Workshop 1: Building Business Links with the Community Nathan Winyard, Business Connector, Reading Seconded from National Grid. Me: Worked in the Utility Sector for 25 Years Seconded by National Grid to Business in the Community as the Business Connector in Reading for the last 11 months. Connected Business to Community Organisations / Projects.

This is what we do in a nut shell Business This is what we do in a nut shell

What is a Business Connector?

What is a Business Connector? Business Connectors from 40 Businesses £27.9m leveraged £9.54 for every £1 of lottery money. https://www.bitcconnect.org/search/connectors/map

What is a Business Connector? Community partner Business Connector Local Business

Agenda 1. About Business 2. Approaching Businesses 3. Engaging Businesses 4. Workshop

It’s Quiz Time!

Quiz! What do the letters SME stand for? What is the distinction in employee numbers between: Large ? Medium? Small? Micro? 3. How many businesses are there in the UK? 4. What proportion are small and micro? 5. What proportion are medium? 6. What proportion are large? 7. SMEs account for: A) ___% of turnover in the UK B) ___% of employment in the UK 8. Family businesses account for _________ % of SMEs Each pair to have sheet with the questions on them.

Small & Medium-sized Enterprise Quiz! 1. What does SME stand for? Small & Medium-sized Enterprise What is the distinction in employee numbers between: Large Medium Small Micro 250+ 50 - 249 10 – 49 Less than 10

3. How many businesses are there in the UK? Quiz! (cont’d) 3. How many businesses are there in the UK? 4.9 million at start of 2013 4. What proportion are small and micro? 99.2% 5. What proportion are medium? 0.6% (31,000) 6. What proportion are large? 0.1% (7,000) 4.5m – a lot of businesses, everyone has a lot of SMEs. So think about how you might segment them – go for bigger fish (over 50), not the one man bands

Share of UK plc by Business Size   Small Medium Large Share of number of enterprises 99.2% 0.6% 0.1% Share of employment 47.0% 12.3% 40.7% Share of turnover 33.1% 15.0% 51.9% 7. 59.3% To put this into wider context large companies – 40% of employees – always a target if in the area 48.1%

8. Family businesses account for 66% % of SMEs Quiz! (cont’d) 8. Family businesses account for 66% % of SMEs Source of data: UK Gov, Dept for Business Innovation and Skills October 2013 Q9: from The Institute for Family Business Nov 2011 Huge number 1 man bands Family firms – Barclays bank data – quite high

Landscape 83% of Companies expect cross sector partnerships to be increasingly important in the next 3 years 58% of Businesses believe their partnerships with community groups have improved their business practices Businesses and NGOs see the benefit of non cash assets Larger companies are bombarded with requests More and more organisations are looking to partnering not only with charities but also with other businesses, public sector agencies, housing associations and social enterprises. For companies, having a ‘charity of the year’ can require a lot of time and resources. Historically the relationship has been based on fundraising for the charity involving stakeholders such as employees and clients but sometimes it’s difficult to articulate the difference made just after a year. Increasingly, businesses are preferring to extend this commitment to three years or more. Periodically revisiting the partnership objectives and commitments, focusing efforts in long term changes, contributing to the partner’s capacity

Agenda 1. About Business 2. Approaching Businesses 3. Engaging Businesses 4. Workshop

“Start with the end in mind”Stephen Covey 1.Identify social issues 2. Work in partnership with your communities 3. Plan and manage your community investment 4. Inspire and engage your employees, customers and suppliers 5. Measure and evaluate the difference made 1

Who/What can help identify businesses? Chamber of Commerce/Business and social enterprise networks Local networking events Local BITC office “Word of mouth” (ask each contact for introductions) Local websites and professional networks (LinkedIn) BUSINESS CONNECTORS!! So how do you engage them – how do you get to them, what can you do. This is just a list of some of the ways we typically engage companies.

Representative Bodies Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) Developed in 2011, local partnerships between business & local authorities. Purpose to determine economic priorities, lead economic growth and job creation. Also design & deliver EU investment strategies and Local Growth Fund Business Improvement Districts (BID) Businesses pay an additional levy in defined areas to fund projects, eg: street cleaning, security, marketing. Chamber of Commerce and Industry Represents Business large and small, in an area.

What do you to say to business? Don’t sell – listen!!!!!! Understand their business, their commercial needs, their challenges, their motivations and efforts to date Look for the “opportunity” where their possible engagement is aligned with any of the above Each “pitch” is different “It’s like dating – don’t push too hard too early” So how do you engage them – how do you get to them, what can you do. This is just a list of some of the ways we typically engage companies.

Agenda About 2. Supporting Business 3. Engaging Business 4. Workshop

What are their motivations …? Now it’s your turn to be businesses – what motivate them. We have Jack from Ye Olde Sweetie Shoppe– a man who clearly likes his product. Jane – Regional CSR Manager, Big Company Stanley – Sole Proprietor, Small IT Company

Motivations to be engaged Corporate CSR Agenda Access to PR opportunities Difference to the bottom line, better staff, less crime, more customers Commitment to location SME Get involved locally with personal passion “Do the right thing” Development opportunities Expand their business reputation Benefits – this is part of your selling, this is the ‘why’ a company might want to get involved – the difference their getting involved will help make These are the outline business benefits and ones we think have most resonance at a local level – there are others and those that are interested can read the latest business case research but for most SMES it is usually about one of these.

Agenda About 2. Supporting Business 3. Engaging Business 4. Workshop

Project: Example Companies Potentially High Benefit Big Company Good Working Relationship No Contact Big Company works in your area, one of their employees says that they are planning a team day in the community. You see this as an opportunity to get help with your project. You ask the employee to introduce you to their manager. To move towards getting support. The manager says he’s happy to meet with you, and you listen to what they want to achieve, what their business needs are. You relate them to you project and talk enthusiastically about the project and how his team can help you get some vital work done. You’ve moved from a personal contact to engaging the company You meet the owner of a small company, at a networking event, she tells you about how she has seen how the bigger companies offer paid volunteering hours to their employees and has made the offer to her staff of 2 days a year paid volunteering. You know from the conversation that they are a marketing consultancy. You ask if she has anyone looking for an opportunity to use their time to help market and promote your organisation or project. She says she’ll ask in the office. After a couple of weeks you haven’t heard anything. You send her an e-mail to ask if she’s found anyone willing to help and don’t get a reply. A couple of weeks later she rings you to say can we meet, I would like to introduce you to our graduate marketer who is really interested in your project. Small Company Potentially Low Benefit

Your turn. Identify the companies and Businesses in your area by plotting them on the grid below in the appropriate place. Decide if engaging them may be useful for your project and where you would like to move your relationship to. If you have time today think how you might engage the most beneficial companies No Contact Good Working Relationship Potentially Low Benefit Potentially High Benefit Companies

Learning Be prepared to be surprised Get out there, build your network. Be ready to listen and have a strategic and specific ask. Have a Strategy to move your targeted organisations to having a good working relationship and delivering benefit. Remember consider what the organisation is looking for to.

BITC’s Shared Goals Shared Solutions Report More info BITC’s Shared Goals Shared Solutions Report http://www.bitc.org.uk/our-resources/report/shared-goals-shared-solutions- research-collaboration-sustainable-future Shared Goals Shared Solutions It identifies common structures and success factors to provide practical guidance to companies. A guide to how, when and why businesses are collaborating with others. It identifies common structures and success factors to provide practical guidance to companies.

“To be successful you need to know yourself and your enemy?” Sun Tzu Final Thought “To be successful you need to know yourself and your enemy?” Sun Tzu