Will the Government Deliver on Promises Made to SMEs? Ask Complete One

Throughout the election race, the conservative government made many promises to SMEs, stating that they would make their lives easier. With the government yet to deliver, Complete One review what the future now holds for UK SMEs and shares why people still shouldn’t be put off from business ownership.

In a recent survey sample of 400 small business owners by enterprise software company, Sage, it was revealed that there was an undisputable call for the government to deliver on key issues such as business rates and red tape for small businesses. Small company owners are calling for the Chancellor’s second financial statement in four months to realise pre-election promises for the sector given in the emergence budget on July 8th. 

The economy and health of Britain’s small businesses were firmly on the election agenda and earned a significant amount of headlines following bold statements from David Cameron around his plans to give small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) a fair deal. This includes reducing red tape, lowering business rates for small businesses and new laws set to ensure no rises in income tax, VAT and national insurance. If these promises are kept, SMEs would be supported and it would make life much easier for current business owners and those looking to start out on their own.

Owning a business endows an entrepreneur with the independence and opportunity to control their own business and makes them accountable for their personal and business development. Other benefits of owning a business include, generating a chance to make a difference, high earnings and helping people to reach their full potential and pursue their interests.  Complete One believes people should still follow their business dreams and not be put off from entrepreneurship and business ownership.

‘As a business owner, you are your own boss and are responsible for making business decisions.  In the beginning this can seem quite overwhelming, but once the benefits associated with being in charge start to roll in, making decisions and solving problems is much less daunting and even fun!’ states Glen Lowes, Managing Director of Complete One.

Complete One is an event marketing and sales firm based in Newcastle.  The firm help businesses reconnect with their target audience in order to increase sales and overall market share, whilst building positive customer relationships. Complete One helps the next generation of business owners access the necessary support and expand their skill set through their business development program. This program offers core mentoring opportunities to those looking to start their own business and excel in the event marketing and sales industry. 

Should you hire experienced individuals or new graduates? Asks Complete One

With new graduates on the search for work, Complete One looks into whether a company would benefit more from experienced individuals or fresh graduates.

Complete One believes that having a mix of talents within a business can be important. The firm believes that based on the stage of a company, and its available funding, each business is unique and needs different skills to help their business grow and succeed. The firm believes that it can be beneficial to hire seasoned talent along with new graduates. The mix of young and experienced new hires will give the business a much needed platform to boost the business and benefit long term.

Complete One believes that many businesses tend to overlook graduates when it comes to hiring new talent but believes this could be a costly mistake as many graduates can bring fresh ambition and enthusiasm to a business. New ideas can help a business to grow and help motivate other team members. This fresh thinking from graduates is what Complete One believes makes them so valuable to a company.

Complete One prides itself on its fair hiring process. The firm doesn’t pre-judge anyone on education or experience and believes that businesses should hire for potential and then train these individuals to be skilled. For this reason the firm has implemented a Business Development Program into their company culture.

The program is designed to teach young business professionals the skills needed to be successful in the sales and marketing industry. These skills have also been found to be transferable to many other areas of business. By developing each individual’s skillsets it not only helps the business to grow and succeed but helps each candidate reach their full potential and hit their own aspirations. The program teaches skills such as sales, leadership, public speaking, interview techniques, financing and much more.

Complete One is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in Newcastle. The firm specialises in unique direct marketing campaigns that are designed to accurately represent their clients’ brands. By working closely with their clients the firm are able to develop highly personalised campaigns which represent the brand accurately. These campaigns are then taken directly to consumers via face-to-face marketing techniques which are proven to create long-lasting connections between brand and consumer. This often leads to increased customer acquisition, brand awareness and brand loyalty for their clients.

MUST READ: Complete One Offer Advice on Finding the Ideal Business Mentor

Most of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs got to where they are with the help of a great mentor. Complete One outline the five qualities a quality mentor must have. 

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely career choice and many new to entrepreneurship believe that asking for help is a sign of inexperience or weakness. Complete One, a leading sales and event marketing firm are keen to disprove this way of thinking and believe that finding the right help and support is an important process if an entrepreneurs stands any chance of achieving success in today’s highly competitive marketplace.

The firm believe that almost all successful entrepreneurs and small businesses owners if asked will name at least one mentor that helped them on their way. No matter how prepared an entrepreneur may think they are business always throws up a few unforeseen challenges along the way. Mentors can offer entrepreneurs advice on how to handle these challenges based on real world experiences and provide proof that these challenges can be overcome. Mentors are also great motivators as they can use their own successes to drive an entrepreneur forward and highlight what is possible in terms of achievement.

Complete One believes that if an entrepreneur is to achieve success then it is important to find the right mentor who can offer them the right support and relevant advice. To help entrepreneurs identify the best mentor for their business the firm has shared what they believe to be the 5 most important qualities an entrepreneur should look for.

Support not Praise

Everyone likes a bit of an ego boost now and then, however being showered by praise doesn’t help an entrepreneur to grow or improve. Constructive criticism is an important part of development and helps entrepreneurs to identify any weaknesses in their skill-set or knowledge.

Honest Appraisals

Good mentors are experts at telling it like it is and having those conversations that others may find difficult. The feedback given by a mentor should not come as a surprise to an entrepreneur, as they should be willing to actively communicate with them in order to ensure they are staying on the right track.

Take it on the Chin

Being able to withstand honest feedback is key if an entrepreneur is to really get on board with mentorship, it’s in their best interests and the interest of their business to be able to take advice on the chin and understand that however hard to hear, it is coming from a good place.

Empathy

A great mentor will be empathetic towards their mentee, as after all they themselves have been in exactly the same position. In order to fully take on a mentors advice, trust must be built therefore building a positive relationship is key to effective mentorship.

Admiration

A mentor should be someone an entrepreneur admires and wants to emulate. Entrepreneurs should avoid trying to gain mentorship from someone just because of their name or reputation, instead they should focus on networking and meeting with those who have achieved what they would like to achieve and have the wisdom to help them succeed.

Complete One is a sales and event marketing firm based in Newcastle that help businesses reconnect with their target audience in order to increase sales and improve customer relationships. The firm have helped a great deal of sales and marketing entrepreneurs excel through their development programme which offers core mentoring opportunities to those looking to start their own firms. Managing Director Glen Lowes believe this is what sets Complete One apart and believes that it is their commitment to development and support that has helped the firm grow and gain considerable traction within the industry.

Complete One: Entrepreneurs must have a social mission

Complete One, specialists in sales and marketing, believe entrepreneurs must have a social mission in order to achieve business success.  The company believes doing good is a business strategy, not merely a moral argument or trend and that businesses with a strong social mission have a competitive advantage.   The customer acquisition specialists investigate the reasons companies should include a social mission in their business plans. 

1. Operate "consciously"

Businesses fall into two categories: conscious or unconscious.  Quite simply, conscious businesses operate in a way where employees, customers, shareholders and partners alike feel that they are seen and heard and that their needs are met.  Conscious businesses are concerned with “social good” to varying degrees. They are self-aware and understand the implications business activities can have on people, communities and the planet.

Unconscious businesses view any affected parties are a means to an end, they serve only the needs of the company.  This way of doing business can be great for profits, however there are possible long-term negative effects of conducting business this way, unconscious businesses have been responsible for nearly every scandal, market crash and war since the dawn of time.

2. Create multi-faceted value

Social entrepreneurs aren’t only concerned about making money; they also want to create value for the community.  Socially aware companies take into account the sacrifice of the cost to society, while calculating the cost of doing business.  Entrepreneurship is synonymous with innovation and therefore it would be naive and counterproductive to choose to advance society in a way that didn’t take into account those on the receiving end of the innovation.

3. Start small but think big

These days people are far more aware of environmental issues and social needs.  More and more entrepreneurs are starting to reflect their values in what they create.  Entrepreneurs should ask themselves whether they are making good choices not only for their customers but also the communities they live in and ultimately the planet.  

Complete One specialise in below line customer acquisition. They provide their clients with cost-effective, measurable and tailor-made marketing solution that deliver the personal touch and guarantee ROI.  Their expertise lies in increasing market share and raising brand awareness for their client portfolio, through face-to-face promotional marketing and sales campaigns, at high profile events and venues.  In a world of ever-advancing technologies, they’ve gone back to basic to utilise the most proven form of communication and customer engagement, face to face conversations.  They provide their clients and customers with the highest quality experience by offering a full service approach to direct marketing.

Complete One has a company culture that promotes entrepreneurship.  They have a proven track record of coaching and developing people into business professionals, through the companies Business Development Program.   “Entrepreneurs must start being socially aware and take into account the affects of their business practices on customers and community alike.” Said Managing Director at Complete One Glen Lowes. 

Complete One Announce Commitment to On-going Development

Complete One reconfirm commitment to ensuring entrepreneurship is actively promoted as a great career choice. The firm believes work-force development is the key to business growth as is illustrated by the company's dedication to providing contractors with opportunities for personal and professional development through free workshops.

The Personal Development in the Workplace Study 2014 found that companies are putting staff training and development back on the agenda after cutting back during the recession. An increasing number of employees now feel their employer is serious about their personal development. According to the report, 58% of employees responded positively compared with just 52% the year before. The number of employees being provided with structured personal development plans has also increased, up 8% Year-on-year to 42%.

Research also showed that employees are discussing their personal development more frequently with employers.

The number claiming that they never discuss development and training is down by 5% to 23%.Still over half of small business employers, 58% to be exact, still aren't providing development or training initiatives.

Unfortunately the report has revealed that women and men aren't getting equal opportunities.42% of men now have a personal development plan compared with only 39% of women.  Complete One is an equal opportunity business, regardless of age, gender, education, colour or experience, everyone is offered the same opportunities.

Providing employees with development opportunities can be hugely beneficial for small businesses and can drastically assist in their growth. When employees feel like they have the chance to progress and grow it can assist in retention.  Through their commitment to on-going development, Complete One have reaped the benefits.  The company has grown from one location in Newcastle to an office in Scotland's capital City Edinburgh last year and they have plans to expand into Glasgow in April.  The company are advocates of entrepreneurship and are committed to developing and training their work-force.

"One of the things I love about being a business owner is being able to provide development opportunities for others and Complete One is first and foremost a development business. " said Managing Director, Glen Lowes.

At Complete One we specialise in below line customer acquisition. Our expertise lies in increasing market share and raising brand awareness, for our client portfolio, through face to face promotional marketing / sales campaigns at high profile events and venues throughout the North East and Scotland. In a world of ever advancing technologies, we offer our clients more personalised marketing strategies. Our tailor made marketing strategies, developed by identifying each clients USP, allow us to create the perfect campaign, for maximum impact, for any client within any industry. We provide both our clients and customers with the highest quality experience by offering a full service approach to direct marketing.

Complete One investigates how your morning coffee could be affecting your success

After more than a decade of rapid growth, the UK-branded coffee shop market is defying all previous expectations as coffee wins the hearts and wallets of consumers. Complete One investigates the effects coffee can have on a business.

There appears to be no end to the café culture trend which began more than a decade ago, with coffee achieving a current growth rate 7 to 8 times that of the British economy, giving it a net worth of 6.2 billion pounds.

Complete One look at the pros and cons of caffeine goods. Starting with the positives: most people start drinking caffeine because it makes them feel more alert and improves their mood.  In the short term, many studies show that caffeine improves cognitive task performance, which is the reason many people use it as a tool to aid concentration and boost productivity in the work place.



On the other hand, research has unearthed some information that may influence an individual’s exposure to the nation’s favourite hot drink.  Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline.  When caffeine puts a person’s brain and body into a hyper-aroused state, their emotions get overrun, and their ability to deal with an irate customer or an important client meeting will be at the mercy of an emotional rather than rational response.  Reports found irritability and anxiety are the most commonly seen emotional effects of caffeine.



Furthermore, it was found that it had a six-hour half-life, which means it takes a full twenty-four hours to work its way out of our system. If a person has a cup of coffee at 8 a.m., they would still have 25 percent of the caffeine in their body at 8 p.m. Any caffeine-based drink in the afternoon will still be at 50 percent strength by bedtime. Any amount of caffeine in a person’s bloodstream - with the negative effects increasing with the dose - makes it harder to fall asleep.  Want to quit? It’s not that easy; like any stimulant, caffeine is physiologically and psychologically addictive. If a person chooses to lower their caffeine intake, they should do so slowly under the guidance of a qualified medical professional.  Caffeine withdrawal causes headache, fatigue, sleepiness and difficulty concentrating.



Complete One look at alternative ways to boost cognitive task performance.



Fill a glass with water - Dehydration can cause lack of energy and fatigue, so boosting energy levels can be as simple as drinking more water instead of fuelling up on caffeinated beverages.



Try burst training – “The most efficient way to increase cardiovascular strength, brain health, and energy is through interval training,” writes Bowden in ‘The Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy’. "After just 10 minutes of interval training, you should have enough energy to blast through your day." Everyone has to fit in ten minutes of some exercise in the day.



Complete One specialise in below line customer acquisition. Their expertise lies in increasing market share and raising brand awareness for their client portfolio, through face to face promotional marketing/sales campaigns at high profile events and venues throughout the North East and Scotland. In a world of ever-advancing technologies, they offer their clients more personalised marketing strategies. Their tailor-made marketing strategies, developed by identifying each client’s USP, allows them to create the perfect campaign, for maximum impact for any client within any industry. They provide both their clients and customers with the highest quality experience by offering a full service approach to direct marketing.