Spring to Action Ltd

Early Notice: Bid Writing for Beginners, Leicester

After such a strong demand for our popular Bid Writing for Beginners 2 hour workshop, we're in the process of arranging to bring it to Leicester.  Pop 11th January in your diary now or email us to be the first to receive the full details and the booking form.

Ideal for people wanting to learn more about how to bid for tenders and contracts, it helps a range of organisations including social enterprises, small companies and third sector organisations to sell themselves to potential funders.

More information to follow shortly...

Sports and Arts Funding for Community Sector

Spring has continued to deliver the ever-popular Bid Writing for Beginners workshop, this time to the Arts team at Derby City Council. With a focus on delivery of projects to help fund events and training for dance, sport and singing the workshop was handily held at Pride Park, who have their own learning centre for young people.

Some funding options for people working in sports and the arts could include:

• The Heritage Lottery - could you deliver a project to help people explore their heritage, through the arts?  Maximum funding available is up to £50,00 per project, depending on the funding stream.
• The Austin Hope and Pilkington Trust - Grants available are between £1,000 to £10,000 and their focus changes each year - for 2009 its community and disability.
• Awards for All - For projects between £300 and £10,00 for projects which help to improve communities and the lives of people in them.

With the current squeeze on public funding, which will only increase in the short to medium term, its also important to look at how else you can raise funds for your project.  For example, could you sell your choir services to commercial organisations such as launch events, or for weddings?  In order to do this, you'll need clear evidence of what you can achieve - perhaps its pure entertainment or helping communities to work together.  Try writing a mission statement and remember to include anything you don't want to do.  That could be on an ethical or moral level, or perhaps you just want to focus on one area.  Either way, if you're not clear on what you will or will not do, neither will any potential customers be.

Find out more hints and tips about fundraising by attending one of our low-cost workshops.  To book Spring to deliver Bid Writing for Beginners for you, either book a place on our next open workshop or we can deliver a workshop just for you and your group.  Contact us at kash.khunkhuna@springtoaction.co.uk

Bid Writing for Beginners workshops return to Derby

Thank you to everyone who has shown such enthusiasm and interest in our Bid Writing for Beginners workshop. We're delighted that the workshop has been group booked for twice for private organisations and are in the process of organising another date and venue for a public session.

We got great feedback from the last workshop, and have decided to extend the event to make sure we can cover all the issues important to writing tenders and bids for public funders in sufficient detail. We'll post more details here and on our eventbrite page as soon as we have them.

Meanwhile if you'd like to find out more, check out our Workshops and Events or contact Kash Khunkhuna to discuss your needs.  We'd love to hear from you. 

Kate

New date added: Bid Writing for Beginners

Thanks for all your interest in Bid Writing for Beginners - you'll be pleased to hear that we've added another date for this popular workshop on the 4th June 2009, at Legacy Aston Court in Derby.

We're taking booking now! We've done a bit of research and found similar workshops selling for a whopping £100+ - but this event forms part of Spring's committment to support disadvantaged communities develop enterprising skills, so we've bought it to you at a price we think you can afford.  The content is the same, just a bargainous £10 for tips, tricks and all our 12 years of experience in writing a range of funding bids (large and small) to a variety of public bodies.

Book your place now at our Bid Writing for Beginners workshop . 

Kate

Skills Accounts can support Employment and Business Growth

The East Midlands has been selected as a trial area for the government's new Skills Accounts, with the aim of assisting people to take control of their learning. Having worked on their previous incarnation, it's a welcome return for people struggling to afford to undertake learning otherwise.

The idea is simple: you choose where, when and what learning you want to undertake.  The government supplies the funding (up to £7,000) but its controlled by you.  This should help to support successful providers of learning and encourage people to get into the habit of learning. Its open to everyone, regardless of whether you have a job or not.

Last time around, the accounts were somewhat spoiled by bad management of the system.  Organisations who provided learning and training were able to exploit the system and we even heard stories of 'doorstep selling'  - where people were signed up to courses, and paying for learning via the accounts that they hadn't even attended.

Let's hope these flaws have been addressed, because it's an excellent opportunity for our most deprived communities to get on the learning ladder and increase their opportunities in life.  So go on, sign up for a Skills Account and try something new today.

Kate

Writing Tenders and Bids: Spring's Tips and Tricks

Twice now we've presented on writing tenders and bids for UnLtd to help local social enterprises to fundraise - and for those of you who couldn't make the session, here are a few of our hints and tips.

What you'll need to get you started:

• A project plan or business plan
• Policies - equal opportunities and environmental
• Leaflets about your business
• Previous year's annual reports (if you have them)
• Budget / accounts
• Research - both local and national

You'll need to get out and about to ensure your potential customers hear about you - go to meetings, attend networking events where key people will be and go to your sector's award ceremonies.  Talk to people and get business cards.

Issue press releases about your business when there is good news to be heard.  They're free to generate and can be very effective in your marketing strategy.

Be confident and positive whenever you can.  Positivity attracts people, negativity pushes people away.

Ideas for Fundraising:

• Cold calling
• Word of mouth
• Networking
• Peer Groups
• Events - fun runs, auctions, swishing

Ideas for applying for grants / tenders:

• Be sure that the project / fund you're applying for is right for your organisation
• Look at other applications - see what works and what doesn't
• Plan your time and try not to do things at the last minute
• Be aware of your limitations - if you can't do it or don't have the time consider buying in some skills
• Build your reputation by applying for smaller funding pots first
• Deliver on your promises
• Don't chase funds - think strategically. Only apply for funding because its right for your organisation

One of the key issues here is about ensuring the fund, and the project, are right for your organisation. Often we see organisations who just 'need the money' and who haven't thought through a project which will fit the requirements of the funding pot.  These projects are far less likely to be successful and indeed gain funding.

This is wasted time and often wasted money which could be spent elsewhere.  If you take the time over the project idea stage, it will show in the writing of the bid.  If you're considering buying in someone to write the bid for you, take the effort to be clear about your project idea (e.g. have project meetings with key staff to generate ideas). 

The more successful organisations in funding applications have processes in place to help them generate ideas and ensure the project will work. For smaller organisations, you may instead think about planning out the project stage by stage and consider elements such as costs, outputs, risks, dependancies and personnel needed to make the project work.  This will be time well spent.

I hope those tips are helpful. It's all based on our experiences of writing bids - sometimes with the minimum of notice.  It pays to put the work into relationships in advance and to have case studies, budgets and key documents to hand so you can focus on the project idea during those precious few days you may have to put a tender or bid together.

Kate

Missing the Mark

Christmas is definitely around the corner.  All our local businesses are festooned with Santas, twinkly lights and the occasional rendition of Christmas songs.  There is something special about independent shops and their decorations – something more honest and personal that I love.  I think the best decorations are the ones which have been bought out year after year as they have a history to them and mean so much more than the mass produced branded stuff you often see in chain stores.

What make me chuckle a little is the English way of giving shops strange and often irrelevant names.  Ever heard of Damon’s Motel?  No?  It’s on the road to Lincoln, a really lovely location and quite a nice building but the oddest of names.  Do we know who Damon is?  Don’t get me started on the name motel. 

What about Just Jackie for a women’s boutique business in Knighton, Leicester? A place when women brunch, shop and go on expensive holidays.  The clothes in Just Jackie look lovely and are excellent merchandised.   I’m just not sure the name does it justice.  It doesn’t reek of tailored, exclusive clothing, and I’m never sure if the name means that only Jackies can enter?  Or if only Jackies work there?

What if Jackie or Damon move on or sell out the business?  Do they take the names with them?  As branding goes, it is a strange one.  If you were Jackie O the name would make sense, and women would flock.  Or if the owner was Damon Hill and you owned a motel – that makes more sense too.  But Damon Smith (for want of a better name) from Lincoln just doesn’t do much to promote the place.  I’m more in favour of names which stand out from the crowd. 

In January, I’ll be blogging about how to get a great name for your business – don’t miss it.

Kate

Survive and Thrive: Supporting for Businesses in Tough Times

Hard-hitting events, with real experts, delivering real solutions to real problems.

In response to the economic downturn and to further demonstrate emda’s support for business, emda will be hosting, in association with Business Link, a series of Business Support events. There will be five events, one in each of the region’s counties, held between Tuesday 2nd and Thursday 11th of December. Each event will follow the same format and feature four master-classes. The master-classes will offer practical advice and possible solutions to combat the current economic downturn. Topics covered include negotiation with banks, managing cash flow, efficient management of resources, and legal advice.

Full details are available at the website below or for more details see the emda website project spotlight at: http://www.emda.org.uk/projects/details.asp?filevar=462

To register call 01332 227774 or visit www.surviveandthrive.org.uk

Price Setting in a Recession

Times are predicted to be tough for the world's economies.  Europe is offically in recession and unemployment in the UK is at an 11 year high.  Those who could've predicted this 12 months ago are few and far between.

But there are positives. The UK's Food and Drink industry is exporting in greater numbers than ever befpre and oil prices are dropping. There are still many signs of life in the economy.

What can a small business do to help them through these tought times?  The Bank of England predicts things will start looking up in the 3rd quarter of 2009 so SMEs have a fair few months to survive through before then.

What about dropping prices to seal the deal?  Surely it's more important than ever to get lots of orders in, even if it does mean a smaller profit in the short term?  This is a tough one for me and I don't have a surefire answer.  What I would suggest doing is clarifiying your unit price.  Whatever you do, don't sell for lkess than your costs.  If you're in ther service industry in theory you can be more flexible, but it does depend on the customer too. The worry is that in the medium term its harder to raise your prices again. 

A better way to consider extra value for your money - perhaps by giving away one item (e.g. an introductory offer for free) then selling at your usual price.You can also  ensure the customer gets good value for money by offering quality and service better than other places - e.g. by completing the task before your competitors but charging a slightly higher price. Let's face it, if your product or service is exactly the same as your compeititors then you need to adjust this anyway. You must always have a point of distinction.

The best thing your business can do is ensure you get paid on time. The vast majority of businesses cite credit as a problem in their business - so ensure your suppliers and your customers are using the same credit terms. If you offer your customers 3 months credit (including the cardinal sin of not invoicing them immediately after you've completed the work - and chasing the debt) but your suppliers offer you 30 days credit then you're already in trouble.

Take a long hard look at your cashflow and credit terms first, to ensure these simple issues don't damage your business.  Ensure every invoice is paid on time, every time.

Kate

Free tips for marketing your business

When businesses start out, the budget is often tight. Everything costs – company registration, business cards, buying sample products... the list goes on. But without an effective marketing strategy, there really is no use for fancy business cards or sample products. People won't know your business exists.

Often this problem isn't just related to start-up businesses . We've worked with lots of businesses who tell us that 'no one is buying at the moment' or they are cash strapped directly due to the fact that they haven't made any sales recently. This problem can be complex and not always related to marketing - part a bigger problem.

The double whammy is that if you're cash-strapped you simply can't afford to pay for more marketing. So what do you do? I've put together a few ideas for free marketing to get your business and product known. It's the tip of the iceburg, so I'd love to hear more of your ideas and success stories of what you've done to get your business known.

Try to aim to create a buzz around your business. Consider Facebook – everyone was talking about it (and still is) – and this draws people to them. Integral to their product design is the fact that you can 'invite your friends'. How can you utilise people power in your business?

Generate press interest
Tell people about what you do. Writing press releases to send to the press isn't easy and I won't attempt to tell you how to do it here, but the idea is pretty easy: journalists need your news. If you've just opened a new shop they might just want to know about it to fill a few column inches. You need to write a press release and get it sent to the right person at the right time, and you might just be surprised the interest it draws.

Advice from the BBC on writing press releases and Sample Press Releases

Write for a trade magazine
If you make widgets, you can pretty much bet there is a widget magazine out there. The same goes for most industries... and don't just think about traditional media, there's online too. What's the benefit of writing for one? You'll be seen as the 'expert' – if you wanted your hair cut you'd want to go to someone who was good enough to be featured in a magazine, right? If it was at the right price, in the right location perhaps. The same theory applied to whatever you sell.

Be a speaker at a event
People who run events are always looking for successful business people or experts in their field to speak at workshops. This brings with it their PR team, who will be sending information about the event to anyone they know. So information about your business will be sent with it. If you do speak at an event, make sure you know your stuff. Find out who's coming and do some research about what they want to know. Make sure you fulfil the brief so that those happy customers spread the word about you and your company in a positive light.

Business Networking
Some people love it, some people hate it. But there is no doubt that networking is very popular. Why? Research shows that people with more contacts generate more income in their lifetime. Networking brings the opportunity to meet people you might never have met in other circumstances. This can bring with it creative and exciting business opportunities and collaborations. You can perfect your 'sales pitch'. Not all networking is the same, so you need to find a meeting which fits your style the best, but stretching yourself to attend something you wouldn't normally go to can be very rewarding and builds your confidence.

Kate