If you’re a small business owner, you know how difficult it can be to turn off, even over the Christmas holidays. And in that awkward period between Christmas and New Year, it can be all too easy to find yourself working again, without having taken a proper break.
But this is an important time of year for entrepreneurs to rest and recover, so if you’re finding it difficult to take time off before the new year, read on for our top R&R tips for business owners.
As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to look back on all you’ve achieved and acknowledge the hard work of the people who helped to get you there. If you’re a business owner, this will include your employees – that dedicated team of people who keep things running smoothly all year round.
But how can you show your appreciation for your employees in a meaningful way? Read on to discover some of our favourite ways to say thank you.
At this busy time of year, all sorts of jobs can fall to the bottom of your to-do list – and staying active on LinkedIn can easily be one of them. But there are a number of benefits to keeping up your online efforts over the festive season (although, of course, you must take a proper break too!).
For many businesses, LinkedIn is one of the most valuable platforms out there. With over 40% of its 500 million members using the site daily,1 it’s worth keeping up with LinkedIn during December if you can.
Want to know more? Here’s our advice about using LinkedIn over the festive season. (more…)
One of our virtual experts, Melanie McDowell, talks about how some words of wisdom from her dad shaped her approach to complex challenges.
Some of us have significant people in our lives whose words have helped us immeasurably in difficult situations. And mostly, those people have no idea how much their pearls of wisdom have stuck with us: for me, that person is my dad. He’s not that old, my dad. Whilst he doesn’t have much hair left, and he’s old enough to qualify for a free bus pass, he’s certainly no wizened old sage who sits cross-legged atop a mountain. He just has a way with words, and as I’ve grown older, I’ve realised that half the things he says aren’t even his own words, so perhaps his real skill is knowing the right thing to say at the right time.
Why on earth was he asking me about elephants?
December is a tricky month for meetings. At the height of the holiday season there’s no guarantee that you’ll be at your desk – or even in the same city as it – so how can you continue to stay in touch with your employees and your clients throughout the disruptions of Christmas?
To help you out during this busy month, our virtual assistants have shared some of their favourite tools for staying connected on the go. Here are 5 of our favourite apps for organising meetings during December.
Get Ahead VA offers a wide range of business and marketing services. In our Service Spotlight, we take a closer look at one of these, and show you how our virtual assistants can help you and your business. This month, with Christmas on the way, we’re looking at holiday cover.
 Why do you need holiday cover?
When you run your own business, it can be easy to think that it will simply fall apart without you, which is probably why nearly 1.5 million (about one-third) of the UK’s sole traders didn’t take a day’s holiday at all last year. Even when small business owners do take a break, it often isn’t proper time off – over 90% check work emails and do work admin during their holidays.
If you’ve always wanted to run your own business, but have been too daunted by the idea of going it alone, then becoming a Get Ahead VA regional director could be the next big move for your career.
Get Ahead VA is headquartered in Surrey, but we are proud to have branches all over the country, from Oxford to Leeds. These branches are run by regional directors, and we’re always looking for driven, entrepreneurial people to become regional directors and take Get Ahead VA somewhere new. That’s where you come in!
Black Friday – a day on which retailers offer huge discounts to their customers – has been around for decades. It originated in America in the 1920s, and by the 1980s it had become one of the most important shopping days of the year. In 2010 the phenomenon crossed the pond, and in the last few years it has well and truly made its mark in the UK. In 2017, we spent £1.4 billion* in online Black Friday sales alone.
This year, Black Friday will happen on Friday 23rd November, and it is expected to be as significant as ever. But is this an event for big retailers only, or can everybody get involved? Read on to find out whether running a Black Friday promotion is right for your small business.
Should I take part?
There are plenty of good reasons to take part in this seasonal shopping bonanza. On Black Friday, shoppers will be ready to spend and actively looking for deals, so you might find it easier than ever to draw in new customers. It’s also a great excuse to clear out surplus stock, and it means you can boost your sales before the busy Christmas period.
Get Ahead VA offers a wide range of business and marketing services. In our Service Spotlight, we take a closer look at one of these, and show you how our virtual assistants can help you and your business. This month we’re looking at email marketing.
What is email marketing?
Email marketing is the use of emails to promote products and services to, or to build a relationship with, current or potential customers. Email marketing has lots of advantages over traditional direct-mail marketing: it’s cheaper, you can reach a wider audience, and you can more easily track data to help you refine you marketing efforts. Email marketing is one of the most powerful online marketing techniques out there – according to some research, every £1 spent on email marketing can provide an average return of £38.
Christmas is one of the most important times of year for any business, and it’s especially important for SMEs because seasonal spending can provide such a valuable boost in sales. Last year, the UK spent more than £78 billion on Christmas, and this festive shopping spree starts early, with more than 50% of people planning to do most of their shopping before December.
It can pay, then, to start thinking about Christmas now. Not sure where to begin? Here are some of the key ways you can prepare your business for the most wonderful time of the year.