Give your business a Christmas present
FSB membership
Let's start with the businessman's bargain, membership of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Its definition of small is generous: any firm with fewer than 200 employees. Membership fees are based on your number of employees, starting at £100 plus a £30 joining fee.
You get a lot for your money: the biggest safety net is up to £50,000 for professional representation for in-depth Inland Revenue investigations, appeals to VAT tribunals, motoring prosecutions and prosecutions under health and safety legislation. These are the instances where the small business feels most vulnerable, so membership offers a valuable element of insurance. There's also anecdotal evidence that HM Revenue & Customs avoids taking on businesses which display membership of the FSB because it knows it'll face a fight.
Equally useful, the FSB is a source of advice. The legal advice line runs 24/7, and in addition there's advice on tax, VAT and employment law. There's also advice and cover of costs for employment and PAYE disputes. Perhaps the most important benefit is that you feel there's someone on your side with real clout.
As well as the protection side of the operation, the FSB has wielded the power of its 200,000-plus membership to good effect. It has negotiated free business banking with the Co-operative Bank, and offers savings on BT call rates that don't require you to have a high call rate. Add in discounted insurance, including medical insurance, and you're probably in credit on your membership costs.
Cchoosing a vehicle
Does your business need new vehicles? Take a look at the International Van of the Year results before just picking the best price on offer. The award is given to the van judged to have made the greatest contribution to road transport efficiency which covers all the key factors in choosing a new van. The overall winner announced in October was the Ford Transit with the Sevel combination from Citroën/Peugeot/Fiat running it a close second and the Mercedes sprinter not far behind.
The European directive on emissions for light-duty vehicles has meant a lot of updating, so check the website www.roadtransport.com before going to a dealer.
Mobile e-mail access
Don't go out without mobile e-mail access. Also, don't assume that mobile e-mail means a BlackBerry. Look instead at OpenHand. Its software is compatible with well over 250 handheld devices, such as PDAs (personal digital assistants) and many mobile phones, including Nokia 60 and 80 series and Ericsson UIQ, Pocket PC and Smartphones. OpenHand provides greater flexibility than BlackBerry and also offers a fully hosted version which includes host Microsoft Exchange.
OpenHand costs £11 a month plus VAT (against £33 for BlackBerry with no minimum contract and no server licence fee (against £36 for Blackberry). To buy or to set up a trial, contact its website www.openhand-mobile.com for the nearest of its 394 dealers. They will help load it on your phone/PDA, show how it works and provide professional back-up. The system has a high level of security compared with competitors and it works worldwide, which many others don't. In 2003 1% of businessmen had e-mail on the move in 2008 it's predicted to be 40%. Beat the competition by joining the 40% now.
Get a shredder
If you don't have a shredder, you'd be well advised to remedy that. Granted it's not going to win you any business, but it will defend the company against identity theft, both your own and your customers', and that's an increasingly serious threat. They start at about £12 for a straight-cut shredder, but you'd be well advised to buy a cross-cut model for the significantly greater security, in which case entry price is about £15.
Your needs might require heavier duty capability than the entry model and there's a wide range - ask a serious stationer for guidance. He'll probably recommend one of the brands dominant in the market.
Boost selling skills
An obvious investment in the business is to improve your selling skills. There's no shortage of courses which you could take, but they're mighty expensive - three-day courses often cost £1,500, with even the one-day variety coming in at £500. What's more, you probably don't have three days to spare. Instead, take a look at Bite Size Seminars (www. bitesizeseminars.co.uk), which has recognised that small businesses don't like either the price or duration of the standard product. It runs a wide variety of half-day sales courses, located all over the country. They're focused, practical and effective, without the spurious theories and jargon that often bedevil these programmes. Better still, they cost just £97 per delegate, less for group bookings.
If you don't like such events, or can't commit to even half a day, can you improve your sales skills with some reading? There's a huge choice of books on this subject, and Blackwell has as good and authoritative a name as any bookseller. Its seven best sellers on the topic are: How to Persuade People Who Don't Want to be Persuaded, by Joel Bauer, £16.99 Selling To Win, by Richard Denny, £9.99 The New Solution Selling, by Keith Eades, £19.99 Be a Sales Superstar, by Brian Tracy, £9.99 Pocket Guide to Selling Greatness, by Gerhard Gschwandtner. £12.99 The Sales Success Handbook, by Linda Richardson, £8.99, and 100 Greatest Sales Tips of All Time, by Leslie Pockell, £8.99. Each one will have ideas you can use successfully.
It's good to be green
Paying attention to green issues is becoming good business. On the one hand customers in general are positive about eco-friendly businesses, and on the other, addressing the issue invariably saves you money.
The Carbon Trust Energy Efficiency Helpline 0800 085 2005 (or the website www.carbontrust.co.uk) is the starting point. The helpline can handle a wide range of enquiries, from simple requests for information to in-depth questions on highly technical issues. You may also find the action plan on the website a useful structure to work with. The Carbon Trust says a 20% saving is often easily achieved - equivalent for many smaller businesses to a 5% sales increase. It can provide surveys (usually free) completed by specialist consultants, and energy-efficiency loans from £5,000 to £100,000 are available. Ask too about enhanced capital allowances, which give 100% tax relief the energy technology list (managed by the Carbon Trust) is a 6,000-strong set of products which qualify for this allowance.
While you're considering green issues look at two other organisations. First is Eco Incentives (www.ecoincentives.co.uk), whose range of more than 200 business gifts are all made from recycled material, or are otherwise eco-friendly, such as the water-powered calculator, which requires no batteries. Being intrinsically different and interesting, such gifts will also keep you at the forefront of your customers' thoughts.
The second organisation is Liftshare.com. As the name suggests, it offers a route for staff to cut their commuting costs. It claims the employer saves the cost of parking spaces and a typical user saves £1,000 and a tonne of carbon per year. That's as good as a pay rise.
Using the website is free, although it charges businesses to set up their own schemes as part of the green transport plans that all businesses employing more than 50 people need.
Keep smiling through
Finally, aim to have more fun. It's work, but it should be enjoyable too. Something every hotel, bar or restaurant can do with is more laughter. If you can put a smile on your staff's faces to start their shift, you've achieved a small victory. How about "joke of the day" in a book, with the best each month (you're the judge) getting a small prize.
Alternatively, you could buy some books of jokes and other collected humour and have them available for guests as well as staff. If you choose the second route, may I suggest the collection of entries into the London Review of Books' lonely hearts column, entitled "They call me Naughty Lola".
