I have recently been spending a lot of time thinking about my business and what’s next for us.

We’ve had a really good few years, from a growth perspective. We’ve integrated one acquisition and we’re looking at one or two others. We are in an objectively good shape.

However, as the firm grows and more advisers join the team, we need to find a way to continue to build and for the business to be able to sustain itself.

When we set up, it was mainly my own connections and relationships that generated new clients. But that’s probably not enough now. The old adage of, ‘What got us here won’t get us there,’ feels apt.

We must do what fits for us. And why shouldn’t it be something we enjoy doing?

And so to marketing.

It feels as if there are a million and one resources, from a financial services marketing perspective.

From podcasts by industry experts, marketing specialists, SEO companies and consultants galore, to other advisers promoting what they do on LinkedIn and/or X (formerly Twitter), it’s a minefield when determining who to follow and which options are best.

I have thought a lot about which approaches to explore and from whom to take inspiration. So many good people are providing really excellent, free content.

However, I chose to come away from all of that ‘stuff’. I went back to basics. I started thinking about my business, my life, what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it.

We decided to go to our best introducers and best clients and ask them what they, their peers, their colleagues and their friends might be interested in

Why? Well, while no doubt good, all the information out there is pretty generic. There can be basic guides for what can work or what has worked for other people, sure. However, these aren’t specific to me, to my business and to what I want to do with my time.

Actual people

So, I went back to thinking about what had brought people to my company and what had made them stay. Also, what I enjoyed in terms of marketing and what I didn’t.

As business owners, we get to choose these things. I don’t want to be ruled by the business — I want to rule it. This led me to AP — actual people.

Forget AI; AP is where it’s at. I like people. I like speaking with them, learning their stories, hearing what challenges they have and thinking through the options to overcome them.

What is working already? What feels comfortable to you? What can you do often and sustainably

I realised, if we’re a business that people join and stay with because of the human connection, why don’t we do things that encourage more human connections?

We decided to go to our best introducers and best clients and ask them what they, their peers, their colleagues and their friends might be interested in.

These people are already advocates of ours. They get it, they get us.

I understand why writing social-media posts or creating a podcast (I had one of those) and other digital content is useful for marketing. However, those things aren’t what define us.

I don’t like the peer pressure about what you need to do, marketing-wise. We must do what fits for us. Yes, we’d like it to work but why shouldn’t it be something we enjoy doing? Something authentic and sustainable.

We will monitor the results — who came in as clients and what work came from it. That’s the analytics we can review.

Gauging feedback

Our marketing to-do list was relatively long to start with but we decided to refine it to three or four projects initially and gauge feedback from there.

None of these are revolutionary, either. Sorry if you thought I was going to give you the key to loads of new business.

We’re starting with a wine-tasting evening local to a number of our clients with a local wine-production company we know.

We’re doing an evening at a high-end watch retailer with a number of sports and entrepreneur clients with a big interest in watches.

I started thinking about my business, my life, what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it

We have seminars arranged, reviewing pensions and inheritance tax planning.

And we’re planning an event with our charity partner, Spread a Smile, to show our clients what we do as a business for them.

We will ask introducers to bring potential clients and we will ask clients to bring like-minded individuals.

I will update on how this has gone over the next year or so, but the main point of this column was to remind other business owners and advisers to think through what their marketing looks like.

What is working already? What feels comfortable to you? What can you do often and sustainably, and enjoy rather than endure? Good luck.

Sam Sloma is managing director of Engage Financial Services

This article featured in the October 2024 edition of Money Marketing. 

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QUALITY Street has made a big change to one of its chocolate pouches before Christmas.

Nestle, which makes the iconic sweets, has added a new chocolate to its Quality Street “Favourites Golden Selection” pouch.

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The bags feature some of customers’ favourite Quality Street sweets which come in a golden wrapper.

Before this year only the Toffee Finger and the Caramel Swirl were featured in the 283g bag.

But Quality Street has confirmed that now the Toffee Penny has been added.

Fans have been delighted by the news, with one writing commenting on X, formally Twitter, that it was “amazing”.

“It’s going to be a great Christmas,” said another.

“Toffee pennies have always been my favourites. Thank you!” said a third chocolate lover.

Shoppers can buy the Favourites Golden Selection pouches from a range of different supermarkets.

One of the cheapest on the market currently appears to be Asda, which is selling a 283g pouch for £3.50.

Nestle has been making Quality Street pouches for quite some time to offer customers an alternative to the traditional plastic they are served in.

They come in a range of different flavours including a creme selection and a pouch of just Strawberry Delights.

Nestle has made a number of changes to Quality Street ahead of Christmas 2024.

This includes launching entirely paper tubs.

The recyclable box is available to buy in around 60 Tesco stores as Nestle trials more sustainable packaging.

Fans were not impressed by the move with one stating it had taken the “sparkle and excitement out of Christmas”.

The introduction of the new paper tubs does not signal the immediate end of its plastic and metal tins.

Its 600g and 800g tubs are still available to buy at supermarkets and online.

Return of a classic

Nestle has also brought back a Quality Street fan-favourite for the second Christmas in a row.

The coffee creme flavour chocolate was last seen in Quality Street tubs over 20 years ago until the chocolatier reintroduced it last year.

Nestle has confirmed that the sweet treat will be available once again this Christmas.

However, fans won’t find the iconic flavour in the usual Quality Street tubs.

Instead, the coffee-flavour fondant wrapped in dark chocolate has joined the 11 other Quality Street sweets at pick-and-mix stations across selected John Lewis stores in the UK.

They are also available in a limited-edition cracker at Waitrose and John Lewis stores for £5.50.

How to save money on chocolate

We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.

Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…

Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.

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Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.

Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.

Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.

They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.

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Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.

So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.

St James’s Place (SJP) recorded net inflows of £890m in the past quarter.

These sustained inflows, together with “positive investment performance”, have resulted in record funds under management of £184.4bn as of 30 September.

The UK’s largest wealth manager also recorded gross inflows of £4.4bn in the third quarter, 20% higher compared to the same period last year.

SJJP chief executive Mark FitzPatrick said the results “demonstrate the power of our business model and the trusted relationships our advisers enjoy with clients”.

FitzPatrick also said SJP continues to make progress on its cost and efficiency programme, its review of historic client servicing records and the implementation of its “new simple and comparable charging structure”.

“We are on track to implement the new charging structure by the second half of 2025, including tiering for both ongoing product and initial advice charges,” he said.

“Each of these key programmes is progressing in line with our plans and there is no change to our existing financial guidance.”

FitzPatrick added that while the macroeconomic environment has improved since the beginning of the year, there continues to be uncertainty in the outlook for consumers, savers and investors.

“While speculation around the forthcoming Autumn Budget compounds this, we know that our advisers are providing invaluable advice to our clients, helping them to navigate the uncertainty and safeguard their financial futures.

“With increasing client numbers, sustained net inflows and growing funds under management, our business is performing well and we are positioning for further long-term success.”

THOUSANDS of benefit claimants are entitled to free NHS prescriptions that can slash their medical expenses.

In England prescriptions cost £9.90 per item, but some benefits give claimants access to free NHS prescriptions.

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The flat prescription fee is designed to make necessary medication affordable, but if you are taking several prescriptions costs can quickly add up.

So, if you’re eligible, claiming your free prescriptions could make a big difference.

And in some cases the entitlement could also give you free access to over-the-counter remedies.

What benefits grant access to free prescriptions?

You will be entitled to free prescriptions if you or your partner receive:

• Income support
• Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Pension Credit (guarantee element)

You will also be entitled to free prescriptions if you receive Universal Credit and and your earnings for the most recent assessment period were £435 or less, or £935 or less if your claim included an element for a child, or if you have ‘limited capability for work’.

You could also be entitled to free NHS prescriptions if you receive tax credits and your annual family income is £15,276 or less. To claim you must be in receipt of:

• Child tax credit
• Working tax credit and child tax Ccedit paid together
• Working tax credit including a disability element

If you’re entitled to free NHS prescriptions your partner and any dependants under 20 will also be able to claim them.

How to apply?

If you’re automatically entitled you can use your award notice as proof.

When you receive your prescription there a boxes to tick identifying the benefit that grants your entitlement.

For example if you’re claiming through Universal Credit you should tick box ‘U’.

However the NHS has said that some prescriptions may not have a ‘U’ box, if this is the case select box ‘k’ for for income-based jobseeker’s allowance instead.

If you’re entitled to free prescriptions you will also be entitled to free over-the-counter remedies at participating pharmacies, following a consultation with a pharmacist.

Is other help available?

If you’re not automatically entitled to free NHS prescriptions, you may still be able to apply for help through the NHS Low Income Scheme.

If you’re on a low income you can apply for the scheme, as long as your savings or investments don’t exceed a certain value.

You cannot get help if you or your partner (or both) have more than: 

• £16,000 in savings, investments or property (not including the place where you live) 
• £23,250 in savings, investments or property if you live permanently in a care home (£24,000 if you live in Wales)

How much you will receive depends on your weekly income, outgoings as well as savings and investments.

If you are granted support, you may be able to apply for a refund for medical expenses already incurred.

Who else is entitled to free prescriptions

Other people entitled to free NHS prescriptions include:

• Those under 16 years old 
• Those who are 16, 17, or 18 years old and in full-time education 
• People who are 60 or older 
• People with a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx) for a specified medical condition, such as diabetes, epilepsy, or cancer 
• Those with a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)(issued as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed and valid until a year after birth)
• NHS inpatients
• People in receipt of a war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your disability

Other ways to save

Those ineligible for free prescriptions can still make savings by purchasing a Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC).

It’s essentially a season ticket, which you pay for once and can use to cover any prescriptions you need for one year.

You can also get them to cover three months.

A one-year PPC costs £111.60, while a three-month PPC will set you back £31.25.

You can buy them on the NHS Business Services Authority’s website or via a registered pharmacy.

The point at which you start saving money with the three-month PPC is after buying four or more prescriptions.

With the one-year PPC, you start making savings after 12 or more purchases.

So, if you need a lot of prescriptions every year, a PPC can definitely be worth your time.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

An increase in capital gains tax (CGT) is top of mind for advisers, with the majority believing it is one of the most likely announcements in the upcoming Budget, research by Royal London has revealed.

In a survey, the life, pensions and investment mutual asked advisers their thoughts on the most talked about Budget in recent years.

Over three quarters (78%) said they believe CGT changes are the most likely outcome.

The research suggested 50% of advisers are predicting changes to pensions tax relief, followed by 38% who think the chancellor will introduce income tax on defined contribution death benefits for someone who dies before the age of 75.

Additionally, 25% are predicting a change to salary sacrifice for employer contributions.

At the other end of the spectrum, only 8% of respondents think the chancellor will make changes to Isa limits.

When asked what they would do if they were chancellor and had to save money on pensions, the responses varied from reducing tax relief on contributions (57%) to National Insurance changes (22%).

Notably, only 8% would reduce the level of tax-free cash to £100,000.

Just over a third of those questioned (36%) have been proactively contacting clients about the Budget.

Conversely, over 80% of advisers have seen an increase in the number of clients contacting them about taking action in relation to their pension.

That increase is significant for around a quarter of those Royal London surveyed.

Of those getting in touch, 94% of clients who had not taken any tax-free cash are asking about taking it all ahead of the Budget.

A smaller, but still significant 40% of respondents have clients who had planned to take tax free cash in stages and move the rest to drawdown or an uncrystallised funds pension lump sum but now want to take the full amount.

Meanwhile, 7% have asked about taking tax-free cash and buying an annuity.

While most advisers predict a change to CGT, they have seen a much smaller number of clients (41%) getting in touch to take action in relation to assets that might be subject to CGT.

Royal London director of policy Jamie Jenkins said: “Every fiscal event comes with its fair share of speculation, but this one is shaping up to be the most talked about Budget for years, with most commentators now expecting a range of tax changes to be announced.

“At this stage, most advisers are fully expecting changes that will affect their clients and the advice they provide to them, but the speculation is shifting on a daily basis, leaving advisers in a difficult position.

“Meantime, it’s clear that clients are getting anxious about possible changes that may affect their finances, and some are bringing forward elements of their retirement plans.”

A SAVVY-STAY-AT-HOME-MOM has revealed how she made $300 in one week, with her fun fall side hustle.

Lisa has tried every side hustle under the sun, and last October, had great success delivering pumpkins to people’s doorsteps.

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“I was just selling pumpkins out of the back of my car, and delivering them to people’s porches”, she said.

The mom was inspired to start her seasonal side hustle, after her parents lovingly grew 20 pumpkins, and weren’t sure what to do with them.

She asked her followers if anyone would want her to deliver her a pumpkin, and was met with a resounding “yes”.

The thrifty mom then headed to Hobby Lobby, and picked up some cute ribbon to decorate her pumpkins with.

“I charged $15 a pumpkin, and I sold out!”, she said.

Lisa revealed that she had never heard of a pumpkin delivery before, so feels like she hit a gap in the market.

“People love to welcome hall, so I just tried it, and it was a hit”, she said.

The side hustle was especially successful with the elderly, who weren’t able to get out and about to decorate their porches themselves.

Lisa now dreams of turning her pumpkin business into a service, where she decorates people’s front porches for fall.

“These pumpkin deliveries were so fun for me, it was so fun to bring smiles to people’s faces”, she said.

She added that, although she got her pumpkins for free, there are some states in the US where you can buy pumpkins in bulk, for a cheap price.

Lisa’s video (@somo.mama)has likely left many people impressed, as it has racked up over 50,000 views on the video sharing platform.

TikTok users raced to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts.

Side hustles and tax implications

Extra income you make from side hustles may need to be reported to the IRS.

If you receive more than $600 in gross payouts from a selling platform like eBay, the site will issue you a Form 1099-K to use in your tax return.

Individuals should calculate their adjusted gross income, taxable earnings, and deductions for the year.

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Once they have that, they can use the 1040-ES form to calculate estimated taxes.

One person said: “You are awesome Ms Entrepreneur you did a wonderful thing helping the elderly!”

A second person said: “I would definitely pay for a pumpkin delivery!”

A third person said: “Amazing!! Especially for those who can’t get out much, they can experience all the fall feels!”

A fourth person added: “I absolutely love this idea.”