Today saw the official launch of Inspire 08 at The Anvil in Basingstoke, with speeches from Councillor George Hood, Mayor of Basingstoke; Phil Wilding of Business Link; James Hague of last years Business of the Year - Daisy’s Dairy (pictured) - and Andrew Finney, leader of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council.

Inspire 08 promises to be bigger and better than last years event event for Basingstoke & Deane, with seminars and network opportunities with the highlight being the Inspire 08 Business Awards, with four added categories for 2008 to cover:

• Business of the Year
• Exporter of the Year
• Rural Business of the Year
• Sustainable Business of the Year
• E-Business of Year
• Basingstoke Business Personality of the Year
• New Business of the Year
• Business Woman of the Year
• Employer of the Year

Basingstoke-based businesses are being encouraged to enter the Inspire 08 Business Awards with some encouraging words from James Hague, who spoke about the opportunities his business had derived from winning last years award.

As ever, the event will be covered heavily in The Gazette and there is also the Inspire website, with contact details for your business entry, or for sponsor opportunities and table reservations for the event.

Picture below, Councillor Andrew Finney.

Tonight saw the Institute of Directors networking event at Basingstoke Museum, Milestones, with over 100 local business people attending to network and to listen to a selection of speakers discussing Basingstoke past, present and future.

Introduced by Mike Loftus, Chairman of Destination Basingstoke, the audience first heard from Roger Broad, from the Institute of Directors. Originally a local lad, now living in Guildford, his fond memories of the borough from his youth were compounded by the current successes of local businesses and the risks involved in success, which we continue to take.

He was followed by Mrs Mary Fagan, The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, who spoke highly of Basingstoke & Deane, and of the county of Hampshire as a whole. As well as past glories, Mrs Fagan also listed the current positive news from around the county and why Hampshire continues to be a successful place to live and do business.

The next talk was by Tony Curtis, Chief Executive of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, who discussed why Basingstoke is in such a strong position as a borough. From a business perspective, it was positive to hear someone in his position talking about the financial strength of the Borough and why it is “run like a business”, and he certainly had some interesting facts and figures to back up his claims.

Finally, Councillor Andrew Finney, the newly elected Leader of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, discussed his vision for the town, with ambitious plans to build on the existing strong foundations. This included working more and more in partnership with public bodies and local business and plans to develop a strong identity for Basingstoke on which to build, both locally and on a world stage.

Also at the event, on the streets within the Museum, were local businesses selling local produce and products and many delegates were on hand to network, and to sample a taste of Hampshire commerce at a local scale.

Visit the website for more information about Destination Basingstoke or the Institute of Directors.

Destination Basingstoke is hosting a prestigious event for the Southern Region of the Institute of Directors today (11 June) Milestones Museum in Basingstoke from 6pm to 8.30pm.

Visitors will be able to enjoy wine and canapes in this unusual venue and learn why Basingstoke is a great place to do business. Guest speakers include The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mrs Mary Fagan, and Tony Curtis, Chief Executive of Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council.

Milestones is a unique national award winning museum which contains over forty life sized replica buildings including shops, houses, factories and even a pub , all in street settings dating from 1850 to 1950.

Walk through a hundred years, on wood block paved alleys, granite sets streets, past gypsy camp site to the old Winchester railway Station. marvel at steam engines and the largest collection of Thornycroft vehicles in the UK.

There will be 17 market stalls all in street settings displaying and selling local produce.

Its not too late if you still want to attend. Contact Felicity Edwards now - places are £10 each.

Busy business women in Basingstoke were given a dirty talk by cleaning guru Kim - not the Kim of TV’s ‘Kim and Aggie’ - but our very own Kim Austen, the founder of local cleaning business ‘House Proud Services’ based in Basingstoke.

Invited by The Women in Business Group to talk at their April meeting, held at Basingstoke’s Apollo Hotel, members were treated to an enlightening talk by entrepreneur Kim Austen, who, facing redundancy eight years ago, made a clean sweep and started her own business completely from scratch.

Kim kick-started her cleaning business by placing an ad in a local paper and soon found she had more than enough work to cope with herself, so expanded the company’s capabilities by taking on staff to help her handle the successful rise of the business.

Today, House Proud Services employs 20 part-time cleaners and a full-time manager working for 90 customers in the Basingstoke area, equalling 200 cleans per month. Kim explains:

Cleaning is a very emotive subject. 70% of women work today, yet many business women still find it hard to accept help in their home, feeling failure if they can’t cope with life’s everyday demands of running a home, looking after a family and putting in a full day’s work.

Building her highly successful business over the last eight years, Kim has experienced more than she would sometimes care to.

It goes from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some women will spring clean before the cleaner turns up, but we’ve also been in houses where the bed-sheets look like they have never been washed and seen animal faeces ground into the carpet from where they have been walked into the house from the back garden …! Some people’s private collections are fairly unusual too, like the young man who took a particular interest in collecting ladies thongs!

Kim concluded,

Don’t be afraid to get a professional cleaner into your home. If you are considering this option, the best way of choosing the right person is by recommendation. At House Proud Services we will come and talk to you about your own personal requirements and then match the right cleaning person for the tasks.

Lindsey Page, President of Women In Business, thanked Kim for her refreshing talk and then introduced Jane Carley, a Fundraising Executive from Wessex Cancer Trust, who gave a short presentation to the Members as this year’s chosen charity.

Jane said she was thrilled that their charity had been chosen, which would greatly help awareness of the Trust and face-to-face networking is a great way of achieving this. They have a strong association with Basingstoke and raise approximately £1million a year to help in a multitude of projects to help the fight against cancer.

This North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce (NHCCI) event takes place in Basingstoke at the Red Lion Hotel on Tuesday 20th May 2008 between 12.15 pm and 2.00 pm.

The event is sponsored by Philips Solicitors, who will make two short presentations:

• Employing temporary staff
• Tips for the licensed trade

Venue: The Red Lion Hotel Red Lion Lane Basingstoke RG21 7LX

Members: £15.00 plus VAT
Non-members: £25.00 plus VAT

Contact: Marian Bennett or Jill McDonagh 01256 352275 for more details.

Attended by some 40 local businesswomen representing a diverse range of businesses, The Women in Business Group held its Annual General Meeting and monthly networking event, “Women who talk together do business together”, at the Holiday Inn, Basingstoke, on 27th March 2008. WIBG Secretary, Ann Davies, from Lamb Brooks, opened proceedings by welcoming everyone and taking the opportunity to introduce the committee.

For several members of the committee the AGM represented the culmination of many years’ contribution and commitment to the group. In recognition of their efforts and to thank those members retiring, they were presented with gifts of Festival Place vouchers.

In her final President’s report, Sue Brown, Corporate Tax Manager, at Tenon in Basingstoke, remarked on how 2007-08 had been another great year, the high point being the 15th Anniversary celebrations in September, headlined by guest speaker, Barbara Harmer. Sue said,

Women in Business events always attract interesting and wide-ranging speakers, like Barbara Harmer and local Consultant Surgeon and Divisional Director, Anne Stebbing, from the Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust. This year, we have programmed a diversity of speakers, on subjects ranging from “How Clean is your House?” to “Buying Confidently”.

Of her tenure, Sue added,

I have enjoyed my time as President, and have always been supported and encouraged by a great team, who I would like to thank personally, including the departing four members: Marion Bruce; Caroline Daymond, Hampshire Clinic; Ann Davies, Lamb Brooks; and Linda Poulter, Bates Investment Services.

Particular thanks go to Ann Davies, a past President, who we would like to offer life-time membership to. The Women in Business Group are in good hands and, remember, Women who talk together do business together!

Sue introduced her successor as President, Lindsey Page, from Hook-based, Finishing Touch. Lindsey will kick off her term, chairing the forthcoming meeting of the committee in April.

Ann handed over to Linda Poulter, Treasurer, to present the accounts for the year ended 31 October 2007, which showed another financially healthy year and growth in income from meeting fees due to bigger attendances at events. Linda thanked Tenon for producing the accounts, and commented that the financial situation is similar to last year. The Women’s Refuge in Basingstoke and the Euro MPs Charity have both benefited from charitable donations from WIBG over the year. The meeting was Linda’s last one and she said,

It’s been fun and I’m happy to hand over as Treasurer, after around four years in the role, and twice as many on the committee.

The meeting was also the last one for Ann Davies, Managing Partner, at Lamb Brooks Solicitors in Basingstoke. Ann acknowledged,

I’ve been involved with the Women in Business Group almost from the beginning. I took over the Presidency from Diana Giordmaine-Blade, the group’s first President, before handing on to Sheila Glyn-Owen, a solicitor practising at Phillips, and latterly Sue Brown.

In offering advice and encouragement to new President, Lindsey Page, Ann said,

The secret is a good committee who help and support.

Ann also recognised how all the group’s Presidents had done well in their chosen professions, and emphasised that all members of the committee were running the group in their own time. Ann presented Sue with a much deserved thank you gift of vouchers for local company, The Secret Garden, and a bouquet of flowers.

Picture - left to right: Lindsey Page (newly-enrolled WIB President), Ann Davies (past WIB President), Sue Brown (current President handing over to Lindsey at the AGM).

The committee for 2008 was proposed and agreed as:

• Lindsey Page, President (Finishing Touch)
• Sharon Baverstock (Spread the Word PR)
• Marian Bennett (North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce / Spruced Up)
• Sue Brown (Tenon)
• Maria Booker (Visual Impact)
• Julie James (Venue Focus)
• Julie Latcham (Lamb Brooks)
• Karen McGuire (Tenon)
• Fiona McKay (Clydesdale Bank)
• Kate Martin (Brain Chase Coles)
• Nicola Oakley (Proteus Theatre Company)
• Katie Russell (LD Property Management)
• Sue Thurston (SET Marketing Services)

The Women in Business Group warmly welcomed local Consultant Surgeon and Divisional Director, Anne Stebbing, from the Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust, at an event held at The Ark Conference Centre in Basingstoke. Anne provided an update on ‘where we are now’ with breast cancer, the most common type of cancer in women living in England and Wales.

Facts: One in nine women will have breast cancer at some time in their life.  Breast cancer accounts for nearly one-third of all cancers in women.  There are 41,000 new cases of breast cancer each year.  Over 300 men are diagnosed each year in the UK.

A sobering thought.  However, Anne stated, that even though it is the most common of cancers, less women today are dying of it.  Because of the breast screening programmes brought in by the NHS 20 years ago, there has been an earlier diagnosis of the disease.

Sue Brown, President of the Women In Business Group, thanked Anne for her insightful talk, saying, “This has given us such a comprehensive and clear understanding of breast cancer, and what we can do to help ourselves.”

Anne supports The ARK Centre, a solely funded charitable building owned by the North Hampshire Medical Education Trust.  The Women In Business Group has donated £250 to the Trust.

Anne will be speaking again at ‘The Ark Ambassadors Lunch’ – a ladies lunch being held on the 23rd April.  For further details call 01256 360400 or email enquiries@arkcentre.com

The University of Winchester campus at Basingstoke is both host and sponsor of the upcoming networking lunch for North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Chute House, set in picturesque Glebe Gardens close to St Michaels Church, the ancient parish church for Basingstoke, can help widen access to higher education in Hampshire, and is the venue for this opportunity to mix with business people from Basingstoke and North Hampshire.

Further information from Marian Bennett 01256 352275 or visit www.nhcci.co.uk for more details.

Young solicitors in the North Hampshire area will soon have the opportunity to network with their peers. On the 10th January 2008, the groups formerly known as the Trainee Solicitor Group and the Young Solicitor Group merged to create the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD). Membership is now available to trainee solicitors as well as solicitors, legal executives, paralegals and licensed conveyancers with less than five years’ legal experience or qualification.
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Basingstoke Web Agency, The Escape, have announced a free seminar for March, entitled “How to Formulate An Effective Website Strategy“.

The free web seminar takes place in Basingstoke on 27th March 2008 and is aimed at marketing people interested in increasing their knowledge about how to get the most from their websites by establishing a realistic web strategy, covering:

• How to set your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
• How to identify and filter your target audience
• Ways to use your current marketing experience to optimise your online sales process
• How to design an effective website structure
• Establish traffic funnel(s) to deliver results

Craig Killick, Managing Director of The Escape, said:

Marketing a business online, either through a website or with e-mail, is not only cost-effective but when done correctly can have a real impact on a companies marketing.

This particular seminar covers how to establish the best way to do this in the first place. Unfortunately many companies miss out this planning stage, leaving disappointment when their websites don’t deliver. This seminar will help people stop that from happening.

You can visit The Escape website for more details and registration on the web seminar.