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BusinessWeek WED

04SEP2013

Rupert Janischbusiness@b-nm.co.uk

Page 2&3 |‘I took over firm fromdad – and at firstmade a completepig’s ear of it’

Page 5 |Setting standardswith the greenteam

Jobs Your firststep to a newc a re e r starts

Page 7

AN organisation supportingstart-ups and helping Bristol’seconomy to grow faces closureif it cannot find more fundingby April. Outset Bristol, basedin Queen Square, has helpedmore 213 businesses become

fledgling companies since it started in Novem-ber 2010.

But with funding streams uncertain, it re-quires £250,000 next year in order to hold ontoits match-funding from a European grant thatwould let it keep running until at least March2015.

Without the funding, the organisation’swork will have to stop early next year.

Run and managed by Cambridge-based busi-ness-support company YTKO, Outset’s work isto provide business training for entrepreneursin the business community who are under-re presented.

Women, the disabled, the over-50s and ethnicminorities are among the groups who aresupported by Outset. The organisation’s ad-visers and coaches run free workshops indeprived areas all over the city such as Lock-leaze, Easton, Southmead and Hartcliffe.

Outset’s funding has come from Bristol CityCouncil for the past two years and has beenmatched by European Regional DevelopmentFund money.

But with city-council budget cuts affectingthe money available, Outset Bristol’s pro-gramme director, Andy Dean, needs to find themoney from elsewhere or risk seeing the or-ganisation having to close.

He said: “The problem is that the pro-gramme is funded completely by the EuropeanRegional Development Fund, and the fundingonly lasts until March next year.

“It is match-funded only so if we do not findsomeone to support us locally then we couldfind all our funding is withdrawn.

“When the regional development agenciesdisappeared it left a big hole – and since theneverybody has been floundering around withnext to nothing.

“So it is a massive effort to try to ensure weare still here in the future. And the last thingwe want to do is have close the door in a fewmonths’ t i m e. ”

Mr Dean believes the loss of Outset Bristolwould have negative effects on the city, notonly socially but in business terms too.

He said: “We reckon that our gross valueadded to the local economy has been more than£2.3 million so far. But you have to remember

that there are long-term benefits of our fund-ing which will not have become apparentye t . ”

A council spokesman said: “The funding forthis scheme, which was provided through theBristol Urban Enterprise Programme, is awar-ded by the European Regional DevelopmentFramework and was always going to be for alimited period. This was for 18 months but wasextended for a further six months.”

� BEFORE she visitedOutset Bristol, NectariaPospori was a single mumworking as a waitress,spending large amounts ofher income on childcarecosts and not being able topick up her son from school.

Looking for a way out, shespoke to Outset in 2011after spotting a poster inThe Galleries shoppingc e n t re .

She attended someworkshops, and with a newqualification in danceexercise zumba, Nectariawas able to develop herZumba With Nectariaclasses.

She identified her targetmarket and gatheredbusiness confidence bymeeting other entrepreneurswith the same fears anduncertainties.

The 34-year-old fromHorfield is now runningclasses across Bristol forpeople aged over 16 and ofall fitness abilities.

The business plan is toexpand with a network ofinstructors and promote theenergy and healthymessage of zumba all overthe city.

Case study

Water way to go – firm’s profits on the upRise of £600k in the six months to end of June

A CLEVEDON-based firm which makesproducts for water treatment is riding a waveof success, with profits up to £6 million from£5.4 million in the six months to the end ofJu n e.

Hydro International, which employs 40people at its headquarters on Clevedon Hall

Estate, increased profits despite a slight dip inrevenue from £15.3 million to £15.1 million.

The order book was up by 6 per cent with bigdeals including a £2.4 million contract forstormwater storage in Saudi Arabia, and some$3.6 million (£2.3 million) of orders from Dallasin the US.

The company said the domestic market wasless certain, with many water projects beingdelayed or deferred.

Chairman Roger Lockwood said: “H yd ro ’smarkets continue to be challenging and thebusiness remains exposed to the timing ofmajor projects and the cyclical environmentwithin certain sectors of our industry, mostnotably within the UK wastewater division.

“We have made solid progress during thefirst half-year and our expectations for the fullyear are in line with forecasts.”

‘If we fold it will haveimpact on whole city’Exclusive

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2 We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013w w w. bristolpost.co.uk w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Firms turn away from banksSMALL businesses are looking togrow in the coming year. But manystill fear banks will refuse to lendthem money, so are looking to othersources instead.

The small- and medium-sized busi-ness Finance Monitor report, by mar-ket research specialists BDRCContinental, found that 51per cent of firms werelooking to grow theirbusiness in the next 12months, up from 48 percent. And the propor-tion looking to externalfinance was up fivepoints to 44 per cent.

But more are thinkingof going somewhere otherthan the bank for money, with22 per cent now aware of crowd fund-ing, up from 18 per cent. And 21 percent of firms were using othersources of funding, such as loansfrom directors.

And only one in three small- ormedium-sized businesses were using

loans, overdrafts, commercial mort-gages and credit cards, suggestingsmaller firms do not see banks aslikely lenders.

Business support organisation, theForum for Private Business, said thefigures showed the recovery was

under way but could stall ifbanks failed to lend money.

Chief executive Phil Or-ford, left, said: “My mes-sage to the banks is wecan not afford for pro-gress to wither. Banksmust be more proactivein providing the liquid-

ity the economy needs.”Shiona Davies, director

at BDRC Continental, said:“More SMEs are expecting to

grow, and use of external financeincreased in the second quarter. Thelatest data suggests that SMEs areexpanding their use of ‘n o n - c o re ’sources of external finance, includ-ing an increasing awareness of crowdfunding.”

Rugby risk pays off for insurerINSURANCE is all about calculatedrisks – and for one Bristol broker,taking a chance by entering a spon-sorship draw has paid off.

Venture Insurance Brokers Ltdwas pulled out of the hat ahead of 43others to become a corporate sponsorof Bristol Rugby’s new shirt.

The Clifton-based broker will haveits branding on the home and awayspecial-edition matchday shirts, aswell as receiving corporate entertain-ment packages during the season.

Venture Insurance is a relativelynew business, though the team havemore than 120 years’ experiencebetween them. The company is along-term sponsor of winger GeorgeWatkins, who has bagged 41 tries forBristol and has been top try-scorerfor the past three seasons.

Venture director Graham Whitesaid: “We are long-term supporters ofBristol Rugby and are delighted tofeature on the matchday shirt aheadof the 125th anniversary season.

“It is a real fillip for us to be on theshirts – and in terms of business, it isa great way to become known to awhole new raft of like-minded po-tential clients.”

Suzanne Roper, commercial direct-or at Bristol Rugby, said: “The Cham-pionship Club prize draw hasexperienced huge growth in the pastfew seasons.

“We are delighted for Venture In-surance Brokers Ltd who have beenloyal supporters of the club. The prizedraw is a great opportunity to winbranding and hospitality at the Me-morial Stadium.”

� Ian Burgess, left, and Graham White of Venture Insurance with GeorgeWatkins of Bristol Rugby

Broker converts gamble into sponsorship

WHEN Ben Gilksjoined the familybusiness at the ageof just 18, hethought he knew itall. The next fewyears taught him

how wrong he was and cost him hishair – but thankfully not the busi-n e s s.

But now appliance supplier Nail-sea Electrical is a thriving shop witha growing brand in Bristol.

Ben, 28, says: “My dad started thebusiness 30 years ago. I had gone to anagricultural engineering college butmy dad was going to get rid of thebusiness because he wanted to go intoproper ty.

“I said that would be madness andthinking I knew it all I took over... andI made a complete pig’s ear of it forthe first three years.

“But then I learned from my mis-takes and in the past five years I havebeen director of the business andtaken it to a different level.”

The core of the business, whichdespite the name is based inGloucester Road, Bristol, is sellingelectrical appliances to local custom-e r s.

It’s a tough market, and the rise ofinternet firms has cut profit marginson white goods from over 30 per centto as little as eight per cent.

“On a £600 washing machine, wemight be making £50. People thinkyou are making £250 but that’s justnot the case,” explains Ben. “We haveto sell a lot of washing machines.”

And that’s partly why the businesshas taken new directions in recentye a r s.

First came the cookery school, andidea that sparked from something of apublicity stunt.

“We started doing live cookingdemonstrations on Saturdays,” s ay sBen, from Winford. “It was a way ofbringing the products alive. By thesecond week, we had 2-300 peopleturning up.”

The strong interest got Ben, whosays he loves food – with pasta as afavourite – but is not too fussy, think-ing about a way to make more use ofthe back rooms at the store.

He began researching cookeryschools and after interviewing sev-eral candidates to run it, none ofwhom were quite right, he turned toold friend Giles Pusham and offered

him the chance to come on board.Giles, 33, who lives in Bedminster,

said: “Ben tells me to treat the cook-ery school like my own business.”

And he gets a share of profits as anincentive to do just that.

The pair are best friends who metat the Bear and Swan in Chew Magna,where Giles was working in his dad’sSomerset-based pub empire,Gamebird Inns.

By the time the cookery school ideacame about, Giles was workingabroad but Ben was able to tempt himback to Bristol.

“Giles is my best friend, he was the

How son foundspark to makefirm a success

� Nailsea Electrical owner Ben Gilks, who took over the business when he was just 18, with his dad Pete; below, Giles Pusham teaches youngsters at the cookery school

Rental growth of 1.2%

Post assistant editor Gavin Thompsonvisits the growing family firm where theboss is still trying to out-do his old man

22 per cent aware of crowd funding

I learned from my mistakes, says electrical boss

Students granthousing firmrise in profits

cookery school get to use top ap-pliances and leave wanting them athome too. As Ben puts it, they “walkout through the world’s biggest giftshop”.

Ben is obviously proud of the newkitchen showroom. “It’s the firstworking showroom in the UK. Ratherthan going into a shop and just seeingthe appliances, in here they are alllive and if people want to come to theshowroom and use a product beforethey take it home, they can.”

But he puts the success of NailseaElectrical, which has been growingits turnover for the past six years,down to customer service.

Anyone who has ever had an ap-pliance delivered by a courier onbehalf of an internet supplier whohas simply dumped it on the kerb-side, will know what he’s talkingab o u t .

“If you buy from us, you speak to aperson. All our staff are expertlytraining in the products,” says Ben,who adds many of his customers are

people who have had bad experienceswith online suppliers, and come tohim instead. “We even get recom-mendations from other companies. Ihad a call the other day from someonewho said he’d called a major firm whod i d n’t know what he was looking forand suggested he call us. I had soldhim the item within five minutes.”

And he says they’ll do all they canto get the customer what they want,where they want it.

“We have reversed a truck up to ahouse, taken out the bay window onthe first floor and passed an Amer-ican fridge from the top of the van.”

So has Ben finally proved himselfto dad Pete?

“Dad’s not one to praise me directlyto my face,” he says. “But me and mydad are best mates and we have a goodre l at i o n s h i p.

“I always wanted to do more thenwhat my dad had done with the busi-ness – I have that competitive streak,”he says, before adding: “We have man-aged to quadruple turnover.”

“ ...............................................................

Thinking I knew it all I took overand I made a complete pig’sear of it for the first three years.

Ben Gilks............................................................................

perfect man to do it. Between 9 and 5we work together, after 5 we are outto gether,” he says. Before correctinghimself with a grin; “Well, we’ll havea beer on Friday night.”

The school, called 102 CookerySchool after the address of the build-ing, is keeping Giles busy. As well associal groups and parties of up to 12people, the Samsung sponsored kit-chen is being used more and more forcorporate events, where with teamcooking it can host up to 24 at a time.It is even raising its profile by spon-soring the hospitality restaurant,Fullbacks, at Bristol Rugby.

And now there is a third strand tothe business, with a new kitchenshowroom run by Jon Gradwell. Fit-ted kitchens offer a healthier profitmargin for the firm, and all threestrands feed off one another.

People come into the store to look atappliances and see the kitchens, per-haps during a demonstration run bythe cookery school. Visitors to the

Visit www.southwestbusiness.co.uk for the latest news from Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath and to receive your FREE daily e-briefing

Visit www.southwestbusiness.co.uk for the latest news from Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath and to receive your FREE daily e-briefing

A BRISTOL accommodation firmthat provides student digs in the cityhas grown its operating profits in thefirst six months of the year.

Unite – which is based in the cityand also houses students at PhoenixCourt opposite Cabot Circus, andBlenheim Court in St Pauls – re -ported like-for-like rental growth forthe six months since December 2012of 1.2 per cent. Profit from its rentaloperations rose 12.5 per cent to some£16.2 million, from £14.4 million inthe same period the year before.

The strong showing is a good signfor other businesses which rely onthe student pound in Bristol, as itsuggests higher tuition fees – n ow£9,000 a year for most students at theUniversity of Bristol and the Uni-versity of the West of England – h avenot killed off demand for places.

In its results, Unite said: “Studentnumbers in the UK, the key driver ofdemand for our properties, appear tobe recovering strongly after disrup-tion in the 2012-13 university year as aresult of various Government policy

changes. All our local markets arebenefiting from a stronger outlookthan a year ago. We expect the 2013-14student intake to be at least 30,000higher than 2012-13, an increase of 6per cent, and with limited new supplyof accommodation in most areas thisshould translate into high occupancyand robust rental growth.”

The firm may see rising demand asjustification for its decision to closeBristol Ice Rink, which it owns, andturn it into student flats.

Reservations for the firm’s studentaccommodation for the 2013-14 aca-demic year stood at 90 per cent of itscapacity at the end of August, com-pared to 87 per cent last year. The firmbelieves this will mean growing itsincome from rents by 3 per cent overthe full year to December.

Chief executive Mark Allan said:“The business has continued to per-form strongly in 2013 with solidgrowth in earnings and net assetvalue (share value) and healthy de-mand for accommodation for the2013-14 university year.

“We expect this positive perform-ance to be sustained for the full year,and the outlook for the remainder of2013 and into 2014 is encouraging.

“Longer term, the business is wellpositioned for continued growth inearnings. The demand/supply dy-namics of our sector remain sup-portive, our competitive position andbrand are strong and we have capitalavailable to invest selectively.”

An en-suite room at Phoenix Courtcosts from £148 per week.

1 6. 2� The profit, in millions of pounds,for Unite from its rental operations

HOW SON FOUND SPARK TOMAKE FIRM A SUCCESS

VIDEO ONLINE Nailsea Electrical bossBen Gilks reveals his biggest mistake.See the video on our website:

bristolpost.co.uk

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2 We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013 3We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013w w w. bristolpost.co.uk w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Firms turn away from banksSMALL businesses are looking togrow in the coming year. But manystill fear banks will refuse to lendthem money, so are looking to othersources instead.

The small- and medium-sized busi-ness Finance Monitor report, by mar-ket research specialists BDRCContinental, found that 51per cent of firms werelooking to grow theirbusiness in the next 12months, up from 48 percent. And the propor-tion looking to externalfinance was up fivepoints to 44 per cent.

But more are thinkingof going somewhere otherthan the bank for money, with22 per cent now aware of crowd fund-ing, up from 18 per cent. And 21 percent of firms were using othersources of funding, such as loansfrom directors.

And only one in three small- ormedium-sized businesses were using

loans, overdrafts, commercial mort-gages and credit cards, suggestingsmaller firms do not see banks aslikely lenders.

Business support organisation, theForum for Private Business, said thefigures showed the recovery was

under way but could stall ifbanks failed to lend money.

Chief executive Phil Or-ford, left, said: “My mes-sage to the banks is wecan not afford for pro-gress to wither. Banksmust be more proactivein providing the liquid-

ity the economy needs.”Shiona Davies, director

at BDRC Continental, said:“More SMEs are expecting to

grow, and use of external financeincreased in the second quarter. Thelatest data suggests that SMEs areexpanding their use of ‘n o n - c o re ’sources of external finance, includ-ing an increasing awareness of crowdfunding.”

Rugby risk pays off for insurerINSURANCE is all about calculatedrisks – and for one Bristol broker,taking a chance by entering a spon-sorship draw has paid off.

Venture Insurance Brokers Ltdwas pulled out of the hat ahead of 43others to become a corporate sponsorof Bristol Rugby’s new shirt.

The Clifton-based broker will haveits branding on the home and awayspecial-edition matchday shirts, aswell as receiving corporate entertain-ment packages during the season.

Venture Insurance is a relativelynew business, though the team havemore than 120 years’ experiencebetween them. The company is along-term sponsor of winger GeorgeWatkins, who has bagged 41 tries forBristol and has been top try-scorerfor the past three seasons.

Venture director Graham Whitesaid: “We are long-term supporters ofBristol Rugby and are delighted tofeature on the matchday shirt aheadof the 125th anniversary season.

“It is a real fillip for us to be on theshirts – and in terms of business, it isa great way to become known to awhole new raft of like-minded po-tential clients.”

Suzanne Roper, commercial direct-or at Bristol Rugby, said: “The Cham-pionship Club prize draw hasexperienced huge growth in the pastfew seasons.

“We are delighted for Venture In-surance Brokers Ltd who have beenloyal supporters of the club. The prizedraw is a great opportunity to winbranding and hospitality at the Me-morial Stadium.”

� Ian Burgess, left, and Graham White of Venture Insurance with GeorgeWatkins of Bristol Rugby

Broker converts gamble into sponsorship

WHEN Ben Gilksjoined the familybusiness at the ageof just 18, hethought he knew itall. The next fewyears taught him

how wrong he was and cost him hishair – but thankfully not the busi-n e s s.

But now appliance supplier Nail-sea Electrical is a thriving shop witha growing brand in Bristol.

Ben, 28, says: “My dad started thebusiness 30 years ago. I had gone to anagricultural engineering college butmy dad was going to get rid of thebusiness because he wanted to go intoproper ty.

“I said that would be madness andthinking I knew it all I took over... andI made a complete pig’s ear of it forthe first three years.

“But then I learned from my mis-takes and in the past five years I havebeen director of the business andtaken it to a different level.”

The core of the business, whichdespite the name is based inGloucester Road, Bristol, is sellingelectrical appliances to local custom-e r s.

It’s a tough market, and the rise ofinternet firms has cut profit marginson white goods from over 30 per centto as little as eight per cent.

“On a £600 washing machine, wemight be making £50. People thinkyou are making £250 but that’s justnot the case,” explains Ben. “We haveto sell a lot of washing machines.”

And that’s partly why the businesshas taken new directions in recentye a r s.

First came the cookery school, andidea that sparked from something of apublicity stunt.

“We started doing live cookingdemonstrations on Saturdays,” s ay sBen, from Winford. “It was a way ofbringing the products alive. By thesecond week, we had 2-300 peopleturning up.”

The strong interest got Ben, whosays he loves food – with pasta as afavourite – but is not too fussy, think-ing about a way to make more use ofthe back rooms at the store.

He began researching cookeryschools and after interviewing sev-eral candidates to run it, none ofwhom were quite right, he turned toold friend Giles Pusham and offered

him the chance to come on board.Giles, 33, who lives in Bedminster,

said: “Ben tells me to treat the cook-ery school like my own business.”

And he gets a share of profits as anincentive to do just that.

The pair are best friends who metat the Bear and Swan in Chew Magna,where Giles was working in his dad’sSomerset-based pub empire,Gamebird Inns.

By the time the cookery school ideacame about, Giles was workingabroad but Ben was able to tempt himback to Bristol.

“Giles is my best friend, he was the

How son foundspark to makefirm a success

� Nailsea Electrical owner Ben Gilks, who took over the business when he was just 18, with his dad Pete; below, Giles Pusham teaches youngsters at the cookery school

Rental growth of 1.2%

Post assistant editor Gavin Thompsonvisits the growing family firm where theboss is still trying to out-do his old man

22 per cent aware of crowd funding

I learned from my mistakes, says electrical boss

Students granthousing firmrise in profits

cookery school get to use top ap-pliances and leave wanting them athome too. As Ben puts it, they “walkout through the world’s biggest giftshop”.

Ben is obviously proud of the newkitchen showroom. “It’s the firstworking showroom in the UK. Ratherthan going into a shop and just seeingthe appliances, in here they are alllive and if people want to come to theshowroom and use a product beforethey take it home, they can.”

But he puts the success of NailseaElectrical, which has been growingits turnover for the past six years,down to customer service.

Anyone who has ever had an ap-pliance delivered by a courier onbehalf of an internet supplier whohas simply dumped it on the kerb-side, will know what he’s talkingab o u t .

“If you buy from us, you speak to aperson. All our staff are expertlytraining in the products,” says Ben,who adds many of his customers are

people who have had bad experienceswith online suppliers, and come tohim instead. “We even get recom-mendations from other companies. Ihad a call the other day from someonewho said he’d called a major firm whod i d n’t know what he was looking forand suggested he call us. I had soldhim the item within five minutes.”

And he says they’ll do all they canto get the customer what they want,where they want it.

“We have reversed a truck up to ahouse, taken out the bay window onthe first floor and passed an Amer-ican fridge from the top of the van.”

So has Ben finally proved himselfto dad Pete?

“Dad’s not one to praise me directlyto my face,” he says. “But me and mydad are best mates and we have a goodre l at i o n s h i p.

“I always wanted to do more thenwhat my dad had done with the busi-ness – I have that competitive streak,”he says, before adding: “We have man-aged to quadruple turnover.”

“ ...............................................................

Thinking I knew it all I took overand I made a complete pig’sear of it for the first three years.

Ben Gilks............................................................................

perfect man to do it. Between 9 and 5we work together, after 5 we are outto gether,” he says. Before correctinghimself with a grin; “Well, we’ll havea beer on Friday night.”

The school, called 102 CookerySchool after the address of the build-ing, is keeping Giles busy. As well associal groups and parties of up to 12people, the Samsung sponsored kit-chen is being used more and more forcorporate events, where with teamcooking it can host up to 24 at a time.It is even raising its profile by spon-soring the hospitality restaurant,Fullbacks, at Bristol Rugby.

And now there is a third strand tothe business, with a new kitchenshowroom run by Jon Gradwell. Fit-ted kitchens offer a healthier profitmargin for the firm, and all threestrands feed off one another.

People come into the store to look atappliances and see the kitchens, per-haps during a demonstration run bythe cookery school. Visitors to the

Visit www.southwestbusiness.co.uk for the latest news from Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath and to receive your FREE daily e-briefing

Visit www.southwestbusiness.co.uk for the latest news from Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath and to receive your FREE daily e-briefing

A BRISTOL accommodation firmthat provides student digs in the cityhas grown its operating profits in thefirst six months of the year.

Unite – which is based in the cityand also houses students at PhoenixCourt opposite Cabot Circus, andBlenheim Court in St Pauls – re -ported like-for-like rental growth forthe six months since December 2012of 1.2 per cent. Profit from its rentaloperations rose 12.5 per cent to some£16.2 million, from £14.4 million inthe same period the year before.

The strong showing is a good signfor other businesses which rely onthe student pound in Bristol, as itsuggests higher tuition fees – n ow£9,000 a year for most students at theUniversity of Bristol and the Uni-versity of the West of England – h avenot killed off demand for places.

In its results, Unite said: “Studentnumbers in the UK, the key driver ofdemand for our properties, appear tobe recovering strongly after disrup-tion in the 2012-13 university year as aresult of various Government policy

changes. All our local markets arebenefiting from a stronger outlookthan a year ago. We expect the 2013-14student intake to be at least 30,000higher than 2012-13, an increase of 6per cent, and with limited new supplyof accommodation in most areas thisshould translate into high occupancyand robust rental growth.”

The firm may see rising demand asjustification for its decision to closeBristol Ice Rink, which it owns, andturn it into student flats.

Reservations for the firm’s studentaccommodation for the 2013-14 aca-demic year stood at 90 per cent of itscapacity at the end of August, com-pared to 87 per cent last year. The firmbelieves this will mean growing itsincome from rents by 3 per cent overthe full year to December.

Chief executive Mark Allan said:“The business has continued to per-form strongly in 2013 with solidgrowth in earnings and net assetvalue (share value) and healthy de-mand for accommodation for the2013-14 university year.

“We expect this positive perform-ance to be sustained for the full year,and the outlook for the remainder of2013 and into 2014 is encouraging.

“Longer term, the business is wellpositioned for continued growth inearnings. The demand/supply dy-namics of our sector remain sup-portive, our competitive position andbrand are strong and we have capitalavailable to invest selectively.”

An en-suite room at Phoenix Courtcosts from £148 per week.

1 6. 2� The profit, in millions of pounds,for Unite from its rental operations

HOW SON FOUND SPARK TOMAKE FIRM A SUCCESS

VIDEO ONLINE Nailsea Electrical bossBen Gilks reveals his biggest mistake.See the video on our website:

bristolpost.co.uk

EPB-E01-S3

EPB-

E01-

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4 We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013w w w. bristolpost.co.uk w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

YOU might not expect to see a groupof bankers in a homeless shelter, butt h at ’s exactly where one team fromBristol spent the day – cl e a n i n g .

A group of 18 people from LloydsTSB Private Banking scrubbed The

Shelter profits from bankersStaff step in to clean up haven for homeless

also get bed and breakfast.Mark Campbell, regional head of

high net worth private banking in theSouth West, said: “Although the NightShelter has a voluntary cleaningteam, they’re only able to cover thebasics. It was hard work and verydifferent from our usual ‘d ay ’ j o b s,but it was also very rewarding.”

� COSTS have gone up for Bristolbusinesses who bank with HSBC.

The changes mean firms whowere already paying a £5 fee willnow pay £5.50 a month, whileothers who were not previouslypaying a penny will be hit by the£5.50 charge for the first time.

A spokesman for the bank saidthe move followed a product reviewand all affected customers shouldhave received a letter.

“This will provide customers withclearer, more transparent pricing,making it easier for them to managetheir costs,” he said.

HSBC has around 700,000business banking customers in theUK. Those on introductory freebanking periods are unaffected.

Firms that bank withHSBC see rise in fees

� A CITY centre hotel believes ithas solved the age old problem ofcustomers finding somewhere topark.

Radisson Blu Hotel, in BroadQuay, Bristol, introduced a valetparking scheme a year ago and hasnow parked 10,000 cars.

The lucky 10,000th customer wasupgraded to suites with Harboursideviews.

Hotel general managerChristopher Peach said: “Thisscheme is a fantastic addition to theservices we provide at the hotel andhas been extremely popular since itbegan.

“It has made visiting the hotel bycar much easier for both our leisureand corporate guests.”

Hotel marks milestonein valet parking scheme

� AN EVENT later this month willshowcase what businesses in NorthSomerset have to offer.

The Clevedon Business Show isat Clevedon Hall from 2pm to 7pmon Thursday, September 26 withlocal businesses all being invited totake part.

The event is being organised byClevedon Chamber of Commerceand stands cost £10 for membersand £30 for non members.

For more information call 01275877277.

Showcase your work

Date ploy firestotally rad ideafor pioneer firmA PROJECT which started off as aploy to get a date has developed into athriving business for a Keynshamc o u p l e.

Three years ago, gas heating en-gineer Ben O’Sullivan agreed to makea radiator cover for his friend, Laura,after she had moved house.

The good deed led to a date and thento marriage. And the couple, whohave a one-year-old son Max, haveseen their fledgling business flourishalongside their romance.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “She was afriend and had bought a new place. Ioffered to cover her radiator that shedid not particularly like. I had no ideahow to make radiator covers so I putmyself under a bit of pressure.

“We started to date – and gradually,over time, neighbours who had beeninto the house liked the cover and Iended up doing some for them.

“I did some for family and on Face-book I got some orders.”

It was before the couple’s son wasborn last year that Mrs O’S u l l iva nwanted to decorate the nursery. Itdawned on them that there wasnobody producing radiator covers fora nursery.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “There wereconventional covers but nothing in-dividual. Laura got the ball rollingand came up with some d e s i g n s. ”

The company, called Totally Rad, isproducing 12 designs for radiator cov-ers, made at its new Timsbury work-s h o p. The firm has now becomeofficial suppliers to ITV’s 60 MinuteMak eov er, so there should be moreorders in the pipeline.

Company’s hot plan

� Ben O’Sullivan from Totally Rad who make radiator covers

Business West calls for an ‘enterprise-friendly environment’

‘Government must do more tomake economy great, not good’

A LEADING organisation represent-ing Bristol businesses says the Gov-ernment must do more to ensure theeconomy continues to get stronger.

Business West managing directorPhil Smith called for fast-growingsmall- and medium-sized businessesto get better access to finance, and forthe Treasury and Bank of England tounderwrite big infrastructure pro-jects to ensure the best environmentfor firms to succeed.

He was speaking after the BritishChambers of Commerce upgraded itsUK growth forecasts for the UK eco-nomy over the next three years, from0.9 per cent to 1.3 per cent in 2013,from 1.9 per cent to 2.2 per cent in2014, and from 2.4 per cent to 2.5 percent in 2015.

Mr Smith said: “Improving accessto finance for viable, fast-growingbusinesses is a major priority, and theGovernment must do more to ensurethat vibrant SMEs can obtain finance

on reasonable terms. The Govern-ment must also work with the Bank ofEngland and the Treasury to under-write private-sector investment in in-frastructure projects.”

The report tells an optimistic storyfor the UK economy. It states theservice sector will continue to out-perform other areas with growth of1.9 per cent in 2013, 2.6 per cent in2014, and 3 per cent in 2015.

It forecasts unemployment to fallfaster to 2.45 million, or 7.5 per cent ofthe workforce, in the third quarter of2014 – 200,000 lower than predicted inM ay.

And it says the 7 per cent un-employment threshold, chosen by theBank of England as a key marker forwhen interest rates could be raised,will be reached in the fourth quarterof 2015, nine months earlier than theBank predicts.

It also predicts public-sector bor-rowing will be £3.5 billion lower thanexpected in 2013-14, at a still-stag-gering £116.3 billion.

Mr Smith said the improved fore-casts were due to stronger-than-ex-

pected second-quarter growth of 0.7per cent and the strong service sectorreflected in the chambers’ quar terlyeconomic surveys.

He said: “The improved outlook istestament to the determinationshown by businesses who have con-sistently displayed confidence in theface of pessimism over the economy.

could halt our progress. However, oursurveys have shown that firms areconfident about their prospects andwant to expand, but they cannot do ita l o n e.

“Our own surveys have shown thatexport activity among our membersis at record levels, reflecting the bet-ter figures we have seen in recentm o n t h s.

“But exporters need support on theground and Business West is workinghard on assisting them to break intonew markets through UK Trade andInvestment, Enterprise Europe Net-work and Acorn Interactive.

“The Government must adoptmeasures to foster an enter-prise-friendly environment wherebusinesses can continue to createjobs, invest and export.

“Only by doing this will we en-courage optimism and move our eco-nomy forward from good to great.”

Business West, based in AbbotsLeigh, represents 16,000 businessesin the South West.

It is made up of local chambers ofcommerce, including Bristol.

“Unfortunately, however, the recov-ery is not yet secure. We have hadfalse dawns in recent years – andalthough this upturn appears to be onstronger ground, we must be awarethat complacency could lead to set-b a ck s.

“There are many external factors,such as the eurozone, the MiddleEast, and the Chinese economy, that

1 1 6. 3� The predicted amount, in billions ofpounds, of 2013-14 public borrowing

OUTSOURCING firm Mitie hasbought out employee shareholdingsin four of its junior Mitie Modelbu s i n e s s e s.

Bristol-based Mitie, a £2 billionFTSE 100 company which aims tohelp firms save money by lookingafter their facilities and other ser-vices, uses the model formula to sup-port start-up businesses.

Mitie now owns the four businesses– Mitie Client Services,Mitie Pest Control,Mitie Security Hold-ings and MitieLandscapes – out-right.

It paid a totalof £6.9 million –£800,000 in cashand the rest inshares in the com-p a ny.

Chief executive RubyMcGregor- Smith, p i c t u re d , said: “Iam delighted with the progress ofthese four businesses, which havecontributed to the growth and in-novation of our group.”

She added: “We see the Mitie Modelas a significant opportunity to sup-port our growth aspirations.”

Mitie stands for management in-centive training through investmentequity. The model formula is aimed atentrepreneurial management teamswho grow their business as part ofMitie, but take a stake of up to 49 percent. After five to 10 years Mitieacquires it in full, buying out themanagement team’s shares.

It has supported more than 100start-ups in this way since it formed25 years ago.

Mitie buys outshareholders atmodel start-ups

£6.9m deal

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)

gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Profile:Dotun OlowoporokuCEO and Founder of meals.co.uk, onlinefood ordering and delivery service forhigh-end restaurants

In brief

Q&A

Julian Trust Night Shelter in LittleBishop, St Paul’s, from top to bottom.The shelter, run by volunteers, isopen five nights a week and provideshot meals to between 80 and 100 home-less people a day. The first 18 guests

WOULD-BE entrepreneurs will pitchfor a share of £275,000 at a com-petition in Bristol later this month.

Contestants in The Pitch 2013 havebeen drawn from around the countryand include Ed Dowding of Bris-tol-based Sustaination, which hascreated a business to business foodtrade network – Fo o d T ra d e . c o m .

During the 14-hour event, entre-preneurs will pitch to a team ofjudges, while investors – Mar tinBowles from Horatio Investments,Ben Heald from Sift and GustavoTrujillo from Heron Capital Partners– look on and decide who they wouldlike to back.

The event was started in Bristol in2008 and is returning this year aftertouring the UK.

Founder Dan Martin said: “Amidall the doom and gloom, it is anabsolute pleasure to showcase pos-itive stories about innovative indi-viduals who are going it alone andbuilding strong businesses.

“This year’s contestants are an ec-lectic bunch and an excellent rep-resentation of the diversity ofentrepreneurial talent in the UK.”

Tickets to watch the show cost £10and can be bought from www.the p-itchuk.com/li v e. The cost is then re-funded in Bristol Pounds and alsoincludes access to business work-shops and a pop-up shop.

Contestants bidfor fund prize

The Pitch 2013

Age: 36Position and name of company: CEO Founder,meals.co.ukSector: Restaurant/food and drink, and technologySize of company: Six full-time employees plus deliverystaff and 22 restaurant partners in BristolBor n: March 7, 1977, NigeriaEducated: University of Lagos (BSc) MiddlesexUniversity (MA), University of the West of England (PhD)First job: Primary school teacher at the age of 19Influences and inspirations: An early failure atschool when I had to repeat a class after becomingdistracted during my teenage years was a bigwake-up call for me. That was the event thatinfluenced my attitude to hard work anddetermination to succeed.Irritations: People who tailgate and drive right upbehind me, and my wife would say I am alwayscomplaining about reality television!Hobbies: I find visiting new countries andlearning about other cultures fascinating. I am areal museum enthusiast; one of my favouriteplaces in Bristol is the ss Great Britain.

What first inspired you tobecome involved in business? InNigeria, where I grew up, theculture is very entrepreneurial,everyone trades in something, fromgrandmother to schoolboy. Being‘in business’ was just a way of lifeso when I spotted a gap in themarket and came up with the ideafor meals.co.uk I wasn’t afraid togo for it.Looking back is there anythingyou would have done differentlyin the course of your career?Chosen an arts or

humanities-based degree as I thinkit gives you an excellentunderstanding of people and theirmotives and why they behave theway they do. A really solidfoundation for being in businessand understanding who yourcustomers are and what makesthem tick.What part of your job do youenjoy the most? The big smile onsomeone’s face when you tell themyou’d love them to join the team. Ifind it immensely satisfying beingable to create employment

opportunities. The same goes forthe restaurants we work with,telling the owner who has put his orher faith in us how much extraincome they’ve had from us thatmonth.What is the key challenge facingbusiness in the UK today? T h e reis a prevalent risk-averse attitudeto new business in the UK wherepeople see starting a business astoo much of a gamble and are tooafraid of failure.What can Government do to helpbusinesses thrive? Offer more

support both in an advisory andfinancial capacity so people don’tsee the risk of starting a businessas outweighing the benefits.What one piece of advice wouldyou give to anyone consideringsetting up their own company?Be gutsy! If you’re going to do it,do it. There’s no point doing ithalf-heartedly, find something yougenuinely believe in and go for it150 per cent. It might be harder,tougher and take longer than youthought but don’t give up and don’tbe afraid of failure.

� The Lloyds TSB team

Are you ready for payroll changes?Lloydbottoms chartered accountants - here to help.Contact Sue Rickerby 0117 957 3537

Lloydbottoms Chartered Accountants, 118 High Street, Staple Hill, Bristol. BS16 5HH | principal@lloydbottoms.co.uk | www.lloydbottoms.co.uk

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4 We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013 5We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013w w w. bristolpost.co.uk w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

YOU might not expect to see a groupof bankers in a homeless shelter, butt h at ’s exactly where one team fromBristol spent the day – cl e a n i n g .

A group of 18 people from LloydsTSB Private Banking scrubbed The

Shelter profits from bankersStaff step in to clean up haven for homeless

also get bed and breakfast.Mark Campbell, regional head of

high net worth private banking in theSouth West, said: “Although the NightShelter has a voluntary cleaningteam, they’re only able to cover thebasics. It was hard work and verydifferent from our usual ‘d ay ’ j o b s,but it was also very rewarding.”

� COSTS have gone up for Bristolbusinesses who bank with HSBC.

The changes mean firms whowere already paying a £5 fee willnow pay £5.50 a month, whileothers who were not previouslypaying a penny will be hit by the£5.50 charge for the first time.

A spokesman for the bank saidthe move followed a product reviewand all affected customers shouldhave received a letter.

“This will provide customers withclearer, more transparent pricing,making it easier for them to managetheir costs,” he said.

HSBC has around 700,000business banking customers in theUK. Those on introductory freebanking periods are unaffected.

Firms that bank withHSBC see rise in fees

� A CITY centre hotel believes ithas solved the age old problem ofcustomers finding somewhere topark.

Radisson Blu Hotel, in BroadQuay, Bristol, introduced a valetparking scheme a year ago and hasnow parked 10,000 cars.

The lucky 10,000th customer wasupgraded to suites with Harboursideviews.

Hotel general managerChristopher Peach said: “Thisscheme is a fantastic addition to theservices we provide at the hotel andhas been extremely popular since itbegan.

“It has made visiting the hotel bycar much easier for both our leisureand corporate guests.”

Hotel marks milestonein valet parking scheme

� AN EVENT later this month willshowcase what businesses in NorthSomerset have to offer.

The Clevedon Business Show isat Clevedon Hall from 2pm to 7pmon Thursday, September 26 withlocal businesses all being invited totake part.

The event is being organised byClevedon Chamber of Commerceand stands cost £10 for membersand £30 for non members.

For more information call 01275877277.

Showcase your work

Date ploy firestotally rad ideafor pioneer firmA PROJECT which started off as aploy to get a date has developed into athriving business for a Keynshamc o u p l e.

Three years ago, gas heating en-gineer Ben O’Sullivan agreed to makea radiator cover for his friend, Laura,after she had moved house.

The good deed led to a date and thento marriage. And the couple, whohave a one-year-old son Max, haveseen their fledgling business flourishalongside their romance.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “She was afriend and had bought a new place. Ioffered to cover her radiator that shedid not particularly like. I had no ideahow to make radiator covers so I putmyself under a bit of pressure.

“We started to date – and gradually,over time, neighbours who had beeninto the house liked the cover and Iended up doing some for them.

“I did some for family and on Face-book I got some orders.”

It was before the couple’s son wasborn last year that Mrs O’S u l l iva nwanted to decorate the nursery. Itdawned on them that there wasnobody producing radiator covers fora nursery.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “There wereconventional covers but nothing in-dividual. Laura got the ball rollingand came up with some d e s i g n s. ”

The company, called Totally Rad, isproducing 12 designs for radiator cov-ers, made at its new Timsbury work-s h o p. The firm has now becomeofficial suppliers to ITV’s 60 MinuteMak eov er, so there should be moreorders in the pipeline.

Company’s hot plan

� Ben O’Sullivan from Totally Rad who make radiator covers

Business West calls for an ‘enterprise-friendly environment’

‘Government must do more tomake economy great, not good’

A LEADING organisation represent-ing Bristol businesses says the Gov-ernment must do more to ensure theeconomy continues to get stronger.

Business West managing directorPhil Smith called for fast-growingsmall- and medium-sized businessesto get better access to finance, and forthe Treasury and Bank of England tounderwrite big infrastructure pro-jects to ensure the best environmentfor firms to succeed.

He was speaking after the BritishChambers of Commerce upgraded itsUK growth forecasts for the UK eco-nomy over the next three years, from0.9 per cent to 1.3 per cent in 2013,from 1.9 per cent to 2.2 per cent in2014, and from 2.4 per cent to 2.5 percent in 2015.

Mr Smith said: “Improving accessto finance for viable, fast-growingbusinesses is a major priority, and theGovernment must do more to ensurethat vibrant SMEs can obtain finance

on reasonable terms. The Govern-ment must also work with the Bank ofEngland and the Treasury to under-write private-sector investment in in-frastructure projects.”

The report tells an optimistic storyfor the UK economy. It states theservice sector will continue to out-perform other areas with growth of1.9 per cent in 2013, 2.6 per cent in2014, and 3 per cent in 2015.

It forecasts unemployment to fallfaster to 2.45 million, or 7.5 per cent ofthe workforce, in the third quarter of2014 – 200,000 lower than predicted inM ay.

And it says the 7 per cent un-employment threshold, chosen by theBank of England as a key marker forwhen interest rates could be raised,will be reached in the fourth quarterof 2015, nine months earlier than theBank predicts.

It also predicts public-sector bor-rowing will be £3.5 billion lower thanexpected in 2013-14, at a still-stag-gering £116.3 billion.

Mr Smith said the improved fore-casts were due to stronger-than-ex-

pected second-quarter growth of 0.7per cent and the strong service sectorreflected in the chambers’ quar terlyeconomic surveys.

He said: “The improved outlook istestament to the determinationshown by businesses who have con-sistently displayed confidence in theface of pessimism over the economy.

could halt our progress. However, oursurveys have shown that firms areconfident about their prospects andwant to expand, but they cannot do ita l o n e.

“Our own surveys have shown thatexport activity among our membersis at record levels, reflecting the bet-ter figures we have seen in recentm o n t h s.

“But exporters need support on theground and Business West is workinghard on assisting them to break intonew markets through UK Trade andInvestment, Enterprise Europe Net-work and Acorn Interactive.

“The Government must adoptmeasures to foster an enter-prise-friendly environment wherebusinesses can continue to createjobs, invest and export.

“Only by doing this will we en-courage optimism and move our eco-nomy forward from good to great.”

Business West, based in AbbotsLeigh, represents 16,000 businessesin the South West.

It is made up of local chambers ofcommerce, including Bristol.

“Unfortunately, however, the recov-ery is not yet secure. We have hadfalse dawns in recent years – andalthough this upturn appears to be onstronger ground, we must be awarethat complacency could lead to set-b a ck s.

“There are many external factors,such as the eurozone, the MiddleEast, and the Chinese economy, that

1 1 6. 3� The predicted amount, in billions ofpounds, of 2013-14 public borrowing

OUTSOURCING firm Mitie hasbought out employee shareholdingsin four of its junior Mitie Modelbu s i n e s s e s.

Bristol-based Mitie, a £2 billionFTSE 100 company which aims tohelp firms save money by lookingafter their facilities and other ser-vices, uses the model formula to sup-port start-up businesses.

Mitie now owns the four businesses– Mitie Client Services,Mitie Pest Control,Mitie Security Hold-ings and MitieLandscapes – out-right.

It paid a totalof £6.9 million –£800,000 in cashand the rest inshares in the com-p a ny.

Chief executive RubyMcGregor- Smith, p i c t u re d , said: “Iam delighted with the progress ofthese four businesses, which havecontributed to the growth and in-novation of our group.”

She added: “We see the Mitie Modelas a significant opportunity to sup-port our growth aspirations.”

Mitie stands for management in-centive training through investmentequity. The model formula is aimed atentrepreneurial management teamswho grow their business as part ofMitie, but take a stake of up to 49 percent. After five to 10 years Mitieacquires it in full, buying out themanagement team’s shares.

It has supported more than 100start-ups in this way since it formed25 years ago.

Mitie buys outshareholders atmodel start-ups

£6.9m deal

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)

gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Profile:Dotun OlowoporokuCEO and Founder of meals.co.uk, onlinefood ordering and delivery service forhigh-end restaurants

In brief

Q&A

Julian Trust Night Shelter in LittleBishop, St Paul’s, from top to bottom.The shelter, run by volunteers, isopen five nights a week and provideshot meals to between 80 and 100 home-less people a day. The first 18 guests

WOULD-BE entrepreneurs will pitchfor a share of £275,000 at a com-petition in Bristol later this month.

Contestants in The Pitch 2013 havebeen drawn from around the countryand include Ed Dowding of Bris-tol-based Sustaination, which hascreated a business to business foodtrade network – Fo o d T ra d e . c o m .

During the 14-hour event, entre-preneurs will pitch to a team ofjudges, while investors – Mar tinBowles from Horatio Investments,Ben Heald from Sift and GustavoTrujillo from Heron Capital Partners– look on and decide who they wouldlike to back.

The event was started in Bristol in2008 and is returning this year aftertouring the UK.

Founder Dan Martin said: “Amidall the doom and gloom, it is anabsolute pleasure to showcase pos-itive stories about innovative indi-viduals who are going it alone andbuilding strong businesses.

“This year’s contestants are an ec-lectic bunch and an excellent rep-resentation of the diversity ofentrepreneurial talent in the UK.”

Tickets to watch the show cost £10and can be bought from www.the p-itchuk.com/li v e. The cost is then re-funded in Bristol Pounds and alsoincludes access to business work-shops and a pop-up shop.

Contestants bidfor fund prize

The Pitch 2013

Age: 36Position and name of company: CEO Founder,meals.co.ukSector: Restaurant/food and drink, and technologySize of company: Six full-time employees plus deliverystaff and 22 restaurant partners in BristolBor n: March 7, 1977, NigeriaEducated: University of Lagos (BSc) MiddlesexUniversity (MA), University of the West of England (PhD)First job: Primary school teacher at the age of 19Influences and inspirations: An early failure atschool when I had to repeat a class after becomingdistracted during my teenage years was a bigwake-up call for me. That was the event thatinfluenced my attitude to hard work anddetermination to succeed.Irritations: People who tailgate and drive right upbehind me, and my wife would say I am alwayscomplaining about reality television!Hobbies: I find visiting new countries andlearning about other cultures fascinating. I am areal museum enthusiast; one of my favouriteplaces in Bristol is the ss Great Britain.

What first inspired you tobecome involved in business? InNigeria, where I grew up, theculture is very entrepreneurial,everyone trades in something, fromgrandmother to schoolboy. Being‘in business’ was just a way of lifeso when I spotted a gap in themarket and came up with the ideafor meals.co.uk I wasn’t afraid togo for it.Looking back is there anythingyou would have done differentlyin the course of your career?Chosen an arts or

humanities-based degree as I thinkit gives you an excellentunderstanding of people and theirmotives and why they behave theway they do. A really solidfoundation for being in businessand understanding who yourcustomers are and what makesthem tick.What part of your job do youenjoy the most? The big smile onsomeone’s face when you tell themyou’d love them to join the team. Ifind it immensely satisfying beingable to create employment

opportunities. The same goes forthe restaurants we work with,telling the owner who has put his orher faith in us how much extraincome they’ve had from us thatmonth.What is the key challenge facingbusiness in the UK today? T h e reis a prevalent risk-averse attitudeto new business in the UK wherepeople see starting a business astoo much of a gamble and are tooafraid of failure.What can Government do to helpbusinesses thrive? Offer more

support both in an advisory andfinancial capacity so people don’tsee the risk of starting a businessas outweighing the benefits.What one piece of advice wouldyou give to anyone consideringsetting up their own company?Be gutsy! If you’re going to do it,do it. There’s no point doing ithalf-heartedly, find something yougenuinely believe in and go for it150 per cent. It might be harder,tougher and take longer than youthought but don’t give up and don’tbe afraid of failure.

� The Lloyds TSB team

Are you ready for payroll changes?Lloydbottoms chartered accountants - here to help.Contact Sue Rickerby 0117 957 3537

Lloydbottoms Chartered Accountants, 118 High Street, Staple Hill, Bristol. BS16 5HH | principal@lloydbottoms.co.uk | www.lloydbottoms.co.uk

6 We d n e s d a y, September 4, 2013

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w w w. bristolpost.co.uk

Best Of Bristol Business ExhibitionThe One Stop Shop For All Your Business ServicesTues 24th Sept 2013 10am - 3pm Ashton Gate Conference Centre Free Entry Sponsored by

Meet potentialclients in personWHEN Neil Kinnerly started out onhis own after years in corporate fin-ance, he was not sure what sort ofbusiness he wanted, except that ithad be to be online.

So it may seem strange he is nowrunning Bristol’s biggest businessshow, which is all about meeting po-tential customers in person.

As the born-and-bred Bristolianputs it: “T here’s no substitute formeeting face to face, eyeball to eye-ball, because ultimately people dobusiness with people they like andwho they trust.”

But for the 51-year-old who lives inRangeworthy, the journey has beenan obvious one.

The Best of Bristol Business Ex-hibition at the Ashton Gate confer-ence centre on Tuesday, September24, will bring together more than 120exhibitors hoping to look potentialcustomers in the eye.

Neil expects the event to draw morethan 500 delegates, based on the suc-cess of recent shows.

It wasn’t always such big numbers.The first event, about five years ago,had just 15 exhibitors at the smallervenue of Cadbury House Hotel.

“This will be our 14th event,” s ay sNeil. “It started as a networkingevent for our online advertising cli-e n t s. ”

Neil previously worked at Bristolsupermarket chain Somerfield ascommercial and financial director,but left in the buyout that eventuallysaw the chain swallowed by the Co-opbrand.

“When I left Somerfield I didn’thave a specific business in mind.What I did know is that having done25 years working in the corporateworld, I wanted to do something form e, ” he says.

“I looked at a lot of different op-portunities, such as buying a smallshop, but I felt the internet was theplace that was growing extremelyquickly and my feeling was to get into

business connected to the internet.”So he bought the Bristol franchise

of an online advertising directorycalled Best Of.

It has listings for up to five busi-nesses in each category, chosen byNeil to represent the “best of ” theirkind.

After a time some of the clientswanted more than just advertising.Neil explains that for consumer busi-nesses such as pubs or restaurants,the online directory is enough.

But businesses who provide ser-vices to other businesses want toknow who they are buying from.

So Neil organised a networkingeve n t .

“People enjoyed it so much theywanted us to do more,” he says. “Butwhen you go to a business networkingevent, some people are good at net-working and some people are not.

“The ones who are not drift into acorner and talk to the people theyalready know.

“What they really need is to reachthe person on the other side of theroom who might help their busi-n e s s.

“We thought about this issue andfor the second event we invited anumber of delegates to bring along asmall banner.

“We provided them with a table andcreated some points of interestaround the room.

“And it’s grown from there. It’sbecome Bristol’s biggest businessshow with over 100 exhibitors at-tending – last time (in March).

“For the next event we have alreadysold 120 stands so we expect it to bebigger again.

“That means even more people tomeet face to face, eyeball to eyeballand more business to be done.”� Exhibitor prices range from £200 –£300 with a 50 per cent discount forBest of Bristol and FSB members.People interested in the event shouldcall Neil on 0117 911 4223.

West Of England Local Enterprise Partnership: This is a new local skillsservice providing free and impartial advice and support for your business.Our skills team are listening and responding to local business skills andtraining needs to drive growth, linking with education to deliver the trainingto build the innovative, inspiring and dedicated workforce of today andtomorrow. For details, see w w w. w e s t o f e n g l a n d l e p . c o . u k / p e o p l e - a n d - s k i l l s ,email info@woeskills.co.uk or call 01275 378892.

Advertising feature

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The Payroll Department: The Payroll Department is a Bristol-based payroll bureau. Itprovides cost-effective outsourced payroll services to small- and medium-sized enterprisesand accountants. Qualified and experienced payroll specialists with BACS accreditation canpay your staff, deal with HMRC, RTI and auto enrolment, leaving you more time to focus onyour business. Contact 0117 935 3900 or visit w w w. t h e p a y r o l l d e p t . c o . u k .

Business West: Business West, the largest membership organisationin the region, represents and works with 16,000 businesses. It providesa full range of advice and support services from how to start, developand grow your business to expanding overseas. Visit Business West atstand 124 to see how it can help your business. Seew w w. b u s i n e s s w e s t . c o . u k .

Eco IP Communications Ltd: Founded in 2011, Eco IP has its heritage firmly in thetelecommunications sector, with 20 years’ experience spanning both technical andcustomer-service competencies offering environmentally-friendly solutions tocustomers. Call Paul on 0117 911 2992 or email paul@ecoip.co.uk. Check Eco IP’swebsite at w w w. e c o i p . c o . u k .

Grosvenor Park: Grosvenor Park has money to lend to small- andmedium-sized enterprises. It offers specialised solutions for thearrangement of debt finance, capital restructuring and equity finance. Itassists business start up, expansion and recovery, advises on businessstrategy, and provides resources to support restructuring. GrosvenorPark can lend money to help you grow. Call 0800 181 4011, fax 01934628268 or email i n f o @ g r o s v e n o r- p a r k . c o . u k .

Calvium Ltd: Thinking of creating an iPhone and Android app? For friendlyadvice visit Calvium on stand 68. Calvium is a mobile-app developmentspecialist. It builds award-winning apps that help brands tell stories aboutpeople, places, sights, sounds and brands. There is an app for everythingand everyone, and Calvium Ltd will work with you collaboratively to findyours. Email hello@calvium.com or call 0117 370 8875.

Tw i n f i e l d : Twinfield is Europe’s largest online accounting solution.Providing all the benefits of cloud accounting, Twinfield gives youaccess to real-time information about your business anytime,anywhere on any device. Available for a fixed monthly fee, Twinfield is ascalable solution designed to grow with your business, and is rapidlybecoming the software of choice for entrepreneurs and accountants.To find out more visit w w w. t w i n f i e l d . c o . u k or come and talk to us atstand 111.

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� The Best of Bristol Business Exhibition at the Ashton Gate conferencecentre takes place on Tuesday, September 24

Bristol City Council:Supporting Local Business:� Are you in business?� Want to do better?� Want to save costs andhelp the environment?

� Looking for new premises?� Uncertain of legislation orre g u l a t i o n s ?� Not sure where to go foradvice?

We are proud to support the

Best of Bristol BusinessExhibition, please visit ourexhibition stand.

Email: bristol.futur es@b r i s t o l . g o v. u k , tel: 0117 9222928

Among the exhibitors are:

Working for Bristol. bristolpost.co.uk/jobs Supported by

Place anadvertisementby phone0844 406 0268

by emailjobs@localworld.co.uk

by fax0844 406 0270

Anglian Home Improvements, one of the UK’s No 1Home Improvement Company’s currently has urgentvacancies for:

www.anglianjobsearch.co.uk

in our Avonmouth depot. Experience in window fittingwould be an advantage.

General Building Teams

Call us today on 01179 828 231 option 1 option 1for further details on how to apply.

DKM Sheet Metal Company LimitedUnit 9 Oldends Lane Industrial Estate Stonehouse

Glos GL10 3RQ(just off junction 13 of the M5)

Have a vacancy for a

PRESS BREAK OPERATOR3 nights = 39 hours

competitive rates of pay25 days holiday per Annum

Please call us on 01453 827661 and speak with Steve Billett

SALES OFFICE EXECUTIVESuppliers of consumables products to the Construction Industry.

Working within a small team in busy sales office.Salary dependant on experience.

Bonus Scheme based on achievement of targets.SAP experience beneficial but not essential.

CVs to: Mike Roberts,BLC Construction Supplies. Unit F Motorway Distribution Centre,

Avonmouth Way, Avonmouth BS11 9YT

COURIERS- Are you fed up with low rates?

Join the growing number of successful ex-couriers now enjoying theirself-employed business with Index Books earning £25-35k PA,

simply by leaving books and gifts in workplaces.

Call Claire on

0845 604 1750w w w. i n d e x b o o k s g r o u p . c o m

General Vacancies

We fill 86% of all vacancies Source: Figures based on average responses, Publisher’s response report survey. Feb 2011. It works