Innovative marketing, a new games console, regime change and the return of the plunger
We had 23 to breakfast including several new and, of course, welcome faces at February’s breakfast.
Connecting with customers was a theme that featured in several presentations as 2016 is generally recognised as being a challenging year for businesses.
Innovative marketing examples included a clever joke on the back of a removals van, spotted by Alison Withers, of Multimedia Reputations, when in a traffic queue. It included a web link ending with …/trafficjamsareboring providing a chuckle at the time as well as a visit to the company’s website later. How often does anyone remember a web link when they are out driving?
Danny Cuff, of Gipping Press, continued the theme with the gift of Chinese New Year fortune cookies, each containing a message from Gipping Press. Gipping is now publishing 34 village and parish newsletters and is holding a special workshop for editors, who are generally volunteers. The free workshop is at Bacton Village Hall on April 23 from 9-11am.
Steve Penny, editor of the free newspaper TakeOne, not only got married to Jan since the last meeting but also interviewed Roy Hudd for a feature in a future edition. Congratulations!And finally, no doubt to the relief of all, Kate Kelly, the Business Plumber, has finally found her missing plunger!
Regime change
We have a new acting chairman, Allan Scott, of Mill House Media, and acting deputy chairman, Dave Baker of Performance Plus. Peter Down has resigned as chairman partly due to a health scare in December, but will still have a role in the Chamber as our new Honorary President.
He will continue to keep track of developments with the proposed Gateway 14 development in and with efforts to create a new Tech Hub for Stowmarket – but he doesn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for breakfast any longer.
Any suggestions for what members want to see the Chamber doing in the future should be sent to [email protected]
At the post-breakfast committee meeting, Bob Scott informed us that he, too, was stepping down and our chairman thanked him for all his efforts on the Chamber’s behalf.
Time management tips from our lovely secretary
This month’s 10-minute presentation from Keely Taylor, of KTSS, focused on the fact that there is never enough time in the day for small businesses.
She recommended making a plan so that business owners can assess the billable value of what they do and focusing on analysing priorities and what can be delegated.
Being disciplined about ignoring non-essential phone calls and emails until there is a suitable time and about keeping meetings to an agreed length of time were just two examples of how to be more organised.
She also emphasised the value of writing down goals and giving oneself deadlines for action, having a monthly, weekly and daily “to do” list and sticking to it, not procrastinating and prioritising between important and urgent tasks.
Dates for your diary:
| March Coffee Morning | March Breakfast |
| Needham Market Community Centre | Cedars Park Community Centre |
| Friday, March 4 | Friday, March 18 |
| 10am-noon | Starting at 6.45am |
For more information contact Keely Taylor
phone: 01449 770965
e-mail: [email protected]
Anyone who has a story to publicise should contact marketing officer Alison Withers:
