Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Specialists in health and safety in the workplace.

About us:

Bravanark are specialists in health and safety in the workplace, offering many services such as audits, fire risk assessments, risk assessments and health & safety training to management and staff.

Established in October 2000, Bravanark has over 15 years experience in the Health & Safety sector and offers support to a number of industries such as blue chip companies, construction, landscapers, schools and emergency services.

By assessing the clients’ needs, we produce workable documents such as policies, method statements, safe systems of work, risk assessments and all required Health and Safety information without bogging the client down. They can continue to do what they are good at and leave us to act on their behalf as the company’s competent person, as required by the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999.

Call us on 0118 954 1700 with all your health & safety requirements.

Contact Details:

Bravanark
102 Northumberland Avenue
Reading
Berkshire
RG2 7PP

Telephone: 0118 954 1700

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Working together to contribute to a better quality of life for all Reading’s Citizens

About us:

Connect Reading is a partnership between the business, public and voluntary sectors that actively participates in creating a better quality of life for all in greater Reading. We provide information and expertise on community involvement opportunities for organisations of all sizes and support our members in the delivery of their corporate responsibility objectives.

Connect Reading is a unique collaboration of commercial, public and voluntary sector, in the Greater Reading area, whose core objective is to find innovative solutions to some of the challenging socio-economic issues facing Reading today.

Founder members of the Partnership include Thames Water, who have committed significant financial and strategic support to establishing Connect Reading, Coffey International Development, Reading Borough Council, Kyocera Mita, BG Group, Prudential, Volunteer Centre Reading, Reading Voluntary Sector Forum and Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership.

The Partnership works closely with local voluntary organisations to identify projects requiring support that appeal to members and meet the Partnership’s support criteria.

Our key aim is to contribute to a better quality of life for all Reading’s citizens and make Reading a better place to do business.

Connect Reading offers the following services to business members:

* Brokerage service between the greater Reading community and businesses who wish to invest in their community matching the skills, expertise and resource from business to the needs of the community sector.

* A signposting service for members, putting them in touch with successful Community Investment services already available in greater Reading – such as the Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership or Volunteer Centre Reading.

* Opportunities for staff development and training through introducing your employees to new challenges.

* Effective engagement in issues that affect your business such as crime, skills and labour shortages and tackling social exclusion.

* A platform to enable businesses to understand, debate and influence the decision-making process concerning key business issues and providing a link into the Reading LSP (Local Strategic Partnership).

* An opportunity to share best practice and learn from other businesses involved in community activity.

* Enhanced PR within your local community thereby improving your corporate image amongst customers, suppliers and employees.

Contact Details:

Connect Reading
2 Southern Court
South Street
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 4QS

Telephone: 0118 959 1236

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Berkshire Bespoke is an online members club for discounts across Berkshire

About us:

Berkshire Bespoke is an exclusive members club and small business network. We aim to provide our members with an online resource with information, reviews and listings of independent companies in the Berkshire Area, privileges with all partnered companies and also a personal service where you contact us with exactly what you would like and we will source it for you.

We are producing an exclusive club, with members and partners of a high calibre. We differ from other guide sites as we are also offering privileges to our members as well as information. In addition to this we are also concentrating on a ‘select few’, which we believe to be of high quality, as opposed to endless lists of every service. Our other main difference is that this is a local service, we are not listing companies from all over the Country; we wish to work with businesses that we have used and that we know.

Our key aim is to evolve into a recognised local members club, creating benefits for our members and a greater sense of community for our partners. We are also keen to prove that everything one could want is available locally, away from the high street chains.

Contact Details:

Berkshire Bespoke
15 Cambrian Way
Calcot
Reading
Berkshire
RG31 7DD

Telephone: 07826 909389

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Providing office equipment and business systems

About us:

Established since 1989, Reflex Digital Solutions has the expertise to recognise your long term needs and our consultants have the knowledge to help you every step of the way.

We understand technology, and aim to fully comprehend your application and business activities, and provide digital solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing infrastructure.

Contact Details:

Reflex Digital Solutions
Unit 6 Britten Road
Robert Cort Industrial Estate
Reading
Berkshire
RG2 0AU

Telephone: 0118 975 3848

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Practical, realistic business advice and support in Franchising and Business Development.

About us:

Business Options, specialists in franchise and business consultancy, combine hands-on experience with established business practices, to provide practical, realistic business advice and support in the fields of Franchising and Business Development.

The team at Business Options has over ten years experience within the Franchising sector, both domestically and internationally.

Working with different sized businesses across a variety of industries has equipped us with expert, hands-on knowledge and understanding of the key elements a company needs to undertake in order to achieve successful franchising.

What is Franchising?

Franchising is a method that allows companies to expand geographically without large capital outlays, and by using independent third parties to do it for you. The franchisor (you) grants a licence to a franchisee giving them the right to operate a business under your name, using your operating systems, methodologies and know how, for a set period of time. In return the franchisor normally receives an initial licence fee that covers your costs associated with franchising the business, and an ongoing royalty / management services fee by way of a percentage of the franchisees turnover.

Why Franchise?

Franchising provides businesses with the opportunity to expand regionally and nationally for cheaper and quicker than traditional forms of company financed expansion. In a recent Franchise Preference Survey undertaken by the British Franchise Association (Nov 2006), only 23% of those questioned said they would prefer to deal with a non-franchised business compared to a franchised business.

Tailored Franchising?

As a specialist franchise consultancy accredited by the British Franchise Association, we have the skills and experience to develop successful franchise businesses. At Business Options we understand that each and every business is unique and therefore we do not shoe horn your business into a predetermined franchise model. All our services are uniquely tailored to meet and fit the individuality of each business we work with.

“Franchising can offer businesses the opportunity to expand far quicker and cheaper, creating greater levels of market penetration than traditional self financed expansion plans”.

Business Options offers business advice and guidance to companies in all industry sectors – from small SMEs to large multinationals.

All our consultants have been business owners, so they are able to offer practical and first-hand experience to identify and address issues, maximize profits and help your business grow.

To grow businesses need solid foundations and clear strategic direction, which is why Business Options offers a range of tailored strategic and operational services to help businesses maximize their potential.

Let Business Options help you develop and grow your business giving you the advantage you have been looking for over your competitors.

Business Options offers a full range of services both operationally and strategically to help business address issues, maximize profit and facilitate growth.

The services we offer include:

* Business Planning
* Strategic Marketing
* Brand Positioning
* Market Research
* Competitor Analysis
* Business Expansion
* Executive Mentoring
* Financial Planning
* Human Resource and Employment Law
* Process Development
* Workflow Analysis
* Business Start-Up Support

Contact Details:

Business Options
9 Finbeck Way
Lower Earley
Reading
Berkshire
RG6 4AH

Telephone: 0118 309 4100

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Learn how to win business and Retain Clients and customers

About us:

In today’s competitive business environment it is more necessary than ever for professionals to learn how to win business and Retain Clients and customers by cultivating relationships. At Auric Results we help our clients to do that by:

- Giving them the confidence to go out and build productive client relationships
- Teaching them how to handle all aspects of attracting and retaining clients
- Changing attitudes towards winning business

Most businesses will be built upon the Dreams of individuals – owners, directors, shareholders and partners – and for a business to be successful it takes more than dreams. Many people are expert at providing the products or services they offer, but if they lack the natural sales and relationship skills to bring in a continual flow of business, they can find themselves struggling to reach their goals.

At Auric Results we can help you to transform your dreams into a clear VISION and to develop a Strategy that will guarantee success. We will then help you to Implement the strategy, converting it into action. Through a variety of learning and development solutions we will provide you and your people with the skills and drive necessary to achieve Results beyond your dreams.

Vision and Strategy – capturing your dreams and developing your vision
Most businesses have a desire to grow, but many don’t know how to make that growth happen.

We will help your business to develop and review your strategy to achieve the growth you are striving for. We can support you in a variety of ways including:
# Facilitating strategic review workshops
# Developing a sales or client relationship/service strategy
# Sales forecasting

Implementation and Action – vision into action
With the challenges and demands of day-to-day business life, there is often a gap between formulating a strategy or business plan and translating that intention into action and results.

There is no substitute for hard work, provided that the effort is channelled in the right direction and progress is reviewed regularly.

We can help you to achieve this in many ways, including:
# Acting as a virtual manager to the business/team/individual
# Pipeline management – developing an implementation and monitoring process
# Coaching and developing Sales Managers
# Client/customer surveys

Skills Development and Coaching
Often the biggest barrier to achievement is in our own minds. At Auric Results we are not just interested in helping individuals develop their skills, but also making positive changes to their beliefs to help them reach their goals.

We design learning solutions that appeal to both the hearts and minds of learners. Using Accelerated Learning techniques that maximise the impact of learning in the long-term, our solutions bring real results. We focus on the desired outcomes for the business and the learner and provide a relaxed, fun but challenging environment to facilitate the learning process.

The range of learning solutions we offer includes:
# Sales and business development
# Customer service
# Client relationship management and key account management
# Presenting and pitching
# Negotiation skills
# Communication and relationship skills
# Coaching
# Facilitation

Contact Details:

Auric Results Ltd
12 Ashtrees Road
Woodley
Reading
Berkshire
RG5 4LP

Telephone: 0118 969 0783

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
We make the benefits of vehicle tracking clear

About us:

At Amatics, we’re realists. We know that you can’t reap the real business benefits of vehicle tracking from technology alone. That’s why we devised the best support package in the industry.

We work with you to make the benefits happen, and we’re with you every step of the process.

Amatics is the UK’s leading service provider of vehicle tracking solutions to large Utilities, Local Authorities, Emergency Services and Field Service Industry.

We specialise in forging lifelong partnerships with our customers and suppliers alike, to provide up-to-date technology and managed service support that ultimately provides the most cost effective and comprehensive commercial vehicle tracking solutions.

We have gained 5 years experience working closely with our Utility and Local Authority customers to provide systems and services that deliver real business benefits.

The key benefits achieved by our customers from our services to date include:

* Fuel savings (between 12% and 20%)
* Reduction in operational fleet size (between 15% and 18%)
* Reductions in number of spot hire vehicles (over 30%)
* Overtime claims reduced (between 20% and 40%)
* Productivity improvement (over 40%)
* Reduction in insurance premiums/self risk mitigation (20%)
* Increase in stolen vehicles/plant recovered (98%)
* Lone Worker protection (three drivers received life saving emergency assistance)

Amatics has developed a state of the art GPS vehicle tracking solution that is designed to provide customers with improved visibility and control of their mobile operations and vehicle fleet.

Tracking units fitted to vehicles capture data about vehicle activity, its location and timing, automatically and independently of any driver input. The data is remotely transmitted to our Web application system where it is processed into valuable management information to support decision making and control.

Managers and users access our Web application system via the Internet where they have a host of functionality, operational screens (including maps), and exception and management reports.

The system includes an effective theft recovery and lone worker solution that is supported by our 24/7 emergency response call centre. Our operatives will immediately react to reports of vehicle theft or alarms generated by drivers of the vehicles, pinpointing their location and tracking them in real time to direct the appropriate authorities or emergency services.

Contact Details:

Amatics Ltd
Brook Henderson House
173-175 Friar Street
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 1NE

Telephone: 0118 900 8164

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
To show you how to increase your business revenues and profits.

About us:

The role of the business coach is to coach business owners to improve their business through guidance, support and encouragement. They help the owners of small and medium sized businesses with their sales, marketing, management, team building and so much more.

Are you still waiting for explosive growth in your business?

Are you working more hours than you want or ever thought you would be?

Do you want to rediscover the dream which led you to forming your own business, spend more time with friends and family and take back control of your life?

After training initially as an Army Officer, Simon was helped to develop his inner drive and an unshakable belief in his goals. Now, following 27 years experience running businesses from small start-ups to world wide enterprises with offices all around the world, you will be able to lean heavily on his experience and passionate drive for business success.

Simon has enjoyed the close friendship and support of business mentors and sponsors throughout his career. By working with Action, his business services firm in Reading aims to help local Business Owners achieve explosive business performance and bring balance back into their lives.

The vast range of tried and tested programs from Action backed by the many varied life experiences Simon has condense into his exciting career will guide you to find answers for issues right across the business and offer deep personal support and counsel.

Contact Details:

Simon Dunster Business Coaching
43 Upper Redlands Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 5JE

Telephone: 0118 3260180

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
Independent, effective, marketing research solutions for business, consumer and Government sectors.

About us:

Access Research Limited is a research company that genuinely understands the needs of its clients. It looks at the business, not just at the brief

Its excellent, high quality research enables our clients to make better decisions

This approach is achieved because its research teams are not just research experts, they also have experience of business, marketing and PR. They have worked both client-side and in research agencies.

Consequently, whether we are running a single focus group, an international survey, or a multi-phase study that starts with qualitative research and moves through sample surveys to advice and consultancy, we will deliver -

High quality research that is cost-effective
Actionable results, based upon real understanding that enables sound decision-making

Strategic & tactical marketing research…
…enables you to:

* Make the marketing plan
* Assess PR and communication strategies
* Identify new business sectors; segmentation
* Improve brand value
* Enhance services
* Know your competitors
* Brand position & architecture
* Track performance
* Discover new ideas from the market place
* Test new concepts
* Investigate sensitive issues discreetly

PR related research…
…in the form of:

* Swift, robust and cost effective surveys
* ‘News hook’ research
* Develop the message through research
* Give the client an immediate snapshot of the market
* Generate positive PR among customers through conducting professional research
* Understand awareness and perception of the brand

Contact Details:

Access Business Research Limited
10 Wellington Court
Spencers Wood
Reading
Berkshire

Telephone: RG7 1BN

Reading, Berkshire ~ Business Services
High quality business translations for leading companies

About us:

A full-service language and translation company, Aplin creates a
close working relationship with professional clients who require the
highest standards in certified translation. Services include translation
in languages including Chinese, Arabic, Asian, African and Eastern
European. Presentation design, printing and mail delivery needs are all
part of the personalized multilingual service.

Contact Details:

Aplin (Group) Limited
200 Brook Drive
Green Park
Reading
Berkshire
RG2 6UB

Telephone: 0118 962 2022