Leslie Smith (Bizzxsell Ltd)

Bizzxsell Ltd

"Helping SME's Expand their Horizons"

Bizzxsell Ltd is a business consultancy, which specialises in helping SME's achieve more.

Bizzxsell is a specialist in helping SME's with Government tenders, and can offer a complimentary review of your business to discuss the requirements of government tender bidding.

We offer a range of technology based solutions designed to assist SME's compete effectively with larger organisations, alongside traditional consultancy services.

We can offer a range of business consultancy services to cover most aspects of business including Business Improvement and Development, Business Planning & Strategy and Financial Planning.

Bizzxsell employs qualified marketers, with Chartered Marketer status from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) who can help you with all elements of your Marketing.

We can also bring many years of International Trade experience to assist companies who would like to explore the opportunities of Exporting.

At BizzXsell, we believe that many SME's fail due to factors outside of their owner/managers experience and understanding, and that this can be avoided by the use of some outside help, which is paid for as required, and which can bring skills and experience to the SME to complement those already possessed by the proprietors.

It is not our role to tell you what to do, or how to run your business, it is after all your money, and your company, but by using our services you will get honest, and unbiased opinions on your business, your future plans and ideas, and some suggestions and ideas on how to improve and adopt best practice in the key business functions.

Please take a look at the Bizzxsell website for more detailed information on the services we offer

CLS Services

CLS-Services is an umbrella organisation designed to help me get my various business interests under some sort of control

The main elements of CLS-Services are as follows:-

Utilitrack - Utilities Broker

In May of this year (2010) my partner and I signed up to become brokers for Utilitrack, which specialises in getting the best deals on Gas and Electricity for all commercial companies.

We are interested in contacting any business who would like to stop worrying about keeping track of their energy purchases, and want to be sure that they are always getting the best available deals.

Utilitrack offers a fully managed service, which ensures that your contracts are cancelled as and when required, and then tenders your business to all of the suppliers in the market, thus ensuring that you are getting the best price on the day, and never get caught out by the rollover trap, and end up paying over the odds just because you were a day or two late sending in your cancellation notice.

We are also keen to talk to anyone who would like to generate additional income by introducing us to prospective client companies. If they sign up to the Utilitrack service we pay an ongoing commission to the introducer for as long we we provide the service - give me a call for more information.

Please take a look at my website to see all about the Utilitrack service - www.clsservices.utilitrack.co.uk

The Seal Company

After a bit of a business disaster with a Franchise which we bought from a company called "FiltaCool" - and the loss of our total investment - we took a decision, along with a couple of the other franchisee's, to make the most of the contact list we had developed in commercial catering premises, and to launch a new business supplying replacement Fridge seals and freezer seals to the commercial market.

We have also added PVC Door curtains to the mix, as these are a logical add on to the Fridge and Freezer seals

We are looking for clients who have commercial fridges and freezers, and who would like to get replacement seals without the costs of refrigeration engineers.

Please give me a call, or see The Seal Company website for full details

e-solutions4sme

e-solutions4sme is dedicated to providing affordable solutions for Small to Medium sized enterprises, which will simplify their business lives and allow the people running them to spend more time dealing with the business of running their business.

Our first series of products designed to help SME's are:-

SME-Mailer - Our online e-mail campaign manager, which is designed to be quick and simple to use, Please see our product pages for more information.

SME-Safe - Many companies do not pay enough attention to maintaining regular backups of their business data, and when they suffer a data loss find it difficult, if not impossible, to continue in business. SME-Safe is an automated backup process, which encrypts your data, and uploads it onto our secure servers every night. For more information please see our product pages.

Franchise Nightmare

One other thing that is also part of our remit is advice on things to consider before buying a Franchise.

I bought into a franchise a couple of years ago which was a complete nightmare - and there are so many things I wish I had done differently - which could have saved me a load of money - not to mention wasted time.

If you want to know more please read the whole sorry story on my Franchise Nightmare website

If anyone is considering buying a Franchise and just wants to have a chat about it please do not hesitate to make contact.

Profile

Just the wrong (or maybe the right) side of 50, and settled into a great new house in the Suffolk countryside with my partner Claire.

Was married for 22 years, and have 2 great sons as a result, both pretty grown up now and doing their own thing, but still (I am delighted to say) coming back to see their Dad when they need advice, help or guidance - not just for money.

6 years ago I met Claire, my wonderful new partner, via an internet dating site, which we both still laugh about, as neither of us was convinced that we would meet someone really special online. We are happily settled in our first home together and looking forward to the future in the peace and quiet of the Suffolk countryside, with lovely village pubs on the doorstep.

As you would expect from someone who lists International trade as part of his CV, I love to travel, and have been lucky enough to get around a large part of the world on numerous business trips, although the sad thing is you never really see a huge amount of the countries you visit on business, hotels, airport lounges and industrial estates are very similar the world over.

I love to learn about other cultures, and have been fortunate to be invited into the homes of many friends and colleagues around the world, to meet their families and experience, first hand, how they live.

I am always pleasantly surprised at how little separates all the peoples of the world when you meet them individually, compared to the vast gulfs that the media tries to suggest exists between peoples and cultures.

Looking to the future I have plans to go back and spend some quality time in many of the countries I have visited on business around the world.

For over 25 years worked for other people, in Sales and Marketing roles, primarily in International Trade. Along the way I have also undertaken a number of IT related projects, and developed some useful project management skills, and overall have been successful in my career, earning a good living and enjoying my work.

During the early part of the noughties I became more and more dissatisfied with my work life, and started considering what I want to do with myself for the next X years until I am ready to hang up my boots and retire.

I literally saw the following hanging on Claire's wall, just after I met her, and it came back to mind a in the last few months of 2007, after a particularly long week at the office, and I decided it was time to start the process of getting into business for myself, something I have considered on and off for too long, and always finding a good reason not to take the required action to make it happen.

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy.
the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative (and creation).

There is one elemental truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas
and splendid plans---
that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves all.

All sorts of things occur to help one
that would never otherwise have occurred.

A whole stream of events issue from the decision,
raising in one's favour all manner of incidents
and meetings and material assistance
which no one could have dreamed would come his or her way.
Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now.

---Goethe (1749-1832), German poet and dramatist

The amazing thing is that since taking the decision to go out on my own opportunities seem to appear from nowhere, and I am now actively working on a number of projects, and meeting some amazing new people along the way.

Geothe's suggestion to "begin it now" really seems to work.

Work History

DIRECTOR

Bizzxsell Limited

(Management Consulting industry)

February 2008</abbr> — Present</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

After a career in the commercial world, spanning some 28 years, I decided to start a business consultancy, specialising in helping Small to Medium Enterprises with business planning and strategic direction.
This new venture also specialises in assisting client companies to compete for Government Tenders, with services ranging from simple search and selection of suitable opportunities to a fully outsourced tender operation, completing all relevant tender documentation and submitting same on behalf of the client company.
In the 18 months this company has been operating we have been successful in gaining a number of SME clients, from a variety of business sectors, for whom we are actively working on a number of projects and tender opportunities.

<li class="experience vevent vcard">

• HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL SALES / SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

  Hayman Limited

  (Chemicals industry)

  June 2000</abbr> — January 2008</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Responsible for: -
  Global sales and marketing of Hayman Speciality Products (International), which forms part of the largest of the companies 3 divisions. Primary products made up of speciality chemicals, sold mainly into the Food, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic markets.
  In June of 2006 the company acquired an international trading company specialising in Pharmaceutical raw materials, which was integrated into the HSPI business unit.
  Direct management of a team of 2 Sales Managers & indirect management of 2 customer service team members.
  Formulating and Implementing Sales & Marketing Strategies to include Annual Financial Budgets and five year plan.
  Member of the company "Executive" which has responsibility for development of corporate strategy and the day to day management of the whole company.
  Negotiation of supply & pricing with the companies major principals; Annual Sales Turnover in excess of £5 Million
  Key Achievements: -
  Met or exceeded sales targets in each of the last 5 years.
  Re-structured the sales team to gain more effective operation, turning a vertical structure to a more horizontal structure with each team member taking greater responsibility for results and management of specific business areas.
  Played a leading role in the acquisition of Kimia International, a company specialising in trading pharmaceutical raw materials, and managed the integration of this into Hayman business. This included negotiating the redundancy of 1 member of staff and the relocation of another.
  Took the leading role in managing a project to upgrade the total corporate IT system, delivering significant improvements in the effectiveness of the company operations and management information tools.
  Negotiated distribution deals with Exxon Mobil and Sasol for Isopropanol
  Identified new business opportunities and sourced new products to expand the company's portfolio.

• EXPORT SALES MANAGER

  Carless Refining & Marketing Ltd

  (Chemicals industry)

  June 1994</abbr> — June 2000</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Responsible for: -
  All International Business development, with specific emphasis on the European Union, the Asia Pacific Rim and the Middle East. Also direct sales to West and North Africa.
  Direct management of a team of 5 export sales staff, four of whom were based in the companies European offices.
  Formulating and agreeing, with the Board of Director's, Company Export Sales Strategies to include Annual Financial Budgets and implementation thereof.
  Ensuring that effective Account Business Strategies were developed and implemented, including the negotiation of yearly and longer trading agreements.
  Recruiting, Directing, and managing a network of International Agents.
  Assisting with the setting up and development of a full administrative support system for all business in the Export Arena.
  Formulation of new Company product initiatives and their execution.
  Annual Sales Turnover in excess of £20 Million
  Key Achievements: -
  Identified the opportunity to establish a centralised Company Export Department, devised the strategy and gained Board approval to implement.
  1997 and 1998 Profit Contribution Budgets were exceeded by 18% and 7% respectively.
  Set up, and implemented, a programme to effect a reduction in the cost of freight services. In 1999 overall costs were reduced by 10% resulting in an improvement in net profitability of 6.8%.
  Implemented a strategy to centralise all Export activities to create a "team" approach to the growth of the business. This included establishing regular International Sales meetings to bring all Export Staff and Key Product / Technical personnel together to facilitate development of the business in all areas.
  Increased the number of markets supplied by 25%.

• PRODUCT MANAGER

  Carless Refining & Marketing Ltd

  (Chemicals industry)

  January 1991</abbr> — June 1994</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Printing Ink Distillates.
  Responsible for: -
  World-wide Marketing and Sales of all Printing Ink Distillates :- Building to a turnover of £3.8 million in 1994
  New product development in liaison with the technical department.
  Management of major accounts, with emphasis on Multi-National's
  Development and implementation of Five year, and Annual, Marketing and Sales plans, to include volume and product cost projections and sector profitability.
  Key Achievements: -
  Grew companies Export volume five fold in 3.5 years.
  Increased the companies U.K. market share by 13% to 51%, and Continental European share to 7.6% from 1.2%.
  Negotiated the companies first ever, five year sole supply agreement, with a major new European Ink plant.
  Major Pan European contracts were successfully negotiated with two of the three largest Ink producers in Europe.

• REGIONAL EXPORT MANAGER

  Thor Chemical International Ltd

  (Chemicals industry)

  April 1986</abbr> — January 1991</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Responsible for: -
  Overseas Sales of Industrial Biocides to Surface Coating producers in 15 international markets.
  Agree and Achieve pre-set sales budgets, to include product mix and margin.
  Recruitment, Development and Direction of a team of International Agents and Distributors, to maximise company business through pre-agreed trading strategies.
  Key Achievements: -
  Exceeded volume and contribution budgets in each year of service.
  Grew market share in four of the company's five major international trading regions.
  Pioneered new markets in the Middle East and Asia, achieving incremental volume, building to 15% of total company volume. Increased market Share in every market for which responsibility held.

• EXPORT SALES EXECUTIVE

  D F Anstead Ltd

  (Management Consulting industry)

  June 1984</abbr> — March 1986</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Export sales role, with responsibility for overseas agents and distributors, predominantly in Western Europe and the Middle East.

• EXPORT SALES CO-ORDINATOR

  D F Anstead Ltd

  (Chemicals industry)

  January 1983</abbr> — June 1984</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Support function for Export Field staff, with direct day to day handling of customer orders, enquiries and problems.

• SALES REPRESENTATIVE

  Marley Buildings Ltd

  (Construction industry)

  April 1981</abbr> — January 1983</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

  Field sales role for East Anglia, selling to Building companies, Architects and Local Authorities.

• TRAINEE SALES REPRESENTATIVE

  Marley Buildings Ltd

  (Construction industry)

  March 1980</abbr> — April 1981</abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr></abbr>

Interests

Marketing, Project Management, Information Technology, Skiing, Motorcycle Touring, Cycling