I wish to take this opportunity of thanking you and Simon for all the useful networking support and advice that you have given to me and of course promoting my business on your very professional website.

It is particularly helpful to me as it always takes time to establish a business.

As a result I am very pleased to be a member of Counterpoint and will recommend Counterpoint Networking wherever I can.

Many thanks and keep up with the good work.

Paul Tatt

Paul Tatt Bookkeeping Services

You know we like to do something different for our networking – well this one really was special!

On Tuesday 1st December we had the well-attended joint Counterpoint Networking and Aspinall Business Club (ABC) Networking meeting at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. We met at 8.30am for bacon sandwiches (and a vegetarian option!) and teas and coffees before hearing a little from Adrian Harland, Animal Director, about the work that goes on at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, and just as importantly all the work that is going on across the world in the name of animal protection and conservation.

Neville from the park (Wildcat keeper) also told us of the great success of the Wild Cat Hootenanny that was supported by our member Gordon Haining.  He also thanked members Jaci Godman-Irvine and Jane Unsworth who have been volunteering at the zoo, which is a benefit of being a member of the ABC.

I talked a little about the recent research I have been doing about the effectiveness of the Counterpoint Networking Site for our members. I found that the Counterpoint Networking site is becoming more and more well optimised for Folkestone and Hythe which is a specific strategy we have been following for the last few months. (The site is already very well optimised for Shepway). For example, Foreman & Jones have recently listed their profile on the Counterpoint Networking website and already they appear on the first page of Google (above their own site!) for “hypnotherapy hythe”, “hypnotherapist hythe”, and “sleeplessness Hythe”. Hayley Jones of Foreman & Jones gave us a testimonial.

We then had a talk from Simon the monkey-keeper who told us that he actually grew up in the animal park as his parents were both keepers! He has been working here for years and just like all the other keepers and workers we have met, he was so enthusiastic about his work.

We then made our way down to the enclosure housing the de Brazza’s and Colobus monkeys and were lucky enough to meet them and feed them! We were surprised (as you’ll hear on the following video!) that we were actually able to go into the enclosure and feed the monkeys out of our hands – not just throwing food over the fence!

It was such a special event, and everybody thoroughly enjoyed it – we won’t go on anymore, we will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

We hope you join us for our next meeting.

Come to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park for this meeting of Counterpoint Networking in conjunction with Aspinall Business Club and feed the De Brazza’s monkeys and other primates. The first 20 people to register their attendance are invited to hand feed the Colobus or De Brazza monkeys inside their enclosure.

We will meet for coffee or tea at 8.30am and then wander down to the monkey enclosure to see the lucky twenty feed.

Afterwards we will return to the mansion and network.

Timing: 8.30 – 10.30 am

Breakfast will be supplied

To avoid disappointment and meet the monkeys please book here

Paul Tatt Bookkeeping Services was formed in June 2009 providing general bookkeeping and payroll services to sole traders and limited companies within South Kent.

What are the benefits to you for choosing a Bookkeeper?

There are many benefits to the client for choosing a money efficient self employed bookkeeper:

• I can save you time to concentrate on running your business effectively
• I can assist you in providing financial reports to help guide your business effectively
• I can save you money from actually employing a bookkeeper which results in employer NI, holiday pay etc
• I can save you money on your end of year accountant’s fees by saving your accountant time.

The services I can offer are:

• General Bookkeeping including Bank reconciliations
• Payroll Services including year end returns
• Management Reports, monthly or quarterly
• Sales ledger Invoicing / credit control
• VAT returns
• Preparation of Annual Accounts
• Self Assessment Returns (online)
• Cashflow management
• Budget Control
• Liaison with company accountants

My Background, Training and Experience

I have 30 years knowledge and experience of accounting from start to finish using recognised accounting software particularly Sage and am qualified to AAT standard.

After leaving school I started working in the family business which was a greeting cards print and publishing company; naturally I worked in accounts starting from the beginning and at the time attended a business studies course at the local technical college. I was there for nearly 20 years and during this time I became responsible for maintaining the accounts and providing management reports.

In 1999 I then became Company Secretary of Mansion House Caterers Ltd based at Broome Park, Nr Canterbury; my role included having sole responsibility in maintaining all aspects of accounting, to provide monthly financial reports and to manage the cashflow of the company. Other duties included running a weekly payroll including end of year returns, and all secretarial duties required in running an office. Whilst employed at MHC I studied and completed the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) course.

More recently I attended a course provided by HMRC on self assessment.

So to sum up I can provide a valuable service to small businesses who wish to concentrate on their key skills and to let me take care of the all important accounts. Some say they are a necessary evil but through forward planning is an essential aid to the running of the business.

For sole traders and directors who have not submitted their return, online filing has to be completed by 31st January 2010.

Please visit www.paultatt-bookkeeping.co.uk for further details or contact me on 01303 893724. Mobile: 07518 028078 and I will be pleased to discuss your requirements.

Come to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park for this meeting. We will have a talk by Paul Beer, headkeeper who looks after the black rhinos and giraffes.

Breakfast will be provided. Networking will follow.

Investment: £10.00 (inc VAT) by pre-booking below or on the door (or £5 for holders of the Aspinall Maestro Prepaid Card www.savinggorillas.com pre-payment card).   Spaces are limited so arrive early to avoid disappointment.  Counterpoint Networking members attend free of charge.

BOOK HERE

Come to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park for this meeting. We will have a talk by one of the world’s leading gorilla experts, Phil Ridges on the husbandry of the lowland gorilla followed by a finger buffet where members can network.

Buffet and cash bar.

Investment: £10.00 pre-payment by booking below or on the door (or £5 for holders of the Aspinall Maestro Prepaid Card www.savinggorillas.com pre-payment card).   Spaces are limited so arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Counterpoint Networking members attend free of charge.

BOOK HERE

Another great Counterpoint Networking meeting took place last night at the Hythe Imperial, who laid on an amazing spread – most of which went uneaten as people spent most of the time talking and it’s hard to do both!!

There was lots of discussion amongst our members about getting their business profiles together to go on here and although we have Kate Harwood now writing them some were planning to go away and send theirs sooner rather than later to take advantage of our well optimised local business directory as soon as they can! So, Chris our optician in Hythe, Julie who offers property management and Peter our aerial photographer..I’m waiting!!

As usual there was much discussion about online marketing; Chris who has a copy shop in Folkestone was there discussing ‘Jason’ his new website! We helped him to set it up a couple of months ago and his first post was about how he was a very proud ‘Dad’ to his new baby website! He’s preparing for a big launch of it in the next few weeks. Jaci, who is a Kent based will writer, was talking about her daughter’s new business and what her web strategy is to be.

Hannah, who offers the services of a virtual PA – administration and secretarial services, was one of the first to leave but was tracking her movements on Facebook with a mention for us so we’ll let her off! Trevor who can get your microwave repair done was asking me what other ‘whizzy’ plugins I have planned for this website as he likes our ‘tag cloud’.

We were pleased to see Tanya back after a few months away; she’s been too busy offering her marketing and PR services to come along and see us! And Jane who is helping local people kick the dieting habit impressed everyone with her twittering and Tweetdeck knowledge!

It was great to have some new visitors there last night, as well as more familiar faces; do please come again, you know you are always welcome; the more the merrier!

Our September networking meeting is actually on 1 October, at Port Lympne, to support the launch of the new Aspinall Business Club. You can book here.

Just remembered I forgot to take my camera again last night; will try really hard to get some photos from Port Lympne…watch this space!

We had a great meeting last week at the first meeting of the Aspinall Foundation Business Club.

We had lots of noisy networking at the beginning followed by a presentation by the Scottish Wild Cat Keeper, Neville, that everyone found fascinating (although I also found out that one of our cats is bigger than a Scottish Wild Cat, which is supposed to be bigger than a domestic cat; time for a diet methinks!).

Neville was followed by Robert Boutwood and Spencer Phillips from the Aspinall Foundation who both talked about working closely with local business people to bring benefits to both the Foundation and the local businesses.

Jonathan Parker from Food4 gave a passionate presentation about local food supplied by Kent producers. On their website you can place a weekly shop just as you do with the big supermarkets and get it delivered; the main difference being that the produce is all from local suppliers. I can thoroughly recommend their service and the quality of the food having shopped with them a couple of times now. Food4 give 5% of their profits to the Aspinall Foundation.

Jonathan Rees then talked briefly about the Aspinall Pre-Pay debit card that gets you various discounts when you use it including with Food4Kent. M-Cube Media, who manage the cards donates its profits to the Aspinall Foundation to support the gorilla conservation work that they are famous for; did you know that they are the only people in the world who are putting gorillas back into the wild?

The Aspinall Foundation Business Club is going to meet once a month to enable local businesses to network and get behind the scenes at Port Lympne. There will be talks, VIP opportunities to meet the animals, chances to participate in volunteer working parties to build enclosures or help the animal park in other ways more suitable to your talents.

If you are interested in being kept up-to-date with what they are doing (we are working with them to help run it as our contribution, but it remains an Aspinall Foundation initiative) then do please add your details in the box below so that we can add you to our mailing list.

Thanks for your interest and support.

Last night’s rearranged venue for our June meeting was, as usual, great (and thanks to the Red Lion for taking us on at the last minute). And even better that with the lovely warm weather we’re having at the moment we were able to sit out in the garden.

So, the networking was a bit loud as we all sat round a big table and shouted! At one stage I had to get a few of us to do a musical chairs impression and all move down one so that Chris from Copy-Link in Folkestone could get to the opposite end of the table to talk to Jane of ABC Simple as… and Julie from Hestia Property Services!

Simon, my husband, was kept very busy shooing away a persistent seagull from our lovely buffet. Just realised that we should have taken some photos to put on here – we always forget! You’ll just have to imagine a lovely summer’s evening in Hythe.

Much of the evening was taken up with a spirited discussion about online marketing for small businesses, particularly about Twitter and how to use it. Alan from The Icelab and I were kept very busy sharing our knowledge and Chris from The Eye Centre was off to try out Tweetdeck (and get ready for his open day in Hythe on Saturday) and Sheila from Mini Bills was thinking about starting a blog! Jaci from Estate Legacy Services is looking forward to making some changes to her website this weekend too, as one of the people on my online marketing coaching programme. Hayley and Jodie from Foreman and Jones have a new website that we are helping them to put together and Hayley tweeted later to say that she is working on it today – so watch this space!

We were all pleased to meet Maggie who is looking after business development at the lovely Boys Hall in Ashford. We are talking about having a future meeting there. We held one there when we first started and some of us remember having a lovely tour round the Jacobean property. Gordon our very own toastmaster and Graham from Coffee Break Massage who also has a business playing the harp at events were both pleased to do some networking with Maggie as she was telling us that they have held 40 weddings there this year and obviously both of them are potential suppliers (Graham with his harp business, not the massages for weddings – although I can see that he may also have a market there!).

We had a late entry in the form of Trevor from the Microwave Service Company in Sellindge, which started up another conversation about online marketing as some of Trevor’s business happens online. So we were the last to leave following an interesting conversation about what keywords would be useful for Trevor to optimise his site for – what do people search for online when their microwave has broken? Answers on a postcard please!

I think that’s a mention for everyone, but I’m sure you’ll let me know if not! It’s 7am the next morning as I write this and I’ve already had a couple of messages saying what a great night it was last night, so I think we all agree it was a good turnout and lots of fun.

Our next meeting is being hosted by the South Kent Gateway in Folkestone.

Photo Credit MASH DnART

The Hythe Handbook is an A5 full colour local community magazine that is well respected and read by people young and old throughout Hythe. A publication released bi-monthly to everyone in the CT21 postcode and includes local stories and local events as well as low cost effective local business advertising. The Handbook grows almost entirely by word of mouth, and has many long term advertisers and story writers due to the reflection of success they have from the Handbook. 9,000 copies of every issue are distributed by the Royal Mail to all homes and businesses so it’s read by most people in and around Hythe.

The Hythe Handbook was started by Jo Dodds in September 2005, after working in London as an HR director. Stopping the daily commute into London allowed her to start a family. So on August 2006, Ellie, a.k.a Little Doddsy to regular readers, was born!

The Handbook covers events such as the Hythe Festival which is local and enjoyed by many of the Hythe residents. It includes pages about local charities and their work within the town. The Hythe Handbook is perfect for anyone wanting to know about Hythe and perfect for residents keeping up to date on what’s happening within the town. The editorial has something for everyone, from how to make Lemon Chicken with a Cashew Crunch to Hythe’s local charity work to information about the latest toilets in Tokyo!

Some of the advertisers have been so impressed with the Handbook’s work that they’ve contacted us…

“It works! Got my first call this morning.” Mike Hawkes – Cableguys Ltd

“Pound for pound the most effective advertising I have ever done.” David Wimble – Allied Entertainment Group