onebestway’s design and marketing efforts for “Miss Newcastle 2011 – The Year of Bollywood” are being launched at Ladies Day at Newcastle Racecourse tomorrow.

And the Miss Newcastle team are scouting for entrants, too.

So do make sure that you are looking your most radiant.

Iv’e always admired Innocent, they built a very successful brand with clear positioning even if their corporate cuteness has always been a means to end.

In April Coke significantly increased their stake in the business with a majority shareholding but unusually without operational control (for now).

Coke’s involvement with the dippy, wholesome, independent Innocent brand angered many of their hardcore advocates.  The usual ‘selling out’ stories appeared; counter argued by that in fact innocent were ‘selling in’ their ethical values (hmmm) but whilst compromised, Innocent’s brand is certainly strong enough to survive the backlash and over time its unlikely that anyone will really care.

Coke certainly helped the smoothie giants expand into European shores; an expensive business as their UK category dominance is nowhere near as prevalent in foreign fields but the full story of this relationship will be a brand one, not an operational one.

Keeping line extension in check

Coke’s portfolio includes more than 3,300 drinks but they’re notoriously narrow with their brand thinking so their effect on Innocent’s long term brand strategy will be interesting.  Innocent have talked a lot in the press about ‘expanding their business’ but moving the brand into ‘veg pots’ in late 2008 marked the first real step in potential line extension which would almost certainly jar with Coke’s narrow approach to branding.

Continued line extension will without question, threaten their UK category dominance in the long term as it will undermine their power in their core smoothie market and I’d be shocked if Coke would support this.   Unless of course they’re after a quick buck but this isn’t really their style.

So whilst Innocent have been hammered over jumping into bed with one of the biggest corporates in the world, the long term is likely to look very good for them in the UK and beyond if Coke can help to keep any line extension in check and their brand focus clear.

If Innocent continue to extend their brand over the coming years I’d be worried that one of the most focused, clear and clever brands in recent memory will lose their category leadership and follow so many line extended brands into relative irrelevance.

Honest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2010/07/the_105m_website.html

Generally, simpler is better.

So when the fantastic fatemeh the physio wanted something on the ‘back’ of her business cards, we knew what to do.

Carolyn Jess Cooke’s website was launched this week.

A smart and simple solution for a massively popular and successful writer.

onebestway named and branded this Company ‘fittazz’ earlier this year and we’ve just launched the website.

Please give Paddy and Charlotte a call. They’re very good.

The website is at www.fittazz.co.uk.

onebestway launched www.businessfactorynt.co.uk last week.

It’s a unique online model for business support and enterprise in North Tyneside.

So, if you or anyone you know wants to start a business in that area, please take a look.

onebestway is looking for an exceptional New Business Development Manager.

You’ll be responsible for securing business by gaining new customers and impressive accounts based upon existing customer profiling information and identified targets.

As time goes on, we’ll develop new profiles and targets together.

You will also learn our sister businesses, angelfysh and Dunn and Dusted and you will communicate them brilliantly too.

This is very much a senior post and we’ll need you to be effective immediately please.

Expectations are very high.

You will

Source the ‘right’ kinds of businesses for onebestway.
Follow up new business opportunities and set up meetings.
Plan and prepare presentations that will win business.
Write proposals that will win business.
Learn our pricing policy in great detail.
Establish and maintain profitable working relationships alongside the Marketing Director and Managing Director.

You’ll need to be able to drive and will have your own car.

Hours can possibly flex to suit you.

A little more about you

You’ll have great business and marketing sense.
You’ll have the ability to engage and enthuse those you talk to, getting them to believe in what we are and what we can do for them.
You’ll understand the wider market within which onebestway operates and competes.
You’ll know our business extremely well.
You’ll have great communications skills, both in writing and verbally.
You’ll be enthusiastic and self-motivated and be able to work as part of a team.
You’ll have great organisational and time-management skills.
You’ll have a positive ‘can do’ attitude.
You’ll have great negotiation skills and persuasiveness skills.
You’ll be confident and capable presenting to groups of people of any size.
You’ll display initiative and enterprise.
You’ll be trustworthy and discrete when handling confidential information.
You’ll have a smart appearance and professional manner.
You’ll enjoy networking and meeting new people.
You’ll be honourable and likeable and you’ll be committed to and loyal to the onebestway brands.
You’ll be a winner.

Qualifications, training and experience

Personal qualities, particularly the ability to communicate, plus sales experience and market knowledge are more important than formal qualifications.

However a degree in finance, marketing (CIM, perhaps) and/or business management and/or marketing would be desirable.

Training is essentially completed on the job, observing and supporting colleagues.

Experience of our sector is desirable, including a great record of success.

Summary, package and prospects

We are looking for you to to build relationships and acquire more profitable business.

Ultimately your personal success will depend on the success and profitability of your accounts.

With a starting salary of £25k + plus excellent commission, earning potential is unlimited.

What to do

Please send a current cv plus an impressive covering email to mike@onebestway.com as quick as you like.

We are looking to recruit immediately.

Superstars only, please.

Thank you.

Please click here, then click VOTE NOW.

…

Stepney Bank Stables is a onebestway client.

Here’s a wee message fron Susan Tron OBE, Manager at Stepney Bank:

…

Stepney Bank is through to the semi finals of The National Lottery Awards 2010 and needs your votes to get through to the final round!

Stepney Bank Stables is 1 of only 10 projects in the country and the sole 1 in the North East to make it through to the semi finals in the Best Education Project Category.

This project is the only major inner city community horse project in the country and has proven the value of the horse as a tool to motivate, educate and pass on key social skills. Despite being a unusual concept it has proven a highly effective, long term method of engaging disaffected and hard to reach groups. We are also a first class, fully-accredited, equestrian centre!!!

Caring for horses provides purpose structure and routine where it may not have previously existed and creates a team with a common interest. The rides provide an environment where people skills are paramount which is an ideal setting for positive social and personal development. It is also a powerful antidote to anti-social behaviour, crime and exclusion. Using the horse as the uniting and motivating factor we have created an environment where learning is fun and incorporates real life situations.

Riding our ponies is the massive, fundamental dream of all the young people we work with. It is the WOW factor that makes these dreams come true. It proves an instant reward that maintains motivation for even the most challenging young people. They immediately link good behaviour and trying hard with this one special event that they all desire so highly! Riding and caring for horses is not only a huge motivational force but it very often it enables those with few other skills to demonstrate that there are areas in their lives that they can achieve in.

The Stables project has brought new opportunities, opened doors and broken down barriers to a section of the community where crime and apathy are high. Our project has enabled many individuals from this background to learn new interests and gain self esteem to a level whereby they are able to seek employment or further training. For others the improvement in the quality of everyday lives is amazing.

Voting for the semi final starts at 9am on 1 June and ends at midday on Friday 18th June. To register your vote for Stepney Bank Stables call 0844 686 5540 or log onto www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards

Please help us to get to the finals as every vote counts and we really do appreciate your support!!
Many thanks
Susan Tron
Manager

To find out more about the stables go to www.stepneybank.co.uk.

Please vote now.

Paul had a tough decision to make when he was 13. He’d grown up in a tough district of Newcastle and for reasons not even clear to him he decided not to follow the example of his joy riding classmates and he decided that he’d rather hold the reins of a horse rather the wheel of a stolen car. Many years later Paul is one of the Stables greatest success stories. “ Horse riding was the last thing you would expect someone like me to take up,” admits Paul. Stepney Bank is the sort of place you can leave your troubles at the gate and know that there are people here that support you. It is like a small community and there is a sense of belonging some people have never felt before. “The Stables paid for me to go through my training and exams and I wouldn’t have been able to afford it without their help. It set me up for life in so many ways.” Paul now runs his own Show Jumping yard selling high quality horses to the rich and famous.

Stepney Bank • Ouseburn • Newcastle Upon Tyne • NE1 2PN
info@stepneybank.co.uk • 0191 2615544 • www.stepneybankstables.co.uk
• Registered Charity No. 1084687 • BHS Registered • ABRS Registered

…
Junior Technical Developer (.NET Web Developer)

Required Knowledge

Microsoft .NET 2 – 3.5 C# Web Development Microsoft SQL Server/SQL Statements/Stored Proc’s HTML/CSS Microsoft IIS Javascript.

An awareness of new technologies.

Desirable Knowledge

Paypal API
AJAX / SOAP / XML
Accessibility
Documentation

Personal Skills

A strong desire to learn and a passion for software development.

The ability to not only follow direction, but to be pro-active in your attitude towards work.

The ability to research and overcome any technical problems you may have as well as being able to teach yourself when needed.

Good communication skills, especially when in the very rare times that things may not be going perfectly.

It is very important to us that you are a good team player. Everything we do at onebestway as individuals, effects everyone else on a personal level as well as a business as a whole. Effectively we require someone who is ‘nice’ and openly honest, not just a workhorse.

You must have either have had at least 1-2 years commercial experience or a related degree.

You will be required to demonstrate your skills. This will require you do a small project at home.
…

Please send a stand-out email to mike@onebestway.com and john@onebestway.com just as soon as you can.

Salary is £15k to £20k.

Superstars only.

Thank you

John Stock, Senior Technical Developer, onebestway | Michael Owen, MD, onebestway