Final day!

Well I did it a whole 31 days of blogging. And I hear those of you saying but you didn't write them all. No I didn't and the reason I didn't because the topics I got guests for I wanted to cover and I knew these weren't my area of expertise so rather than spending time researching and then writing a poor post I outsourced to an expert. It makes sense. But I still had my input into their posts told them what I wanted, did final edits etc. So I had an input every day.

I wish to extend my thanks once again to:

Terri Forbes - Stix Body blitz
( Www.facebook.com/stixbodyblitz )
Jim Reid - Jim Reid Vehicle Sales
( www.jimreidvehiclesales.co.uk )
Andi Ramsay -Developing Perceptions
( www.developingperceptions.co.uk )
Will Shek - Id'd
( http://ivebeenided.com/ )
Kevin Mitchell
( http://twitter.com/mitchinator )
Fiona Poustie - Missing Sock PR
( www.missingsockpr.co.uk )
Scott Donald -Your Town Centre
( www.yourtowncentre.co.uk )


I have thoroughly enjoyed this month and it had allowed me to hit my first two goals of the year which I'm delighted with and my third is well underway!

There was two things I was a little surprised at that there was no negative feedback/constructive criticism which I was totally expecting but surprised it never reared its head. And secondly the lack of comments on the blogs.
But hey I learned a lot about myself and how far the electronic world can reach. Here's a run down of what I've learned from this:

A blog isn't just read locally I've a group of regular readers in China!!

I've gained a regular readership.

Blogging more has upped my readership from 10/20 per post to nearly 60

People enjoy reading it! (This one amazed me as I never write for people I write for me)

I can be lost for words (yes those of you that know me will be astonished at this but yes I have struggled with words once or twice)


I'd really love to hear your feedback on what you've thought about this months posts both positive and less so. So go on post a comment or drop me an email please.

Thanks for reading and I will endeavour to blog more regularly from now on

Day 30 - Guest Blogger Kevin Mitchell

Almost at the end of the month! And with one last guest blogger today retouching the topic of Apps.

Todays Guest is Kevin Mitchell who some of you may know better as Mitchinator! He's a self confessed tech enthusiast, senior developer at Internet Strategies and builder of the Furryboots App.

I'll let him guide you through this minefield from the view of a developer.

Does your business need an 'App'?

There can be no doubt about the valid hype surrounding 'Apps' at the moment with the successful penetration of smartphones into our everyday lives, mobile technology evolving at a fierce rate and the expectations of mobile users ever growing. Add to that the hundreds of thousands of Apps already available, billions downloaded every year, the opportunity for business to expand into the mobile platform is evident and perhaps even a necessity for many.

But is your business missing out? Do you already have or want an App? Does my audience want an App?

To put it another way: Does my business need an App for that?

It would be easy to say yes but unfortunately there isn't one simple answer here. There are a few questions to ask to really understand if an App is the right solution for your business.  There are many reasons to have an App, many types of Apps that can be developed and various platforms in App Stores and online Web Apps that can deliver your App to your clients/users. Where do you start?

With a lot to really think about, let's start with the most important question of all…

Why?

Sales

This can be the primary driver for many business and a well built App can seriously enhance the sales process. Be it subtly through engagement or direct sales generation and commerce, building an App as part of your sales process is a logical option. Further to this, Apps can be integrated into existing business processes and applications to streamline and improve the entire process.

Would an App improve your sales process? Is there an opportunity to streamline current process? Is your target clients/users likely to want to use an App for this purpose?

Marketing

There is marketing value to the phrase 'App Now Available' that still draws attention. Being the first amongst you competitors can also infer positive messages.

Ask yourself: Should I allocate a portion of my marketing spend? Do I have a smartphone audience who would/want to engage with an App?

Revenue

Not only extending your sales process into an App but advertising can bring additional revenue.

Ask yourself: Would the scale of sales bring additional value? Do I have/want advertising partners to extend onto a mobile platform?

Expectation

Having your contact details available in a directory is simply not good enough. It is recognised that successful business of tomorrow are already integrating new technology and social tactics into the DNA of their organisation. If you don't don't start planning to met your user and client expectations, your competitors will.

Ask yourself: Do I have tech savvy clients/users? Do we meet our own/client expectation with this platform? Are we available to our clients in all effective manors?

Engagement

Users and clients have ALWAYS wanted their engagement streamlined. Putting your business or product into the palm of their hands and offering engagement methods that they find easy and effective is a powerful way of encouraging users to use you above your competitors.

Ask yourself: How do you engage with clients? Could we improve engagement methods to build more awareness and loyalty? Where would this engagement bring value?

Value

An incredibly important driver but make sure this goes both ways. Any App you develop MUST be of value to the client/user AND return value to the business. Value can come in many forms, just ensure value is the primary driver in the why of your App. Also, by understanding your Apps potential value you will help your business case and indicate potential budgets.

Ask yourself: Where is the value driven in our business? can we extend this to an App? Where would the value be in your App? .

Ok, Now what?

By answering those questions you should be able to ascertain if and why your App should exist, the key areas of engagement and value for your business and hopefully be excited about the potential the mobile platform could deliver.

From here you can move forward, comfortable in the knowledge that you are building an App with value and purpose and begin to answer and plan the next stage.

Should we build a 'Native App', a 'Web App' or a 'Hybrid App'?

A post for another day perhaps…

Day 29 Guest Blogger Andi Ramsay Returns

In the second of his guest blogs here is Andi Ramsay again this time talking about working to your skills

Staying in your wheelhouse

I accepted a long time ago that there are certain skills I have, and certain skills I don’t have. I’m no good at playing musical instruments, I know because I’ve tried and my neighbours will back me up on this. I also know that I’m not a butcher, a baker, nor a candlestick maker, so I do not attempt to do these things, especially not for my business. When I need something baked, or a candle stick made, I go to those experts and get them to do it. The same goes for my lawyer, accountant, doctor, dentist, and mechanic.

So when it comes to your business image; branding, print, website, photos, copywriting, videos, why risk everything on a roll of the dice. Most of the time, the small amount of money that you save by doing-it-yourself will be more than outstripped by the time you waste and the custom that you lose as a result of people failing to take your business seriously. This will do irreparable harm to your reputation in the long run.

Know, Like, Trust

People buy from people who they know, like & trust; and in order to build your business you need to establish familiarity, popularity & credibility among your audience. Never has it been easier for a business to achieve these things but conversely it has never been easier for a business to lose these things. Demonstrating your commitment to your own business by displaying only the highest quality in everything will help to build your credibility, and simultaneously convey your business’ commitment to detail.

Your Own Reserve Army

It is not a failing, as many people are led to believe, to outsource aspects of your business, especially if you are a sole trader or small company. You can’t afford several in-house departments like the large multi-nationals to attend to every aspect of your business, and you certainly don’t have the necessary time to become an expert at every skill when you have to remain an expert at your core business.

Outsourcing, subcontracting, farming it out, are all perfect ways for you to get distractions off your plate so you can stick what you do best. You can have the equivalent of a marketing department, a sales department, a website team, but you don’t need to have them on permanent staff, nor pay them every day. By carefully selecting the right expert for your needs you can have all of these skilled individuals & businesses at the other end of a phone call or email whenever you have need for them. They can do the task and go off to work for their other clients until you need them again.

Final week! Day 28

Having started on some of my time managements tips are you able to stick to them? I find that giving myself a shake up about once a month refreshes the theory and improves productivity.  These habits do slip unless you are super regimented with yourself (which lets face it not many of us are)

So here are some suggestions as to how to stick to your to do list.

Mondays are great days to work on your to do list. You can look back to what you didn’t complete. And you can look ahead to what you need to accomplish this week. But, sticking to your list can be a challenge.

How do you focus on the to dos that are on your list?

Stay on Your List

You make your to do list so that you know what you need to do. You probably assign priorities or order the tasks on it. However, it can be easy to set our list down and work on every little task that presents itself.

Have you ever picked up a small task that wasn’t on your list?

Soon, you have spent 3 hours doing something that you had not planned on doing today.

(And probably shouldn’t have been doing…)

How many times have you started a quick web task, ends up in a 30 minute surfing session. Or a simple 2-minute to do becomes 2 hours of searching for a lost piece of information.

That is why it is important to stick to your list.

7 Ways to Stick to Your To do List

Your to do list can be one of your best friends.And it can prevent you from doing things that you shouldn’t be doing. However, you have to stick by your list if it is going to help you.

Here Are 7 Ways to Stick to Your To do List:

1. Include Everything – Your list is only as good as what you put on it. Make sure you put all your tasks on to your list. One way to keep from being diverted is to make sure that annoying to do is on to your list for later.
2. Don’t Go Off List – When you find yourself starting a task, stop and make sure that it is on your list. If not, go back to your list. Stick to the tasks that you know you should be doing.
3. Have One List – It is important that you have one list. Don’t scribble notes anywhere. (Like on a Post-It note…) Having multiple lists inevitably leads to lost and forgotten tasks.
4. Review Your List Regularly - You should have your list with you at all times. (This makes #1 possible.) And you should review your list every single day.
5. Keep It Visible – Keeping your to do list visible leads to action. Put your list where you can see it. When your list is out of sight, your tasks are out-of-mind.
6. Delete Things Off Your List - Just because you added that task to your list, doesn’t mean you have to do it. You might put something onto your list only to find later that it isn’t really important. Don’t hesitate to delete unnecessary tasks from your list.
7. Mark Those Tasks Off! – It doesn’t matter whether you use a check mark or an “X.” Marking things off your list feels good. Get a Sharpie (other markers are available) in your favourite colour and use it to mark off things as you finish them

Only Do The Tasks on Your List

Going off your list for even the smallest of tasks can lead you down rabbit holes of non-productivity.

Today, stick to your todo list.

You will find that you get more done.

And by staying on track, you will get your most important work done first.

See you tomorrow! 

Day 27 Guest Blogger Andi Ramsay

Today is the turn of another guest blogger. Who seems to have as much to put on paper as I do as he came to me a couple days ago in a panic saying he couldn't shorten his post and it seemed to have two points. So we decided to give him two slots as it was easier on him and easier on you the reader. So I am pleased to introduce you to a man that I trust all my business photography and videography needs to along with my clients where they will listen. Today's blogger is Andi Ramsay of Developing Perceptions.

When is a photo not just a photo?

Don’t worry! This isn’t the introduction to an M&S advert, although they do make a very valid point which, for any business, is worth paying close attention to:
Everything that your business does, everything that it sends out, every interaction that your business has, is an extension of your brand and therefore sets the tone for the relationship that you will have with your customer.

First impressions

Consider what happens when someone hands you their business card. You instantly assess the look & feel of the card, listen to what the person says when they hand it to you, and you make a decision. That tiny bit of card in your hand forces you to decide in a split second; “would I do business with this person?” You probably don’t even notice that you do it when the decision is a ‘yes’, but you definitely know about it when the answer is ‘no’.

If the card is cheap, flimsy, dog-eared, badly printed, missing information, or corrected in ballpoint pen (yikes!) then it is going to give you a pretty poor impression of the sort of business that the person runs. On the other hand if the card is a beautiful thick textured card stock, with debossing, foiling, clean print, beautiful logo, and plenty of information laid out neatly you are going to think a lot more highly of the business person who handed it over.

Many forms

The first time that a customer encounters you won’t always be when you are handing over your business card, there are a multitude of ways for you to make your first impression, especially in this magical, technological age. Advertising, facebook pages, email newsletters, direct mailing, internet searches, twitter, websites are all possible primary points of contact for potential customers.
Put quite simply; every single thing that represents your business should be of the very highest quality, it might just be the only chance you get to impress a new client.

The easiest way to do this is to plan everything, never going on the spur of the moment. There are experts out there who are ready to help you with nearly every aspect of your business, marketing, copywriting, web design & development, as well as my own particular expertise; photography and video.

So when is a photo not just a photo?

Always! A photo, video, any image, is an ambassador for your brand. So what are your images saying about you?

Day 26- Does your business need an app?

"My business needs an app"

Maybe but you need to focus on your website first!

I'm fed up hearing this from business owners and you go look at their websites and they aren't clear and easy to navigate or they don't have a mobile version or worse they are built in flash (this was the case for a local web design/solution company I was discussing recently who also happens to be an apple device retailer!)

Bottom line is if your business is not utilising its website to its optimum the chances are that the huge investment in app development would have a greater return on investment by putting the cash on the fire!

And yes that sounds extreme but its true.

Lets look at this analytically.

What does your website do for your business?

For current customers

How can your existing customers benefit from visiting your website and from coming back again and again? If your existing customers like your site and feel it makes their working with you–or even their lives–easier, they will spread the word. You can:

Have a password protected area where they can review the work you are doing for them or where they can download project documents.

Have an online scheduling system to make it easier to request your services (i.e. if you own a hair salon or a massage therapy business.

Add the ability for them to upload documents you need from them.

For Prospects

We all want new business from our websites. To achieve this, our websites need to look professional, offer fresh content, and be better than the competition. Adding a little functionality can go a long way. You can:

Show your portfolio in clever ways so they can find or sort samples in categories or groupings that make sense to them. Make it a little interactive so they get involved.

Think about upgrading your testimonials to video testimonials. Showing is much better than telling.

Give them a taste of what you are all about.

Is your website mobile optimised?

With 51% of people using a mobile device to access the internet and only 43% of these people being satisfied with the mobile web experience this is really an area that needs to be tightened up on.  You need to speak to your web specialist about using a responsive web layout for optimal visuals on the array of devices that are out there from different sized monitor sizes, to tablets to smartphones.

New York Times Optimised site responds to the device you are viewing on

And yes if you go and look at my website you will see that none of this is current in my site but this is under construction and I am hoping that I take my own advice on this subject and utilise my web space to the optimal benefit of my business.

Day 25 - Guest Blogger Jim Reid

Todays Guest blogger is the lovely Jim Reid of Jim Reid Vehicle Sales the go to man for all your vehicle needs either business or personal

The Best Business Vehicles

Selecting a car for personal use can be a minefield, not only have you ensure you are buying the best car that suits your wants & needs but also that it comes with budget (even monthly budget) and you have to make sure that you are happy where you are buying it from too!

So you can imagine that when you are selecting a vehicle that suits your business need this is fully harder. With so much choice both in the new & used car & van marketplace you have to ensure a number of things before making that final decision.

·         What are you going to be using the vehicle for?

·         How many miles are you going to be doing per year?

·         Who else will be using the car?

·         Do you require a large boot to carry equipment or stock?

·         Do you carry passengers, frequently?

·         Are you self employed, sole trader or a director of a LTD company?(if you are a Director and buying a car for business and personal use, you will require some specialist assistance with tax advice)

An example of this is if you are doing more than 20,000mls per year and doing long distance driving it’s maybe worth looking at something diesel, with cruise control perhaps and something with a comfortable seating position opposed to a small city car with a small petrol engine which is ideal if you are doing alot of town driving and parking in tight car parking spaces etc.

Like “horses for courses” cars /vans require to fit the needs and requirements of each driver differently, with so much choice there will definitely be a car out there for you.

So once you settle on the exact car/van you then need to know how best to fund it. There has never been a better choice of ways to fund a vehicle than now, and depending on how your company is set-up and what capital is available there are various payment options for you. You are always best to talk to your accountant about this as they will advise you if it’s best to be kept of your balance sheet or if you want to buy it before the year end to take advantage of some tax breaks.

At Jim Reid Vehicle Sales we offer a number of payment plans including Hire Purchase, PCP (Personal Contract Plan) these are ideal if you are self employed where as Contract Hire , Lease or Lease Purchase maybe a better option if you are a LTD company. Although we cannot offer Company Lease or Contract Hire terms we have a trusted partner we can introduce you to.

If you are thinking of changing your car or small commercial and think you would benefit from some independent, impartial  advise in a non-pressure environment then please feel free to call Andy , Phil or myself (Jim Reid) on 01467 633045. We will be happy to assist you.  

Day 24- So you're a control freak?

So you're a control freak?

Well you are in good company. Because I am too!! I must admit that outsourcing to someone would be the hardest thing in the world for me to do if I didn't already know the value of it.  I've spoken to many people that are self confessed control freaks and this post is for them.

We all have a bit of “control freak” in us. It’s that nagging feeling you get when you ask for help on a project. You want it done right and maybe you were burned in the past. You could have gone after the offender with a pitchfork, but decided to stay out of jail and simply do it all yourself. That may have worked for awhile, but now your to-do list is keeping you up at night. You’re ready to try delegating again, but where do you start?

Outsourcing costs money and, unless you have a money tree growing in your back garden, you have to be careful. Does your budget allow for only one freelancer? Two? Only you can answer that question. But how much time are you spending on mundane tasks that are keeping you away from working on current clients or gaining new ones? Once you know the answer, you’re ready to outsource some mundane tasks and save yourself a chunk of time during your workday. Make a list of all the tasks you do every day and then check out the following tips

A control freak’s guide to lightening up:

- Say goodbye to time-consuming tasks.
This is a big one. You might be the world’s best writer, but if it takes you hours to churn out some quality prose, you’re better off delegating the task to a talented ghostwriter who can work faster that you ever could.

- Delegate the things you hate to do.
It could be a big list, but that’s okay. No one will know but you. Let’s say your list includes entering data in a spreadsheet or making travel arrangements. When your budget allows, there’s a virtual assistant out there who can do these things for you.

- Outsource the stinker tasks and come out smelling like a rose.
Think of the things you stink at. Graphics or web design, anyone? It takes time to learn those skills and time is something you don’t have a lot of right now. Outsource and save yourself a huge learning curve. And also work to your own talents and strengths

- Let go of some of the menial things you do every day.
Look at your list. How many of those are easy jobs with minimal instruction? Outsource it! Affordable VAs will be more than happy to format your documents or submit articles for you.

- Farm out any non-emergency tasks that aren’t critical to your success.
This is for the control freak in you who has trouble letting go. Hire a freelancer for those back-office duties that don’t have strict deadlines. Start small and build up as your budget allows. 

Hiring a VA can be cheaper than you think.  When you balance the outlay against the money you can make from the freed up time you will nearly always be in profit.  Add to that the fact that a VA is a tax deductable expense then it really is a no brainer.

Outsourcing can be a beautiful thing if you do it right. You’ll have more time to focus on your clients and less time to wrestle with your inner power struggle. It’s a win-win.

Day 23- Networking Choices

What networking events do I go to?

Well Aberdeen and surrounding areas have a vast array of networking events.  Now I can't give you first hand experience of these but I can relay what I've heard from others.

Lets start with the biggest one -

BNI Business Networking International

BNI has according to its own website four chapters within the city and five outwith.   (http://www.bni.eu/regional-chapters.php?region=36) BNI is a very popular networking format. "BNI is based on a philosophy of Givers Gain^®. If I give you business, you will want to give me business." It can be very successful and if you find the right chapter for you, your return on investment can come quickly.  BNI meets every week, primarily for breakfast although there are lunch based chapters.  However for new starts/young businesses the initial outlay may be a little off putting.

BNS (Business Networking Scotland )

BNS is different from BNI in that they only allow decision makers to join their network.  They have a regular meeting in Aberdeen which meets once a month at lunch time.  
"BNS events attendance is resticted to decision makers who have both a buying and selling authority. The events are structured but informal "  

Initial investment is less than BNI but still significant if you are a new start with very little cash flow

(http://www.businessnetworkscotland.co.uk/index.php)


AGCC (Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce)

AGCC do a range of networking meetings that are industry specific as well as general. They have a range of prices depending on the event and you don't always have to be a member to attend.  Feedback I have heard about these events is that they are normally very informative but formal.

(http://www.agcc.co.uk/network-your-business/)

ABN (Aberdeen Business Networking)

ABN is a very successful on and off line networking format.  The online arm is like a social media site for local business owners.  They also host three different networking format events.  F2F face to face, M4 Max four in a group and B4N before noon.  More information can be found here  http://aberdeenbusinessnetwork.ning.com/page/networking  These events are very popular and well attended which is good for expanding your contact base quickly but can be intimidating if you are new to networking and a little shy

Women Connect (formerly Connect 925)

This is a women only networking group (that to be honest with I don't wholly agree with but see that there may be a market need for)  They do a diverse range of activities/meetings that are always informative and enjoyable.

More information is available http://www.connect925.co.uk/

Aberdeen Entrepreneurs

I've not experienced this format but this is one of my goals this year to get to one of their events.  They describe themselves as 

"The business networking group which offers a working environment for business individuals to come and meet new people, network, gain business opportunities and have an enjoyable evening with like-minded people."

More information at http://www.aberdeenentrepreneurs.co.uk/

Podium

Podium is my networking group.  It was formed as a result of networking being quite expensive for 'shire businesses to get into town to network when you calculate out the costs.  It was also aimed at a startup audience where we have a very informal relaxed environment where everyone sits around the table and we have a speaker on a relevant topic.  We have a maximum attendance of 25 people so not a huge amount of people in the room. We have a Facebook page here, you can sign up to our updates here 

If you want to come to our next event you can sign up here http://podiumfeb2013.eventbrite.co.uk/

I've probably missed some out but I can only apologise  for that.  You now have some of the networking options available to you.

 

Day 22 - Guest Blogger Will Shek

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Will Shek of ID'd.  ID'd are a group of creatives based in Aberdeen and Edinburgh but servicing the entire country with work in multiple locations. We all have a common desire to produce work that is far from run-of-the-mill, to explore the boundaries whilst importantly remaining loyal to the brief and in budget.

No, your World of Warcraft playing neighbour's son is not a 'computer whiz'

When Karin asked me to write a guest blog piece I started in my usual business like tones about the narrative of design with quotes from industry figures, colour psychology diagrams etc etc

But you know what, even I got a bit bored whilst writing it never mind reading it so thought I'd cut to the chase and use this one quote that I love

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur"

In a nutshell

If you were to give me some bricks and mortar could I build a house? Maybe. Would it stand up and pass building regulations? Definitely no

As a business owner I understand the need to watch costs and the merits of bootstrapping however I had an epiphany one day when I'd spent hours coding a website

"Surely my time is better spent growing the business and working on the aspects I am good and proficient at and it would be more productive finding someone much better qualified to write this piece of code who will no doubt do a better job in a fraction of the time"

It was and I have not looked back since.

So as a designer it always puzzles me when people entrust one of the most valuable aspects of their business (their branding and marketing, basically the first step to any potential customers interacting with them) to non qualified or inadequate sources.

Finding a good designer is a tricky process. Finding the right designer even trickier but it should always start with a chat and a coffee. Only then can the right designer get to know you, your values, your aspirations and how best to 'tell your story'. Check their portfolio, their ways of reasoning, make sure they 'get' you and then when you hire them and they come to you with their ideas and concepts it really should be the start of something special as they can express in graphics, fonts and colours all the wonderful aspects of your business that you have been bursting to shout about; when you realise that something as simple as a well thought out logo can fill you with pride as it encapsulates perfectly what you are all about and when you can't wait to direct someone to your website as it is a crystal clear window to your business and your passion.

So, still think finding a professional designer isn't worth it?

PS If you want to read my more boring piece on the 'Narrative of Design' get in touch

To get in touch with Will call  07979 904354 or will@IvebeenIDed.com

Day 21 - Do you know what I do yet?

Ok so you've been dipping in and out of my blogs for three weeks now are you any more familiar with what I do? Or what I can do for you? I know some of my clients are reading this and they will know what I am doing for their businesses but there are many other things I can do too. So here's a list of 40 things I can do for your business to make your day to day life better.

1. Help you set up your website/blog.
2. Set up your email list.
3. Transcribe voice memos you record on your phone, and then email them to you.
4. Fix problems with your iTunes account 
5. Spend hours comparing and contrasting all the hotels in London and present you with a categorised list of the top ten, their features and then book the one you want for you.
6. Unsubscribe you from those annoying mailing lists that just won’t stop.
7. Send out emails that say “Hi, this is {insert your name here}’s assistant” which always impresses friends and family.
8. Do heaps of brain-numbing online research for you.
9. Find great keywords for you to use in specific blog posts.
10. Do simple SEO on your website/blog.
11. Do research to help you, help your kid with the math homework that you don’t understand.
12. Upload photos to Flickr, Pinterest, Behance or any other photo sharing network
13. Tag photos in those photo sharing networks and add those pesky, time-consuming descriptions to each.
14. Delete Facebook friends that aren’t, really your friends.
15. Act as a recruiter or head hunter when you are looking to fill a position.
16. Research a specific topic and write a draft blog post on said topic.
17. Find the lowest air fare for an up coming trip.
18. Organize your email & delete the 30,000 “archived” messages you have that are clogging up your email client
19. Respond to email/ticket support requests for your business.
20. Create several templates for sending out sales letters.
21. Do letter preparation & mailing
22. Transcribe podcasts, or anything audio/video for that matter.
23. Proof read your documents.
24. Edit your website, documents or important emails for proper grammar.
25. Create newsletters.
26. Create flyers.
27. Do data entry (thank goodness… because you know you don’t want to be doing that!)
28. Can create charts and graphs out of your spreadsheets.
29. Look for contractors/plumbers/pest control in your area.
30. Update your website.
31. Fulfill product orders (electronics products that is).
32. Organize your ideas and thoughts into actionable lists
33. Update address/contact lists
34. Do market research for a new product or business.
35. Manage your Facebook business page and interact with your likers.
36. Respond and retweet interesting things on your Twitter account when you’re too busy.
37. Follow up on business leads.
38. Send flowers to your wife/partner/mistress (whoever!!).
39. Organize your day and week using something like Google Calendars and then getting your phone to notify you a half an hour before each meeting/engagement.
40. Tell you that it’ll get better when you’re having a bad day.

This is some of the tasks that I do every week.  I also do a lot of copy writing for clients for various publications/formats.

So now you know what I do, can I help you to do what you do better?

Day 20 - Unity in Business

Today has brought about a lot of thinking and debate about how strength and change can be brought about.

You may or may not know that I am very passionate about the agriculture industry, this is where my roots are and where my specialist knowledge lies.  This is an industry like many others that has been struggling some what in recent times with various industry pressures including market price, legal restrictions etc.

There are various groups that are set up with the aim of supporting industries but they all suffer from a lack of Unity.

That is that not everyone will stand united, singing from the same hymn sheet so to say for the greater good of all involved.  Individual agendas often come into play and publicity goes to heads.

But what if someone stood up and said no more! We need to protect our industries for future generations.  We need to provide an income to the current generation and we need to stand together for the greater good of the country and the people that live within it.  We need to buy local to save our local produce from disappearing. Why are we putting up with poor quality international imports when we have some of the freshest top quality produce and services right here on our doorstep?

Those of us that are small business owners what would we do if no one bought out products/services locally? Do you try and do the same for other industries? Do you make sure you buy local produce where possible? If not why not?

This is something that I always liken to giving blood, we all expect it to be there when we need it but how many never donate? The same goes for local produce we all expect it to be there, we all expect the people in these industries, the families in these industries to be part of our community and local economic climate.  But how many of us do our bit to support them?

If these industries die off what will happen to our country? What will be the impact on your business? What will be the impact on your life? Have a think about it because just because your business is not directly linked to it doesn't mean there isn't an ancillary link.

Here is an example - if the local farmer stops growing local wheat, that the local baker uses to bake his bread, that the local eatery uses for its customers how many businesses could be affected?

Well yes the local baker can buy in flour from elsewhere but the quality isn't so good so his end product isn't as nice so the eatery has less customers buying their products.

So if all three businesses go out of business is that all that is affected?

No what about the delivery companies? The local vehicle dealer that supplies the vehicles to these businesses and their staff? The other local shops that the staff of these businesses shop in?

The list is endless. The ripple effect can be huge!

So are you ready to stand up together in UNITY to promote local industry as a whole, not segregated into them and us, pool resources for education and promotion to ensure the greater good for us all and for the future generations to come?

Have a think about it...

Day 19 getting there

Well today is day 19 of the month and it's become more apparent that I should learn to take my own advice re planning and time management. It's been busy and with deadlines looming things starting to go a little haywire.

But enough about me my topic today is Event Planning.

Event planning is something that everyone thinks they can do but in reality there are very few people who can do this efficiently, effectively and without any stress.

Regardless of how big or small your event you need to know that you can cope with anything that may be thrown at you and deal with it in a timely and effective manner. So if you are a stresser don't even think about organising an event. Leave it to someone who knows what they are doing.

Keep a project book. Whether electronic or paper write everything down. Date it and time it and keep it up to date.

Learn to negotiate! Everything event related is generally more expensive especially for things like weddings or launches. So never accept the first price.

Double and triple check everything is booked, delivery times are confirmed in writing and if possible plan extra time in to your schedule.

On the day of the event make sure you are well rested. Remember to eat throughout the day so your sugar levels don't crash. And try not to drink alcohol. It may take the edge off but it will impair your judgement and take your eye off the ball.

Finally enjoy the event it's been a lot of hard work you deserve to enjoy it.

Business and exercise

Today is the next of our guest bloggers. And this lady will make you smile and be positive! It is my pleasure to introduce to you the lovely Terri Forbes founder of Stix Body Blitz

Exercise along with a healthy diet gives you the energy you need to get through the work day. It is been statistically proven that by getting at least 30 minutes of continuous exercise during the day improves a person's mental and physical well being. Would you exercise more if you knew that you would perform your given responsibilities better? And if that meant a better quality product which ultimately meant more sales for your business, would you embrace it then?

The average business person today is working about 2000 hours a year. They are working longer days, more hours, and this can lead to a lot of stress and a lack of motivation to basically perform well anywhere. Exercise contributes to maintaining a healthy weight, less stress, and how well a person sleeps at night. Exercise releases certain endorphins which help with stress and well being. And since a person's well being is directly related to how they act and work doesn't it sound like a good idea to get more active?

So how do you fit it into your day? Do you find exercise boring? Well why not find something that you enjoy? My business is exercise so I am lucky I don’t need to find the time to fit it in but I prefer to exercise outside and therefore try and take my clients outside, weather permitting of course. But there is nothing that provides a hurdle for people like a gym, so why put yourself through it?

I specialise in one to one or group sessions that are fun. My motto is if you’re having fun your brain doesn’t think you are exercising! Remember the fun you used to have as a child with hula hoops and space hoppers well both have made an appearance in my training sessions. If this sounds like your sort of training why not get in touch with me and see if we can work together to improve your health and fitness and that of your business too.

I also do bootcamps, TRX, boxercise and kick boxercise.

Contact Terri on 07738 301606 or team_stix@yahoo.co.uk

Day 17 of my blogging challenge

Today was supposed to be event planning but in light of this weeks experience with other businesses I felt compelled to write today about positivity and productivity in business.

All this week I have been encountering different businesses and there are two schools of attitude towards business just now. Positive and negative.

The positive ones are very positive and the negative ones could make professional mourners! It's been soul destroying speaking to these people.

I am so glad that I have a great group of people around me that help keep me positive or it could have been a lot worse.

Now I know times are tough, especially in retail, but being negative about it is going to do two things. It's going to discourage people from spending with you and also discourage them from promoting you by word of mouth.

There are lots of positive things happening in the business community just now. And everyone should be proactive to encourage this in their business and support others too.

So lets start tomorrow with a smile and something positive about the day and encourage those around us to do the same. I did this with a client recently and had two new clients approach me within 24 hours. And the client more than doubled their takings for that day.

Spread the positivity one person at a time and it will come back tenfold

Blogging Challenge - Working together to the greater good

Collaborative Work.

I couldn't run my business without the trusted support network that I have round about me.  Other service providers who I know I can trust and who know how I work.  These range from designers to PR specialists to accountants to photographers to restaurant owners you name it I've probably got a supplier somewhere for it and if I don't I'll know someone that will.

Yeah but that's what you do I hear you say. Well  yes that is what I do but you too can benefit from having a network of people.  Whether it is building your own or tapping into someone else, people you can work with on collaborative work are invaluable.

But be careful! It takes time to build a good network of trusted suppliers.  So my tips to you when building your network are:

• Don't just go with the first service provider that you come across, find a few in the same market, explore their style of working and see who suits you and your work best.  Never ever shop based on price alone.
• Spend time networking and building your network of contacts.  Networking events can be daunting but its good to make contact with people out with the working environment as you get to know them as a person not just someone you are working with.
• Talk to other business owners about things, who they use, who they wouldn't use etc learn from the mistakes others have made.  Dont take one opinion as gospel though but if a few people are saying the same thing this is generally the case (positive and negative)

It is important to set out specific guidelines on what both parties have to do within the project and that they are both aware of each others expected levels of quality.  I will openly admit that I am the worst customer anyone will ever have, especially if they are working for a client of mine.  I work hard to build a relationship with my clients and they come to expect a level of quality from me.  I will not allow anyone to destroy that hard work.  So do not allow any service provider to lower your standards they should always endeavour to exceed them.

But last and by no means least, collaborative work can be fun and a learning experience.  You can get behind the scenes in another industry. You can learn hints and tips that you can use in your business or personal life.  I've been art director on a Filming shoot, design assistant to a rebranding/new website, photographers assistant and Make up assistant at a launch.  

So don't be scared to work with others on projects but set the boundaries and have fun - collaborative work is fun!

Woo Hoo!! Half way!!

Planning Ahead

Well today is the half way point of this challenge and I must admit I'm thoroughly loving it.  Writing every day is really quite liberating as it gives me a break from the day to day work load.

I would not have been able to get this far without planning ahead and this is why I've chosen to cover this topic today.

I get really fed up of hearing people moan about things not working or not succeeding.  There is so much negativity about.  But when you take time to speak to these people they are all taking the same path and that is this.

Idea conceived, idea put into action.

Now I can see what the biggest problem is here. There is no forward planning.  Now while many ideas will come to fruition with this strategy there are plenty that will fail.  And this leads to low moral, dejection and increased negativity.  So lets look at how we can be more positive and successful.

Never a truer word spoken!

Lets take this series of blogs for example.  This was a concept that was first thought about back in November and I thought it would be a great way to start the year, become more disciplined and write more. I then shelved the idea and revisited it on the first of January.  I wrote my first post and spent a couple of hours planning the other 30 days of the month.

I knew that writing every post myself was a little unrealistic so I decided to have a percentage of guest bloggers.  I thought initially 10% but its sitting at approximately 20%. So I contacted those I wanted to post for me and scheduled them into the plan. I then decided what topics I wanted to cover, where did my knowledge fall?

So I brainstormed this and ended up with a good list of topics some of which would extend to more than one day but I figured that this was better than writing too much for a day. So I had a list of topics scheduled into days and began to write and schedule my posts to publish.  I write most days but over weekends or for days that I know I will be busy I schedule my posts to publish.

But the point I'm making is that if you plan ahead and break down things into bite size manageable pieces and outsource what you don't want to deal with things instantly become easier to handle and have an increased chance of success.  Yes this is echoed through a lot of what I've written but it is the key to being successful in life or business.  We all have different strengths lets work to our own strengths and life becomes easier, less stressful and more successful!

Day 14- half way there almost!!

Today we welcome our second guest blogger. Fiona Poustie runs Missing Sock PR. I will leave her to tell you more.

PR Does Not Stand For Press Release

Q: What does the wife of a public relations expert do when she has insomnia?
A: She rolls over and says, ‘Tell me again, darling, just what it is you do for a living.’

You are exposed to the efforts of public relations practitioners every day, in various media – from TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, Facebook, Twitter…. I could go on but I’ve been invited to be a guest blogger for day 14 and not for 14 days.

It’s a growing profession but there are many myths and misconceptions about PR that are just wrong.

Here are just a couple I come across regularly.

You work in PR. That stands for press release, right? Implying all you do is issue stories to the press. Wrong! Part of the job is issuing information to the media, and building cooperative relationships, but that is only part of it.

Public relations is just propaganda. Wrong! Propaganda is about manipulating people, getting people to think or act in a way that is based on emotion, not intellect, to do something that is not in their best interest. Public relations, on the other hand, is a management tool used to create goodwill between an organisation and its public (both internal and external). Various communication instruments are adopted to further this interest. Media relations, stakeholder relations, employee engagement and crisis management to name a few, are part of public relations.

Public relations people drink copious amounts of coffee. Ah…ok, you’ve got me there.

So just what is public relations?

Socrates wrote 2,500 years ago:

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear”.
In other words, it’s about what you do as well as what you say.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations appear to agree, giving its definition of Public Relations as:

Public relations is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.
Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.

And on that note, I’m off. I have a reputation to uphold and the kettle’s just boiled.

Fiona can be contacted at www.missingsockpr.co.uk

A month of blogging day 13

Award entries

I never really saw the benefit of entering awards for your business until last year. I was approached by Chris Tonner of Beetroot Restaurants to assist with some promotion work which included an entry for the Trend Life with Style Restaurant of the Year award.

Having always enjoyed writing and having a little flair for it I knew that preparation and research would be the key to making sure that the entry would catch the attention of the judging panel and get into the secondary stages.

Having spoken with Mr Tonner I established that he had entered twice previously and not gotten further than the first round. So upon reading his previous entries I could see exactly what the problem was. The same problem many people have when promoting their own business. This comes two fold. One people don't like to shout about their amazing achievements and secondly they assume people know about their business.

Having spoken extensively with Chris before I began writing I knew that I knew the story of where his business had come from and where it was going to. This allowed me to carefully craft an entry that would go through the rounds of judging and all the way to success.

So whether you are entering awards yourself or employing someone to write them for you make sure you plan and discuss it fully to make sure all the knowledge is out there to be shared.

And if you are thinking about entering awards but aren't sure where to start why not get in touch and I can guide you through the process.

A month of blogging day 12

Networking for beginners.

As some of you may be aware I run a networking group called Podium. Podium has a very relaxed approach to networking in that we all sit and have a coffee and chat with our guest for the month and this means that we are ideally placed as a nice introduction to networking for those of you that, like me, find a room with upwards of 50 people in it very daunting. Yes Podium is a smaller group with average attendance between 15-20.

What preparation should you do before hand?
Make sure you have plenty business cards. This is essential as its how other people are going to get your contact details.

Try and relax. I know networking is daunting but someone will always speak to you so relax about that and enjoy yourself. It's as much social as it is business.

Don't perfect your sales pitch! Networking is not the place to sell to people it is where you make contact with people and raise your profile. I'd almost guarantee if you try selling then you won't hear from many people after the event.


So why not make this the year you spread your networking wings.

The first Podium of the year is on Wednesday 6th February 18:30 for 19:00 -21:00 approx if you want more info gone me a shout

A Month of Blogging Day 11

Advertising Part three

Yes three parts to one topic but advertising is such a huge topic.  Its something we all have to do and today I'm going to focus on why we need to do traditional advertising such as print advertising.

Many people will tell you print is dead, well to them I say this does digital feel the same as print, does it look the same as print, does it smell the same as print? The answer is no.

There is a reason all the big fashion houses still advertise with the Vogues, Marie Claires, Tatlers of the world, because there is nothing that can take away from holding a good quality print publication in your hand and flipping through it.  Print is there when your tablet/phone runs out of juice. You never go back to a print publication to find out they've removed the article you were reading. And you never get the thrill of finishing a printed publication and shutting the cover (ok that's more books but you get my drift!)

Yes newspaper advertising can be a hit or a miss but as with any format you need to plan your adverts, target your audience and make sure there is a call to action in there.

Lets explain what I mean.

You run a coach holiday firm that specialises in coach holidays for the over 60's.  Do you advertise this in FHM? Or Cosmopolitan? Or Peoples Friend?
Peoples friend is the right answer of course. It is aimed at the same target market as you are.

Now what to put in your advert

Over 60's Coach Holidays to Southern France and Spain Contact xxxx on 017xxxxxxx

Or

Why not escape from the grandchildren sqaubbling and join us on a relaxing air conditioned coach to the beautiful French Riviera then onwards to the Spanish Sun.  Book your space today on 017 xxxxxx

What one are you more likely to respond to?

These rules apply to any advertising you are doing, so go have a look at your past adverts and see if they were in the right publication and did they inspire you to do something?

Do not rely on the publication to do your design work, employ a designer to work with you to standardise your advertising to tie it in with your brand keep that strong too.


Look how effective this ad is

A month of blogging day 10

Today is the first in my series of guest bloggers.

I am very thankful to Scott Donald of Your Town Centre magazine for his contribution today. Your Town Centre is a monthly local magazine designed to bring local community events, information, clubs and groups together. It is available both in print and online. Currently available in Peterhead but soon to be available in other towns in Aberdeenshire. Get in touch with Scott to find out more about the magazine and advertising opportunities.


Www.yourtowncentre.co.uk


Advertising.

Advertising has been around for many, many years. It is a form of communication to encourage viewers or readers to take some action. If used correctly, advertising can be a powerful force. It is your sales force that is communicating and letting people know about your business and what you do.

If have thought about advertising or you are not sure about it, you should firstly sit down and plan. Don’t ….

• Just advertise when you feel flush or just because you think you should. Or,

• Only advertise for just a few weeks or months.


What you should do when planning your advertising campaign is think about your….

• Advertising message. What are you trying to get across to potential customers?

• Key Benefits. Why your service or product is ahead of the competition.

• Target Market. Who might your customers be?

• Campaign Length. Again don’t advertise for a few weeks or months, but plan for longer. Repetition is good.

• Spend. Have a budget for your campaign.

• Chosen media. This can be magazines, radio or even TV. Ideally a media that targets your market. A media where your advert will look good and appealing.

Having done the above you are in a better position to now to go ahead and advertise. Remember the objective of advertising is to communicate your message and move your potential customers closer to purchasing or take action. It is important to get it right.

So in summary, plan your campaign, set your budget, choose your media and most importantly, put your business ahead of the competition.

A month of blogging day 9

Advertising

Ahead of my first guest blogger tomorrow. I wanted to touch on advertising.

When you speak about advertising people automatically assume you mean the traditional means such as newspapers, magazines, tv etc but advertising covers so much formats these days from these through to social media, web sites, online advertising such as Google Adwords etc the list is endless. The most important thing to remember is that everyone of these formats costs you money.

They may not necessarily be paid for advertising but they will ultimately cost you money. Even if it is just your time it is still an expense to your business.

The one thing I continually get asked is how do I know if my advertising is working? My reply is always that advertising always works BUT it needs to be the right advertising to the right audience that includes a call to action for that audience, that you can measure in some way.

You have to establish what your return on investment is for any advertising spend.
The first step to doing this is find out where your customers heard of you. Every new customer and your existing too while chatting away to them establish how/where they heard of you and note it down. Keep a notepad next to your workspace for just that reason. You'll be amazed where people hear about you from.

Track all your customer interactions to find out where your return on investment is primarily coming from and then you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

That is assuming you have a strategy/plan? You don't? Well don't be too concerned just now. You'd be surprised how many people don't. But lets look at that another day once we have some data to play with.

If this is all too much for you or you don't have time for this or your Facebook page has been neglected of late here's a wee thought for you.

On Friday a client added me as admin for her business Facebook page. This was just five days ago and the image below is a snapshot of what I have achieve for her in this time. And she was fairly active on Facebook before this but with a little strategy a little look in from the outside can make a huge difference. And this online interaction can directly be linked to NEW customers coming through the door of her shop too.


So why not get in touch to see what a fresh pair of eyes could do for your advertising and business growth?

Have a great day!

A month of blogging day 8!

Well it's been easier than I thought to continue this challenge and I know I've probably cursed myself but I'm going to have some guest posts over rest of month to give you some variety.

But today is about corporate identity/branding. It's an often overlooked area but is one of the most important ones you should concentrate on.

Your brand is everything look at some of the biggest companies in the country- Marks and Spencer, Fed Ex, Cadbury, Heinz, Tesco etc. They all have very strong brands you are left in no doubt about their products, marketing materials, staff or premises/vans. Everything is a shining example of their brand. The fonts match, the logos are utilised correctly in the correct ratio sizing, the colours are exact not near enough and the brand is a strong identity for the company. You are left in no doubt about who and what they are.

Now lets look at your business.

Is your branding strong?

Does it encompass what your business is/does?

Do you execute it correctly every time?

Does your own corporate identity match your brand?

I could only say yes to the last two statements. I'm a stickler for colour shades and fonts and a bit OCD with logos so my brand was properly executed. My own identity reflected my brand colours along with my business accessories.

But my branding wasn't strong enough. And didn't encompass my business well enough.

So yes you guessed it. I'm rebranding. I can't tell you any more than that just now but I've a meeting today to discuss concepts etc so we will see how that goes.

I could talk about branding for ages but the key points are

Make sure you have it

Make sure it works properly

Make sure you use it properly.

Your designer can supply you with everything you need to utilise your branding correctly make sure you do yourself a favour and do it. You never saw Cadbury purple one day, blue the next and lilac the next did you?

January 2013 A Month of Blogging - Day 7

Dressing For Success

This is a true story experienced first hand by myself and can be corroborated by others if you wish.

I'd never been one for power dressing for business I always felt it was something that super stressed and high flying execs did or women in business that felt they needed to use their femininity to get ahead. Not classing myself in either of these categories it was something that never crossed my mind.
I always dressed smartly when I was in the offices of clients and practically when on farm. Then for my virtual clients it didn't matter at all what I wore. But I still had my work wardrobe.

Well this all changed about a year ago. I was accompanying a client to a meeting with a fairly well established business man and I was sorting out my clothes the night before. I'd picked out my black trouser suit from the wardrobe and was raking for my faithful mid heel shoes that I always wore with it. And I spied a pair of shoes I had forgotten I owned.

These were a pair of gorgeous purple high heels. They were stunning but not practical for work. I laid them next to my old faithfuls and went to bed.

Next morning I realised that the hem on my trousers was down and with not enough time to hem them it was back to the wardrobe again. The only other semi smart item that I owned to go with the suit jacket was a black dress. My other suits were at the cleaners so it would have to be the dress.

Paired with the jacket, black tights and black shoes I looked ready - to go to a funeral (as my other half at the time kindly told me!)

Ach well I'd have to do I told myself as I dashed out the door and into the car.

Driving into town I realised I'd picked up the purple heels with my bag so by the time I'd gotten into town I'd decided to wear them just for a bit of fun.

The meeting went well. My client achieved their target I did the note taking etc everyone was happy. Afterwards I was standing in the queue at Starbucks for a coffee when a woman asked where I'd gotten my shoes from and we were standing chatting when my phone rang. It was the man (lets call him Mr X) I'd just come out of the meeting with. He was calling to thank me for minute taking etc and that he wanted to arrange another meeting.

I'd have to double check with my client his availability I replied. No Mr X said just you I'd like you to come meet me to discuss working for me. I loved the serious but still with an element of fun attitude you take to your work and that is reflected in your appearance too. I later learned that the purple heels had been topic of conversation between Mr X and his associate for an hour after I left the first meeting. (Imagine two 40 something straight men chatting about purple heels - mental image is hilarious in my head)

But the point of this little tale is I got a new client based upon what I was wearing. I deliberated this many times and the next meeting I had with a potential client or existing I dressed similarly and then did control experiments.

Every time I power dressed I achieved exactly what I wanted and more. Without it I had to work harder for what I wanted.

This was proof enough to me that if you look like you mean business but have a bit of personality shining through your only limit is your imagination. And yes there is a school of thought that will say but I had a more positive mind set etc maybe this is the case. But don't take away a perfect excuse for pretty shoes or a bright shirt or jacket with a funky lining. Lets all have pretty clothes that give us 'the power' to release our potential ;)

Go on give it a go for yourself. Power dress for your next meeting with a client (potential or existing) and see what happens for you.

January 2013 A Month of Blogging - Day 6

Time Management and Organisational Skills

Time management and organisational skills go hand in hand, whether you are tech savvy or happier with a pen and paper the principles are the same.

I have ten main principles to time management.

1. Keep a diary. Electronic or paper it makes no difference but keep it up to date. Write every appointment in it both personal and business
2. Write a daily to do list. Where everything you have to do that day is listed and you can check it off as you perform the tasks
3. Prioritise tasks. Every task has a level of importance and a level of urgency. Do the urgent important ones first, then the urgent not so important ones, not urgent important are next up and you may never have to do the not urgent not important ones
4. Eat your frog every morning. We all have a slimy task we've been putting off whether its a call to someone or doing the filing. Do it first thing and you'll be amazed at the positive effect on your day
5. Stick to meeting time limits.  If a meeting should last an hour, schedule 1.25 hours and stick to it.  The more you practice this the better you will become at sticking to schedules and not wasting time
6. Schedule down time into your week.  Whether it is a reading day or a relaxing day or time with your partner make sure you schedule it or it may get lost and then you lose the work life balance.
7. Plan in Advance, make sure you know the night before what you are doing the following day, double check everything and confirm all appointments.
8. Minimise distractions, only check your email at key points in the day, only answer the phone when absolutely necessary (set time aside to schedule call backs)
9. Schedule 5 minute breaks throughout the day to walk outside or around the office, stretch and clear your mind to recharge your mental batteries and allow yourself to get re-focused on your work.
10. Remember your Goals.  Your goals are your aims you are working towards your planning and time management should all be steps towards them

Remember it doesn't matter if you do this on paper or electronically what is important is that you do it and also lose your addiction to "being busy" we are all busy there's a difference between being busy and working effectively.

January 2013 A Month of Blogging - Day 5

Organisational Skills

How many of you have vowed to become more organised this year? How many of you work from home and struggle to get organised at home?

Home or tele-working is still an expanding market in the UK, now 20% of the working population fall into this bracket.  But many people find it tough to separate the home and work life.  Whether you are an employee or running your own business from home there is one key skill that you must have – organisation.

Organisation is paramount to home working.  You need to have a dedicated work area where you work from and only work at.  This will allow you to separate your work and home life and not become consumed by one or the other.

This can be a separate room or a part of a room but it must be structured and organised for the tasks you perform.

Is your desk more this?

Or This?

Running a small business, that helps other businesses, has allowed me to realise how important it is to be productive at home and also to separate home and work time.  I help clients to get on top of the tasks that keep them from their core business activities.  This can be anything from general administration, marketing, database maintenance, diary maintenance, event management, sourcing suppliers or project management to name but a few.

I also show my clients how organisation and surroundings can affect their concentration and performance; this can include things as simple as the colour of a room – yellow to improve concentration, blue to improve performance.

Your office space whether at home or work is important but do you still find that you are disorganised and cant find anything or are always late? Well then you need to time manage and prioritise better to make more effective use of your time. This is what we will cover tomorrow!