July / August 2013 www.successfulsolo.com © Copyright Albert Wright

Useful News and Information for Micro and Bigger Business Owners

Holidays in the West Country, upgrading computers, sunshine, grand children, Strategic Business Alliance and Net linked Training are this month’s conspirators resulting in our second two months together newsletter with some of the usual sections missing.

1 Wright’s Rants: Decisive Action Needed – Tax bank profits at 70% and stop Quantitative Easing

2 Regular Updates:Apprenticeships and Digital Youth Academy

3 Influencer of the Month: No one this month

4 Recommended sites and newsletters:
None this month

5 News and Offers: Books and Events FREE Lunch in September

1 Wright’s Rants / News and Comment

This month Decisive Action Needed – Tax bank profits at 70% and stop Quantitative Easing  

The rant can now be found on my WordPress blog here (Successful Solo) as well as on my LinkedIn Group Wright’s Rants 

2 Regular Updates:

Apprenticeships and Digital Youth Academy DYAwww.digitalyouthacademy.com

Big News on Incentives

London LEP, the Local Enterprise Partnership, is now matching the central government Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE), for a limited period, which means eligible London businesses are entitled to an incentive of £3,000 over the next 12 months for taking on a new apprentice for a minimum of 30 hours a week at a minimum wage of £2.68 an hour (from October 2013).

What this means in practice is for a net cost of less than £100 a week, £20 a day, you can recruit a currently unemployed, enthusiastic 16 to 24 year old to help support you in your business.

Do the maths. 

At £5 an hour (to get a really good candidate) for 30 hours a week it will cost you £150. Multiply by 52 for an annual cost of £7,800 and take away the £3,000 incentive to go down to £4,800, divide by 52 and its £92 a week.

Compare that to the minimum wage for a 19 year old of £6.19 an hour, £185.70 for 30 hours – almost half price.
DYA Colleges and Employers

In London we have now added The Skills People at  Westminster Kingsway College to LeSoCo, (Lewisham and Southwark College) as our second college and are in discussions with Barnet and Southgate.

See our videos / case studies on the website at www.digitalyouthacademy.com

A business Facebook page for DYA in North London will be set up this month.

If you don’t know what I am talking about but would like to know more or get an SDA, give me a call: 07973192712.

New DYA Products and Initiatives

The first students at WorkPays have now graduated from the first level 1 Digital Social Routeway, 17-week diploma course, with over 80% going on to a job or further learning.

Discussions are ongoing with BNI at a national level on how Apprenticeships and our products might be promoted to their members.

SDAs at DYA licensed colleges are now helping over 100 small businesses with their online marketing and providing a link between unemployed “digital born” young people, aged 16 to 24 and internet challenged and internet savvy micro and small business owners who get help with digital marketing and social networking.

See our website, www.digitalyouthacademy.com for more details and to sign up to become a supporter of our 1000 Jobs with DYA Campaign.

For advice on the process and help with your own recruitment of Interns or Apprentices please email me on albert.wright@dyateam.com.

3 Influencer of the Month: No one this month

4 Recommended sites and newsletters:

Each month I generally comment on websites, groups or newsletters I find useful. 

This month “No Comment”.

5 News and Offers

Once again I am offering SOLO readers a two course lunch with wine in north London’s Chez Ton Ton restaurant / bistro for only £10, plus get both of my books for free.

I will reserve a table from 12 noon to 3pm for up to 4 people to join me for lunch with wine at Chez Ton Ton in East Barnet, north London to experience the benefits of “Peer Support” from a “Mastermind Boardroom” style group of fellow business owners. 

The lunch will be on Wednesday September 4^th. You must book and pay for the event in advance via Eventbrite at http://mastermindboardroom.eventbrite.co.uk/

To learn more, click here for a brief video.

In return you will take away a copy of:

BUSINESS Wisdom by Albert Wright B.A. 
And 

Breaking The Barriers To Business Growth (BTBTBG) co-

authored by 13 Right 

Angle Consultants, available from Amazon for £15 plus P&P but from me, Free.

Breaking the Barriers to Business Growth:

A Compilation of Expert Insights into Growing Your Business By Sarah Williams, Paul Ovington, Albert Wright
See this book on Amazon ».

Are you an FSB (Federation of Small Business) member in North London?

We have been running a free, monthly, open networking event in Finchley at Cafe Buzz for Barnet members and guest on the first Monday of the month since February, attracting an average of 25 people.

Michael Lassman, chairman of the North London Region, hosts the event.

The next meeting is Monday August 5^th. Book your free place via Eventbrite at 
http://nlbmn50813.eventbrite.com/

From September we will be holding a similar event in Enfield – see next month’s newsletter for details.