There were mixed feelings among the Get Ahead team last week as schools reopened. While many of us were glad to be able to work without interruptions again, getting back to normal after lockdown is still an upheaval for us all. Fortunately, by being mindful of the change and embracing the new opportunities it brings, owners of “non-essential” businesses can get ready for reopening in April or May and have the successful summer they’ve been hoping for.

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A report by the Financial Times at the end of last year showed that small business numbers surged during 2020. Many embraced a new opportunity life had thrown at them, starting up the business they’d always wanted to run. We know what it’s like to be a start-up, and the Get Ahead team are thrilled to be providing outsourced services for some of the pandemic’s newest entrepreneurs. Our services include admin, marketing and business development, all of which are crucial for any growing business.

For many new business owners, the time will come when you have to start taking your business processes seriously. You’ve stopped being a start-up; now you’re a scale-up. Usually this happens because your business has achieved a size where carrying information on a basic spreadsheet no longer works. Sometimes you have to change your processes in response to a problem, or you might be trying to look more professional in order to attract the right clients or finance.

Here are four things you can put in place that will streamline your systems and support business growth:

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The team at Get Ahead have talked to a lot of business owners over the last ten years. We’ve found that while many know what business support they need, just as many don’t. However, it is often the case that the people who don’t know how to ask for help are the ones who need it the most.

In this blog, we look at how to recognise whether you need help and how to access the right support.

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A valuable lesson we are all learning from the coronavirus pandemic is the importance of business resilience. Get Ahead has helped countless businesses through these unprecedented times, providing outsourced admin and phone answering services, filling in while businesses adjust to the new normal.

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Last year, Get Ahead founder Rebecca Newenham published her first book, Virtually Yours. It was an incredible learning experience, and having written it, Rebecca is seeing a variety of benefits that she hadn’t anticipated. Writing a business book has advantages for career development, marketing, networking and more. Here’s how Get Ahead benefited from publishing a business book:

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Many of you will have noticed that there is quite a buzz around the new app, Clubhouse – the Get Ahead social media managers are already exploring the possibilities. But what is Clubhouse? What’s it for? Is it the kind of thing that will be useful for you and your business? Read on to find out more….

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Strategic networking is an important part of the toolkit of our regional directors. Get Ahead is well established in its hometown of Guildford, and the first job our new franchisees face is to spread the word in whatever new locality we are expanding into, from Leeds, South Yorkshire and the Wirral to the branches in the Midlands and the Home Counties.

Here is how strategic networking works for Get Ahead – could it work for your business too?

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LinkedIn always goes a bit quiet over Christmas, with many of us closing for business until New Year. When we all reopened for business, however, Get Ahead hit the ground running and we were pleased to see our first posts of the year getting good traction. Our social media managers are always encouraging Get Ahead clients to be consistent in their posts and we’ve seen for ourselves that it works in practice. In this blog, we look at why it works and how to achieve it for your business.

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We’re all starting to acknowledge that Lockdown 3.0 is different from the other two. Last year, we were winging it; now, we’re accepting a new normal. Many workers are finding working from home has improved their quality of life, saving them a commute and allowing them to see more of their families. And as we’ve spent nearly a year in and out of covid-19 restrictions, homeworking seems to be the solution to a number of different problems.

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In March 2020, the world turned upside down. Britain went into lockdown for the first time, many people became home workers, and parents became homework supervisors.  We clapped for the NHS on Thursday nights and “hero” became a buzzword.  Some businesses were ready; others were not. Across the business world, we all reached out to each other with moral support and a lot of forgiveness. But nearly a year later, what signals should businesses give? Is Corona Kindness still relevant content for blogs and social media? Or is it time to embrace the new normal?

Let’s take a closer look.

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