Online Networking

Every where we look nowadays there are networking sites springing up all over the place. So which ones should you join? I don't think there is an easy answer to that. I think you should test the water and see which ones work for you personally.

Since starting my business in February I have sampled many forums and network sites. Some of them have felt like a complete waste of time to me and yet there are the odd ones that have actually had a real benefit for me personally.

On a recent Marketing course the trainer told us the best way to market your business is face to face. People buy from people. She's not wrong. But.......we don't just sell to local markets anymore. We can now sell our goods and services to national and international markets as well.

This being the case I feel there is a need for a good networking forum. My personal favourite is UK Business Labs which can be found at http://www.ukbusinesslabs.co.uk/forums/.

Unlike some forums it's not full of people wanting everyone to start their business for them or do everything for them for free. There are genuine people on there who will give you sound advice and helpful links.

I would name them but they would just get swell headed, lol!! They know who they are though and I have already thanked them.

I have found a new confidence thanks to these people, I have found a stationery supplier who will save my Clients a lot of money, I have had links to the CRM provider that I am signing with, and so many more.

I also would like to think that in some small way I can help others out as well. I may not have been in business for myself for long but I have been working for over 20 years and have picked up some useful information and contacts along the way.

It is also great when you are feeling a bit down or going through a bad patch, there is always a shoulder to cry on, a word of advice or a virtual hug, and then when things go well, there are people to share your good news with you and give you a virtual pat on the back as well.

Do check out the forums and networks for yourself, find the one that suits your style and your particular business model. Remember not to spam, people want to know about you, your business, not your hard sell in your first few posts. Read the rules, read the other posts and join in.

That brings me to Twitter. To be honest I really couldn't understand what it was all about. I already had facebook, what did I need another profile status for. I now use Facebook for friends and Twitter for business. I follow some really interesting, intelligent people on Twitter. And it's amazing how much knowledge they can share in just 140 letters!!

I know people are winning business through Twitter, and I also know that it is growing and becoming influential. Even the banks are on Twitter, as proved when someone had complained at not getting a suitable response in weeks and within a couple of hours of their Twitter post had received a full resolution!

So off you go, check out these networking forums and resources, and do please let me know how you get on. If you do join UK Business Labs please do say hello.

Parents to be and new parents - up to £ 20,000 of free life cover!!

One of my Clients - The Advice Partnership - has sent me the following information and I wanted to share it with you all.  As they are a National company this is ideal for all of my readers, and as with anything if it is free, why not have a look.

Having a child is a key event in everyone’s life, but arranging life insurance does not always top the to-do list. We can arrange free life cover for new parents until their child’s first birthday, as long as the application is completed before the child is six months old. 
We can arrange £10,000 life cover for each parent who applies. For example, if both parents apply this could mean £20,000 of cover for each child (£40,000 for twins, £60,000 for triplets).
The Advice Partnership is a firm of Independent Financial Advisers, more importantly we are parents ourselves. This gives us a perfect insight into the needs of new parents and their families.

Having a new baby is such a special time; we have found that one of the biggest concerns of any new parent is the future welfare of their child. There is so much to think about and so little time to do anything about it, life cover, children’s savings accounts, Child Trust Funds - where do you start! This is where The Advice Partnership is able to offer a helping hand.

We would like to offer a free, no obligation review to new parents.  

If this doesn't apply to you do you have any friends, family or colleagues that you could share this information with?  Why wouldn't you do it!!!

Just drop an email to info@advicepartnership.co.uk and they will arrange a convenient appointment time for you.

So why should you use HLS Business Solutions

We can save you time and money, both elements that are vital to any small business.

Because we carry out tasks on your behalf, you get to spend more time working on your business rather than for it! Every hour we work for you is an hour you get to spend working for your Clients, and therefore generating extra revenue. It could also mean an extra hour to spend with your family, attend a networking event, or just unwind. How you use that time is up to you!

We can help you grow your business.

Sometimes, you can be too close to a problem to see the solution. Perhaps you just need someone to talk an idea through with, or to propose an alternative option. You may just need your systems reviewing, enabling your business to run more efficiently and simply. Our Clients share the same challenges and frustrations as many other businesses out there, but for some of them, working with HLS Business Solutions has helped them see the light at the end of the tunnel, allowed them to develop in new directions or markets, and to work more efficiently.

We have our own close-knit network.

We work very closely with a trusted network of suppliers, who can assist your business, or even become potential Clients for your business. We only recommend people we trust and know are capable of meeting your needs. Our network is small and, more importantly, local. We like to work together as part of a team, ensuring that whatever your needs, we can find the solution.

Our Clients are happy to recommend us.

Just look at our Testimonials page for examples. We operate in a respectful, honest, clear and straightforward manner. We treat our Clients the way we would like to be treated. When we represent your business, we act as if it were our own. We never tell your Clients we are a separate business entity, we tell them we are part of your team.

What happens in your Business stays in your Business.

Unless you have asked us to discuss your situation with a third party, what happens in your business remains confidential.

Do something for yourself!

Okay, ask anyone, I am the last person they would expect to see up and running, and before you laugh and give me some excuse why you can't go running, just read on, you may be surprised.

In my line of work I speak to many small business owners. A lot of them are struggling at the moment in one way or another. Many are working all hours, have little family time and even less me time. Obviously my first suggestion is that they employ my services :-) but my next suggestion is totally unrelated to business - why not take up running?

As you can imagine I hear all sorts of excuses, it doesn't matter how little time you have, how overweight you are or how unfit you are. Look at me, for the last sixteen years I was a happy sofa surfer, the nearest I got to exercise was using a remote control and ringing the takeaway! Did I feel good? No, I was overweight, I was tired and I was often ill with chest infections.

Okay I struggled through the Race for Life 5k most years but had discovered I fared better when I did the whole thing at a fast walk rather than trying to kill myself running.

So what changed? Don't laugh - "Run Fat Boy Run", one of my favourite films of all time. It is so funny, you really should watch it. Did that inspire me? Nope. I watch it on my marathon ironing tasks and laugh my socks off, it's that type of film. But.....it inspired my little brother. He watched it and said "Why don't we do the Cancer Research 10k in October?". This was May. This is me having only done walking training for the upcoming Race for Life as I had the excuse of walking it with a five year old (any excuse not to run!). I looked at the Cancer Research website and they said that even if you couldn't run, you could still do this as there was plenty of time to train. I looked at the training plan they offered and it seemed to me to be a lot of walking to start with, and even I could do that!!

I agreed. Added the date to my Google countdown, happy in the knowledge that it was months away, and started getting up at 6am for my pre-work walks as it was the only time I could really fit it in. For everyone who tells me they cant find time I can really recommend getting up an hour earlier. Dont ask me how it works or why but the mornings I do this, go out and kill myself (ony joking!) running I always feel better for the rest of the day, better than if I had spent that hour sleeping. Don't believe me? Give it a go one day - it works.

The key to this is keeping it simple, you don't need lots of expensive kit just a decent pair of trainers ( I recommend going to a proper running shop, letting them video you run on a treadmill and get proper shoes for your style - yep there are different types of shoes for different types of runners). The other good thing about running is its free!!

Follow a training plan, if it says walk then walk. Don't be tempted to go faster or miss a couple of stages out, it just leads to injury (speaking from experience here) and dont go out more often than it says either. It is very tempting to think you know better in those early days but trust me, it's very unlikely that you do. (email me if you want a copy of the 10k beginners plan by the way.)

I went on holiday to Salou and carried on my run/walk routine while everyone was still in bed on a morning, can I just say what a beautiful beach front that was to run down each day. When I got home I used google maps to work out a route round the village.

Slowly, steadily I built up my running time and reduced my walking time till one morning I ran the whole thing. I can't tell you what the high was like the first time I managed a whole five miles without walking - I was on cloud nine all day!!

It is hard to run on your own. you have to talk yourself into it, into going that little bit further. If you have a friend you can run with then even better. It's a lot harder to back out when someone is relying on you.

Because my running time is 6am on a morning I felt that a running club wasn't the route for me. They work great for lots of people but it wasn't what I needed. Don't think because you aren't in a club you can't enter races you can!

I entered a "proper runners" 5k in the August and managed to come home last but one, in what for me was a PB (personal best time). I was so proud. Since then I have completed races at 7.5 miles and 10 miles as well. I find that entering a race is the motivation I need to get out there at 6am on a morning, I am sure you will find whatever works for you.

I also came across an online running forum, Fetch Everyone, they have a running club you can join if you want but they would rather you joined a proper running club as they call it.

There are some fantastic people on here, they have got me through the dark days of not running due to illness or injury, they have helped me get my mile time down from just under 13 mins to 9.17! and we have met on several occasions at races, even if it was a case of me just being there to cheer them on. There are all sorts of tools on there for logging your training, setting yourself targets and just talking about anything (trust me on that one!).

I guess what I am trying to say (in my rather rambling way) is that if I can take up running then anyone can. I have met some amazing people through running, one has just taken part in the Marathon Des Sables, 150 miles across the Sahara in 6 days, another is about to cycle Lands End to John O Groats on her own!

Running is a great way of clearing your head, you can take your ipod and have an hour of thinking about nothing, just enjoying the scenery, the peace and quiet and the music, or you can leave the ipod at home and just think about things. It is amazing how useful this time is.

If you are stressing out, be it home pressures, work pressures, you are worried about your weight, anything, then do give it a go.

I have signed up for the Great North Run this year, that will be the only race I do for charity, I am doing it on behalf of the Guide Dogs, all the other races are for me. I can't say I always enjoy my running but I sure do enjoy finishing!! Even if the finish line is only my front door.

My six year old has now started to show an interest in running with me which is great. That is the sort of example I want to set for her. A hard worker, running her own business, who eats sensibly and exercises, not the person that I was at the beginning of last year.

Whatever your reasons, do give it a go, you might surprise yourself and actually enjoy it!!

Oh and if you would like to sponsor me for the Great North Run my page can be found here: www.justgiving.com/helenstothard

Do what you do best - let someone else do the rest!!

Unless you have had your head buried in the ground these past few months you can't have failed to read all the doom and gloom and misery in the news. Personally I switch it off, it serves no purpose apart from making people miserable.

You have worked hard to get your business where it is, you deserve to make a success of your business, but why should you try and do it all on your own?

Whatever your skill or trade, as a small business owner, you may find yourself wearing too many hats, trying to be the Managing Director, Finance Director, Sales and Marketing Director and Operations Director. It is hard enough carrying out one role, let alone several.

The key is to concentrate on doing what you do best, and to let someone else to do the rest.

You may well be capable of earning upwards of £40.00 an hour in your main role. Does it really make sense for you to be doing the admin tasks as well? Is that really the best use of your time? What I am suggesting is that you look at the roles that you either dislike carrying out, struggle to find time for or are just not skilled at and outsource them. It will save you both time and money, and in the long term it will also save you stress.

So what type of tasks can you outsource? You can outsource your bookkeeping, invoicing, producing and mailing quotes, chasing payment for invoices, diary management, email management, website updating, mailshots, telemarketing, call answering, internet research, pretty much any task you can think of. Personally I won't do your ironing for you but I will find you a lady who could!!

Virtual Assistants are one solution to the above. They are experienced, efficient and extremely cost effective. You don't use them unless you have work for them, and you only pay for the time you use them. No more paying for staff who are on holiday, off sick, sat drinking coffee or chatting about last nights TV. You don't have to worry about adequate office space and resources such as computers, desks, software etc. They have their own.

Do you need a Virtual Assistant? It may already be extremely obvious to you that yes you do, or you may need to think about it, in which case grab a piece of paper, and every time you carry out a task you dislike, dont have time for or are not skilled in, then just make a note of it. Do this for a couple of weeks and see what you end up with. Where is your time being wasted? What is spoiling your enjoyment of your business?

Working with a Virtual Assistant is better than working with temporary staff, as over time we learn your business, your likes and dislikes, your Client base, your work ethos. We care for your Business as if it were our own, and from experience can often suggest actions or systems that you may have overlooked. Sometimes you can just be too close to a problem to see the solution clearly.

Ask around for recommendations, the majority of my Clients are all referrals. Ask to see testimonials. Remember, there is no commitment with a Virtual Assistant, other than the initial contracted period. So what have you got to lose? Give it a go today, and you may well find it is the best business decision you will ever make.

For any Self Employed people with lower profits this year than last year.....

I spend a fair amount of time out of working hours checking out various online forums and networking sites.

There was a really useful tip on there the other day that I wanted to share with you.

Go and speak to your accountant and get your books and self assessment sorted early. Particularly if you are an end of the year type person.

If you are self employed then the tax you paid in January included a payment on account for the 2008-9 tax year, based on the profits for last year. The second payment on account is due 31-7-09.

Now, if your profits are lower 2008-9 than 2007-8 then you're payments on account are probably overestimated.

So, go get your accounts sorted early. Get your tax return in early. Leave the overpayment of your January payment on account, don't ask for a refund. And pay a reduced payment on account in July.

If you are in this situation, there is absolutely no benefit in waiting till the end of the year to sort your accounts and tax returns.

Same thing applies to anyone who although their trading profits may be steady, who has invested in capital expenditure that qualifies for the Annual Investment Allowance.

Also, your accountant will love you!!

As I said earlier, credit for this idea goes to a colleague on one of the networking forums.