Sustainability | SGBA - Transforming businesses

SGBA launches new business to support SMEs in drinks and hospitality sectors

26/09/2015 By

SGBA is a well established company providing help and support to small businesses in the South of England. The business consists of 9 well qualified, experienced business advisors who help companies in a variety of sectors and have experience in strategy development, sales and marketing, financial management including obtaining grants and other funding and HR.

SGBA has now launched a specialist business focussed of the drinks, hospitality and events sectors across the country. The new business is The Business of Drinks (www.businessofdrinks.co.uk) and focusses mainly on craft brewers, vineyards, distilleries, soft drink manufacturers and their supply chain. They also have expertise in the hospitality and event sectors.

For some years now SGBA has been helping various types of drinks manufacturers to develop and grow there business and have been involved with delivering digital marketing workshops to the wine industry through Wineskills. It was quickly realised that there was a need to deliver the expertise of the associates to this sector across a wider area and so decided to launch the Business of Drinks nationwide. They have also developed a range of services which are specifically designed for the drinks industry and have already raised funding for some clients and have been successful in obtaining grants for others.

For more information contact us or email info@sgba.co.uk

Why a patent may be more valuable than you think…..

02/12/2014 By

Patents for your innovation, very expensive to many small businesses.

“The problem with having a patent is that if I challenge a multinational in court for breaching my Intellectual Property, then it will cost me a bomb in legal fees. And of course ‘Big Co’ can afford more expensive lawyers than I can afford“.
It is a fairly common comment from Business Owners and Innovators. And of course it is even more expensive if you have cover in Europe, or World Wide.

Of course, Company owned patents are seen as assets when it comes to Company valuations, but this may not be easily reconcilable during day to day business.

The goalposts changed on 1st April 2013, and it is amazing how many innovators and small Business Owners do not know about the Patent Box. Whilst nothing changes regarding the ‘vulnerability of Big Co to try to bypass your patent’, matters have changed regarding the incentives for doing so.

Profits from items with a Patent are now subject to a lower rate of Corporation tax.

So, let us say that 50% of your profits are derived from items with Patent protection, then tax related to this is reduced to 10%. Prior to April 2013, all profits associated to Patents were subject to the higher Corporation Tax rate.

Of course you need to work out the sums in your financial projections to see if it is worthwhile.

If you need help with weighing up the pros and cons, call us, or drop us an e mail. Discretion guaranteed.

0333 444 8522
ian.thomas@sgba.co.uk
peter.johns@sgba.co.uk
bob.francis@sgba.co.uk

– See more at: http://ukba.co.uk/news/why-a-patent-may-be-more-valuable-than-you-think/#sthash.yL30sdC9.hg3onuCA.dpuf

Why use a Business Advisor?

03/04/2013 By Geofrey Steward

The majority of business owner/managers are self confident and may appear to have a broad range of skills that have been developed during the time of owning and managing their business. The idea of using a Business Advisor/Coach is a no-no as it implies that they do not have ability to solve their business problems on their own. However, in the current market the pressures of keeping ones head above water are increasing. Taking on some expert help, on a temporary basis, may be a wise course of action but before committing to that step there are some questions to ask yourself.

Are you dealing with a true Business Advisor?
You will need to satisfy yourself that the person appointed is committed to having a portfolio of businesses with which to work and has experience of working in a number of businesses simultaneously. Someone who has recently come out of a public or corporate environment may be very expert in a particular area but will not have the experience of working in the SME environment. They may well struggle with juggling multiple contracts, part time working and irregular cash flows. Such a person may find it difficult to be sufficiently flexible to work in a number of different environments and structures with which they are unfamiliar. Furthermore they might have difficulty in getting up to speed quickly. Ideally you should look for someone who has successfully owned managed and probably exited from their own business.

Will they fit in?
Make sure that the individual has a good fit with the culture of your business and your management team. Whilst the Business Advisor may not get involved in the day to day politics of the business there must be a fit in terms of outlook, style and working practices. Remember that the Business Advisor is working for you as the business owner and it is essential that a good rapport should exist between the two parties. Managing a business, in the current environment particularly, is stressful and building a solid personal relationship is very important if the inevitable challenges are to be overcome.

What are they going to do?
You together with the Business Advisor will need to define the tasks to be carried out and time spent at the outset of the appointment will pay dividends. However, a good Business Advisor will be able to identify and clearly illustrate other areas within the business where deficiencies have been identified whilst undertaking the primary task. In defining the tasks it must be bourne in mind that the Business Advisor is part-time.

Two way communications is essential
Having good communication channels that enable any issues to be identified as early as possible are essential, but the Business Advisor is not in the office on a full time basis and therefore needs to be able to communicate effectively with the whole of the team. Ineffective communications can have a detrimental effect on completion of the tasks and can lead to apparently minor problems festering and building. The consequential loss of time in dealing with issues is damaging to the relationship and will reduce the added-value in the appointment. Regular update meetings will ensure that everything stays on track.

Amongst the main reasons why a Business Advisor can be a useful addition to management team are:-
• Experience and expertise – Some Business Advisors will have owned and managed SME’s during their business life and will have knowledge of the loneliness of being an Owner/Manager. They will have hands-on experience of industry sectors and be able to address specific skill gaps bringing best practice to bear; furthermore they are can be productive from the start of the appointment.
• Reputation -Important sources of work for Business Advisors are referrals, case studies and client testimonials, consequently the successful completion of any assignment undertaken is of great importance.
• Focus – The Business Advisor is engaged to deliver a piece of work, a service or a solution. The success in attaining the goals and objectives will trigger payment of the fees. The path to a successful outcome will have milestones that are agreed at the outset of the appointment.
• Speed – Most experienced Business Advisors are used to joining new organisations and are therefore able to make a contribution almost immediately.
• Objectivity – Because the Business Advisor is able to focus only on delivering an outcome they are not loaded down with the politics and the career aspirations of an organisations employees. Their previous experience will also enable them to bring a fresh pair of eyes and hence perspective to the business. Results are easily measured against the objectives and milestones set at the commencement of the assignment.

Appointing a Business Advisor needs careful thought and choosing the right person for your organisation both in terms of the job to be done and fitting in to the culture is paramount. Remember that the person appointed must be someone with whom you are comfortable and can trust to be objective and on-call when needed. Together you must define the scope of the work, set the milestones and the communication channels. The benefit to the business will be the provision of needed expertise and experience in an affordable way. Such an appointment will normally add significant value and enable the business to continue to succeed.

The Business Advisor/Coaches in Southern Group Business Advisors Ltd. are prepared to provide a two hour consultation free of charge and without any obligation, so what have you got to lose? Visit www.sgba.co.uk to register your interest. Alternatively contact by e-mail geofrey.steward@sgba.co.uk or telephone 01293 822521.

Sustainability and Growth

28/02/2013 By

During the last couple of weeks we have introduced the BREEAM In Use standard as an element in ensuring that a business is sustainable. Whilst the standard provides a good measure of where a business is in terms of its buildings, policies and practices there is more to ensuring that the business is fully sustainable. Amongst these will be succession planning, growth, new products/services development, and new markets.

In developing new products, services and markets a sustainable conscious company will consider the impact on ecosystems such as potential waste, resource depletion, carbon footprint and energy. During the product development cycle thought should be given to not just the resources consumed during manufacture and use but also recyclability of the product and/or components at the end of its useful life. When considering new services similar consideration must be given to the impact on ecosystems of the service delivery. By demonstrating to the market place that the company has given full and proper consideration to these matters and has acted upon the conclusions a marketing advantage will have been gained.

The ‘triple bottom line’ (people, planet, profit) is a term that is commonly used in the sustainable design process providing criteria for the social, ecological and economic impacts. This is linked to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which is as applicable to the SME sector as it is to the major corporates, and is distinct from the limited changes to deal only with the ecological issues.

The ‘triple bottom line’ way of development is not limited to products, the basic principles can be applied when considering a new service delivery. In delivering the new service what impact will it have on the environment, on staff and what is the most economical means of provision?

All of these and more are considered in our growth strategy programme. You can get more information on BREEAM here. If you want to know more about our Growth Strategy Programme why not contact us at info@sgba.co.uk

BREEAM: Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Built Environment – 3

13/02/2013 By

Organisational Effectiveness is the third part of BREEAM In Use (BIU) which is a standard covering the major issues that affect buildings through their operational life. It is compatible with the major environmental reporting systems such as ISO 14001, Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s), Display Energy Certificates (DEC’s) and RR (Fire Safety) Order.

The first two parts of ‘BREEAM: Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Built Environment’ looked at The Asset ( i.e. the building) and the Building Management Performance. In this the third of our briefings we will look at Part 3 which provides a framework for the evaluation of the policies, procedures and practices covering the activities carried out in the building being assessed. The on-line questionnaire evaluates the understanding and implementation of the management systems at the building level.

Whilst a Part 3 assessment can be carried out independently of Parts 1 and 2 of BIU many of the issues covered in Part 3 are also covered in Part 2 in relation to the management and operation of the building and its services. There are eight criteria within the assessment but the application of these will dependent upon the type of organisation and its activities.

As would be expected the eight criteria are those common to Parts 1 and 2 namely, management, energy, water, materials, waste, health and wellbeing, transport, pollution and finally land use and ecology. Under each of these headings the assessment looks at the various policies on such matters as environmental policies, business continuity planning, staff feedback etc., and how these policies are implemented.

The policies and procedures should cover what steps the organisation is taking to reduce, reuse, recycle and train in relation to its business activities. The above information is provided to the model through the on-line questionnaire which is then verified by the independent BIU auditor. On successful completion of the audit the certificate can be provided if the necessary standard has been achieved. The auditor can be appointed by the client to assist in the assessment process with general guidance on completion of the questionnaire. To ensure that there is no conflict of interest the auditor cannot assist in the writing of policies but can advise on the essence of the policy.

For more information please contact geofrey.steward@sgba.co.uk who is an accredited BIU assessor.

BREEAM: Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Built Environment – 2

05/02/2013 By

BREEAM In Use (BIU) is a standard covering the major issues that affect buildings through their operational life. It is compatible with the major environmental reporting systems such as ISO 14001, Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s), Display Energy Certificates (DEC’s) and RR (Fire Safety) Order.

In this the second of three briefings covering the three parts of BIU namely the Asset, Building Management Performance, and Organisational Effectiveness, we will look at the management of the building and its impact on the surrounding environment. Note that assessment of this Part 2 can be carried out independently of assessments for Parts 1 and 3 of the standard.

Part 2 of BIU provides a qualitative measure of:-

management policies, procedures and practices related to the operation of the building
consumption of key resources such as energy, water and other consumables
the environmental impacts of carbon and waste.

The environmental quality of the building or part of the building is dealt with under Part 1 of BIU, so the management policies etc., are independent of this but are assessed in terms of their implementation within the building. The assessment criteria are similar to those considered in Part 1 with an additional Management section.

Within this section are the various building guides and manuals together with the building user/occupier impact assessments and cover the local implementation of policies. These will include:-

Occupier satisfaction surveys, feedback and targets
Transport impact measurement and planning
Biodiversity impact and local partnerships
Measurement of building performance, reporting and targeting.

The above information is provided to the model through the on-line questionnaire which is then verified by the independent BIU auditor. On successful completion of the audit the certificate can be provided if the necessary standard has been achieved. The auditor can be appointed by the client to assist in the assessment process with general guidance on completion of the questionnaire. To ensure that there is no conflict of interest the auditor cannot assist in the writing of policies but can advise on the essence of the policy.

In the next briefing we will look at the criteria for the Organisational Effectiveness, but for more information in the meantime contact geofrey.steward@sgba.co.uk

BREEAM: Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Built Environment – 1

31/01/2013 By

BREEAM In Use (BIU) is a standard covering the major issues that affect buildings through their operational life. It is compatible with the major environmental reporting systems such as ISO 14001, Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s) , Display Energy Certificates (DEC’s) and RR (Fire Safety) Order.

In this the first of three briefings covering the three parts of BIU namely the Asset, Building Management Performance, and Organisational Effectiveness, we will consider the building itself. Each of the parts can be carried out independently of the others.

The criteria used in the Asset assessment each have a score which contributes to the total, but it is not necessary to meet all of the criteria to obtain a rating against the standard, hence the continuing development ethos of the standard. The Asset assessment criteria cover energy, water, the construction materials of the building, waste and the pollution produced by the operation of the building. I addition to these physical factors there are others associated with the personnel within the building and these cover health and wellbeing, transport and accessibility, together with land use and ecology.

Within each of these broad topics are a number of subsections, for instance under energy the assessment will need to consider the CO2 emissions, sub-metering of high energy demand processes or tenants in a multi-tenanted building, together with any built in renewable or low emission energy generators. The assessment does not take into consideration commercially provided green energy.

In the next briefing we will look at the criteria for the Building Management rating, but for more information in the meantime contact geofrey.steward@sgba.co.uk

Reducing carbon emissions in the built environment

21/01/2013 By

Buildings currently contribute about 40% of the total carbon emissions in the UK and as the demand for office space and warehousing grows at about 2% per year, this figure will only get worse.

That is why the Environmental and Sustainability Standard BES 5058 has been developed to provide insight into the environmental performance of buildings throughout their entire operational life. At the heart of this standard is an assessment methodology called BREEAM In Use.
BREEAM addresses wide-ranging environmental and sustainability issues and enables developers, designers and building managers to demonstrate the environmental credentials of their buildings to clients, planners and other initial parties.
The assessment is divided into three parts and considers the environmental performance of the building (Asset Rating), the operation of the building (Building Management Rating) and how Clients are managing their activities within the building (Organisational Rating).
Using this assessment, owners/occupiers can monitor the sustainability of their buildings, assess management and organisational practices, produce action plan to manage and improve sustainability of the asset and occupying organisation.
An initial assessment can be carried out on line but certification (a requirement when buildings change hands or are re-let) can only be carried out by an accredited assessor.
For more information or to discuss your needs with an Accredited Assessor contact:- Geofrey Steward . Tel. 01293 822521 E-mail: geofrey.steward@sgba.co.uk or go to https://www.sgba.co.uk/reducing-carbon-emissions

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