Category: Small business

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.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

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…)

When it comes to working with virtual assistants (VAs), there are all sorts of myths out there that can make it seem like more trouble than it’s worth. Fortunately these simply aren’t true, and VAs can actually provide plenty of benefits to your business.

Do you want to know more about what working with VAs is really like? Here are 5 of the biggest myths about VAs: debunked.

Myth #1: Anybody can be a VA

Many people think that, as long as you have a computer and an internet connection, you can be a VA. This might be off-putting to people looking to hire a VA, who might be concerned about working with someone unqualified, unprofessional or likely to disappear halfway through a job. Of course, this isn’t true. Being a VA is a business that requires investments of money and time, and therefore professional VAs take their work very seriously. Furthermore, VAs who work for agencies such as Get Ahead are thoroughly vetted to make sure they have the skills to reliably deliver high-quality work.

(more…)

With so many options available to market your business online – from emails to blogs to social media – it can be difficult to keep up. But if you’re struggling to organise the content marketing for your business, there is a solution: the editorial calendar.

Editorial calendars have been around for decades. They were originally used in print media (e.g. newspapers, magazines) to keep track of articles through every stage of creation, from the initial idea to publication. Nowadays the editorial calendar can be applied to many different things, including every platform on which you market your business. In short, if you create content, it can go into an editorial calendar.

So how do you go about making one of these invaluable tools? Read on to discover everything you need to know about creating an editorial calendar.

(more…)

One of the easiest ways to cut down costs when you’re setting up a new business is to work from home. Money can be tight for a brand new business, and the last thing you want is to splash out on office space when all you really need is a computer and an internet connection.

However, if you’re used to working in an office, it can be difficult to adjust to this new way of working. Some of the biggest concerns associated with working from home include feeling lonely or isolated, becoming less productive and lacking the self-discipline to consistently do a full day’s work. But with predictions claiming that 60% of employees will regularly work from home by 2022, it looks like this style of working is here to stay.

Fortunately there are plenty of things work-from-home newbies can do to adjust. If you’ve just started a new business, or you’re an employee who has been offered remote working, here are 6 ways you can adjust to working from home.

(more…)

Getting a business off the ground is a huge achievement, but after that exciting period of initial growth you might find that you start to lose momentum. This is normal for a business moving from start-up to stability, so how can you get through it and make sure that your business continues to grow?

The answer could be freelancers. Whether you’re working with individuals or an agency, freelancers, contractors and virtual assistants could be just what you need to build on your achievements and develop your business. Freelancers offer all sorts of advantages to business owners: they can be hired as and when they’re needed, they come with all the required skills, and there are plenty of excellent workers to choose from so you’re bound to find someone who’s a good fit.

Are you interested in finding out more? Here are 5 ways freelancers can help to grow your business.

(more…)

Valentine’s Day is big business – in fact, in previous years the UK has spent close to £1 billion on gifts and cards to celebrate this day of romance. So what is your small business doing to take advantage of the mid-February boom?

It might seem like the market is already flooded with big Valentine’s promotions, but there’s still plenty of room for small businesses to get involved. A strong Valentine’s marketing campaign can not only bring you new customers, but also give your regular customers a reason to return. And it’s not just about the loved-up couples – there are lots of exciting ways to market to Valentine’s cynics too!

Whatever your small business, there’s still time to pull together an effective Valentine’s marketing campaign. Ready to get started? Here are 7 of our top ideas.

(more…)

Pretty much everybody’s blogging these days, which is a really good thing.

There are many reasons why businesses should blog, from boosting their SEO rankings (because we all know just how much search engines love new content!) to raising brand awareness and positioning themselves as thought leaders.

But here’s the thing…not everybody’s sharing their blogs.

Blog-writing is only half of the equation, the other half involves sharing your posts far and wide. By doing this, businesses can increase the chances of their blogs being read, shared and commented upon.

(more…)

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 onto 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, Tracey Barney from Guildford HR, who was looking for administrative support to enable her business to take on new clients:

(more…)