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A global software development firm founded in London was named large business of the year at the London Chamber of Commerce business achievement awards Wednesday night.

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LBMX, which creates technology for buying groups, took the top honour at the event that drew about 600 people to Londons RBC Place convention centre a long-awaited reunion of the citys business community.

This event produces extremely impressive nominees . . . that cover the gamut from high-tech financial services (to) health sciences and LBMX exemplifies that, said Graham Henderson, the chambers chief executive.

It really does demonstrate the depth and breadth of the business community in London and that diversity is our strength.

Other winners were:

LBMX is a shining example of the type of innovative technology companies that are putting London on the map. Thanks to their unique software products, LBMX has been growing internationally and steadily building their team in London, said Kapil Lakhotia, chief executive of London Economic Development Corp.

They are a great community partner in our tech sector and we are delighted for their recognition tonight.

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LBMX, founded in 2001 and headquartered on Fullarton Street in London, has offices in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Its software lets businesses buy goods with other businesses, reducing costs.

We are very surprised and delighted, said LBMX chief executive Greg Dinsdale. We just want to continue to grow and do the right thing. (The win) underlines all the hard work (our staff) have done.

Joel McLean, chief executive of Info-Tech Research Group, says the London tech firms icon of the year nod comes as the business enjoys sales growth of 35 per cent this year and projects a 40 per cent rise next year.

This (honour) is special. It is greatly appreciated, said McLean. We believe we will see continued growth. Were very lucky.

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The 21-year-old business has built a large downtown presence with a new office building on Ridout Street, near Budweiser Gardens. It offers workers a hybrid option of returning to work or working from home.

Were set up to offer full hybrid work. Were very focused on that, he said.

While it has more than 30 job postings on the website London Tech Jobs, it likely will hire many more than that, he added. Info-Tech added 160 staff last year and now has about 800 workers in London, Toronto and in the U.S. More than half work here.

Were having a lot of success in the marketplace and we want to scale that up, McLean said.

This was the first London chamber gala for Henderson, the former Music Canada head who also chaired the Ontario Chamber of Commerce after working as an entertainment lawyer and executive with Universal Music Canada. He is married to Margo Timmins, lead singer of Cowboy Junkies.

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ndebono@postmedia.com

Here are the winners and finalists at the London Chamber of Commerces 2021 Business Achievement Awards, announced Wednesday at Londons RBC Place convention centre.

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And the winners are: Chamber of commerce business awards doled out - London Free Press (Blogs)

Idol-wannabe Woo Seo-yul plays the guitar. (Park Jun-hee/The Korea Herald)

But the number of private academies that offer dance and vocal lessons has mushroomed as more youngsters aspire to K-pop stardom.

Private training systems

Lee Jae-won has run a dance academy in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, for eight years, training young idol-wannabes. Lees institution systematically instructs trainees with the goal of eventually getting them into big agencies so they can debut as entertainers.

There are many academies that welcome adults and teenagers, and some even offer classes that focus on auditions, but there are barely any institutes that teach basic skills to young kids, he said.

The institute offers dance courses at the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels. Beginners learn the basics, such as how to use their bodies and do easy dance moves to K-pop music. At the next level they learn more complicated choreography and try out genres like hip-hop and popping.

In South Korea, the average age of a debuting singer is getting younger, and some K-pop powerhouses set age limits for auditions. Lee said this is why he provides thorough training -- because idol hopefuls cannot survive the big agencies wide trainee pools without the basics.

Lee Yu-chan (left), 9, and Woo Seo-yul, 8, get vocal training. (Park Jun-hee/The Korea Herald)

While talking about trainees from the academy who got into big-name agencies, Lee fondly recalled one excellent student who is now with Big Hit.

(The kid) had numerous charms and had many talents tailored to him. But his parents didnt want to see their son onstage. Fortunately, he got into Big Hit two years ago as one of the youngest trainees and aces every end-of-the-month evaluation.

Lee added that apart from gaining the necessary skills, idol hopefuls should know how to be modest and diligent because becoming an A-lister in the music scene isnt a walk in the park.

Wishing to be the next K-pop sensation

I am a versatile idol-wannabe with a pretty face.

Woo Seo-yul dreams of becoming the next IU, a K-pop superstar. The 8-year-old, who lives in the southwestern Seoul district of Geumcheon, wakes up at 7:30 a.m. for school, attends her elementary school classes from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and then heads out the door for practice.

This scene is peculiar in a nation where academic subjects decide ones future. But now the name of the game is working to become the next global sensation.

Idol-wannabe Woo Seo-yul gets a guitar lesson. (Park Jun-hee/The Korea Herald)

He went on to say that in addition to their talent and skills, idol bands are revered because of their wealth and privilege, which is why idol-wannabes hope to be the talk of the town like BTS.

Lee Sun-kyoung, Seo-yuls mother, said she never pictured herself as the parent of an idol hopeful. But now she drives more than an hour to drop her daughter off at a kids dance academy in the Gangnam district twice a week.

Its heartbreaking seeing my daughter want to become an idol because everybody wants to be one. My daughter only sings and dances, apart from going to school, Lee said. She added that the tuition was a burden as well.

But Lee thinks her daughters efforts will eventually pay off.

Im aware that the road to a debut is not easy, which is why Im constantly supporting my daughter. But even if she doesnt become one, hopefully my daughter will be able to showcase her talent as a dancer or a dance teacher.

Big dreams, out of reach

Led by boy band BTS meteoric rise to stardom over the past few years, more and more K-pop figures have gained immense popularity around the globe among people of all ages.

But that kind of fame is hard to attain. Lesser-known musical artists often confront difficulties in the music scene.

Audition dates for Korean entertainment companies are displayed on posters. (Park Jun-hee/The Korea Herald)

After attending 10 auditions in Korea, she got accepted to an agency and finally made her debut. But the experience ultimately ended in disappointment.

Being in a smaller company has more cons than pros. From the way how staff members of high-ranked broadcasting people treat you, and how you dont get preferential treatment, unlike other bands who entertainment giants house, Park said.

The bigger your company, the better you get treated.

Favoritism toward big companies affects which shows performers get booked on, she said, as well as screen time, waiting rooms and whether they can make a living.

Companies invest in trainees, and it takes at least one to three years to pay off until the point when the group starts making money, she said. But Park ended up with more debt than money because she wasnt given the opportunity to promote herself, which was one of the main reasons she decided not to continue her K-pop career.

Doing what you love and making money sounds almost too good to be true, Park said.

But when you start to see how hard it is to do so, and not being able to achieve in one to four years, you start to lose the real you. At times, you have got to be a little more realistic, although it means not being able to pursue your dreams.

By Park Jun-hee (junheee@heraldcorp.com)

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[Feature] What it takes to be an idol: The academies that train K-pop wannabes - The Korea Herald

Kumho Tire kicks off winter small business 2021/2022 with a new marketing application. The no cost application is meant to give dealers and conclusion buyers fast and easy obtain to existing tire topics. Especially because the user gets typical information and facts about new products and seasonal advertising campaigns by means of the software and also has the possibility to participate in contests. The tire retailer just demands to obtain it and focus on their activities with the tire manufacturer Then there is a opportunity for prizes like a new Apple iMac, 100 DAZN subscriptions, or 50 Kumho enthusiast packs. Stop buyers who get Korean brand name tires from specialty stores, add the app and add their corresponding invoice following registration must also have a opportunity to acquire great prizes. With the marketing campaign, Kumho Tire wants to assist tire vendors in their sales and, at the identical time, gain from their working experience and suggestions to be ready to adapt and enhance long run strategies or procedures if needed. Hence, said application is presently accessible for obtain in the respective suppliers for all devices with Apple and Android running programs. The service provider can also buy a showroom POS set described as substantial quality through the tire manufacturers gross sales power or at [emailprotected] cm

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The Kumhos internet marketing / competitiveness application is meant to assist merchants with gross sales - Tech Gaming Report

On Sept. 15, millions of families received the third advance child tax credit payment automatically from the IRS.

But others who got their July and August payments without a problem have yet to get their money.

Sarene Leeds, 44, is one such parent. The freelance writer in White Plains, New York, was expecting to get $300 in September for her 5-year-old daughter. Leeds got the first payment in July via direct deposit and a paper check for August.

That struck her as odd, as she'd signed up for direct deposit and the IRS portal lists that as her preferred method of delivery, so she didn't inquire further.

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"As long as I get the money, I'm not going to raise a fuss over whether or not it's wired direct deposit," she said.

But days after the September deadline, she still doesn't have the payment or know if it's coming. The IRS Update Portal shows that she's eligible for the money, but that no payment has been processed for September to track (if, for example, she were issued another paper check that was simply delayed in the mail.)

Leeds has tried calling the IRS but has been unable to get through, she said.

"We are relying on these payments," she said, adding that her husband, a musician, lost work during the pandemic. "And, they've been promised to us.

"It's definitely a matter of principle."

The American Rescue Plan in March expanded the existing child tax credit, adding advance monthly payments and increasing the benefit to $3,000 from $2,000, with a $600 bonus for kids under the age of 6 for the 2021 tax year.

The first half of the credit is being delivered in monthly direct deposits, from July through December, of $300 for children under 6 and $250 for those aged 6 to 17. The second half will come when families file their 2021 tax returns next year.

The IRS acknowledged the issue with the September payments in a short statement over the weekend.

"The IRS is currently looking into this situation, and we will share more information as soon as possible," the agency said.

The IRS also said that some 35 million Americans did receive a total of $15 billion in September. The agency did not respond to requests for comment.

Malandrino | DigitalVision | Getty Images

It isn't clear what happens next for eligible families that didn't get the September payment. The IRS could potentially send it out late, or send impacted families larger monthly payments through the end of the year.

Joseph Kaye, 52, was able to talk with an IRS customer service representative after not getting the $250 September payment for his 10-year-old daughter. He also checked the IRS Update Portal and saw that while he's still eligible, no September check had been processed. Kaye also noticed other families having similar issues on Twitter.

The IRS representative didn't have much to share on what happens next, Kaye said. "It sounded like she was reading from a script," he said.

While frustrating, Kaye, who works in internet marketing in the Dallas/Fort Worth-area, said his family will be okay with getting the money later it's mostly being used to pay for extracurriculars like tae kwon do lessons for his daughter.

But he worries that such issues may hinder the program in the future.

"I am 100% a believe in this type of thing," he said. "And to have it roll out in kind of a shaky way is disappointing."

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Some parents still haven't received the September child tax credit payment - CNBC

Representative image (Source: Reuters)

While remote work has given companies access to the talent they never had earlier, it has become challenging to build a connection among new employees since techies are the ones who are the hardest to bring back to the office, entrepreneurs said during a panel discussion organized by TiE Delhi-NCR on Thursday.

CarTrade founder Vinay Sanghi said remote work has allowed them to have a center anywhere in India and it is "just a question of how you manage the processes and the right mix of remote versus at work or some kind of a hybrid model"

Apart from Sanghi, the panel comprised of Internet entrepreneurs like Mobikwik's Upasana Taku, Nazara's Nitish Mittersain, CarTrade'sVinay Sanghi, and Tracxn'sNeha Singh, all of whom are either on the anvil of a public market debut or have recently started their journey as a public company. It was moderated by MakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra.

India's tech talent war

The stellar public market debuts of Zomato, Nazara, and Freshworks have set the stage for the upcoming rush of tech IPOs as at least half a dozen startups including Paytm, PolicyBazaar, Nykaa, Mobikwik, and Ixigo are looking to go public this year.

It has also been a record-breaking year in terms of funding for domestic startups, with the Indian startup ecosystem minting 27 unicorns so far this year and investors pumping in around $23.5 billion until now, according to Pitchbook data. However, this has also led to an intense talent war among various startups.

"Bengaluru is like a super competitive market for tech hiring. With remote working, the location barrier has also now gone, so people can actually work in companies across different cities. So, you have to be prepared for it when you are building a tech team out of the city" said Tracxn cofounder Neha Singh.

Singh said they tackled this by having a good recruitment engine across different profiles in the company since some amount of attrition is bound to happen in a competitive city like Bengaluru. "Thankfully, most of our senior folks have been there with us for at least five or six years," she said.

Retaining employees

Mobikwik co-founder Upasana Taku believes performance during a company's worst times is an evident measure of what talent a company should retain.

"When you are on the highs, you attract a lot of good talent. When things are going down and you need to demonstrate stronger numbers and stronger revenues with lesser marketing incentives to earn, then it becomes evident who are the real performers. The committed folks double down on their performance and stuck through, and people who are probably superficial in their commitment move out themselves. So, being very performance-driven has helped us in retaining the right people and attracting better people while letting the lower performers leave respectfully" she said during the panel discussion.

Nazara founder Nitish Mittersain said that demonstrating positive intent and staying true to it is a soft asset that becomes very powerful over a long period of time. "There have been times when we didn't give appraisals for two or three years because the markets were tough. But when things picked up, we made sure that we kind of compensated or over-compensated for a time that was lost. And I found that this builds a reputation of credibility which helps even when newcomers come into the company" he said.

Taku also echoed this sentiment, saying that retaining good people comes from being honest and transparent with them "We did fairly delayed appraisals at least twice in the last two years and we've been upfront with our employees about it. Both times, we gave them ESOPs that were equal to or higher than the cash value of the appraisals. Few months down the line, they also got the cash appraisals" she said.

Providing a stable working environment has helped Nazara a lot in terms of retention over the last decade and half said Mittersain "After the early challenges, one of my commitments was to build and run the company in a very stable environment, where we would not fly too high and then fall again" he said.

IPO is a milestone

Sanghi said that an IPO is a milestone in the journey but it doesn't change how they serve their customer or how they think about the business "What's always kept me awake is how do we disrupt ourselves and get better at serving our customers. I don't think whether we are listed or not changes that aspect"

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India Internet Day 2021: Techies are the hardest to bring back to office - Moneycontrol.com