Simply Business have recently mentioned our article on customer care in their “Top 5 business sites of the week” publication. It’s nice to see people finding the articles written here useful enough to share with their audience.

Many thanks to Jasper Martens and Simply Business for the mention!

With all my recent musings on the importance of blogging (and social media) for business, it’s worth mentioning this rather good app that I stumbled across. It’s not especially new, but it is handy. WordPress For Blackberry quite simply allows you to blog from your Blackberry with an easy to use interface and copious features and settings. Including image uploading and resizing. Snap a picture with your Blackberry and attach it to an article with just a few clicks. Nice and easy to use.

Its free and well worth a look. Combine it with our FREE* Blackberry offer and you’ll be on to a winner. Blogging for your business and boosting your rankings while you’re on the move.

If you have a Twitter account, you might also consider “Open Beak” (previously TwitterBerry), another FREE Blackberry app. Visit http://m.openbeak.com from your Blackberry browser to download it. A simple to use and aesthetically pleasing interface makes Tweeting a breeze.

Study Shows Small Businesses That Blog Get 55% More Website Visitors (data from Hubspot)

A recent study conducted by web-marketing guru’s Hubspot shows how companies who make use of blogs and social media technology not only get more inbound links and indexed pages but significantly more visitors as well.

The importance of the blog as a marketing tool should not be overlooked. Keeping it up to date with fresh content will attract search engines and potential customers alike. Using a blog also allows a company to take a different stance on their writing. Pages can be written in an informative manner, going more in-depth than the normal website page or they can be used as a news tool, providing updates on company products or products, taking a completely different stance, they can just be used to offer musings and daily thoughts from the author. Something innovative is more likely to attract attention from the outside world. In some cases, blogs have even been used for viral marketing purposes but be careful it doesn’t backfire on you (see Sony’s attempt at being clever in the form of “All I want for xmas is a PSP“).

Company Blogging – The Do’s and Don’ts

Some “experts” say you should avoid using the company blog as an advertising tool. Don’t talk about yourself or your products, no one cares. But what works for one person (or company) won’t necessarily work for another. Test the water and see what works best for you.

Whatever you choose to do with your company blog, the principles of SEO remain the same. You need to keep the content fresh and get the best back-links you can. So the key is writing lots and writing well. With luck, people will start to link to you of their own free will in time. If you manage your articles well, they will follow links in your blog to pages on your website (and vice-versa) and you will see your search engine rankings start to climb.

Remember to make the most of anchor text in your links and pictures and pay attention to keyword analysis and keyword phrases. Pay attention to the competition and see what they are doing with their blogs, watch other blogs relevant to your industry and try to work out where they are (and aren’t) successful and you can use a mixture of these ideas to get the most from your blogging. With luck you’ll be among those people who see a rise in website traffic and a corresponding climb in sales!

Trademark law is a complex thing. Governed by the Trade Marks Act 1994, broken down into over 100 sections; the law covers everything from filing a trademark, requirements of registration, reasons for rejection and enforcement after filing to name a few.

What is a Trademark?

The first place to start is establishing what a trademark is.

Section 1(1) states:

“In this Act a “trade mark” means any sign capable of being represented graphically which is capable of distinguishing goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings. A trade mark may, in particular, consist of words (including personal names), designs, letters, numerals or the shape of goods or their packaging.“

So, as you can see, a trademark can potentially consist of anything from a company name to a logo, slogan, brand or product name. Filing a trademark will lead to protection for one or more of these things as it is entered on the register and protected from use by anyone else.

Filing a Trademark – The Requirements

There are a number of rules that need to be satisfied before a trademark can be filed. The reasons for trademark rejection are specified by Section 3 of the act and these combined with the guidance laid down by the IPO make it clear that to carry out a trademark filing, the mark must be:

• Sufficiently Distinctive – In the sense that it stands out from other trademarks on the register and in the market place.

While it must not be:

• Illegal, offensive or deceptive in nature,
• Descriptive of your product/service or trade,
• Something which is customary in your line of trade,
• Listed as a protected symbol (see Section 4 of the act – things like Royal crests or National flags).

If these requirements are satisfied then the IPO are likely to accept a trademark registration as long as there is not already a mark on the register which it deems to be the same or too similar to the proposed trademark.

The IPO have provided a short list of what will not be deemed as sufficiently distinctive:

Common registration misconceptions listed by the Intellectual Property Office

Filing a Trademark – The Classes

Because of the variety of businesses and the kinds of trademark likely to be registered, trademarks are broken down into various “trademark classes“. This means that when filing a trademark, you need to be sure to file your mark under the correct class. Classes are made up of either “goods” or “services” and in 45 sections. It is possible to register a trademark in one class or section when there is already a similar or identical trademark registered under another class. This is due to the fact that because of the nature of business the two trademarks (and their companies) will never interfere with each other. There are real life examples that you can see in our other article on the benefits of registering a trademark.

Carrying Out a Trademark Search

Before attempting to file a trademark, it is important to perform a trademark search. This involves examining the register to ensure that your chosen trademark is not already present. Carrying out a trademark registration without first carrying out a search could mean you end up losing your trademark filing fee when the registration is rejected by the IPO. TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk offer a trademark search service as an optional extra when placing a company formation order with us (or as a separate service if necessary). Our service involves a carrying out a thorough check of the register and supplying you with a comprehensive report. We charge a small fee, but the cost is far less than you would pay if you attempted to carry out a registration without first ensuring the register was clear of similar or identical trademarks.

Filing a Trademark Using The Company Warehouse

Due to the complex nature of the law, the various classes and the regulations surrounding trademark registration, it is highly recommended that you use a professional to help you file a trademark. TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk has a dedicated trademark team who have the experience and knowledge necessary to give you a high quality service at a low cost. Thousands of companies and businesses over the years have used us to perform filing on their behalf. Our trademark registration service involves specific guidance on how best to protect your trademark, which classes to file it under based on your type of business and the activities you cover and more. We will then carry out the registration on your behalf, drafting the necessary paperwork and submitting the application to the IPO. We monitor your trademark through the whole process and once it is registered we send you the trademark certificate, as proof of complete registration.

Once the necessary paperwork has arrived with the IPO (and has been date stamped), Section 33 of the act says this is when the trademark filing is complete. Theoretically the trademark is then protected as long as it is not rejected by the IPO during the registration process. Filed trademarks deemed as acceptable by the IPO are placed on the trademarks journal which is published each week in order to allow potential objections to be submitted.  Objections to registration can be submitted up to 2 months after publication. Once a trademark makes it through this period and is accepted on to the register it is then properly protected.

What Filing a Trademark Means To You

Filing a trademark has a number of benefits as you will have seen in our previous article. The first is that you can use the ® symbol, to denote a registered trademark (or RTM). You will then be able to take legal action against anyone attempting to use your trademark in their own business and thus protect your interests. Trademarks also have a value in the fact that they become a commodity that you can sell on. Filing a trademark does not however provide permanent protection. Trademarks need to be re-registered every 10 years in order to ensure lasting protection on the register.

Warnings From The IPO

The IPO have issued the following warning. Please be wary of these companies and be sure to use a professional trademark team like TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk to complete your trademark filing.

Contact us today for further guidance or to carry out a trademark registration/search.

A sample of the words banned by the LGA

The public sector has recently been issued with a list of words that they are banned from using in both internal and external communications. The reasoning and logic is clear. Just because you understand jargon and technical terminology doesn’t mean that your customers will, nor for that matter anyone else you’re communicating with. It’s good business practice to avoid jargon and lingo as much as possible and use so-called “Plain English” instead. That doesn’t mean you need to write in a patronising manner, talking down to the reader, just take a step back, look at what you’ve written and decide if its suitable for all.

Take a look at the list of banned words and you can quickly see why most of the words should be avoided. Take a look at some of these:

• Rebaselining,
• Predictors of beaconicity,
• Econometric,
• Horizon scanning
• Centricity.

It’s no surprise that these words are on the list. Do you know what they mean? Leave us a comment if you do or if you have other good examples of jargon to be avoided.

There’s a lot to be said for the old adage “Keep it short and simple”. Emphasis here on simple. When writing content for your website, adverts, newsletters or even an e-mail to a customer, try to remember who you’re talking to. Who your target audience are. Not everyone knows what you know and you might not have time to teach them, but you can certainly sell them your products.

If you need a little help, take a look at the Governments page aimed at promoting “Plain English“.

You can buy a lottery ticket week by week and sit waiting, with fingers crossed for those winning numbers to drop or you can get out there and actually do something. There are plenty of schemes, scams and so-called “millionaire mentors” out there. Just search”how to become a millionaire” and you’ll soon see. Most of these people are purporting to offer all sorts of ways to become a millionaire quickly and easily, but those with any sense already know that if you’re serious about earning big money, you need to put in the work.

How many millionaires do you know? Not many I’m guessing. I certainly don’t. That’s because such people are few and far between. Many of them came up with an award winning idea and marketed it into a profitable business. They put in the long hours and the blood, sweat and tears into an idea which they managed to turn into a gold mine. There’s nothing to say you can’t do the same. You just need a few things to get started, the obvious ones being a good idea and the drive and determination to make it. Money doesn’t come easily; people aren’t just going to hand over their hard earned cash, so you need an edge.

The Idea

The first step to becoming a millionaire is having an idea and a plan. If you’re lucky enough to have a genius idea then you better take advantage of it quickly before someone catches on and beats you to it. The concept doesn’t have to be overly complex and intricate. People have made millions with the simplest of ideas, just look at PayPal or YouTube, even Google. Simple ideas and a lot of work have lead to business success on a grand scale. If you have a brilliant idea, be sure to carry out the necessary Patent and Trademark Registrations to protect it.

Putting in the work

You’ll need to work hard. No one ever said becoming a millionaire was going to be easy. If they did, they were lying in order to sell you something. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, it just means you’ll need to work hard to reach your goal.

If you’re starting a business and want the full protection of the law then a private limited company is usually the best option. There are several legal and tax based advantages to forming a limited company compared with any other legal structure. Registering a limited company also allows your business to survive beyond yourself, which means your idea will last and last.

We’re here to help you get started. We are constantly improving our services, products and general business methods and to that end we are adding a number of business guides, tools and other useful items to the member’s area of our website. Available for download after free registration. This is just one way we are looking to help new businesses. The other is by offering fully comprehensive services, including FREE company formation, cost effective website design, VAT registration and much more besides.

As part of our service, we can offer you business guidance on how to make the most tax efficient use of your company, keeping costs down and maximising profit. Let TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk help you on your path to success.

1) FREE Company Formation

It’s an obvious one but many people are under the impression that starting a limited company costs a great deal of money. We’re doing our best to prove those people wrong by providing a FREE company formation service. For a limited time, business men and women across the UK can take advantage of our FREE service to get their new company registered with Companies House and ready to trade. You might think that you could do it yourself for less, but as I demonstrated in my recent article (DIY vs Formation Agent) it actually works out cheaper (and quicker) to use us. Less chance of errors, more advice and plenty of experience mean using us you get a professional service for a low cost. Our business consultants are up to date with the Companies Act 2006 and the recent changes introduced in 2009, so you can be sure of a hassle free company formation carried out on your behalf, usually within a matter of hours.

2) VAT Registration

VAT registration is another in which we excel for our customers. HM Revenue & Customs recognise The Company Warehouse as a well established agent and we have submitted thousands of VAT registrations to them over the years. With our experience in this area we are able to provide error free submissions for VAT registration and other HMRC services. Our low cost service is fully tax deductible which means that when you add the benefits together, you save money and time by using our professional service.

3) Company Website Design

Website design is something that people often try to do themselves. This isn’t an area you can risk skimping on. Even if you know what you are doing you might end up splashing out £££’s on design software, a good computer and a stock of images. If you don’t know what you’re doing you risk having a messy, unprofessional website which will put people off, rather than draw the customers in. Our professional web design services, means we can provide you with a budget beating website design solution. Cost effective company websites in 3 different packages (starting from just £99.99 Ex VAT).   Get a bespoke website for your new company and let the customers come to you!

4) Domain Name  Registration

Setting up a limited company is much more than carrying out a company formation with a business name. Choosing a company name you need to pick something which isn’t already registered with Companies House, but also free on the web. Use our domain name tool to check that your company name isn’t already being used on the world wide web. We offer the lowest cost domain name registration options in the UK, with .co.uk addresses costing just £1 per annum (ex. VAT) this is just another way we can save you money.

5) Business Telephone Numbers

Business telephone numbers or more specifically “non-geographic numbers” are a valuable business tool. Something simple like a good 0800 or 0845 number can make a great difference to a business. A business telephone number gives even the smallest business the professional feel of a large, national corporation. With us, you can take advantage of this simple benefit at a low cost. Our business telephone number service allows new companies to set up a non-geographic number for their company in a couple of hours, for far less money than the current rates charged by BT. The best thing is you can keep your landline or mobile number private, directing the NGN to the telephone number of your choice. Take advantage of our low cost service today. Not only will you save some money, but you’ll make some in the process too!

Recent research by the BBC shows that as much as 40% of calls placed to HMRC remain unanswered. People trying to contact Revenue and Customs to help and support are being left out in the cold. This is especially surprising and no doubt frustrating, considering the recent drive by HMRC to encourage more people to use their online and telephone based service rather than putting old fashioned pen to paper.

Some of these callers have no doubt been lost amongst the jargon and technical lingo used in the various forms and paperwork. This is in line with data given to us by the Head of HMRC who confirmed that in VAT registration alone, at least 30% of submissions for registration carried out by an individual are rejected due to errors or omission.

This is why using an agent is the preferable method of dealing with HMRC in any matter. We provide PAYE registration, VAT registration and more. Being an agent, we already have a relationship with Revenue and Customs and an account, which allows quick and easy submission, with far less chance of rejection. For a low cost, professional service, choose TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk for all your business needs.

Registering a charity in the UK necessarily involves compliance with the Charities Act 2006 and the Companies Act 2006. This is due to the current overlap in law means that charities are governed by both. At some point this year, this is due to change with the implementation of a new charitable form known as a “Charitable Incorporated Organisation” the foundations of which were laid by the Charities Act 2006. The new body is set to allow people to register a charity without the necessity of registering with both Companies House and The Charity Commission. However, recent news shows a delay in its implementation.

Registering a Charity – A Company Limited By Guarantee

In the meantime, registering a charity most often involves the formation of a company limited by guarantee. This is a type of limited company which is designed specifically to allow people with non-profit ideas in mind. Unlike a company limited by shares, a company limited by guarantee does not issue dividends to its members. Instead they make an undertaking to pay a set amount should the business be wound up. This allows it to operate with more charitable objects and not solely to make a profit, as is the case with most companies limited by shares. In order to ensure that the company is set up solely for charitable reasons the law requires that a number of clauses are draft in to the company’s articles before any attempt at registering a charity is carried out. These clauses are put into the company’s memorandum of association and include:

• A charitable objects clause;
• A non-profit clause; and
• A dissolution clause.

Each of these clauses within the company’s memorandum of association binds the company to its charitable nature and ensures compliance with the law, preventing abuse of the body in a way which might contravene its charitable nature. The charitable objects clause in particular must be drafted in such a way to demonstrate that the objectives of the charity (company) are exclusively charitable and nothing more. It must be clearly worded as such, otherwise there is a risk that registration will be refused. The other clauses are relatively simple and obvious in nature. They ensure that the company does not distribute profit in the way a company would and the dissolution clause provides for what will happen with the charities assets, should it ever be wound down.

Registering a Charity – The Public Benefit Test

Another part of registering a charity is “the public benefit test”. This goes hand in hand with the charitable objects clause to ensure that the company is set up for the benefit of the public and the community. The test is clearly open to interpretation as what will be judged to be for the public benefit would change depending on who you talk to. However, this has its upsides as it means the test can change as society itself changes. The public benefit test is broken down into two simple parts which state that the charitable must have:

• An identifiable benefit(s); and
• That benefit must be for the public or section thereof.

Fulfilling the test is relatively straightforward. You just need to make sure that the benefits of your charity are clear and unambiguous. Then demonstrate that they are for the benefit of the public, rather than for the shareholders or owners of the company (as is usually the case).

Straightforward benefits for the benefit of the public include things like helping the sick and needy, supporting or advancing education, preserving or maintaining the environment or an animal species or other similar undertaking.

Registering a Charity – The Process

Once all these things are in place, you can carry out the formation of a company limited by guarantee. Once this legal entity is properly created in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 then you can carry out a charity registration with the Charity Commission.

Registering a charity with the Charities Commission will ensure you are issued with a charity number which gives you the proper legal recognition granted to charities.

Getting Started With The Company Warehouse

Here at TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk, we have a specialist team who can help you with the process of registering a charity. Using our charity registration service, we provide you with all you need to start a company limited by guarantee, including drafts of the articles and memorandum of association including drafting of the non-profit and dissolution clause and guidance on what the charitable objects clause should include. All the relevant company registers and minutes as well as submission to Companies House. Our price includes the Companies House registration fee and guidance on how to properly register your newly formed company with the Charity Commission.

Order today for the low cost of £149+Vat by calling our charity registration team on 0800 0828 727 or take a look at our page on how to start a charity.

The Companies House List - Fail Ltd, Failed Artist Limited, Failing Supply Limited

Part of choosing a company name is picking something that your customers will remember, something likely to stand out from the crowd and get you the extra business you deserve. To this end, a great number of people over the years have come up with amusing company names to use when carrying out a company formation. The rules around company names can often be confusing and complex and many names get rejected for one reason or other. Using anything in a company name which might be deemed as offensive is reason enough reject a registration under Companies House rules.

If you are looking to use an amusing or funny name as part of your company name, its best to avoid anything blatantly crude. Clever plays on words and puns work well for some businesses, but remember you want to make a profit, not make people laugh. If you can do both, then that’s a bonus but take it too far and you might actually end up putting people off, as they fail to take your business seriously.

Taking a look at the Companies House database, there’s quite a number of amusing company names that have made their way on the register. You can see the most amusing ones I found with a quick look listed below. Interestingly the Failed Artist LTD and Fail LTD are both still trading, Failing Supply Limited however is a different story. Perhaps picking a more optimistic name might have made a difference? “The Winning Business Limited” have the right idea!

• DINGLEBERRY LIMITED
• ERECTIONS R US LIMITED
• ERECT ME LIMITED
• FANNY TROLLOPES CAFE/BISTRO LIMITED
• FLANGE ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED
• MIKE HUNT LIMITED
• THE KNIFE THAT KILLED ME LIMITED
• BULLSH INDEPENDENT TRADER COMPANY LIMITED
• WONGA CAPITAL LIMITED
• FAIL LTD
• FAILED COMPANY LTD.
• FAILED ARTIST LIMITED
• FAILING SUPPLY LIMITED
• NATURAL BORN DRILLERS LIMITED
• NATURAL BORN WINNERS LIMITED
• EFFENEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED
• TROTTERS INDEPENDENT TRADERS LIMITED

Remember, you can use our FREE company name search tool to check the Companies House database and see if your chosen company name is available. Our FREE Company Formation service means you could register your limited company usually within a matter of hours, at a tiny cost to you. Order online today for a fast, professional service, from the Company Formation experts – TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk