WiRE News
01/07/2009
Have you swapped your career to become a farmer?
If you have swapped you career to become a farmer instead The Independent Magazine would like to hear from you! All farmers welcome, it does not matter for big you farm is or what you produce. You just need to be willing to talk and discuss how the change turned out for you. If you are interested please contact Jonathan Brown from the Independent Magazine on 07740 582271 or email J.Brown@independent.co.uk.
01/07/2009
Carbon Trust expands interest-free loans
The Carbon Trust is to improve access for small and medium businesses to over £100m in interest-free and unsecured loans, it was announced today. The move is intended to help more businesses survive the recession by cutting both their energy costs and their carbon footprints.
Thousands of small businesses have already slashed their annual energy bills, some by as much as 75%, by installing new energy-saving equipment paid for by Government-funded Carbon Trust loans.
Now the Carbon Trust has extended eligibility for the recently-expanded loan fund. The minimum loan amount has been lowered to just £3,000, putting the loans within reach of micro-businesses; the upper limit has been doubled from £200,000 to £400,000 to meet the needs of small and medium businesses with high energy spends, such as manufacturing companies.
More info http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/News/presscentre/loans-expansion.htm
11/06/2009
Fraud warning for Rural Entrepeneurs
A WiRE Member has recently contacted us about international fraud which her business has been hit by. She has asked us to warn over WiRE members about this con and to ensure their businesses are not jeoparidised by it. Caroline has written the following article
'I recently fell victim to what has turned out to be an International Fraud Ring, they target small or start-up businesses and pose as real people, wanting to buy real product in quantities which are respectable and they are so plausible it’s hard to believe they are anything but legitimate.
What’s even more worrying is how easily it is for even the most experienced business owner to get taken in by these people (this is the polite term!). My partner and I have a combined business experience of over 50 years and we both got sucked into their web.
It transpires that these people are based in the Fraud Capital of the world NIGERIA, and also in Israel, although their enquires come from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and their true identity is hidden behind ‘dummy’ email addresses.
My unfortunate encounter started in late February, after a poor trading period running up to Christmas and into the New Year, I was trawling the internet one evening and found a knitting e-magazine in Australia, so submitted an article, and was amazed when I got an enquiry back within days.
This lady wanted to purchase 98 Knitting Aids (a device to assist those with arthritis and disability to knit); she told me she owned a chain of Residential Homes in Oz and other worldwide business interests. It was all so plausible and every question I asked of her (if indeed it was a ‘her’), she answered in a fashion which didn’t spark any doubts.
The order was confirmed payment made by credit card, and so far nothing appeared out of the ordinary, even the amount in excess of £5000 wasn’t a worry. She then asked for another smaller quantity and her courier would collect them all together, logical and perfectly acceptable.
I was asked to pay her courier through Western Union, which I did query, but was satisfied by her replies and assurances. Western Union is after all a legitimate and perfectly legal method of getting money around the world.
What happened next was I got other enquires for different products, the order sizes were substantial, the format the same, and of course I went along with this without too much question, as they all came as a recommendation from the original client.
Anyway, the upshot of all of this is I have been taken for a mug, the figures are significant, in excess of £30,000 and this sorry experience has left me with a hole in my business of nearly £6000. There are few businesses, especially small ones which can sustain such numbers, mine included.
What is even more of a concern is there is no one out there to offer any real advice, support or help, the NatWest, have been less than helpful, Streamline (NatWest’s merchant services division), have been positively hostile, my accountant (maybe soon to be ex), has never experienced this, so it’s been and still is a burden bourn very much alone.
The surprising support has come via the Staffordshire Police, who have now been investigating this incident for some weeks, the local community policeman, has been truly amazing, and suggested I speak with Victim Support, which I initially declined, but , thankfully later did take up, and they too have been marvellous.
Not only has this experience and its ongoing trauma been a very painful lesson, but there is not likely to be any arrests or convictions, the whole web is based on false information, stolen credit cards, passports and documents, the addresses they give are either nonexistent or bogus, or they exist but not for the purpose they intimate, for example one address turned out to be a church in Westminster.
The fallout from this is I stand every chance of losing my business, so the 18 months hard work has been in vain; I feel a total idiot for being taken in by the whole thing and have no idea where to go or what to do next.
If I can prevent just one other business owner from being taken in by this type of activity then it will have been worth the experience, if I can prevent 10 then it will a bonus, if 100, an amazing fluke and any more a triumph.'
09/06/2009
PR Opportunity
Journalist looking fora 50+ woman who started her own business on a shoestring within the last few years, and is now making a living. Please call WiRE Office for details
Deadline Weds 10th June 5pn
08/06/2009
Girl Guides searching for inspirational business women!
Girl Guiding UK are looking for women who run their own business and used to be in the Girl Guide Association. Please get in touch as we need inspirational women to help the girls realise dreams and to show them what previous guides have done! This is especially important as Girlguiding UK is going to be 100 years old this year.
For more information or to help out please contact Ruth Wiggs on 07793024433 or 01782635055.