Exeter Express and Echo Thursday, December 29, 2011

‘BRACE yourself for 2012′ is the advice from members of Exeter Business Club as they prepare to face the year ahead.

The group, which meets weekly at the Fresha cafe on Sowton, has been sharing its new year’s resolutions and predictions.

Striking a positive note, Desi Fradgeley, of Utility Warehouse, said: “We should all buck the current gloomy trend, be happy, smiley and confuse the pundits.”

With a nod to the European economic crisis, Nick Agg-Manning, of Outside Adventure Consultants, said he aims to finish the year by invoicing in sterling rather than any other currency, adding that he would also like to hit a bull when demonstrating archery.

Karen Skelton, of Egret electrical, gas repair and testing, has her work cut out for her in 2012. As well as expanding into new offices, she and her husband hope to finish building their new home after a three-year slog.

Belinda Newton, at the HR Department, predicted companies will make it their priority to improve staff performance and reduce absence levels. Meanwhile Katie Porkess, of Katie Porkess Consultancy, warns that as the economic squeeze tightens, more employees will cut corners and bend the rules to meet targets often without their boss’s knowledge.

Look for new markets to grow your business is the advice from Chris Dunston, of Artavia Personal Financial Services. He also advocates being an honest networker.

On a lighter note, biscuits were on the mind of Pete Weeks, of e-commerce specialists Daneswood.

“We have already introduced cuts by moving to an Aldi range and abandoning the heady profligacy of Fox’s,” he reported. “But further austerity measures are needed and we expect to be operating on a broken biscuit mix by the second quarter of 2012 with a strictly Nice-based profile by year end.”