Sherie Griffiths

March 30, 2010

OBE – ‘Out Before Easter’

Filed under: Uncategorised — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 8:33 am

Extract from “On Sound Foundations” – Chapter 4: “Good Pennies”:

“By the early Nineties, my listening habits were becoming quite varied.  I dipped in and out all over the dial, although I did have my favourites.

“During ‘89, I ran across the ‘Chris Tarrant Breakfast Show’ on Capital – and was immediately hooked.  I think what drew me in was the daily drama, ‘Dick Tarrant – Private Eye and Private Ear’ – known as ‘Dick in the Dark before Dawn’ when the clocks went back.

“Chris played an arrogant but totally inept private detective, with other characters being played by the rest of his team, including news readers like Chris Cardell (now a successful marketing expert) and Howard Hughes – formally of Radio City.  A regular throughout the series, which ran for years, was Russ Cain, who was normally heard doing the traffic reports from ‘The Flying Eye’.  Russ played a range of parts – most memorably, the infamously incontinent  ‘Lieutenant Rubber-Trousers’.

“The odd (or do I mean ‘occasional’?  No, I do mean ‘odd’) big-name actor even put in an appearance.  Leslie Nielsen, of ‘Police Squad’ and ‘Naked Gun’ fame, fitted into the cast particularly well. 

“I’d watched Chris on ‘Tiswas’ in the early Eighties, and I thought he was fantastic on radio – as did millions of Londoners.

“The city nearly launched a mass protest when, in 2003, he announced he was leaving.  ‘I’m going for an OBE,’ he said. ‘Out Before Easter!’

“At weekends through the early Nineties, I got into GLR – Greater London Radio (now BBC London) – especially Tim Smith on the breakfast show and the unlikely sounding ‘GLR Picture Show’, with Angie Errigo.  Yes, films on the radio (well, the pictures are better).  Paul Hollingdale, and before him Peter Noble, had been reviewing films on Lux since the late Seventies; but this was a whole radio programme about movies – and it was brilliant!

 “Then, between Tim’s two contributions on a Saturday, there appeared a new presenter – new to me at least.  The first time I came across Chris Evans, he was presenting ‘Round at Chris’s with his Missus’, with his then wife, Carol.

“I had no idea then how small a world the radio industry was and is.  I didn’t know it then, but so many of the people I was listening to and had listened to, were linked – casually or otherwise. 

“Radio really is a village, in more ways than one.”

March 26, 2010

Glossary of Terms – The F’s

Filed under: A-Z of International Trade Terms, Business, International Trade, International Trade Financial Solutions — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 12:14 pm

From Ray Stannard, International Trade Financial Solutions.

 

The title of this post might be an unfortunate choice, but consistency is everything.  Good news re Incoterms – after ‘F’, there are no more!   As a result, I think we’ll start getting through letters more quickly.

FAS Incoterm 

Free Alongside Ship [named port].  The seller clears the goods for export and delivers them the relevant ship at a named port.  Thereafter, the buyer is responsible for the  goods.

FCA Incoterm 

Free Carrier.  Similar, but different, to FAS.  Again, the seller is responsible for the goods up to a location named by the buyer.  This could be the seller’s premises, or those of a carrier/forwarder.  If the term is FCA Seller’s Premises, the seller is only responsible for the loading of the goods; however, FCA Named Place  means that the seller is also responsible for the inland freight to that named place.

FCL

Full Container Load.  This is NOT an Incoterm.  This is where a container is used exclusively by one shipper.  Exclusive use, if you can fill the container, can result in lower shipping costs.

FCR

Forwarder’s Certificate of Receipt.  This is a document issued by the Freight Forwarders nominated by the buyer to collect goods from the seller which confirms the receipt of goods in its custody.  An FCR can replace the transport document under a Letter of Credit, but only if it is specifically mentioned as the acceptable document evidencing transport.

FIATA

The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association.  FIATA is an independent organisation which represents many [but not all] freight forwarders in many countries throughout the world.

FOB Incoterm

Free on Board.  Probably one of the most well known of the Incoterms and, technically, the most mis-used, since title passes when the goods pass over the ship’s rail.  FOB was designed in pre containerisation days, when goods were lifted by crane at the dockside.  Technically, FCA should be used for containerised shipments, but old habits are hard to break….

Foreign Currency Accounts

 The holding of an account in any currency other than Sterling.  Normally used where a business either has 2 way currency flows and/or operates a foreign exchange policy, grouping several invoices before conversion to another currency.  The possible downside of operation such accounts can be on cashflow insofar as funds ‘may be in the wrong currency’.

Foreign Exchange Risk

 Anyone who trades in a foreign currency will have a degree of Foreign Exchange risk. The risk is caused by the minute by minute fluctuations in exchange rates.  An appreciationof this risk and understanding of what steps can be taken to mitigate this risk isa vital tool for anyone who wants a successful overseas trading strategy [buying or selling].

Forwarding Agent

Often used by smaller businesses to clear customs for goods coming into the UK from outside the EU.

Forward Contracts

Used as part of the strategy to mitigate against adverse movements in exchange rates; an example of a widely available tool to manage foreign exchange risk [see above].  You agree to buy/sell a specific amount of currency at either a fixed future date or between a range of dates, agreeing the rate today.

Free Circulation

Goods that are already in circulation within the EU, having either previously entered into the EU, with all relevant duty paid, or having originated in the EU.  In the eyes of HMRC, goods in free circulation are not classified as imports or exports.

Free Trade Zone

A designated port/area in a Country where duty free import of non prohibited goods is permitted.  Often seen in developing countries to attract business and inward investment.

Freight Forwarder

A freight forwarder will look after the shipment of goods between seller and buyer, taking care of the freight, customs clearance, insurance, etc.  Many freight forwarders specialise in certain parts of the world, so it’s important to ensure that you use one with suitable knowledge and understanding of the Countries/regions in which you trade.

Sorry for a slightly long section, but on to G’s [and more?] next month.

What’s Your ‘UAP’?

Filed under: Business, Marketing — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 9:54 am

No, that isn’t a typo in the title.  Back in the 70’s and 80’s, getting ahead in marketing was all about finding your ‘USP’ – your ‘unique selling point’ or ‘proposition’.  Now, it’s about three things – benefits, benefits and benefits!

I can see the logic behind that – we have to approach what we do from the customer’s perspective rather than our own (as I was saying about M & S not so long ago); but there’s a problem:  Picture yourself in a room with a bunch of lawyers, coaches – or sound people, if you like.  You know you need one of them, but how do you choose?  Chances are, they’ll all set out broadly the same benefits.  So you need to find something that distinguishes one from the rest – their ‘USP’.

Last week, I was talking about Mindy Gibbins-Klein’s book, “24 Carat BOLD”.  USPs are something Mindy and I disagree on.  She hates the phrase and I don’t.  Ok, so that might have something to do with a bit of piggyback brand awareness – the fact that USP means something else to me, beyond the out of favour marketing acronym.  Seriously, though, I do think it, or a descendant of it, has a place in marketing and brand awareness in the 21st century.  These days, we’ve moved away from the hard sell culture, towards a greater awareness of the importance of building good, strong relationships in business and relationships, whatever form they take, start with attraction.  So, perhaps what we should be developing is a UAP – unique attraction point.  What do you think?

Budget 2010 – Good News For Some, But The Hard Decisions Are Yet To Be Made

Filed under: Branston Adams, Chartered & Certified Accountants, Business, Money — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 9:47 am

From Branston Adams, Chartered & Certified Accountants, Surrey.

 

‘Budget 2010 – Securing the recovery’ is a strong title backed by the objective of building a strong economy and a fair society.  This obviously cannot be achieved in one Budget especially one so close to the election.

There are both a few welcome announcements and a few concerns with the detail of the Budget, especially having looked at some of the notes.  As with all Budgets further analysis will be needed to ensure the rhetoric is backed up by the detailed rules and implementation.  We know that the Government needs to raise cash and provide a secure financial platform – this is an economic imperative.

Strands that are of interest include the extension of the stamp duty holiday for first time buyers until 25 March 2012, applicable to homes under £250,000.  This is a welcome move to boost a housing market which may just be seeing signs of recovery.   However a permanent abolition of this onerous tax would have shown real commitment to the future well-being of the housing market.

On the personal finance side, changes had been already announced with the recognition that savers and pensioners have suffered during this recession, with low interest rates whittling away at financial nest eggs. Tax free ISAs, with an annual £7,200 limit, will increase to £10,200.  The new announcement linking ISA limits to indexation from 2011/12 will hopefully help savers and pensioners.

For those businesses that have money to invest, they will benefit from a range of allowances including the annual investment allowance. This has been doubled from £50,000 to £100,000 for expenditure incurred on plant and machinery.

Entrepreneurs will be pleased that the lifetime limit on business disposals has been increased to £2m. This is a good sensible change for business owners that makes the UK a better place for doing business.

To sum up, this was a Budget with a few pieces of good news for entrepreneurs and pensioners, but the hard decisions have been postponed. We now have to look forward to the General Election and maybe another Budget.

For a pdf or hard copy of our Budget summary and tax data card, please contact us.

March 24, 2010

The First Link In A Thirty-Year Chain

Filed under: Book, Business — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 12:28 pm

Extract from “On Sound Foundations” – Chapter 3: “Learning The Hard Way”

This extract is about my first day at grammar school, in Chorleywood, Herts.  I’d been desperate to go there for more than a year and had been counting the days for the past month!

 “At last, the great day came: 11th September 1979.

“We arrived at eleven in the morning, after a three-hour drive around the North Circular, a traffic jam, road works – and the obligatory argument in the front seats about being lost. 

“By Midday, Mum and Dad had to leave – and by half-past two, I wanted to go home. 

“As I’ve said, I never really got used to boarding, but at least most of the staff at Dorton House were approachable, I had friends  and I’d felt I belonged.  I might not always have wanted to admit the belonging bit, but I’d had a place.  Here, though, everything was different – and not in the way I thought it would be.  I’d looked forward to “different” as in “new” and “exciting”.  What I found was what we so often find at the beginning of a major life change, even one we desperately want; “different” as in “alien”. 

“Nothing was quite what I’d expected: the dormitory didn’t seem as comfortable as the room we’d stayed in when we visited; a lot of the staff came across as a bit fierce and not very patient; the “big girls” were really big; the new girls from other schools seemed strange – and even the girls who had been with me in Kent seemed to change as soon as they got to Herts. 

“Of course some of the strangeness wore off over time, but I never quite managed to shake the feeling that I really didn’t understand the rules in this place.  For years, every time I thought I’d cracked the code, someone would call me a “stupid child!” and I’d be left wondering, “So what am I supposed to do?”

“On that first night, I really didn’t want to be there.  Two and a half weeks (until the “long weekend”) might as well have been a year.  I felt so bad about having wished the holiday away!  The girls in my dormitory were friendly enough, but they all seemed to know what they were doing so much better than I did (I now realise most of them were probably just better bluffers).  It had been a miserable afternoon, being martialled around the grounds in a drizzle by a young member of staff who (it seemed to me) resented being landed with the task and the thought of the next day – more new rules, new people – new mistakes – terrified me!  So the last thing I wanted to do was smile.

“That was until eight o’clock, when someone put the radio on …”

As you may know, what followed was the first link – literally – in a chain which leads directly to the Savvy launch last year, to the book – and beyond.  What flowed from that link also perfectly illustrates the power of sound.  If you don’t know the background, you can find out more from my launch presentation on the Savvy Business Community Website.  Oh, yes – and the full story is in the book – of course!

March 19, 2010

“REAL” Complements

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Podcasts — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 10:22 am

When I finished writing – for the moment anyway – I found I had time to read.  I used some of it to read “24 Carat BOLD – The Standard For Real Thought Leaders” by Mindy Gibbins-Klein.

She uses the acronym “REAL” to explain the four main attributes which she says turn a person into a “Real Thought Leader” – not just an expert in their field, but “the expert” in their field – the “go-to person”.

R – reach

E – engagement

A – authority and

L – longevity,

but if the neatness of that makes you think “Here comes another trite business book by an ‘expert’ in the blindingly obvious!”, think again.  It’s solid stuff – but not stolid.  Yes, there’s a lot of business common sense in there – but there’s also a lot of uncommon sense.

Mindy and I have met a few times on the networking circuit, but I didn’t realise how much common ground we have until I read the book.  She recommends getting “REAL” by writing a book, because that’s her specialism and there’s still no substitute for giving someone something tangible to remember you by.  I recommend getting “REAL” through podcasting, because that’s my specialism and there’s no substitute for the human voice.  Every aspect of that acronym applies to using sound as it does to print.  I’m not anti-print by any means, as you know – I’m about to go into it myself!  As an obsessive communicator, I’m not anti any medium.  A couple of weeks ago, when I was having a go at the BBC Strategy Review, I said I was a “multi-dimensional person” whose needs couldn’t all be met by one product.  All the different ways of touching people – personal meetings, phone, email, the printed word, audio, video, online interaction –have their respective strengths and weaknesses.  So they all have a place and work best when they work together – like people really.

March 18, 2010

Business Groups call for ‘Decisive Action’ on UK Deficit

Filed under: Branston Adams, Chartered & Certified Accountants, Business, Money — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 4:00 pm

From Branston Adams (Chartered & Certified Accountants), Surrey.

 

Two of the UK’s leading business groups are calling on the Government to set out clear and credible plans for tackling the UK’s £178bn deficit.  In its Budget submission to Chancellor Alistair Darling, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has urged the Government to set out more details of its departmental spending plans, and to bring forward its targets for balancing the books, in order to obtain the critical objectives of boosting confidence in the public finances and fostering economic stability.

The CBI believes that the Government’s target date for achieving budget balance in 2017/18 is too far off, and that the bulk of the deficit should be addressed by 2015/16.  This would be achieved by adjusting expenditure plans, rather than increasing taxes.  Richard Lambert, CBI Director-General, said, ‘The UK’s deficit, though worryingly large, is still manageable, but the Government must act now to set out a convincing, credible pathway for balancing the books’.

He added, ‘The Budget should do whatever is necessary and possible to maintain and strengthen this country’s reputation as an attractive place for investment.  The planned rise in National Insurance Contributions is particularly ill-judged.  It is a direct tax on jobs and should be reversed’.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Directors (IoD) is calling for an incoming Government to act on the deficit as soon as it takes office.

Publishing its Business Manifesto 2010, the organisation echoes the CBI’s views that fiscal tightening should be based on lower public spending rather than higher taxation.  Miles Templeman, IoD Director-General, said, ‘We are convinced that we need swift action to tackle the budget deficit. The argument that early cuts would jeopardise the recovery is mistaken.  We believe that lower spending is likely to trigger a whole series of positive developments that will assist growth’.

Planning for the 50% Income Tax Rate

Higher earners should take action now to help minimise the effect of the new 50% top rate of income tax.  If you are likely to have income in excess of £100,000 for 2010/11, you could use the following strategies to reduce your total taxable income.

Accelerating Income

Consider accelerating income into the 2009/10 tax year by bringing forward bonus and dividend payments, and possibly the realisation of gains on unapproved share schemes, ahead of 6 April 2010 so that income is taxed at 40% (32.5% for dividends).

Changing Your Accounting Date

If you are self-employed and have an accounting year end of 6 April or later, you will be paying tax at the higher rate of 50% on income over £150,000. You may wish to consider changing your accounting date in order to shift profits into 2009/10.

Incorporation

While incorporating a business currently run as a sole trade or partnership is not always advantageous, there may be some potential benefits.  A change of accounting date or incorporation requires careful thought; we can review your figures and expectations for your business, to help you to decide if either of these options is right for you.

Restricting Income

If you run your business through your own company, you may wish to consider restricting your income to below either of the two key thresholds of £100,000 or £150,000 byreducing your salary and dividends and leaving any surplus cash in the company.

Transferring Income

If your spouse or civil partner has a lower marginal tax rate, you could consider either transferring ownership of income generating assets such as shares, let property or bank deposits to your spouse, or changing them to joint ownership.  Where your spouse is involved in your business, care must be taken to ensure that you comply with all of the necessary legalities.

Remuneration Options

Salary sacrifice schemes may allow a saving to be made, by replacing taxable income with certain benefits-in-kind.  The benefits may themselves be taxable, so it is important to factor this in when considering the savings.  The new restrictions on pension savings may make share based reward schemes more attractive forms of remuneration, allowing income to be taken as a capital return.  Approved share schemes could result in a capital gains tax liability of 18%, compared with a potential income tax liability of up to 50%.

Pension Payments

Pensions are a complex area for those whose income reaches (or has reached) more than £130,000 per annum, but maximising pension savings could reduce your marginal rate. Please contact us for further advice.

For further information and details of more strategies to minimise the effect of the new rates, such as deferring tax relief, tax-efficient investments, and making charitable donations, please visit the Hot Topics section of our website.  Please contact us for advice on your individual situation before taking any action.

March 17, 2010

The Radio Village

Filed under: Book, Business, Marketing, Media — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 10:22 am

Extract from “On Sound Foundations”, Chapter 2, “A Proper Little Madam!”

“At their best, radio and TV create communities; they break down barriers, binding diverse groups of people together with a common interest, be it soap, news or music.

“I tend to think of radio communities as villages.  Some are large, some are small – some no-one outside has ever heard of; but within those groups, everyone knows the place so well, they can talk to each other in shorthand. They know every local landmark and become fiercely protective if any are moved or messed with (just check out ‘Feedback’ on Radio 4 if you don’t believe me); and they feel they know each other. 

“The names of listeners who write or phone regularly, stick with presenters – and other listeners can remember those names years later.  For instance, I’ve never forgotten Siobhan from Hendon, aka ‘The Duchess of North London’ or James – the young lad from Berkshire, who had more front than Blackpool and Southend put together (he’s probably in sales now) – yet I’ve heard nothing of either of them for more than twenty-five years.  Then, of course, the listener feels they know the presenter – and just occasionally, they do.

“There are elements of that in television, but it’s less intimate; less personal.  It’s one-to-many communication, rather than one-to-one.  If radio is a village, TV is a city.  When it works well, there’s still a sense of pride, of belonging, but you’re far less likely to know the neighbours personally.”

I didn’t know I thought that until I wrote it a couple of months ago; but since I put it down in writing and started talking to people about it, it’s met with a lot of recognition. 

The technology which has put ‘radio’ and ‘television’ into our hands – yours and mine – means we can now build villages or cities around our businesses.  The choice has nothing to do with size.  It’s about the ethos – especially the one-to-one versus one-to-many engagement.  Personally, I prefer to aim for a village, but what about you?

March 10, 2010

M&S Speak Volumes About Their Brand

Filed under: Business, Marketing, Podcasts — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 11:03 am

I bought my very first interview suit at Marks and Spencer, back in 1986, when I was eighteen.  It was a grey pin-stripe – very conservative – and a long way from anything you’re likely to see me in these days!  I can’t remember when I last shopped there, but I’m obviously still on their customer database, because I recently received the latest of their regular audio updates –which also means that somewhere along the line, they’ve logged the fact that I have a visual impairment.  All good marketing and customer service practice.

There’s only one small issue: these communications come on cassette.  Now, I may have missed something, but I thought the company had put in a lot of work over the last few years, to modernise its brand.  I thought they were trying to get away from the image of staid ladies whose sense of style began and ended with ‘sensible’ knickers.  Recent ad campaigns seem to be trying to target women across a wide age range who care about fashion and for whom maturity means more style, not less.  They want me, as a potential customer, to believe that like me, Marks has moved with the times – and yet they communicate with me in an outmoded format, which most people I know couldn’t even play.  Do you still own a cassette player?  I do – but then, as a media junky, I’ve got almost every option you can think of for playing the stuff.  That said, I never listen to these tapes.  If they came as mp3s, I probably would, but the cassettes just get recycled.

I don’t know how many customers the tapes go out to and how many of those still have the means to play them.  What I do know is that Marks’ target audience is also the sector of the market where mp3 player ownership is growing.  I can’t help feeling that either sweeping assumptions have been made about the audience, or (worse) they’ve gone on doing what they’ve done for years and haven’t included this in their modernising strategies.  Either way, it sends me the wrong messages:

1 – M&S isn’t really moving with the times, and/or

2 – they don’t know the sector of their market to which I belong.  They don’t talk to me in my language – or even ask me what that language is.  They talk at me in a way they think I want, or should want, so I don’t feel inclined to listen to what they have to say.

Marks’ customers with visual impairments will be a small percentage of their total customer base, of course.  So you might think this is a very small issue; but there are wider implications.  As we all know in business, if we do one thing which is inconsistent with our core message, at best it doesn’t reinforce what we really want to say and at worst, it undermines it.

 

In case you’re wondering, no, I’m not just going to sit here complaining.  I intend to make contact with the relevant people within the organisation to chat through their options with them.  I’ll let you know how I get on.

March 9, 2010

“Born Survivors”?

Filed under: Book, Business, Podcasts — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — sheriegriffiths.com @ 11:12 am

“On Sound Foundations” – Uncorrected Extract: “Part One – From Casual Links To Permanent Connections: “Chapter 1 – How Did I Get Here?

“That was the question I kept asking myself through the Spring of 2009.  I was busy preparing my presentation for the launch of my new company, Savvy Business.  I knew the story backwards, of course, so that was no problem.  The only thing I couldn’t decide was – where did it start? 

 “Well, officially, it was in July 2008 when we launched the first version of savvybc.com; but, really, it was when I first had the idea in April 2007 – although, no, actually it was when I made my very first legal podcast in August ’06 … or was it 2005, when I first found out what a podcast was …?

 “I finally decided to pick up the story in 2006, although in fact its roots go back much, much further – all the way back to a pushchair in 1969 – and beyond.”

 I wrestled with a similar issue when it came to the starting point for the book.  In the end, I went way beyond that pushchair, to 1939, when Mum became an evacuee and Dad a POW. 

 Why?  Because my parents perfectly illustrate one of the main themes which runs through the book, my speaking engagements and life in general – the choice between being a survivor or a victim.  Yes, I did say ‘choice’.  We talk about someone being a “born survivor” don’t we, but are they?  Are survivors, or victims come to that, born or made?  Wearing my ex-noncommittal-lawyer’s hat, maybe I should say I don’t know – it’s probably a bit of both; but actually, my own experience has shown me we often have more choice in the matter than we know and sometimes become ‘victims’ simply because we don’t know all our options.  I used to see myself as a victim – someone to whom life happened; someone stuck in the backseat on her own journey, while other people drove.  These days, I do my best to happen to life – and I’m definitely behind the wheel!  The change was my choice and one I’m so glad I made.  It led directly to that “EUREKA!” moment  at 5.00am on 6th November ’09, to the book and everything which looks set to follow.

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