< PreviousEverything you could want from a Business ClubJOIN THE BUSINESS HIVE Swipe card access to the Business Hive 5 hours free usage of meeting rooms Usage of member areas Free networking events Free business workshops & seminars Free Advice Surgeries Discounted and free business services such as legal, banking, health & insurance Entry in Business Club web directoryAffordable £25 monthly membershipDe`e_d_d]\[[DeWZc_d_ijhWj_ed\[[Dec[[j_d]\[[iDeWjj[dZWdY[eXb_]Wj_ediDefh[c_kcY^Wh][ZX[d[ÅjiDekf#\hedjYeijiJOIN TODAYall for only £25per monthFor further information, call 01472 887 005 eh[cW_b_d\e6[#\WYjeh$Ye$kae-factor.co.uk/businesshiveclub8ki_d[ii>_l[":kZb[oIjh[[j"=h_ciXo"Dehj^;WijB_dYebdi^_h[":D)'(78Gain access to the fantastic facilities at the Business Hive, plus exclusive discounted members only services and benefits:10www.blmforum.netCOMMERCIAL PROPERTYReuse is one issue that incommercial property is oftensidelined in favour of newbuilds. While building from scratchmight provide a blank canvas and theopportunity for a prime location, itseems a shame that empty propertiesof impressive sizes are sometimes leftto rot. The space offered in suchdormant or currently empty premisesis often enough for multiple occupancyand it is an idea that during thesebleaker times, more developers arerealising. The main issue for those looking toinvest in new property or leases isoften the green credentials. New buildsusually have the modern conveniencesof solar panels, rainwater harvestingand heat efficiency built in, but it isoften easier to convert existingpremises that may have character or amore enviable location. A recentproject undertaken by Lincolnshiresolar energy specialists Freewatt hasseen them converting a dilapidatedfarmhouse into an eco-home, suitablefor a large family, but there is noreason why these principles can beapplied to existing commercialproperty. Even something as basic as aNew usesThe commercial property market is a changing oneand some developers are turning to conversion of oldproperty for modern day demands.10-11:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:25 Page 1COMMERCIAL PROPERTYwww.blmforum.net11fascia on a somewhat tired looking building can lift it frommonths on the books to occupation.Recent examples of this have been seen across theregion. A landmark Lincoln office building, CrosstrendHouse on Newport, has been sold to a city-based propertydevelopment company and is now set to be converted intostudent accommodation.The building has been converted into studentaccommodation and will be leased to nearby BishopGrosseteste University College Lincoln. Almost all theaccommodation is en suite and the first students settled induring September.Lincoln’s offering for students seems to be a trend atpresent, with the university gaining in reputation. The ParkView Nursing Home, off the High Street has also beenconverted into student accommodation.The pre-registration nursing contract to deliver adultand mental health training for nurses means that theUniversity is expecting take about 220 new nursingstudents this September. This is four-fold the numbertaken last year. Banks, Long and Co partner Simon Grace says, “Inaddition to providing quality accommodation, we areputting in cycle racks and sheds. We believe we areinjecting new life into the local community and that ourmove will also be good news for local businesses.”Even new builds can be reused in completely differentways. A former emergency services control centre inWakefield has been put on the market but agents GVA aremarketing it on its business park location, for use either fora similar function, or perhaps a call centre for acommercial business. Sometimes all it takes is a new set of eyes to see thepotential in empty premises and if it improves thesometimes half-empty occupancies of High Streets in ourregion, this can only lead to further business success.Crosstrend House in Newport, Lincoln, which used tobe a nursing home, is now decked out for studentsPHOTO: HODGSON ELKINGTON10-11:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:26 Page 2GROUND FLOOR OFFICESTO LET - PRIME LOCATIONIN GRIMSBYTELEPHONE 01472 310302From 27.5m2(296ft2) to 199m2(2142ft2) approx. availableRecently refurbished to a high standardEasy access to motorway, ports and towncentreSecure off street parking for staff andvisitors Negotiable terms WE AREHERE12:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:26 Page 113:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:49 Page 1BUSINESS SOLUTIONSAT DONCASTER COLLEGEDoncaster College East Enterprise ZoneDoncaster College is part-funded through the net315 project which is run in the regionby an ʻincubation and educationʼ consortium including Further Education colleges. It is developing facilities and services that provide additional support for college and community learners to move into and make a success of enterprise. Net315 is supported financially by the European Union, attracting £5.6 million from the EuropeanRegional Development Fund as part of Europeʼs support for the regionʼs economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.For More Information: Call: 01302 558 339 or 01302 558 347 Email: ann.jackson@don.ac.uk or daniel.wright@don.ac.ukDoncaster College East, Church Road, Stainforth, DN7 5AARent Free Desk Space available for your fi rst year of business.PC with internet access, direct phone line with call allowance, printing facilitiesand a bookable meeting room.Doncaster College East is now offering a brand new EnterpriseZone which provides services to access support for innovation andbusiness start-ups, providing a onestop shop, no cost service with dedicated resources aimed at providing you with the skills requiredto start your own business.Starting your own business? We can help with:What we offer:• A self-employment business planning service• One-to-one meetings to discuss business ideas• Offering workshops supporting the setting up and running of your business• Signposting to relevant training within the College to support your business• An opportunity to complete Enterprise courses via Doncaster College.Doncaster Business InnovationCentre provides office space withflexibility due to our ‘easy-in easy-out’ terms. Our rooms start at 100sq ft ‘rent-a-desk’ through to 1,200sq ft offices. Offering access tobusiness advice in a unique and innovative environment to supportthe growth of your business.Prestigious Location-Ten Pound Walk in DoncasterConference-Meeting room/conference facilitiesFlexibility-Easy in/Easy out contract androom for growthInternet-High speed internet accessFully Equipped-Everything in place to ʻplug in and workʼComfort Cooling-Work in comfortSecurity-CCTV and secure accessSupport-Reception and Administration staff to handAccess-24 hours client access and extensive parkingEnvironment-Like minded businesses already on boardOn Site Learning-ICT training suitesCyber Cafe-Web browsing accessCafe-Food for thoughtDONCASTER Business Innovation CentreT: 01302 554900 www.doncasterbic.comE: managementsuite@doncasterbic.co.uk Ten Pound Walk, Doncaster, DN4 5HX14:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:51 Page 1Don’t sweat on debtDear Sir,The news that UK unemployment has fallen slightly must be a sure sign of recovery. It has become easy to feeldejected and down about the state of the job sector, but there seems to be a move, particularly in the renewablessector which I am eager to see succeed.These are all very encouraging facts, but as individuals we need to still exercise restraint. The boom years seemto be over and many people might be hiding debts even if they are happily employed. I read some surveys recentlysuggesting a lot of people are worried about their levels of debt and there seem to be swathes of people ininformal Debt Management Plans, which at least is sensible!Speaking from personal experience, seeking professional, regulated advice and taking a proactive approach totackling your money worries could well stop a bump in the road from turning into asomething much more serious. There’s no shame in seeking help if you really need it.R AdamsonLeedsLettersLettersSomething to say? Write to: Business Link Magazine, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN31 2QE or email: letters@blmgroup.co.ukFull speed ahead?Dear Sir,I recently attended theBelchford Downhill Challenge asit’s just down the road from me.One unusual aspect was thetechnology on display. Thereseems to be a real buzz aroundgetting the county connected atthe moment and Onlincolnshirehad some really intriguing stuff ondisplay. It included live feeds ofthe boxcar racers hurtling down the hill and we could follow the action in loadsof detail via iPads and the like. If this is what we are able to deliver for a funevent like this community gathering, just think what we can do for business.Impressing clients is a large part of winning new business and this could well bethe answer. Let’s get Lincolnshire online in a meaningful way, it’s about time!A DateHorncastleBuilding forgrowthDear Sir,I am writing to applaud theGovernment’s new reforms of theplanning system.Lots of firms want to expand andbeing able to develop new offices orextensions to existing buildings canmake all the difference to a firm’sfuture. Cutting through the red tape inone fell swoop will make life easier forme and thousands of other businesseswho were keen to grow and now haveno excuse. Red tape still costs us fartoo much in ludicrous surveys, legalcosts and preventative measures. Nowthe Government just need to take a lookat employment law - but that’s anotherletter altogether!J TompkinsDoncasterREADERS’ LETTERSwww.blmforum.net1515:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:51 Page 116www.blmforum.netEUROPEAN CONNECTIONSwitzerland is one of the mostinteresting countries in theEuropean Union. Despite beinga landlocked country at thecentre of Europe, the country hasmanaged to maintain its policy ofarmed neutrality for over six hundredyears. In fact the country has not evenbeen in a state of international warsince 1815. What’s more they alsoactively pursue an agenda of peace-building around the rest of the world,founding a large number of charity andother international aid bodies, such asthe Red Cross. As well as being something of acultural giant, Switzerland is one of therichest countries in the world by percapita gross domestic product, and asthe highest wealth per adult score inthe world. Because of this, they havealso managed to avoid the worst of therecession, only going negative foraround three months in 2010. Switzerland has a high level ofbargaining power within the EU. In July2012 the country reported a trade profitof over £1.9 billion. This is incredibleconsidering most European countriesare making a loss in terms of tradebalancing. That said, Switzerland isheavily focused on the EuropeanUnion, which accounts for 62% of itsexports, and around 79% of itsimports.Most of the imports into Switzerlandare the raw materials used to fuel itsbooming industry, with particularattention paid to machinery, chemicals,vehicles and agricultural products. Thecountry is relatively light on foodimports when compared to most othernations. The continuation of theseimports is hugely important, as theirfinal exports account for over 50% ofA red crossWe take a look at the economicstanding of Switzerland, as well as itspotential as a trading partner forYorkshire and Lincolnshire.16-17:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:52 Page 1EUROPEAN CONNECTIONwww.blmforum.net17the country’s GDP.Switzerland is probably mostfamous for their manufacture ofhigh quality watches and clocks,which are among their majorexport items. In terms of GDPgenerated, however, theirgreatest export is actuallymedicine, and otherpharmaceutical products.Outside of the EU, their largesttrading partner is the UnitedStates, while they have a relatively smallexport market to the ASEAN region bycomparison. Their goods typically hold ahigh reputation on the international market,and are more commonly exported to richercountries across the world.The country is a good place to be anemployee, with less than 2.8% unemploymentrates. Even at the worst point of the globaleconomic crisis, the level of unemployment inthe country never rose above 3.7%. In fact thehighest recorded figure of unemployment inSwitzerland is just 5.4%. As a prospective opportunity for businessesin Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, Switzerland canmake a tempting market. With the noticeableexception of machinery, Switzerland doesn’timport many manufactured goods, socompanies focusing on supplying rawmaterials will likely find a more opportunisticmarket made available to them. Businessconfidence in the country remains strong andthere is still plenty of business investmenttaking place, making it one of the safercountries in Europe to risk new businessventures with. The main concern for businesses in ourregion is going to be the logistics of exportinggoods to the country. With Switzerland beinglandlocked, and the UK being an island nation,a degree of multimodal transport is going tobe a necessity, unless companies with toinvest in air freight.16-17:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:52 Page 218www.blmforum.netTELECOMMUNICATIONSThe introduction of broadbandhas certainly been a gamechanger for businesses in ourpart of the world. Companiesin the towns and villages can nowtheoretically compete on a levelplaying field with their rivals in the bigcities and in the South East of Englanddue to instant communication. At least,that’s the theory – but many parts ofYorkshire and Lincolnshire still remainat the mercy of unreliable andunobtainable connections.Work continues on ensuring theregion doesn’t become a two-tiersystem between the have and have-nots. At his recent speech to Duncan &Toplis’ Directors’ Briefing at BeltonWoods, John Cridland, DirectorGeneral of the CBI, cited more effectivebroadband in rural areas as one of themajor requirements to kick start therural economy. Is this likely to be thecase? East Yorkshire broadbandprovider Quickline Communicationsisn’t entirely sure – they suggest thegovernment is unlikely to hit its targetof 90% superfast broadband coverageby 2015 due to poor funding decisions.They specialise in no-phonetechnology which they are offering tobusinesses that currently suffer frompoor quality phone line connections.However it is provided, however, thechallenge is to make sure thatbroadband is available in some form toeveryone who wants it. To this end, theLincolnshire Broadband Plan is aimingto bring next-generation broadband – aminimum of 24Mbps – to 90% ofcounty premises by 2017, and get aguarantee that everyone will have atLife in theFAST LANEAreas such as Robin Hood’s Bay, previouslysomewhat cut off, can now benefit from highspeed broadband, with The Bay Hotel seeing thebroadband as a major attraction for its visitors. Slowly but surely,our region isbenefiting fromhigh qualitybroadband – andworking out how tobest make use ofits opportunitiesPHOTO COURTESYNYnetLife in theFAST LANE18-19:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:53 Page 1TELECOMMUNICATIONSwww.blmforum.net19least 2Mbps. Lincolnshire CountyCouncil launched the Plan at this year’sLincolnshire Show with theintroduction of a petition thatbusinesses were urged to sign toillustrate to commercial providers thatthere is a real interest and demand forthese services in the area. By the endof August, 1015 county firms havestepped up to support the BroadbandMeans Business campaign – but it’shoped around 10,000 companies willdo so by the end of the year.Groups such as digitalLincs are alsoworking to promote the value ofimproved telecommunications, withtheir programme attempting toshowcase how advanced digitaltechnology can be used in the arts andculture sector. The organisation issetting up five Coastal Arts andTechnology digital hubs in the county –in Alford, Huttoft, Louth, Mablethorpeand Skegness – to demonstrate thebenefits of new technology tointerested parties. Elsewhere in theregion other organisations such asNYnet are supporting the roll-out ofbroadband to previously underservedcommunities.One great benefit for the region, inparticular, could be the rise ofrenewable energy. It’s perhaps fair tosay that this sector has been heraldedas the solution to a myriad ofproblems, but in this instance, thethinking is that with businesses lookingto reduce their carbon footprint,companies could well be lookingtowards our part of the UK as avaluable location for science parks andbusiness centres thanks to its alreadywell-established renewable energysector. The arrival of these institutionsshould bring with them improvedbroadband connections.Certainly those areas where qualitybroadband is available are clearlybenefiting from the new opportunities.Indeed, Bourne has made it to fourthplace in a new chart, devised byGoogle and the Countryside Alliance,highlighting the rural areas whereonline entrepreneurs are boosting thelocal economy. The Rural DigitalTrailblazers league table was compiledby shortlisting rural areas with thehighest online economic activity, andthen ranking in terms of the percentageincrease in local enterprises usingGoogle AdWords over the last year.The higher the growth – which inBourne was 34.6% year on year – themore the online entrepreneurs areboosting growth across the area.The new telecommunicationstechnology is, of course, not a solutionin itself and the challenge forcompanies is to find the most effectiveway to use it for business benefits.Companies such as TTSCommunications are able to offersolutions to meet the specific needs ofan array of businesses.TTS, for example, have helped NeilHudgell Law create an efficientcommunications platform toseamlessly integrate their three sitesacross Hull and Leeds so that callscould be routed between them overthe internal data network. TTSupgraded the existing Panasonicsystem at their Hull head office tosupport IP and provided IP telephonesfor their remote office elsewhere in thecity. A new Panasonic IP system wasprovided at Leeds which was linked toHull using IP trunks. TTS also installedCategory 5E cabling and arranged theprovision of ISDN30 and broadbandservices – ensuring efficientcommunication across all the sites.Communications specialists can offervaluable advice to businesses acrossthe region as to what works best forthem. As high quality broadbandslowly but surely makes its way acrossthe region, their expertise will be vitalin helping to level the playing field andensuring companies of all shapes andsizes, in all locations, can benefit fromthe communication revolution.KC are laying superfast fibreoptic broadband at theHesslewood Country Office Parkas part of its roll-out of fibreacross their network18-19:Layout 1 24/9/12 09:53 Page 2Next >