How to safely charge your devices in public
When you are away from base, you may need to charge your phone, tablet or laptop. There are several options, but it is important to be aware of the security risks and aim to minimise them. The options in order of preference are: 1) From a personal power bank 2) Using your own wall charger […]
22 top tips for the newly self-employed
Here are my top tips to remember when you are starting in business: 1) Notify HMRC that you have started in business. 2) Arrange insurance coverage: for the business for business use of your vehicle for business use of your home for yourself 3) Decide on how you will record your business transactions. Perhaps […]
Get started with business networking
Usually when people start a business they are told to ‘go networking’ to get clients, but they have no idea what is involved or how to be effective We’ll cover the many advantages of face to face networking, but also the unknown fact that catches many people out and results in them giving up thinking […]
Get social media tips from me at the Small Business Saturday Bus
The Small Business Saturday bus is now touring the UK, in the build up to Small Business Saturday 2016 on 3rd December. It will be making 29 stops throughout the UK over 5 weeks. On 18th November it will be stopping in Tonbridge, near the castle: I’ll be running a 1-2-1 workshop there ‘Social Media […]
Did Surrey achieve peak networking in 2011?
I’ve been involved in face-to-face networking in Surrey since 2008, and have seen many changes since then. However, when reviewing things, I fear that it could be Surrey actually achieved peak networking back in 2011. There are many benefits to face-to-face networking (you can download my getting started with business networking guide here), however things […]
Your ongoing business plan
Sadly, some business owners file their business plans away and never look at them. We’ll cover how the ongoing business plan is an important document for a business, that should be constantly developing to help you. The key that brings your goals together is your business plan, which will determine what you are aiming for, […]
The importance of downtime for the self-employed
People often forget about their most important business asset, which is themselves. We’ll cover why it’s so important to schedule in downtime to ensure business growth. You’ll understand that because business owners love what they do it often doesn’t feel like ‘work’ to us, but you still need to schedule downtime away from the business. […]
Using your business accounts for planning
It’s been said that up to 50% of small business owners don’t understand their accounts. They are prepared once a year for the tax authorities and then just filed away. We’ll cover how your business accounts are a valuable document, and also how you can gain a further understanding. We talked about your business plan […]
When to use professional help to grow your business
As the business grows you may find that all the demands on your time start to result in you not being able to concentrate on them all. We’ll cover how you can generate more time for yourself, to spend on other areas of the business. By the end, you’ll understand that you can gain great […]
The importance of regular client contact
Many people work hard at getting new clients, but then miss out on the best source of referrals and new business. We’ll cover how your existing clients can actually be a great source of new business, and how you can help them to help you. You’ve worked hard to win the business from existing clients, […]
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
There is a saying “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll get the results you always have” – unfortunately in business this isn’t true anymore, you must always keep refining your skills to stay ahead of the competition. We’ll cover the importance of ongoing learning in developing the competitiveness of your business. By […]
Time demands as your business grows
We discussed all the new demands on your time when you start a small business. These will continue to evolve as the business develops. We’ll cover how time allocations will develop over time, and the key importance of planning for these upcoming changes. Maintain balance As your business develops there will be changing demands on […]