Vertax Accountants Ltd

For today's newsletter, I got to have lunch with the lovely entrepreneur Grace Fell! This 'lunch with' series is an occasional treat at The Northern Eco which means an unhurried interview plus an excuse to feature a local eaterie of their choice. Perfect for August. Looking back across these 'lunch with...' interviews its struck me that they are all women. This wasn't intentional - I must meet a lot of amazing women! https://lnkd.in/egTTpRgg

Has anyone ever received a handwritten note from the CEO before? I don’t think I had up until very recently... It was such a nice (and unexpected) surprise and a humbling reminder of the power of personal touches in the workplace! It's little gestures like this that can really boost morale, make individuals feel valued and strengthen connection to the company. And lets be honest, who doesn’t want recognition from senior leadership? But it's not just about words—it's about creating a culture of respect and appreciation that drives engagement and loyalty. Let's remember the impact of these small acts in shaping a positive work environment. 🌟 #EmployeeRecognition #CompanyCulture #SmallGestures 

My local chicken shop advertises better than you… 👀 Most people when it comes to advertising like to play it safe: - They look at what their competitors are doing - They look at what ads they’ve been running the longest - They create ads that are similar Rinse and repeat. The only problem is, that your competitors are doing the same. Meaning, the market is flooded with copies of the same ad. And your customers get bored. Want to know the easiest only way to stand out? Knowing your customer. Know their: ✅Problems ✅ Dreams ✅ Values ✅ Sources of information ✅ Pop culture references ✅ How they talk ✅ Preferred format of communication And build a campaign that ticks all these boxes. In this case, people want a vape with their chicken. (who'd have thought?) Here are 4 places I find inspiration for my ads that AREN’T my competitor's ads: - Reddit - Quora - Social media comments - Competitor reviews (go for the 2 - 3 star reviews) What’s the best local promotion you’ve seen?

Evolved are on the look out someone new to join our SEO Strategy team! 📈 If you: - Are passionate about SEO performance - Enjoy strategic and critical thinking - Want to deliver SEO strategies which drive results - Like to build positive relationships with key stakeholders - Love keywords Then it may be for you. Job adverts currently out for both SEO Strategist and Senior SEO Strategist (up to £45k + benefits). More information can be found at https://lnkd.in/ehFJpBE2, or feel free to drop me a message. Picture of Cid below which I had to share otherwise Lucy Dodds would fall out with me. #seo #careers

The UK tech hiring market seems to be on the move again. It's been a pretty turbulent time for tech recruitment. The post-COVID boom and the wave of redundancies over the past couple of years forced both the tech and talent acquisition communities to roll with the punches. But there's some good news...The momentum is back. Over the last couple of months, the number of UK-based tech roles on Haystack has more than doubled. We're also seeing a significant increase in outreach messages from employers. However, with more job vacancies, comes more competition. With the market shifting and competition for tech talent rising, it's time for employers to revisit those old (bad) habits picked up 12 months ago to avoid missing out on your next tech hire. Here are a few trends we've spotted from the highest-performing employers on Haystack to help you maximise your tech hiring: 1️⃣ Response rates: The best candidates don't hang around for long, responding to a candidate who applied 1 - 2 months ago and expecting them to still be available might have worked a few months ago but is now becoming more and more optimistic. 2️⃣ Interview process: The shorter the interview process, the more luck you're going to have. Most candidates today, are in multiple interview processes at once. Shortening the interview process where possible is going to significantly reduce your drop-off rate. 3️⃣ Transparency: Casting a wide net and being deliberately ambiguous about your role, company, interview process, compensation etc is only going to result in one thing - irrelevant applicants. Try to be as upfront as possible in your job listings, this will allow candidates to self-select before hitting that apply button, leaving you with a more engaged and relevant pool of applicants. 4️⃣ Feedback - positive and negative: Where possible, try to give feedback. Leaving candidates hanging can significantly damage your brand's reputation within the tech community. Times are tough, don't make them even tougher by ghosting candidates. Any others to add to the list? #hiring #techjobs #talentacquisition #recruitment

I’m looking to connect with North East businesses, hotel managers & store managers who might be interested in assistance with Christmas Decorations this year for their venue🎄 We work with many bars, restaurants, shopping centres, hotels, brands, local authorities & holiday parks and I’d love to share our ideas and work to expand our corporate portfolio. If any of my connections could tag anyone they may know I would really appreciate it 😊

Do you know about the resources available to tech businesses here in the North East? Abdul and I have built a strong network of valuable resources in the region and regularly share insights with our client base and network. We’re always keen to connect like-minded professionals with the support they need! Here are a few examples: North East Growth Hub Invest Newcastle Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) ScaleUp North East North East Angel Business Association (NEABA) There may be some others we have missed from this list - Are there any other organisations that you find resourceful? #northeastbusinesses #technology #cashflow

Holiday time is looming for many of us over the coming weeks, sunshine or no sunshine. From experience, I know many people feel the burden of getting ready to take time off and then the dread of what they might come back to when they open their inbox again on their return (that’s if it didn’t get opened while they were “away”….). I’ve had many conversations with people who wonder if it’s all worth it & many who just don’t take the time off at all as a result. We have written a brief article about it and included some tips on how to prepare in a way that helps to give you, as leaders, the well earned rest you need and help to give your team what they may need while you’re away. If you have any other tips that have worked for you, please feel free to share! To find out more about Leading Cyber and our work around leadership development and coaching, please drop us a line for a chat. #holidays #vacay #timeoff #outofoffice #leadership #team #empowerment #performance #trust #leadershipdevelopment #coaching #cyberleaders Danielle Phillips MBA FIIC