Author: Akiko Design

We all know how important it is to protect the planet, and with World Environment Day taking place on Tuesday 5th June, there’s never been a better time to think about the eco-friendliness of your business.

Going green isn’t just good for the environment – it can be good for business too. Not only can environmentally friendly alternatives save you money, they can also attract customers. In 2017, a global study by Unilever found that one-third of consumers prefer to buy from sustainable companies.

Interested? If you want to boost your business’ eco credentials, here are 5 easy steps you can take today.

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Here at Get Ahead VA we are privileged to work with a wide variety of clients ranging from will writers to window cleaners, financial consultants to fashion designers. All of our clients are motivated and driven business owners, with clear plans for business growth. They recognise the value of outsourcing, passing on to others the tasks that either they lack the skills in or that drain their valuable time.

Here’s 60 seconds with one of our clients, Pip Evan-Cook from The Marketing Architect, who came to us looking for some support in her marketing business:

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GDPR is coming – the EU’s new data protection rules will come into force on 25th May, and will affect all businesses dealing with individuals and companies within the EU. If you’re not sure how to handle these new regulations, don’t worry: our ‘30 Days to GDPR’ post has you covered.

But GDPR could also have an impact on the sites you use every day, including that all-important networking platform: LinkedIn. How will businesses that rely on LinkedIn for making connections be affected when GDPR finally comes in?

If you want to know more, here’s the lowdown on LinkedIn and GDPR.

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There’s been no escaping the royal wedding recently, but whether you love the royals or not, there’s no question that weddings are big business. Research by wedding website hitched.co.uk has revealed that weddings are worth more than £10 billion per year to the UK economy, with the average wedding costing around £36,000.

But the wedding industry, though huge, can be notoriously difficult to break into – especially the more popular fields such as events planning, catering and floristry. So how can you make a mark in a world overwhelmed by weddings?

If you’re interested in starting a wedding business or expanding your current offering, here are 10 unusual ideas for breaking into the wedding market.

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We all know how important it is to keep growing and improving at work, and continuing professional development (CPD) is a useful way to document this progress and allow you to reflect on your growth. But when you’re a business owner, CPD can too easily be pushed aside in favour of the day-to-day running of your business.

This shouldn’t be the case: CPD is an investment, both in your business and yourself. Fortunately, Learn at Work Week (14th–20th May 2018) is here to remind us just how important CPD is for every business, and all organisations are invited to take part.

If you’re a business owner and you’re unsure how to make time for CPD in your working life, here are some simple ideas to get you started.

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There’s no shortage of great tech out there that can help your business to run more smoothly – in fact, just a couple of weeks ago we showcased some of our VAs’ favourite apps for business. But this week is National Stationery Week, and even with so many wonderful tools available online, we’re still very fond of good old-fashioned stationery.

Of course, we’re not alone. A study by Epson UK discovered that 82% of new British businesses – including those started by ‘digital natives’, 18- to 24-year-olds – still favour physical tools such as whiteboards, pens and paper for their creative work.

Fortunately, stationery and tech don’t need to compete with each other; there’s enough room in our hearts, and our offices, for both. With that in mind, here are some stationery essentials we think belong in every office.

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Spambots have long been a problem for Twitter, and as of 23rd March 2018 the platform introduced new anti-spam rules to try and combat them. The idea behind the new rules is to prevent users from posting multiple Tweets with the intention to “disseminate spam” or to “artificially amplify or inflate [a Tweet’s] prominence”.

The changes are designed to combat duplicate content, so they’re likely to have the most significant impact on social media managers and business owners who post the same content across multiple accounts. Want to know if these new rules will affect you? Read on to find out what steps you can take to avoid your Tweets being marked as spam.

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Here at Get Ahead VA, our team of virtual assistants includes experts in a wide variety of fields. From accounting to admin, Hootsuite to holiday cover, email marketing to Excel, our VAs can add value to many aspects of your business.

With that in mind, our VAs are always on the lookout for the apps, tools and tricks of the trade that will help them to work more efficiently. We asked them to name their favourites, so you can discover the programs behind the people, and get some inspiration for your own business.

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Stress at work is an extremely common problem in the UK. According to the Health and Safety Executive, in 2016/17, 12.5 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression and anxiety. Add to this the pressures of being your own boss, and stress can be a particular problem for small business owners.

So what can be done about the stress epidemic? One of the schemes that has been put in place is Stress Awareness Month, which takes place every April. The aim of the month is to encourage people to talk about stress, share their coping strategies and take care of themselves and others.

If you’re looking for somewhere to start with managing your own stress, here are 5 of our top tips. (more…)

Thursday 5th April will be the last day of the 2017/18 financial year, and if you’re a freelancer, sole trader or business owner, this will obviously be an important date for your diary. However, this can also be a stressful time for the self-employed, especially if the thought of spreadsheets and tax returns makes you shudder.

The best way to deal with the transition is to get organised. Now is the time to put your finances in order and prepare yourself to fill out your tax return. Not sure where to start? Here are four essential tips for dealing with the end of the financial year as a self-employed person.

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