Their clients range from large broadcasters and vary to small companies and sole traders who are looking for video content on their website at a sensible price.

Flathead believe by delivering beyond their promises, working hard to win business and going the extra mile to retain clients, has kept their business growing and moving in this tricky economic environment.

Visit their website to find out more about the services they can offer your business: www.weareflathead.com

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This allows for an inexpensive way to send creative messages and wave a goodbye to snail- mail cards which on average cost around £1.50 per card whereas the app costs £1.99 – both cost effective and time saving and the added reassurance knowing snowy conditions aren’t going to have an effect when it comes to ‘posting’ a message.

To find out more, visit their website: www.jeego.me

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The Green Business Expo celebrates Green Business Week, and takes place at Workspace Group’s Riverside Business Centre venue in Earlsfield, Wandsworth. The Expo will run from 10:00-17:00 on Friday 10th February, to register for free entry, please click here.

Trish Smith is bringing together her ‘colleagues, customers, suppliers and business friends’ in order to showcase green products, services and case-studies.

The day will include a seminar by Helen Clark-Bell on ‘Greening Your Business’, a speed networking session organised by the Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce, Robbie Burgess’ ‘Smart Trading the Green Way’ and an address from the Mayor of Wandsworth.

SOS Office Solutions believe that raising the awareness of green solutions is of paramount importance in the ecological climate in which we live. At Workspace Group, we completely support them in that endeavour.

Trish Smith of SOS Office Solutions promises that both money-saving and ethically sound ideas can be gained from the Green Business Expo. “We aim to show each attendee how to save money and the environment with the latest easy ways to make a difference that don't cost the earth!” 

At the expo, attendees will be given hands on experiences of the ideas, “Visitors will be encouraged to explore the latest environmental solutions and sustainable technologies available.”

If you would like any more information about the event, please contact Trish on 02088700611 or trish@sos3.co.uk. Alternatively, visit the SOS Event website.

The Green Business Expo is heartily supported by both Workspace Group and the Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce.

Their mobile web platform places consumers at the heart of the shopping experience; providing personalised rewards based on the products they actually purchase which therefore helps consumers understand their buying behaviour in the process.

They help by providing an objective perspective, helping consumers understand ‘what’ they buy.  In many cases they identified that their customers will go and visit a grocery store and at the end of the month have very little understanding as to what they have purchased and what the product means to them.  Shopitize thus helps their customers understand their purchase and the same time provide offers that are based on products they have actually purchased as opposed to products that someone wants them to purchase.

When Shopitize studied the market place, they identified that the economic environment has placed an enormous amount of financial strain on families and therefore Shopitize looked for solutions that can help customers manage and optimise the effectiveness of their spending.

For more information visit their website: www.shopitize.com

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Ricardo Semler’s ‘Maverick’ was the first book that was pushed to the forefront of our imaginations. Under it’s original title, ‘Virando a Própria Mesa’, the work became the best-selling non-fiction work in the history of Brazilian literature.

Ricardo Semler: Maverick

In the book, Semler draws on his experience as CEO of Semco.

Semler became the CEO of his Dad’s business when he was 21. However, he did not have his Eureka moment until he was 25. After a spell of ill health, Ricardo was inspired to reengineer the corporate mechanics of his company. Semler enhanced delegation and improved the work-life-balance of all employees.

One of the interesting concepts discussed was ‘Hepatitis Leave’. If an employee came to Semler and said that they didn’t have time to think, and that this was putting pressure on their work, Semler would encourage the workers to imagine what they would do if they has suddenly been diagnosed with hepatitis. When the employee had shared what they would do, Semler would tell them to go and do it!

You see why they call him a maverick, right? There’s more...

Semler also allowed 25% of Semco employees to set their own salaries. He maintains that the mixture of peer-pressure and empowerment enables a relationship of mutual benefit to arise. Furthermore, Semler introduces ‘upwards appraisals’. Rather than managers running the rule over their staff, the staff are provided with the opportunity to evaluate their superiors.

Semler’s work throws up that old business dichotomy: Trust v. Control. Do you give your employes room to manoeuvre and hope that they deliver, or do you keep the leash tight by dictating their roles and monitoring the results?

Eric Ries: The Lean Startup

Eric Ries’ big point is that startups have to get really good at the ‘middle bit’ between starting up and success.

Whatever the assumption of your business - that milkshakes will sell well in Clerkenwell, or that startups need stationary - you must test that assumption as soon as possible. What Ries advises is that you avoid ‘Achieving Failure.’

Achieving Failure may have the ring of an oxymoron about it, but it makes perfect sense. Startups who fail regularly ‘achieve their failure’ by manufacturing or ascertaining all of their produce on time and on budget, and only after doing this do they realise that there is no demand.

To test demand, and to gauge whether something ‘should be sold’ rather than ‘could be sold’, Ries advises that startups use a system of ‘Minimum Viable Product.’ This entails creating and attempting to sell the minimum product required to test the core assumption of a business.

Doing jobs in small batches is more time-efficient and it highlights any potential problems sooner. For example, it’s better to notice a mistake on an order of 250 than it is on 10, 000.

Coda

Thank you, as ever, to Dominic Pulver for organising Business Books and Beers, and thank you to everyone who came along. Business Books and Beers returns next month (as it does every month), so keep an eye out on for the next date. This will be listed on either Meetup, on the Club Workspace Site or, and this is cool, on StartUp Britain’s Enterprise Calendar!

That’s why Club Workspace invited Emily Coltman and Kevin McCallum to the Club venue at Clerkenwelll Workshops to whip the finances of London’s small-businesses into shape.

On Wednesday 27th January ‘FreeAgent’ came to our place. We were delighted to host an organisation who can boast over 17,000 users in 82 countries. These ‘users’ enjoy the accounting software that FreeAgent provide. Their (extremely) affordable platform allows SME owner-managers to easily understand their financial situation. Users can swiftly update their financial info and view a projection of what they’re due to pay when their return is due.

But more on that later, on with the advice!

Financial Records

Emily explained which records Small Businesses must keep.

She explained that LLPs, Ltd. cos and sole-traders are obliged to keep records of their assets, their liabilities, their income and their stock. These records must be kept for six years. However, what constitutes a record?

A word document, a scanned receipt, an online invoice, a document dropped in the Cloud - they all suffice. In other words, you can keep these records digitally. There is no obligation to keep your six-year-old receipts in a haphazard mountain of shoeboxes, box-files and custard-tins.

It is very much worth mentioning this: HMRC do not give you - as an LLP, an Ltd or a sole-trader - a prescribed method of record-keeping. Ergo, there is no ‘right’ way to store your financial records, though there are a plethora of wrong ways.

A bank-statement does indeed fall into the category of things that are acceptable records. However, Emily offered these extremely wise words of warning: Although a bank statement is an accepted method of ‘proof of transaction’, the Revenue may challenge you.

For instance, if you use your bank statement as proof of a purchase from Tesco, the revenue may require you to prove that this purchase was for business purposes. You know that you popped to Tesco for the entire rainbow’s worth of colour-printer-ink, however the suspicious Rev will assume that you spend all your money on apples, ready-meals and multipack Y-Fronts. The moral of the story is: if you can get hold of ‘better’ proof than a bank statement, use that!

And here’s a clever little way of getting better proof very quickly. Paper receipts get lost, they break, they fly away in the wind and they are ruined by misplaced coffee. Snap a picture of them with your smartphone, use Receipt Bank to ping them over to Free Agent and your record is safely stored.

Don’t deliberately over-complicate things. Keep records of all of your financial doings from ‘Day Minus One’. In other words, don’t wait until you start trading to keep these important records of assets, liabilities, income and stock. Keep records of the costs as soon as you start paying them!

This will make your life easier. Why? Because you’ll be able to claim them as expenses and therefore you’ll pay less tax!

There we go, I hope you’ve enjoyed your record keeping fact-file. Thanks to Free Agent for supplying all of the advice. It was a pleasure to welcome Kevin and Emily to Club Workspace at the Clerkenwell Workshops, don’t leave it too long ‘til next time. Thank you to 90SecondsTV for recording the event on video, this will soon be available on InspiresMe. 

For a play-by-play breakdown of the event - including even more free finance advice - travel over to  the Twittersphere and jump on @clubworkspace, or search the #freefinance tag.

A big thanks to everyone who came long, I hope you enjoyed the space, the drinks, the conversation and the free finance advice!

The Enterprise Calendar wants to become the go-to online place for startups and entrepreneurs who want to learn, collaborate and connect. The calendar lists a huge amount of events from all over the country. These events, workshops and advice-nights are hosted by all sorts of organisations and groups. The calendar is currently listed as a top story on the Bis.Gov website.

Here at Club Workspace, we are delighted to be one of the first-ever listed hosts. The presence of both Business Books and Beers and Mike Buckworth’s Legal Workshop means that both Club venues - at Clerkenwell and Leathermarket - are featured on the calendar.

However, the Enterprise Calendar launch event was more than just the premiere of a fancy diary.

With the ‘#StartUp2012’ hashtag going viral on Twitter, and the ‘There’s a Business in Everyone’ campaign banner greeting the guests, Thursday’s event was pitched as a masterclass in entrepreneurship. It did not disappoint.

Opening the Event... The Right Honourable Mark Prisk MP

It must be said that Michael Hayman and Oli Barrett did a great job of MC-ing the entire event. The afternoon’s festivities lasted from 13:00-16:00, and the Michael and Oli dream-team were able and energetic hosts. The Bruce and Tess of the Startup Britain team, if you will.

It was Mark Prisk, the Minister for Business and Enterprise, who started the event in earnest. Mark commended the collected audience for ‘not only wanting to be part of the Entrepreneurship scene, but wanting to add it.’

Mr. Prisk discussed how he was impressed by those organisations who focus on youth enterprise. The Honourable Member believes that it is very important that ‘young people realise that they have a choice (after school), it’s not uni or nothing.’ A sentiment we echo at Workspace Group. Last summer out Inspiresme Week event gave young adults the chance to experience entrepreneurial life on the front-line.

The 60 Second Introduction

Next up for Mr. Prisk was the ‘60 Second Introduction’ session.

A selection of organisations were given the opportunity to introduce themselves to the minister in under a minute. As Nicholas Parsons wasn’t in the chair, they were allowed to hesitate, deviate and repeat.

VM Pioneers, Nokia’s Bridge Programme, the Gazelle Group, the White Horse Group, Scottish Enterprise, Gripple, the YES Network, Young Enterprise, My Kinda Crowd, Pants to Povery and the New Entrepreneurs Foundation all took the opportunity precis their goals and objectives to Mr. Prisk.

Mini Enterprise

One of the day’s quirkier sessions was the Mini competition. Audience members were encouraged to put their business cards into buckets. From these buckets two cards were drawn. These lucky entrepreneurs received a short mentoring session from either Doug Richard or Will King as they were driven around London together in this Mini, which is emblazoned with the StartUp Britain insignia. Small Car, Big City provided the rolling-stock.

Rachel Bridge also graced the stage. The Sunday Times’ Enterprise Editor spoke about her own startup: ‘Entrepreneur Things’. The business, which she referred to as her ‘case study’, is her ‘proof’ that you can start a business with zero capital.

Another three sessions gave some oxygen to Entrepreneurship Events that will take place in 2012.

Club Workspace and Workspace Group are very familiar with Global Entrepreneurship Week. The aforementioned ‘InspiresmeWeek project deliberately coincided with 2011’s GEW. Other events spoken about included Sheffield’s MADE Festival and Liverpool’s Global Entrepreneurship Congress. Brendan Moffett’s description of MADE is too good to leave out: ‘it’s the urban Glastonbury of business.’

Young Entrepreneurs and the Five Minute MBA

Another session allowed four proven young entrepreneurs to share their stories. Jasmine Eilfield, a current student at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, told of the hesitant nature of her school teachers and her hopes for the Teen Success Show. Chris Dodson spoke about Shell Livewire, Zoe Jackson shared her ‘#blondtrepreneur’ tales and Junior Ogunyemi plugged his new book, ‘How to be a Student Entrepreneur’.

The ‘Five Minute MBA’ followed soonafter. Entrepreneurs from the floor fired their problems at a panel of experts. This panel consisted of Doug Richards, Will King, Pernille Bruun-Jensen and Bob Forsyth.

Some of the advice that arose from this session was quite enlightening. Pernille reminded entrepreneurs of the importance of having a good team behind them. Richards commented that every company needs three people: someone to sell, someone to count and someone to deliver. Will King told startups to set themselves a goal. His was to get his product in Harrods, what’s yours?

Lord Young and An Olympic Gold Medalist

When Lord Young, the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Enterprise took to the stage he elevated the rhetoric to the rarified level of über-experienced charm.

Lord Young, who has a few ‘downturns’ under his belt, said that ‘it is infinitely easier to start a new business when the market is at the bottom.’ Lord Young also commented that the banks’ widespread reluctance to lend money has opened up innovate funding channels: The Lord was impressed with crowdfunding and business angels.

To round off the event, after the crowd had learnt about StartUp Local and Tech City’s interesting StartUp Games, a surprise guest was announced.

Duncan Goodhew, the winner of the gold medal for 100 metre breast stroke in 1980, leapt to the stage to give a speech that would bring the event to a close. Duncan’s eminence and grace in the water is indisputable and widely-known, however his prowess as a speaker was an absolute delight. Of course, nobody doubted that Duncan had a story to tell, but he shared his tales with an honesty and precision that had the audience enthralled. To put things in perspective, Duncan pulled his gold medal from his pocket. In this day of business, we all clapped eyes on something that money cannot buy.

Thank you to StartUp Britain for organising the event, and to the Department of Business Innovation and Skills for letting us in.

A busy district within the City of Westminster, Paddington is an area of significant commercial potential. There are a number of regeneration projects active in Paddington, with Paddington Waterside seeking to improve transport, retail and commercial interests in the district. Meanwhile the Paddington Business Improvement District also works to bring more customers to the area and encourage tourists to stay and spend their money locally.

If you are interested in the available commercial properties to rent near Paddington here at Workspace Group then take a look at the premises below.

Westbourne Studios, W10

Arguably one of the most innovative and creative studio complexes in West London, Westbourne Studios is a fantastic port of call for arts and multimedia-based businesses. Its imaginative design and facilities foster a forward-thinking working environment. Meanwhile the studios are also located in one of the trendiest, most cosmopolitan areas of the capital, just minutes from the cultural scene of Portobello Road.

Grand Union Centre, W10

This versatile business centre houses a variety of light industrial and office spaces to rent. The majority of units at Grand Union Centre boast roller shutter doors, 24-hour access and direct access into Central London and the M40/M25 which make it incredibly attractive to businesses in the industrial and manufacturing sector. The centre’s bright open plan office space also gives SMEs a professional image.

Canalot Studios, W10

An incredibly quirky, stylish working environment, Canalot Studios offers a great deal to SMEs looking for inspirational office and studio space near Paddington. Located just a short drive from the Westway (A40), this relaxed office space is fantastic for creative business start-ups. The studios boast their very own bar and restaurant that’s perfect for networking with other businesses and entertaining clients.

These are just a handful of the most attractive commercial properties to rent near Paddington. If you would like the most up-to-date portfolio of properties available here at Workspace Group visit our Paddington Station office space section today.

The company name, Lumacoustics, plays on the words ‘Luma’ for light, while ‘acoustics’ relates to the movement and interaction of light. 

They have successfully designed and built environments and interactive solutions for their clients who include the Royal Albert Hall, Oakley, Glastonbury Festival, Smirnoff and the MTV European Music Awards.

For more information regarding Lumacoustics, visit their website: www.lumacoustics.co.uk

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It is one of the hardest challenges as an entrepreneur to know when to take the plunge and expand your business. After all, business expansion can have its upsides and downsides. Some business owners are keen to grow and expand their workforce while others would rather remain a one-man band.

Ultimately though, business growth brings with it more responsibility at the helm. You must weigh up whether you are prepared to take charge of a whole new set of issues, from recruitment and payroll to marketing and networking.

So what are the primary indicators for knowing when the time is right to take your business to the ‘next level’?

Struggling to keep up with customer demand

If you are receiving enquiries for potential work and are unable to fulfil them there is a danger potential customers will go to competitors instead. This is where expanding your workforce comes into play. The last thing you need as a small business that depends on its reputation is to put your employees under pressure to complete jobs, increasing the risk of mistakes and missed deadlines.

Reacting to changes within your industry

The very make-up of your business is controlled by the industry you find yourself in. If the playing field changes in any way, requiring you to invest in new products or services to compete with rival businesses or simply meet government regulations, you may be forced into investing just to keep up with your competitors.

Consumer perception of your business

Is your business in danger of losing its credibility with consumers? Is your product lagging behind competitors? If your rivals have successfully expanded their own operations it may have given them new, untapped opportunities in your market. Subsequently it is important not to be left behind, however it is important to carefully assess the financial benefits of such an expansion and whether your cash flow can support the significant investment.

At the end of the day a business should serve its clients as best it can in order to solve problems for customers and build long-lasting consumer relationships. Weigh up the pros and cons, consult your business plan and make the right choice for the longevity of your business.

More office environment advice for SMEs

Benefits of open plan spaces on the working environment
Four tips to help you design a functional office layout
Coping with summer temperatures in the office