What are the best ways to retain employees?

With a number of businesses struggling to recruit the right new staff, many business owners are looking to improve their employee retention strategies instead. Of course, we all know the basic tenets of respect, recognise and reward, but putting them into practice in an effective way can be more challenging.

In this blog, we talk to our business operations manager Debra, who manages our large team of virtual experts while also delivering outstanding admin support for Get Ahead clients. Debra herself has been with us for nearly ten years, giving her plenty of time to reflect on why she’s chosen to stay with Get Ahead.

Why is “respect, recognise, reward” not enough on its own?

Debra: The three R’s are a great starting point. But it’s also important that they’re not just a token effort. Instead, it’s important to think about what they mean for your specific business and the people you work with. Respect might include backing up your employees when they’ve done the right thing, even if the client doesn’t see it that way. Employee of the month can be a great recognition scheme, but sometimes a quiet “thank you” is more appropriate.  Maybe you can’t afford to give the financial bonuses you’d like to, but it’s still important that your reward scheme resonates with your team.

How do I find the right employee retention strategy for my business?

Debra: A lot of this depends on your ideal workforce, the type of people they are and what their values are. For example, if you have a creative business where you employ lots of young people who are great at generating fresh ideas, you should acknowledge that they might have different values from older team members. Millennials might want to stay with your business because they admire its ethics and feel that it’s the best place for them to “be the change they want to see.” On the other hand, a team at a later stage of life might have financial commitments like mortgages or university fees. They might value job security more than your business’ journey to B Corp status.

Finding the right retention strategy can be tricky, but Get Ahead’s HR consultants can advise on how to take the general principles and make them specific to your business.

What do you think has made you stay at Get Ahead for this long?!

Debra: It goes without saying that I enjoy it here, I get on well with Rebecca Newenham and I love working with the wider team too. But on a practical level, I’ve found the flexibility perfect for my changing needs. I had a young family when I started working for Get Ahead, but the flexible working practices here mean that I could always be at school for sports day or at home if my family needed me. As family life and other commitments change, I’ve been able to take on more responsibility here, like managing the new content on the website. I didn’t have to stick with the same role as my capacity increased. And when I go on holiday, there’s always someone to cover my role so I don’t come back to a nightmare inbox!

I believe that this is a great example of a business knowing exactly what sort of person they want to work for them, and creating a role where that person wants to stay. A strong Get Ahead team member has to be someone who is naturally flexible, because the client work is so varied. To attract a team who thrive on flexibility, Get Ahead has to offer flexibility within its own culture too.

Develop the right employee retention strategy with Get Ahead

If Debra’s insights have made you take a second look at your HR practices, Get Ahead are here to support you. We can advise every stage of HR, from initial recruitment to rewards schemes that make your unique team want to stay. Explore our HR pages to find out more, or follow us on LinkedIn to become part of our online community.

Why is it important take breaks from work? Because it’s good for us! But we’re well aware that argument isn’t enough – our work needs us, particularly when we run our own businesses.

However, taking a break during the summer holidays when our children are at home or we’re going on holiday is important for family harmony and all-round wellbeing. Let’s take a closer look.

Take a break when your children are at home

 “They grow up so fast” is a cliché but it’s also true. How many more summers with your children do you think you have before they leave home? Whatever the answer, it’s fewer than last year.

Many of us were on our career paths before we had our families. But work takes on a new dimension when we become parents. Work matters to parents because we are making money for our families and setting an example to our children. But it’s important that working for our families doesn’t stop us spending quality time with them.

If you’re worried that your business will grind to a halt if you’re not there, or if you’re scared that ends won’t meet if you take a day off to be with your family, we understand. But it’s also a good idea to rationalise your fear – chances are that you can take time off and nothing will go wrong. If you’re still worried, read our interview with life coach Gloria, or our management tips from regional director Hazel.

Take a break to go on your summer holiday

Whether or not you have a family, taking a complete break once in a while is important. No one knows better than you how hard you work, but you can’t keep it up indefinitely.

Taking a break from work is important for your health, but it also benefits your productivity. In truth, it’s almost impossible to work “all the time.” And the longer we work without a break, the less work we get done.

Most business owners notice how much they get done in their first week back after a holiday. Their heads are clear and they’ve regained their sense of proportion. The situation that seemed like an insurmountable problem hasn’t disappeared; it’s just no longer a problem or insurmountable.

Why take a break in the summer?

Summer is a lovely time to take a break and spending time in the sunshine has lots of physical and mental health benefits.

Sunshine gives us vitamin D for healthy teeth and bones. And if you struggle with sleep, exposure to sunlight will help reset your natural rhythm and remind your body of the difference between day and night.

Sunshine is good for mental health too. It encourages our body to release serotonin, aka “the happy hormone.” (Incidentally, our bodies also release serotonin when we eat chocolate, dance and hug people so try and work some of those activities into your holiday too!)

Of course, the sun’s rays can be harmful to skin so remember to put on your sunscreen before topping up your health and happiness!

Get Ahead can help you take breaks from work

The Get Ahead team have helped countless business owners get away from it all for a week or two in the summer. From back-office support like virtual assistant services, email management and telephone answering, to improving systems so someone else can take the reins, there are lots of ways we can help.

Even if you’re not sure what help you need, talk to your local regional director – they’ll help you unpick whatever’s holding you back and find the right solution for you. Don’t worry if you’ve left it to the last minute – we can set up support for you in as little as twenty-four hours. Explore our site to find out more, or get in touch here.

PS – for more ideas on managing your workload during the holidays, why not follow us on LinkedIn?

Working from home during the school holidays can seem like a real challenge. But the key to finding the balance might lie in your attitude.

For this blog, we’ve caught up with Gloria, one of our VAs who offers life coaching and business planning in addition to back-office support. Read on for her great advice on rethinking work/life balance and overcoming negative mindsets.

Why is working from home in the school holidays such a challenge for parents?

Gloria: It’s a challenge because we care. We love our children and know we should be there for them. But we also know that we’re supposed to be working and earning, both to set a good example to our kids and because there are bills to pay! We often feel pulled in two different directions, and we might feel like we’re letting down both our children and our work.

How can we rethink our working lives to achieve a better balance?

Gloria: The good news is that there are lots of strategies to try. Here are some of my favourites:

  1. Ask yourself what you really want

Start by asking yourself what you really want and what a good summer would look like for you. For example, you might decide that, as well as weekends, you want to have a “family day” every week. Or perhaps you’d rather squeeze all your paid work into two intense days and have the rest of the time free to use however you want. Whatever you decide, say it out loud or write it down. Make it specific. “I’d like more free time,” won’t result in you doing anything; reorganising your diary for a four-day week will.

  • Get your objections in proportion

Once you’ve decided what you want, the little voice in your head will probably start raising objections. It might tell you that your boss will think you’re slack. Or it might tell you that you won’t make enough money if you don’t work every day.

A good way to deal with these objections is to ask yourself whether they’re true. Are you just assuming your boss will hate your plan? Have you actually done the sums that show you won’t make enough?

Try to rationalise your doubts. If you do and you find they have foundation, thank the voice in your head for protecting you! But it’s more likely that you will realise that working a five-day, forty-hour week is just a habit and there’s no reason why you should stick to it. And if that’s the case, let it go.

  • Techniques to let a negative mindset go

Something I have learned as a life coach is that we are capable of any mindset. We can rewire our brains to think in a new way. Yes, we might have learned some negative mindsets during our lives so far, but it is possible to reframe those mindsets and make them positive.

So when it’s time to let go of the idea that we have to do a five-day week, even when it doesn’t work for us, we can use certain techniques to dispel anxiety and put ourselves in the positive frame of mind we need.

By the way, if you spend the summer holiday feeling stressed just because of work and family pressure, these techniques are for you too. Remember, some will suit you and others won’t – just choose the ones that work for you and your family.

Affirmations are repeated words that help you create a sense of internal, emotional safety. Try repeating, “I can do this,” or “My family love me,” or whatever the phrase is that resonates with you.

Try starting the day with meditation. Sit or lie somewhere quiet and place your hands on your tummy so you can feel your body moving as you breathe. Focusing on the breath for a few minutes in the morning can help you feel more focused and positive throughout the day.

Intervene to stop anxiety. Most anxiety is forward looking, suggesting possibilities that haven’t happened yet. So if you start to feel anxious, try to bring yourself back to the present. A good way to do this is to use your senses – find one thing each for sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. This exercise will ground you and might help you regain your sense of proportion.

Go outside! Walk barefoot on the grass and reconnect yourself with something bigger than you. It’s a beautiful world, and so much bigger than your child spilling a drink or a tricky spreadsheet formula.

And lastly, one for the whole family! Work together to write down what is going wrong…and then rebalance it by writing down what is going right. You’ll quickly see that the positive column is a lot longer than the negative one. This can go a long way to making us feel better. When we work, we set a positive example to our children. But we also set a positive example when we show our vulnerability. Writing a gratitude list is a great way to teach emotional literacy to our children (which might mean fewer interruptions too!).

Support for working from home during the summer holidays

If you need business support, Get Ahead are here to help. Gloria offers coaching and business planning alongside more traditional VA duties. She has helped many business owners to find direction as well providing them with valuable back-office support. Explore our site to find out more, or contact your local regional director here.

Outsource website development to increase traffic and drive conversions.

Every twenty-first century business needs a website. But is your website really working for you? Or could it be doing more? In this blog, we talk to our web developer Jennie about ways to make your website work to grow your business.

Why is a basic website not enough?

Jennie: A basic website is often false economy. If you’re going to invest time and money in having a website – whether you make it yourself or outsource website development – you might as well invest a little more and make it work for your business. Your website could be helping your business to build its reputation, or actively driving growth by providing downloads or an online version of your core business.

My website doesn’t interact with a booking platform. Do I need to start a new website from scratch?

Jennie: No, you don’t need to start again. A great thing about a website is that it’s an evolving, organic business asset. It’s really easy to make changes like adding a booking platform, ecommerce software or any other features.

These features will help your business to deliver its products and services online – it’s well worth using them to enhance your website and grow your business.

What else can I do with my website to improve user experience and increase conversions?

Jennie: Sharing website content on your social media is a great way to show Google and potential customers that you’re a credible business. Posting blogs and web pages to your social channels is excellent for increasing your visibility and creating ways for your customers to interact with you.

Many businesses create downloadable and gated content. Quality content enables you to share your expertise, while also strengthening your relationship with a potential customer. For example, if you write an ebook with your top tips for succeeding in your sector, you can make it available to download in return for the web visitor joining your mailing list. Once on your mailing list, you can communicate with them regularly, building your relationship and gradually encouraging them to buy your product or service.


Navigation is also a crucial aspect of user experience that can significantly impact how users interact with your website – make sure it works on mobiles and tablets as well as computers.  A simple, intuitive navigation menu with clear, descriptive labels shows users exactly what to expect when they click. Try to think like a visitor to your website and organise your content in a logical way that makes it easy for someone to get the product or service you offer.

A good website should also be optimised for search engines so Google can easily find it. Check out our SEO infographic here.

How much content should I share on my website?

Jennie: This is a common question. It can be hard to decide whether you should demonstrate how much you know by sharing your expertise, or keep it to yourself so your clients can’t manage without you.

However, in reality, there will always be people who choose to do something themselves to save money. And there will always be people who know that paying an expert like you to do or provide something will have the best results. This is why you never need to worry about how much inside knowledge you share.

Bear in mind that your potential clients and customers don’t necessarily need to know all the detail of what you do. For example, I don’t write excited social media posts about new WordPress plugins. I care because they help me make better websites, but I know my followers don’t! My followers would much rather see a link to a website I’ve worked on that looks good and works well.

“How long should my content be?” is another frequently asked question. Long content (1000+ words) is good for SEO, but your ultimate goal should be converting a person, not an algorithm. Don’t write so much that they get bored! Instead, try for “just enough” which is about 500 words. Remember too that you can provide basic info on your main web pages and use your blog to go into more depth.

Outsource website development to Get Ahead

If you think your website could be working harder, Get Ahead can help! Web developers like Jennie love helping business owners get better results from their websites. They’re full of practical ideas that really make a difference. Contact your local regional director to find out more.

 

When you work alone, it can be difficult to give your clients your full attention while also driving business development. However, with the right attitude and priorities, it is completely possible! Read on for our top business growth ideas for solopreneurs.

What are the barriers to business development for people who work alone?

When we work alone, it’s really difficult to scale up our businesses. We have limited capacity, and once all our working time slots are full, there are no more hours available for us to earn from. This means that marketing, cold calling and other business development approaches probably won’t deliver what we need, because our businesses aren’t scalable.

On the other hand, we want to grow our businesses. No business owner is prepared to stay put forever. Instead, we need to take courage and think differently!

Top business growth ideas for solopreneurs

  1. Be so good they can’t ignore you!

If we’re going to grow, we have to be unquestionably, unapologetically good at what we do. This puts us in a strong position to charge a higher rate. It can also help us establish ourselves as thought leaders, helping us to build a reputation that can help us launch other revenue streams that do not place demands on our time.

  • Remember that your expertise is valuable

Whatever we do, we probably find it enjoyable and easy – that’s why we do it! But remember too that the reason there is a market for our services is because not everyone can do what we do. Our knowledge and expertise have value.

Once we’ve established this mindset, it’s easier to see other ways we can share our expertise and grow our businesses too. Could we accept a speaking engagement? Better yet, could we accept two speaking engagements? That way, we can say almost the same thing to two different audiences and earn twice the revenue for one-and-a-half times the input.  

  • Create other revenue streams

We’ve established that regular work is limited by the number of hours we have available. But that doesn’t mean we can’t generate income in a way that doesn’t eat into our time. For example, collating expertise into a book enables us to earn from book sales while we are doing our regular client work. Depending on our business, we could sell branded products, or develop paid-for content too.

  • Offer packages

Creating a package of top services is a great way to move away from the hourly-rate model that is holding back our business growth. For example, if you offer web design, consider offering web design and hosting as a package and gain a regular monthly income from it. Packages usually mean better service for your client because they have peace of mind knowing that everything is covered. And it’s good news for your business growth too – more money goes into the business on a regular basis while still leaving you time to do what you love.

  • Work with other people

Even with these ideas, there will still come a time when we cannot keep doing everything ourselves. When this happens, it’s time to accept help. Some business owners choose to employ staff. Others choose to outsource the tasks they find most challenging (see previous remarks about no one being good at everything!) – this frees them up to focus on their core business.

Outsource business development services

If your business would benefit from extra support, we hope you’ll consider Get Ahead. Many of our clients are in the scale-up phase of business growth, using outsourced support as an affordable solution as they grow. Explore our site or follow us on LinkedIn to find out more.

Virtual sales team –  what’s most effective for business development?

An increasing number of businesses are choosing to use a virtual sales team. From digital marketing to cold calling, there are a variety of way for business owners to drive growth and connect with new customers.

In this blog, we talk to Vicky McKenna, regional director of Get Ahead Oxfordshire, who shares her insights into our most popular business development services and which one might work for you.

Why are so many businesses choosing to use a virtual sales team?

Vicky: One of the most interesting statistics to come out of a recent Get Ahead survey is the 11% increase in clients choosing our business development services. This indicates two interesting business trends:

Firstly, more businesses are aware of the need to put their energy into business growth – they’re actively pursuing it instead of just accepting the status quo and crossing their fingers. This is good news – it raises the bar for business leadership, as well as meaning that more businesses are likely to succeed in the long term. I’ve always been horrified that 50% of businesses fail in the first three years – active business development could reduce that figure considerably.

Secondly, the increase in outsourcing business development shows that business owners are looking at what the competition is doing. We’ve already seen this race in social media, which has gone from being a nice-to-have to a business essential. In the same way, strategic business development is becoming the norm. More business owners are realising that what they have is worth shouting about, as long as they shout louder than the competition!

What are the most popular business development services?

Vicky: Our survey of clients – who have businesses of all shapes and sizes and are located all over the country – shows that 38% come to us for digital marketing to drive their business growth. This includes email marketing, SEO, pay per click and more. We don’t know exactly why this is, but we are aware there are many aspects of digital marketing that make sense to outsource. For example, I couldn’t jump straight on Mailchimp and send out a marketing email – my role is talking to clients on an individual level and matching them to virtual experts. If I need to send out a marketing email, I outsource it to one of our team who’ll put it together in less than an hour.

The second most popular is social media, which 28% of our clients ask for. While most of us know how to write a post and share it on Facebook or LinkedIn, we also know what a drain on time social media can be, and how hard it is to post consistently. For this reason, our clients find it’s more efficient to outsource social media for business development.

In third place is customer relationship management and sales campaigns. As with digital marketing, these are areas where it’s useful to have an expert take the lead, which would account for their popularity among Get Ahead clients.

What’s the best business development approach?

Vicky: We’ve seen that digital marketing is the most popular, followed by social media and CRM. However, the best business development approach is the one that works for your business and delivers the best return on your investment.

Different businesses grow in different ways. Some gain more customers, while others evolve, improve or find their niche. Each of these approaches needs strategy behind it to be effective – the strategy will also highlight what business development approach will be the best for your organisation.

If you’re ready to develop your business but you don’t know where to start, Get Ahead can help. I’m part of a team of regional directors – each of one of us helps clients identify the right solution for their unique business and we can help you too. Explore our site to find out more and get in touch whenever you’re ready!

If you’re full of plans but think you might struggle to execute your business idea, don’t worry – Get Ahead are here to help!

Christmas is a great time to reflect on the year just gone, and identify profitable areas for the year ahead. If you spent Christmas dinner bending your family’s ears about your new business plan, your new year’s resolution is probably to put it into practice.

In this blog, we look at why it’s great to have new ideas and how to get the right support to put them into practice.

New business ideas are great!

The Get Ahead team are always meeting entrepreneurs and start-ups. We’ve heard some fantastic ideas and we love the enthusiasm of entrepreneurs when they describe their plans.

Without new ideas, the world would grind to a halt. From the wheel to the internet, new ideas have continued to drive civilisation forward, creating new opportunities and new approaches to business and everyday life.

That’s why you should never stop having ideas. Even if you know your limitations, or you know what barriers stand between you and how to execute your business idea, don’t worry. There are loads of resources out there to help you fill in the gaps and realise your dream.  

Barriers to putting your business idea into practice

You probably already know that nothing worth having comes easy. There might well be barriers between you and a successful business idea. For example, you might have had a cool idea but you’ve never run a business before. Or you might be so fizzing with enthusiasm that you’re struggling to focus on writing a business plan to secure the right start-up funding.

Alternatively, you might know your own field very well, but feel less confident about the other aspects of a delivering a project.

Some people are starters and some people are finishers. The starters are often bubbling with ideas, while the finishers are focused and methodical. The business world needs both types of people, and they have to be prepared to help each other.

How do you get over these barriers? Well, we’d suggest taking some time to be brutally honest with yourself. Accept that your business idea will need some hard work as well as enthusiasm. Identify what skills you already have available to you and be prepared to recruit or outsource the other areas.

Plug your skills gap and execute your business idea

If you’re a starter, you probably need some finishers around you to help you make your business ideas reality. Your best mate might be really supportive, but if they’re too similar to you, they might not help you move your project forward. Sometimes it’s better to choose people who are focused on the bottom line, who are not emotionally involved with the plan and simply want it to work for the sake of business success.

Practical support for start-ups

If you need practical support for your start-up, Get Ahead can help. Our team are all experts in their fields, including finance, marketing, admin, and social media. We can put sustainable systems in place, like setting up customer relationship management software and creating spreadsheets for you to populate.

We insist that every team member has at least three years’ experience in their field before they join Get Ahead. Many have more than three years! This means that if you get your business support from us, you’ll be working with someone who has not only built up experience in their particular skill, but also has wider business experience to share.

If you’re starting a business this January, Get Ahead could be the support you’re looking for. We strive to bring maturity, experience and perspective to every project, filling in the skills gaps and to help you execute your business idea.

To see how this works in practice, learn how we filled in the gaps for a team of cutting-edge software developers who needed help to market their latest product. Read our case study here.   

Many business owners experience barriers to delegation – potentially disastrous as your business cannot grow without it. Sometimes there is a deep-seated reason why you can’t ask for help; for others, it just hasn’t occurred to them! 

In this blog, we look at common reasons business owners struggle with delegating, and consider the ways you could overcome them.

Common barriers to delegation

1. Imposter syndrome

When we experience imposter syndrome, we believe that we’re an imposter in our sector. We feel like we shouldn’t be in the role of a business owner, or we don’t feel like we’re qualified to work in that industry. Imposter syndrome – unlike actual fraud – is when we have all the qualifications and experience to do our jobs, but we still feel like we shouldn’t be there.

Imposter syndrome is a barrier to delegation because if we don’t feel entitled to do our jobs, how on earth can we take the lead when we ask someone else to do it? And how can we give feedback with confidence? 

Sometimes, all we need to overcome imposter syndrome is a quick reality check. Look back at your qualifications, if you have them. And if you’re a graduate of the University of Life, spend time remembering how you learned all the skills that got you where you are today. 

If your imposter syndrome is more serious than that, it could be helpful to talk to a life- or business-coach. We have quite a few in our business family – talk to your local regional director if you would like an introduction. 

2. “It’s quicker to do it myself than show someone else.”

We’ve all said this at some point! But the truth is, showing someone else is a long-term investment in your business. Certainly, the first time you do it, briefing your staff member or outsourced support will take time. However, once that initial briefing is out of the way, your business now has two people who know how to do it, instead of just one. This means one less thing on your to-do list; it also gives the business flexibility as either one of you can take responsibility for it in future. 

Accepting that you will “lose” an hour while you brief someone else on how to do it is easier when you also see the long-term advantages you’ll gain in return. 

3. Micromanagement 

Micromanagement is often a symptom of a lack of trust. If you don’t trust your staff or external support team, ask yourself why not. If their work is rubbish, stop micromanaging and hire someone else! And if the problem is with you, take action. Remind yourself that your team doesn’t want to do a bad job – they’re on career paths too.  

Overcome barriers to delegation when you outsource to Get Ahead

If you’re struggling to ask for help, Get Ahead could be a good way to start. You’ll have a single point of contact in the form of your local regional director – they’ll be able to introduce you to the right expert who knows your industry and also has the right personality. 

Often, they’ll encourage you to start small, perhaps with some outsourced diary management. If that goes well, you have the option to increase the amount of support you receive. You’ll never be locked into a long contract, and there’s always the option to add or subtract services as your needs change. We hope it will all go well, but if anything doesn’t make the grade, you can discuss it with your regional director. This means you don’t have to give feedback directly to your virtual expert if you don’t feel comfortable.

If you’re ready for Get Ahead to support you, get in touch today – we’d love to hear from you! And if you’d like more information on how to outsource successfully, download our ebook here.

Feeling overwhelmed is increasingly common. Modern life (and sometimes social media) can have us worrying that we’re expected to be dynamic business owners, committed parents, interesting members of society and willing volunteers all at the same time. But the truth is, there are only so many hours in the day. No one can do everything. 

The worst thing about feeling overwhelmed as a business owner is that we can’t see the wood for the trees. But that’s where Get Ahead comes in. Of course, we’re there for people who phone us up and ask us for straightforward social media management. But we also love it when business owners come to us to say they know they need help but they don’t know where to start. When this happens, our regional directors draw on their own knowledge and experience, as well as the expertise within our team, to help a business owner find a way through.

In this blog, we talk to Sarah Yandell, one of our regional directors, about how to manage feeling overwhelmed and how Get Ahead can help.

Why do business owners feel overwhelmed?

Sarah: Running a business is hard work! No matter how experienced you are, there will always be responsibilities you love and others you struggle with. 

Another problem with running a business is that you don’t get paid holiday, sick leave or compassionate leave – I’ve met people who are trying to keep going when it’s really time to take a break. These pressures can leave you feeling overwhelmed. 

If you’re really overwhelmed, you might not be thinking very rationally and it can be difficult to get your priorities in order. 

What to do if you’re feeling overwhelmed as a business owner

Sarah: Be strong and take a break. It can be really hard to do when you’ve got an ever-lengthening list of jobs, but remember that you’ll work more effectively if you recharge your batteries. Often, stepping away from work can give you the sense of proportion you need. It can help you see where the problem really lies; it can also help you work out “what will make the boat go faster.”

Talking to someone can also help. Depending on the structure of your business, you might be able to talk to colleagues. And if you work alone, talk to a friend – a different perspective can be very refreshing. Remember, talking about difficulties and asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. You might be surprised at where the help comes from too. 

Often, talking to someone can help you find your priorities. Once you’ve found them, don’t try to fix everything all at once. If you’re overwhelmed at work and you’ve got other commitments too, focus your efforts on the most important thing first. For example, you can’t move offices, employ new staff and experiment with a new social media channel when your invoicing system isn’t effective. Put everything else aside and get on top of the invoicing first!  

How does Get Ahead support business owners who feel overwhelmed?

Sarah: When a business owner client comes to me because they’re feeling overwhelmed, my first instinct is to help. I ran a variety of businesses before I joined Get Ahead and I know from experience that it’s not always easy. When I meet a client for the first time, I always start with an informal chat. This is because trust is so important if we’re going to get you through this crisis and running your business effectively – locking you straight into a contract is unlikely to help your stress levels. 

Once we feel we can work together, I listen to you describe your business, the challenges you’re facing and how you feel about them, and start to put together a proposal. Like you, I’m not an expert in every area of running a business, so I also ask Get Ahead’s team of virtual experts to help me identify the best solution for your needs. 

It’s worth noting that the proposal is very flexible. I often start by offering a basic service like diary management, and you can add to that over time if you want to. And if we start off providing a service that you later don’t feel you need, you can simply switch it off. I manage the relationship with the virtual experts, so you don’t have to worry about an awkward conversation if you feel it’s time to bring the support to an end. 

Resources to help you when you’re feeling overwhelmed as a business owner

Sarah is our regional director for Suffolk and Essex, but her supportive approach is what you can expect from any of our team. Get Ahead are here to support business owners in any way we can – here are our top resources to help you when you’re feeling overwhelmed:

Case study: personal branding coach in Yorkshire

Take our mini-quiz to help you decide what to outsource

Follow our tips to protect yourself from burnout

Business admin for personal trainers can be a distraction from your core business. If you’re a personal trainer, your business is to help your clients get fitter, stronger and healthier – it’s a brilliant job and you make a real difference to people’s lives. 

The downside of being a great personal trainer and offering a fantastic service to your clients is that you might fall behind on your business admin. Fortunately, Get Ahead are here to help! In this blog, our admin expert, Lucy, looks at some of the key challenges personal trainers face and how she helps overcome them.

Business admin for personal trainers – challenges and solutions
Personal trainers are never at their desks!

Your core business takes you out and about, to parks, leisure centres and even people’s homes. This is great for your clients, but it does mean you get far less desk time than people with office-based jobs. It’s easy to leave your admin, emails, social media and invoicing until the evening, but this isn’t ideal either – I know many of the personal trainers I’ve worked with have very early starts. 

However, outsourced support could be the solution you’re looking for. I’m proud to say I’ve built strong, trusting relationships with the personal trainers I’ve supported. This means they can leave their admin to me while they’re with their clients, doing what they do best.

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something

I love that quote – it describes the reasons for outsourcing perfectly! If you’re an experienced personal trainer, you’re probably amazing at creating individualised fitness regimes. You’ve invested your energy at improving in that area, rather than learning how to use accounting software or streamline your social media. Your clients love you for it, but it might not be great for your business. 

But just because admin or marketing isn’t your thing, it doesn’t mean you have to worry about them. Instead, pass them onto someone like me who loves back-office jobs and does them quickly. I might be able to do a job in one hour that would take you two hours – that’s an efficiency that makes sense for a small business like yours. 

You want to improve your service, not increase your numbers

When you work on your own, gaining more clients is not necessarily your business goal. When will you have time to train them all? Instead, you’re probably focused on improving what you offer to the clients you have. 

If improving your service is your business goal, tailor-made support is probably a better solution than a crash course in growth. When you receive support from a virtual assistant like me, I’ll listen to your needs and – working with your local Get Ahead regional director too – we’ll find a solution to help you achieve your specific business goals.

Business support for personal trainers – a flexible solution for micro businesses

Get Ahead supports lots of businesses in the wellness industry. We’ve built up our knowledge of the different challenges the industry faces and we’re working on improving our service so we can help you meet specific goals. 

If you’re a personal trainer looking for reliable, affordable business support, we’d love to help. Explore our site to find out more or contact your local regional director. 

PS – we’ve put together some of our ideas in this infographic