★★★★

BUSINESS SurviveStart

ThriveECH

O

Small firmsvital toregion’srecovery

Whyhealthyeatingcanstillbe fun

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TAKEOVERTOFUELCITYENERGYFIRMA LIVERPOOL-based energy specialistplans to double its workforce after theacquisition of its parent by privateequity group Cinven.

Saturn Energy aims to employ a totalof 50 staff by the end of this year in officespace three times the size of its currentoperation in the city’s Corn Exchange.

It is currently undertaking a movefrom its existing 2,500 sq ft office on theeighth floor of Fenwick Street’s CornExchange to newly refurbished 7,300 sqft space on the second floor.

Last month Cinven acquiredSaturn’s parent company Spice in a£250m deal that marks the latestchapter in the growth of the companysince it was formed by three foundingdirectors in 1993.

Saturn Energy specialises in energypurchasing for small and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs) as well as providinganalysis and advice on the energymarkets.

Managing director John McShanesaid the move, due to be completed byearly February, was part of the plan todouble the firm’s workforce to 50during 2011.

“Since the takeover by Cinven we arepreparing for investment andexpansion. This year should see thecompany double its workforce, but to dothis we are having to relocate.

“The relocation will enable us toaccommodate an increased workforcewith room left over for furtherexpansion.”

Saturn Energy moved into its

current premises in 2002 and was soldto Spice plc in December 2007.

It has grown from a workforce of justfour staff in 2005 by advising businesseswhich are looking to enter into newenergy contracts or securecost-effective business gas prices.

Saturn Energy said it provides cost-effective commercial electricity and gassupply solutions to thousands ofclients, ranging from manufacturingcompanies, retailers, hospitals and thepublic sector.

Mr McShane said the Saturn teamhas a deep understanding of the carbonmarkets through working onsustainable energy projects around theworld.

Saturn staffing todouble throughexpansionplans

Scousepies intheovenCRAFT bakeryGreenhalgh’s haslaunched a producttargeted at Liverpoolpastry fans – the Scousepie.

It follows thesuccessful introduction ofScouse soup which itsays quickly became afavourite amongst itscustomers.

Pie creator DavidEdwards said: “Scouse isa classic favourite inLiverpool, so we thoughtas everyone loves ourpies, why not combinethe two? We’reexpecting them to fly offthe shelves.”

Greenhalgh’s, whichwas named the CraftBusiness of the Year atthis year’s BakingIndustry Awards, openedits first bakery in 1957.

It now has 59 stores,across the North Westas well as serving thewholesale sector.

READY TO EAT:Geena fromGreenhalgh’s inSt Helens takesScouse pies outof the oven

● NESTONaccountancy firm

Duncan Boxwell & Co isadvising firms to reviewtheir business recordsafter HMRC said it willbegin checks in thesecond half of the year onthe adequacy andaccuracy of businessrecords in the small andmedium enterprisesector. Firms could face a£3,000 fine for failure tokeep proper records.Duncan Boxwell directorMartin Briggs said:“HMRC is projecting itwill undertake up to50,000 reviews every yearfor the next four yearswhich will generate atruly staggeringestimated extra £600m inrevenue.”

● LIVERPOOL LibDem councillor

Richard Kemp hasbecome the new chair ofhousing association PlusDane Group, replacingJohn Pollard who hasstood down. Plus Dane isresponsible for morethan 15,000 homes inMerseyside and Cheshireand has a turnover ofmore than £50m. CllrKemp served as deputychair for the previoustwo years.

● PRESSURE onprofit margins and

this month’s increase inthe top rate of VAT to20% are seen as thebiggest threats for 2011by managers of Britishsmall firms. The reducedavailability of banklending was seen as arelatively smaller issuefor decision-makers at500 companies surveyedin a YouGov poll forTheCityUK, theindependent bodypromoting UK-widefinancial and relatedprofessional services.

● ETIHAD Airways isincreasing the

frequency on keybusiness routes out offive European airports,including Manchester,this year. From thesummer it says it willincrease frequency fromseven to 10 flights perweek from Manchesterto Abu Dhabi, togetherwith further expansion inits capacity following theintroduction of Boeing777 aircraft last year.

byNEIL HODGSONIndustry Reporter

NEWS Wednesday, January 12, 20112 ★★★★

Whydietsneedn’tbedull infighttoshedthepounds

BUSINESSSMALL

of the Week

Neil Hodgson countsthe calories at health foodeaterie Skinnimalinx

BOOTLE ECOFIRM’S LINKWITH SCOTSPARTNERBOOTLE renewableenergy firm EcoEnvironments haslinked up with Scottishwind turbinemanufacturer ProvenEnergy.

The company, whichlast month openedoffices in Darlington,Manchester, Penrithand Tamworth, hasbeen granted ValueAdded Reseller statusby Proven for its 35-2wind turbine.

Eco Environmentsdirector David Huntsaid: “We are lookingforward to a long andsuccessful partnershipwith Proven helpingthe company to takeits innovative andexciting range ofproducts tocustomers.”

The Bootle firmspecialises in providinghomes and businesseswith renewable energysolutions, includingSolar Photovoltaic,wind turbines, solarthermal water heatingsystems and heatpumps.

Proven’s turbineallows end users tobenefit from the Feedin Tariff (FIT) schemewhich pays homeowners and businessesfor every Kilowatthour of electricity theygenerate, whetherthey use it or not.

Mr Hunt said:“Customers arebecoming increasinglyknowledgeable aboutthe benefits of FIT. Inaddition, they save theequivalent amount bynot having to buy theelectricity they havegenerated, while alsobeing paid for anyelectricity theyexport.”

AGENTS ‘NEEDREGULATING’A LEADING light inMerseyside’sresidential rentalsector is urging theGovernment toconsider mandatorylicensing of estate andletting agents.

Richard Globe, ofthe Property LandlordBusiness SupportGroup, saysinexperienced and“rogue” agents weredamaging the sector’sreputation.

“Sole trading agentsare getting away withtoo much becausethey are unregulated,”he said.

BUSINESS

WITH a business plan andfunding in place mum anddaughter Angela Brennanand Katey Hawtin wereeager to launch their

healthy eating cafe in Liverpool’sbustling city centre.

That was until they discovered thatsome landlords, it seems, aren’tprepared to take a risk on a start-upbusiness.

They had set their hearts on acentral location but lost out to, of allthings, a chip shop.

Angela said the landlord explainedtheir rival had run a business beforeand, in his eyes, offered the safer bet.

The blow set their business plansback, but they eventually opened theirSkinnimalinx cafe on Castle Street lastFebruary.

Angela, 48, from Allerton, said:“People were jittery about a start-upand that has influenced where weended up.

“We wanted to be more central andwere looking at places like Bold Street,because we thought it had the rightatmosphere because we are a little bitdifferent, and it was just sofrustrating.”

She had invested money from herredundancy as director of LiverpoolJohn Moores University’s school ofhealth and applied social scienceswhich, she said, showed she had thecourage of her convictions.

But it seemed to count for nought,until they approached landlordBruntwood: “They had faith in us andtook us right away.”

She said the Castle Street locationhas yielded a regular set of customersfrom the busy commercial district, butthe city centre shoppers they hadoriginally hoped to target remain justout of reach.

However, with their firstanniversary just round the cornerthey declared their venture aresounding success.

Katey, 26, from Aigburth, saidnavigating through a recession wastough: “But people say if you survivenow you will thrive.”

Mum Angela said she had her‘eureka moment’ for Skinnimalinx ina cafe in Leighton Buzzard whilevisiting her sister.

She and Katey are both members ofslimming clubs and she said: “I hadalways wondered why no-one puts upcalories or stuff on sandwiches. Iwanted to develop something on thehigh street for dieters. Sometimes ifyou went for the skinny option youjust got half the portion.”

After months of research the pairdevised a menu with appeal andvariety for dieters and healthy eaters

which lists nutritional information forall items, so Weightwatchers andSlimming World diners can instantlyassess their options, including thedreaded cakes and puddings course.

Angela said: “It is difficult to get theeye appeal and flavour in food. You cando it at home but when you go outthings tend to be mass produced, soyou lose that bit of care that you takewhen you look after yourself at home.”

Their meticulous approach to

providing food that fits into a healthydiet includes weighing all ingredients,even down to their chicken sandwichfillings. Angela said: “Some of theskills you had in a different life comein handy, like operationalmanagement.”

Since they opened they havemodified their business plan,including a shift from the dietingoption to a growing appetite forhealthy eating.

Angela explained: “It is not justabout weight loss, we get customerswho want to get fit and are looking forhealthier food.

“The word diet can be a bit off-putting. It has an old-fashioned 1970snotion of living on lettuce leaves andfruit juice.”

Katey added: “We are more focusedon a healthy lifestyle. A lot of peoplesay, this is the year I am going to gethealthy, rather than saying, I want tolose two stones. We get lots of men andwomen who are gym members andwant to know protein levels. To beginwith more of our customers werepeople on a diet, but now it is about50-50.”

Many customers enjoy sharing theirweight loss progress and Angela andKatey are happy to advise on the bestoptions, but Angela said: “We tellpeople what they do should matchtheir lifestyle. Whatever they’re going

Team-buildingbusinessunveiledatKnowsleyHallKNOWSLEY Hall tomorrowhosts the launch of a newcorporate training exercise byLife Survival.

After nine months ofplanning a group of formerBritish military traininginstructors and UK SpecialForces personnel will deliver aseries of tasks followed by anassessment using DISC

behavioural profiling methodspioneered by psychologistWilliam Moulton Marston.

Director Tom Southern saysthis allows people tounderstand more about theway they approach challengesin the workplace and life.

“Our creative and fullyinteractive programmes helpgood businesses to become

extraordinary businesses.”He added: “What stands our

training programmes abovethe rest is that our style oftraining shies away from themore traditional classroom-based tuition which researchshows only 8% of informationis remembered after fourweeks.

“And while other military-

based company away-daysleave participants feeling asense of achievement andsatisfaction, our programmesgo that extra mile to ensurethere is a clear method totransfer the learning andknowledge gained in to theworkplace.”

He said he launch involves arange of national and local

companies, educationauthorities and statutoryauthorities, includingtelecommunications giant O2,Liverpool’s KirwansSolicitors, the College ofExperts, The MerseyPartnership, Nutrilite,Middletons Solicitors and citycentre public relations firmClarity Creation.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 NEWS 3★★★★

TREAT: One of thecakes on offer atSkinnimalinx

HEALTHY EATING: Mum anddaughter Angela Brennan, left, andKatey Hawtin at their Skinnimalinxcafe in Castle Street, Liverpool

to do, make sure they can carry on andit is healthy.”

Their menu now reflects morehealthy eating options rather thandiets. Angela said: “Even if you are ona diet you don’t want to eat salad inthe middle of winter.

“We now have an extensive hotmenu so people don’t have to come inon a freezing cold January day askingfor a carrot salad. We are trying to beseasonal. You get so bored on salads,so we have stews, wraps and toasties.There is life after salad.”

Their credentials are boosted by thefact that Skinnimalinx providescatering for Health@Work, theLiverpool charity pioneeringworkplace health issues and the pairhope to develop their offer forLiverpool’s corporate sector this year.

Angela said: “We try to tellcorporate clients that eating at workrepresents a lot of your food intake ifyou are on two or three meetings aweek.

“Businesses can influence theirworkforce by not giving them bad foodoptions. Just by changing yoursandwich you can shed lots of caloriesover the year.”

Catering for schools and children’sparties are also areas ripe fordevelopment in the future, but Angelamakes no secret of her ambitions,hopefully this time with the fullsupport of landlords.

She declared: “The overall idea is tohave a Skinnimalinx on every cornerin 10 years time. We’re trying to makeourselves a recognised brand.”

NEWS Wednesday, January 12, 20114 ★★★★

BUSINESS

HALTON may be best knownfor the giants of thechemical sector – but PaulaCain is determined to leadits small businesses into

the spotlight.Paula is chief executive of Halton

Chamber of Commerce, whichrepresents businesses large andsmall in the borough.

She has reshaped the Chamber toensure its members, particularlysmall firms, are more involved inits work.

Paula – who spent 16 yearsleading Knowsley Chamber – saysHalton has a wealth of expertiseacross sectors from science totransport and logistics.

She is convinced the area iswell-placed to bounce back fromrecession, boosted by its strongtransport links and its location atthe heart of the industrial NorthWest.

Small firms will be crucial to thatrecovery. Paula wants HaltonChamber to play its part in helpingthose businesses to grow.

She said: “There will be a lot ofactivity in the New Year to helpthose recently-formed businesses todevelop and grow, and to engagewith large and small businesses toprovide additional support.

“We look at the Government’sproposals around the Big Societyand clearly the private sector willbe asked to do more, because therearen’t going to be the same levels ofpublic support available.”

As a small chamber, with just 340members, Halton can only offerlimited services itself. But Paula iskeen for the chamber to work withits members to offer services itcould not offer on its own.

That might include, for example,asking people from establishedbusinesses to mentor those fromsmaller companies.

She said: “There are so manyopportunities to engage with somebig players, because I know theyhave a desire to put something backinto the communities they operatein. One way to do that is to shareknowledge.”

Halton Chamber’s new-lookmanagement structure, whichlaunches this month, means it nowhas four “special interest groups” –covering business start-ups, smalland medium-sized enterprises,property, and the chamber’s ownactivities.

There will also be a GlobalBusiness Forum to bring leaders oflarge businesses together withcouncil officials. The forum, andthe four interest groups, will reportto the chamber’s board.

Now Paula is on the hunt forsmall firms to join those specialinterest groups to have their say onHalton’s future.

The chamber runs workshops tohelp businesses win contracts withlocal authorities. It works closelywith Halton Council, which haspledged to do what it can – withinthe legal restrictions placed on alllocal councils – to help local firmssecure contracts with it.

That includes holding sessionswith the chamber to discussreal-life contracts and their criteria.

But many businesses are nownervously awaiting the impact ofthe Government’s public sectorcuts, fearing that tenders from localauthorities and other public bodies

will dry up. Paula hopes thechamber will be able to supportlocal firms by helping them worktogether.

She said: “There’s a lot of truth inthe saying that there’s strength innumbers.

“It’s even more important nowthat businesses do engage and seekhelp and support through thechamber and through each other.

“The downturn isn’t over yet, andwe’re probably going to see moredips as we work through the impactof the public sector cuts.

“While the private sector has

already been through the worst of itand those that have come throughare probably stronger as a result,we’re probably getting to a bit of aplateau. I don’t think weunderstand yet how these cuts willhit the business community.”

Paula, who grew up in Kirkby,started her career working in thepersonnel department at Lewis’sdepartment store before joiningKirkby Initiatives Agency.

She spent six years in her hometown helping people to start andgrow their businesses, and advisingthem on issues from cashflowmanagement to access to finance.

In September 1990 Paula joinedKnowsley Chamber, where shespent 19 years.

She said: “As chief executive Iworked with a lot of inspirational

people and met some fantasticbusinesses.”

Paula left Knowsley in November2009. After a few months off, Paulaspotted an advert for the Haltonrole and applied successfully.

“Chambers are definitely in myblood,” she said, “so I wanted to getback into chamber activities in anew area, with new challenges.”

Paula soon became anenthusiastic ambassador for hernew patch.

She proudly talks up theborough’s success stories, rangingfrom the Daresbury Science andinnovation Campus and The Heathscience park to Widnes Vikingsrugby club.

“There’s such a wealth ofexpertise in Halton,” she said. “Weshould be shouting out loud about

Small firmswillhelpregion’seconomybouncebackfromrecession

INTERVIEWBIGAlistair Houghtontalks to Paula Cain,chief executive atHalton Chamberof Commerce

‘There’satruthinthesayingthere’sstrengthinnumbers’

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 NEWS 5★★★★

the incredible people we have, andwhat’s being done here.

“I think it has suffered over theyears from an image problem.Widnes does have a bit of stigmaaround its environmental issues,for example, and that puts pressureon local authorities in particular.

“It’s not a sleepy area by anystretch of the imagination. But it’saddressed those issues andproblems.

“We’ve got some terrificbusinesses here. There are someterrific and innovative minds, andcreative minds. There is a realcan-do attitude about the businesscommunity and its people.”

And there has been some massiveprivate sector investment in Haltonin recent years – particularly at theMersey Multimodal Gateway, in

Widnes. Stobart Ports managingdirector Steve O’Connor has led themulti- million pound developmentof a combined rail, road and seafreight handling facility that hascreated thousands of new jobs.

And, to Paula’s relief, one majorpiece of public sector investmenthas also escaped the cuts – the£600m Mersey Gateway project for anew toll bridge between Runcornand Widnes.

“There’s no doubt there needs tobe a new crossing,” said Paula.

“The existing Silver JubileeBridge is iconic. It’s a locationthat’s associated with Halton, andwith the sub-region.

“But it’s got to the point whereit’s too busy, and it needs workdoing to it. That second crossing isvital.”

HIGH HOPES:Paula Cain wantsHalton Chamber towork with theborough’s SMEs

BUSY CHAMBER: Paula Cain, right, presents anetworker of the month award to Margaret Evans

FLAGSHIP: Paula Cain says the Heath Business andTechnical Park in Runcorn is one of Halton’s key assets

LAWIT’S THE

Q I CAME back towork afterChristmas to

find one of my staffhad made a complaintabout somethingwhich happened atour Christmas party.Am I liable for whatwent on after officehours?

A IT MAY not beany immediatecomfort, but you

are not alone.Even though official

office parties are dyingout, we have still had alarge number of callsfrom people in yourposition and the mostpressing question isthis: Did whatevercaused the complainthappen at the partyyour companyorganised, or was itafter people had movedon to carry on theirnight out elsewhere?

Even before we get todiscussing whether theallegation has anymerit or not, if ithappened after theofficial office party hadfinished, then you arenot directlyresponsible.

That’s not to say youwon’t want to takeaction against theperpetrator – if theallegation turns out tobe true – but yourliability for what hasoccurred is muchreduced.

If the cause of thecomplaint occurredduring the officialparty, then I’m afraidit’s worse news as youare as responsible forwhat happened there asyou would have beenhad it happened duringa normal day in theoffice.

In either case, youwill probably want toget to the bottom ofwhat did or did notoccur sooner ratherthan later.

Depending on howserious it is, you maywant to take actionagainst any guiltyparty, or at leastreconsider the futureworking relationshipbetween those involved.

Depending on yourcontracts ofemployment, anycriminal activity, forexample, might stillconstitute grossmisconduct even if it

did take place afterhours and away fromanything youorganised.

It would be nice tosay that this is adeclining problem asfewer and fewerbusinesses opt to havea formal Christmasparty, but that is notthe case.

We surveyed 2,000businesses late lastyear and found that asmany as four in 10 werecancelling thetraditional “officebash” due either tofinancial constraints,or simply the fact thatneither bosses nor staffwanted to socialisewith each other.

Despite that, we havehad as many calls sincemid-December relatingto office parties whichhave got out of hand aswe would do in anyother year.

It seems to me that,though there have beenfewer parties, thestresses of therecession – togetherwith the feeling that wehave now survived theworst of it – have led toa pressure cookerenvironment buildingup among many teamsand companies.

When the partycomes along andbusinesses try to let offsome of that steam,they’ve found the wholelid has blown offinstead.

Fortunately, the vastmajority of theincidents we hearabout are ultimatelyhandled internally andseldom lead toanything worse than agentle warning.

Depending on theseriousness of thecomplaint you’vereceived, I’d hope thatthat will be the case foryou, too.

This column wasbrought to you byPeter Mooney, head ofconsultancy atemployment lawspecialist ELAS,Employment LawAdvisory Services.

For moreinformation, pleasecall the ELAS adviceteam on 0161-7852000, or send an emailto info@employment-law.uk.com

with

NEWS Wednesday, January 12, 20116 ★★★★

BUSINESS

WHEN it comes toMerseyside’s creativesector, Kevin McManusis a veritable fountainof case studies.

Kevin runs Merseyside ACME,the agency that works to promoteand support the region’s creativeand digital firms.

He says small firms in the sectorare seeing an upturn in businessafter an uncertain three years ofdownturn and recession.

And, off the top of his head, herattled off a list of successfulMersey firms including designagencies Milky Tea and SmilingWolf, PR agency Agent Marketing,and production company AdlibAudio.

The ongoing public sector cutscould slow the sector’s growth, butKevin remains confident in itsfuture.

And he says firms now need tolook ahead to the opening of the£650m MediaCity complex inSalford, and the opportunities fornew business it could bring.

He said: “There has been ageneral upturn in business.

“Businesses have thrived andthere has been growth – not hugegrowth, but steady growth after aperiod of consolidation anduncertainty, and businesses havepressed on.

“Looking forward, there’sprobably going to be a worry forsome who are over-reliant on publicsector contracts.

“The smarter companies willalready have been looking todiversify.

“I wouldn’t worry about too manybecause they’re tough enough tosurvive. Some might need to stop tothink about where they are up to.”

Other successful Liverpool firmsmentioned by Kevin includeddesign agency Uniform andproduction company River Media,which collaborated to createLiverpool’s pavilion at the WorldExpo in Shanghai last year.

He praised the work of HurricaneFilms. Its recent projects includePeople’s Stories: Liverpool Lives – asocial history website following onfrom the company’s 2008 film OfTime and the City.

Kevin discussed the LiverpoolSound City, Creamfields andLiverpool Music Week festivals, andthe work of gaming companies suchas iPhone app developer Apposing.

He also flagged up the continuing

success of Lime Pictures.Childwall-based Lime, best-knownfor Hollyoaks, is also pioneeringnew online spin-offs through itsConker Media subsidiary.

And he mentioned the digital “bigboys” that are still doing well –Mando, New Mind, and Rippleffect.

Those companies have been thesector’s biggest players for severalyears As they continue to grow andbecome nationally recognised, hesaid, other companies need to growto become the new “local giants”.

“It’s for companies such asSmiling Wolf to become the nextgeneration,” said Kevin.

MediaCity, in Salford, willhouse five BBC departments aswell as ITV’s Manchesteroperations.

The pressure is on Merseyfirms to get bidding for – andwinning – contracts with thosebroadcasting giants.

“Local companies have got agood chance of pickingup some of thosecontracts,”said Kevin.

“Theyare well-placed

because they have proventhemselves to be innovative andahead of the curve.”

Kevin says the new North WestVenture Capital Fund, whichrecently launched, will help firmsto grow. The fund includes a £15mpot available exclusively to digitaland creative firms.

“That fund can provide anybodywho’s serious about growth withthe support they need,” he said.

“Access to finance is going to beincreasingly difficult. I hope that

fund will help.”Marketing and PR

consultancy AgentMarketing willcelebrate its fifthbirthday this year.Co-founder anddirector WayneMalcolm said theLiverpool-based

business was ready forgrowth after a steady

2010.He said: “Wegrew from six

to 12 staff – that took some doing interms of resources.

“We lost some business – a lot ofpeople did in the creative sector. Weprobably lost 3% to 5% of ourincome. But we have diversified ourincome stream.

“We don’t stick to one particularsector – we cross into the public,private and third sectors.

“We are well-placed for whenthings pick up again.”

Agent’s directors have this yearcarried out a strategic review of thebusiness to prepare it for growth.

“We have identified some newservice offerings which are wheregrowth is going to come from,” saidWayne. “We will also refine some ofour services further to make surewe keep doing the right thing forour clients.

“I think there are stillopportunities out there. We’llcontinue to do what we’ve alwaysdone, which is offer the sametransparent service offering greatvalue.

“I don’t see astronomical growthfor us. I expect it to be slow andsteady – quite boring, really.”

“The sector as a whole in the cityis optimistic.”

GETCREATIVEFOCUS. . . on creatives

Alistair Houghtonsees how creativeand digital firms areshaping up for 2011

FUTURE VISION: Mersey firms are bidding forcontracts to work at MediaCity in Salford

JON HOLMES has someexciting plans in the bag for hisdesign company Milky Tea.

Coffee drinker Jon foundedthe agency in 1995 and has seenit win clients including LloydsTSB and Starbucks.

Now Jon is hoping that, as theeconomy recovers, his firm willwin more business in London.

He said: “At the moment I’mworking a week in London and aweek here. We might open asmall studio there in the future.

“We’re trying to bring a lotmore work from London to thenorth west.

“Last year we noticed adecline in work from theadvertising industry. But that’sbounced back this year – we’redoing a lot more work forLloyds TSB at the moment.

“We’re doing a lot of work forbig games studios.

Brewingupagrowthplan

LOOKING UP:Kevin McManus

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 NEWS 7★★★★

LOOKING AHEAD: Wayne Malcolm of AgentMarketing says he expects steady growth in 2011

MONEY

“The only difficulty, as withany small firm, is growing thebusiness in an efficient way thatallows us to manage our currentclient base while winning newclients.”

In 2009 Milky Tea teamed upwith social enterprisePacificstream to openBascecamp3, a businessincubator unit that acts as ahome to several fledglingcreative businesses.

The unit sits next to MilkyTea in Elevator Studios, aconverted warehouse inParliament Street, Liverpool.

Last year, at the 9th AnnualIncubation Conference andAwards, Basecamp3 was namedthe world’s third-best creativeincubator.

“We wanted to create ahome for some of the mostexciting talent starting up in thenorth west,” said Jon.

“We’ve got a lot of gamingtalent here – we’ve got peopledeveloping Facebook games andiPhone apps.

“It also gives us a hub oftalent, where there are peoplewho can work with us on bigprojects.”

MATTERS with Nicky Burridge,personal financecorrespondent

RISING numbers of tenantsare struggling to pay theirrent as job losses and paycuts continue to bite,research has indicated.

Four out of 10 lettingagents questioned in thefinal quarter of 2010 saidthey had seen an increasein the number of tenantswho were having problemspaying their rent duringthe previous six months, upfrom 35.9% in the thirdquarter.

The Association ofResidential Letting Agents(ARLA) said it was the firsttime the proportion ofagents reporting anincrease intenants whoappeared to behaving financialproblems had risenfor 18 months.

ARLA blamedthe situation onthe economicdownturn, saying the

combination ofredundancies and reducedhours or pay cuts had leftmany people struggling.

Tenants will nothave been helped by

steep rentincreases seen

during 2010.Ian Potter,

operations managerat ARLA, said: “Atthe beginning oflast year we

predicted that the

number of tenants havingdifficulties paying rentwould increase andunfortunately this seems tobe the case today.

“It is a situation whichcan have seriousrepercussions throughoutthe private rented sector as,without guaranteed rentincome, landlords may alsohave problems payingmortgages. At worst, it mayresult in a rise inrepossessions.”

GOBLIN: Milky Tea specialises in 3D digital design

ADVERTORIAL

BEcOmIng yOuROwn BOss In 2011

suPPORTIng LOcAL sTART-uPs: Lloyds TsB commercial’s Leigh Taylor

A New Year often brings anew focus for budding entre-preneurs, with would-bebusiness owners deciding totake the plunge and realisetheir dream of becomingtheir own boss.

with the number of start-up companies in the UKcontinuing to grow after thedownturn, more supportthan ever is needed to guidethese fledgling firms throughtheir first few months inbusiness.

Start-ups are a vital part ofour economy and an indica-tor of improving businessconditions, so it is encourag-ing to know that just over 15per cent more new business-es were launched in GreatBritain in the first 10 monthsof 2010 than the same periodin 2009*.

It’s a lonely road withoutsupport and guidance somost business owners willbegin to look for profession-al support from the outset,often this means seekingassistance on crucial issuessuch as cash flow forecastsand general guidance aboutthe pitfalls they may face inthe first year of business.

There are some greatfree resources in the Northwest – such as your localBusiness Link – and a wealthof support is available froma good banking partner suchas Lloyds TSB Commercial.

At Lloyds TSB we placeemphasis on an approachwhere our locally basedmanagers can help youshape business plans, offerguidance on how to managecash flow and, where possi-ble, work with you to antici-pate issues which couldhamper growth.

Lloyds Banking Group(LBG) has pledged to help300,000 new businesses startup by 2012 as part of its SMe

Charter – in fact, Lloyds TSBCommercial (part of LBG)helped 100,000 companiesstart up between November2009 and October 2010. wewant to make sure, wherepossible, that businesseswhich need funding haveaccess to it.

Lloyds TSB Commercialhas been one of the largestparticipants in the Govern-ment’s enterprise FinanceGuarantee (eFG) Schemeand about three in every 10loans generated under thisscheme have been offered byLloyds TSB.

New businesses bankingwith Lloyds TSB Commercial

will get their first 18 monthsday-to-day banking free – aswell as free Sage businessplanning software to helpdevelop and forecast theirbusinesses, and preferentialoffers on Sage accountancysoftware. Customers canthen be assured that everypenny they make will gotowards building a success-ful business.

For more informationplease call in branch andspeak to one of our localbusiness managers.

*Banksearch data (www.banksearch-consultancy.com)

relates to Jan ’10 – Oct ‘10Free business banking

includes cheques, standingorders, cash, direct debits,deposits and withdrawals. Allwe ask is that you keep youraccount within agreed limits.

Lloyds TSB Commercialis a trading name of LloydsTSB Bank plc and LloydsTSB Scotland plc and servescustomers with an annualturnover of up to £15M.

Authorised and regulatedby the Financial ServicesAuthority.

The Lloyds Banking Groupincludes Lloyds TSB Bank plcand a number of other compa-nies.

By LEIgH TAyLORArea director for Lloyds TSBCommercial in the North West

NEWS Wednesday, January 12, 20118 ★★★★

BUSINESS

JOBSJOYFORHUYTONFIRM

PMurgednotto ignoresmall firms

Fusion21passesmilestoneof750apprenticeships

ON THE JOB: Some of the trainees who are currently in the Huyton-based workshop of Fusion21

HUYTON-BASED Fusion21 iscelebrating creating its 750thapprenticeship.

The procurement specialist wasformed in 2002 by several Merseysidehousing associations to achieve thebest possible terms from suppliersthrough their collective bargainingpower.

At the same time, it was able toinsist on job creation clauses for thelocal workforce with its contractorsand suppliers.

In addition to its jobs milestone, itis also estimated that Fusion21 hashelped clinch about £500m ofimprovement works for its clientswith a high percentage investeddirectly into contractors and small

firms throughout Merseyside.Fusion21 has also brought about

£29m of financial benefits for theMerseyside boroughs and has beenpraised for its “Big Society” values byusing its own capital to reinvest in thelocal community, rather than relyingon public sector funding, andinvesting all surplus profits back intoits training and employmentinitiatives.

Liz Meek, regional director for

Government Office North West, said:“Fusion21 demonstrates the amountthat can be done using the purchasingpower of its partners. Fusion21 is acompany with a strong geographicalfocus, enabling it to have a directimpact at community level.”

Dave Neilson, Fusion21 chiefexecutive, added: “During tough timesthe question for anyone spendingpublic money should not be why use asocial enterprise route forprocurement – rather it should be whyare you not using this route, when itcan create efficiencies and thenreinvest money into service deliverythat would otherwise disappear asprofits.”

Fusion21 also recently placed morethan 300 people onto the Future JobsFund programme and helped securemore than a third of them permanentcontracts with their employers.

A SMALL firms lobbygroup says the governmentmust not exclude thesector from its jobcreation plans.

The Knutsford-basedForum of Private Business(FPB) insists small firms –which are the UK’s biggestemployers – should becentral to discussions onjob growth. Its call follows

the Prime Minister’s jobssummit earlier this week.which was attended by 19of the UK’s largestcompanies, but noorganisation representingthe UK’s 4.8m small firms.

FPB chief executive PhilOrford said: “Individually,many small businesses feelthat they are unable topresent their concerns to

government and rely on usto speak out as theirco-ordinated voice.

“In this light, it isimportant that, in thefuture, we are given aprominent seat at thetable when it comes todiscussing such crucialissues as job growth andbarriers to it, particularlyemployment red tape.

“Failure to listen tosmall business ownersabout employment willonly further alienate themand fuel their concernsthat they are, in reality, anafterthought at best.”

The FPB is alsoconcerned at thegovernment's decision toforce companies intoproviding pensions for staff.

byNEIL HODGSONIndustry Reporter

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