Rob and Michelle infuse a passion for tea

Blend a tea lover, a tea sceptic and personal tasting on a Darjeeling tea estate. Leave to brew for several years in Brussels and the result is another Dorset business served with passion and commitment.

Comins Tea House in Sturminster Newton has been sourcing and blending the finest teas for a couple of years. Rob and Michelle, the husband and wife team behind Comins, have spent a long time developing the eye and the taste for a beverage that offers huge variety and complexity, that’s missed by most of us when we dunk a tea bag in a mug.

Realising that setting and mood are essential ingredients in the best tea experiences, this year they opened a real Comins Tea House. Here you can choose your black, white, green or oolong tea and enjoy a contemporary take on the traditional ceremony associated with its serving.

Making time for tea

“Tea becomes a personal journey,” said Michelle, who from her childhood learned the importance of the tea ceremony in bringing people together. “People come into the tea shop saying they want to stay for ten minutes and they’re still here an hour and a half later.”

Michelle and Rob want to share their enthusiasm for tea with their customers, by serving it themselves. The tea shop is only open four days a week, giving them time to run their importing and blending business, and to allow space in their busy lives for their young family.

Recently the tea house hosted a visit by Jane Pettigrew, tea specialist and historian who has helped Rob and Michelle find their way around the fascinating world of tea. An author of several books on tea preparation and culture, Jane’s visit included a presentation on tea to an enthusiastic audience. The event was extremely popular and with demand for places so high, they hope to run it again.

Allowing everyone to discover the secrets of tea

The tea served in the tea house is personally sourced from single estates. It’s served in exclusive tea ware designed by Comins and made by British craftspeople. If you choose, the tea can be accompanied by delicious locally sourced food.

“There are exclusive tea houses in London,” said Michelle, “but they can be very intimidating. We want to make tea accessible.”

And they’re doing just that. Customers are making the effort to seek out Sturminster Newton, and the Georgian building that is home to the tea house. Rob and Michelle’s recipe for a successful business based on a product they love is working.

Discover more about Comins Tea House by visiting their website, or you may spot their stand at one of the many festivals held around the area.

By Andrew Knowles

The Weymouth BID - you voted YES!

Weymouth businesses have voted YES for the Weymouth BID (Business Improvement District) to go ahead.

Over 500 businesses were eligible to vote in the BID Ballot which closed on 31 May. All businesses with a rateable value of £6,000 and above within the Weymouth BID area were entitled to vote.

The BID achieved a 69% (189) YES vote on a turnout of 46% (274).

Nigel Reed, Chair of the Weymouth BID, said: “This is excellent news for Weymouth and a big thank you to those that supported the vote. We have made it happen and particular thanks go to the Steering Group, Council and all those businesses that helped in the process.”

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council Economic Development brief holder Cllr Ian Munro-Price said: “It is fantastic news that businesses of Weymouth have voted ‘yes’ to becoming to a BID town. I would like to congratulate everyone involved for their hard work. Businesses working together as part of a BID will be a good step forward to further improving the town centre and to encourage more visitors to the town and people to shop locally and keep money in the town.

I wish the BID every success for the future in developing and delivering their business plan for the borough and the council look forward to working closely with them.”

Seven website mistakes that will kill your business

Despite so many people looking for products on the internet, too many firms seem happy for their website to deter, rather than inspire, potential customers.

1. Your website tells what you do, not what you can do for the customer

“We provide bespoke financial advice” is the opening line of one Dorset business website. It might be true, but it’s not the right message. What it should say is something like: “Get a better return on your savings”, or “Don’t be short-changed on your pension”.

Telling the customer what you do is better than nothing, but telling them how you can improve their lives is a much more powerful message.

2. Your website looks rubbish on a mobile

Have you dared look at your website on a smartphone or tablet computer? Others probably have, because it’s fast becoming one of the most popular ways to search online. It doesn’t need saying that a site that won't be popular if looks poor on a mobile device, or is hard to navigate.

3. Your content is out of date

The web is littered with social media accounts and blogs set up by small firms in a fit of inspiration, only to die after a few months. But the bodies are still out there: accounts and blogs where the last entry is dated sometime in 2011, or earlier.

Out of date content doesn’t send out a good message.

4. Your ‘Contact us’ navigation is useless

You might think that saying ‘Contact us by clicking the link at the top of the page’ makes it really easy for the reader to act. No, it doesn’t. Every time you use the words ‘contact us’, make those word a link or display a phone number.

Put a gap in between ‘Contact us’ and the customer actually doing just that, and you risk losing them.

5. Your website is still under construction

Worst case (and it still happens) is your site isn’t there at all. Still bad are the sites that contain the minimum content, but contain links to pages that are clearly waiting to be filled.

You may be planning to add more content, but good intentions don’t get results. Action is required.

6. Your content contains typing errors

Typing errors - that’s the polite way of describing spelling mistakes or grammar howlers. Will a misplaced apostrophe lose you a sale? Yes, it could. You might not notice mistakes, but some people do and for them it’s a real turn-off.

7. Your ‘About Us’ page kills business

Whether you’re a sole trader, a partnership or a limited company, your website should display a business address. Some visitors to your site look for this, because it helps build their confidence in your business.

The same goes for your ‘About Us’ page. People come to this because they want some clue as to who you really are; they’re not looking for yet another sales message. Being a little more open about who's behind the business can win you more sales.

Six reasons why your ‘About Us’ page is losing you business

For more business tips, click here.

Protect your business with simple financial controls

From the moment its cash flow comes close to being out of control, your business is in serious danger.

It’s not a lack of profit that kills firms, it’s a lack of cash.

You know cash flow is heading out of control because you aren’t sure where the money is coming from to pay the next set of bills and you’re scrabbling around, trying to borrow in order to keep trading.

Staying on top of your cash flow isn’t always easy, particularly when sales are down or customers pay late. But it’s less of a headache if you operate some basic financial controls.

Here are some suggestions for simple financial controls that every firm should consider implementing.

1. Plan your cash flow

This is all about predicting where your cash will come from, where it’s going, and how much you expect to have in hand at any point in time.

A cash flow plan involves estimating how much money will be coming in and going out every week for the next few months. You’re not looking at sales or purchases, but at receipts and payments, because these can occur at quite different times.

To be effective, a cash flow plan should stretch several months into the future and be updated regularly, at least every few weeks.

2. Keep an eye on debtors and creditors

Knowing how much you owe, and are owed, is fundamental to good cash flow. Make a point of checking the numbers every week, so as to see how they’ve moved. This can reduce the risk of debts going bad, as it will be easier to spot the customers who don’t pay week after week.

3. Approve every purchase and payment

Money could be leaking out of your business through lots of tiny holes, as the firm commits to all sorts of small purchases here and there. Insisting that every purchase must be approved brings accountability to those with the authority to place orders, and could encourage them to think twice before committing to expenditure.

Similarly, a process of approving every payment makes you more aware of where the money is going and reduces the risks of error, or even fraud.

4. Tighten your grip on expense payments

Incidental expenses are another potential drain on cash flow. They’re often necessary, particularly when you have employees travelling, but without a clear and consistent policy, the business could be paying for more than it needs to.

A good expense policy has specific limits for daily expenditure and clear guidance on what is, and is not, acceptable. This needs to be communicated to staff and backed up by rigorous checks and, where appropriate, rejections or at least discussions about excessive amounts being claimed.

5. Lock up the petty cash

The amounts may be small, but petty cash can be another gap in your cash flow controls. If possible, do away with it altogether. If you must have petty cash, ensure it’s checked regularly and that questionable expenditure is investigated.

Explain to employees that your business can’t function without cash. Make it everyone’s responsibility to guard the firm’s bank balance, because it’s in everyone’s interest not to have a crisis which could threaten your future.

More tips: do you know why you lost that sale?

Click here for more business tips.

Dorset Seafood Festival is a winner says The Independent

Despite being one of the newer celebrations of food on the national calendar, the Dorset Seafood Festival has been placed among the top ten in the UK.

That’s according to a recent listing by national news organisation, The Independent.

Run by the Weymouth Harbour Traders Association, the festival is a charitable event raising funds for The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. It also promotes Weymouth’s historic and picturesque harbour.

Every year, visitors flock to Weymouth to sample the bountiful array of Dorset fare on offer. Much, although not all, is seafood, drawing on a relationship between land and sea that stretches back centuries.

On the news that a respected national newspaper had shortlisted the Weymouth event as one of the top food festivals in the country, Roger Dalton, Chairman of the Dorset Seafood Festival said: “It is great to see that we are so highly regarded."

"This is good news for our sponsors, the stall holders and, of course, the organising team. Most of all, it is really good to see a Weymouth event up there with the UK’s biggest and best.”

Nigel Reed, Chairman of Weymouth BID Ltd, the town’s proposed Business Improvement District, said: “This is fabulous news for Weymouth and an indication of why a ‘yes’ vote is so important in the current BID ballot. We need more quality events like this and the BID will help achieve this.”

Click here to see the full listing from The Independent.

Martin's energised his Dorset cycling tours

Few can be unaware of the joys of cycling in the countryside, with all the sights, sounds and smells that are missed when you’re enclosed within a car.

However, the idea of slipping into tight Lycra vest and shorts and puffing and panting to get to the top of our lovely Dorset hills is not everyone's idea of a good time.

That was the starting point for a new venture by Martin Gershon, the owner of Marshwood Trails, a business established in the spring of 2012 to offer guided electric bike adventures in some of the loveliest parts of the West Dorset countryside.

Martin realised that many were deterred from cycling locally because they were worried about the amount of effort required to pedal in hilly West Dorset. Electric bikes were the answer.

Also referred to commonly as an e-bike, this amazing machine is a traditional bicycle that incorporates the assistance of an electric motor, allowing riders to travel further with much less effort than if under their own power alone.

Martin said, "It really is incredibly exciting how electric bikes are transforming cycling, opening it up as an activity to people who would never previously consider having a go. Our electric bikes are top-of-the-range models that are tough, reliable and ride brilliantly. You can select exactly how much assistance you want the motor to provide, although you do still have to pedal. They can be ridden all day without the need to recharge the battery and have proved themselves in the Alps, so Dorset hills are well within their capability."

Marshwood Trails' guided tours have been designed to show guests the very best that West Dorset has to offer. Destinations include the stunning Marshwood Vale fringed by Iron Age hill forts, the short but perfectly formed Bride Valley, the glorious Hardy Country and the rocky Isle of Portland.

Although a new venture, the tours have already been featured on ITV and in a number of national press articles. Guests consistently rate them as 'Excellent' on Trip Advisor.

Martin said, "The routes for our guided electric bike tours have been carefully selected to ensure guests, whatever their age or fitness level, have a great day out. It’s definitely about the experiences along the way,  not the number of miles covered, so the pace is gentle and the distances travelled are always to everyone's comfort."

Prices for a half-day guided tour start at £30 which includes bike, helmet and pannier hire. Large groups can be accommodated, so the tours are ideal for special family events and corporate activity days.

Marshwood Trails also offer electric bike hire for those wanting to explore without a guide, as well as 'try before you buy' taster sessions for people considering an electric bike purchase. More details about all Marshwood Trails' activities can be found at www.marshwoodtrails.co.uk or by calling Martin on 07796 135256.

Discover other Dorset start-up stories here.

Bizoh opinion: Poor marketing is damaging Dorset firms

By Andrew Knowles

Too many of our small firms are struggling, or even dying, because they refuse to invest in marketing.

I’ve lived in Weymouth for less than three years and I’ve already seen a host of bright, ambitious businesses pop up, only to wither away within months. You can probably names some of them, or you’ve seen the same happen elsewhere across the county.

Behind every failed business is a disheartened individual, couple or even family. Dreams have become ashes, relationships are strained and there’s often a legacy of debt.

Is it too bold to say that their problems could have been avoided, or at least mitigated, with some decent marketing advice and action? No, I don’t think it is. I’ve been close enough to some of these businesses to see their reluctance to spend on marketing.

Marketing is the first business action

There’s more to marketing than advertising. Marketing is about the relationship between sellers and buyers, and the very first action is to verify if that relationship is even possible. Because if the customers aren’t there, it won’t happen. Too many firms seem to open their doors in the hope that customers will turn up, rather than having genuine confidence in the demand for their product.

Setting up a business is a risk, there’s no getting away from that. Small-time entrepreneurs don’t have a lot of time or money for market research. But there’s a lot to be said for seeking, and accepting, honest opinions. If everyone says “Well, it could work...” they’re also saying “There’s a good chance it won’t”.

If you’re considering starting a business in Dorset (or anywhere else for that matter), I suggest that you talk to the local Chamber of Commerce. Ask them what marks out the start-ups that have found success, or failed, locally. Learn what you can from the experience of others, because it’s cheaper than learning from your own mistakes.

Getting the message out

Customers won’t buy your good idea. They will buy something that benefits them. But only if they know it’s available.

I could (and probably will) write a post about some of the appalling online marketing efforts by local firms. Websites that are unclear, out of date or just plain wrong. Social media campaigns that don’t justify the name because they’re nothing more than a Twitter account with a dozen posts made in 2011.

Every business needs a different marketing mix - that is, the blend of actions that will draw in customers. But too many don’t seem to give much thought to what is right for them. I’ve seen firms print and deliver thousands of leaflets, to no effect. I’ve also seen firms fail to produce leaflets, despite that being a proven marketing route for all their competitors.

My plea to all Dorset firms struggling right now, and to anyone planning to jump into a business, is please spend more time thinking about marketing. Yes, you may have to spend a little money, but that could be a lot less painful than the loss that comes with business failure.

Do you agree that many firms could do better if they improved their marketing? Or do you think local businesses are being damaged by other issues? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.