Get Ahead VA is very proud to have branches across the country, run by our Regional Directors. All of our RDs are ambitious, business-minded people who took advantage of Get Ahead VA’s exciting franchise opportunity, which allowed them to start their own business with the support of an established brand behind them.

So what does it take to become a Get Ahead VA Regional Director? We’ve pulled together the top 5 skills which we think are essential if you want to take on this exciting role.

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Thursday 1st August is Yorkshire Day – a day dedicated to celebrating the beautiful, vibrant and innovative county of Yorkshire – and Get Ahead VA is very proud to be part of this wonderful region. To celebrate this special day, we wanted to let you know how we can help your Yorkshire-based business to grow.

What is Yorkshire Day?

Yorkshire Day is an annual celebration of the county of Yorkshire, promoting the county’s  towns, beauty spots and top attractions through special promotions, festivals, art, culture, food and drink. This year the main celebrations will be held in Whitby, where representatives from across the county will come together to show off the best that Yorkshire has to offer.

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Social media doesn’t always feel like a friendly place, and when it comes to making business connections online, your social media channels can sometimes feel more like a stream of self-promotion than a genuine effort to make a connection.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Today, in honour of the UN’s International Day of Friendship, we’re looking at how you can put the camaraderie back into social media, and use the top social networking site for business, LinkedIn, to make real connections that will benefit both your business and your life.

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Get Ahead VA is very proud to have branches across the country, each run by one (or two!) Regional Directors. All of our RDs are ambitious, business-minded people who took advantage of Get Ahead VA’s exciting franchise opportunity, which allowed them to start their own business with the support of an established brand behind them.

There are so many reasons to become a Get Ahead VA franchisee, and we’re always on the lookout for people who are interested in opening a new branch in their local area. Not sure whether you should take the plunge? Here are five brilliant benefits of opening a franchise with us!

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Get Ahead VA is very proud to have branches across the country, and we’re always on the lookout for ambitious, business-minded people who are interested in opening a new branch in their local area. Our Regional Directors are brimming with good advice about being your own boss. Today, Fiona, who runs the Leeds branch, is here to share her advice about building a business network.

A big part of being a Get Ahead VA Regional Director is networking – the job is all about building up a network of contacts, including people who might use the services offered by our virtual assistants. I usually attend two networking meetings a week, although there is one week in the month where I go along to four! Given how important networking is, here are my tips for building a useful, supportive network.

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Taking a summer holiday might seem like an indulgent luxury for a business owner, but it is actually an essential part of running a business and making it a success.

When your phone runs out of battery, you recharge it, and the same principle applies to you too. The summer is the perfect time to take yourself away from work for a week or two and top up your batteries with fun, sunshine and, most importantly, rest. Not only will this make you feel better, it’ll benefit your business too, when you return refreshed and brimming with new ideas.

Have we convinced you to take a break? Then here are three ways you can make the most of your summer holiday.

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Becoming a Regional Director for Get Ahead VA means having the freedom to run your own business with support from an established brand – so you’re going into business for yourself, not by yourself. But what is it actually like to be a Regional Director, day to day?

We spoke to Fiona, the head of our Leeds branch, to find out how she spends a typical working day.

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Social media is a vital tool for modern businesses, but with so many platforms to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? We’re here to help – each month we’ll focus on one social media platform and examine how it can help your business grow and connect with an online audience. This month, we’re starting with Facebook.

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Plastic is a hot topic – the buzz around it began in earnest thanks to the BBC series Blue Planet II, which raised awareness about the damage plastic is doing to our oceans and sea life. Earlier this month, people and organisations around the world celebrated World Oceans Day (8th June), an annual event which encourages people to protect our oceans against threats like plastic.

So how can you, as a business owner, get involved with this movement? We’ve gathered together a few ideas – big and small – to help you reduce plastic in your workplace.

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Happy Bring Your Dog to Work Day! If you don’t already know about this fantastic event, on the 21st June each year, people up and down the country take their dogs to work in order to raise money for dog-related charities. (Of course, it’s also a great excuse to cuddle other people’s pooches and introduce your own to some new friends.)

Any business can become an official sponsor of the event, and individuals can make donations to the leading charities online. Today, we thought we’d celebrate by introducing you to some of the dogs in the Get Ahead VA team. Bring on the pups!

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