Spain is introducing some new regulations for people travelling to their country by air after 19 June 2007.  This ‘advance passenger information’ is made up of the details on the photo page on your passport. This information will be collected either when you check in or when you book.

This applies to everyone, regardless of nationality, travelling from the UK to Spain. It may result in some delays at airports.

For more information, please visit the Department of Transport’s information page.

Do you feel your business is a bit like a reliable saloon but you just know it has the potential to deliver and handle like a high performance machine? But how do you move up to top gear?

The departments, divisions, or individuals of your business can either be your accelerator or your brakes.  You need to deliver both consistency and high performance to enable you to win.

So how do you gain consistency in your business and get up to those high performing gears?

Well, of course that is the ultimate question. Your brakes could be cost related, process, quality, or systems. Your accelerator could be sales, marketing or human resources. To gain that all important competitive advantage you need to develop both.

The other and most vital ingredient here is people. That is, you, me, our colleagues, customers, suppliers and our networks. Human nature and relationships can impact on the speed and overall development of your business.

Using the accelerator on the straight will obviously have a marked impact on your business results but what about accelerating through the bends? Will you spin off or gain a market leading position?

So, how do you get your business into top gear?

Here are 10 questions from Greenlake to ask yourself about your business:

1. Where is your business going? If you don’t have a route map how do you know when you have arrived? Develop a business plan, the route map to success.
2. Have your drivers looked at the map?
3. Do you have the tyre specialist fuelling the car?
4. Are you using the right tyres for the weather conditions?
5. Are you buying the right grade of fuel?
6. What is your position on the track and where are your competitors?
7. Do you have a two or three stop strategy?
8. Do you give team orders and do they pull together? Do you listen to your teams?
9. When did you last spray the champagne on your drivers?
10. Do you know why you won? Do you review the race.

Never underestimate the power of your own network and those members within the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

One such case I’d like to share with you is one of my own network experiences which led to opening a door for an associate of mine and his client. They had been trying desperately to supply Harrods with luxury porcelain wear in order for it to be sold through the top branded store.

During my time with American Express and British Airways I established a strong network of contacts. One contact a Director at Harrods. Through this contact, I was able to gain access to a high level buyers meeting for myself and my associates client which may well lead to a very lucrative contract.

This case study illustrates that you should never underestimate the power of your network and the relationships you hold. I achieved in weeks what my associate and his client could not in over three years. You will have your own network and your own contacts. You never know when your network will open doors and reap unexpected rewards. The main thing is to stay connected and be alert to the opportunity.

Perhaps its time to look at that high performance jigsaw and those networking opportunities. It could well unlock the full potential for you, your people and your business.

Greenlake Limited would love to hear your views and about any challenges you may wish to share about your own business.  Please e-mail pete@greenlakebms.co.uk

Or contact:
Greenlake Limited
7 Grove Park
Knustsford
Cheshire
WA16 8QA

Tel/Fax:  01257 260711

Make the perfect start to your new Business with entry to the Most Promising New Business category in the Chamber Awards 2007.

Open to companies that have been operating three years or less, the Most Promising New Business category, sponsored by BT, rewards exactly what it says! Entrants will be asked to explain how and why the company was founded, how it has performed and what the plans are for the future of the company.

Proud owners of successful new businesses should log onto the Chamber Awards 2007 website straight away at www.chamberawards.co.uk for more information and to download your entry form!  It’s free to enter so what do you have to lose?

Early Bird Prize Draw!

All Chamber Awards entries submitted before the 31st May 2007 will be entered into a free prize draw for your chance to win £150 worth of Marks and Spencer Vouchers - perfect for sharing amongst your team.

But don’t worry if you can’t get your entry in by the 31st May.  The final closing date is June 25th 2007, which is just over 4 weeks away.

For more details on how to enter the Chamber Awards and to download your entry forms please visit the Chamber Awards 2007 website at www.chamberawards.co.uk.  Alternatively call the Chamber Awards Team on 0870 735 5385 who will be happy to help with any questions or queries.

Best of luck!  We look forward to seeing your completed application!!

Research shows that many companies fail within the first two years of trading and poor cash flow is the main culprit.

Liverpool expects to see a flurry of new enterprises launched, encouraged by the city’s 800th birthday celebrations this year, and European Capital of Culture Year in 2008.

But if the enterprise boom is to leave a legacy beyond 2008, all businesses need to take a professional approach to credit. By taking a cautious but positive approach businesses can trade confidently with new businesses, safe in the knowledge they have taken sensible steps to protect themselves.

If you want to avoid your company becoming one of those failure statistics then ensuring you have the best credit management systems and skills is imperative.

Cash is always tight in the first few years of trading, so you’d be well advised to go on an effective training course that would show you how to overcome barriers to receiving payment, improve your cashflow, reduce bad debt and collect payment in a customer-focused way.

And if you could access 100% funding for the course so that there was no cost to you, that would be even better, wouldn’t it?

Well, now you can - ECCS is a well established and professional credit management firm is now offering Greater Merseyside SMEs that have been trading for less than 2 years 100% funding* for their 1-day credit management course together with 2 short follow up sessions.

Visit our web site on www.improvingyourcashflow.com

ECCS can help you get your invoices paid in full and on time and show you how to reduce your exposure to bad debt!

*If you are a pre start business or post start business, trading for less than 2 years, an SME in the Greater Merseyside area, you may qualify for 100% funding. So there is no cost to you!!

Read the rest of this entry »

Summer means super service for Chamber members thanks to LiveOne20’s great deals.

Start by taking advantage of cut-price corporate tickets for next month’s Liverpool International Tennis Tournament which features a host of leading players from the men’s and women’s rankings, as well as matches involving Wimbledon legend Bjorn Borg and former British number one Greg Rusedski.

LiveOne20 cardholders can enjoy a VIP day out, featuring a champagne reception, buffet lunch, afternoon tea, box tickets and VIP parking for £76 plus VAT - a 20% discount on the ticket list price.

Availability will be on a first come, first served basis for Tuesday 12th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June and tickets are already selling fast, so be sure to book your places quickly.

Continue the sporting flavour with an offer from Everton Football Club. Use your LiveOne20 card when booking an event at Goodison Park costing more than £3,000 between June and August, and you’ll receive match tickets and hospitality for two people.

There’s a deal with a different flavour in the form of a tasty business lunch offer from the renowned London Carriage Works restaurant on Hope Street. Sample its fine cuisine between mid-day and four PM during the week at the special rates of £25 for three courses or £19 for two.

And, if you want to put your feet up at the end of a hard week’s work, check into the Radisson SAS Hotel, where cardholders are entitled to £50 off the price of a room on Friday’s. That’s a night in one of Liverpool city centre’s best hotels for just £99 - another great benefit of the LiveOne20 scheme.

LiveOne20 is a fantastic way of picking up great discounts during your work and leisure time with some of Liverpool’s biggest names in dining, retail, health, beauty, leisure and entertainment. Chamber member companies can order additional cards to pass on the fantastic benefits to staff and clients from as little £10 per card.

To find out more information about the LiveOne20 scheme or to purchase cards, contact Jenny Stewart, Head of Membership by email at liveone20@liverpoolchamber.org.uk or by telephone on 0151 227 1234 or Livesmart’s account manager Daniel White by phone on 0870 055 3472 or by e-mail at liveone20@livesmart.biz.

Liverpool University is hosting a half-day conference for Merseyside businesses and stakeholders examining the forthcoming Marine Bill and the likely effects it will have on the maritime economy and those businesses that use maritime & coastal resources.

The event will consider the effects of the Bill on the maritime economy at national and regional levels and includes speakers from Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd, ABPmer & Peel Ports - Mersey Group and others.

The event is aimed at those Merseyside businesses in the Maritime sector and those that have an interest in the built environment and developments in coastal areas.

The conference takes place on 7 June 2007 at the Mariott Hotel Liverpool City Centre - 9.00 - 13.00

You can book online here.

If you require any additional information about this event please contact f.kearney@liverpool.ac.uk or call 0151 795 4651.

If the supply chain is a complex engine, then inventory is the lubricating oil that makes it run efficiently.

Planning, storing, moving, and accounting for inventory are the basics of an efficient supply chain. In short, inventory is the key to good customer service.

So, is the inventory you have really meeting your strategic business needs and those of your customers?

Understanding that inventory is a strategic asset is valuable, but only if:

• The merits of the current inventory usage can be modelled and assessed
• Alternative strategies can be developed and their implications tested and compared before implementation
• Detailed inventory positioning and profiling can be delivered at an individual piece part or SKU level
• The inventory profile can be reviewed and continually re-aligned as the profile of business evolves
• You have the skills and tools to make the transition and use this as a starting point for ongoing incremental change

The Consultancy Company have a team of expert inventory consultants who will provide the support needed to use inventory strategically to ‘lubricate’ and balance supply chain activities.

The Consultancy Company work with national and multinational companies to address a comprehensive range of supply chain issues.

For more information contact Peter.broxton@the-consultancy.co.uk, tel: 07768 021655 and go to our website www.the-consultancy.co.uk

As part of its ongoing education programme, BT Business is running a Web seminar discussing the latest internet technologies, including Web 2.0, blogging and social networking at 14:00 on June 7, 2007.

The free-to-join, live and interactive online session will include a panel of industry experts and end-users who will explain how new technologies are fundamentally changing the way people use the internet and, more importantly, what relevance this has for the UK’s smaller businesses.

For more information about BT’s Web seminar or other forthcoming events, please visit the BT website.

The British Chambers of Commerce is offering your business the opportunity to receive ten days of mentoring with specialist professional expertise at no cost to your business!

The mentors will look at specific areas of your business as directed by you and help with matters such as finance, sales, marketing, IT etc. This could save your company thousands of pounds in consultation fees and help you through the difficult initial stages of establishing and growing a business. You will be given strategic advice and tools to be able to enhance your processes and achieve that competitive edge.

If you have taken over a business within the past year and have less than 50 employees then you could be eligible.

Please contact Marija Popovic by email or on 02476 472530 to find out more and book your free sessions.