Category: Small business

This Saturday 3rd December is Small Business Saturday.  Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ to support small businesses in their communities.

As a small business you can visit the website www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and download and print free marketing packs and logos to advertise that you are part of the nationwide campaign.  You can also get involved online by listing your business on their ‘Small Business Finder’ for free.

On social media you can get a free shout out for your plans for the day on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #SmallBizSatUK.  Last year #SmallBizSatUK trended at number 1 all day on Small Business Saturday with over 100,000 tweets sent in support of the day, reaching more than 25 million people.  That could provide fantastic exposure for your business.

(more…)

We are really excited to introduce you to our new email newsletter. Each month we will be asking our readers to ask us a question that they have not got around to finding the answer to.

This month one of our contacts asked us….’How do you set up a webinar?’

So here goes…Carrie one of our Marketing Specialists explains how do you set up a webinar?

You’ve watched webinars yourself or seen them advertised across the web. Everyone is talking about them and you would like to give one a go.

It just seems like far too much trouble and you don’t know where to start. There’s the huge cost and research to be done into creating one and hosting one!!!

I promise you, it is affordable, easy and you will be able to do it, I’m here to help you!
(more…)

Last year, Twitter made a number of changes to Direct Messages to expand their functionality and increase their usage.  They made it easier than ever to have a private conversation on what is essentially a public network.  So Direct Messages could now form an important part of your social media marketing, if you are not using them already.

In case the changes slipped under your radar, here are some of the key alterations and some ideas for how you could now use Direct Messages:
(more…)

Here at Get Ahead VA our team includes experts in a wide variety of fields.  From Accounting to Admin, Hootsuite to Holiday cover, Email Marketing to Excel, our virtual assistants can add value to many aspects of your business.  Every month we deliver some of this expertise to you, with a series of ‘How to’ guides to help you get the best bang for your buck in your business.

In this guide one of our social media management experts Jenny talks about how awareness days can form an effective part of your social media strategy.

Did you know today is IT Professionals Day, celebrating the contribution IT professionals make to modern business?  If you run an IT business, today could be a great day to spread the word about how your company can benefit and support others.

Awareness days can be an excellent reason to talk about your business online and an important part of your social media strategy.
(more…)

Many entrepreneurs start their businesses from home.  From a laptop on a kitchen table, after the day job has been done or kids are in bed, budding business owners are starting out on their business journeys. But when is it time to move out of your home office? 

The home office can be a great way to run your business cost effectively.  Yes you may need to invest in a proper desk, chair and basic office equipment, but you don’t have to worry about covering the cost of rent each month.  You can even claim tax relief on the expenses of working from home.

But as your business grows there can be a number of reasons why you may need to consider branching out into the outside world.  If you need to take on staff, you might not want them coming into your home.  You might be unsure about the health and safety and insurance implications.  You may be finding it difficult to manage the boundaries between business and family life, if your business is taking up more and more space in your home, or time in your life.  You may feel that you need to have a ‘shop front’ or meeting space to entertain clients, but your home just doesn’t portray the image you are aiming to deliver.

(more…)

The past week has been one of the most uncertain in recent history.  The referendum was meant to answer the question of whether the UK should remain in the EU or leave it. 

Whilst this question may have been answered by the British public with a narrow Leave result, there have been more and more questions raised since about what happens next.

These questions affect every aspect of our society.  What is the Leave plan?  When will Article 50 be triggered?  Will we remain part of the single market?  Can we really control immigration or not?  What will happen to financial markets in the long term?  Are we really entering a period of recession as predicted or were the ‘scare mongers’ doing exactly that?

(more…)

With less than a month to go till the European Referendum the debate is heating up on a number of key areas – including the impact on SMEs.  Could leaving the European Union decrease red tape for SMEs, giving business owners more freedom and independence?  Or could it make trading with our key European partners much harder?

Pro-European campaigners are trying to convince the electorate to vote ‘Remain’ by highlighting quotes from key business and economic figures.  The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, recently warned that a majority vote to “leave” in next month’s European Union referendum carried the risk of a “technical recession” for the UK.  Billionaire businessman Richard Branson warned back in March that leaving the European Union would be “the worst decision the British public ever made”.

(more…)

How outsourcing can benefit your business 

There are so many great benefits of outsourcing! Get Ahead VA founder and owner Rebecca Newenham presented a seminar at The Business Show in Excel, London which discussed how outsourcing could benefit your business.

Her fact-packed presentation highlighted the growth and importance of the outsourcing industry, which delivers £21bn to the UK economy in added value.

(more…)

Love is certainly in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches this weekend.  The shops are full of roses and hearts and inspiration for all the different ways we can show our husbands, wives, boyfriends and friends … and even the dog how much we care.  But are you showing your business enough love?

Sometimes as a small business owner it can feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.  If you work alone, then you are responsible for everything – bookkeeper, sales person, admin, marketing as well as delivering your products and services.  If you employ others then there is the added pressure of paying wages and other people depending on you.  Your business can start to feel like a burden and a constant source of stress.

(more…)