The Heath’s ‘surgeries’ help businesses tackle the recessionOne of the North West’s leading business gurus has been offering free support and advice to help Halton companies beat the recession. Chris Burgess, who ran his own successful electrical venture for three decades before becoming a freelance business consultant, has begun hosting a series of one-to-one ‘surgeries’ at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn. And the sessions have already delivered results, with one visitor reckoning that he will more than double his monthly turnover thanks to the advice he was offered. Chris, who has served as a mentor to the Prince’s Trust for more than a decade, insists that the surgeries – which aim to offer finance-related advice to small businesses – could not have come at a better time. “In the present economic climate many businesses are coming under intense pressure,” he said. “For a small business, if you don’t act quickly, you’re dead. Any reasonable business owner realises they need to respond before things get out of hand.” The free business surgeries have been launched by SOG Ltd, the owner and manager of The Heath, in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses, NatWest bank and international law firm Irwin Mitchell, and with the support of Halton Borough Council. Through Chris, they have been offering practical advice on issues such as cash flow, accessing finance from the private and public sectors, and the legal issues involved in tackling slow or non-payment by customers. Chris explained: “The key things that businesses need are marketing, sales and financial advice. The financial details can be on anything from sourcing loans and grants to tackling slow cash flow. “Ensuring strong cash flow is critical to any company. As the saying goes, ‘turnover is vanity, profit is sanity but cash is king’.” Chris Burgess’s background has made him the perfect person to host the events at The Heath. Having built up a highly successful electronics business between 1969 and 1998, he sold the venture and moved into business consultancy. His advisory role has since involved high-profile bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses and the European Secretariat. He also provides his expertise to the Prince’s Trust, for which he recently received a certificate from the Prince of Wales in recognition of 10 years’ service. Chris has worked with as many as 700 new businesses a year during his time with the Trust. He added: “The surgeries at The Heath are completely free and aim to help small businesses – such as one recent visitor, the owner of a small gardening venture who had already had to lay off four members of staff because of the recession. I was able to offer specific advice and written material to help him target the corporate sector – a move he estimated could immediately enable him to more than double his monthly turnover.” The surgeries being staged at The Heath are by appointment only. Businesses wishing to take advantage of the free one-to-one advice should contact the service’s dedicated phone number – 01928 511441 – or email 121businesssupport@sog.ltd.uk. 12 October 2009 About The Heath:The Heath, which was established as a business park in 2000, has attracted over 175 British and international companies, ranging from bio science firms to IT specialists, from food industry consultants to website designers, and from government agencies to telemarketing specialists. Residents have been attracted by the 60-acre business park's vast range of impressive facilities and its flexibility in space management and in attitude. The Heath offers a wide range of office and laboratory space, together with a purpose-built conference centre that includes a 120-seat lecture theatre. Residents can also choose from a wide selection of additional services, including telephone and broadband connectivity, laboratory support services, scientific glassblowing and precision engineering facilities, to name but a few. Residents also have access to The Heath's fitness centre and gym. Combined with 1,700 parking spaces, its first-class transport links - and the ability for residents to select and pay for just the services they require - it's no surprise that the number of companies on The Heath is continuing to grow rapidly. MEDIA CONTACT: PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
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