SMEs BY MARK FRARY


THE ONLINE, UNMANAGED WAY The pros


MAX WISEBERG HAS SUFFERED FROM HAY- FEVER ALL HIS LIFE and had tried every remedy under the sun. He was then in- troduced to a balm that could be rubbed around the nose and eyes and used as a pollen barrier. It worked and he liked it so much he bought the rights to the product. The company now manufac- tures, markets and distributes the balm, under the name Haymax, as an organic, drug-free allergen barrier balm for hayfever sufferers. The company employs four people at its farm in Bedfordshire. “We have more re- cently been working on exporting Haymax, and have distributors in several countries, adding Spain and US this year,” says Wiseberg. “Which is why we have to do more travelling.” The company then began looking more closely at overseas markets and joined the UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI )


BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM


• No transaction or other TMC fees. • The ability to book whatever you want.


• Can take advantage of web and other special offer rates.


The cons


• No tracking of spend. • Management time spent on search. • Negotiated rates inaccessible.


Passport to Export programme, and the past year has been very busy. In 2015, Haymax won a coveted place on a small business trade mission to Atlanta, organised by The Guardian newspaper in association with UKTI and UPS. “I am still reaping the benefits of that trade mission,” says Wiseberg. “And this year, we have been to the US, Spain and France, and we are planning trips to Portugal and Switzerland.” He and his business partner book their


business travel themselves, spending a few thousand pounds a year, and go online to find the cheapest prices, either direct to airline websites or through online travel agencies such as booking.com. “We go for the cheapest we can find, whether that’s Easyjet, Ryanair, Wizzair, Virgin or BA,” he says. “We spend a zillion hours trying to find cheaper prices. You can never be certain you’ve got the best price.”


BBT JULY/AUGUST 2016 51


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