Tonight's meeting was 'Ask the Experts' A large panel of business experts were assembled to answer our business questions. The panel was made up of us all. I found it great listening to some of the questions and answers, it was a really useful way of finding out what some of the other club members do.
First of all we split into groups of three and generated questions for the next section.
Each group took it in turns to ask one of their questions. Lots of debate ensued on some issues, others were quickly dispensed with.
I didn't make many notes tonight but the questions I remember were?
Q.What is the group opinion on the 03 range of telephone numbers. What are they, and are they of benefit?
A.This seemingly innocuous question caused quite a stir, but the general opinion was it wasn't worth having.
Q. What is the opinion of websites with a virtual assistant. A 'human' appears on the screen and says something like 'Hi, I'm here to help. Just type in a question and I'll answer it.'
A. Most thought it was a waste of time, and interestingly, I've just been trying to find an example to link to, and can't. I likened it to the Paper clip in MS Office, it's an annoying interruption when you're trying to do something.
Q. What was the groups opinion of Business Breakfast clubs, ie
http://www.bni.eu/uki,
http://www.4networking.biz,
http://www.bobclubs.com/club/country/UK etc
A. There were a couple of BNi members present who suggested that if you were prepared to get up early and regularly and you worked in the B2B arena, there was a good chance you could make a success of being a member, but it isn't suited to all businesses or individuals.
Q. If you don't need to register for VAT, when should you?
A. The consensus was that if you are dealing in B2B, it is worth being VAT registered, if you pay VAT on goods and services which you the sell, not being VAT registered will eat into your margin. If you are selling to individuals, being VAT registered can make you un-competitive. Of course, if you reach the VAT threshold (no one could remember the exact figure but it's currently somewhere around 65000 pounds per anum), you need to register regardless.
Q. If you work from home, do you need to advise your council.
A. It's best to speak to the council anyway. In most cases it will be ok. However, if you are changing the premises use, or likely to annoy your neighbours with increased noise, traffic or pollution, it probably won't be allowed.
Q. Is the new government likely to reduce any of the current tax incentives?
A. Nobody knows for sure, however, on the basis that cuts are being made almost everywhere, if you can do the deal sooner rather than later, do it.
Q. Which sectors are likely to see growth in the short term?
A. It was felt that manufacturing was unlikely to increase. Retail and entertainment were thought most likely to grow.
Q. What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?
A. 42
Q. How many of the Solihull Business Club members attend the meetings?
A. About 50 percent regularly attend.
Q. How can we get more of the members to attend?
A. on a postcard to the club email address please.
I know I've forgotten quite a few of the questions, if anyone can add to the list please do.
It was an interesting change of format for me. I've been a member for about 9 months now and what really appeals to me is that every meeting has been different, it's quite relaxed and you are guaranteed to get something from each meeting.
Robert
http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk
