Category: Top Tips

Whether you are looking to start your own business, or expand into new markets, sources of finance are a subject never far from a business owner’s mind.  Though start-up costs vary by industry, all businesses need some funding to get them started and that requirement for funding can continue as the business grows and new opportunities are unlocked.

For many people branching out on their own, personal savings or redundancy payments can be the first port of call for business funding.  Bank and personal loans are also options, as well as government grants and even crowdfunding.  Here is our guide to some of the top sources of funding for your business: (more…)

Here at Get Ahead VA we have experts in a huge variety of fields.  From Accounting to Admin, Hootsuite to Holiday cover, Email Marketing to Excel, our experts can add value to many aspects of your business.  In our current Expert Showcase series our VAs are delivering 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 month’s guide Clare, one of our marketing experts, talks about how to select the best Content Management System (CMS) for your website, evaluating the benefits of two key alternatives – WordPress and Umbraco. 

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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.

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Tuesday 9th February is Safer Internet Day – a global event designed to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.  But staying safe online isn’t just about children and young people – it is vitally important for businesses too.

There are regular headlines about businesses large and small being targeted and threatened by hackers.  From Apple to Ebay, Talk Talk to Lincolnshire Council, companies and organisations are being attacked every day, with vital pieces of private data being put at risk.

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Here at Get Ahead VA we are delighted to be launching what we call our ‘virtual marketing agency’.  But what does that actually mean and does it matter to you?

Sometimes the words ‘marketing agency’ can create fear in the eyes of a small business owner.  You immediately see pound signs and something you don’t feel you could afford.  But as we all know, ways of working in the 21stcentury have changed.  Virtual and flexible working are much more commonplace.  Look at how our high streets have changed and the way we shop.  Gone are some of the expensive, bricks and mortar shops with high rental overheads and nimble, dynamic online alternatives have arrived, offering similar or better services at a fraction of the cost and in a flexible format to suit you. (more…)

Here at Get Ahead VA we have experts in a huge variety of fields.  From Accounting to Admin, Hootsuite to Holiday cover, Email Marketing to Excel, our experts can add value to many aspects of your business.  In our current Expert Showcase series our VAs are delivering 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 month’s guide Jenny, one of our social media experts, talks about how to measure the success of your social media activity. (more…)

Journalists are busy people, bombarded with story ideas and press releases every day.  For your news story to stand out and get noticed it needs to get many things right – be relevant, specific, interesting enough, with a catchy headline etc.  It also needs to have the right images.  Not having the right images can make or break that once in a lifetime opportunity to get your brand featured across the local, national or even international news.

Whether you are contacting journalists yourself or outsourcing it to other PR professionals, having the right images is vital.  You need to be prepared for all types of media, with images that are small enough for website and email use – and large enough for print.  Just as you tailor your approach to each media outlet with your covering email and press release, you also need to tailor the images you send – low resolution for an online only publication but high resolution for print media.

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