Hack and Slice

We have a conviction that great business happens when the right people get connected in the right way at the right time. Ideas are shared, problems are solved and opportunities discovered.

We've seen this work over and over again. It's why we host regular Clareon lunches and it's why we are developing a series of new opportunities that help forward thinking business people get connected with us and with each other.

And so it is my pleasure to introduce 'Hack and Slice', Clareon's very own new monthly golfing event. Here's our ingredients for a great night out...

First, take 20 local business owners. Ensure that between them, they have extremely varied experience in the game of Golf.

Next, Find a great local driving range (in this case, Witney Lakes Resort) with a highly respected resident PGA Pro tutor (Deana Rushworth).

Now, divide them into small groups based on skill and provide them with clubs, buckets of golf balls and a short lesson in how to use the former to successfully hit the latter.

  

All that's left to do is stand back and enjoy an hour of laughter, great conversation, some impressive hits and lots of hacks and slices...

After an hour or so of practice under Deana's careful supervision, down clubs and head for Witney Lakes' excellent restaurant for a delicious 2 course dinner and some great conversation. Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?!

Our next Hack and Slice evening is booked for 22nd October 2014. If you are local to Witney/West Oxon and would like to come along, please get in touch with Mark Kingston or Mark Spolander. We strictly limit the numbers to 20 people, so book your place early. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Clareon completes first acquistion!

We are proud to announce that Clareon acquired the Oxford Pram Centre on Friday 19th September. The Oxford Pram Company is a leading independent nursery retailer that has being trading for over 40 years.

There were many reasons for making this acquisition, however one of the main reasons was because of the team. They are passionate about the products, service and most importantly the comfort and protection of babies. Mark Spolander purchased a pram and car seat for his first baby over three years ago from the Oxford Pram Centre and was very impressed with the service. When Clareon discovered that the business was for sale in May, they decided that it was certainly worth further investigation.

The business is currently being run by a team of 6 and in the coming months Clareon will be working closely with the team to introduce new systems, technology, marketing and team training to modernize the business. This will enable the team to work more efficiently which will mean more time spent with customers. We'll be sharing and documenting the effect of these changes on this blog so stay tuned...!

A big thank you to Hedges Law for all their hard work and guidance over the last few months, we look forward to the completion party!

For more about the Oxford Pram Centre, please visit www.oxfordpramcetnre.co.uk - new website coming soon!

If you would like to find out how to buy or sell a business and more importantly what to do with it after completion, please get in touch with Clareon email or call 01865 987 138.

Implementation is the key!

It is has been a privileged to work with so many great business owners across the South of England in recent months. We love helping business owners to clarify the most important actions that must be implemented to ensure that they achieve both their business and personal goals.

One of the main reasons why small businesses fail to move forward is because the owner fails to take the time to implement the great ideas that they all have. So remember to control your diary, schedule "development time" every week, start small 30 minutes and gradually increase it, otherwise your business will control you. You will be amazed at what you can achieve when you take control of your diary!

Thank you for all the great testimonials received over the last few months, here are a few random selections...

"I found the course really insightful and it helped to clarify next steps, my overall business strategy, next steps to grow the business and achieve my goals. Thank you"
Jessica Rouse - Emphasis Management 

"Excellent really good presentation, learnt a lot. Would recommend Mark Spolander to other business owners"
Regan Stewart - Future Employment

"Thank you for an insightful day. You have my business clarity and helped me realise the potential"
Sarah Parham - SVP Jewellery

"Mark Spolander was excellent, the content professional and humourously delivered. Fantastic! Thank you!"
Joanna Hill - Bagnall Centre

To find out more about attending a Growth Workshop please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 OR contact your local Growth Manager at Growth Accelerator www.growthaccelerator.com

Understanding what your customer really values

Mike Paton and Mark Spolander had a great morning working with the Oxfordshire Osteopathic Network. They ran a couple of group exercises to help the Osteopaths to discover what their patients really valued.

In many businesses that we work with, the business owners perceived value proposition is often different that of what the customer/client perceived value proposition is.

Our clients find it helpful to complete a customer empathy map to put themselves in their customer's 'shoes'. This together with an active feedback system will paint an accurate picture of exactly what it is your business does really well. Plus with ongoing feedback this will allow you to constantly make small adjustments to ensure that what you are offering is always up to date and reverent, which results in many happy customers for many years.

Mike Paton presenting to the Oxfordshire Osteopathic Network - best caption wins a prize!

To find out more about clarifying your value proposition email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138. www.clareon.co.uk

Expansion... when is it the right time?

Another actioned packed workshop was run last week in Sevenoaks by Mark Spolander and Mike Paton. As with most of these workshop there is was a common challenged faced by delegates. This week was all about expanding premises to increase sales and filling up spare capacity.

This is common challenged faced by business owners - when is the best time to take the jump and get bigger premises? We started by looking at each business's basic performance information i.e. lead generation, conversations and sales etc. This gave the business owners great insights into what areas of the business needed to be tweaked in order for them to confidently make the decision to upgrade the premises.

Everyone left with a comprehensive visual business plan and list of key priorities to implement in order to move their business to the next level.

We look forward to the opening of all the new premises!

Thanks to all who attended and for the kind words below.

"Fantastic day, really enjoyed it. I have much better direction on where to take my business now and detailed goals. Loads and loads of experience from the presenters. Thank you"
Christian Bates - The Perrymount Clinic



"Considering that this was by definition generic, I found it extremely relevant and helpful, Thank you!"
Richard Olley - Kingswood Training Services

To find out more about attending a Growth Workshop please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 OR contact your local Growth Manager at Growth Accelerator www.growthaccelerator.com

Ideas backed with confidence...

Mark Spolander had the privilege of working with a small a group of business owners in Southampton recently. Two of the delegates had spent a great deal of time and money developing the infrastructure in order to launch their new ideas. Both ideas have huge potential.

Having a day out of the business gave these entrepreneurs space and time to clarify and prioritise the next steps. They have both created fantastic businesses and it was now time to back it with the confidence and grow it. Everyone left with a clear list of priorities to implement in order to move their business to the next level!

It was great spending the day with you all and thank you for the kind words below:

"Mark Spolander is excellent he makes you feel that every business can succeed. Thank you!" Teresa Dupay - Menu Analyser

"I had no idea what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the material and presentation" Kevin Barry - Menu Analyser



"My business is 21 years old. I really wish I had done this workshop in year one. Excellent structure and very though provoking" Jeff Downs - Quantum

"Fantastic day were a business plan has been created that is realistic and very useful. the day out of the business has been a day very well spent" Sheilagh Blyth - Enable Me Method

To find out more about attending a Growth Workshop please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 OR contact your local Growth Manager at Growth Accelerator www.growthaccelerator.com

Stop, Reflect, Plan then Communicate!

Clareon's Mark Spolander ran another successful Growth Workshop in Crawley earlier this week. A great group of business owners who are really excited about growing their businesses. The common challenge faced by this particular group was communication and aligning their teams. All too often as busy business owners we forget to take the time to communicate the goals and vision we have for our business, which leaves the team in state of a uncertainty that ultimately has a detrimental effect on team moral and motivation.

By having a clear strategy and sharing this with your team on a regular basis will go a long way to ensure they stay motivated and focused, especially when you listen to their ideas and opinions (great source of new ideas and insights however this is sadly often overlooked!).

When was the last time you had a team meeting and shared the goals and vision for your business?

Thanks to everyone who attended yesterday’s workshop, it was a pleasure working with you all. Here’s what a few had to say about the day:

“Fantastic and inspiring day which allowed for planning, sharing and motivation”

“Great day. Learnt so much. Feel really empowered and motivated”Jackie Denyer and Sharon Lock – Professional Training Services (PTS)

“Excellent day, far exceeded my expectations. Time very well spent. Thank you”
“A good, well-structured course – enjoyable and informative”
James Penny and Paul Service –Comms Learning

“I learned more than I realised on the day. It has energised and inspired me to focus and push forward with developing the business”
Iain Tindall – Belay Rope Access

To find out more about attending a Growth Workshop please email Mark Spolander or call on 01865 987 138 OR contact your local Growth Manager at Growth Acceleratorwww.growthaccelerator.com.

Take Time Out to Celebrate!

All too often we spend so some much time being busy that we rarely take time to stop, reflect and celebrate what has been achieved. At Clareon we encourage all our clients to take time out and enjoy the journey. After a successful year Clareon took Trevor and Opinder from LAPD Architects out for a Mercedes AMG Driving experience at Mercedes Benz World. Mike Paton and Mark Spolander rode in the back while Trevor and Opinder put the high performance cars through their paces. After an hour of 500 BHP fun it was time enjoy a steak lunch. Very well done LAPD Architects for a great year and thank you for the referrals!

To find out more about working with Clareon please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 

www.clareon.co.uk

Clareon Winter Golf Break

The perfect way to prepare for Christmas - 2 days of golf and relaxation! Yet another successful event held at The Old Thorns Manor Hotel hosted by Mark Spolander and Mike Paton. All the usual fun and games combined with great business ideas and sharing challenges. A great time had by all and we look forward to returning to The Old Thorns in 2014!

Keep a look out for our 2014 events which will include Golf breaks, Finishing, Formula 1, Fine Dining and many more! If you would like to attend any of these events please contact Mark Spolander on 01865 987 138 or email.

www.clareon.co.uk

Clareon's Growth Workshop Update

Clareon's Mark Spolander has now run 6 Growth Workshops and we have been overwhelmed by the positive response and feedback that we have received from the delegates - here's what some of the delegates have said so far:

"Excellent day masses of information and plenty to think about. There is no stopping us now :) Can't wait to move forward..."

Rachel Boyle, ABC Magazine

"A really great day, a must of any business"Kevin Hishley, TFSL
"Great value. Loved the canvas and all I need to do now is move it forward - looking forward to it! Thank you very much :)" 

Loran Leck, Sales Activator

To find out more about attending a Growth Workshop please email Mark Spolander or call on 01865 987 138 OR contact your local Growth Manager at Growth Accelerator www.growthaccelerator.com

Clareon's Growth Workshop Launch by Mark Spolander & Mike Paton

After many weeks of preparation Clareon delivered the first of many Growth Workshops for Growth Accelerator. The first workshop was delviered by Mark Spolander and Mike Paton in Portsmouth on Hayling Island. Here's what some of the delegates had to say about the day:

"I got so much out of today, too much to list.  Excellent delivery - thank you!"

"Really found this workshop information, motivating and inspiring"

"Very worthwhile day spent concentrating on our business without distractions"

"I'm really glad I came and feel better about the future of my business"

To find out more about attending a Growth Workshop please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 OR contact your local Growth Manager at Growth Accelerator www.growthaccelerator.com

Clareon Wins Contract to Deliver Business Growth Workshops to businesses for Growth Accelerator

Clareon and Mark Spolander are delighted to announce that as of August 2013 we will be running Business Growth Workshops for small business across the South of England. This is fantastic opportunity for Clareon to help even more businesses realise their growth potential. The day long workshop has been designed by Mark Spolander and Mike Paton to help small business owners gain a clear understanding of where they are now and more importantly which areas of the business they need to focus on. Using an adapted version of the business model canvas. We are very excited and look forward to working with many business in the coming months across the South.

To find out more about Clareon's Business Growth Workshops please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 

www.clareon.co.uk

Clareon Summer Golf Break

We know what it is like to be a busy business owner so we decided to take our clients away for a few days to relax on the golf course and maybe indulge in one or two spa treatments. The latest trip was recently held at the Old Thorns Manor Golf and Spa Hotel in Hampshire. A great time was had by all with lots of great business ideas shared over a beer. The golf was won by Mark Spolander's team on the final tee with Mike Paton's team needing to hole a 5 foot putt to draw the match - ahh better luck next time!

If you would like to join us at our next golf break please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138 www.clareon.co.uk






For some it was all a bit too much fun or too many beers the night before... :)

Mark Kingston Joins The Clareon Team

We are delighted to announce that Mark Kingston has joined the Clareon team. Mark has vast experience working with both large and small businesses. Mark is based in West Oxfordshire and together with Mark Spolander will be heading up Clareon's SME offerings. Mark has brought great energy and fantastic ideas and we look forward to working with him and adding even more value to all of our clients!

If you would like to find out more about joining Clareon please email  Mark Spolander or call 01865 987 138
www.clareon.co.uk