Business : Testing, Certification & Business Tools News

Effective Ways To Build Your Client Base

There is never a bad time to build your client base, but with the recent pandemic affecting businesses everywhere, now is as good a time as any to market your company. With more clients on your side, you will be able to make more profits and push your business forwards.

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TENDER DOCS AVAILABLE FOR PAGABO’S £47BN DEVELOPER-LED FRAMEWORK

NATIONAL framework provider Pagabo has announced that developers are now able to download the tender documentation for the organisation’s brand-new £47bn developer-led framework. The framework will run for four years, with the option to extend to a further 16 months to April 2026, and will be open to all public

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Propel Your Business Forward With These Simple Solutions

Your business is one of the most essential things in your life, and you need to do everything you can to keep it moving forward. There are some super simple things that you can to propel your business forward without causing much of a hassle, it’s just a case of

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MakeUrMove Help Drive Business Forward

MakeUrMove Helps Drive Business Forward

Marketing communications agency, Jam, has demonstrated its value and extraordinary thinking in driving its clients forward through the pandemic, with two clients placing additional investment and trust in the delivery of integrated marketing strategies. National PropTech company, MakeUrMove, has tasked Jam with positioning the firm as the leading provider of

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Why good broadband is essential for your business

The internet is the most powerful and important business tool at your disposal. Without it, many firms would cease to exist, struggle to make a profit or even be noticed in a sea of small businesses all vying for their customers’ attention. But what’s even more essential is a good

Read More »

The Most Common Things People Forget When Starting a New Business

Starting a business can be daunting because it involves a lot of different components. Getting a great start can drastically improve your chances of launching a successful business, but there are often a couple of things that entrepreneurs forget when setting up a new company. So in this post, we’re

Read More »

New Build Developments: Property Marketing Advice

The importance of marketing is often overlooked in the real estate sector, despite the impact that this can have in selling and promoting brand new developments. This is reflected by numerous statistics, which underline the importance of imagery and text when selling real estate to potential buyers. For example, listings

Read More »

Paper bubble dispenser box is one of leading packaging companies, Kite Packaging’s, latest environmental solutions

Employee-owned packaging business Kite Packaging is constantly bringing solutions to market to support companies looking for high quality packaging. In recent years they have shown a commitment to increasing their range of environmental solutions, and their paper bubble dispenser box is their newest addition. 100% recyclable and the perfect solution

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Latest Issue
Issue 334 : Nov 2025

Business : Testing, Certification & Business Tools News

Kite Packaging’s specialist aerospace and defence team are MPAS registered for design

The employee-owned packaging business is now a MPAS registered company with one of Kites Aerospace & Defence Packaging Design Engineers a MPAS certified designer. This registration is not only important for companies already working with Kite, but also demonstrates the commitment to excellence and expertise that is important to a range of businesses looking to Kite for specialist design capabilities. Administered by the Ministry of Defence, MPAS registration assures that Military Level Packaging design meets the MOD requirements for safe handling, storage, and transportation and reinforces the capabilities of Kites Aerospace & Defence Team. For more information on Kite Packaging please visit kitepackaging.co.uk

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Effective Ways To Build Your Client Base

There is never a bad time to build your client base, but with the recent pandemic affecting businesses everywhere, now is as good a time as any to market your company. With more clients on your side, you will be able to make more profits and push your business forwards. You will also have the opportunity to fight off the advances of your nearest competition. To build your client base, we recommend the following.  #1: Focus on your website First impressions are everything in business. But if your website isn’t up to scratch, your potential clients might assume the quality of your work isn’t great either. So, do what you can to create a professional image for your company. Include high-quality pictures of your past projects as people will then know what you’re capable of. Include testimonials too, as a positive word from past clients will do much to sway people to your side. And check out these construction website must-haves to make an impact on the people who visit your site #2: Direct people to your website After working on your website, you need to make sure people actually find it online. Thankfully, this is pretty simple, as you can include your site URL everywhere. Have it printed on your work vans, and include it on your promotional materials. Link back to your website from your social media pages, and make sure it’s included on the business listing sites you use too.  You could also embed QR codes on your business cards, brochures, and the other marketing materials you use. Give people an incentive to scan them with their smartphones – perhaps with the offer of a special deal – and use the code to direct them to the relevant page on your website. Use the following linked site to make a QR code for your business.  #3: Build relationships with other contractors Not every contractor is your enemy! If you specialize in one area, you might want to partner up with another contractor with the skills you don’t have. So, if your focus was building work, you could partner up with a specialist in electrics, for example. You could then share work and build your client base this way, or you could ask them to promote your services to their clients. If you offered to market their business too, they should be only too happy to support you.  #4: Stay in touch with past clients Don’t assume your clients will remember you in six months’ time. As there are many other contractors competing against you, they might be tempted to try another firm if they have other projects in mind. So, stay on their radar, especially if you know they were pleased with the work you did for them. Drop them an email about updates to your company, and let them know about any new services you are offering. This way, you might retain their custom and keep them on your client list. You can then use them to build your client base, as you can ask your past clients to refer your business to their family and friends.  More clients equal more money and a better reputation for your business. Do what you can to build your client base then, and improve your chances of success in your industry. 

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TENDER DOCS AVAILABLE FOR PAGABO’S £47BN DEVELOPER-LED FRAMEWORK

NATIONAL framework provider Pagabo has announced that developers are now able to download the tender documentation for the organisation’s brand-new £47bn developer-led framework. The framework will run for four years, with the option to extend to a further 16 months to April 2026, and will be open to all public sector bodies including schools, universities, local authorities, police and emergency services, NHS organisations, health and social care providers, housing associations and central government departments. Jason Stapley, managing director at Pagabo, said: “We are really pleased to be bringing the first developer-led framework to the market at this time to help public sector bodies procure work with developers that is critical to building a better future. “It’s of course been a worrying time for the sector with construction output dropping, but despite the exceptional circumstances we have seen a tremendous amount of access agreements coming through from clients wanting to access our existing frameworks.” The framework features three lots: Property Development via Joint Venture (JV) and Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Long Income Lease and Lease Back, and Property Development Single Site by Development Agreement. These three lots will cover a huge variety of works including, but not limited to, social housing, commercial buildings, student accommodation, health, education and mixed-use schemes. Jason added: “In everything we do, we consider how it will create positive change for the industry as a whole. We are listening to clients and understanding which projects our public sector clients are looking to procure and when. We are sharing that information with our partners, where and when we can – to instil confidence and help them plan for the COVID recovery phase and beyond.” For more information about Pagabo’s new public-led framework or to download the tender documentation, visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/news/find-out-more-about-our-new-l47bn-developer-led-framework.

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Propel Your Business Forward With These Simple Solutions

Your business is one of the most essential things in your life, and you need to do everything you can to keep it moving forward. There are some super simple things that you can to propel your business forward without causing much of a hassle, it’s just a case of knowing what they are. But, luckily for you, we know what they are, and we’re going to share them with you in this article. As such, if you want to know more about how to move your business forward easily, keep reading down below.  Expand The first and arguably one of the best things that you can do is to expand your business. Depending on how much experience you have on the market, expanding your business doesn’t have to be a difficult thing. You can even hire someone to help you by planning the expansion if you don’t think that you’re going to get through it without the help. Don’t forget that when you expand your business you’re also going to need to hire more staff, so make sure that you are advertising this right as you start the expansion. Go through all of the departments and see what you’re going to need to cover all the new customers that you’re going to have. With more customers comes more staff, and you don’t want to forget about this, keeping your staff happy as they aren’t going to be overworked.  Keep in mind that the financial side of the expansion has got to be managed as well. If you have no experience with finances, then you need someone who does and soon. Different Payment Options Another thing that you’ve got to think about is different payment options. People want to pay in a way that suits them, and you’ve got to make sure that you’re offering an array of solutions. For example, you need to look into the best international money transfer services and see what one is best. People want to be able to pay in their own currency, as this will help to entice them to buy. When you can buy in a way that suits your needs, you are more likely to buy from a business, which is what you want your customers to think. You don’t want to only offer the standard credit or debit card options because then you are limiting most people who can buy your product. If they don’t have a credit or debit card handy, you want to be able to pay with an app such as PayPal or something. When you add more options, you will find more people are willing to buy from your business. Invest In The Right Tech You’re also going to need to invest in the right tech. There is so much tech on the market right now that if you’re not investing in it, you’re doing something wrong. There is no business right now that is going to be able to survive without certain pieces of equipment. That’s right, we’re talking about baseline survival, not even propelling the business forward. You’re going to need the standard tech, such as up to date computers and tablets, depending on what your business does. Then on top of this, you’re going to need the more advanced and specific tech that relates to your industry. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you don’t need them, because you are never going to get your business high on the market this way. Go through what you think you’re going to need, and make the purchases when you’re ready to expand. You should make this list a couple of months before so you know how much you’re likely to spend on new tech, meaning you can budget it in. Keep in mind that if you don’t have the right tech, you’re going to make your employees slower than they should be. You can’t then blame them when they aren’t doing what you wanted of them, and your business will lack. Instead, if you want your business to move forward, then tech is going to be your best friend. Hotel management software is a prime example of how investing in the right technology can propel your business forward. By streamlining operations such as reservations, billing, and customer service, the software eliminates time-consuming manual processes and reduces the risk of human error. This kind of technology not only boosts productivity but also frees up valuable time for staff to focus on delivering exceptional service, ultimately driving business growth and profitability. It might seem like a lot of money to spend right now, but trust us when we say it’s going to be worth it when your business is running better than ever, providing you with more customers. We hope that you have found this article helpful and now understand some of the simple solutions that you need to propel your business forward. Good luck, and hopefully, you’re going to see results sooner rather than later when you implement these solutions.

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MakeUrMove Help Drive Business Forward

MakeUrMove Helps Drive Business Forward

Marketing communications agency, Jam, has demonstrated its value and extraordinary thinking in driving its clients forward through the pandemic, with two clients placing additional investment and trust in the delivery of integrated marketing strategies. National PropTech company, MakeUrMove, has tasked Jam with positioning the firm as the leading provider of smart technology for landlords and tenants and increasing brand awareness through PR, and implementing marketing campaigns to increase web traffic and leads. Jam has enjoyed a partnership with MakeUrMove for over two and a half years, working collaboratively to deliver elements including a brand refresh, website design, digital content strategy and establishing a presence in the media through a hard-working press office. Specialist housing recruitment agency, Andersen James, has enlisted the support of Jam to deliver an integrated strategy on its road to post-coronavirus growth and support its ambitious scale up plans of tripling turnover and profit by 2023. Having worked with Andersen James since 2015, delivering ad hoc creative assets, including brochures, presentations and a website build, Jam has now been awarded an ongoing retainer and trusted to supply a long term strategy of increasing awareness of the firm and positioning them as industry leaders through B2B PR and digital content. Jaime Gee, Managing Director and co-founder of Jam, said: “With our long standing partnerships with MakeUrMove and Andersen James, we’re thrilled that our clients see the real value in the services we deliver. While many businesses have paused or scaled back marketing activity due to the current climate, our clients trust us in our ability to deliver an integrated approach to help drive their businesses forward and ensure a resilient future. Alexandra Morris, Managing Director of MakeUrMove, said: “It’s been a challenging time for the property industry, but the sector is already seeing a bounceback and so we believe that now is the right time for investing in a long term integrated marketing strategy with Jam. As a result of our established partnership with Jam, we are confident that Jam’s understanding of our sector, and proven experience of delivering fantastic and meaningful results will support us in our future growth journey and plans of becoming a household name in the industry.”  Jam’s roster of clients includes Argos Pet Insurance, UAE based IRE Oil & Gas FZE, Koura, Survivors Manchester, Sync, The Furniture Recycling Group, and Printworks.

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Money: The Most Important Relationship to Fix to Be Professionally Happy

In life, we need to have good quality relationships in order to gain any substantial meaning from them. Whether you are running a business or doing your best to nurture a friendship, relationships are crucial. But when you throw money into the mix, this is when things can get tricky. Money is the ultimate goal, but we need to remember that money isn’t everything. But when we are suffering from debt or struggling to keep our business afloat, we have to put certain components in place to guarantee success. But before all this, you need to fix your personal relationship with money. And how can we do this? Prioritise As our lives change, we have to choose priorities in life. When you consider your value system, such as if you prioritise money over everything else, is this going to damage your relationships in other aspects of your life? There are so many business people out there that are driven by profit that they ignore the needs of their employees, consciously or unconsciously. And this is where we have to look at fixing our own values. This means that we may have to look at our debt system. While there are systems out there like the Debt to Success System (DTSS) and if you’re wondering is DTSS legit? It is one of those systems that can open your eyes to the wider world. It’s not just about the finances, but something like this can throw up so many pertinent points that we can’t help but address our attitudes towards money. Prioritise it, but don’t let it take over your life. Stop Using It for Manipulation Purposes The very nature of doing business relies on money as the most vital commodity. And with money comes the balance of power. But when you start to think about the things that you really care about in life, does money really factor into it? Or to rephrase it better; should money factor into it? When you love someone, would you manipulate someone into doing something to get you money? As soon as you start to remove the ideas of power with regards to your money thoughts, it makes for more clarity in life. Relationships and Passion Will Bring the Answer Whether we are setting up a side hustle or we are looking to forge a life for ourselves, when we have more control when we place an onus more on money rather than how we feel at the end of the day, this can throw things out of balance. When we start to put our passions into a project, this may require a lot of effort on our part, but the results we get out of it will be worth it, financial or not. When people are looking to make a living from doing something they love there comes a point where they have to address their own passions towards the project. Once you start to address your own relationships with a certain type of work, you can ask yourself if you are happy to do it without earning money at the outset. Naturally, we all need to make a living but money is a commodity used for trade rather than the route of happiness. This is why you have to fix your relationship with it.  https://youtube.com/watch?v=28-FMrg0KqQ

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Why good broadband is essential for your business

The internet is the most powerful and important business tool at your disposal. Without it, many firms would cease to exist, struggle to make a profit or even be noticed in a sea of small businesses all vying for their customers’ attention. But what’s even more essential is a good broadband connection and high speeds. Failure to have these established and you may struggle with the simple day to day running of your business. From cloud access services, file transfers, screen sharing, communication between clients and employees and more, without a good speed your business will be left floundering. The costs of poor broadband aren’t just felt in your business’ success, you may also feel them in your pocket. Getting the best deal for your broadband is essential for any business owner who is conscious of that bottom line and their expenses. You can check out the latest broadband deals here. Here we’ll outline why good broadband is essential for your business. Tech! Technological advances are happening every day and the best way your business can keep up is to invest in high-speed broadband. Most devices now require a certain broadband speed or bandwidth for them to work efficiently. Companies and clients alike will want to use the latest in technology to connect with you and make their working life easier, from smartphones and tablets to video conferencing, online payments and e-commerce. Ensuring you have high-speed broadband will allow you to cope with high volumes of traffic and requests both in your office and from your customers. Remote working Due to Covid-19, more of us are working from home than ever before. This means you need to provide a network that is flexible and easily accessed by those who work remotely. From data back up requirements to sharing projects, online meetings, chats and so on, your workforce needs to know that they can log onto a secure network that won’t hinder their productivity and their ability to do their job. Fast broadband will allow them to do this. Better customer service Providing outstanding customer service is essential for any business. You can provide your staff with excellent training and incentives and only hire those with good levels of experience in customer service. However, all of this means very little if your staff cannot implement their skills due to poor connectivity issues. If you can’t connect with clients online efficiently, then your customer retention numbers will start to suffer. Data back up Preserving your files, customer data and other online files safely are only possible with superfast broadband. Imagine losing all your customer data, your product information, vendor information and financial data for everyone you do business with. Automated cloud backups and confidence comes with high-speed broadband. And finally, increase those profit margins The better your broadband speed, the better for your budget. Not only could you potentially save money on your energy bills but with improved customer engagement and staff productivity, your profit margins will increase in no time.

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The Most Common Things People Forget When Starting a New Business

Starting a business can be daunting because it involves a lot of different components. Getting a great start can drastically improve your chances of launching a successful business, but there are often a couple of things that entrepreneurs forget when setting up a new company. So in this post, we’re going to cover some of the most commonly neglected areas that you should really be focusing on as a priority when starting a new business. Marketing shouldn’t be an afterthought–it should take priority You could set up one of the best businesses ever but if you’re not willing to advertise then you’ll never get noticed. Marketing should take up a huge percentage of your initial capital since you want to make a big impact. Once the basic foundation of your business has been set up and you can start taking orders, you should focus on creating an accessible website. After that, you can pour the rest of your capital into marketing to get people to notice you. Your team needs to be strong and able to work together as a cohesive unit Far too many new businesses hire a mix of experienced individuals and fresh employees. This leads to a mixed team that is difficult to lead because the difference in knowledge and skill is far too much. You want to establish a team that has a strong bond instead of focusing only on their experience and expertise. Even if there’s a gap in knowledge, strong company culture can create powerful bonds that will uplift the entire team and help them work as a cohesive unit. Remembering all of the legal steps to take before you establish a business It’s important to remember that you need to register to do business in your state and you need to speak to a legal professional to ensure a solid foundation for your company. The last thing you want is someone taking you to court because your company name is too similar to theirs or because your products are infringing on their patents. Internalize all criticism and feedback so you can act on it One of the biggest mistakes that new businesses make is ignoring any initial criticism and feedback. The typical excuse is that your business isn’t “ready” yet or it’s not set up properly, so you might think you’re immune to any criticism. In reality, if you’re getting some kind of criticism early on, you should immediately listen to it and figure out how to solve those problems. Don’t forget to network at every opportunity Lastly, you’ll want to remember to network at every opportunity to build strong relationships with other businesses in your industry. If you ever attend a trade show or have the opportunity to do so, you should mingle with as many different groups as possible and try to absorb all the information and insider knowledge that you can. This will help you identify who the big names in the industry are and who you should befriend if you want to accelerate your business growth. Always stay in touch with other companies and use these events to learn more about your intended audience as well.

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New Build Developments: Property Marketing Advice

The importance of marketing is often overlooked in the real estate sector, despite the impact that this can have in selling and promoting brand new developments. This is reflected by numerous statistics, which underline the importance of imagery and text when selling real estate to potential buyers. For example, listings with sharp and attractive images sell at the list price or above 44% of the time, which is considerably higher than those without. In this post, we’ll explore this concept further while providing the best property marketing advice for new developments. Bring Developments to Life with CGI While clean and high-definition images can prove crucial in real estate marketing, often these aren’t enough to engage buyers in a competitive market. However, this may not be possible with new developments, where there’s a pressing need to sell units before they’ve been fully realised – in other words, you can’t take a picture of a property that doesn’t exist yet. This is where computer-generated imagery (CGI) can come into play, as this can be used to create new images or rendered pictures of how a development will look in the future. The main advantage of this is that it allows buyers to visualise the development in fine and accurate detail, creating a scenario where they’re ultimately encouraged to make a more informed and confident purchasing decision. In the modern age, CGI should serve as the starting point for all new build marketing, based on existing architectural plans and a clear aspirational vision. 2. Make the Physical Site Dominant and Hard to Miss When marketing your development, it’s also important that potential buyers are aware of the physical site and the stage that the work is at. This also helps them to build a connection between the development and your brand, potentially creating an organic marketing channel through which buyers can contact you. To achieve this, you’ll need to invest in durable and prominent signage, which can simultaneously thrive in outdoor elements and target passing traffic effectively. Aluminium and magnetic signs are great in these respects, while correx signage is also available in sizes ranging from A4 to A0. This highlights the need to create an integrated marketing approach, and one that targets customers through various different means. 3. Produce a Development Brochure With this point in mind, the next step is to produce a development brochure, which should be stylish, well-designed and capable or helping to convert interested parties into certified buyers. This can help with the conversion process and increase the number of sales over time, by combining high-quality imagery and detailed floor plans with active text that sells an aspirational lifestyle. This can also feature CGI and maps of the location and the surrounding amenities, creating a comprehensive guide that’s both informative and persuasive in equal measure. With the right distribution, this can create a great and insightful marketing tool, and one that has an impact at the most important stage of the consumer journey.

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Paper bubble dispenser box is one of leading packaging companies, Kite Packaging’s, latest environmental solutions

Employee-owned packaging business Kite Packaging is constantly bringing solutions to market to support companies looking for high quality packaging. In recent years they have shown a commitment to increasing their range of environmental solutions, and their paper bubble dispenser box is their newest addition. 100% recyclable and the perfect solution for pick, pack and despatch areas, this compact solution includes Kite’s popular paper bubble in a portable dispenser box. Produced from biodegradable and recyclable materials it is extremely easy to use and is an ideal sustainable and cost-effective solution for companies needing to protect delicate goods. It is easy to move around to different locations and with a serrated edge it is extremely efficient and makes easy work of tearing paper off to your ideal length. Suited to small and medium sized operations particularly ecommerce, its ideal for filling and cushioning and perfect for eco-conscious minds wanting to protect fragile, delicate, and expensive items such as ceramics, glass and much more. For more information please visit kitepackaging.co.uk.

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