The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 19: June/July 2015 | Page 4

BUSINESS NEWS WILTSHIRE FIRMS JOIN FORCES TO HELP BEAT POVERTY Business against Poverty (BaP) is a local community of business people who care about the issues of poverty and ethical standards and is taking action to support the reduction of International and UK poverty through their charity People against Poverty. Based in Trowbridge the charity has 105 members and is growing all the time. The Business Exchange (TBE) signed up as Platinum sponsors last month and will be helping the charity in their quest to beat poverty whilst creating a network that truly supports firms locally. Director and editor of TBE Anita Jaynes said: “The Business Exchange is delighted to be supporting Business Against Poverty in their mission to help businesses connect, whilst giving something back ethically to society. “We have been particularly impressed with the visibility of the projects that BaP supports. It’s great to be able to clearly see where the membership funds go and who they support. When you give to a charity you don’t often see where the money goes, you just hope that the money reaches those most in need. With BaP you have this assurance, which makes you all the more passionate about supporting them.” One of the ways BaP raises funds for those in need is through their annual gala ball. The event will take place this year on Saturday 14 November at Bailbrook House Hotel near Bath. The event has become a firm favourite and tickets often sell out within weeks of going on sale. Guests enjoy an evening that starts with a sparkling reception followed by a sumptuous three-course dinner and dancing to a live band. An auction and raffle take place during the evening, with local companies generously offering a wide range of prizes from jewellery and holidays, to meals at local eateries. Tickets for the ball are on sale now and cost £75 each or £700 for a table of ten. The charity is still looking for event sponsors, auction and raffle prizes too. If you can help please get in touch via the details below. www.businessagainstpoverty.com [email protected] In each edition of TBE BaP will be revealing their member of the month. In the first instalment BaP interview founder of Mayden, Chris May, to find out more about his business, what drives his success and why he supports Business Against Poverty. What does Mayden do? Mayden provides end-to-end managed web applications and bespoke system development to the healthcare sector. We specialise in innovative, flexible and cloudbased software solutions, driven by the desire to add real value to healthcare by developing applications that have the power to change the way services are delivered by staff and experienced by patients. Who do you admire in the world of business and why? Bill Gates. Most of my working age productivity has come from Microsoft software – together with an immense and seemingly unabated amount of frustration. It’s a great metaphor for how much and how quickly we can take things for granted. But that isn’t the reason I’ve chosen Bill. Having amassed a vast fortune, rather than spending it all on luxury liners, private jets and football clubs, he’s using it to tackle extreme poverty and global health issues.  What is your business philosophy? Find something worthwhile to do then provide the very best products backed up by excellent customer service. Be responsive and always give the client something more than they expect; those little extras don’t cost much, but they can have a huge impact on how you are perceived. At Mayden we know all our clients by their first name and they do our marketing for us. And once we have been recommended our products should sell themselves. Of course this couldn’t happen without our staff and I try and apply the same philosophy to them. Good business is about relationships; it’s about how you treat people. What would be your advice to anyone wondering if their business could benefit from joining Business against Poverty? As business leaders, at some point we will all entertain the notion that we would like to give something back. Very few business leaders I know – the good ones at any rate – have a sense of entitlement and will find that giving leads to its own rewards. Who has the time to work out which are the most deserving causes and make sure the money we donate is spent wisely?  This is where Business against Poverty comes in. We can’t save the world, but we can make a huge difference to the lives of a few individuals who live in the direst of circumstances. We can get involved as much as we like, by just giving small amounts of money, or by getting involved in BaP projects on the ground in places like Nepal or Romania. For those of