As we approach the tail end of the Belfast City Council mentoring support programme, here are my top 6 key takeaways:

6. Break down the problem into manageable chunks. Brexit is a behemoth of a problem. If you let it get too big in your own mind then it can stop you dealing with the specific issues that impact your business. Look for the issues that are impacting your customers that you can solve for them.

5. A lot of Brexit issues can be solved over the phone or via a quick zoom/ teams call. A lot of business just need a burning question answered. For some it might be clarification of a technical issue such as Commodity Codes, Tariff rates, or Rules of Origin. For others it is about understanding if they have missed anything or if they are missing an opportunity. Whatever the issue, look for opportunities to address them.

4. Gaining practical experience of customs processes and software takes longer as you need to get used to the quirks of the software systems. Whoever you use for training, make sure there is a walk through and practical activity on a live system as part of the process.

3. Think carefully if new processes should be done in-house or outsourced. I have seen a lot of businesses put good people in positions that they are not suited to. It causes unnecessary stress and it can set them up to fail, which benefits no one. Look and learn from your other business contacts to see what has worked for them.

2. It tales resources (time, money and people) to roll out expertise. If you are light on resources or under pressure on customer delivery, consider outsourcing processes for a short period of time then bring it in house gradually.

1. There are a lot of opportunities out there if you build expertise in an ‘in demand’ area like customs procedures  software. For outsourcing administrative companies, like bookkeeping or virtual assistants, this is a great string to your bow. Look for government support for upskilling opportunities.

If you’re a small business that is struggling with aspects of the EU Exit, and would value professional advice and training on supply chains, regulatory compliance or customs procedures feel free to check out our testimonials page to see what other business owners say about us.

To connect with us send a message via our website contacts page or reach out to Frank on our LinkedIn page