IWCYC blog>
Wed, 08 Oct 2008
Software Firm Urges IT Industry To Get A Byte Of The Action
Local software experts Bond are urging the North East IT community to join them for a night to remember, in aid of homeless young people and those at risk of becoming homeless.
If you thought the 31st October was Fright Night, you were wrong as now it’s Byte Night.
Derek Curtis of Bond in
Byte Night is the IT industry's annual sleep out in support of Action for Children. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from the technology and IT industries spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work.
The event began ten years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. Since then the event has grown to extraordinary heights, attracting 270 sleepers and raising almost £400,000 in 2007 alone.
This month hundreds of individuals from the IT and technology sector will be exposed to the elements as they spend a night under the stars to raise vital sponsorship and awareness of youth homelessness and the difficulties faced by young people leaving care.
Large scale events are happening in
Derek Curtis is managing director of Bond, which is a Sage accredited software solutions firm, he said, “When I heard of the idea of Byte Night I thought it sounded great fun, and as a foster carer myself I think the issues of youth homelessness and leaving care are great to support in any way we can.
“The North East’s digital industry employs many hundreds of people, so I’m sure we can round up at least 30 individuals prepared to join us for the night, have a laugh and experience one night of sleeping ‘rough’ to raise money for charity.”
Linda McDonald, Action for Children local fundraiser said, “Youth homelessness is not restricted to
Bond’s Byte Night event will take place at The Fisherman’s Lodge in Jesmond Dene,
Ex-Sage director and now owner of Tom’s Companies, who run The Fisherman’s Lodge, Tom Maxfield said: “I am delighted to open the doors of the Fisherman’s Lodge to the intrepid members of the region’s IT community who are brave enough to be sleeping rough for one evening to raise money for such a good cause. We will lay on a hearty hot meal and breakfast for them, and hope many industry professionals get on board with this superb idea.”
To get involved please request your Sleeper Pack of information, by contacting Derek Curtis at derek.curtis@bond-solutions.com
And to see more about Derek’s journey with Bond, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/derek-curtis
Mon, 29 Sep 2008
Women Entrepreneurs Help Light The 'Spark' In Others
North East women are about to experience a sparkling event that’s all about successful female business owners helping them turn their own ideas into money-makers.
The
Some of the region’s top female entrepreneurs are giving up their time to meet with women with a spark of an idea, or a business that they intend to grow. Sessions include ‘Inspirational Women’ seminar with guest speaker Kim Inglis, local ITV presenter and Nickie Gott North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and the secrets of PR and marketing in the modern age by Kari Owers of O Communications and Siobhan Bales of the bgroup.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear first hand anecdotes and advice from their own personal journeys. The highlight of the day is an invaluable opportunity to experience a one-to-one advice session with an industry expert of their choice - individuals the women feel can help them the most; be it general business advisors, marketeers, accountants or lawyers.
In the North East there are 107,000 self-employed individuals, of which 28,000 are women*. Spark wants to celebrate the success of those already out there, being enterprising, and encourage others to do the same. Make your Mark works in the north east to bring the message of entrepreneurship alive for younger people, and has already successfully launched the Girls, Make your Mark! programme across the region.
Kari Owers is a local successful female entrepreneur who runs the award winning PR agency, O Communications in
The Spark Your Potential Personal Venture Workshop for Women will help you to shake off any inhibitions, talk to people who have already made the leap and get some practical tips and tools to help you achieve the success you’re dreaming of.”
Emma Thorn from Spark, the Women’s Enterprise Ambassador Network coordinating the event comments; “The north east is already home to many successful female entrepreneurs – just look to your local high street for inspiration. The workout will energise and inspire more women to go out and grab opportunities whilst also connecting them to like-minded others to make their dreams become a reality.”
One NorthEast’s Head of Business, Enterprise and Skills, Tim Pain, said: “The Regional Economic Strategy sets out the aim of substantially increasing the number of businesses in North East England by 2016, and enabling more women to become their own boss is an important factor in making that happen.
Often, it’s hearing about the experiences of other female entrepreneurs which can really inspire women to take the next step - this event is a valuable opportunity to do that, as well as picking up information about the excellent support available to new entrepreneurs in the North East.”
The Spark Your Potential event will be held at the
If we can, you can has also been working in partnership with Spark Your Potential. Having interviewed some incredibly inspirational women entrepreneurs, we've designed a series of postcards with the aim of looking at what really drives women into business.
Each woman has their own reason for doing it, but it's their unique qualities, whether they're conscious of them or not, which will make them into successful entrepreneurs. Look out for the postcards in the delegate bags!!
Wed, 24 Sep 2008
Exclusive Make Progress In O2 X Awards
York-based retailer Exclusive Footwear have been shortlisted in the Fashion category of the 2008 O2 X Awards.
Exclusive Footwear was launched three years ago by managing director and If we can, you can member Frances Chalmers. Initially an online venture, the company launched a store in the city's Gillygate in order to secure the prestigious brands which have fuelled their growth.
The competition was launched by 02 to recognise success and vision within the world of small business. Other award categories include Music, Food & Drink and Technology & Innovation.
Success in the Fashion section of the awards, which is supported by Grazia, could leave Frances with an opportunity to win the overall competiton, which is now in its 5th year and carries a £10,000 cash prize. The overall winner will be named 02 X Entrepreneur of the Year at the final on 13th October.
To see more about Frances, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/frances-chalmers
Tue, 23 Sep 2008
Greg attends Service Excellence
If we can, you can Challenge winner for the Evening Chronicle Greg Phillips has been busy embarking on his re-branding and re-fitting campaign for his new Nichols stores. He cited that the people working in the stores, and who have a one to one relationship with the customer, are delivering his business plan at the end of the day and Greg wanted to make sure that this side of the business was spot on.
So, as part of his prize, we here at If we can, you can headquarters thought Greg could really benefit from going to the Service Excellence conference, held at the Hilton Hotel in Newcastle Gateshead.
Greg said of the conference, “The day was really good. I learnt a lot from it and came away with lots of ideas and things that I can start doing here in my business. In particular I’ve learnt a lot about getting staff on board- it was something that really came across in terms of what we should expect of them, and about how we can be more explicit about the Nichols brand and how we want staff to represent us.
I learnt a lot about engaging and rewarding them, as well as encouraging and training them. We want our staff to take service seriously, as this is one of the most important elements in a retail business.”
When I spoke to Greg he had just opened his second store that day in Cramlington after completely re-inventing the old site, and he’d just received a text message saying how much they had taken. He said, “Even on the first day it’s flying so I’m absolutely over the moon about that. We’re hoping for the same result we had in Sunderland.
There’s always obstacles to overcome, such as landlords’ consent and planning applications. We’ve often thought of what we want a particular shop to look like but in practicality terms it sometimes doesn’t happen like that.
All the units have their own challenges, but once we get them open to the public I’m always so proud of what we’ve achieved. They look really fantastic and I’ve had text messages from people saying that the shops look great. It’s a real buzz at the moment and I’m really excited about getting to Nichols brand across the region.”
Mon, 22 Sep 2008
Couple raffle £650,000 house
A couple in the Tees Valley are raffling their £650,000 dream home in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton in a bid to beat the housing slump.
Tickets to win the luxury six-bedroom mansion are on sale for £25 each via a website.
Vicky Brown and her husband Simon need to sell a staggering 28,000 raffle tickets to cover the mortgage and legal fees.
The couple, who have a 20-month old daughter Lexi and with another baby on the way, only moved into the house that Simon designed himself late last year, but less than a year on they want to downsize.
Simon, who owns successful creative agency, Calm Asylum, said “We built the house with the intention of selling it and moving on to the next project, but with the credit crunch and the decline in the housing market we’ve decided to give the raffle idea a go”.
Vicky, who works in marketing and 33 year old Simon, said a friend gave them the idea to try and raffle their home.
The couple are donating some of the proceeds from each ticket sale to charity – The Main Project for autistic children. The sale of tickets and prize draw is being supervised by solicitors.
If the Browns don’t manage to raise the amount they need from the raffle they will hold a prize draw for the money they have raised less admin, marketing costs and charity contributions.
The website address for the house raffle is www.winfellowshall.com
FELLOWS HALL featured on Channel Five’s Property List in July this year and also appeared as the “dream home” in the Tees Valley Evening Gazette’s Homemaker property supplement in April.
The Ingleby Barwick property was described as a mix between contemporary design and grandeur from bygone days.
The name “Fellows Hall” refers to the vaulted entrance hallway, which has high ceilings and a grand staircase, like and old Victorian hall.
Special features include an open plan-style ground floor, a garden room, a cinema/video-games room and views over open fields and the Cleveland Hills.
Simon also runs Teesside based digital branding agency Calm Asylum. Keep your eyes peeled for his entrepreneurial story, which will arrive on If we can, you can on Friday afternoon.
Fri, 19 Sep 2008
MiniG launch free Christmas present website
If we can, you can member Jonathan Grubin has come up with an ingenious way to help parents beat the anticipated recession this Christmas, by launching a website letting people choose the most wanted Christmas presents for free.
At a time when families are struggling to cope with the effects of the credit crunch and the housing market slowdown, Jonathan, a 17-year-old student from Newcastle upon Tyne, today launches FreeXmas.co.uk.
The website allows its members to claim items like the new iPhone 8GB, iPods, Xbox 360s, Nintendo Wiis and Playsation 3s – all at the top of children’s letters to Santa this year.All members have to do in order to claim the presents is complete sponsors’ offers and recommend their friends to do the same.
FreeXmas.co.uk is the newest of four online networks that A-level student Jonathan owns. He set up his first business, which gives away free mobile phone accessories, when he was just 12. His other businesses include livenewcastle.co.uk, a listings site for the city, and forfree4u.co.uk, another rewards website.
Jonathan said: “I think it’s unfair that the international economic climate should mean that parents have to feel they’re letting their children down, as pennies are counted all over the country. I hope that FreeXmas.co.uk will take some of that pressure off parents.
“I’ve been fascinated by the internet since I was a young child and I’m really privileged to be able to look back on five years in business at the age of just 17. Hopefully my newest website will help people struggling to pay for the perfect present this Christmas.”The website is now online at www.freexmas.co.uk.
Tue, 16 Sep 2008
Newcastle Work Experience
If you’re looking for a work placement student to undertake a specific project, Newcastle University's ‘Newcastle Work Experience’ programme could be the answer.
We used the programme last year at the Entrepreneurs’ Forum and took on an excellent undergraduate to help us implement our new CRM system.
NWE provides international students with an opportunity to experience the UK business culture whilst undertaking a challenging project – in anything from scientific and environmental research; HR policy development; international market research; event management; IT systems development. It can be a cost effective and flexible solution to business needs and also a way of bringing a fresh perspective and new ideas to your organisation.
At the moment the NWE can offer up to 20 subsidised term-time places for international students with the possibility of more to come. The cost to the host organisation is £200 and the student receives a £575 bursary on successful completion of the 100 hour project.
It’s “first come, first served” so if you’re interested email nwe@ncl.ac.uk or phone Lesley Cairns, Placement Officer, on 0191 222 6469. (And mention EF or If we can, you can).
Thu, 11 Sep 2008
Challenge Ambassadors working together
If we can, you can Challenge ambassadors Anh Mao of MaoCouture and David Goldsmith of Summerfield Photography recently teamed up together with an exceptionally glamorous photoshoot featuring just some of Anh's amazing dress designs (see below).
Anh said: "After we met at the if you can we can challenge, I had a look at David's work and they look very impressive, thought we can work together to promote each others businesses.
At the time Miss Newcastle and Miss Durham is wearing my dress for the Miss England Final. I find David is a great person to work with, very down to earth and a good listener too.
He produced a great photoshoot for the first time we work together. and we will keep on doing projects together."
David said: "Anh approached me at IWCYC awards day and asked me to do a photo shot for her. Anh gave me a clear brief to work to and it was a privilege to work with her.
Her work is fantastic the colours and designs of her dresses are flawless and inspiring, making the whole photo shoot delightful to be involved with. I am looking forward to working again with Anh again in the near future.”
To read more about Anh and David, take a look at their stories on the site (www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/anh-mao and www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/david-goldsmith)
Mon, 08 Sep 2008
The ‘essence of entrepreneurship’ questionnaire
We want to know what makes you tick
It's all part of the next phase of our PR campaign to encourage people across the North East, whatever their background, to think about starting or growing a business.
What did you do before you got started, what were you like at school, are you naturally bold or cautious, an extrovert or a loner.......
It's nothing too serious, just something to give us a few statistics - and then we're looking for the anecdotes that readers will be able to identify with. You can complete the survey online.
Thanks for helping us with this - we'll be looking for some of you to profile in the regional press.
Thu, 04 Sep 2008
LANGUAGE COMPANY’S SUPPORT TRANSLATES INTO CASH FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITY!
Newcastle-based translations company, Williams Language Solutions Ltd, has selected The Children’s Trust’s as its chosen charity. The company provides translations, language training and international communications modules to businesses.
As part of this service, an advice booklet on etiquette and cultural aspects of individual countries provides essential reading for clients travelling abroad. For each book sold at £5.00, 50p will be donated to The Children’s Trust, a national charity, which provides care, education and therapy to children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs.
Stefania De Angelis Williams, director of Williams Language Solutions Ltd, said: “We chose to support The Children’s Trust as our UK based charity through meticulous research and visiting the charity’s website, which we found very informative and friendly. Although our initial support is limited, we intend to increase our involvement in the future, as we know that every penny donated makes a real difference.”
Holly Newman, corporate fundraiser at The Children’s Trust added:”We are delighted to be the company’s chosen charity. Communications across countries are vital for good working relationships and the company’s services will greatly help businesses and individuals overcome language barriers.”
For further information on Williams Language Solutions, visit: www.translate-it.org.
To find out more about The Children’s Trust, visit: www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk, and to read Stefania's inspirational personal journey, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/stefania-de-angelis-williams
Wed, 03 Sep 2008
Fantastic times for Scene Group
Glastonbury this year proved to be a fantastic opportunity for Singstar, Sony Playstation's Karaoke brand to bring some new talent to an appreciative audience. Scene Group were there capturing the event and supporting the experiential team. Thanks to Eric and the team from Sony and to our animator Aaron, where did you find that cow?
Continuing our close partnership with Bacardi, Scene Group were asked to support one of their major leisure customers Spirit Group; by creating an exciting training tool for bartenders in top end venues.The shoot was great fun, so many thanks to star performers Jamie and Craig for their hard work in front of the camera. Thanks also to Tokyo Bar and to John for organising the venue, what a fantastic backdrop.
Scene Group also recently completed an education focused project with our partners at Eston Park School in Middlesborough. After initially creating a website based film tool for this hardworking and innovative school, we were pleased to return to make more film and add a ‘sceneconsole’ content management system for use on site. Thanks to Ron, Karen and the team for their continued hard work in making Eston Park a school that staff, parents, students and the local community are justifiably very proud of.
To see more about Scene Group's work, visit: http://www.bescene.co.uk/index.php/customer-list and you can also read about Gavin's entrepreneurial journey so far at www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/gavin-knights
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
Things are looking good for Michelle!
Michelle Taylor has been frantically working away on her new design range after taking an enormous risk leaving a very successful position at Playboy Intimates. She tells us about what’s on the horizon for her, and has sent through some of the designs she has been developing, including her brand new logo for her company, Design by Bluebird:
"I’ve got a few possibilities with exciting new contracts in the near future with a key quality high street retailer, and there are also potential projects with various DJs and recording artists.
I’ve also been approached by someone in New York about forming a partnership so there’s definitely a lot in the pipeline… just need to secure a few deals now!"
Michelle
Don't forget, do drop us a line letting us know about your experiences, achievements or otherwise! Send them to stephen@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk and we'll get them on the blog for you.
Fri, 22 Aug 2008
North East hospice gets a helping hand from Jonathan
A Newcastle teenager whose online business has turned over more than £100,000 is now giving something back to the community by announcing a partnership with his local hospice.
After successfully establishing the forfree4u.co.uk network of websites, 17-year-old Jonathan Grubin, who is from Gosforth, today announces that St Oswald’s Hospice will be the company’s Charity of the Year.
Jonathan, who recently sat his AS levels at Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School, has previously supported the hospice through a large donation in April, taking part in June’s Northern Rock Cyclone fundraising event and promotional work to make the public aware of St Oswald’s Midnight Walk, which will take place in October.
Jonathan said: "I recognise the social responsibility that my company has, and I know that St Oswald's is an amazing local charity which will put our donations to good use. The charity carries out exceptional work throughout the North East, and I'm pleased that I'm able to share my success.
“I’ve always lived in Gosforth and so I know what good work the Hospice does. I’m glad that the money I’ve earned from forfree4u.co.uk enables me to put a little bit back into the local community that has helped me build the company."
Jonathan set up his first internet business, www.minig.co.uk, which sells mobile phone accessories, in 2004, when he was just 12. Since then, he has created two other sites: forfree4u.co.uk, a rewards site where members can sign up for free mobile phones, iPods and cameras, and livenewcastle.co.uk, a listings site for Newcastle, which is soon to re-launch.
The announcement was welcomed warmly by Viv Williamson, community fundraiser at St Oswald’s, who said: "We are thrilled that MiniG Media has adopted St Oswald's as their Charity of the Year. With our annual running costs exceeding £6million, it is only through companies like MiniG that we are able to continue providing our care.
"Jonathan is an inspiration to our younger generation and new businesses everywhere. We are very grateful for his support and look forward to working with him in the future."
Thu, 21 Aug 2008
Well done Michelle!
Hartlepool If we can, you can Challenge winner Michelle Taylor went to the Harrogate Lingerie Show on Monday to showcase her work amongst the best designers in the world. This is the first time at the show that she's revealed her own designs for her freelance business, rather than as a representative for Playboy. Coming back on a bit of a high, she tells us about her experience:
My day at the Harrogate Lingerie Show
I am so thrilled and feeling really good and focused coming home after the show. I know I can make it happen and am even more determined now. The potential in the lingerie sector is huge!
Prior to the day I made some special business cards in the form of giant love heart lollies (you know the way ones that you get from the sea-side) I then made my own design labels with my number and my email address on it tied with a big red ribbon. The original packets were tacky and so I cut down some plastic bags that I bought and sealed them neatly creating my own packaging.
I went onto stands asking if they take on freelancers and showed my portfolio to a few companies. A lot of the companies design in Italy/France but they were impressed and said they would pass on my details.
I definitely re-newed two contacts that I hope will turn into long term freelance opportunities, (a Chinese lady that I have worked with before and lost contact with wants me to design her next swim range ) and a top designer lingerie brand was thrilled to hear I had gone freelance as she needs a luxury /high end designer for her range and wants me to work with her on it.
I also chatted to a the lady who owns a high end lingerie store in London. She has stocked my previous designs and loves my retro/pretty hand-writing...she said when my sample range is ready she would like me to go and see her again!! It would be a great honour to have my range in her store (all the celebs like Sadie Frost/Jude Law go in apparently). Mariah Carey bought one of my corsets from there too.
All in all a great day... I also was interviewed by the Lingerie Buyer editor (who I have know but we have stayed in touch) and she has said that she would love me to go and meet her again when I have my sample range done in November.
Michelle Taylor
Thu, 14 Aug 2008
Babel develops innovative new learning tool
Game based learning company Babel Digital, run by Teesside If we can, you can member Jeremiah Alexander, has developed the first in a new series of 'serious games' they have been working on. 'Guanxi' uses 3D graphics and advanced animation techniques to teach people about how to engage with foreign cultures and languages, especially when it comes to international business relationships. Here, he tells us how he came up with the concept for Guanxi, and the steps he's taken to bring it to market:
Like any good solution Babel Digital’s GuanXi started with a problem. The idea for using games to teach foreign languages and culture actually came to me a long time ago while I was sitting on the Metro looking over notes from my Japanese evening class and thinking, there must be an easier way to learn than this. That was the starting point, which seemed to match in nicely with the work I was doing using advanced games technologies and I began to see how video games could be applied in novel ways to solving this problem. This was the beginning of my interest in Serious Games.
Video games are often at the centre of a lot of controversy and recently have received unfounded negative criticism. Strangely enough, it’s for many of the same reasons that they are criticised that can also make them great tools for learning. Games are all about immersion that’s their real strength, they can relax you, then they can engage you and then that’s when you’re psychologically in the best mindset to learn.
Looking deeper, games have numerous strengths as a learning medium, such as the ability to accommodate all styles of learners visual, auditory and kinaesthetic due the variety of media possible. Additionally, we know that absorbing learning material on as many levels as possible is the best way to ensure that as much as possible is captured. Again games strike gold here, as the iterative nature of games increases the retention process and the challenges presented forces users to apply, and reapply their learning in immersive ways. These are the three steps required to best facilitate understanding.
With Gunaxi we asked ourselves, what is the single best way to learn a language and the culture? The answer was… actually living in the country of that language and culture! It’s all about immersion and necessity. We looked into ways to emulate this invaluable experience and this is where games came in. Using realistic games technology we can simulate real to life scenarios just like someone would face if they were in a foreign country and by making their understanding of the culture and language the driver for progression, we are able to facilitate the learning as if they were there. However, as we have full control over the environment we are able to add benefits beyond real-life scenarios, we can direct the situations that someone faces and furthermore, we can track performances and tell users how they can improve.
Alongside our bespoke development work, we have designed and developed a prototype of the system allowing us to demonstrate the concept and prove our hypothesis. As a next step we will be taking this successful model and developing a version to release online in time for the Chinese New Year. We’re really excited about launching the product; we believe it will make a really strong impact on the way people learn.
Jeremiah Alexander
MD – Babel Digital Ltd
For more info, visit http://www.babeldigital.com/guanxi.html
Fri, 08 Aug 2008
Red tape anyone?
The 'I need help with' feature recently installed on If we can, you can has generated some fantastic responses from the community. People who have been through certain experiences have been more than happy to pass on their nuggets to someone struggling with the same thing. Take for example Sue Harris, who very kindly offered her advice to Magdalena Fowler after admitting she struggles with doing accounts and business finance by herself. We'd like to share this with anyone who finds it tough breaking through red tape!
Thu, 07 Aug 2008
Guroo set to soar
If we can, you can member Jonathan Wells of Guroo has predicted a rapid growth is about to take place in his business, with a shake up in the education system.
The Journal published an article on Jonathan today, as he spoke about his plans for Guroo. The education software business is producing diplomas for children aged 14-19 who will be able to study ‘real life’ skills via video, podcasts, interactive online tests and downloadable solutions.
He believes the software will become a hit in schools nationally and help him increase turnover from £50,000 to £1.2m by next year and £10m by 2013.
Jonathan said in the article: “We have already had a lot of encouraging responses from the schools and colleges that we have been working with. Their input has helped us make the software even better.”
To read the full article click http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/technology-news/tm_campaign=Newcastle_email_nebusinessemail%3A20080807%26headline=education-man-to-multipy-sales%26method=full%26objectid=21481804%26siteid=51140-name_page.html?campaign=Newcastle%5Femail%5Fnebusinessemail%3A20080807
And to read about Jonathan’s entrepreneurial journey so far, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/jonathan-wells
Wed, 23 Jul 2008
Workshop Programme to kick-start your business
If we can, you can has developed a relationship with Business Link's NOW North East programme, which is being brought across the region to urge budding business tycoons to explore their high-growth business ideas and turn them into reality.
The programme will comprise of a number of stand-alone workshops at convenient locations across the North East for entrepreneurs who have potentially high-earning business ideas and the resource and capacity to start-up, progress and grow.
The workshops, which will take place over the coming months, will cover a range of vital business issues and address the key skills needed to achieve success. Delegates will have the opportunity to meet with like-minded entrepreneurs, network and expand their business contacts, and will have access to a range of knowledgeable business professionals.
If we can, you can are providing personal guides to marketing, finance, planning and people to the workshops, which have been inspired by the many individual approaches taken by some of our If we can, you can members.
Each workshop will last for just three hours and will take place either in the morning or late afternoon. Morning workshops will commence at 8.30am for networking, with a 9am start and will end around 12 noon. The afternoon workshops commence at 4pm and will end at around 7pm.
Those with a potentially high-growth business idea, who would like more information on the workshops and how to attend one, can register at http://www.nownortheast.co.uk/ or call 0845 680 1 391.
Mon, 21 Jul 2008
Busy times for UK Biometrics Ltd
Former Entrepreneurs' Forum Young Entrepreneur of the Year Matt James, Managing Director of UK Biometrics Ltd, has been busy franchising his company all over the UK and abroad. The company is a leading supplier of fingerprint entry systems, membership systems and time & attendance systems, and here are just some of their recent news and developments. Keep a look out on http://www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/ for Matt's story, coming soon.
BIOMETRIC SECURITY TO PROTECT CHILDREN AT BRITAINS LAGEST NURSERY GROUP
Newcastle upon Tyne based UK Biometrics Ltd has announced the roll-out of a deal worth over half million pounds to supply and install biometric ‘Fingerprint Entry’ security systems at Busy Bees, Britain’s larges chain of children’s nurseries. The system will allow parents and carers easy access to the nurseries while ensuring unauthorised people cannot gain entry.
UK Biometrics has worked with Busy Bees for over a year, trialling the system at fourteen nurseries.
The new biometric locks allow Busy Bees personnel to register parents and carers fingerprints in seconds. Once registered parents press their fingerprint onto a sensor pad at the door then leave or collect their children without fuss. Un-registered visitors ring the bell and wait for a member of staff to admit them.
The new system will allow staff to spend more time with the children at busy drop-off and collection times, rather than answering the door to parents.
The multi-spectral scanner identifies key points on the users fingerprint, and scans sub-dermal ridges making it impossible to ‘spoof’ using a fake fingerprint. . No actual fingerprint is stored and the encrypted data is held only by Busy Bees individual nurseries. It is impossible to reproduce a fingerprint, or any part of a fingerprint from data stored.
Busy Bees Regional Director Carole Chadderton said;
“We are always looking at ways of improving the quality of our nurseries, and security for the children and staff is a prime concern. We have worked closely with UK Biometrics and their access system will enable us to maintain high security standards throughout our nurseries.”
UK Biometrics Operations Director Shaun Oakes said:
“Busy Bees has been the leading provider of quality childcare since 1983 and their commitment to biometric access proves they will adopt the latest and best technology to protect children and offer peace of mind to carers and parents. Biometrics provides the only key which cannot be lost, stolen, forged or hacked – the human fingerprint.”
Busy Bees nurseries are trusted by parents around the UK to provide their children with a safe, secure, happy, healthy and stimulating environment. They offer a child-centred approach where children are encouraged to develop their creativity, individuality and self-confidence in secure surroundings, led by fully trained staff.
BIOMETRIC SECURITY PROTECTS 210 BERKSHIRE CHILDREN
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust has become the first primary healthcare trust in the UK to install biometric access systems to protect 210 children and staff at three nurseries in the County. Little Dragons nursery in Reading, Kiddies Kabin in Maidenhead and Jack In The Box in Slough have replaced buzzer and intercom systems with biometric ‘Fingerprint Entry’ devices.
The multi-spectral scanner identifies key points on the users fingerprint, and scans sub-dermal ridges making it impossible to ‘spoof’ using a fake fingerprint. . No actual fingerprint is stored and the encrypted data is held only by individual nurseries making it fully data protection compliant. It is impossible to reproduce a fingerprint, or any part of a fingerprint from data stored.
The technology, supplied by the Thames Valley office of UK Biometrics Ltd allows nursery personnel register parent’s fingerprints in seconds. Parents then simply press their fingerprint on a sensor pad at the door to gain fast, easy access. They can leave or collect their children without fuss while un-registered visitors must ring the bell and wait for a member of staff. The new biometric system means staff can now spend more time caring for children and helping them attain their Early Learning goals.
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust Security Management Specialist Jim Tye says:
“The new biometric access systems provide state of the art security for children and staff, which is a paramount concern. Parents are comforted to know their children are protected by the latest high-tech device while fingerprint entry makes life safer and easier all round.”
All three nurseries recently attained ‘Good’ OFSTED reports in all areas of their childcare and education. Another OFSTED report praised the biometric entry system as ‘Protecting children from harm’.
UK Biometrics Ltd Director, Reading based Nick Morse says:
“Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has specified the only key which cannot be lost, stolen, forged or hacked – the human fingerprint.”
Wed, 09 Jul 2008
Recession won't kill the radio star!
Here's a summary of the conversation between Ali McLean and Victoria Derbyshire on Radio 5 Live - you can listen to the discussion by visiting http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/morning.shtml
'We're far from being in a recession, and I'm sick of all the negativity thank you very much. Our business arranges activity holidays in Europe and all over the world- they're not cheap, but our last two weeks have been our best ever.
'We have a fairly middle class client base, and they're the ones who have been hit the worst by higher interest rates and higher fuel prices. Yet just yesterday, I sold a family of six a ten day white water rafting adventure holiday in Slovenia for £6000. People are still prepared to spend money.
'I'm a member of the Entrepreneurs' Forum, and we're a body of business owners from tiny companies all the way up to our chairman, Paul Walker, who's the Chief Executive of Sage. We held our annual conference recently, and it came out that 88% of our members believe the media has exacerbated the current financial and economic position in this country. We're talking our way into a recession.'
Victoria Derbyshire, Dj for Radio Five Live, said that the British Chamber of Commerce performed a large survey with 5000 businesses, both small and large, and their members reported back that sales on their order books have declined dramatically in the last three months.
Ali responded, 'We resigned from our local Chamber of Commerce a few months ago. We felt that the Entrepreneurs Forum offered us a lot better value, and a lot more positivity. We all talk to each other, and most people say that they are optimistic about the future of the economy here in the North East. If we can survive, everyone else can too.'
Wed, 09 Jul 2008
An Evening with the Best of Northumberland
Yesterday evening, I held my second networking event “An Evening with the Best of Northumberland” at Kirkley Hall, near Ponteland. The event is aimed at giving my client members of thebestofnorthumberland and other businesses an opportunity in a relaxed, social (and very impressive) setting to make connections with other local recommended businesses to drive more business.
One of my clients, the artist Karen Willis, displayed her stunning pictures and prints at the event, and other client members informed the session of their exceptional services – Phil Brown of Bentley Brown & Co presented an update on pensions, Zoe Moore of Homes & Gardens described her friendly and efficient gardening and cleaning services, and Ralph English of Ralph English Interiors explained how they offered great value for money quality kitchen and bathroom design and installation service.
I was very pleased with the evening – connections made, business initiated, and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves.
The next event is scheduled for 9th September. (For further details, please contact me by phone or email – details as below.)
Tony McAndrew
Director
Word of Mouth specialists, uncovering the hidden gems of Northumberland.
We fly the flag for recommended businesses in Northumberland.
thebestofnorthumberland36 De Mowbray Way
Lancaster Park
Morpeth NE61 3RF
T 01670 504879E northumberland@thebestof.co.uk
www.thebestof.co.uk/northumberland
Wed, 09 Jul 2008
If we can, you can Challenge Reception
The finalists of ‘If we can, you can’ Challenge came together at a special event to celebrate the success of the competition in unlocking the region’s undiscovered entrepreneurial talent, and to discuss the impact with the wider business community that the If we can, you can campaign seeks to create in its upcoming developments.
The finalists and winners were each presented with a specially designed canvas photo image of themselves by chair of One NorthEast Margaret Fay OBE. The images, made up of a montage of ‘challenge’ entrants and established entrepreneurs profiles, were unveiled at the event for the first time.
Carole Beverley, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum said: “The campaign has created a new community of entrepreneurs who have all shown incredible passion, drive and ambition to succeed. We are delighted to see this community already developing its own momentum.”
Fri, 04 Jul 2008
From Terry Priestner:
Thu, 03 Jul 2008
Tea Frappe
Here is a little bit of info about our Tea Frappe drink...
Tea Frappe is an all natural, well rounded red black tea infused with honey, blended with ice and skimmed milk to create a refreshing tea frappe which contains less than 2% fat.
We are looking for local retailers who currently stock iced coffee drinks who may be interested to trial our product.
Gavin Blowman,
Chooba
Thu, 03 Jul 2008
Volunteering with Young Enterprise
I have been visiting a local primary school through Young Enterprise to deliver the "Our City" module to 8-9 year olds. This is the first time I have done anything like this and I can strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to give something back to their local community.
Young Enterprise is a national education charity founded in 1939 to forge links between schools and industry. It's mission is: To inspire and equip young people to lean and succeed through enterprise.
Ann Williams-Maughan
Education Takeaway
