Programme

Rachel Hughes > Programme > Retail Advisor Business Support Scheme

Gateway Officer

Rachel Hughes

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Working with retail and hospitality businesses throughout the borough.

We offer flexible outsourced HR services, delivered onsite or remotely.   As little or as much HR as you need, when you need it. As a small business ourselves, we understand the unique challenges you face.
Our services include:
<ul>
<li>Appraisals, performance reviews &amp; development.</li>
<li>HR documentation.</li>
<li>Disciplinaries Employment law advice Recruitment Redundancies Settlement agreements</li>
<li>Sickness and absence management.</li>
</ul>
Whether you have a one off project, would like regular assistance or just want to call us on a ad-hoc basis, we have a cost effective solution for you either on a retained or pay as you go service.
Each of our clients are treated individually and our services can be adapted to suit your specific needs and requirements. We work with companies who employ just one member of staff to several hundred employees.

MD and Founder

Valentine’s Day: Running a business with my husband

Owning a business with your partner isn't always plain sailing!

&lt;p&gt;I can help you to gain more clients for your existing (B2B) business,&amp;nbsp;or if you&amp;nbsp;are in startup mode and need help to formulate your sales and marketing strategy, then I can help with that too.&amp;nbsp;I founded The Sales Performance Company Ltd in 2012 and have worked with B2B sales teams and small business owners across the UK and beyond. I teach practical 'modern' sales skills based on integrity, openness, synergy and trust. I have over 80,000 followers on Twitter and have taught over 500 businesses how to use Twitter for Business more effectively. I also teach public courses on the effective use of LinkedIn and Blog Writing for Business. All services are available via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;My rate for one-to-one work for Enterprise Nation members/advisers is just £75 which is a 50% discount on my standard fees. Book a FREE 'dicovery call' with me via Enterprise Nation. I can then learn more about you/your business and advise on suggested help I could give. I look forward to hearing from you.&lt;b&gt; Stuart Allen.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Please note that ALL my work comes with a 100% quality guarantee. &lt;/b&gt;If you don't consider this to be the case, then you get a FULL 'no-quibble' refund. I am delighted to say that&amp;nbsp;I've been providing this guarantee since 2012 and have never needed to refund a penny.&lt;/p&gt;

Managing Director

Worcestershire small business networking group

Being self-employed needn't feel lonely. This group is for small business owners in and around Worcestershire. Join this group to connect with like-minded founders, share knowledge, discuss challenges, and support one another. And for anyone who'd like to continue the conversation at one of our monthly online meet-ups, we'll be sure to let you know when your next event is taking place.

I'm here to help. I'm volunteering free advice calls of up to an hour as part of the Recovery Advice for Business scheme, over the next 6 months (from July&nbsp;2020 when I joined Enterprise Nation). Please get in touch to see how I can help your business. Even in that short time, I can suggest opportunities that you can do yourself at no cost other than a bit of time and effort. Your business is worth that.

In my experience the top themes that people value and want to hear about the most are music, food, drink, and cuddly animals. Link your public relations (PR) – words, sounds, visuals - to any of these and you can't go far wrong. You can see that daily in the way that businesses, small, medium and large, promote and advertise themselves. 
 
As a marketing consultant and PR, I know that I cannot overlook the essential value and benefits of whatever I may be promoting. Yet even when I was in the Civil Service working on communicating IT-enabled change, or internal communications for a major accommodation project, those themes of music, food, drink, and cuddly animals were still a go-to. They were hooks that often engaged people about what would otherwise be considered dull content. 
 
My love of music - hence the In Tune PR name - has also given me my greatest opportunities to write, from published editorial for online and in magazines including Blues Matters! And The American. The highlight to date was interviewing the Blues Brothers Band inc. Dan Aykroyd, Willie 'Too Big' Hall, 'Blue' Lou Marini, Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper and more and publishing 18,000 words across two magazines. One of those pieces has recently been re-published in a Classic Rock 'Best of' compendium. 
 
Press releases, website text, social media writing, brochure text, writing for flyers, all these are fun too. That fun is equally present when I am writing for clients from estate agents to manufacturers to removal companies and charities. Writing that conveys a message, or the character of a client, often in a way they couldn't do unassisted, is a real pleasure. That is why my business is named 'In Tune PR', because it is in tune with the clients, their messages, and the right delivery that will make a difference. 
 
Being a journalist myself helps me when engaging on behalf of clients with managers and editors working in print, radio, events, online and TV. It also means I can take the stress out of media engagement for people who would otherwise freeze when put before a microphone. 
 
Along the way I've picked up a couple of awards for contributions to diversity and society, which is the kind of thing that can happen when you are, like me, passionate about music, independent British businesses and people who make a positive difference in any walk of life. I work with other service providers (for example, specialists in branding, website design and social media) who share my values and professionalism. 
 
If any of this strikes a chord with you or if you have a story that I might enjoy telling, get in touch.

PR Consultant

PR Power Hour and business roadmap

An hour discussing your business and how to make it ready for PR and to get started. Includes prep time based on my receiving links and short client brief to understand what you need and a summary of next steps after the Power Hour call or Zoom. This can be after your free Enterprise Nation discovery call, meaning even better value.

The ITP helps employers develop their best talent and inspire the next generation through apprenticeships. We work with businesses to help them recruit, train and mentor apprentices in their business. We offer advice on funding, as well as starting up a scheme.&nbsp;