April Breakfast News - A Change of Venue and New Episodes in Ongoing Stories

28 attending members and non-members including several new faces enjoyed breakfast in the comfortable surroundings of the Stowmarket Golf Club – once someone had finally unlocked the front door!

This month we had a limerick, two magicians and a further episode in the saga of the Mad Hatter’s tea shop, plus a long-distance message, proving that people like to stay connected even when they are away on holiday!

Jonathan Steed, of Gipping Press, provided the limerick:

An executive business decision

To be greeted with general derision

Is the misguided thought

That your company ought

To cut back on its print –

THIS LACKS VISION!

A much better plan I would stress

Is to utilise our services

Your sales figures climb higher

When we print your flyer

So give us a whirl -

GIPPING PRESS!

Meanwhile at the Mad Hatter’s tea shop the story continued, courtesy of Kate Kelly, the Business Plumber, with the March Hare standing outside the bank eavesdropping and “not a happy bunny”.

“What’s wrong?” asked the Mad Hatter.

“It’s our business plan,” said the March Hare. “It’s not strategic enough.”

He continued: “It’s not a yes-able proposition. It’s not good enough to extend our overdraft.”

At this point a sleepy voice piped up. It was the Doormouse:

“Let me introduce you to the Business Plumber.”

Simon Burton of 8CW was away on holiday in Bude, but that didn’t stop him from sending us the latest in his series of tips.  It was gin again……And this time the advice was "when sitting enjoying the sun gin is for sipping with ice and tonic.”  Thanks Simon!

As for the magicians, by a spooky coincidence – and absolutely no collusion! – Keely Taylor, of KTSS, and Alison Withers, of multimedia reputations, both started their 60 seconds with: “I’m a magician”. Both had been told so by clients. In Keely’s case it was for her success in getting late invoices paid, and in Alison’s it was for producing the right words for promoting clients’ businesses.

Allan Scott, of Newsletter Genie, has been helping the John Peel Centre in its efforts to raise matched funding for their bid for sponsorship to develop the proposed arts centre in Stowmarket. Allan is supporting the venture by providing an e-newsletter and is encouraging members to take advertisements as a means of sponsoring it.  He also encouraged members to offer their professional skills to the organisers.

Adrian Baldry, of Priority Driver Training, demonstrated how by teaching a Norfolk Company’s 450 drivers to drive more safely and economically he had saved them £80,000 a year.

Finally Debbie Bullard, of Mid-Suffolk Accountancy Services, Somersham, warned that HM Revenue and Customs has introduced a new initiative to check the business records of about 50,000 companies a year and to impose penalties on any that were found not to be keeping proper records.

Spotlight from Sue Hall, of Maid2Clean, on How to Create More Free Time

Sue’s agency is an introductory service to match suitable cleaners to clients to enable them to create a better work-life balance and avoid having to become “magicians” to fit in all the daily chores of running a business, a home and a social life.

She drew members’ attention to the hourly rate they charge for their services.  It is instructive to apply the business hourly rate to the routine tasks of daily life, and the results add up to a staggering amount of money.

Assuming an hourly rate of £100, she suggested, doing three hours of housekeeping a week added up to £300, whereas using a cleaner would cost a third of that, leaving you with two spare hours – or £200 worth - either to put towards your business or to create some free time for leisure and family.

One of Sue’s most popular cleaners, she said, is a man who is a house husband and fits his professional cleaning around taking care of the school run and all the domestic chores.  It meant that he was able to take care of his family and at the same time earn money in a way that suited him.

It also meant that his seven regular clients had more time to devote to their businesses and more leisure time that was not eaten up by chores.

Sue herself has benefited from having someone take care of the household cleaning. It has meant that she has at last been able to realise her dream of having a puppy and to volunteer in a number of roles including Ipswich WIRE and being an “approved” adult for young people with mental health issues who have been arrested by police and need an adult present during questioning. 

Sue is also a companion to a six year-old child who is a victim of abuse and has been fostered. Sue’s role is to spend time with the child just allowing him to have fun as the only person in their life who is not paid to be there.

None of this would have been possible, she said, without outsourcing her own housework.

Chairman’s report – the Bee’s back!

Peter’s Queen Bee flew in with a number of updates for members.

1 The new manager has been appointed for the Stowmarket Morrisons and recruitment of staff will begin on 12^th June.

2 Peter attended the ISSBA exhibition and reported that it had been a great success with more than 90 stands and a number of Stowmarket Chamber members present. It has prompted him to suggest the possibility of adding an international dimension next year, either with exhibitors and their overseas clients exhibiting together or by taking ISSBA to Europe.

3 Following the launch of the Town Centre Partnership a number of local businesses have volunteered their services to join the board or support the initiative.

4 The visit to Muntons was very successful and an eye-opener on the state of the art technology the company uses.

5 A fascinating fact that came out of the recent seminar on new employment protection legislation run by Nigel George, called  “You can’t sack me I’m an OAP”, was the fact that we have Otto von Bismarck to thank for the concept of the old age pension.

6 As part of the drive to encourage more members the new Stowmarket Chamber leaflet is available for any members to give to their clients and contacts. There are also a few plaques available for members to buy.

7 Negotiations on the proposed two-tier membership structure for Stowmarket Chamber are progressing well and once the business plan has been completed the decision will be finalised.  Peter hopes to launch the new membership scheme on June 1.

8 Finally, copies are available of Peter’s book, Eventful Voyage, about his grandfather’s memories of World War 1, printed by Gipping Press. £1 of the £5 purchase price will go to the Royal Naval Benevolent Fund. Anyone who would like a copy should contact Peter:

peter.avoca@talktalk.net

Dates for your diary

Breakfast meetings coming. Venues vary so make sure you turn up at the right place:

May 20  Golf Club

June 17 Rugby Club

July 15 Golf Club

Next Meeting:

May 20,  7am,  Golf Club

phone: 01449 770965

e-mail: mailto:secretary@stowmarketchamber.org.uk

website: http://www.stowmarketchamber.org.uk