Today is #MicroBizMattersDay so I am celebrating those micro-businesses who have supported and mentored me to develop my own successful micro-business. Like all micro-business owners, I couldn’t do what I do in isolation. I rely on a supportive network of like-minded professionals to help me to keep my business operating effectively and to deliver excellent…
New rules make life simpler for small charities
Typically small charities (including those in the Early Years sector) have to go through the burden of dual registration with both the Charity Commission and Companies House in order to retain charitable status and at the same time gain the protection offered by incorporation. This has required additional registration fees, and the submission of returns…
Equality, diversity and discrimination
Yesterday was the UN International Day of People with Disability, a date in the calendar which reminds us to think about how we make people with a disability welcome into our businesses, both as colleagues and as customers. Many small business managers are fearful of employing a person with a disability, thinking that they will…
DfE funding to support 30 hours business skills
The DfE has just announced The Delivery Support Fund (DSF) to support local authorities in creating additional 30 hours places in the summer term. This is a very flexible pot of funding which can be used in a variety of ways including training for providers and for local authority staff to develop the business skills…
Surviving 30 Hours – Nursery World Business Summit 2017
It was a great pleasure and privilege to speak to members of the Early Years business community at last week’s Business Summit about my thoughts on developing change-ability and surviving 30 hours. The Minister got a rather cool reception (to be expected as he had nothing new to say about the 30 hours, but reckoned…
Childminders – Taking Care Of Business
I was recently interviewed by Childcare Professional Magazine about the business skills that childminders need to develop in order to survive and thrive at a time of enormous change. You can read the article here Taking Care Of Business Childcare Professional is the magazine of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). Their recently launched…
Why Childminding Is Like a Three Legged Stool
Recent Ofsted statistics indicate that the number of childminders in the UK has dropped from almost 60,000 in 2012 to 43,500 this year. I suspect that if you asked those who have left what was behind their decision, it’s not because they don’t love looking after children, it’s because of the challenges they’ve encountered dealing with…
The dreaded appraisal
There has been some discussion in HR circles recently about dumping appraisal processes. I acknowledge that there are often problems with the way that appraisals are conducted which make them a less than positive experience for all concerned – but let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water! There are things that can…
Maximise income, minimise expenditure
Balancing the books as a childminder is likely to involve a combination of reducing costs and increasing income. My recent blog post for PACEY – Maximise Income, Minimise Expenditure as part of their Business Toolkit for Childminders, focuses on some of the steps that you could take to help you to operate sustainably.
Darwin’s Lessons Can Help Early Years Settings
Charles Darwin once said that “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, but the one most responsive to change”. This is likely to be true for the early years and childcare sector over the coming years. “Change-ability” should perhaps be considered our most essential business skill. In my recent Nursery World article –…
Are they really self employed?
Once again today the headlines has been full of news about the extent to which employers are avoiding tax by declaring that their staff are self employed. I come across this a lot and so recently, following the Uber court case, wrote a short article on this subject for IQ Magazine. You can take a read…
Navigating office dress codes
Does the phrase “business casual” fill you with uncertainty? Discover how to navigate office dress codes with this guest blog provided by the work-wear experts T.M Lewin. So often job seekers or employees will be told to dress smart for an interview or new position. With many companies taking a different approach to office dress…
Report on our 2016 Childcare Business Advisers Conference
2nd March saw over 30 Early Years Business Advisers gather together in Central London for our 2016 Childcare Business Advisers Conference. Here are some highlights from the day. The morning opened with a presentation by Neil Blumsom, CPD Lead for Achieving for Children. As many members of the audience were representatives from Local Authorities currently…
T is for trends in people management for 2016 – HR A-Z
It’s always good to think ahead and anticipate some of the things that we will need to focus on during the coming year. Fortunately People Management magazine, the leading publication for HR professionals, has helped us by doing some analysis for us. Here is the list that they have produced of key HR trends to…
A is for ACAS – HR A-Z
I can’t tell you how many conversations I have with businesses about people management problems that make my hair stand on end! They usually start with something like “we’ve got this member of staff….” and following some probing establish that a long-standing problem hasn’t been addressed, it’s festered and become a major issue, management have…
Funding for training for Suffolk and Norfolk businesses
Flourishing People are currently able to assist businesses based in Norfolk or Suffolk to access a rebate of up to 25% return against cash paid for additional training (to the maximum claim value of £1,000 per learner). Funding is through the recently launched Employer Training Incentive Pilot and is designed to help Norfolk and Suffolk…
Secure A Flourishing Future With The Childcare Business Advisers Programme
A recent Practical Pre School article reports on how the Childcare Business Advisers Programme (CBAP) offered by Flourishing People in partnership with Silver Pebble, is providing practical benefits to early years business advisers and the settings they support. More information about the Childcare Business Advisers Programme can be found here.
Employed or self employed
I had a very worrying conversation recently about childcare settings that are contracting with their staff on a self employed basis and assume this is just a matter of choice. I have also come across this recently where childminders are expanding and taking on an assistant. The people I was speaking with were not aware that…
Management challenges
This morning I attended a seminar hosted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Eastern Region where they presented the finding of their latest study on the management challenges facing managers in 2020 and beyond. The report entitled Management 2020 is the result of a major piece of research recently published about the state of management…
Plan to avoid TUPE restrictions
I’ve been supporting a client who is facing a TUPE situation as a result of changing the legal structure of her childcare business from a sole trader to a limited company. She was hoping to introduce a couple of clauses into staff contracts to allow for greater flexibility in the future and was disappointed when…