Suffolk Money

For this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, Colin Low has been chatting to Olly Magnus, CEO of logistics company Magnus Group, who was recently awarded Director of the Year at the Suffolk Business Awards. Olly describes the moment he won this award as the proudest moment of his life, not least because this provides closure on a very difficult chapter of his life. Having overcome massive life challenges to get to where he is today, Olly attributes his drive for success to wanting to prove himself to those who expected him to fail. His incredible story includes overcoming major health hurdles (both physical and mental), the struggles of exiting a business which had become acrimonious and the challenges of investing in a declining business. After his father’s death in 2018, Olly sold up his own freight forwarding business to buy shares in the Ipswich-based haulage company, Magnus Group, founded by his dad (Paul Magnus) in 1973. His intention was to reinvigorate the business whilst bringing it back under family control; a mission he describes as “turning the Titanic”. His aggressive two-year plan was a great success with Magnus Group achieving growth, the introduction of a successful new freight forwarding division and the creation of a strong senior team to lead the future. Olly attributes his honesty, friendliness and cricket obsession to his Australian roots. Yet he is a loyal ITFC fan and in 2021, Magnus Group became the West stand sponsor at Portman Road and Olly had the great honour of being invited to join the ITFC Community Trust Board. To find out more about Magnus Group please visit https://magnusgroup.co.uk

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money Podcast, Colin is joined by Kate Higgs from Ormiston Families; the East of England’s leading family charity. Kate tells Colin how the charity began, when a charitable trust was created in 1969 to honour the memory of a young woman called Fiona Ormiston Murray, following her tragic death. Now known as Ormiston Families, this trust was established to help children and families in need, and has since stayed true to its vision and mission. Ormiston Families supports children, young people and their families by helping them to manage the challenges they face. Many of the people they help have experienced chaotic and complex life-styles and suffered traumatic childhood experiences. Knowing that a staggering 40% of mothers who have lost their children in the family courts have spent time in care themselves, Ormiston Families is there to help break this terrible cycle. By offering understanding, guidance and support, they can help them to improve their life chances and see a brighter future. Before joining Ormiston Families in 2017, Kate was head of income generation at the national volunteering charity, Volunteering Matters. With a background in sales and marketing, Kate had decided to use her skills to really make a difference in the charity sector, after she experienced first-hand the amazing care her brother was given during the last few weeks of his life at St Elizabeth’s Hospice. She has worked tirelessly since, with businesses, community groups and individuals, to raise funds for children and families in need of support. To find out more about Ormiston Families please visit https://www.ormiston.org

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, Colin talks to Carole Burman, founder and owner of one of our region’s leading HR consultancies, MAD-HR. Like many great things, MAD-HR came from small beginnings, with Carole launching a new business from her kitchen table back in 2014. As Carole explains to Colin, prior to this she was in a very successful corporate HR role, but when her mother became unexpectedly ill, Carole felt compelled to rethink her working approach and spend time with her parents before it was too late. Carole had developed a vision for a different kind of HR consultancy, wanting to really Make A Difference. The concept of MAD-HR was born and the unique values and ethos behind the name has been the foundation and the driving force of the consultancy, which eschews the stereotypes often associated with HR and since earnt Carole and her team countless awards and a phenomenal reputation. Charlotte joined Carole as co-director in 2016, and from here the team steadily grew. In the last year things have really skyrocketed and there are now 11 employees, five of which have been recruited in 2022. Carole explains that businesses are starting to realise that just focusing on employment law when it comes to their HR requirements isn’t enough. The value that HR professionals such as MAD-HR can bring, will empower the business and make sure that it is the best that it can be. Carole also has another passion; despite living in Kent she was brought up as an Ipswich Town fan! As soon as she was able, she bought herself a season ticket and went to every home game. As fate would have it, her now husband was also an avid fan and this is where they met, at the Portman Road stands during the weekly games! For more information about Carole and Charlotte and their amazing team of HR Professionals, visit: https://www.mad-hr.co.uk

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, Colin talks to Charlotte Davitt-Mills, the General Manager and owner of Shotley Vineyard. Charlotte tells the remarkable story about how she and her husband bought a beautiful plot of land close to their home in 2017, having fallen in with the stunning views that surrounded it. The initial plan was to set-up a glamping business, however they quickly discovered that the overgrown fields were filled with established vines that, despite being covered in brambles and weeds, were actually in very good health. Three years and lots of hard physical graft later, their hard work came to fruition as they launched their first vintage in 2020. Shotley Vineyard is now an exciting venue for walkers, tourists and families, who are welcomed to delight in the views, vineyards and wines. They also offer tours and activities and, have also become a popular wedding and events venue, overlooking both the Orwell and Stour estuaries. Like many small business owners, Charlotte has lots to manage and combines wine production with motherhood. So, whilst the business has grown rapidly in a short space of time, Charlotte is now keen to let it gradually evolve before diversifying too much in the future. Her current priorities are family, increasing wine production and getting involved in the local community. For more information about Shotley Vineyard, please visit: https://shotleyvineyard.co.uk

Deborah Watson joins Colin in this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, to tell him all about Wednesday’s Child; a not-for-profit organisation that helps support individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Sharing her own personal experience of living with an eating disorder, Debbie talks candidly and openly about the issues she faced as a young person at university and the ‘perfect storm’ that lead to her developing anorexia nervosa. The lack of information about mental health during this time and the feelings of stigma associated with eating disorders, meant that it was very difficult, for her and her family, to seek help and support. Despite Debbie’s illness, she managed to successfully complete her degree and was quickly offered a job as a journalist with the East Anglian Daily Times. Debbie describes how being able to create and shape a career path helped create an upward spiral towards recovery. It is this lived experience of being ‘full of woe’ that inspired the organisation’s name, Wednesday’s Child; as defined in the old nursery rhyme. Debbie is passionate about not letting past experiences define a person and that every ‘Wednesday’s Child’ has the capacity to be as full of love, vibrancy and opportunity as a child born on every other day. Having run a successful PR agency for over 20 years, Debbie set up Wednesday’s Child in 2019, determined to make a difference to the lives of those experiencing an eating disorder and, to aid those who care for them. She could see that there was still so little support available to people living with eating disorders and the eighteen-month NHS waiting list was leaving families feeling abandoned and desperate. Her initial idea was to provide carefully curated gift boxes, which would be ideal for someone in recovery. This was met with lots of support, but Debbie then began receiving requests for therapy. The rise of Zoom during the 2020 lockdowns provided Debbie with the opportunity to contact therapists virtually and refer families; meaning those in need could access therapy within a matter of days rather than months. Now working closely with schools and universities, as well as healthcare professionals and business leaders, Wednesday’s Child continues to enable people to reach out for help and support and to ease the suffering of individuals and families affected by an eating disorder. To find out more, please visit https://wednesdayschild.co.uk

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, Colin speaks to someone who really has really made a difference to her local community, having created a small business in memory of her first child. Zoe Hayman-Cox tells a truly heart-warming story, which lead to her opening a very popular tea-room in Chantry Park. With no previous experience in the baking profession, Zoe had a long and successful career in conciliations, working for ACAS in what she describes as her ‘dream job’. Everything changed when Zoe fell pregnant and, quickly learned that her baby had a chromosome abnormality and a life-limiting condition. Whilst her employers were supportive at first, sadly Zoe was ultimately forced to leave her job as circumstances changed during this time of great personal tragedy. Zoe gave birth to William in August 2017. He lived for two precious hours and Zoe and her husband received amazing support from East Anglia Children’s Hospice, who made sure that family could come and visit them and meet the baby. As time passed, Zoe found comfort in baking. Her natural talent flourished and, inspired by the flowers at her son’s funeral, Sweet William’s Bakery was established in 2020. Initially baking for small groups of people from her own kitchen, having accepted an order for a large event in 2021, Zoe quickly upscaled her business and began operating out of Chantry Park’s disbanded Bowls Pavillion. Sweet William’s Bakery is now a wonderful, thriving business – offering afternoon teas and a selection of cakes, scones and savouries – in Chantry Park, behind the Sue Ryder care home. With plans to expand further with additional indoor seating, Zoe clearly pours her heart and soul into her business, having created Sweet William’s Bakery as a treasured connection with her first child. You can find Zoe there most days, along with her delightful three-year old daughter, Emilia, when she’s not at nursery! Sweet William’s Bakery is also on easily found on Facebook and Instagram and please see below for links to the fantastic charities mentioned in this podcast: East Anglia's Children's Hospices https://www.each.org.uk Petals Charity | The Baby Loss Counselling Charity https://petalscharity.org

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money Colin talks to inspirational duo, Tracey Clayden and her son Jake, who have built their wonderful Suffolk business selling luxury hand-poured beeswax melts and candles. With a focus on natural products and scents, they have a real passion for the environment and supporting local beekeepers and their bees. Tracey and Jake set up their company just over a year ago with the intention of funding Jake through university. Having always loved burning wax melts at home, Tracey had grown fed-up with the poor quality of the products she was using. Jake looked into the process and found that many wax melts are made using soy or paraffin, which are both detrimental to the environment and are also never very highly scented. So they set about creating their own family business (with Dad, Simon also playing his part in building the website) providing top-end products that are environmentally responsible and, using the brand to highlight bees and the vital work that they do in pollination. Beginning with one weekly pitch in Stowmarket, uMeltz now trades in 14 locations across Suffolk. Staying true to their principals, you won’t find any plastics on their stalls as all uMeltz products are packaged in eco-friendly non-plastic glassine pager. They also have an active online presence, having truly embraced the new hybrid way of working. For more information please visit their website, where you can then also find them across various social media platforms https://umeltz.com

This week Colin talks to Chris Wiley, founder of Sow Successful Ltd, whose Harkstead horticultural business has gone from strength to strength since he launched it in 2020. Having always nurtured a keen interest in plants, Chris previously worked for a large horticultural firm, where he ran plant research and development tests as part of an in-house breeding programme. Supported by the Prince’s Trust and mentored by none-other than Peter Seabrook, Chris tells Colin how Sow Successful really took off when he discovered and cultivated a completely unique sweet pea, which he later named after his mentor in a fitting tribute for the support he’d received over the years. The unusual colour and exceptional scent of the flower gained royal approval, when a bouquet was presented to the Queen at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this summer. Chris then went on to win the Best New Plant Award at BBC Gardener’s World Live! At just 27 years old, Chris’s success will surely be an inspiration to any budding horticulturalists that are passionate about a career in the great outdoors. For more information about Sow Successful please visit https://www.sow-successful.com

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, Colin talks to Bridie Iachetta at Larking Gowen, tapping into her expert knowledge on cryptocurrency and the, often little-known, tax implications around this. Cryptocurrencies have been around since before 2010, but many of us wouldn’t know a bitcoin from an ethereum, or a fork from a blockchain. As an expert in this digital medium of exchange, Bridie dispels the confusion around the terminology, whilst discussing the pros and cons of cryptocurrency and what makes it so volatile. Once perceived as insidious, cryptocurrency is becoming increasingly popular as society deals less and less with cash. Colin and Bridie talk about the possible effects on society and the issues we face as we move towards a cashless society. For more information you can contact Bridie at Larking Gowen: https://www.larking-gowen.co.uk/our-people/bridie-iachetta/

If you’ve just started a business and wonder who you can turn to, this episode of Suffolk Money Podcast may just give you the answer. This week Colin speaks to Nick Pandolfi, who after a long and varied career in the media, is now part of the team at MENTA; a non-for-profit organisation that works with entrepreneurs and growing businesses, offering help, support, advice and training. Nick begins by talking about his education at drama school in London, which led to roles on stage as well as in television and film. After a brief spell in the States, he returned to Suffolk and took his first role on the air waves, with Radio Suffolk. Presenting local radio turned out to be a great fit, giving Nick the opportunity to be himself and to learn more about Suffolk. Nick went on to work for a variety of radio stations, including Liberty, SGR Radio, Heart and finally Town 102. It was here on his breakfast show that Nick first met Colin, the local money expert. Presenting a breakfast show six days a week naturally comes with enormous challenges. By 2017 Nick was ready for a change and joined MENTA, to help with marketing and media engagement. Nick is now focused on helping start-ups and established businesses improve the promotion of their brand, products and services through Social Media as well as traditional media. The evolution of MENTA is one of Suffolk’s biggest success stories. It was started in 1984 by a small group of business people who saw a need for business support, training and coaching and has been at the forefront of helping local businesses grow ever since. Not only does it provide a wide range of cost-effective business services, but also the facility for co-working and collaborative workspaces, with sites in Haverhill, Brandon as well as Bury St Edmunds. For more information about MENTA please visit https://www.menta.org.uk