Just today I have used Google’s Gmail and search services, Canva’s colour wheel tool, an online time zone converter, Facebook, Instagram, and a web app to estimate the reading time for this article – all for FREE!
But why are they free? Maybe we need a little more critical thinking before we yield to free digital temptation.
Here are four questions I ask myself when considering free software – the last one might surprise you!
Read MoreIt was fantastic to see many of our Consult Yorkshire colleagues in attendance for our first official meeting of 2021.
The opportunity to meet remotely was warmly welcomed, especially during a month where Yorkshire has seen some very ‘interesting’ weather and travel conditions.
Following on from our regular informal networking and introductions, we moved on to the Skills Share section of the meeting.
This month we welcomed our guest speaker Katie Wytwyckyj - a Business Engagement Officer from the PAPI Project based at the University of York.
The PAPI project is a Product and Process Innovation program that provides funding to support innovation and business growth (ERDF) to eligible SMEs.
PAPI assists SMEs that are based in North & West Yorkshire and are looking to innovate through the development of a new product or service.
During her presentation, Katie covered the following key areas:
Geographic areas served by the project.
Key sectors supported.
Size of grant funding available.
The provision of fully funded Innovation workshops.
The grant application process.
Case studies of previously successful applicants.
The presentation was well received by members of Consult Yorkshire, many of whom are based or have clients that are based within the program catchment area.
Aside from our guest speaker, we had a couple of existing members who discussed new projects that they are developing. It’s always inspiring to see fellow consultants and freelancers proactively making positive steps into new ventures.
Perhaps the key takeaway from our January meeting should be:
Even though the whole world is currently experiencing a major global challenge, a regional network of likeminded professionals can still provide the support & feedback to help you onto the next stage of your professional development.
If you are a Yorkshire based Freelancer or Independent Consultant and are looking to connect with friendly and forward thinking like minded professionals, then please do get in touch with our team.
Alternatively, if you would like to find out more information about the PAPI Project, please use the following contact details:
Tel: 01904 328076
Email: papi-project@york.ac.uk
It was a full house during the Consult Yorkshire November meeting.
With Yorkshire and the rest of England in the middle of Lockdown 2.0, our Zoom networking event was busy from the get go.
Following on from the warm informal chat and introductions - group members and visitors moved onto our ‘Skills Share’ session.
This month we were treated to a timely presentation on the topic of ‘Optimising your online presence’.
Delivered by CY members Jane Fisher & Sharon Stacey, the session addressed the challenges that have arisen from the often forced transition to online meetings & training during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Sharon approached the subject from the perspective of vocal health and projection. Participants were encouraged to practice warm up exercises and body posture techniques that can aid both the projection of the voice in the online workspace & the long-term health of the vocal cords and folds.
Jane addressed the subject regarding the potential physiological & psychological downsides of being sat down, staring at the screen for long periods of time. In particular, highlighting the symptoms of digital eye strain and the negative outcomes of poor body posture.
If you would like to dig a little deeper into the subject of ‘Optimising your online Presence’, both Sharon & Jane can be contacted via their profile pages on the Consult Yorkshire website.
Alternatively, if you are a Yorkshire-based freelancer or independent consultant do get in touch. You’re welcome to attend our monthly meetings, held from 09:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month or join us for the current casual ‘Coffee Break’ catch-up every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
I’m not talking here about company, asset or brand ownership. This is about ensuring that your business has clear job role and task “ownership” throughout the organisation. This clarity is absolutely crucial for productivity, morale and business growth and, not least, to liberate the valuable time of the MD/owner.
Read MoreHow do you count the cost of returns? In this guest blog, Angela and Paul Blackman, from u-look-i-c Business Growth Consultants, explain how your returns strategy should be part of your sales strategy and can be key to profitability!
Read MoreFor many of us running small and micro-businesses, HMRC’s VAT Flat Rate Scheme (FRS) has provided a helpful, simplified means of calculating and submitting our VAT returns and dues. For those with modest input costs to our business, there can even been a small tax advantage when using the scheme. However, this situation is changing from 1 April 2017, with new rules for “limited cost traders” as HMRC seeks to tackle “aggressive abuse” of the FRS.
If you are, or think you might be a limited cost trader, you need to get yourself prepared for the imminent change.
Read MoreOn 7th June Consult Yorkshire hosted a fantastic seminar on behalf of the Bank of England. An audience of around 30 SMEs from the Yorkshire area gathered to hear Juliette Healey, the Bank’s Regional Representative for Yorkshire, talk about what was happening in the economy.
Juliette Healey presenting the Bank's outlook
Normally numbers, facts and graphs would be a guaranteed way to put an audience to sleep, but in this case it was the exact opposite. The information presented was utterly fascinating and totally relevant to the issues of smaller businesses, and Julliette’s clear and detailed delivery maintained the audience’s rapt attention.
A survey of those attending confirms this - 100% of those attending found the event informative, and 100% found the networking before the event useful. If anything the feeling was that it would have been even better with more time for Q&A. Attendees would clearly like to come to a similar event in the future, with a particular emphasis on information about the Northern Powerhouse, specifics on the Yorkshire & Humberside economy, and sustainability.
Questions from the audience
The event was kindly hosted by St Philips Chambers of 41 Park Square, Leeds, who provided an outstanding venue in the centre of Leeds and a tasty breakfast for everyone who had had to set off early to get there
At next month’s Leeds Business Week event I will reveal the five most costly mistakes organisations frequently make when they are looking to recruit at senior management or Director level. This is based upon his career success as a headhunter stretching back over 25 years working with leading business organisations in the private, public and not for profit sectors.
Come along to make sure that when you next recruit you recruit an exceptional leader helping to make your business exceptional.
“Leeds Business week is all about bringing people together across the city and beyond to share best practice, gather together to build better business relationships and benefit from each other’s expertise. We have a strong partnership with Leeds City council and we will be working closely together to develop Leeds Business Week 2015.”
Chairman of Yorkshire Mafia, Geoff Shepherd
As part of this year’s Leeds Business Week programme, Consult Yorkshire is running an advice surgery with a handful of presentations aimed at small business owners and independent consultants/advisors – FOC for 1 day only.
“How to make your business exceptional”
Wednesday 14 October 2015 8.30am – 12.30pm
at Solutions West Yorkshire, 14 King Street, Leeds, LS1 2HL
If you are seeking support, guidance or simply advice, no matter what your market or experience, our high calibre, Yorkshire-based, independent consultants, managers and interims will be able to help. With 100s of years of experience in just about every market sector and discipline, we enjoy helping everyone from a one-man start-up through to multi-million pound enterprises to maximise their potential.
The 8.30-11.30am session will combine specialist presentations jam-packed with practical tips aimed at small business owners and advisors with 1-2-1 surgeries such as interim management, marketing, PR and social media, training & development and IT/telecoms.
The business surgery will be followed by a Consult Yorkshire networking lunch 11.45am-12.30pm aimed at independent consultants interested in joining our growing network to benefit from collaboration and connection with some of Yorkshire’s finest professionals!
We do hope you can join us.
Advice surgery for small business owners and independent consultants
Tip-filled morning session designed to give you ideas and inspiration to take away and implement in your business to start making a difference straight away!
Presentations include:
David Abbott: How to price your platypus
Higher prices mean higher profits. But how do you get a higher price for your product or service? There are a number of psychological factors that influence how customers make decisions, especially with regard to pricing. You will find out how customers decide on a price, learn how this applies to business customers as much as consumers, and then discover three low-cost and easy to implement ways to get a higher price for whatever you do.
“Thoroughly interesting, thought-provoking content with fascinating examples and an engaging pace. Quite simply one of the most useful presentations I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. Will book again.”Chris Bulmer, Group IT Director, Regatta & Craghoppers
Gail Radka: Understanding and improving your emotional intelligence
Have you heard people talking about Emotional Intelligence, do you know what it is, do you know how to improve your emotional intelligence (EI)? Business Leaders need to be excellent at engaging with their people, their customers and suppliers. EI can help you improve your leadership and relationship building. Gail will help you understand the basics and how you can develop your EI further. There will be practical take away tips and tools from the session.
“Gail has worked with our organisation over a period of years delivering high quality leadership master classes. Gail has also led an organisational wide piece of work for the Trust helping us to review our organisational values. Gail is professional, knowledgeable and we couldn’t have achieved what we have without her expert input.” Steve Ned, Director of Human Resources at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Guy Newton: Management recruitment: The five most costly mistakes organisations make
Guy will reveal the five most costly mistakes organisations frequently make when they are looking to recruit at senior management or Director level. This is based upon his career success as a headhunter stretching back over 25 years working with leading business organisations in the private, public and not for profit sectors.
More importantly, he will suggest practical steps you can implement on behalf of your organisation to avoid these costly mistakes.
Guy will share his experience so that when you next recruit you will recruit an exceptional leader helping to make your business exceptional.
Helen Kitchen: 3 ways to stand out from the crowd using social media
Are you bored of the whole social media scene? Even worse, is your social media activity boring? Revitalise your approach to tweeting with an injection of creativity from this session to help you develop content which will make you and your business stand out – with immediate results! Experienced PR consultant Helen Kitchen manages social media activity for organisations in the B2B and B2C sectors and has a wealth of experience of campaigns aimed at raising brand awareness, driving website traffic and positioning businesses at the cutting edge of innovation. Come and find out what she thinks really works when it comes to being exceptional online!
“Helen came to instruct my students, many of whom would be setting up as self-employed for the first time, on the use of social media to promote themselves on line. She’d done some considerable research and the talk was oriented to the very specific needs of our industry. Her talk was clear, concise, easy to follow and pitched exactly right for a group with varying knowledge and experience of the topic.” Debbie Waller, Yorkshire Hypnotherapy
Peter Cowey: Transforming knowledge into money; steps to help make innovation work for your business
Putting an innovation programme in place can recharge your firm’s competitive position and growth potential. The starting point is to harness your team’s knowhow, then stimulate and transform that knowledge into new revenue. Peter will take you through practical steps to make innovation work for your business and reach this goal.
Peter leads Resurgent Growth Ltd an innovation services business. His career has focused upon management and marketing for firms local and global across a range of sectors including; specialty chemicals [uses in textiles, plastics, cleaners & sanitizers], food, drink, and confectionery, coatings [conveyor & drive belts] and logistics. As an intrapreneur he has developed, managed business and created new ventures and with benefit of a recent MBA from Bradford University School of Management offers the combination of strategic insight and vision with the latest thinking and techniques to help your firm identify opportunities, stimulate innovation and translate into resurgent growth.
