< PreviousEast Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk20ROUND TABLEand a newspaper. There are perhaps toomany paths for young people to choose”.JS: “Yes, it’s delusional stuff. So howdo we get them interested in our sector?”How can we market thesector as one which providesreal career prospects?SL: “Maybe manufacturers need torelate back to primary schools? I used togo round schools telling people aboutbanking and how it works. Or you couldtake small groups around your plant”.GMcP: “I think if we introduce theword ‘engineering’ things become a lotmore interesting”.MG: “This is a huge issue for theManufacturing Network. The local LEPhelps out in this area, but what we needis a structural change that is countrywide”.SL: “Get them interested at 12-13before they start thinking their future isall virtual reality”.MG: “Primary school teaching is moreholistic these days, and secondary schoolis about results, so it’s a challengingenvironment to break into”.MS: “It’s not about people’s resultsthese days, it’s about the schools’ results,which is disappointing”.AH: “As a slight aside, I met JohnnyBall last week at the Excellence inEngineering Awards. He was engagingwith a room full of engineers frommassive companies and holding theirattention.“People like him really know how toput it across. If there were moreprogrammes on television about makingthings, young people would be learningabout engineering even if they didn’tknow it!“Parents need to sit down with theirkids with pen and paper as well. Make itinteresting”.MG: “We need a Tim Peake for oursector, and proper governmentalrepresentation”.Have your plans changed asa consequence of thereferendum decision?MS: “In our businesses, we makedecisions and we get on with things.Politicians make decisions then waffleand sit on their hands.“I think we just have to do what feelsright”.JS: “It did worry my foreign staff”.AC: “There has been a lot of drum-beating about immigrants both here andin the U.S, but places like California arebuilt on immigrant workers.”AH: “The people actively looking forjobs to the point of posting their CVsthrough letterboxes are all immigrants.They are the ones putting in the hardmileage”.AC: “That’s because they know howhard it is. A lot of people here don’t, inmy opinion.“Will the manufacturing sector cope?We came through the crash in 2008 so Ithink we’ll talk ourselves out of arecession”.MG: “Nothing has changed for me. Theinformation is perhaps a little blurry atthe moment”.MS: “At Alpha Rail we’re forging on.There’s no point in standing still”.AC: “We all need to support UKindustry. Buy British. The manufacturingsector maybe needs to reclaim the Unionflag and make it into a positive thing”.JS: “We tried to manufacture in Chinabecause it was cheap, but we came backto the UK because it didn’t work outwell”.GMcP: “The sense of resolve we’reseeing about achieving future success isheartening. We’re getting the same sensefrom our customers”.EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 20www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 21IN PROFILEIn Profile: Abstrakt CreativeAbstrakt Creative is a Nottingham-based branding, graphic design and marketing agency whoseclients include Nottingham City Transport and Nottingham BID. We sat down with co-ownerLauren Swarbrick to discuss the business and its ethos. What’s the story behind thebusiness?“I began my career in consumermarketing, which I did for 5 years. I cutmy teeth working on the iconic PrettyPolly brand before moving to TheTabletop Group working on historicBritish brands Mason Cash and CornishBlue. “Abstrakt was founded in 2006, sowe’re ten years old now! My husbandand I are joint owners of the business.He’s a designer by background. With hisexpertise and my grounding in brandmarketing we felt we could offersomething distinctive. “The company has been based nearJunction 27 for the majority of that time,but we made a strategic decision tomove into the city centre last November,taking on two new members of staff.We’re now based on Castle Gate”. Has moving into the citycentre produced anytangible benefits?“I think an NG1 postcode can reallymake a difference in terms of acompany’s visibility. Since being in thecity we’ve definitely picked up new work.22 ÁEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 21East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk22IN PROFILEWe’ve doubled our turnover in the lastyear and are looking at six-figure growth.The plan now is to employ a lot morestaff over the coming months. “We have a broad client base mainlycomposed of high growth SMEs.Branding is a big area of focus for us,and we work on all of the relatedservices around it, including graphicdesign and digital work, so we’re a fullyintegrated agency. Abstrakt has alsoworked with Nottingham BID andNottingham City Transport – the studentcampaign you see on NCT buses wasours!”Can you tell us a little bitabout your ethos?“Our philosophy is to deliver claritythrough simplicity. This feeds intoeverything we do, from our design styleto the way we deal with clients. It’s allabout communicating strong, clearmessages. “We also like to challenge the statusquo. The best projects have been theones where the client has given uscreative freedom. In our industry it’simportant to stay on the cutting edge.However, we are also very structuredand process-orientated”.What makes Abstrakt standout from the crowd? “Nottingham is a very competitive cityfor our sector, and it’s great to operate insuch a vibrant environment. What makesus unique? We try to maintain the ethosand hunger of a start-up, and we don’temploy junior members of staff. Thisallows us to deliver a top quality productevery time. While I believe in flexibleworking, we’re not really into thatpinball-machine and beer-fridge officeculture. We like to have fun but we’re inthe office to work”. Where do you want to be ina year’s time?“We want to be employing at least 8-10 people, which would fill our studio.Ideally those would be local jobs. Sincemoving into the city we’ve beenestablishing ourselves as a Nottinghamagency with Nottingham people. “In the longer term, our goal is simplyto retain our ethos. Many businesseslose sight of what they’re about as theygrow bigger”. You’ve recently beennominated for an award thatmakes specific reference toyour gender. How importantis the idea of being a“Woman in business” toyou? “I’ve always had strong female rolemodels and I think there should be aneven mix of men and women inbusiness, but I see myself as a businessperson first and foremost. Everythingshould be based on merit. The awardnomination is great, though. It’sindicative of the fact that Abstrakt isgetting more attention and recognition inthe city. I see it as a businessachievement above all else”.EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 22www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 23EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 23East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk24DOMESTIC SERVICESWhat made Watson – who is19 – want to go intobusiness? “I left school at 16”, he says. “I was good at it but I didn’t enjoymyself. However, whilst at school Ibecame known for my entrepreneurialside. I’d sell dust caps for bikes, as wellas ice poles and ice creams. I didn’tfancy university, so I got anapprenticeship with State Bank of Indiainstead. I was promoted to personalbanker at the age of 17. That was one ofmy proudest achievements. “Having spent two and half years withthe Bank, I set up a social mediamarketing business with a friend.Unfortunately, we lost about £4,000 in24 hours, but I haven’t let that put me offbusiness.“I’ve worked as an insuranceconsultant and a commercial accountmanager for a while to pay forUbbergloves”.Why cleaning? And whatmakes Ubberglovesdifferent? “It’s funny, because my girlfriend saysI can’t even clean our flat”, says Watson. “My grandparents were cleaners inlate 1970s and 1980s. My mum was too,and I went on cleaning jobs with herduring the holidays. My partner’s motheralso set up her own cleaning business,so I have a lot of knowledge of theindustry”. “Many traditional businesses arechanging and moving online”, he says. “Lots of traditional cleaning businessesare very successful, but they haven’tmoved with the times. The industryneeds a disruptive business likeUbbergloves to shake things up. We areusing a similar business concept to Uberand Just Eat. The on-demand or gig-economy is flourishing, and the potentialis vast. Actually, ‘gig-economy’ refersmore to companies like Deliveroo thatuse self-employed subcontractors. That’show we work, too”. It’s still early days for Ubbergloves, butgrowth plans are already firmly in place. “We soft launched the business duringthe start of October, in a few smallvillages”, says Watson.“The business still operates out of myflat and garage. However, we’ll becourting investors and advisors in aboutthree weeks’ time. We are looking toraise around £65,000 in return for 30%equity in the business.“So far, during our soft launch, over 35people have signed up to the site andwe’ve successfully completed over 20cleans.“We’re happy with the progress we’vemade so far and can see the hugepotential this business will have once wedo our major launch. Because peopleare required to enter their paymentdetails on the site through our paymentportal, we need to build brandconfidence and awareness as we look toexpand.“Our ultimate goal is to beinternational, and we might take afranchise route to achieve this. In theshort term, we want to be the numberone cleaning firm in Leicester by themiddle of next year, and by start of 2018I want to have moved intoNottinghamshire and Derbyshire”. Brandon is hoping to disrupt themarket with Ubbergloves, but that’s nothis only goal. Treating his employeeswell also comes high on the agenda. “We’re a Living Wage approvedemployer and we also pay bonuses”, hesays. “Cleaners are usually very poorly paideven though the work is tough. With myfamily background, I’ve seen it first-hand, so I want to change the industryfor the cleaners as well as theconsumers”. Cleaningup themarketUbbergloves is a new start-up offering on-demand domesticcleaning services throughout Leicestershire. We met founderBrandon Watson to see where the business is headed. EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 24www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 25EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 25INTERNATIONALFood&DrinkFood&Drinkwww.fdiforum.net MINIMUM COST…MAXIMUM IMPACT!Plan your campaign with Food & Drink International…...your competitors are!As marketing is the vital ingredient for the success and growth of any business, we can offer advice and packages to suit all budgets. Speak to one of our experienced account executives to find a package to suit your needs. Join some of the biggest names in the industry and give your brand the best chance of being seen by your target market.Can you afford not to? You can contact us below for details of our 2016 editorial schedule Call today on +44 [0] 1472 310310 or email: s.trott@blmgroup.co.uk EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 26www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 27FINANCEAllied Irish Bank (GB), aspecialist business bank withan office on The Ropewalk inNottingham, is beginning toturn its attention to 2017, ayear in which it expects to seeits growth story continuing.Gerry McPake, who leads thebank’s operation in the EastMidlands, is optimistic as helooks to the future. Gerry takesup the story.“We kicked off our 2017 planning inlate August and activity around this willbuild over the next couple of monthsas we define and refine our ambitionsfor next year, nail down our plans andstrategies, accept the need to changewith the market as appropriate whilstretaining our core principles aroundtrue relationship banking. That’s not tosay that 2016 is over for us yet – itmost certainly isn’t – and we haveplenty in the pipeline that will translateinto written business before this year isout”.Carol Noonan, senior relationshipmanager at Allied Irish Bank (GB)Nottingham, added: “2016 was ofcourse the year of the referendum andwe now know that we will be leavingthe EU when exit negotiations arecomplete. However, once the initialmarket turmoil settled down, wedetected a sense of resolve amongstour customers to make the most of theopportunities which the future willpresent, irrespective of which camppeople were in before the vote. Wecertainly haven’t seen any deals fallaway as a result of the referendumresult and, in conversations with ourcustomers, we aren’t hearing about anyinvestment plans being postponed ordelayed. With a number of recenteconomic indicators pointing in apositive direction, we look forward toworking with our customers as theytake their businesses into 2017 andbeyond”.Allied Irish Bank (GB) Nottinghamsees growth coming across the fullrange of banking products and services.“Primarily”, says Gerry, “the serviceoffering has to be outstanding. Whetherthis be through people interaction,phone & online technology etc. (and thereality is that most customers need a bitof everything) we have to offer apackage which is up-to-date, flexible,reliable, user friendly and cost effective.We then need to make sure that ourcustomers can, where necessary,access all the products and servicesthey need from us. Cash flowmanagement, investment in fixedassets, managing currency positions,planning for the future – we can providesolutions for these (and other needs)through services such as InvoiceFinance, Asset Finance, InternationalTrade Services and Private Banking.Right now, we’re investing in many ofthese areas to better serve the marketand keep our customers at the centre ofeverything we do”.Gerry concludes by speaking onbehalf of all the team at Allied Irish Bank(GB) Nottingham: “We are a forwardlooking team with an ambitious andprogressive customer base. Like us, ourcustomers recognise that there are risksahead but likewise there areopportunities. By working together andinvolving our customers’ professionaladvisors, we can minimise the formerand maximise the latter”.Allied Irish Bank (GB) -Looking to 2017 growthLeft to right: Dale Cowdell, CarolNoonan and Gerry McPakeEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 27East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk28I’m sure that like me, you regularly getrequests for sponsorship. It might be for anevent, a prize, a cause, a team, or perhaps acolumn on a well-read regional businesswebsite.So, how do you know which ones to gofor?Firstly, I’d advise that you don’t wait to beasked. You should be proactive in identifyingopportunities that will work for you. I’ve saidbefore that if you hope to gain maximum bangfor your marketing buck it should be seen as aninvestment, not a cost. So, before you commita single penny, do this research.In my case, I sponsor this column and I do sobecause I know that YOU read it and YOU arein all likelihood a prospect because I specialisein B2B PR campaigns across the East Midlands.OK, it may well be that it isn’t you who dealswith marketing campaigns but you will be aninfluence in the decision making process atsome point. You might even be forwarding thisarticle right now to the person that does makethe calls on marketing budgets. Go on…I dareyou!Why am I so confident about this? Well, I’m abit of marketing geek. I examine the stats and Iknow how many people read my columns onhere and I know how many people visit my sitefrom here. I also ask my customers and clientsabout how they heard about me. Many will bereferrals from people who have seen some ofBy Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise Nation Championfor Nottingham.And now...a word fromour sponsorsmy coverage for another client and askedthem how they did it. Some will be fromevents I host or speak at and some will say“I’ve read your articles on East MidlandsBusiness Link”.Now, as I know my average conversion rateof leads to enquiries to sales and my averageunit sale I can calculate how much I am willingto spend/invest to “buy” a customer. Whenthese figures work out and I know I am fishingin the right pool, such as this website, I know Ihave a deal that works for my business.Also, as a key part of my PR strategy forclients is about getting them known for whatthey know, their expertise, it makes sense forme to write copy that chimes with thosemessages and from the format of a columndoes that perfectly.I’m not saying you shouldn’t sponsor otheropportunities, great causes and things that areclose to your heart or interests are fantasticand I certainly do a lot of these things myself.In fact, I’ve just signed up to sponsor a playerat Nottingham Rugby. Again, it makes sense tome because it is congruent with my brand, hasa similar audience profile it also helps that Ireally enjoy watching rugby. It doesn’t hurtthat I can take clients there for a cheeky pintafter work on a Friday either.So, if you fancy joining me for a beer at thenext game and a chat about how I can helpyou reach your perfect audience, drop me aline… now, that’s what I call a real conversion!PUBLIC RELATIONSEMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 28www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 29Greg Simpson - on a mission totell 2020 stories by 2020EMBL 11 November 2016_Layout 1 01/11/2016 16:37 Page 29Next >