Keepers
 Keepers Newsletter #8
27th November 2009
Greetings!
 
Good Morning everyone; it's Friday! Hopefully you have had a good morning so far, I certainly have; this morning I managed to wrestle the remote away from my daughter and quickly removed pepper pig from view. Oh the joy, I actually managed to watch the South East today section of the news, where I learned that 16,000 people have contacted Business link this year, enquiring about start up businesses. Wow, that's a lot! Of course there are two ways of looking at this; for the glass half empty readers, that's a hell of a lot of new competition, but for those who's vessel is half full, what an opportunity to peddle your wares!
 
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     Summary of Contents 
         
    
  Client Spotlight
         Our Guarantees
     HMRC Refund Emails
                       3 Marketing Ideas
                       Business Plan Joke
     
Client Spotlight - Toast of Brighton & Hove
Business Plan Part 9

  The Toast of Brighton & Hove is the shared vision of its two directors, Ann-Marie Shine-Newton & Dawn Everett, who realised that there was nowhere in the UK in the high street environment which specialised in the provision of a extensive range of champagnes and related gift sets and accessories.  We asked ourselves why not?  The UK is one of the largest consumers of champagne in Europe and so we decided to investigate the idea further.  We wanted to create a "boutique style retail environment" which provided customers with the largest range of champagnes and accessories to choose from, all displayed within luxurious surroundings and further complimented by high end customer service.  In short, we wanted the feeling you get when you buy something from a designer boutique, but with the product range competitively priced whether the customer was looking for a bottle or multiple case purchases.  After 12 months of extensive research for both the right product range and geographical location, Toast was born.
 
The Toast of Brighton & Hove is unique. It is the first specialist champagne retailer in the UK and in November 2007, we opened our doors to Brighton & Hove. Toast currently offers in excess of 100 different champagnes from both the well known champagne houses alongside smaller, independent champagne growers, ensuring that our customers are offered the most comprehensive choice available on the high street. 
 
The retail outlet, based at 40 Church Road, Hove is not like any other wine merchant / wine retail outlet.  Decadently styled, utilising colours replicating champagne bottles - golds, black and greens - the shop includes displays the product on backlit glass shelving surrounded by ornate gold mirrors, chandeliers and Louis XIV styled furniture including seating, which collectively gives the shop a luxurious and decadent feel and appearance. 
 
The customer service provided by The Toast of Brighton & Hove is fundamental to our business ethos.  Understanding our customers' tastes and needs enables us to provide them with guidance and information on other champagnes which we feel they will enjoy and which are in line with their taste preferences. Toast offers a range of other services, including corporate or private champagne tastings held in our bespoke Tasting Room, bespoke gift and hamper service and product sourcing service.  The complimentary packaging (consisting of black glossy bags, tissue paper, gold branded ribbon and gift tag) also adds to the customer service proposition.  It is our uniqueness, our style and our unrivalled choice of product makes us stand out from the crowd and makes us a complete shopping experience.
 
Since our opening in November 2007, we have been overwhelmed with the interest and positive feedback received by both consumers and the licenced trade industry including positive editorial articles featured in the trade press including Off Licence News, The Wine Intelligence Briefing and Wine & Spirits Magazine.  On a national consumer level we have also been featured in the Sunday Times Magazine as product suppliers for several of our product lines.

To have a look at some of our special offers, click here.

We have been with Keepers for about 6 months now and have been very impressed with the service that we have received.  Nothing is too much trouble and they are very quick to respond to any queries that we have had regarding our accounts. We would highly recommend them to other businesses, they are not your run of the mill accountants; they have a lot more to offer!  

9. Uncontrollable Environmental Factors  -
that might affect your business:-

�  industrial relations,

�  currency rates,

�  government policies,

�  government legislation,

�  weather,

�  new shopping centres,

�  changed trading hours,

�  competitors.

You can find all previous business plans
here


Business Plan Joke


A new shift manager was being shown around the Latex factor where he was just hired. The plant manufactures various latex products, and has a reputation for using cutting edge technology in their manufacturing process.

On one side of the building, the factory makes baby bottle nipples. The machine makes a loud "hiss-pop" noise, and the shift manager asks his tour guide what it's doing.

"As the rubber is being injected into the mould, it makes a hiss noise." he says "The popping sound is from needle poking a hole in the end of the nipple."

On the other side of the building, the two men look at the condom making machine. This machine makes a "hiss.. hiss... hiss-pop" sound during the manufacturing process.
 "Wait a second," the future shift manager says, "I know what the hiss, hiss is... but what's with the 'pop' noise every once in a while?"

"Oh, that hehe. It's the same as the baby bottle nipple process." says the guide... "It pokes a hole in every third condom."

"But that can't be good for the condoms!" the observant shift manager replied.

"Nah, but it's really good for the baby bottle nipple business!"


















Our Guarantees

  • Upon joining Keepers, save a minimum of 25% on your current fees ... GUARANTEED
  • Savings on your tax liabilities .......................................................................GUARANTEED
  • Free advice, as and when you need it ............................................................GUARANTEED
  • Free support throughout the year, not just at the year end ....................GUARANTEED
  • Fixed annual fee and no surprise bills ............................................................GUARANTEED
  • Free budget forecasts, cash flow and managerial reports .......................GUARANTEED
If you would like to know more about us, click here
Refund Emails

Even though there have been several warnings about emails seeming to originate from HMRC, a lot are still being sent, and a lot of people are still falling for the scam, so this is just a quick reminder;

  If you've received an email from the taxman telling you that you are due a refund, please delete it and do not click on the links or reply to it.  These are not official emails and many attempt to steal your User ID and passwords. If you are still receiving such emails, please forward it to the taxman: [email protected]. For more information on this subject, click here

3 Marketing Ideas

Press Releases. Write and distribute press releases that are newsworthy, and send them to newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations. If only one media outlet airs the story, you'll have free access to thousands of people. Design the headline to grab readers' attention in as few words as possible. Use active verbs. Get to the point quickly, with a lead sentence that will draw the reader into a convincing piece.

Business Shows. Renting space at a business show can be expensive, but the best shows are a great way to build your business. Have plenty of promotional materials ready to hand out to interested people. When the show's over, follow up. Call your leads in order of importance, but get in touch with all of them within seven days. Above all, keep every promise made at the booth.

The Internet. Establishing a home page for your business is relatively inexpensive and can reach many people. Use newsgroups that focus on areas similar to your line of business to draw attention to the site. Always include a phone number or email address so that interested visitors can contact you. If you are a retailer, consider putting photographs of your products online, even if you're not ready to let people to order your wares over the Internet.

For more Marketing Ideas, click here

Thanks for reading. You can find us on our website, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn; just click the relevant picture below.

 
Ben & Chris