That helps create strategy, how toappoint a managing agent and how toget the best export prices. Companiesalso get a £3,000 match-funding grantto use on anything that helps theircompany become more internation-ally friendly.

“It could be to redesign a website orcreate product literature in other lan-guages. I worked with one companywho had their business cards trans-lated into Japanese.”

There are chances to join trademissions abroad. Sandra is hostingone to South Africa next month andthere are 20 flying out over the next 12months to destinations includingIndia and Singapore.

But right now Sandra is having aball travelling around the West, talk-ing to companies about their goals.

She said: “I am enjoying the varietyof industries I am working with in myjob, from food and drink to advancedengineering.

“The smaller companies are as pro-active as the larger ones.

“For a lot of companies it is ex-citing.

“Coming back after five years I didnot know what to expect after hearingso much about the recession.

“But I have been very impressedwith the amount of drive and de-termination out there.

“I have been really encouraged bywhat I am seeing – the number ex-porting seems to be growing.

“Companies which are exportingare managing to ride out the down-turn better than those which are not.It is spreading the risk.”

� The trade mission to SouthAfrican leaves from Bristol Airporton November 16. If you want to takepart, register online at http://southafrica2013eventbrite.co.uk or emaila n g e l a . m a y n a rd - s m i t h @u k t i s o u t h w e s t . o rg .

sizes than in the UK. So with thatinformation the company can thinkabout whether it is still going to becost effective to go into the market.”

The new role sees her working at anearlier stage in the process, whenfirms are just beginning to thinkabout exporting.

Sandra said: “Now I am at the coalface, at the starting point for export-ing.

“I will work with companies new toexporting who have got no idea aboutit. My role is to show them that al-though it is going to be another jour-ney for them, it need not be a difficultjour ney.”

Her patch covers Bristol, Bath,South Gloucestershire andG l o u c e s t e r s h i re.

You wake up at? 7amWhat do you have forbreakfast? Toast or cerealWhat time do you start work?8.30amWhat happens in yourtypical workingday? It’s probablyeasier to describemy typical weekbecause Inormally have twodifferent type of‘typical’ days.These are dayswhen I work fromhome or days when Iam out visiting clients.Ideally it would be made up ofthree days of visits and twoworking from home but it isdriven by the needs of myclients.

Typically working from homemeans that I will start my dayby catching up with e-mails thatmight have come in during thenight or whilst out visiting.Working in international trademeans that there are no real

time patterns to e-mails. Therest of the day is spent onresearch toanswer clients’ questions, report

writing or speaking withmy

Passport or Gatewayclientsfinding out howthey areprogressing withtheirinternational tradeplans.On my visiting

days – I try to planvisits in the same area

on the same day whichmeans on a good day I canmeet with three of my clients.However the area I cover is thewhole of Gloucestershire, SouthGloucestershire, Bristol andBath so often this equates totwo visits in a day.What time do you go home? Itry to finish at around 5pmDo you take workhome/attend eveningfunctions? Yes to both.

� The Alchemist byPaulo Coelho; andGavin and Stacey

The Kendlesh ire

0117 956 7007 theKendlesh ire .com Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

Where conferences are more productive.

Henfield Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol BS36 2UY

£50 M&Svoucherfor the organiseron thefi rst booking

� International trade adviser Sandra Warne by Robben Island, South Africa;top, at an event at Leigh Court Main photo: Dan Regan BRDR20131003C-003_C

� Dave doesn’t know themeaning of the word “action”.What happened to that cast-ironguarantee of an EU referendum?It turned out to be all talk and noaction! Now he is promisingaction again sometime after 2017(if we are lucky). Expect yetanother u-turn.

E u ro s c e p t i c

� This prime minister (pictur ed)is so out of touchwith reality thathe should berenamed asRobinsonCrusoe.

The onlybusiness tobe in if he getsin to powerwithout a coalitionin 2015 will be the food bankbusiness.

r i c h a rd 3 5

Rail passengers in Bristol havebeen promised improvementson key routes after First GreatWestern was given a 23-monthextension to its franchise forthe region.

� So no real improvements forBristol then. A couple of sleepercarriages, some wi-fi (no doubtextortionately priced) and trainswith fewer first class seats.We ’ve been suggesting this foryears. Hardly seems grounds fora franchise extension with a costof over 77p per mile for a singlejourney to London.

a re a l b r i s t o l

� When I went to ameeting beforethe mayoralelection, TimKent(pictur ed)was extollingthe virtues ofthe First trainservice. I toldhim that Icouldn’t afford thetrain fares to London (though I’mclearly paying his expenses) andhe actually told me to useNational Express coachesinstead!

J12345678

Airbus delivers its first A400Mmilitary transport plane to acustomer

� Good news, but it’s a shamewe’ll never see one land at Filton.

To n y M o l e n

Bristol business leaders callfor action to back up DavidC a m e ro n ’s warm wordstowards business

BRING IN FOREIGN TRADEC o m m e n ts

What you’ve been saying aboutour business stories online

w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k/business

EPB-

E01-

S4

12 We d n e s d a y, October 9, 2013w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� ANDREW Burt has beenappointed to head the buildingconsultancy team at KnightFrank in Bristol.

He joins after nine years atBNP Paribas in Bristol, wherehe was associate director.

Andrew, 30, said: “KnightFrank in Bristol has a greatreputation and I am keen tohelp build the business further.With the welcome return tomore positive messages fromthe market there is a realpotential for growth.”

Movers & shake-upsUp and comingThe latest appointments news. Sendyour news to business@b-nm.co.uk

� ROXANNE Ratcliff has beenappointed managing director ofBristol-based consultancy IMS,which specialises in helpingcompanies become moreenvironmentally sustainable.

The former UWE student hasworked for the consultancy forthe past six years, helpingclients in sustainabledevelopment, strategy andcommunication.

She specialises instakeholder engagement andalso played a role in the city’ssuccessful European GreenCapital bid.

She said: “As the sustainableagenda continues to rise, moreand more businesses arestarting to implement realorganisational change forgood.”

� MATTHEW Hammond hasbeen appointed as PwC’sregional chairman for the Westand Wales region, succeedingRob Lewis who has moved tothe firm’s London office to leadits mid-market BusinessRecovery Services practice.

PwC has more than 700people based in the region withoffices in Bristol, Plymouth,Swansea and Cardiff.

Mr Hammond will lead PwC’sdeals business across theregion, including the businessrecovery services practice.

Mr Lewis said: “I amdelighted to be handing overthe reins to Matthew, PwC’sbusiness in the region is ingreat shape.”

Business start-ups

DR AG O N S ’ Den star and entre-preneur James Caan has urgedbudding youngsters to take ad-vantage of a scheme to helpmore people get into business.

The Start-Up Loans scheme waslaunched to help anyone agedbetween 18 and 30 initiate a businessenterprise and has so far resulted inmore than 300 applications from theBristol area.

The £110-million national pro-gramme was launched by the Gov-ernment and James Caan in October2012 and aims to help 30,000 newbusinesses get off the ground.

So far, 334 loans have been issued inthe South West as a region, totallingjust over £2 million.

Mr Caan told Business: “Bristol is athriving hub of creativity and di-versity and some great businesseshave come out of Bristol through thei n i t i at ive.

“It is crucial to give start-up com-panies the confidence to get going.

“It is one of the hardest things to dobecause you’re putting yourself onthe line and opening yourself up forcriticism.”

Amounts are flexible, with a typicalloan size of £5,000.

Alongside this finance, young busi-ness owners receive fully-fundedbusiness advice during the applic-ation process and on-going mentor-ing support for a year.

Among the successful applicants inBristol are Thomas Coppen, of KeelOver Marketing, who borrowed£5,000 to get his company off theg round.

The firm is now established as aspecialist search engine optimisa-tion, pay-per-click and adwords man-agement company.

Thomas, 25 from Bedminster, said:“The Start-Up Loan allowed me torealise my dream of setting up theoffice in Bristol.

“This funding came after I wasturned down by banks due to my ageand insufficient credit history.

“The mentor scheme associatedhas allowed me to ensure my loan isinvested and used productively.”

Keel Over Marketing now employstwo people full time and is about toemploy a third as well as employingthree or four contractors at any givent i m e.

South West Investment GroupStart-Ups is delivering the fund in theSouth West and has developed re-lationships with local business sup-port agencies to help applicants withdeveloping business plans and ment-oring support.

Mr Caan said: “Providing the rightfollow up support once they have theloan is essential.

“This can be mentoring, resourcescentres, peer to peer support or justa forum to share ideas and askq u e s t i o n s.

“Without the initial support forstart-ups we cannot expect the UKeconomy to grow from the ground up.We all have to help businesses thrive.It is beneficial to us all.”

Use new loans,Dragon tellsyoung tycoons

Law firm pioneers apprenticeships

CILEx Law School, said: “We lookforward to teaching these youngpeople and watching them flourish inthe workplace.”

The new apprentices are LarissaBayliss, who completed A-Levels inBristol this summer; Rebecca Mason,who is moving from County Durhamto Bristol to take up the position; andMike Thomson, who is moving fromthe firm’s HR recruitment team.

THREE young people have startedcareers in legal services this week bybeginning apprenticeships at theBristol offices of leading internation-al law firm DAC Beachcroft.

The apprentices began on Mondayand will be working in claims solu-tions, corporate recovery and insolv-ency teams at the firm’s office inPortwall Lane, Redcliffe.

The Level 3 Advanced Apprentice-ship in Legal Services is a new qual-ification developed by Skills forJustice and the Chartered Institute ofLegal Executives (CILEx).

It attracts Government funding forthe employment and training ofyoung people aged 24 and under.

DAC Beachcroft is one of the firstlaw firms in the country to take ad-vantage of this new initiative.

Therese Tyson, HR manager atDAC Beachcroft, said: “We are con-fident that apprenticeships will proveto be a successful and popular way oftraining paralegals and bringing newtalent into the firm.”

Jenny Pelling, business director of

New app to give your job an MOTations, or stop off for some free CVand career advice.

Martin Ladd, Pitman TrainingCentre Manager, said: “We hope

people will make a pit stop in theirday to call in for a career

M O T.“We believe that a bit

of encouragement, in afun way, will showthere are ways wecan take charge ofour careers, and wehope this will lead toBristol being a place

full of happier work-e r s.“Asking if your skills

are perfectly matched tothe job you’re in, and if you

could make use of your keycharacter traits to help you get ahead,our Career MOTs are a chance to seehow you can help yourself to be hap-pier at work. Drop in on the way towork, in your lunch hour, whilst outshopping, or on your way home andtap into our free advice.”

BRISTOL-based Pitman Training haslaunched a new app to help unhappyworkers find their dream job.

The Career MOT app, which isavailable on iPhones, iPads andandroid phones, asks users afew questions beforehighlighting respond-ents assets, suggest-ing careercharacteristics andproposing new ca-reer paths.

Pitman Training,which is based onWaterloo Road in StPhilips, launched theapp in response to re-search from the PrincesTrust which suggested the27 per cent of youngsters inwork are depressed and that onlyeight per cent of us feel we are in ourdream job.

The app is available at w w w.pitmancareer mot.com and the centreis inviting people in to try the app andget a print-out of its recommend-

Education and skills Te c h n o l o g y

� Clockwisefrom top left,MikeThomson,RebeccaMason, andLarissa Bayliss

AWARD FOR YOUNGENTREPRENEUR

SIGN UP ONLINE Findthe details to enter ourBusiness Awards on ourwebsite

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

James Caan

“Bristol is athriving hub ofcreativity anddiversity andsome greatbusinesseshave comeout of Bristolthrough theinitiative

Thomas Coppen

“ “TheStart-Up Loanallowed me torealise mydream ofsetting up theoffice in Bristol.