OBE People. AND CLIENT NEWS!!

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Everyone connected with Oxfordshire Business Enterprises has a personal interest in helping start-up businesses to succeed.

Your first point of contact will be Lynette Riley, Enterprise Co-ordinator, who will arrange an appointment for you to see one of our business advisors:

“The advisor I saw provided guidance against the pitfalls and made me think. The style was informal but very professional.”

- Donna Purton, Hygiene Link food safety training

Jeremy Andrews

Jeremy is one of our longest serving and most experienced advisors with a background as a sales development manager with ICL (UK) Ltd. He currently runs his own business specialising in sales training and outplacement.

Raymond Cook

Raymond recently joined us fresh from a successful career spanning over twenty five years owning and operating small and medium sized companies. His wide management experience in both the commercial and retail sectors is complemented by his training in coaching and advising independent business. He is now enthusiastic to assist those choosing to create their own unique enterprise.

Simon Forrester

Simon has over 25 years' experience in advertising and marketing agencies and now runs his own marketing consultancy offering wise words and creative ideas to his clients. His business provides marketing strategy development, market research, copywriting, literature design and production, PR, newsletters, direct marketing and internet marketing. Simon offers marketing advice in its widest form to OBE clients looking to start up a new business.

Bernard Goodchild

A former general manager in the banking and finance industry, Bernard has a wealth of experience advising small businesses. He is now an independent management consultant and advisor to a wide spectrum of SMEs assisting with the development of business strategies, plans, raising finance and performance management.

Richard Hartree

Richard is our longest serving advisor having been with us since 1993 and having had a successful career in industrial management. He has also been an award winning Prince's Trust mentor for a number of years and especially enjoys working with pre-start and new businesses, providing business start up help.

Jonathan Hewitt

Jonathan has held various posts in both the private and public sectors and latterly he ran the award winning Red Lion Public House in Chalgrove. Although being semi-retired, he now does consultancy work for various organisations as well as his advising role for OBE.

David Hill

David has a wealth of experience in training and course presentation. David's background is in commercial and general management with multi-site retailing operations mainly in the drinks sector. He has held senior appointments in personnel and marketing.

Ivor Hopkyns

Ivor was raised and educated in Western Canada and worked for over 30 years for a major Canadian bank in a variety of management and advisory roles. He has been an OBE advisor for over 10 years having helped numerous clients start their new businesses.

Matt Houston

Now retired, Matt previously worked in a senior management role for medium sized subsidiaries of larger corporates mainly in the engineering sector. He has sound experience of general management including the planning process, sales, marketing and personnel activities, all of which he feels is applicable to those looking to start up a new business.

Alexandra Mann

Alex has a background in training and before setting up her own coaching practice as a personal development coach, she was a technical trainer for a large international software development company. Alex has a passion for helping both individuals and new businesses reach their true potential.

John May

John has over 20 years' experience advising and helping a diverse portfolio of businesses ranging from sole traders to large corporate organisations whilst a manager with Lloyds TSB. Although a generalist, he has particular knowledge of management issues, sales, finance and management accounts.

Gary McHale

Gary is a partner with the MGroup at Summertown in Oxford. The MGroup offers a wide range of business services to its clients. He is a qualified chartered certified accountant having trained with the group ten years ago. Managing a portfolio of clients, his specialist areas are business start ups and international corporate organisations.

Maria Odeyemi

With a background as an optician, Maria managed various optical practices until she started her own businesses in 1990, firstly running her own optical shop on a local USAF base and then a Dolland and Aitchison franchise in Ruislip. Her present highly successful venture was started seven years ago with a tried and tested philosophy, an unknown name and limited funds.

Paul Ovington

Paul is an accomplished and versatile consultant. He possesses a broad range of skills successfully applied in a range of cultures. A key speciality is project management & business planning. He has helped organisations of all sizes to improve their ability to meet market objectives.

Sam Sadler

Sam is the managing director of Sadler Talbot Ltd, an Oxfordshire firm of Chartered Certified Accountants. She has worked with small to medium sized businesses in a vast array of sectors for 18 years. The knowledge gained from working with her clients and running her own practice means that Sam is all too familiar with the issues facing businesses, not just the burden of accounting and taxation.

John Vernon

John is a highly experienced general manager with many years in the engineering sector as both a line manager, corporate strategist and troubleshooter. He has spent the last few years involved with those planning to start up a new business and early stage companies with particular emphasis on budgeting, business planning, strategy and management controls.

Malcolm Warden

An engineering graduate and chartered management accountant, Malcolm has many years' experience working for international companies at directorate level in the UK, USA and Europe. He is enthusiastic to improve business processes especially in the IT field, challenge assumptions and reduce costs. He currently provides part time finance director services to smaller companies.

Peter Windatt

Peter is an accountant and licensed insolvency practitioner having the benefit of 20 years' business recovery and insolvency experience. A director of his own practice employing around 20 people, Peter is fully aware of the practical issues and pitfalls facing small businesses.

Fin Whyte

During a long business career in senior management posts, Fin has gained in-depth experience of new ventures and the work needed to research, establish finance, plan, launch and monitor progress in the early months. Fin has a particular role in advising and helping those clients who have experienced mental difficulties.

ONE OF OUR MANY SUCCESS STORIES. Oxford Mail: April 2008.

Former milkman Dave Edwards puts the success of his cleaning firm down to Oxfordshire Business Enterprises. The Kidlington man has not looked back since ditching the white stuff for soap suds nearly three years ago. The 47-year-old told the Oxford Mail his dream to be self-employed only became a reality after OBE lent a helping hand.

Today, Davidjan Domestics provides a cleaning and ironing service for 40 private and commercial clients across the county. Mr Edwards, who set up the business with wife Jan, said: "I was a milkman in Oxfordshire for 30 years but the milk trade was going down pretty rapidly. We were at a party and people were moaning that they couldn't get cleaners, so we thought we would start up our own business. Our adviser was brilliant. It would have taken a lot longer without his help. We wouldn't have known a lot of things and he was always at the end of the phone." Now Davidjan Domestics employs two part-time staff.

Mr Edwards said: "I work the hours I need to make a good living and have no one to boss me about. It's a good lifestyle and there's a good living to be made, but make no mistake it's all hard work, especially at the beginning."

OBE's 18 volunteer advisers offer guidance on business planning, marketing and accountancy and give support during the early days of setting up a business, as well as to existing businessmen in need.

OBE is a non-profit making organisation supported by all Oxfordshire's local authorities. It is co-ordinated from Cherwell District Council's offices in Banbury.

John Hoad, Cherwell's strategic director for planning, housing and economy, said Davidjan Domestics was a great example of the type of businesses the advice service aimed to help.

He added: "We want to encourage new businesses across Oxfordshire and OBE is making this happen."

07979 458 280 www.davidjan-domestics.co.uk

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Mr John Jennens - Business Counsellor, Oxfordshire Business Enterprises - has won the Queen’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Enterprise.

John Jennens, a retired businessman, acted as a Business Counsellor for Oxfordshire Business Enterprises for 11 years on a voluntary basis. He offered general business advice, including marketing & sales training as well as business planning. He mentored, advised and assisted more than 1,000 clients. This award usually goes to captains of industry, but John is being honoured for helping people to start their own businesses.

He said: "After 37 years of corporate life I had a heart attack, and realised what really turned me on wasn't making money for myself, but the idea of helping people to turn bright ideas into good businesses."

Mr Jennens, from Henley, also mentored for the Prince's Trust for four years. Between 1993 and 1996 he was with the Training and Enterprise Council, then with Thames Business Advice Centre in south Oxfordshire and its successor, Oxfordshire Business Enterprises.