Helping businesses grow faster wherever your business is, there is always a Next Level.

Free Seminar: Learn how to – “Develop your business using other peoples’ resources – Leeds, 23rd September 2010

posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Title: Free Seminar: Learn how to – “Develop your business using other peoples’ resources
Location: Levi Solicitors, 33 St Pauls Street, Leeds LS1 2JJ
Link out: Click here
Description: A free two hour seminar presented by Brian Allmey, MD of Next Level Business Solutions Ltd and James Sarjantson, Head of Corporate & IP Law, Levi Solicitors LLP.

They will show you how to develop your business and grow it faster without using your own resources, valuable information in this present economic climate when borrowing is difficult and if you have cash resources you would be wise to conserve them.

Start Time:  08.30 for 9am start


Date: 23rd September 2010

Booking Form

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Any Dietary Requirements?

Meet the Team

posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Next Level Business Solutions works with a team of trusted and proven professionals spanning all the specialisms a client is likely to need.

We regularly work with other professionals who may be your existing advisers or they may have been brought in by us to input on an issue requiring specific specialist expertise.

By working in this way, you, our client, get a seamless service which addresses whatever issues we are working on in your business and which ensures that all the necessary expertise and experience is brought to the table.

Our team includes:

  • Banking – we work closely with a number of commercial banks and financial institutions
  • Financial Planning including a Chartered Financial Planner to span business and personal planning
  • Accountants and Lawyers – we work with a number of professional firms so we can match the right people to each client
  • Marketing, Design, PR professionals
  • Vehicle acquisition and finance and asset finance
  • Independent insurance brokers
  • Health & Safety, HR and Recruiting specialists

About Us

posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Led by Brian Allmey who has over 30 years of solid firsthand experience of running SME businesses and supported by a team of proven professionals spanning all the specialisms a client is likely to need.

Brian graduated as a pharmacist and practised pharmacy before focusing on business with his first Directorship in 1972. Since then he has operated at Board level in businesses across a wide range of sectors and ranging from start up to £96m pa turnover.

He has been founder/MD of four start up businesses as well as being a group main board director and MD of various businesses and has been involved in business sales and acquisitions.

In the early 80s he brought a USA franchise to the UK and later went on to franchise two of his own businesses, both from start up, taking one international. He has helped to franchise or license businesses ranging from a Billion pound pa turnover PLC through to a one man business.

He has worked in business rescue, recovery and commercial finance on projects in the UK, Ireland, Greece, Italy and Switzerland.

Brian’s work over the last twenty years has been problem solving and implementing recovery plans and growth/development plans, working with solid businesses with high growth as well as problem businesses and working with franchised and licensed businesses.

Next Level Business Solutions Ltd is an Associate Member of YABA (Yorkshire Association of Business Angels), Member of Leeds Chamber, Approved Supplier on the Yorkshire & Humberside Provider Register, Listed as a UK Training Provider and member of a number of groups focused on business development.

Case Studies

posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010

We have examples of work we have done for clients – click on Business Development Case Studies or Franchising & Licensing Case Studies.

Case Studies – Business Development

posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Case studies – Business Development

Established business with falling profits

An established business had sales of £6m with sales rising every year but profits had been falling every year for the last four years.

  • Reviewed the last 5 years financial results to analyse ratios and trends.
  • Established that gross margins were falling every year, overheads were rising every year and that in about 6 months time the business would move into loss making unless those trends were reversed.
  • Highlighted items which were not achieving a satisfactory level of profitability and the company dropped some items and re-priced others.
  • Terms were re-negotiated with certain customers.
  • A new sales manager was appointed.
  • Worked with the sales team who had got into the bad habit of getting sales by discounting and showed them how this was putting the business at risk and the company issued guidelines to limit discounting.
  • Changed the basis of remuneration so the sales team were profit focused rather than volume focused.
  • Held a meeting of all employees to explain the position and why changes were being made to engage everyone with the new approaches.
  • Overhead savings in excess of £200K pa were identified.

Nine months later the Company made more profit in one month than it had the whole of the year before we started working with them.

Rapidly growing business

A successful business was growing rapidly. The directors were very experienced in their fields and needed to develop a middle management team to grow and develop as the business continued to grow.

  • Reviewed business processes including who did what.
  • Worked with the Board and managers to develop and operate a business planning process.
  • Developed KPIs as part of the planning process and a monitoring process.
  • Established a performance related bonus scheme for managers.

Directors now focus on their key roles with tasks delegated to managers and results monitored against targets. The business growth continues to accelerate and the management team grows in confidence and is able to support the growth of the business.

Relatively new business

The business model was proven over a period of about one year and was at break even but the MD was not able to take any time away from the business which operated seven days a week and was working long hours for little income.

  • Established what the MD wanted from the business in terms of time and income.
  • Developed a long term business plan to set a “destination” and a short term plan to start on the journey.
  • Worked with the MD to develop a management team and put in systems and control which enabled the MD to take time off on a regular basis and go on holiday with the business running efficiently in their absence.
  • Worked on the gross margin and overheads (mainly payroll).

By month 3 the MD was able to take time off every week and a holiday every quarter.

Six figure profit at end of Year 3.

Business performing in the top 3% of its sector.

Established business hit by recession

An established business in a sector hit badly by the recession was in real danger of its bank withdrawing or reducing facilities which put the future of the business at risk.

  • Developed a realistic business plan with the directors which demonstrated the viability of the business.
  • Met the Company’s bank with the Directors and presented the business plan which was accepted and facilities increased.
  • Worked with the Directors to help them achieve the business plan.
  • Reviewed all business processes and identified items being done by the MD which took him away from sales and profit generation.
  • Improved business processes, changed roles and responsibilities of key people to allow the MD to delegate more.

Results

  • Increased facility from bank.
  • Systems put in place to allow more work to be delegated.
  • MD freed up to spend more time on getting in new business and control costs to improve profitability.

Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat and Business Planning

posted on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

I was born in Chester and from the age of 4 grew up in the NE, near Sunderland.

In the Sunderland Museum there is (or there was in my day) a stuffed walrus which is believed to be the source of inspiration for Lewis Carol’s poem on the Walrus and the Carpenter.

That is why I was drawn to this Lewis Carol quote:

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.

“Which road do I take?” she asked.

“Where do you want to go?” was his response.

“I don’t know,” Alice answered.

“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

It is exactly the same for a business. Without a business plan, how do you know what direction to take in your business?

A business without a plan will end up wherever it happens to end up rather than at a destination of your choosing – rather like the two ships analogy.

So – get some direction into your business in order to maximise your result – contact us today to arrange a meeting to review your strategy, your destination, plans and options for you business so we can set some directions and a route map to follow.

Benefits of Franchising your Business – reprint of Business Pink Article

posted on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Click on article to view full size

Technology Intermediaries

posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010

We have an extensive network of professionals that can assist in placing business into Europe, SE Asia, S America and USA.

For example, we are currently working with a UK company to license their technology on a worldwide basis across a number of major business sectors. We have also advised on strengthening their legal protection before we made contact with potential licensees.

In another case we are working with a company to introduce them to a global supplier in a specific market place.

If you have a technology or a product you want to bring to market, we can assist you in structuring potential commercial arrangements and introduce licensees and we can also bring in legal and financing professionals if required.

This work is handled from our UK and Hong Kong offices.

The Engine Driving your Business – Marketing, Sales & Gross Profit

posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010

Sales and Gross profit are the engine of every business. Marketing sometimes has a “Black Arts” connotation and professionals in this area surround it in fog and mystery when actually it should be simple and straight forward. There are basic rules for developing marketing plans and marketing strategies which remain constant although the answers will vary enormously from business to business.

Put simply, Marketing is the generation of leads or enquiries and Sales is the conversion of those leads into closed business.

I can lead you through those processes to help you develop an effective marketing plan with cost effective marketing strategies for your business and a sales process which will optimise your sales and profit.

There are many proven strategies for marketing and for sales which can make a huge difference to the results you achieve. You owe it to you and your business to have the very best engine driving you forwards so contact us today to arrange for a meeting to discuss how we can help you to improve your results.

Business Planning

posted on Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Two sailing ships set out from Liverpool bound for New York.

One knows that if they keep going they will hit America and head downTwo Ships a bit for New York.

The other one has a chart, knows the expected currents and winds, checks their position twice a day and adjusts the course as required.

Which do you think will get to New York first?

Which ship are you on?

Do you go into work each day and do what needs doing, ending up wherever you end up at the end of your year?

Or do you have a longer term vision and aim for your business with a plan of how you will get there?

Do you monitor your monthly management accounts against your plan?

Do you have a sales and marketing plan to generate the leads and close those leads to hit your sales and gross profit target?

Do you have an Operations plan to deliver the sales you are targeting?

A personnel plan to ensure you have the right people, properly trained, with new people coming into the business when required?

Do your management information systems give you the KPIs you need to manage your business?

Are you monitoring the right KPIs?

Do your systems support all areas of the business and increase your efficiency?

Could your business planning be better? If so – contact us now.

Call Now 01423 550 787