IT breaches are nearly always serious. No business can afford to compromise data security or risk losing trade because of a computer virus.
In this blog, we look at some of the ways businesses of all sizes can protect their computer systems from hacking, data breaches and other problems. Some of these responsibilities are for management; others are good habits that everyone should get into.
IT responsibilities for management
(more…)Happy twelfth birthday to us!
Rebecca Newenham created Get Ahead to provide not just outsourced support to businesses, but also flexible work options for herself and her team of professionals. The fact that we’ve been operating this long shows that we’ve got something right, so we thought we’d share twelve of our tips for building in flexibility and a healthy approach to work.
Here goes….
(more…)Email marketing is a great tool. If you’re on the Get Ahead mailing list, you’ll be used to receiving our monthly messages. But you might not know how much effort has gone into refining our emails over the years! We love our current structure, but we know it’s always good to be open to different ways of communicating.
In this blog, we share seven of our favourite ideas for email marketing.
(more…)If you employ a team of people but your own time management isn’t great, it could spell trouble for your business. Fortunately, poor time management is possible to fix.
In this blog, we look at why poor time management is a problem and suggest a few solutions too.
(more…)Procrastination is the thief of time. So many of us sit down at our desks with the best of intentions, then put off doing the important jobs that will drive our businesses forward.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can beat procrastination and spend our working time productively. For this blog, we’ve gathered together some of our favourite tips for beating procrastination.
(more…)One of the biggest working trends during the pandemic was the 50-hour week, with homeworkers not knowing when to stop, or not feeling confident that they’d “done enough.”
But working a fifty-hour week should be a warning sign. No matter how determined you are, you cannot be productive for fifty hours of your week. It’s not good for you, and it puts pressure on your colleagues and family too.
Another lesson to come out of the pandemic is that life is precious. Flexibility is important to us at Get Ahead – most of the team have families, interests, pets and more and we don’t inefficient working to rob us of our time with them.
It’s time to work smarter, not harder.
(more…)When you first started your business, you probably managed very well with basic Excel spreadsheets and even pen and paper for keeping records and planning ahead. But as your business grows, you may benefit from dedicated software, developed with businesses like yours in mind.
In this blog, we look at the importance of having the right software when you’re scaling up your business, and consider some areas you could automate to make your business run more efficiently.
(more…)A while ago, your business was a start-up. But now it’s a scale-up. How do you know? Well, if you’re turning away clients or customers because you don’t have the capacity, it could be time to scale up your business so that you can meet demand. And if you’re already reaching your goals easily, scaling up will give you greater profits as well as a greater challenge.
To ensure a seamless scale-up, it’s a good idea to write a business growth plan. In this blog, we look at how to write an effective business growth plan and what information you should include.
(more…)At Get Ahead, we love business exhibitions. We love the energy in the room and we love meeting people. It’s exciting to learn about the latest industry trends, and some of our most productive relationships have been started at expos.
However, expos are not for everyone. They are great marketing tools, but they are not a magic spell to double your business or become the market leader. You might get a lot out of attending an expo, or you might not. In this blog, we look at what to consider before you sign up.
(more…)One of the headaches of running your own business is staying on top of the admin. However, it’s not as big as the headache you find yourself with when you can’t find a vital file or you’re late with your tax return. Admin may not feel as important as your core business, but it still has to be done.
Here are our five top tips for staying on top of business admin:
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