The latest Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Small Business Index is out, and despite a challenging economic environment, business confidence in the East Midlands remains stable, indicating that the stark dips of 2021 caused by changes in lockdown restrictions are finally settling. Confidence amongst small business owners in the region has remained stable in Q1 at 17 per cent, a slight increase from 15 per cent in Q4 of 2021. However, growth and investment intentions have declined, signalling that for many small businesses their focus is still very much on recovery. Despite tough trading conditions in which East Midlands small business owners have seen decreases in their net profit, just over half (52%) increased average salaries demonstrating they are doing all they can to retain staff during these challenging times, where interest rate increases, inflation, and rising costs of doing business are taking a toll. Other key headlines from the report are:

• Although sentiment appears to have stabilised this quarter, compared with a year to date, confidence is much lower.
• With a net balance of 9% across the East Midlands for Q1 2022, the region has reported a decline in terms of net revenue (16% at Q3 2021).
• The employment picture amongst FSB members in Q1 2022 showed that 11% had decreased staff numbers, with the same proportion also increasing staffing levels – leaving an overall net score of 0% for employment in the region.
• In the East Midlands, 52 per cent of small businesses increased the average salary awarded across the business over the last 12 months; with 49 per cent doing so by two per cent or more.

In the East Midlands, the domestic economy (56%), utility costs (41%), and consumer demand (37%) are the greatest perceived barriers to growth over the coming twelve months. Rav Panesar, FSB East Midlands policy representative, said: “Times are clearly still tough for small firms. Business growth aspirations have declined and investment intentions have dropped, indicating that much more needs to be done to signal a stable economy for small businesses to aid planning and future proofing. It is positive though that business confidence seems to have stabilised and that there are anticipated revenue increases coming over the next three months, which I hope will bolster confidence further. “FSB will continue to work with and lobby local policymakers and partners on the necessary levers for positive change. As the new East Midlands Policy Representative for the FSB East Midlands, I am committed to working with FSB’s members of staff and volunteer network to understand in more detail what is required to drive confidence and build aspirations across our region.”

The latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: Midlands survey highlighted a softer, yet still marked increase in the number of permanent staff appointments at the start of the second quarter of 2022. The rate of increase in permanent placements was at a seven-month low, while the rise in temporary billings also eased. In contrast, growth in demand for candidates picked up, with vacancies for temporary staff rising at the fastest pace in 24 years. Inflationary pressures meanwhile displayed signs of easing in the Midlands, as both permanent salaries and temporary pay rates rose at marked, albeit softer rates. The KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: Midlands is compiled by S&P Global from responses to questionnaires sent to around 100 recruitment and employment consultancies in the Midlands. Slowest rise in permanent placements for seven months The number of permanent staff appointments across the Midlands continued to increase at a marked rate in April. That said, the rate of increase softened sharply from March and was the slowest recorded since last September. Panel members often linked hiring to increased demand for permanent staff, though recruiters commented on a lack of suitable skilled candidates. At the regional level, the uptick in permanent placements in the Midlands was the fastest of all monitored English regions. Temporary billings in the Midlands rose for the twenty-second time in as many months during April. The rate of increase eased slightly from the previous survey period yet remained robust overall. Anecdotal evidence suggested that higher demand led clients to take on temporary staff where permanent roles could not be filled. Temp billings also increased at the national level, with the upturn in the Midlands the strongest of the four monitored regions. April data highlighted a sustained increase in the number of permanent vacancies across the Midlands. The rate of increase accelerated to a six-month high, though was the softest of all the monitored regions. Demand for temporary staff continued to expand markedly. The rate of increase accelerated from March and was the third-quickest in the survey history. Moreover, the rise in the Midlands was the strongest of the four monitored English regions. Permanent staff availability falls for thirteenth month running Recruiters in the Midlands signalled a further reduction in the availability of permanent staff at the start of the second quarter. A lack of experienced candidates and uncertainty regarding changing roles amid cost of living pressures made staff more unwilling to move between roles, according to panellists. While the rate of reduction was still marked, it was the softest recorded for 11 months. Temp staff availability across the Midlands fell for the fourteenth consecutive month during April. The rate of decline eased for the second month in a row to reach the softest since March 2021. According to anecdotal evidence, there were widespread candidate shortages due to a lack of skilled workers looking for temporary work. The reduction in the Midlands was the second-softest of the four monitored regions, behind the North of England. Further rise in permanent starting salaries Salaries awarded to permanent new staff increased for the fourteenth month in a row in the latest survey period. The rate of salary inflation eased for the third month running to reach the softest since last September, though remained marked overall. Panellists attributed higher salaries to efforts to attract staff amid high demand for experienced candidates. Of the monitored regions, the Midlands recorded the slowest increase. Recruiters across the Midlands reported a rise in average hourly pay rates for short-term staff for the seventeenth straight month in April. The rate of temp wage inflation eased from that seen in March and was the second-weakest recorded in the year to date, but was still robust overall. The rise in temporary pay rates was the second-weakest of the monitored regions, and slower than the national average. The seasonally adjusted Temporary Wages Index continued to indicate that the rate of hourly wage inflation remained rapid. That said, the rate of increase eased to a three-month low in April. Temporary wage inflation was broad-based across the four monitored English regions, led by the South of England which was the sole region to report an acceleration. Commenting on the latest survey results, Kate Holt, people consulting partner at KPMG UK, said: “The gears of the Midlands jobs market are locking up. Employers have more and more vacancies, but the quality candidates they need are relatively few and far between. With roles being left unfilled, job seekers hold greater influence on pay. “All this means that businesses in the region will continue to face upward cost pressures and a capacity cap on their growth ambitions. Long-term skill development strategies at a corporate, regional and national level will be the only sustainable fix that can get the engine running smoothly again.” Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said: “The labour market has been tightening for months on end, driving near-record growth in starting salaries for new staff. With vacancy numbers also historically high, this is a great time to be looking for a job – and a pay rise to help meet the rising cost of living. “The number of permanent job placements being made is still growing, but at a more stable rate. Growth is now at its lowest level for seven months. This is no surprise, given how hot the market has been. Employers need to get their offer to candidates right if they are going to succeed in this market. Enhancing diversity and inclusion, and effective early career hiring are also important elements of a winning approach – consulting a recruitment expert can help with all of this.”

Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and the PR and Communications Ambassador for the IoD in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, shares award-winning tips. I was discussing the Bricks Awards with Tess from editorial and the wider commercial team at Business Link Magazine this week. I have sponsored them since way back and they are now a fixture in the business calendar. The guys mentioned that there were hundreds of entries last year – not bad considering the pandemic factor! Hundreds! Trust me, this is NOT usual. Why? Well, most small businesses are REALLY BAD at awards and by that I mean they simply do not include them in their planning. Or sometimes, they don’t feel they deserve one. So, there are often not actually that many entries in “proper” awards – the ones you earn… Well, trust me, if you’ve been through this pandemic, there is an award out there for you! However, it became apparent chatting with other businesses this last month that another BIG problem is that businesses simply don’t have time or the resources to write them properly. So they either don’t bother or they do it very, VERY late, which invariably leads to stress and frankly, pretty average award submissions. Well, I sit on three awards panels (not including The Bricks) and I write lots of them. I know I read well over 100 entries last year of frankly varying quality. Harsh? Fair? To give you plenty of time this year, I thought I’d share some top tips on how I help my clients to win awards. I hope it is useful for you. For starters, why bother? Well, how about industry recognition? Local, regional, and sometimes national profile? How about a motivated workforce that is proud to be a part of your success? Nevermind the major leverage an award win can give to the rest of your marketing – if you harness the dark arts of PR! So why don’t more people enter awards? I suspect the main reason is time. However, you need to consider these as a major part of your marketing and PR campaign, not an afterthought. Sure, there is a bit of science to it and some art (the creative bit) but basically it comes down to reading the criteria CAREFULLY and then making it as easy as possible for the judges to consider your case. Now is NOT the time for florid prose! Although…there is a place for this… (warning, secret sauce alert). Ssssshhhh…it is right at the start… This is the bit the judges read first and tends to be the part they will read out IF you get to the final and you are waiting there, glass of wine in hand, as the names are read out. So, if yours sounds like this: “We were established in 2002 to provide added value services to the Widget industry. Our commitment to SOMETHING or OTHER bland and jargon heavy issue and our inevitable PASSION (because nobody is going to say ‘APATHY’) for innovation is what lies at the heart of our success…” Stop. It. Right. NOW! Can you imagine a judge reading that and thinking “whoa, we’ve got a live one! Let me get a coffee and settle in, there’s gold dust here.” You want this bit to sound like they are about to announce the best thing since sliced bread! Try this: “20 years ago we discovered a problem. Not just a wrinkle. Not an inconvenience. We had unearthed one of the biggest issues to ever face our industry. If it could be overcome (and we thought it could), it would save Widget manufacturers across the globe millions in costs, whilst also massively reducing the impact on our environment. So, we got to work. Two decades on…we did what follows below and it changed EVERYTHING!” Do you see the difference? You’d at least read the next para or two! You actually WANT to know what they did. Like all good marketing, awards are all about storytelling. Our clients see entering awards as part of their wider marketing strategy – they see the ROI. It is a fantastic way to gain objective third-party endorsement (a major goal of PR), great coverage and one of the best ways to foster employee and company relationships. People proudly point to articles in the press and say: “I work there.” Other highly-skilled people start thinking “maybe I should work there?” So, ahead of the Bricks Awards launch, start to think about what other awards you might enter in 2022. They might be local, regional, national or industry based but you can bet that once you integrate them into your marketing, the effects can really make a difference. Start now or get in touch with me and we’ll help you get cracking because I am launching something pretty darn cool this Spring which I think might help a lot of businesses. There’s even an offer! Will I find them for you? Will I write them for you? Well…yes. That’s exactly what I will do and more, so much MORE! Here’s to your success!   A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press for Attention PR in 2008. He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective.   See this column in the May edition of East Midlands Business Link Magazine.

Attendees at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022, taking place on Thursday 15 September at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, are set to be bewildered and astonished as award-winning mind reader, magician, and professional mentalist Looch displays his skills during the evening’s networking. Here, Business Link speaks to Nottingham-based Looch, who performs throughout the UK and Europe with acts that need to be seen to be believed. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do? Absolutely, my name is Looch and for the past 20 years I have entertained all over the world as a mentalist. The term mentalist is not often used here in the UK, so I tend to brand myself as a ‘mind reader’, although that is somewhat tongue in cheek. I perform on stage or in a close up environment at conferences, tradeshows and exhibitions and appear to read the thoughts of audience members and predict their choices and behaviour. It’s all very light hearted and I present it in a relaxed and fun way, however it is something that tends to really fascinate and resonate with people, especially at corporate events. What can attendees at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022 expect? To be engaged and amazed! I am really looking forward to being in attendance and will be meeting as many people as I can on the day. I want to show them something incredible that will leave them gobsmacked whilst at the same time ensuring everyone has a fantastic time at this wonderful event that you are organising. I want to keep everything else a mystery until the day! With an illustrious career, who have you performed for before, and what are some of the accolades you have won?

Over the years I have been blessed with some very proud moments and I like to try and keep grounded and enjoy the journey as opposed to just focussing on a final destination. Some of my earlier work focussed on entertaining at weddings and I found myself proving very popular amongst footballers, TV celebs and other sports stars. A couple of years focusing in that industry won me the HC award for best wedding entertainment at the TWIA (The Wedding Industry Awards), then in early 2013 I won the #SBS award from former Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis. That opened the door to the corporate world where I have primarily focussed since. The majority of my work sees me working with large companies such as Google, Amazon, KPMG, PWC, 3M etc. at specific events where I am required to create bespoke performances to a set brief. Sometimes that’s promoting a specific product or enforcing a particular company message that they want to reinforce. I am also often hired to work beside teams at trade-shows or exhibitions, I act primarily as a traffic stopper who hooks delegates with a quick demonstration and lead them directly to my client’s booth to increase footfall and generate new leads. You have also written best selling books, what can you tell us about these? My first book was written quite by accident back in 2006. I documented some of my work at the time into a PDF which I sent to a well known publication company within the mentalism industry. At the time I was looking for feedback but was surprised when they asked to meet with me. They wanted to publish the book and did so creating quite a stir in the community. For the next decade I documented my journey transitioning into a full time performer and in 2015 I released it as a limited edition book set which sold out within weeks and went on to win the prestigious ‘Tarbell book of the year’ award for that year. This actually was the catalyst to then set up a limited company that would exclusively deal with the design and manufacture of my mentalism work going forward. I am pleased to say it has proven successful and is now one of the biggest mentalism focussed companies in the UK. What makes you stand out next to other mentalists? There are very few actual working full time mentalists in the world, probably only a couple of hundred so it’s a very rare profession indeed. Of those mentalists you find that success lies within 2 primary areas, the first is as a ‘creator’ who specialises in releasing work to the community and the second are those that focus primarily on the performing side of things. It’s rare to find equal success in both areas, which is alarmingly where I have found myself being positioned. As a result I have consulted for many well known names in the magic community, lectured at every major magic related organisation and convention in the world, whilst also getting to enjoy some incredible moments live on stage myself. I feel very lucky indeed. How can people find out more and contact you? My website is www.looch.co.uk and people can connect with me also on LinkedIn and Instagram searching for @Loochmindreader  

Nine businesses can now benefit from office space in Stapleford’s new hub. Mayor of Broxtowe, Councillor Richard MacRae, officially opened the Stapleford Business Hub the morning of Tuesday 10 May.