If you’ve just set up your business, or you’re offering a new service, it can be difficult to know how to price your offering. You don’t want to rip off your customers…but you don’t want to rip yourself off either. Working out what to charge for services can be very complex, so we’ve put together some do’s and don’ts to point you in the right direction.
(more…)Category: Small business
Most of the time, clients and customers pay on time, cash flow is steady and all is well. But sometimes, invoices go unpaid. Perhaps the client is trying it on; perhaps there’s a genuine reason why they’re struggling to pay. Whatever the reason, unpaid invoices can hold up your business, reduce your income and restrict your business growth. In this blog, we look at how best to chase unpaid invoices, and how to avoid the situation in the first place.
(more…)Many businesses have welcomed apps like Xero and Quickbooks. They have definitely made life easier, and empowered entrepreneurs to manage their own finances. Xero is certainly making life easier for the Get Ahead regional directors! But how far can you go with finance software? When do you need to hand over to an accountant?
(more…)Why are financial goals important for my business?
It’s a good idea to set fresh goals every quarter, but it’s also important to be smart, strategic and focused in your approach. Done well, goal setting will keep your business on track and heading in the right direction. You’ll also be able to measure your success and see how far you’ve come, which may motivate you to go further in the next quarter.
We love goals at Get Ahead. As we begin the last quarter of the year, we thought we’d share our views on why goal-setting is important, and how to set achievable goals that will move your business forward.
Read moreIf you’re a business owner, you’ve probably been told that you should have a blog, or publish regular articles or news items. But what about the detail? What’s so great about blogging? And what part could blogging play in your marketing strategy?
It’s time to demystify blogging and answer the questions. Let’s explore the role blogging can play in getting new clients to notice your business…and then make it happen!
(more…)Tell anyone who knows Fiona Ibbetson that she’s just won a major industry award, and their reaction is likely to be “Well, of course she would. Obvs”.
And it’s easy to understand why. The owner of Get Ahead in Leeds and Wakefield made her business profitable in the first three months, created work for 22 people, and expects to triple her revenue this year.
She’s also taking on the additional territory of York and Harrogate which will generate work for many more people as well as making life easier for the business owners she serves by providing outsourced virtual assistants.
“I’d not had my own business before this,” says Fiona, who’d worked for Morrisons supermarkets for 20 years. “That’s why I went down the franchise route.
“The franchise model offers flexibility and leverages the skills of my team to help local businesses. That’s my passion.
“I’ve grown the business really well during the pandemic, despite losing three clients which halved my revenue overnight.
“I’ve had a great mentor in the franchisor, plus I use two business coaches, one for my personal brand.
“I thought networking would be a completely new skill to learn until I realised I’d been networking naturally with peers and colleagues for years.
“My husband’s still working from home as well, and I’m working on my business around my family as well as home-schooling two children. Everybody’s had to adapt.”
Despite the face-to-face networks she relied on for new business vanishing overnight in the pandemic, Fiona built the business up to a team of six plus 16 virtual assistants, and she’s taking on a Business Development Manager to help with the new territory.
“Winning the award is amazing,” she says. “I’m thrilled to be recognised and it puts me up there with other great franchisees which is fantastic.”
The Great British Franchisee Awards recognise franchisees’ exceptional performance and business experience, ability to drive business growth, staff retention, customer satisfaction, community involvement, inspired leadership, and franchise involvement.
The awards are run by whichfranchise, supported by Lloyds Bank, BDO, AMO Consulting and Chantry Group.
• Read more about the awards at https://www.whichfranchise.com/awards
• For over 25 years, whichfranchise has promoted ethical franchise opportunities in the UK. Learn more at https://www.whichfranchise.com/
Tell anyone who knows Fiona Ibbetson that she’s just won a major industry award, and their reaction is likely to be “Well, of course she would. Obvs”.
And it’s easy to understand why. The owner of Get Ahead in Leeds and Wakefield made her business profitable in the first three months, created work for 22 people, and expects to triple her revenue this year.
She’s also taking on the additional territory of York and Harrogate which will generate work for many more people as well as making life easier for the business owners she serves by providing outsourced virtual assistants.
“I’d not had my own business before this,” says Fiona, who’d worked for Morrisons supermarkets for 20 years. “That’s why I went down the franchise route.
“The franchise model offers flexibility and leverages the skills of my team to help local businesses. That’s my passion.
“I’ve grown the business really well during the pandemic, despite losing three clients which halved my revenue overnight.
“I’ve had a great mentor in the franchisor, plus I use two business coaches, one for my personal brand.
“I thought networking would be a completely new skill to learn until I realised I’d been networking naturally with peers and colleagues for years.
“My husband’s still working from home as well, and I’m working on my business around my family as well as home-schooling two children. Everybody’s had to adapt.”
Despite the face-to-face networks she relied on for new business vanishing overnight in the pandemic, Fiona built the business up to a team of six plus 16 virtual assistants, and she’s taking on a Business Development Manager to help with the new territory.
“Winning the award is amazing,” she says. “I’m thrilled to be recognised and it puts me up there with other great franchisees which is fantastic.”
The Great British Franchisee Awards recognise franchisees’ exceptional performance and business experience, ability to drive business growth, staff retention, customer satisfaction, community involvement, inspired leadership, and franchise involvement.
The awards are run by whichfranchise, supported by Lloyds Bank, BDO, AMO Consulting and Chantry Group.
• Read more about the awards at https://www.whichfranchise.com/awards
• For over 25 years, whichfranchise has promoted ethical franchise opportunities in the UK. Learn more at https://www.whichfranchise.com/
It’s easy to think that your business is for everyone. It’s easy to see yourself as a lowest common denominator – everyone needs what you do, whether it’s food, electricity, clothing, marketing support or something else. But the truth is, what you offer is actually for a specific sort of person. Your USP (unique selling point) means that you’re not for everyone. What’s more, trying to market to everyone rarely works. Only by understanding your specific market and connecting with them will you achieve your business goals.
Let’s take a closer look.
(more…)SEO stands for search engine optimisation, which is the fine art of helping Google find your website. Many factors play a part in getting your website to the front page of Google, including keywords and the way your website is constructed. SEO may seem overwhelming, but by understanding what Google is trying to get out of the deal, you will start to understand how SEO and keywords work too.
(more…)The first thing we want to say is that we don’t believe your business is boring. You don’t believe your business is boring. Numbers, letters, spreadsheets or cleaning products may not ignite everyone’s passion but they certainly ignite yours. Maybe that’s because you can see how important they are for keeping businesses open; maybe it’s because you can see there’s money to be made.
However, when it comes to marketing, you might not know where to start. But help is at hand! Read on for five ideas for marketing your “boring” business.
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