Data Protection Shocker!
We caused an Insiders hot post. All we asked was “Can we check you have all registered with the ICO?”
When the data protection laws were updated in May 2018 we spent many many months in the lead up to this ensuring everyone attending our events or reading our blogs were aware that it was highly unlikely they had a business that would be exempt and would have to take action.
We even ran an update masterclass session in late 2019 with Adavista who deliver our data protection policies and advice to check everyone knew how to process data and how it is good for business when you get it right, not forgetting how costly it is if you get it wrong!
Did you know for instance not being registered with ICO could cost you a £400 instant fine?
So we were a little surprised when we discovered that business owners were still not registered. We work closely with Robyn Banks to ensure we help you access the best quality advice neccesary to be compliant. Here Robyn Shares a few key points to get you started. And even if you answer no, I’ve not done that! to every single point, don’t panic, we are here to help. Post to the Insiders and Robyn (who is also an Insider) will help. Our Insiders have all experienced so much in business so they will have advice on what to do too. (Not just someone random on Facebook who heard it at networking event once!)
Here are a few key points to consider;
- The ICO fee is not the only part of data protection compliance – have you considered other documentation?”
- Are your emails compliant with e-privacy regulations?
- What about a Privacy Notice? Do you know for sure yours has the correct info in it?”
- How long and technical is our Privacy Notice? Legal jargon should NOT be there!”
- If the Privacy Notice is longer than a side and half of A4 – is anyone going to read it?”
- The more detail you put into a Privacy Notice, the more loopholes you are creating for exploitation – that doesn’t protect your business!”
- Is your use of data documented appropriately? Does int include all the concepts it should?”
Everything covered here in these data protection/GDPR tips is legal requirement – At BWN we don’t want you to get caught out! Robyn Banks doesn’t either – which is why she is an Affiliate and offers a discount to BWN on her already low fees.
How long does it take to get legal?
For our own policies and registration it took us 1.5 hours to become compliant! We had a conversation with Robyn who wanted to know how we process information and where we store your data. Then Robyn went off and wrote tailor made documentation for our business. And then we updated our website and email accordingly.
Simple.
And not worth the risk of thousands of £s in fines – £400 is only for not paying the fee and the tip of the iceberg in terms of non-compliance.!
To join the Insiders click here. You can ask Robyn anything. Robyn is a very active Insiders member and keen to help all businesses be legal when it comes to data protection. If you missed her interview on BWN TV – with a mention of helping to land a British Airways plane in Russia at the age of 21! You can watch that here.
Cabinet Office Latest Update
Througout lock down and Covid 19 times the Cabinet office writes to us so we can update our members.
This is the latest email dated 24.6.20, 9.42am
“Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Tuesday 23rd June) set out further changes to lockdown measures in England to enable people to see more of their friends and family, help businesses get back on their feet and get people back in their jobs.
From Saturday 4th July, the Prime Minister has announced that:
1) Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will be able to reopen, providing they adhere to COVID Secure guidelines – updated guidance for all workplace settings can be found here: https://bit.ly/sectorsocialdist
2) Two households will be able to meet up in any setting with social distancing measures – updated guidance on social distancing can be found here: https://bit.ly/SDUpdated
3) People can now enjoy staycations in England with the reopening of accommodation sites – guidance on opening up the visitor economy can also be found here: https://bit.ly/sectorsocialdist
4) In order to begin restoring the arts and cultural sector, some leisure facilities and tourist attractions may also reopen, if they can do so safely – this includes outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades, as well as libraries, social clubs, places of worship and community centres – guidance on opening up the visitor economy can also be found here: https://bit.ly/sectorsocialdist
Following a review, the Prime Minister has also set out that where it is not possible to stay two metres apart, guidance will allow people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’. This means staying one metre apart, plus mitigations which reduce the risk of transmission.
You can find the full press release here: https://bit.ly/PMPressNotice
The Prime Minister has shared the following tweet to outline which businesses can reopen from 4th July. We would appreciate you retweeting on your own channels where possible: https://bit.ly/4thJulyTweet
Update; Can I really take my business online?
We first heard from Sarah from Sarah Everett Photography in late April. Sarah bravely admitted that lock down and Covid 19 were damaging her business mindset as she balanced business, 3 young children and her husband’s business too. Not surprising right?
We knew it was going to be tough for many of our members and so we ended March looking at ways to grow your business even if we couldn’t physically network with you.
In all our networking events we added a 1 hour free coaching from our Founder Mandie Holgate (international coach, author and speaker) and we have heard some great results that business women are getting and here Sarah shares a fabulous update on how her business is growing excitingly in these new, challenging times.
“Thank you again for inviting me to be a part of the BWN blog. It’s been a great boost to be featured in the media. Things are starting to pick up and hopefully that continues. Here’s what happened for me since that networking event in April…
A photograph of my daughter playing hopscotch was chosen from over 3000 entries by Historic England as part of their collection Picturing Lockdown. Just 100 public images were chosen.
I have to admit I was beaming from ear to ear when I got that email!
I had to keep this amazing news to myself for 3 entire weeks, until the day the collection went public. And what a day that was! I had no idea that my image was to appear on both BBC Look East and ITV Anglia, including my name being mentioned. I even had a congratulations tweet from Will Quince.
I created this image whilst on the way home from capturing some of my neighbours as part of my Doorstep Diary. Having this beautiful photo of my daughter entered into their archives was made extra special to me since she has accompanied me on each photo walk with her little notepad of addresses.
Next came something I’ve never done before, I decided to contact the Gazette to see if they’d like to run a story about me. To my delight they came back to me with a yes, they would like to cover this on a two page spread! A lovely bit of positive news amongst all the difficulties we are all facing. Turned out it was on the centre page, it still feels a bit surreal.
But it’s taught me never to shy away from contacting the media, they are simply normal people with a job to do. I gave them a lovely story complete with images – now to be framed on my office wall as a reminder.”
We are so pleased to hear of Sarah’s successful project, achievement and free PR. Over on the Insiders (Our confidential mastermind group – learn more here) we have been looking at how to help you be a thought leader and get in the press. And Sarah is not the first Insider to get her first free PR this month! We are very proud to support you and will do all we can to protect the success of women in business.
Business Women – What to do on those tough I quit days
We love our members and our coordinators. Here Lisa Hardy who hosts our Suffolk BWN networking events gets real about home schooling, many business hats, networking, staying motivated and days when you want to say “Oh sod it, let’s play int the pool….”
“I don’t know how you guys are feeling. I have been really pleased with myself, and my family, with our adjustment to lock down life this past 7,8,9 who knows weeks. Yes, there have been hick ups. Lets face it your either born to home school or your not.
No surprises, I’m not. We have made it work in our own way, just like every family out there. Hubster at home all day, well a work related accident kept him at home most of last year. Turns out, we quite like spending time together and enjoy each others company, who knew? When we need space, I have the office, he has his garage aka The Dork Fort. Finding a solution to the issue, it seems, is little used strength of mine. My mantra has emerged as – we don’t need perfect, we need suitable. It is on the right side of positive so I see it as a plus.
Here it comes……..BUT I just don’t know what has happened to my mindset these last few days.
Its like the drive, power and ‘can do’ attitude, that have filled my many lock down days so far, left when the wheelie bins were emptied on Friday afternoon. It got me a little worried. I am going to be a fully paid up, card carrying member of the work from home gang for quite a while to come. What if I have hit a wall and that is the end of my motivation?
Pfft…………….Get a grip Hardy.
Is this the first time I have ever lost my focus? No! Its not like I didn’t have “I cant be arsed days” before 23rd March 2020, so why are these two days worrying me so much now?
My guess, and it really is a guess at this stage, is that normally when I am losing my way, I get out with people. In short, I rely on the events that allow me to network. That gathering of people with a hunger to be social , is the perfect butt kick for my flawed focus.
As the Suffolk events Coordinator of The Business Womens Network I am still networking weekly, in the virtual sense, but I miss the inspiration physically being with people creates.
I am not going to beat myself up, force myself to sit in the office until my new mantra becomes “just get it done and over with”. Instead, it seems, I am going to pour my head and its contents out into this piece, make a cuppa and sit and watch my girls enjoy the sunshine and their new paddling pool.
Because there is always tomorrow to sort out the work”.
To keep in touch with our wonderful coordinator Lisa Hardy 07736284514
Lisa is a Tropics Ambassador, Lead Role Actor Responsive Roles, Coordinator Ipswich & Felixstowe Business Womens Network and owner of a hair dressers and beauty salon – because hey she has nothing better to do. You see we get busy, we get stressed, we get that fear of how do I grow a business in lock down. And because of this we know how to help you grow no matter what you and your company face.
See you at a business growth, kick butt (with love) event this month. Don’t forget all events have a free hour coaching from our Founder Mandie Holgate – which could answer why no one stays unmotivated and unfocused for long!
www.tropicskincare.co.uk/lisahardy ID:002343
WE Connect Opportunities for Women In Business
Business opportunities for women-owned suppliers across
Europe
WEConnect International is a corporate-led non-profit and their goal is
to connect more majority women owned businesses into the corporate supply
chain. Their corporate members represent $1 trillion in annual purchasing power
and are true pioneers in inclusive sourcing and more information can be found
on their website: http://weconnectinternational.org/.
WEConnect International currently has the following business opportunities – if
you are a majority owned women’s business that could provide any of these
requirements, please get in touch with Emma Duncan, Outreach and Event Manager
for Europe on eduncan@weconnectinternational.org
by Tuesday 2nd June – thank you!
Packaging suppliers including:
- On shelf printed packaging: flexible (bags) and cartons (boxes)
- Shipper cases: corrugated boxes
- Injection moulding
- Tertiary packaging: stretch films, tapes, stickers
- Customized packaging for displays (on shelf)
Hygiene materials including:
- Non-wovens: spunbond, spunlace and carded
- Product films
- Adhesives
Raw materials producers (not traders) including:
- Resins: PE, PET and PP, recycled resins
- Fibres: plastic or natural based
- Cellulose
- Super absorbent materials
Contract manufacturers producing fem care products including:
- Tampons and pads and liners – particularly with naturals/sustainable solutions
Packing suppliers including:
- Primary packing – (filling and form, fil seal); bottle making equipment; flexible packaging (sachets, flow wrappers, stackers and baggers)
- Secondary packing – wrapping, labelling, cartoning machines
- End of line equipment – palletizing, case packing, pick and place
Material handling equipment suppliers such as forklifts, AGV, conveyors and
racking
Assembly suppliers e.g. converting, dust control equipment, glue equipment,
printing/inks etc.
Production related suppliers who can supply skids, tanks, utilities, chillers,
welding and heat exchangers etc.
Facilities management related suppliers across Europe
(especially in the UK and Germany) including:
- Cleaning
- Gardening
- Janitorial
- Security
- Catering
- Building installations and maintenance
- Waste disposal