BUSINESS ELITE AWARDS 2020
Welcome to the celebratory edition of the SME Business Elite Awards of 2020, a program which highlights those enterprises who consistently provide the best services and products for their clients, allowing them to stand out within their representative fields. We have seen first-hand the growth and adaptation many companies have undertaken in what was an unprecedented year, so join us in reflecting on their achievements within this issue. Handpicked by SME News Magazine and our team of internal researchers, our approach to selection ensures we remain dedicated to celebrating the ever-changing landscape we are committed to serving on a truly UK-wide platform. We extend our congratulations once more to the winners in this program, knowing the future of SMEs will always be a focal point in the core of UK Business.
SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 | 3 Contents 4. Safety First! 6. Best in Business Telecommunications 7. Marketing Brilliance 8. High-Ranking Solutions 9. Delivering Unique Design Services 10. Pioneering Beauty Technology in Inverness 11. Rapid Rise To Success 12. Fantastic Flowers Bloom in the Capital 13. Learning Languages & Building a Brighter Future 14. The B.I.G.ger Picture 15. Staying Connected 16. Experts in Acceleration 17. Hair That Empowers 18. Perfect Match 19. Best Connections 20. Accountants That Care 22. Multiplying Success With Xplus London 23. Experts In Flexible Working 24. Best Marketing Consultancy of the Year Award 25. Building Sustainable Change 26. Franchising Made Easy 27. Building Partnerships 28. Making Profit Work For You 29. Innovative Heating Products from Essex manufacturer 30. Imagining A Fairer Future For All 31. Amazing Space 32. Baby on Board! 33. Not So Black and White 34. Slice of Success 35. A New Generation Of Retail Experience 36. Changing The World Of Work 38. It’s a Kind of Magic 39. Ignite The Spark 40. Delicious Success 42. Bolstering Marketplaces With Youthful Vigour 43. Excellent Standard Of Care 44. Raising The Bar 46. Amazing Administration Achievement 48. Caring for Scotland 50. Sustainable Building Practices 52. Most Trusted for Painting and Decorating, 2020 – Bury 53. Family-Oriented Care 54. Full Of Cycle Spirit 55. Eyes on the Prize 56. Refreshing The Security Industry 57. By Sea, Land and Air 58. Sound The Alarm 60. Blind with Envy 61. An Engineer’s Best Friend 62. Ireland’s Leading Light 64. Focusing On The Individual 66. Private Tuition 67. A Dog’s Dinner 68. Not Your Typical Agency 69. An Ethical Alternative
4 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 24 | Q4 2020 Aug20146 Safety First! As an SME, are you able to confirm that your business is compliant with the legal standards for health and safety? If there was an accident in your workplace, would your business be safe? Many would answer yes, not realising what the legal standard for health and safety is, and how far they fall below it. We caught up with the team at Safety PAL (PLAN ACT LEARN), recently named as Most Trusted Health and Safety Management System, 2020 - United Kingdom in 2020’s Business Elite Awards, for discovering ways in which businesses can protect themselves when it comes to health and safety in the workplace. Based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, the team at Safety PAL have gained an international reputation for their work in the Health and Safety sector. Many see this field as one based on common sense, but this approach undermines years of work from governments and private companies to ensure that everyone involved in a business is safe. Having policies and procedures is not always enough. Companies will create policies and risk assessments as standard, but this does not come close to ensuring that businesses are meeting the required legal standards. Enforced by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), many business owners are not only at risk of being prosecuted by government officials, but live with the burden of workplace accidents. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places legal duties on employers to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees. Any incidents that occur in the workplace fall under the employer’s sphere of influence. Companies as a whole, and the directors of a company specifically, are responsible for anything that happens to an employee and to non-employees who are affected by their work. Between April 2019 and March 2020, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recorded 111 workers who were fatally injured at work. These figures are the lowest work-related deaths on record, but still represent a major challenge yet to be met by employers and employees. That is still 111 people who will not go home to their families and countless others who will have to handle the impact of this loss in both professional and personal capacities. An estimated 581,000 workers sustained nonfatal injuries in the period of 2018/19. These injuries were less serious, but the majority will have led to the submission of an injury claim to a conditional fee solicitor. As mentioned, many companies create risk assessments, but these are often completed to appease a client. These risk assessments, however, do not protect the company from risk. If not distributed, checked and enforced, they still leave the business open to legal action. Health and safety offences are concerned with failures to manage risks and do not require proof that the offence caused any actual harm. The legal obligations are clear, yet many directors continue to fudge the issue, doing not what is legally required but what they think is required. In many ways, this is a failure of government to effectively communicate company obligations when a director registers at Companies House, but at the end of the day, the responsibility of fulfilling these conditions falls to these business owners. Do you know your legal obligations regarding workplace health and safety? The focus is not just on putting in health and safety procedures. It lives and dies on the ability to prove beyond reasonable doubt that workers have read them, are following them and that the control measures are sufficient for the task. This is understandable, given that even the best policies and risk assessments fall flat if no one has read or is following them. As such, the challenge for any business owner is not to simply ensure that a set of company policies are in place, but one that employers and employees are taking an active role in
SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 | 5 Q4 2020 | 25 Company: Safety PAL Name: Karl Spencer Web Address: www.yoursafetypal.com Safety First! following. There are many companies that have approved procedures in place, but are still fundamentally at risk from the actions of a negligent employee. Between 2018 and 2019, 55 directors and duty holders not only received immediate custodial sentences, but paid out millions in fines thanks to their poor management of health and safety in the workplace. Instead of being beholden to fate, running the risk and thinking that the worse will not happen to me, is dangerous and an attitude which needs to change before it’s too late. Transforming SME directors’ mindset to health and safety is not an easy task. Many simply believe that it couldn’t possibly happen to them, and if it does, that the H&S policies currently in place will protect them. In most situations, they will not, leaving the company liable for the consequences of an accident. This could ruin the business, leaving directors with a great deal of debt and no clear way forward. It’s therefore worth examining a good model of health and safety performance, one which encourages best practice at all levels. Three principles have been highlighted in The Leading Health and Safety at work Publication INDG417 (rev1), namely strong and active leadership from the top, worker involvement and continuous assessment and review. When put together, the result is a proactive approach that engages everyone in a business. This requires new investment from SME operations. Obviously, every business owner argues that they would never cut costs when it comes to the health of the workforce, but money is a factor in any business decision. Cost-cutting at the expense of safety is an aggravating factor in the case of an accident, and with many businesses not reaching the necessary standards is not a viable option. The need is to find a way forward that combines robust systems and practical application is vital. Safety checkpoints that are able to provide business leaders with the evidence and proof of compliance will always be an invaluable asset. The use of technology to enable this is vital, ensuring that communication of important information goes to the entire workforce. In a world that is constantly changing, especially in the whirlwind that is COVID-19 compliance, it’s the perfect opportunity to put systems in place that balance cost with how a business needs to meet the required standards in health and safety. The solutions available from Safety PAL is just one way forward for SME operations. Their health and safety software takes all these factors into account and effectively engineers out any problem through clear communication, pro-active training and proof. The firm’s practical approach allows smaller business operations that often struggle to find the resources to manage health, safety and wellbeing, allowing them to work smarter, safer and faster. The aim is always primarily to prevent accidents and protect SMEs from prosecution which has meant the team have produced something that doesn’t place onerous demands on resources or costs. Safety PAL is a practical, well thought through single-source solution that is highly regarded by many. Its success in SME News’s Business Elite Awards this year are reason enough to see what they have to offer, but the security they can bring to your business are why you should consider taking them on board. “Health and safety offences are concerned with failures to manage risks and do not require proof that the offence caused any actual harm”
6 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 10 | Q1 2021 Nov20102 Best in Business Telecommunications Established in 2006, Croft Communications offer innovative solutions to help businesses across the UK save money, work flexibly, and increase mobility and productivity. Following the firm’s well-deserved success in the SME Business Elite Awards 2020, we caught up with Mark Bramley to find out more. Based in Hertfordshire, Croft Communications pride themselves on offering personalised telephonyas-a-service support to its clients, helping them to cut costs and embrace the technology that helps them achieve their goals. Going into further detail, Mark begins by providing us with a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into its clientele. “Originally founded as Mobile Account Solutions (a supplier of business mobiles to SMEs), since its inception the firm’s core values have always been to support, cost and embrace technology. By nature, SMEs are growing businesses with changing requirements. Naturally then, as our clients’ needs have evolved, our policy of offering flexible solutions has had to adapt to the demands of the market. Today, we specialise in a range of telecommunication services including business broadband, hosted telephony, business phone systems, IT support and more. More recently, we have branched out into thermal imaging cameras, responding to the needs of clients needing to get back into the workplace safely. As a nationwide firm, we work with public sector organisations and corporates, including everything from hotels and healthcare providers to schools and emergency services, anyone who needs connectivity to do their job really!” Operating in the UK telecommunications industry can be a challenging experience, however in its attempts to distance itself from the crowd, the firm can offer its clients a number of unique selling points. “First and foremost, we make our costing simple and transparent, so that bills are predictable and easy to understand” Mark highlights. “Secondly, with our reliable connectivity we can take the pain out of dealing with suppliers with a single-point-of-contact account management model. In this instance, we can streamline everything a business needs in one place, for less. With the right combination of our products and services, businesses are always in touch and can become truly mobile and resilient. Lastly, we treat each of our clients as the unique organisation they are, getting to know their specific pain points and business goals. All our solutions are individually tailored for each client and whenever they need anything, their named Account Manager is there on the end of the phone to get things sorted.” With staff members playing such instrumental roles in the success of Croft Communications, it’s essential the firm recruit individuals with a particular set of skills, as Mark explains further. “As we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver bespoke services, the expertise of each and every staff member plays a vital role in our progress as a business. Rather than adopting a one-sizefits-all approach, we look for people who are motivated to find unique solutions, people who can be flexible and innovative and people who are keen to build working relationships with both colleagues and clients.” Despite the outbreak of COVID-19, the firm has still managed to thrive during the current pandemic, as Mark points out. “COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way all businesses operate, including those we work for. Whilst our clients have tried to navigate this new climate, we’ve made it our promise to be right by their side and do what we can to support and help them adapt. As telecommunication specialists, we’ve been able to thrive by providing the same services we always have in addition to the launch of our new thermal imaging solution which is designed to help businesses get back on their feet.” Bringing the interview to a close, Mark signs off by sharing some of the firm’s exciting goals for the coming year and beyond. “With some exciting acquisitions lined up for 2021, we hope to follow the rate of growth experienced in 2020, where we more than doubled our workforce. Following the recent increased demand for remote working capabilities, we are changing the way we interact with our customers. Looking ahead with so many companies downsizing, we will be aiming to empower workforces with our bespoke telecommunication packages. Whether it’s better Wi-Fi for employees working from home or business mobiles for those able to get back out there, we are ready to continue providing solutions to the ever-changing business world.” Company: Croft Communications Contact: Mark Bramley Website: www.croftcommunications.co.uk
7 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 6 | Q3 2020 Mar20320 Marketing Brilliance Your Marketing Guy (YMG) is dedicated to providing their customers with the easiest and most pleasant digital marketing experience. Not only do they provide affordable digital marketing packages and services, but their services are delivered in the most consumer-friendly form possible. A previously award-nominated digital marketing agency, YMG are the winners of Chelmsford’s Most Creative Digital Marketing Agency, 2020. We took a closer look at this award-winning firm to discover how the firm exudes brilliance in everything they do. With their motto of “the services you need, for as long as you want, at a price you’ll love”, it’s no surprise that their revolutionary new approach to digital marketing has taken the industry by storm. The Buy It Now Digital Marketing Store offered by YMG provides every service a business could need to enhance their online performance, from copywriting to website design, and everything in-between. Not only this, but YMG list the pricing of most of their services on the store – a rarity in their industry. When asked why this was the case, founder and managing director Nathan French had this to say: “Our aim for YMG is to provide the most customer-friendly and easy to use service possible. We know that many businesses won’t pursue digital marketing services, as the prices aren’t listed online. It’s usually something along the lines of ‘leave us your details and we’ll get back to you’, and we understand many business owners don’t like to waste people’s time, as they’re unsure how much these services cost. So, we wanted to cater to the businesses and their owners. After all, that’s why we do what we do. Our job is to help businesses reach the heights they deserve, and we want to provide that in the clearest and most convenient way possible.” Currently comprised of 25 different services, the Buy It Now Digital Marketing Store breaks them down into six areas: Web Design, SEO, Social Media, Content, Google Ads, and Lead Generation. Easy to navigate and welcoming to newcomers, this approach to providing digital marketing services is truly unique and creates and extremely pleasant service from start to finish. The opening line of the ‘about us’ section of YMG’s website states “Complete control is now back in your hands. No ifs, ands, or buts. No hidden fees, no strings attached.” With prices displayed upfront, clear information on if a service is monthly or a one-off, as well as a list of features and benefits for each service, we’re inclined to agree! Alongside their Buy It Now Digital Marketing Store, another standout feature presented by YMG is their Jargon Buster series. Jargon Buster consists of a series of blogs, all of which are designed to explain commonly used digital marketing terminology. Each entry highlights a term or phrase used by digital marketers, explains what they mean, and how they effect a business, the point of which is to help business owners understand what they’re buying into. This provides business owners and clients with a way to educate themselves about digital marketing in their own time, allowing them to make informed decision when committing to a purchase. Jargon buster is added to regularly, in line with YMG’s ambition to constantly and consistently help their audience gain a better understanding of digital marketing. Founded in 2018 by Olympian, Nathan French, YMG continues to help business up and down the country. From growing their online presence to reaching new customers, to helping educate business owners, YMG continues to push boundaries in the digital marketing industry and will do so in the years to come. As such, we simply can not wait to see what the future has in store for Chelmsford’s most creative digital marketing agency. Company: Your Marketing Guy (YMG) Telephone: 01245 943096 Email: hello@yourmarketingguy.co.uk Web Address: www.yourmarketingguy.co.uk
8 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 50 | Q1 2021 Sep20205 High-Ranking Solutions SciChart Ltd designs, develops and sells the world’s fastest, most flexible, cross-platform 2D/3D Chart components as a software development kit. Recently, we caught up with Andrew Burnett-Thompson who enlightened us about the firm, its mission and offerings. Since inception, SciChart has been providing the only viable solutions for adding 2D/3D charting to missioncritical scientific, medical & financial applications. Going into further detail abut the solutions and its users, Andrew begins by explaining about how the firm’s customers implement SciChart’s SDKs into their work. “At SciChart, our customers integrate our SDKs into their apps and services where they want to add high performance or feature-rich charts, graphs and data visualisations to their applications or products.” Speed of charts and complex data-visualisations are important for mission-critical applications otherwise applications ranging from race-tuning in Formula One, to helicopter management in Aerospace & Defence to Financial analysis applications, to cutting-edge Medical-imaging solutions, to next-generation medical devices and healthcare applications, would simply not be possible. “We make ‘Impossible Projects Possible’ with our incredibly fast & feature rich 2D/3D charting software. For example, the amount of telemetry data in IoT is huge and only growing. Asset health management is an important field: high value assets such as an oil well or mining operation need to continue to run efficiently. Visualising the data in these fields, which is often massive datasets (billions of data-points) is a technical challenge, and one that we have delivered, allowing a human operator to review the data and get an analytical impression. When there is vast amounts of data, human insight, made possible through high-performance datavisualisation is extremely valuable and relevant.” The firm’s founding mission is to create the world’s fastest 2D & 3D charting and data-visualisation components, to enable a next-generation of scientific, medical and financial applications. “Our desire is to become the defacto engine for charting and data-visualisation in scientific/ construction/medical/financial & engineering industries in the same way that Unity is for gaming, or Tableau is for business.” SciChart is currently used by customers in more than 80 countries and across sectors (crossvertical). One of its unique selling points is performance and it is this which sets it apart from competitors within the industry. The other is that it treats the customer as number one and aims to provide the best software and user experience. “We have cutting-edge graphics technology similar to game-engine technology which we have built inhouse using cross-platform languages and applied to business data-visualisation software,” Andrew states. “This enables us to create faster, more rich and visually appealing charts, graphs and datavisualisations than our competitors. “Our software is rated number one by users for speed (performance), with several orders of magnitude faster performance than competitors and allowing billions of data-points to be plotted in applications. “We are rated number one for flexibility, features, ease-of-use and we have a 5* rating for technical support and a 98% approval rating from reviewers as a business. We enable our customers to whitelabel our charting software in their applications which then become their products.” Internal culture at SciChart is of utmost importance and the firm has a culture of excellence, as Andrew is keen to highlight. “Ultimately, our staff create our products, so they play a very important role in the success of our firm. We are a fully-remote company, with staff around Europe and working online and together to achieve our goals. We treat our staff with respect, and have a flexible approach to working in working hours, days and holidays. “Typically, we go through trusted agencies or partners to recruit. We look for software developers with extensive experience in crossplatform graphics (or a desire to learn), and staff who are committed to long-term work to create products which are rated as the best.” Overall, SciChart is a fully bootstrapped start-up with no investment, debt or shareholder loans. The company has been grown organically and has been profitable with growth in revenue each and every year since inception. “The major challenge for us has been to overcome competitors and grow when we did not have the financial resources of some of our competitors. In order to do this, we had to be extremely creative and go the extra mile in our work, delivering excellence not only in software, but also efficiency. “With regards to the future, we plan to expand our product offerings and have plans for aggressive growth in 2021 and beyond.” Contact: Andrew Burnett-Thompson Company: SciChart Ltd Web Address: www.scichart.com
9 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 6 | Q2 2020 Mar20320 Delivering Unique Design Services Based in Leeds, Original Nutter Design is a leading graphic & web design agency, serving various companies around the world. Following their success in the Business Elite Awards 2020, we got in touch with Director Bo Beaumont to find out more. Established in 2014, Original Nutter Design are committed to providing full business design solutions for its clients, wherever they are located. To start, Bo offers more insight into some of the firm’s specialisms and its typical client base. “Original Nutter Design are committed to providing full business design solutions to various companies around the world. With our team including award-winning designers who always ensure of our clients’ satisfaction by providing unique design services in a timely manner, we continue to lead the design industry. Our speciality is logo design. With one chance to make a strong first impression on your clients, we will make sure your logos are perfect. Additionally, we often work on print and online marketing collateral. “As a design agency, we always aim to look for ideal methods and bespoke solutions, particularly for those who have specific design requirements. Furthermore, we also offer marketing support to ensure that all designs and materials are utilised efficiently.” Working across several industries, word of mouth has significantly aided the agency when it comes to attracting new clients as Bo goes on to explain. “We are lucky to have a good range of regular SME clients, many of whom have been referred to us from other happy clients. Moreover, from our Google search ranking, we have also seen a steady stream of enquiries generated from terms like logo designers.” With its team set up to remotely work from home, the agency can assist clients with any design needs at any time as Bo further explains. “By working remotely, we are able to serve a UK client base, allowing us to massively cut costs and pool resources in a way that gives our clients agency level quality at freelance level pricing. Our clients truly value the fact we make ourselves available out of hours, there is nothing worse than going through a hugely stressful situation that could be easily solved by your design, web or marketing team.” As a small business with just four specialist designers, the team are very close-knit, working collaboratively to help achieve its client’s design needs. Moreover, as Bo goes on to explain, it is important to hire people with the right kind of specialist skills if you are going to succeed in business. “Each member of the design team have played a vital role in the success story of Original Nutter Design, and as I was once told, you should always surround yourself with talented people. Chris, our award-winning designer, is definitely the king of our logo design projects.” Finally, Bo comments on the future of Original Nutter Design and its plans for 2020 and beyond. “In the coming year, we will be building a client support portal, offering free and extremely valuable marketing advice and insights. We understand many of our newer small business start-up clients are bootstrapping, but we would still like to offer them additional value beyond our design services. Furthermore, we know as our clients grow, so does their need for our services, it is certainly a mutually beneficial arrangement. “As a side note, we are also on the lookout for another talented marketer with email experience, who ideally will have previously helped similar businesses, so if that is you get in touch!” Company Name: Original Nutter Design Contact Name: Bo Beaumont Telephone Number: +44 333 050 1245 Email Address: hello@originalnutterdesign.co.uk Web Address: www.originalnutterdesign.co.uk
10 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 35 | Q1 2021 Oct20689 Pioneering Beauty Technology in Inverness A small business with a loyal customer base and a stellar reputation, Tannorah Beauty Salon seeks to make beauty’s ‘best kept secret’ treatment accessible to all. Tannorah Beauty Salon & Shop is based in Scotland and was founded in 2016 after the founder expanded away from hairdressing into other beauty treatment solutions. It is the home of the CACI Synergy treatment in Inverness, bringing this pioneering treatment to its clients to offer non-surgical facelift technology. It is excited to be able to offer this and has worked hard to develop an excellence in its use. CACI is a leading brand in face-lifts and rejuvenation that doesn’t involve invasive or painful procedures, using micro-currents to maintain complexion, lifting and firming the face. It focuses on the facial muscles to tone them as though giving them a workout; Tannorah Beauty Salon calls it a ‘FaceGym Facial’. Unlike the onoccasion gruelling nature of a full gym workout, however, CACI is a pleasant and relaxing treatment. CACI stands for Computer Aided Cosmetology Instrument, and in terms of the machine itself, it works by delivering a low level micro-current to the skin. This results in the stimulation of the skin cells and ‘exercises’ them, the result being the lifting of the skin and the smoothing of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving it looking smoother and more contoured. Tannorah delivers this Synergy system as the latest innovation of its kind, with state-of-the-art S.P.E.D dual action technology that delivers light therapy skin rejuvenation as well as the micro-currents. The benefit of it being dual action lies in its regenerative properties as the treatment works to repair collagen in the skin. This combination of lymphatic drainage, peeling, cleansing, and toning, works on deep lines, newly forming wrinkles and undereye bags. Celebrities known to have used this treatment are J-Lo, Jennifer Anniston and Lindsay Lohan, and thus it has been dubbed the ‘Red Carpet Ready Treatment’. It works on both the facial and neck area. For the most part, CACI facial treatments are the beauty industry’s best kept secret. Because of this, many customers that Tannorah come across have never heard of it, and it has been hailed a ‘top 10 beauty secret’. However, Tannorah believes that everyone who wants access to it should be able to do so, seeking to make CACI treatments more of a household name in the industry. It also offers gel polish manicures, waxing, shrinking violet body wraps, and spray tanning and facials. Of course, the latter two services cannot currently be offered due to Covid-19 safety restrictions, but Tannorah will be reinstating them as soon as it is safe to do so. It also sells beauty and lifestyle supplies through the shopping platform on its website, perfect for those still wanting to access some of its products or support its business when in person visits are not viable. Being a solo therapist business, Tannorah has built its reputation with its clients for creating a friendly, personable, private, and non-judgemental atmosphere in the salon. Tannorah prides itself on being able to respond to every client’s needs effectively and respectfully, tailoring its treatments to suit them. Since opening its doors, it has also held to the same founding mission; to bring accessible and professional beauty maintenance to the everyday person, no matter what walk of life they come from. It seeks to cultivate a client base that knows their self-worth and allows Tannorah to enhance their confidence, empowered by its internal values of empathy, trust, and professionalism. In 2020, Tannorah Beauty Salon won Scotland’s Most Trusted Beauty Salon 2020 for its excellent service. Of course, due to the in-person nature of its services, the pandemic hit this business’s revenue streams hard and made the past year one of the most difficult. It saw 90% of its treatments get put on hiatus due to social distancing rules. However, Tannorah considers itself blessed in that its loyal customer base has kept it afloat during this difficult period. Located in a quiet area and operating on an appointment only basis at present, it is still offering private treatments that abide by Covid-19 safety guidelines, as well as its wide range of beauty products through its website. Company: Tannorah Beauty Salon & Shop Contact: Annorah MacKnocher Email: annorah@tannorah.com Website: tannorah.com Shop Website: shop.tannorah.com Email: shop@tannorah.com
11 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 42 | Q4 2020 Oct20674 Rapid Rise To Success Rebox HR has seen an incredible year of growth in 2020, having been founded in February and becoming an awardwinning company before the year ended. Rebox HR is a virtual HR Consultancy founded by Natalie Ellis, a highly experienced HR professional boasting more than fifteen years of HR and employment relations experience. We spoke to Natalie to find out more about Rebox HR’s work and growth throughout an unprecedented year. Established in February 2020, Rebox HR is an award-winning HR consultancy specialising in employment relations advice, as well as policies, contracts and employee handbooks. The company was created to provide quality, expert HR advice that is accessible to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Service is tailored to the needs of each client and delivered using jargon-free language that ensure companies are compliant and operate only through well-regulated practices. The company was founded by Natalie Ellis, a highly experienced HR professional with over fifteen years of HR and employment relations experience. Natalie boasts significant commercial experience and has worked for a number of high-profile companies including Woolworths Group, ASOS.com, Associated British Foods and Forterra PLC throughout her career. She is also fully CIPD qualified to a Level 7 and currently holds Associate CIPD status, as well as HR Consultants insurance for clients peace of mind. Throughout her career prior to Rebox HR, Natalie became increasingly aware of the phenomenon of smaller businesses being priced out by other HR service providers, or becoming entangled in lengthy contracts that were of no benefit or even completely detrimental to operation. Natalie set Rebox HR up as an alternative, working hand in hand with clients to make the decision-making process for businesses more comfortable and easier. Since its inception, Rebox HR has worked with clients up and down the country in a variety of sectors, from logistics and distribution, to tech start-ups and engineering firms, to care homes, charities and even motorsport teams. Rebox HR’s bespoke approach to services is comprehensive and sees Natalie becoming invested in the companies of her clients so as to best understand how her services can work for her clients. Unlike larger consultancies who work with templates and an impersonal manner, Rebox HR provides accessible service that clients can rely on, facilitating the establishment of trusting relationships that in turn produce mutually beneficial outcomes. It is for this reason that Rebox HR has become an award-winning organisation in only seven months, having been nominated for several awards and winning for the Best Virtual HR Consultancy 2020 by SME News. This success will be the launchpad for the growth of Rebox HR in 2021 and beyond. Although Rebox HR is currently a solo operation, Natalie is eager to recruit likeminded individuals who can help her propel Rebox HR to even more success in the future. This future, however, remains uncertain for the time being, as the ongoing effects of the global lockdowns are being felt and will continue to be felt throughout the coming months and years. The effects on employment law is something that Natalie is particularly focused on navigating, ensuring that whatever the impacts may be, her clients and their employees are well looked after in these difficult times. With a consistently positive attitude, in particular concerning the release of her book, ‘Launch Your HR Career’, Natalie remains positive about the future, having seen a year of success thanks to Rebox HR. This success is particularly poignant in a time when small businesses across the country are truly being put to the test, but Natalie’s hopes are that as Rebox HR grows, it can help more businesses to succeed too. Contact: Natalie Ellis Company: Rebox HR Ltd Web Address: www.reboxhr.co.uk
12 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 3 | Q1 2021 Oct20608 Fantastic Flowers Bloom in the Capital Everyone should be able to enjoy the beauty of flowers, in all their radiant wonder. At the right time of year, flowers are truly stunning additions to almost any interior or exterior space. A garden can come to life with bursts of colour, or carefully placed greenery, whilst a living room can be made that much more luxurious with a glass vase and a collection of roses sat on the coffee table. Flowers are majestic, and the belief that everyone should be able to enjoy them is the core philosophy at Blue Florist. Discover more about this Greater London-based florist, and why it has been named Best for Same Day Flower Delivery, 2020 - Greater London. Family-owned and operated as an independent business, Blue Florist has almost two decades of experience in the floristry industry. Throughout that time, the team at Blue Florist has only ever worked directly with flower growers themselves, and has never settled for anything less than the most stunning of nature’s bounty. Approaching floristry in this way has ensured that, for eighteen years, the florist has delivered flowers of the highest quality and done so in a manner that exemplifies the exceptional service that customers have come to expect. All of the flowers themselves are hand-picked, hand-prepared, and delivered by experienced local florists themselves, just to lend that extra personal touch to the service provided by Blue Florist. There’s nothing quite like receiving flowers, and Blue Florist ensures that their every bouquet is delivered with the utmost precision and care to preserve that special feeling. Blue Florist is also dedicated to offering both great quality, and exceptional value. It is not simply about having flowers delivered; it is about having flowers delivered that match exactly what the client wants. For instance, perhaps there may be a colour scheme in the living room that a client wants to enhance or complement. Maybe, there is a specific flower type that is somebody’s favourite, and the client wants to ensure that the intended recipient is getting their favourite flowers. Whatever the reason, Blue Florist ensures that its customers always receive beautiful floral arrangements that are exactly matched to their every need and requirement. The team of expert florists has a floral arrangement and style for every occasion, including birthdays, anniversaries, luxury occasions, get well soon visits, sympathies, funerals, saying thank you, or welcoming a new baby into the world. Flowers are universal in their ability to send a message, and they are a perfect gift for so many occasions. However, we do sometimes forget these occasions or they can be unexpected in their arrival. For these times, this is where Blue Florist’s most exceptional service comes into play; same-day delivery. For those who may be somewhat forgetful, or often find themselves invited to an unexpected celebration, or simply want to show that they care in a speedy fashion, Blue Florist does offer same-day delivery on freshly made bouquets anywhere in the United Kingdom if the offer is placed before 3pm. Sending a message with flowers is one of the most wonderful things that a person can do, showing real heartfelt emotion and care for those that are receiving the flowers themselves. The message can mean even more if accompanied by a floral arrangement that shows delicacy, class, and elegance, and that is exactly what Blue Florist provides. Exquisite and exceptional in every sense of the word, these flowers are truly stunning and Blue Florist deserves the success it has earned as Greater London’s best florist for same-day delivery. Company: Blue Florist Contact: Agron Lika Website: www.blueflorist.co.uk/default.aspx
13 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 95 | Q1 2021 Oct20602 Learning Languages & Building a Brighter Future Busuu is an online learning service, teaching a myriad of languages to a worldwide audience through an awardwinning platform. With its start in helping to save an endangered language and its continued trail-blazing in the industry, it’s easy to see what has made Busuu such an influential global force, securing it the title of Best in Language Learning Courses, 2020 just last year. The company began in 2008, when it was founded by Bernhard Niesner and Adrian Hilti with the idea of building a supportive and effective language learning community. Thanks to this, the passion and heart put into the company’s start has continued to be a core pillar of its operational model to this day. Its growth was fast; even in its initial years, users and partners alike couldn’t help but see the potential in this company and the ambition that fuelled it until it became an internationally recognised brand. The culmination of this was in 2015 when Busuu formed one of its most lucrative partnerships. McGraw- Hill Education, one of the most well-respected education companies operating on the world’s stage, reached out to it to create an official certification for Busuu users. Lauded as the world’s largest community for language learning, its services are a range of diverse and in-depth courses that teach its users foreign language skills. With an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users of all technological skill levels and experience to use, Busuu’s courses come widely recommended in educational, corporate, and private markets. Currently, it provides 12 different languages and a variety of courses within each language, serving a vast community of over 100 million learners that reach every corner of the world. Its users can sign up for free to start learning immediately, and it also offers a premium membership that allows customers access to even more of its exemplary and welldesigned features, such as advanced grammar lessons, offline mode, McGraw-Hill Education certification courses, and its adaptive vocabulary trainer. It is powered by AI technology through its online platform and the app available through iOSIoS and Android. Further to this, over the years, its striving for excellence within language learning and serving the international community has earned it critical acclaim. It has been dubbed ‘Editors Choice’ on Google Play, given an ‘Innovation 2020’ award by the British Council’s and ELTons, and awarded the title ‘App of the Year’ by the App Store – brought about both by the sophistication of how its product operates and the content found within. In addition, it acquired an online tutoring platform called Verbling very recently, a move that has allowed it to further bolster its services with online language tutoring from expert instructors. In terms of Busuu itself, the name has its origins in Cameroon. Busuu is the name of the native language of the nation, a tongue that has seen a steady decline in use over the years, to the point where it was considered in critical danger of extinction – here meaning it was only being spoken by a few of the society’s elders. In response to this, the company put together an expedition with the mission of visiting Cameroon every couple of years, meeting the community of Busuu speakers and learning from them as well as facilitating learning within the community. Over time, the collaboration between Busuu and the people of Cameroon began to bring back hope of saving the language. Today, customers using Busuu’s services can learn this language through its specialist courses. This specifically developed and now widely respected system allows learners to measure their learning and further develop their mastery over their chosen language, with tests on core topics in A1, A2, B1 or B2. These tiers are in line with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) when it comes to learning. Upon the achievement of a successful pass grade, students receive an official certificate awarded to them by McGraw Hill Education. In tandem with this, as well as individual private users, Busuu is also available for organisations such as schools, universities, and companies. This service, which debuted in May 2016, lets organisations provide Busuu premium for students and employees, as well as allowing the client to oversee each learner’s learning progress by use of an online dashboard. Company: Busuu Contact: Berhard Niesner Website: https://www.busuu.com/
14 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 43 | Q4 2020 Oct20539 The B.I.G.ger Picture DueDil was created in response to the lack of technology-led solutions that facilitated transparency into private businesses, which meant SMEs were left on the back foot in the UK economy, particularly when trying to access financial services. Powered by the DueDil Business Information Graph (B.I.G), DueDil is able to offer richer business insights that allow their SME customers to flourish. We spoke to Co-Founder and CEO, Justin Fitzpatrick, to find out more. Based in London, DueDil is telling the story behind every business by digitally mapping the economy to help businesses, particularly SMEs, accelerate growth and take smarter risks. Working primarily with financial services providers, insurers and fintechs, DueDil guides them in understanding SMEs and how to quickly and effectively onboard them in a mutually beneficial manner. As Justin Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder and CEO, explains, DueDil was created to fill a significant gap in the market. “When we started DueDil there weren’t any good technology-led solutions to help understand what was happening with the 99.9% of companies that are private. This lack of transparency and understanding was particularly bad when it came to the millions of small and medium enterprises that contribute so much to our economy.” The lack of understanding between economies and SMEs was detrimental for both sides. One of the most notable issues faced by SMEs was their inability to access financial services quickly, or at competitive rates, because financial services providers found it too difficult or too costly to understand their businesses. Moreover, the solutions that were provided on the market prior to DueDil were similarly ineffective, as they were primarily provided by an ‘oligopoly of credit bureaus’ who were unable to meet market requirements, as Justin explains. “First, the information they provided was often of poor quality and out of date. Second, they provided it in static forms, either data dumps or reports. Third, their legacy technology made it difficult for them to address the first two challenges, and painful and expensive for their clients to integrate with them.” DueDil sought to create a solution that challenged all of these traditional issues and became the first cloud native and API-led provider on the market. The DueDil Business Information Graph (B.I.G) was built with technology, and is designed to ingest billions of data points on millions of companies every day. DueDil then analyses the data, making more than 270 million connections between companies, directors and shareholders. 45% of the information in B.I.G. is generated to provide a richer view of a business than is commonly available, allowing DueDil to provide insight on SMEs that is accurate, dynamic and contextualized. “We stay close to our clients, and there are always more opportunities to help them. We’re always pushing our product forward to meet these demands”, says Justin. In listening to their clients, Justin and his team have been able to see the evolution in their demands: “Even before COVID-19, we saw financial services providers making big investments in digital transformation programs. They realize that they need to automate to survive. The first wave of digital transformation has been about doing things faster and cheaper than the manual, paper-based processes that have dominated. The next wave will be about customer intimacy.” For too long, financial services providers have dealt with SMEs with a one-size-fits-all approach, but DueDil has recognised how a combination of data and technology to personalise services makes financial services more competitive. Whilst this personalisation has previously been withheld from SMEs, DueDil is now offering solutions that allow them to enjoy the benefits too. Covid-19 has accelerated this trend, showing financial services providers that they cannot afford to go back to the old model if they want to stay relevant to SMEs in the post-Covid-19 economy. With the help of his team, Justin is now able to look ahead and consider how DueDil will be able to continue assisting their clients in 2021 and beyond. Driven by the DueDil core values of grit, authenticity and team spirit, the firm has accrued a team culture that cares about doing the best for themselves and each other. This translates into the way DueDil builds helpful, fair and straightforward client relationships. As 2020 draws to a close, Justin outlines the shape of things to come: “COVID-19 has made the market for serving SMEs riskier. This creates challenges for financial services providers in being able to accurately measure and monitor their exposure to that risk. We’re working on a set of enhancements to our product that help our clients understand and manage their exposure throughout their relationship with their SME customers in real time, and will be continuing to expand the number of geographies we can do this in.” Contact: Justin Fitzpatrick Company: DueDil Web Address: www.duedil.com “Even before COVID-19, we saw financial services providers making big investments in digital transformation programs.”
15 | SME Business Elite Supplement 2020 37 | Q1 2021 Oct20457 Staying Connected For nearly five years, Relate Data has been providing businesses with security solutions that neatly integrate into a single interface which grows with the business. By offering a fully deployed security as a service model, Relate Data gives its end customers the power to choose what they actually need for their business and make the most of the company’s hassle-free approach to monitoring or, as Relate calls it: ‘Monitoring Redefined’. Relate Data is a unified platform for all network and security data that operates with a single dashboard. The platform provides a subscription-based model in its onestop-shop approach to network monitoring and cybersecurity needs. Currently, the market is inundated with existing products that generally include a few specific features or models, that need to be used alongside other products and require additional third-party software licensing. The lack of user experience that often comes with these products also means a dedicated team of experts is needed to install, manage and use these solutions. Founder Deepak Kumar and his team created Relate Data with the aim of alleviating the pressures and issues for enterprises, SMEs and SMBs who are currently working with a combination of several individual solutions to fulfil a single function or goal, such as to secure and monitor communication networks and information systems. Through extensive research and development of components that can be integrated into their revolutionary platform, Relate Data is able to provide the latest technology for scalable, easy-to-use technological solutions. Moreover, Relate Data also prioritises the user experience, something that many of their competitors forget about or omit from their processes. Relate Data is fully deployed, configured and maintained for all end users as a security as a service model which gives customers the freedom to choose what they need, when they need it, delivering hassle-free monitoring as a result. Relate Data also ensures that the overhead for teams is reduced so as to maintain the efficiency and effectivity of their systems, and has made sure that their platform does not require any additional software licenses. As such, onboarding and integration of the Relate platform is smooth, without needing to install any agents of customer networks or infrastructure. Moreover, Relate Data has focused a great deal of its research and development around IoT and 5G and as a result, is the first platform that can handle IoT monitoring with millions of connected devices. Relate Data is therefore an ideal choice for any business that relies on network communication and information systems to run their business. The versatility and scalability mean that Relate Data platform is easily applicable to a broad spectrum of sectors, and can be seamlessly integrated into any organisation’s technological systems, whether they are in telecommunications, banking and finance, mobility, insurance, industries or energy. The partnerships with these many businesses have been secured thanks to Relate Data’s dedicated sales team, who work hard to identify leads and potential use cases that could be solved by Relate Data platform. Indeed, Deepak puts the success of his organisation down to the work of his team, strong leadership and the culture that has been fostered within Relate Data to grow, collaborate and ensure every team member takes pride in what they do. As a team, Relate Data is built on evolution in accordance with cutting-edge technology and the latest trends. By pushing the boundaries and continually exploring new avenues for development, Relate Data is able to make the impossible, possible. Even growing a start-up has proven Relate Data’s capacity for excellence, having struggled to acquire potential customers in their early days to building a reputation of trust in less than five years which has secured a working partnership with one of the largest chemical companies in the world. With its growing success, Relate Data is looking forward to an exciting year ahead. 2021 will see the launch of a brand-new version of the existing platform that will allow small to medium-sized enterprises to use Relate Data’s services at a competitive price. This idea is born from the belief that all businesses should be able to afford cybersecurity and monitor their information systems and data, regardless of their size and revenue. This is especially true as cybersecurity and monitoring takes greater precedence in a period of remote work and the correlation of increasing threats. Thanks to Relate, businesses of all shapes and sizes will be able to continue to run their operations confidently, without fear of disruption. Contact: contact@relatedata.com Company: Relate Data Web Address: www.relatedata.com
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