Say hello to one of Liverpool Chamber’s latest members, OneBody Fitness:

OneBody Fitness is owned an run by Jenny Mercer. It is a women-only fitness company. Jen is dedicated to getting real women real results in achieving their fitness goals.

Jenny is a fully qualified Fitness Professional based in Liverpool and specialises in Fat Loss Training for Women, Ante & Post Natal Fitness, Sports Massage and also teaches Group Fitness Classes.

OneBody fitness offers the following services:

• Zumba Classes
• Fitness Bootcamps
• Pilates
• 1-2-1 Personal Training
• Sports Massage

Find out more on the OneBody Fitness website or email Jenny at jenny@onebody-fitness.co.uk

Say hello to one of Liverpool Chamber’s latest members, Franklin’s Deli, based in St Paul’s Square off Old Hall Street…

Who we are?
We are your local neighbourhood deli, we are not a delicatessen, we are a New York style deli.

Somewhere you come twice a day for your freshly waffled waffles for breakfast and your coffee on the run and for lunch, our already famous Salt Beef sandwich, a succulent brisket of beef, rubbed with herbs and spices and slow steamed for six hours until it melts, this is then hand carved and served on a choice of fresh speciality breads.

We’re a deli with a difference. In the heart of the commercial district in Liverpool; we are an independent company committed to producing the best quality food for use in our own deli and for our trading partners.

At Franklins Deli we believe that the products we use where ever possible should come from local suppliers and local growers because it is the right thing to do. We will never buy frozen chicken from oversees just because it’s cheaper or cartoons of pasteurised eggs because they are easier to use.

We are committed to a local supply chain; that means that all of our fresh produce comes from within a 50 mile radius.  We manage our carbon footprint by purchasing direct from the farm cutting out 2 layers of distribution.

What little produce we do import, such as the finest tasting Olive Oil, the carbon footprint is offset by our committed approach to minimising packaging and using a local supply chain.

What we do?
At Franklins Deli we are committed to giving our customers the opportunity to make informed choices about what they eat. Our menus offer Low GI, low diary and Superfoods.

We believe in good honest cooking and we understand the benefits of Low GI, low dairy, super foods, and getting your 5 a day.  All of our staff are trained to the highest standard; they know where our food comes from, how it is made and which health category it fits into.

We are committed to using fresh ingredients; we do not use obscure powders or flavourings.

Our carrot cake contains fresh carrots and where ever possible we only use unbleached and unrefined flours and natural sugars and honey.

Who do we work with?
We work with other fantastic artisans including Bobby and Sophie, our amazing design agency at Bobby and Sophie Limited. JS Atkinson’s of Lancaster, who roast our coffee and Larkrise who bake our bread.

Aim
Franklins are committed to provide high quality food and service.

We are based in the heart of the commercial district and want to work not only as part of the business community but also with the local businesses that are on our doorstep. We feel that by working together we can understand our customer’s needs and bring more to the area by being a welcoming hub for our neighbour’s. As we are locally based, we also want to work closely with local companies and offer exclusive discounts on both retail and corporate business.

History
Adam Franklin, Managing Director of Franklins Deli has kept a close eye on the area for the past two years; he watched the offices being built and the businesses moving into the offices and saw a gap in the market place for a neighbourhood eatery. He knew exactly the concept he wanted to create, we started the process to get the unit eight months ago and we opened on Friday 11 December.

Our future in Liverpool
To grow by consistently serving our neighbours along with our sister company Franklins hospitality and co-ordinate and cater as many big events as we can get involved in.

Download a sample platter menu [PDF]

Contact: Toni Garden, Head of Marketing for the Franklins Group Toni@franklinsdeli.com

According to the Health & Safety Executive,  Sickness absence costs the UK economy approx £400 - £500 per employee each year.

Stress and Accidents make up the biggest causes of staff absenteeism  and the average number of days taken as sick days per year is approximately 30 million!
The CBI estimates that employee absence costs the UK economy some £16.8bn per year!

Liverpool Chamber member 2Achieve was established in 2008 and  is now one of the largest weight loss boot camps in Merseyside, we work with a number of companies and organisations to deliver our well being program and we run a weight loss boot camp in three locations in Merseyside.

We also attend companies/organisations and offer wellness days to employees in an effort to take preventative measures with regards to long term/serious illnesses.

The Benefits of Our Exercise Program To Employers

• Improved Morale & Teamwork – Participants who take part in our program generally form a bond, and it becomes a common talking point for employees, which encourages greater interaction and increased productivity to your business.
• Better Mental Health - Exercise is proven to produce feel good hormones such as serotonin and endorphins, which create a feel good factor, this in turn can lead to a reduction in stress and less absenteeism.
• Reduction in Chronic Diseases – Exercise can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as Type II Diabetes, some cancers and in turn this will prevent long term sickness for staff.
• It’s Completely free! – There is no catch, no hidden charges and we work with you to deliver the program at a time/place which is most suitable to you!

Heres How it Works

• A Member of our Team will attend your place of business, and will be available for one or two hours  to speak to your staff about their health and fitness.
• We offer employees a health check, which including: blood pressure testing, pulse and resting heart rate test, body composition test
• If Employees decide to sign up for our newsletter, we will send to them a complimentary diet/wellbeing e-book.
• We will also offer your employees the chance of a free taster session at our weight loss boot camp at our corporate open day.

For more information call Colin Cumine on 07810 163 468

Choosing the right printing company may sound simple, but you will be surprised how easy it is to make a mistake.

Chamber member LT Print Group have put together this handy list of tips to help you get the best print service available.

There are many options available from locally based printers to online printers from halfway around the world. Because it is tricky many people simply buy from who they have always bought from or go for the cheapest quote they get and hope for the best.

Going for the cheapest price is easy but can be a big mistake – quality, service, green credentials and reliability are much more important.

Here’s how to make sure you get it right next time:

1. Check the quality of work. The appearance and professionalism of your printed documents has an impact on customers and represents your company. Ask to see samples of work the printer has done before. Is it of the right standard and quality that you want for your own products? It may seem better in the short term to go for the cheapest option, but this can prove a false economy if the products printed are not up to standard and may reflect badly on your business.

2. Check the ‘green credentials’. More than half the trees chopped down in the world are used for paper. Before choosing a printer make sure you know what their carbon footprint is and that they have FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forests) certification. Unfortunately some printers promote their products as “FSC approved” without a valid ‘Chain of Custody’. If you want to be sure ask to see their Chain of Custody Certificate. For more information visit www.fsc.org and www.pefc.co.uk

3. Check their green printing policy. Your customers care about the environment and they need to know that you care as well. The International standard ISO 14001 is only awarded to those companies who reach specified requirements for an effective environmental management system. Make sure you chose a printer who is certified and doing its very best for the environment and not just paying lip service or talking about it. Remember that your business will also boost its green credentials if you are using a proven eco friendly printer.

4. Check out their premises. Your print job is important, so it’s worth visiting the printer yourself to check out how they perform. Ask to be shown around the factory; don’t be afraid to ask questions; talk to the staff; see samples of the work they are doing and generally get a feel for how they operate.

5. Check the level of service you will get. The best printers can look after all your needs under one roof.  It is far more cost effective and efficient to have all your design, print, personalisation, mailing, finishing and distribution done under one roof if you can. Finding out how your account will be managed is very important – you need to be able to trust your printer and your account handler, and know that you are in safe hands.

6. Check for a good reputation. Ask for testimonials, recommendations and examples of other work. Look at their client list and ask how long they have been working for their top 10 clients. Generally, do as much research as you can – it may seem time costly but it will be worthwhile in the long term.

Liverpool Chamber member, photographer Zoe Richards has pledged to take an ethical approach to the way she does busines:

Professional Photography is getting a reputation for being full of rogues, with tales of wedding photographers who mess up on such a special day, or portrait photographers who lure unsuspecting clients in with special deals, competition wins and apparently fantastic introductory offers, only to then hard sell the albeit gorgeous photographs through emotional blackmail.

Hope Street based Zoë Photography and makeup artist Sian Louise Auld have joined forces to deliver an ethical approach to doing business with their clients.  Zoë Richards, lead photographer with Zoë Photography told us “We were appalled to hear the stories of so many people who believe they had been conned into having a photo shoot with a little tipple to help lower their guard so that they then spent ridiculous amounts on photographs, and we decided we had to do something about it.”

“We had heard of a Liverpool photographer who had let a lot of people down, as well as other national companies who had alledgedly conned clients and so it was from this that our ethical approach with City Girl Makeover Photoshoots was born,” says Sian, the team’s stylist and makeup artist.  “We have made a pledge to treat our clients in an ethical manner because we know it’s the right thing to do.”

Making a pledge is great, but what does this actually mean in business?  The ethical pledge for City Girl Makeover Photoshoots makes promises from one product one price with no hard sell, through only offering non-alcoholic drinks, to creating a great experience for clients and keeping things simple with 40 images on CD, something very few photographers will do.  People can buy other products but they will not be forced into parting with their hard earned cash.

Here’s the pledge:

1. We pledge never to hard sell - when we quote you a price that is all you will spend. We will tell you what else you can buy from us if you want to buy more, but you will not be sold anything.
2. We offer one product one price - a makeover, photoshoot and a disk of around 40 images for just £300.  We will not encourage you in with competition wins, introductory offers or conning approaches geared to make you spend more.
3. Any discounts offered, any promotions we do are all genuine offers, genuine promotions.  We do not expect you to buy more, we simply ask you to tell others about your experience of City Girl Makeover Photoshoots.
4. We will not ply you with alcohol to help you lower your guard.
5. We supply usable images with printing rights for you to enjoy - we do not overcharge and the only copyright marks are on web images for use on social networking sites.
6. We want you to have a thoroughly enjoyable experience with City Girl, which means we will work to make sure that we deliver good customer service.
7. If we get it wrong, please tell us, because let’s face it, we are human, and we may get things wrong at times.  We will apologise to you without making excuses and we will work with you to put our mistakes right.  But let’s hope we won’t get things wrong!
8. We will openly help you and guide you - for example, if you are interested in becoming a model then we will provide you with realistic advice.  We will not tell you that you could make it as a model if it’s unlikely.
9. We aim to renew, reuse and recycle wherever we can.
10. We respect copyright and intellectual property of other businesses and artists.
11. We follow distance selling regulations.

For more information please contact Zoë Richards on 0151 708 5838 or 07792 650 742 or by email at zoe@zoephotography.co.uk or at Suite 21 The Hahnemann, 42 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BZ.

http://www.zoephotography.co.uk/

Dealing with the SME Sales Challenge - Marketing Masters launch INSTANT SALESFORCE™

Here’s the latest featured Chamber member, Marketing Masters…

Marketing Masters, a marketing and sales company with both large corporate and SME clients, have launched INSTANT SALESFORCE™ to fill your sales gap.
INSTANT SALESFORCE™:

• puts a sales plan in place;
• design your campaigns and support materials and then (most importantly)
• delivers this plan using its specialist Telesales Team

INSTANT SALESFORCE™

• delivering new sales for your business.
• costs are a fraction of recruiting a sales team.
• Programmes start from as little as £550.

Contact Marketing Masters here: instantsalesforce@ marketing-masters.co.uk or visit www.marketing-masters.co.uk