Resources

Banks
Considering their recent troubles, this might seem a strange starter in our resources section but if one of your chosen options is starting your own business, The Small Business Unit of all the major Banks produce information packs. You can either go into your local branch or go onto your Bank’s website. Under the EFG Loan Guarantee Scheme: The Government guarantees up to 70% of loans for bank/financial institutions up to a maximum of £75k. Ask your bank manager for details.

Better Business Bureau
Select "Check out a company" and see local Better Business Bureau reports on specific firms.
www.bbb.org

Business Link
For your local adviser, visit the Business Link website and follow the geographic search links.
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

Chamber of Commerce
Your Local Chamber of Commerce is often an excellent resource worth exploring.
http://www.britishchambers.org.uk

Institute of Directors
We would strongly recommend the IoD as an organization worth joining for their range of benefits and support.
http://www.iod.co.uk

Local Council
Don’t forget your local city council and you will often find they have small start up grants available for rent assistance etc. Cheltenham Borough Council had a small Cheltenham Pride rent assistance grant when GHM started which we were very pleased to get. You pay your taxes so collect your entitlements!

Network Registration Card
This is a pdf file of our network registration information that you may want to hand out to others in your networking circle.
Click here to download.

Federation of Small Businesses
An excellent resource again if you are contemplating opening your own operation.
http://www.fsb.org.uk/

Business Training
Business Link provides training for individuals proposing to start their own business. The courses are generally free. Details are available at local Job Centres or from their website
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

Small New Business start up advice & Angel Financing
http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/ http://www.startups.co.uk/ http://www.growthbusiness.co.uk/ http://www.angelsden.co.uk/ And don’t forget to watch Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice for tough love advice! Corporate Finance is usually obtained via accountancy firms such as Grant Thornton, PwC, Deloittes, KPMG et al.

Franchising
Business format franchising is the granting of a license by one person (the franchisor) to another (the franchisee), which entitles the franchisee to trade under the trade mark/trade name of the franchisor and to make use of an entire package, comprising all the elements necessary to establish a previously untrained person in the business and to run it with continual assistance on a predetermined basis. The principle is simple - some companies choose to grow, not by developing in the conventional way, but by granting a license to others to sell their product or service. The British Franchise Association (bfa) is the voluntary self regulating governing body for franchising. For information on commercial franchising opportunities try: http://www.whichfranchise.com
http://www.thebfa.org/

Venture Capital
Visit the website of the British Venture Capital Association for further information on raising venture capital.
http://www.bvca.co.uk

Asking the Network for Help
The GHM network is a great resource for finding contacts within companies and other organisations. This Word file is a template for asking the network for information.
Click here to download.

The loudest UK Job site!
They spend a large amount of money advertising their site but it does tend to have a confetti feel to it!
http://www.jobsite.co.uk/

Grey Hair Laws of Networking
This is a synopsis of the Grey Hair Laws of Networking presentation given by Scott Kane Founder Gray Hair Management to the Executive Networking Group of Chicago
Click here to download.

100 Internet Job Boards - US centric
This is the 2008 guide to the top 100 US job board niches -- the 2009 Top 100 job sites report is here. For each employment niche it lists the top 3 or 4 niche job boards. This report excludes: ~job boards that lack top Google rankings ~boards with with high Google rankings but very low credibility or authenticity. ~sites that require job seekers to pay or register ~job search engines that aggregate other job board postings
http://www.internetinc.com/top-100-job-board-niches
Click here to download.

Rip Off Report
This consumer-activist site features postings from people who have been scammed. Search for a specific company or look under "employment services."
www.ripoffreport.com

The Riley Guide
This site links to articles and sites on career-marketing firms and practices.
www.rileyguide.com/scams.html

GHM Landings - 2010 (Y-T-D 5-21-10)
A PDF file of an Excel spreadsheet by our GHM member, Jim Nasby
Click here to download.

Consultant's Rate Worksheet - US Version
Here is a simple rate calculation sheet (Excel) in US$ from our US website but just change the currency as the principles are the same for £STG for those who are trying to establish an hourly rate for their work. If you will note, the rate you must request is significantly affected by two items: Your tax rate How many billable hours you have - when I worked as a consultant, my billable hours were about 85% of the total workday. Please note in the spreadsheet a couple of caveats: Some of the items listed in the spreadsheet may be deductible. The value would be the worst case, considering none of the expenses are tax deductible. The values entered are for demonstration purposes only. As can be seen at the bottom of the spreadsheet, the required hourly rate is larger than originally estimated. The amount of taxes due at the end of the year is not insignificant. It surprised me when I paid taxes at the end of the year. My tax bill was rather large. Rob Wendt, P.E. 248-363-4764 rob.wendt@edas.net. And we would be delighted if any of our UK members would like to produce a UK version!
Click here to download.

How Many Jobs Survey #1

Click here to download.

Age Discrimination in Your Job Search
Results of the survey taken October 2007
Click here to download.

GHM member Economic Survey - March 2008
Survey of GHM members about economic conditions in their personal lives.
Click here to download.