The Navy SEAL Art of War

Strategy is a hot topic for our clients. In Bookbuzz sessions we normally use “33 strategies of war” by Robert Greene or “The strategy book” by Max Mckeown.

Fundamental questions

“Why do you matter?” and “where are you going?” are fundamental questions in those sessions. Increasingly we have come to the conclusion that movement is more important than direction. That organisational design is more important than we thought it would be (culture is too slow).

Strategy is a mindset

That strategy is more about mindset than resources. Ultimately strategy all boils down to leadership. Which brought us to Rob Roy’s “The Navy SEAL Art of war”. Leadership, movement and mindset. And if you want an example of agility, extreme movement capability and mental strength, the SEALs are a prime example of what can be done.

Lessons from Navy SEALs

So there are lessons the be learned. In fact Rob Roy, who was a Navy SEAL for 20 years and part of team six, has a company that put CEOs through SEAL training to teach them leadership skills.

You pay for the privilege to be shouted at by instructors, carry huge logs, float in the ocean for a night, do as many push ups as you can (and then more) and you pay to storm a building with a toy gun. Ultimately it is not about that. It is about self awareness, inner strength, team and leadership.

Stoicism as the operating system

In that way the book is not different from “Being a fierce competitor” or “The obstacle is the way”. Stoicism as the operating system. Following the thinking of Marcus Aurilius, the first management guru of our time. Rob Roy would argue that Sun Tzu was the first.

The art of war

He uses the structure of “The art of war” to share 57 lessons. In your face, no bars hold, hard nosed, drum your chest and stop crying, type of lessons. It is all in the mind, try harder, train more, persevere, type of lessons.

But also about letting people get on with it, creating trust, purpose, honour, dignity, respect, loyalty, and integrity. A Navy SEAL cost 25 million to train. You might as well give them the tools and the trust to get on with it.

Lessons

Some great ones:

The importance of commanders intent, the ability to clearly define and articulate goal for a mission. Guiding principles if you will.
Practice, practice, practice
Front sight focus (using snipers as an example)
Dress for success (command presence)
No limits, every goal should be a stretch goal. In fact there is no finishing line. You keep pushing. Just one more. Why stop?
You can accomplish more then you think is possible if you are willing to give what it takes
OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) as the decision making loop
Team before self
Yesterday is over, it is only about today
Commitment to excellence. Everything is done with full attention and full effort. 100% all the time. There are no excuses. 360 degree security is not 359 degrees.
Have a servants heart and be humble. No egos allowed.
Pain tells you that you are still alive, embrace the suck
Trust your inner voice
Care about those you lead and lead from the front
Embrace technology (SEALs can play with the newest war toys)
Passion moves mountains
Vision is a rally cry
Excellence is a habit
Assign a swim buddy
Know who you are
Character is everything

No rocket science

There is no rocket science in it. Clear communication, team, transparency, common goals and trusting your people. In that way it is not different from “The rare find”, “Employees first, customer second” and “Reinventing organisations”. But is in the micro context of a SEAL team. It works.

Military leaders

Not only has it some great leadership tips, it also contains some great speeches by military leaders such as Patton, Roosevelt, Powell, Mattis and Schwarzkopf

What is your credo?

If you want an example of ethos and purpose and a mission statement, it is worthwhile reading the SEAL creed. I want to be a Navy SEAL. What is your companies creed? Would anyone sign up.

Ring the bell

The biggest lesson for me was the chapter about the bell. During SEAL training you can quit by ringing the bell three times. You have a choice. You can ring the bell, or you can commit fully. No amount of pain, cold, wet, tired can derail your devotion. Your either are committed or you are quitting. You can sleep when you are dead. Pain is good.

I suspect every entrepreneur and owner manager will recognise this as a sentiment. I wonder how many are ringing the bell? And how many have rung the bell and are not realising it?

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Invaluable tools for running a business

After being in business for some time, you begin to discover some tricks, technology, and tools that you can use to make your entrepreneurial life way easier. In fact, after discovering them, you start wondering how you have been surviving without them. The following are some of the top tools you can use to not only run your business but also take it to higher heights:

Ontraport

Ontraport is one the top tools that can help you successfully run and grow your business to greater heights. It is formerly known as Office Auto Pilot. Simply put, Ontraport is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform specifically designed effectively to serve small business enterprises. This technology lets you structure your contact with individuals based on ‘If/Then’ scenarios.

They apply to both activity and mailing on your website. The endless possibilities that you can do with this tool base purely on the product or services you offer and the actions your contact takes. Simply put, you are in total control. Ontraport gives you the utmost ability to systemize thus helping you save substantially when it comes to time.

Lastly, this technology helps you effortlessly to manage affiliates, payments, and memberships.

Evernote

With the numerous devices in the market, coupled with a mobile working environment, the Evernote app keeps track of everything you do. Regardless of where you are, if you have a new to do item, idea or thought, you just need to open Evernote and do your thing – record a note, write anything you wish and/or take a picture to exemplify the item.

Regardless of the device you are working on, you can have instant access to the notes. While you can continue using your notebook and pen for meeting notes or project planning and other things, this app remains the best for jotting down tasks or ideas quickly. With this tool you can remain organized and on track.

Google Drive

One tool that you cannot afford to live without is Google Drive. Do you hate or dread emailing your clients using a word document only to send them a revised version. This back and forth often results to confusion about the newest version. The good thing is that with Google Drive, you can easily share documents with all your clients by the mere click of a button. Are you worried that your clients do not have a clue about using Google Drive? Well, worry no more; you can train them (it will only take some few minutes for them to understand). With this tool, you don’t have to email docs no more – you only need to modify the documents online and you are good to go.

Bill.com

This tool will definitely change the way your clients do their business. Bill.com takes all your paperwork, reminders, guesswork, approvals, and filing out of paying bills. This tool is simply an accounting interface that every entrepreneur should have. Not only does its interface bring with it all the favorite accounting software such as QuickBooks, but also most importantly, it is extremely easy to use. Actually, all business owners will definitely fall in love with this tool. What is more is that it is all in the cloud – storing all your bills, receipts and all other documents you need at no additional cost.

Google HOA (Hangouts on Air)

You will have no limit to the value that Google HOA can bring to your business. With this tool, you will reap considerable benefits. The manner in which you used to conduct business will change for the best. So what is Google HOA? It is right to compare this tool to a private TV show where you usually broadcast your webcam to the entire world. The perk with this tool is that you can invite more than nine other guests to your show.

Regardless of the nature of your business, this tool can surely be magical. Culinary chefs, social media specialists, homeschooling experts, violin artists and real estate agents can all use Google HOA. By learning how to use this tool, you will surely reap maximum benefits.

Readability test tool

The Readability test tool is an excellent test tool for writers. An incredible attribute about this tool is that it is extremely comprehensive and user friendly. What is more is that it is also highly flexible. Flexibility comes in the fact that you can test a whole web page or just part of the page’s content. Upon entering the content (either direct input or URL), you shall see the content’s average grade level, various statistics, major readability test scores and brief analysis. The readability test tool enables you to see how much of your content needs editing real time. This is an invaluable tool for tool for both offline and online copywriting.

TweetDeck, HootSuite, and Pocket

Are you looking for an incredible tool to schedule or send out updates on your posts across numerous platforms? Have you been looking for a tool that will help you get and sort information real time? Then look no further. TweetDeck and HootSuite are your ideal choices. Pocket helps you to ‘file’ article that you read online for later use. You can use it to keep track of your posts and save them.

Professional Bookkeeper

Once your business starts to grow and rake in huge revenues, there is dire need to hire a professional for purposes of managing your payroll and books. For sure, it will surely pay off significantly in operational costs. At the end of the year, you will have saved countless taxes from the properly classified write-offs.

Running a business can turn out to be challenging. This is especially true if you lack the necessary tools to boost your business initiatives. Use the above the tools to make running of your business not only easy but also manageable and professional.

Bio

Charlie Brown is a venture capitalist. In addition to running his successful business, charlie shares his tips and experiences with young entrepreneurs from all over the world. Learn more about debt reviews from him by visiting his blog.

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Ulster Bank Hosts IBOS Conference

Ulster Bank hosted the IBOS (International Bank One Solution) Partnership Banks on 21/22 May 2015, at their offices on Georges Quay, Dublin 2, for a very successful two day conference.

Over 20 delegates were in attendance representing some of the major international banks: Intesa Sanpaolo, Nordea, Unicredit Bank AG, Santander Totta, HSBC France, RBS, KBC Bank Belgium, Royal Bank of Canada, US Bank, Santanter Bank, PNC Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and Ulster Bank.

Trading Globally

IBOS is an international banking partnership, whereby the member banks make it easier for their customers to trade globally. IBOS was created to enable major banks to share each other’s services and provide international clients with the full range of local banking support they need. For example, Ulster Bank works with each of the IBOS member banks to offer their customers local services here in Ireland and this service is replicated when Ulster Bank’s customers are expanding abroad.

Our agreed process means that the administrative burdon is reduced for the customer, making the account opening process streamlined and efficient. Also, Ulster Bank is in the unique position of being the only Irish Bank within the IBOS partnership.

Ulster Bank was delighted to host our IBOS colleagues – there was some really great work completed over the two days and we look forward to the next conference later this year.

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5 Commercial Law Tips for Business Start-Ups

Starting up your own business can be a really exciting time, but it is fraught with legal landmines. As you go through the paperwork-heavy process of creating your own company, it’s best to stay on the right side of the law from day one. You will have enough on your plate with the early stumbling blocks of starting up your own business, so understanding what is required of you legally is a great way to lay down the initial foundations of a successful company.

Notify HMRC

The Tax Man needs to know what you’re doing. Be sure to register with HMRC, as soon as your business has formed. You can often do this online, and the process is simpler than you think (even if it is a tad on the daunting side). Ascertain what you need to apply for first, before you start. The government’s website has a wealth of information on setting-up your business, so this is the perfect place to get the ball rolling.

Don’t Go it Alone

Two heads are better than one, and so are two pocketbooks. Working as a partnership means that you can split any financial falls with your business counterpart, and you have someone to share the good times with too! You are far more likely to succeed with the help of a partner than going it alone. Just chose someone you like; there’s nothing worse than tearing a company apart because of personal feuds.

Also, there’s a surprising lack of paperwork surrounding partnerships, so that’s an added bonus.

Limited Company

If you want to ride this solo, setting yourself up as a limited company is advised. It offers you more protection, if anything goes wrong. On the flipside, registering as a limited company demands more from you, as the business owner. Therefore, if you want to learn more about setting up your own limited company, it’s best to talk to a commercial lawyer, such as this one – their expertise and experience in dealing with these types of scenarios will allow you the freedom to work on the other integral aspects associated with your start-up.

Check Your Business Name

You don’t want to accidentally steal someone’s Intellectual Property. You could stumble into serious problems, if it’s seen that you have plagiarised someone else’s business mould. Be sure that you truly have a unique name by checking through the Trade Mark registry. It should flag up anyone with a similar concept as you. Tread carefully here.

Assess Your Funding Options

There are many ways you can receive funding in the UK for your business. Bank loans are unfortunately less viable these days, but the rise of crowdfunding could mean that you easily get off the ground, as long as you have a product that people desperately want. If you don’t, then I guess you have to ask yourself if your business will really make it in the market anyway.

Other than that, you could explore angel funding and government grants. Don’t leave any stone unturned, when it comes to finding extra money for your start-up business. It can mean the difference between success and failure. For further support and guidance in navigating through the funding maze, this handy guide cover great business funding advice tips.

Do you have any tips for starting-up a business and adhering to commercial law? Let us know!

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3 Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Cyber Security Breaches

United States corporations have experienced a slew of cyber security breaches in the last year. Home Depot, Target, Sony, and more have had company and personal data thrown out into the open by computer hackers. The costs in every case have been substantial. Fortune 500 Companies and the Enterprise, however, are not the only organizations who can be susceptible to these types of vicious cyber-attacks. Small businesses, too, must invest the necessary time and resources to protect their organizational data and retain their customers’ trust. Here are four things every small business can do to avoid cyber security breaches.

Develop Strong and Secure Passwords

Even in 2015 it is not uncommon for small businesses and their employees to use passwords that are easy to remember, or that are replicated for numerous accounts, to protect sensitive organizational and customer data. However, business owners must consider the security ramifications this can have for their business. Skilled hackers have a much better chance of accessing vital information through a password that is replicated across multiple channels or accounts, and that are very easy to remember without a lot of thought. Instead, businesses should consider developing strong and secure passwords using character combinations that are unique to each site, file, or account that you log into. Lisa Grossman, an industry expert recommends that your passwords “contain at least one letter, including one capital letter and one lowercase letter, at least one number and at least one symbol and punctuation mark” to be sufficiently secure.

Train Your Employees

One of the most important things that small businesses can do to prevent cyber security breaches is to effectively train their employees. Company executives must work with senior management to grant employees access to data on an “as needed” basis, to avoid secure and sensitive data from falling into mismanaged hands. Additionally, companies should keep records of who has access to what organizational information. Finally, management should teach employees how to use strong passwords, as well as avoid and report spammy emails.

Stay Current on Security Best Practices

To ensure that security breaches are sufficiently avoided, small business owners and executives should do their best to keep themselves up-to-date on cyber security threats and prevention tactics. Reading regularly about security software updates, about new ways hackers are exploiting computing networks, and how best to implement company-wide trainings will be incredibly beneficial to your organization. Staying up to date on security best practices will ensure that your company continues to operate smoothly, and that you earn the trust that your customers deserve.

About the Author

Scott has more than 29 years of professional product marketing and executive management experience in the high-tech industry. For the past six years Scott has worked for ProPay helping small businesses grow their businesses through online payment acceptance.

Scott earned dual bachelor’s degrees from Brigham Young University in Marketing and Finance. He also earned an MBA from Colorado State University.

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Time Waster to Money Maker: How Small Businesses Can Eradicate Distractions

Starting out in business you are every job role to everyone – accountant, recruitment, marketing, administration, personal assistant, sales, CEO, CFO, HR, PR…and with very little chance of R+R! You live in your email inbox or on the phone – it’s simply what you have to do.

Then, as a small business grows so does the team – and yet somehow you become even busier. I’m fortunate to work with a few companies who are at this stage, all of whom are tech savvy and a few of which are taking some rather extreme measures to save them spending all their time buried in their inbox or on the phone…

Research Behind the Reasoning

Researchers from the University of California found that employees get just eleven minutes of work time between each distraction, after which it can take up to twenty-five minutes to get back to the original task at hand. This suggests a huge loss in productivity and signals the need to erase at least some of the daily distractions employees face.

But, But But…

BUT… you’re running a business, how can you do so without being on the phone or answering emails? As mentioned above, I’ve clocked on to some excellent ways in which some SMEs have saved time and maximised productivity.

Option 1: Set an Out of Office

Tim Ferris, author of best-selling business book The 4-Hour Work Week, suggests using an out-of-office style email which states that emails will only be checked at 11am and 4pm each day. With so much time wasted scouring through inboxes and replying to each and every tiny request as it comes in, enforcing just two inbox checks per day can encourage clients or employees to:

a) Find their own solutions
b) Wait
c) Pick up the phone if it’s urgent and sort out the issue far more quickly

One hesitancy might be if customers get angry at this arrangement, however evidence largely shows they are not likely to be offended by the choice – indeed, they know exactly when their email is going to be seen which is more certain than the alternative. A client of mine did this for a boutique hotel, and didn’t get a murmur of complaint – customers and employees alike had no issue and it’s still in place today.

Option 2: Remove Your Phone Number Entirely

Take a look at this contact page – notice anything interesting? No phone number! They have removed the telephone number from their website entirely and instead, everything is done by email and online chat. This company is an eCommerce brand and very technical – as such this works both for their productivity as well as their customers; their reviews are positive and 40% of their customers use their online chat facility before they buy.

Through live chat, email or via their ticketing system, customers can get in touch in numerous ways and don’t seem to miss the option of a phone number. For this to work however, with 40% of customers wanting to discuss their potential purchase online, having competent technical sales staff is vital.

Option 3: Hire Out

It’s increasingly common to hire an actor to make those dreaded sales or lead follow-up calls that eat up an afternoon, and it doesn’t cost the earth – some actors charge as little as £10 an hour. Additionally, Virtual Assistants (VAs) are becoming more and more popular due to their ease of use and the fact that you don’t need to sacrifice any professionalism to outsource your admin and sales activities. For example, Internet companies such as Voipfone charge just £2 per month for a professional phone number that feeds direct to your mobile – a small price to pay to communicate a professional veneer.

Personally, I find speaking on the phone makes you a human to your client, and even better than that, is seeing them face-to-face. However, it is a hectic and busy world out there and having less stressful alternatives – be this in the form of outsourcing, limiting your time online or limiting your time on the phone – can help boost your morale and that of your team. Startups and SMEs are the most frequent new type of business in the UK and small teams are expected to make big waves if they are to compete with larger and more established ones.

With so much to think about when growing a team, the smaller administration matters such as responding to constant emails and being distracted by phone calls can cause a great deal of stress and detract from more important aspects of business growth. The three aforementioned options all approach these issues in different ways and what works for one company may not work for another. I have seen several companies reach the same end with varying techniques, but the message remains the same: creating new paths for the distractions gives way to the more important things, and allows you and your small business to grow and succeed without too much stress.

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Help Available for Small Microbusinesses With InterTradeIreland’s ‘Elevate’ Programme

Exporting can seem like such a large step to the smallest businesses on our island, however, it can be less daunting with the help of InterTradeIreland’s ‘Elevate’ programme which supports micro-businesses as they make this move. The sales development programme assists small businesses, in particular those with fewer than ten employees, to develop sales opportunities through first time cross-border exports.

Elevate

The Elevate programme provides sector-specific sales support of up to £5,000 across a range of sectors including food and beverage, ICT and Engineering as well as many others. The programme has already helped 245 small businesses and since 2013, those businesses which have been surveyed following completion of Elevate have generated new cross-border sales of approximately £2.6million. In addition, over the same period, 31 new jobs were created and 52 were sustained.

Specialist support

Small businesses participating in Elevate can choose from a list of more than 100 experienced industry specialists. These experts can then help them to identify sales leads in the cross-border market, negotiate deals, share relevant market insights, identify market research requirements and offer advice on the development of marketing materials.

Programme success for Antrim company

A shining example of what can be achieved through the Elevate programme, is the achievements of Advance Machinery Installation Ltd, a micro-business from Antrim. The company specialises in the relocation of single pieces of machinery right through to complete factory moves and re-organisations. All of Advance’s clients are large manufacturers and customers in Northern Ireland include Bombardier, Diageo, Ryobi, Coca-Cola and Kerry Group.

Before the Elevate programme, Advance carried out around 90% of its business in Northern Ireland with the remaining 10% in the Republic of Ireland. Alistair Carson, director, believed that the cross-border market could offer new leads but he didn’t have the time or resources to investigate properly.

Potential cross-border leads

In the past the firm had approached the cross-border market periodically and had never proactively searched for new business. They knew that there could potentially be leads but with a small team, the micro-business was busy focusing on the clients they already had.

Results of the Elevate Programme

Advance Machinery was delighted with the Elevate programme and said that what they had achieved within six months of taking part would have taken them years! Where the firm had previously relied on the phone ringing to get jobs in the south, the Elevate consultant had turned this approach on its head and now the business was actively pursuing business.

This targeted approach has been very beneficial to Advance Machinery and it has highlighted that there really are opportunities out there if you go looking for them.

Since taking part in the Elevate programme, the firm has increased the level of business they do in the Republic of Ireland from 10% to 30%. They have secured orders in Ireland in the region of £240,000 through Elevate, including major contracts with Sonoco, Manninckrodt and Norland with several other leads to take forward.

Support necessary to expedite success

As small companies make up 96% of businesses on the island it is essential that they receive the support they require to expand and flourish.

The cross-border market is often an underutilised but logical first step to wider export markets, giving experience of varied legislation and working with a different currency but has the comfort of being more accessible. Once mastered this makes looking at European markets a more realistic prospect. The Elevate programme was designed with simplicity in mind to remove as much bureaucracy as possible. As such, a relatively simple and straight-forward application process was devised and put in place. I would urge all interested small businesses with less than £1million turnover to register their interest and apply to Elevate today.

Like to know more?

For more information on the Elevate programme, including full eligibility criteria visit www.intertradeireland.com/elevate.

Making the right move: Thomas Hunter McGowan, chief executive of InterTradeIreland joins Alistair Carson, director of Antrim-based Advance Machinery Installation, to encourage all micro-businesses across the province to take advantage of the Elevate programme which is now open for applications.

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Startup Strategy: How to Cultivate Customer Loyalty

Customer acquisition and retention are probably the top focus for any startup. Without word-of-mouth referrals, it’s very difficult for a startup to stay in business long. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Internet and the prevalence of social media have made customer impressions rapidly publicized the instant a customer sends out feedback. This means that startup ventures need to be more careful than ever to cultivate customer loyalty.

The following are some useful techniques for establishing customer loyalty amid the immediacy of today’s online communication channels:

Meet Customer Needs

First and foremost, it’s necessary to provide customers with what they need to meet their needs. Don’t simply provide customers and potential customers with the information you have; instead, seek out the information they need. This should be part of your content marketing campaign. Every interaction with a customer counts. If an interaction takes a turn for the worst, you probably will never have the opportunity to get that customer back again, so act accordingly.

Strive for Absolute Transparency

Customers value honesty. This is especially important to customers when they are dealing with a new company abut which they may have some uncertainties. It’s easy to spread false information on the Internet, but it never pays off. Honesty should be the most important focus on any interaction with a new customer for a startup company.

Go the Extra Mile

What’s going to put you ahead of your competition? Sometimes, it may seem easier to just meet the bare minimum when it comes to your interactions with potential customers. It will seem easier to your competitors, too. A machinist from an online machine shop says it pays, in the long run, to make the extra effort when meeting your customers’ needs. You’ll be guaranteed success if you can provide customers with an offer that can’t be beat. Such an offer might cost you extra effort at the outset, but it will pay off as word gets around.

Establish Authority

When you make a purchase on a particular item or service, you want to know that you’re dealing with an authority on the subject. Likewise, customers want to do business with the authority in your industry. This means that you need to make yourself an authority to enjoy the success that you seek.

A loyal customer is thousands of times more valuable to your startup company than a disgruntled customer. Focus on cultivating customer loyalty and you will grow and prosper with time.

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How Can Small Business Owners Save Money on Foreign Exchange?

If you own a small business then you are aware of the huge outflow of foreign exchange that happens when you have to pay your overseas suppliers or staff. Importing machinery or paying for any specialized task that doesn’t happen in your country, requires a lot of foreign exchange and it is common for businesses to lose a huge amount of money every year. As it is important to curb your spending in order to maximize your profits, it becomes essential that small business follow some steps to save their capital. Listed below are a few interesting tips that might help.

1. Market Research and Analysis

The first step to each plan usually involves a thorough research and analysis of a subject or situation. It works pretty much the same way for the small businesses who want to enter the highly volatile foreign exchange market. It is essential for the owners to carefully examine the market and identify the loopholes and red flags. Whatever the type of business you own, forex trading is a complicated art and it would be unwise to jump in the market while unprepared.

2. Watch Out for the Political and Economic Changes

The prices of the currencies are regulated by the network known as the ‘Interbank’ and are highly influenced by the political and economic conditions of a particular country. It is highly important for small business owners to keep an eye on the changing political and economic conditions of a country. This will help you get an idea if the prices of a particular currency would rise or fall, which can save you a lot of foreign exchange in a year.

3. Online Transfers

The best and the easiest way to manage your payments, is by using online transfers. It not only makes payments and funds transfer more convenient but is also more cost-effective. International transfers done via banks can increase the payment costs as banks charge a fee for each transaction. Overseas vendors can be paid with ease using online transfers minus the extra fees and taxes levied with bank transfers. Online transfers are also safer and hassle free with zero possibility of the payment being lost or misplaced.

4. Getting Alerts From The Brokers

If you work with a reputed and experienced broker, you can get various types of useful information that will help you save your foreign exchange. Brokers have an all round knowledge about the market as they keep a close eye on the rise and fall of currencies. A broker can be directed to provide you with special alerts in case a currency’s price is expected to rise or fall in the future. This means if a particular currency’s prices are expected to fall, you can plan and invest when the prices are low and sell them when the prices rise. An interpersonal relationship with a broker is essential for success in forex.

5. The Importance of Stop Losses

Of all the risk management tools in Forex, the Stop loss order is one of the most useful especially when it comes to small business owners. All you have to do is direct your broker to sell the currency if the price goes below a certain point. This not only limits the amount of risk your capital is being exposed to but also keeps you from facing huge losses. As forex is a volatile market and losses are inevitable, the key strategy of most traders is to limit their losses as much as possible. You can know more about risk management on websites such as forexstars.com and others.

6. Transparent Pricing is Essential

To make sure that you do not lose any extra money during forex trading it is important that the brokers offer prices, which do not change without any notice. With more and more people and businesses dealing in forex, the brokers also offer special prices to attract more and more investment from small businesses. Nevertheless, it must also be noted that the brokers and banks can charge some extra hidden fees. It is highly important that the rates offered to you are the same or lower than the interbank rates.

While individual traders form a fairly small percentage of the total players in the forex market, more and more small businesses are jumping in the world of forex trade. As budgets are always tight, it is essential that the businesses follow the above tips to save the foreign exchange as much as possible.

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Ulster Bank Fraud Prevention Briefings – Further Dates Added Due to Popular Demand

Ulster Bank will be on the road during May, June and July with FREE seminars on Fraud Prevention. Ever changing technology means that fraudsters are always finding new ways to exploit your business. Everyone is a potential target! Protect your interests by understanding the threats and taking measures to counteract them. Ulster Bank is committed to helping you protect your money.

Due to popular demand, further dates have now been added!!

Dates and times of the upcoming seminars are detailed below:

28/05/2015 – 10.00 – The Crowne Plaza, Dundalk
08/06/2015 – 10.00 – The Savoy Hotel, Limerick
09/06/2015 – 10.00 – The Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel, Kilkenny
18/06/2015 – 10.00 – Ulster Bank Group Centre, Donegall Square East, Belfast
19/06/2015 – 09.30 – The Silver Birches Hotel, Omagh
30/06/2015 – 10.00 – The Glasshouse Hotel, Sligo
01/07/2015 – 10.00 – The Hotel Kilmore, Cavan
15/07/2015 – 08.00 – Ulster Bank Group Centre, Georges Quay, Dublin 2

Engage with experts

The seminar will give you the opportunity to gain information from the experts about a range of fraud related topics such as online fraud, cheque fraud, invoice fraud and insider fraud.

Places are limited

Places are limited and will book quickly. Please nominate an attendee for your business and secure a place at your preferred location by emailing: UlsterBankFraudAwarenessSessions@rbs.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

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