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…)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…)Busy expos are tiring, but the work doesn’t finish when you take your stand down. It’s important to keep the momentum going by following up with the people you met at the expo as soon as you can. If you don’t follow up, some of your work at the expo will be wasted – a real shame when you consider how much you’ve invested in the event.
Here are our top tips for effective follow ups:
(more…)If you own a public-facing business, a bank holiday may provide you with some great opportunities to generate more revenue and connect with new customers. However, in spite of the obvious advantages to opening your small business on a bank holiday, business owners may have questions about the legality of opening, employment rights, annual leave and overtime pay.
This blog looks at small business rules and best practice for bank holiday opening.
(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:
(more…)Spring is sprung! Just seeing the daffodils come up makes us all feel better, even if the clouds can’t decide whether to come or go. If you run a business, why not tap into the energy of springtime and shake up your social media?
Our social media managers shared five of their favourite ideas:
(more…)There’s nothing quite like a good clear out. When we’ve tidied our files and done some general business housekeeping, we all feel better and work more efficiently. We can easily find what we need – every computer file is in the right folder and all the pens in the pen pot work!
Spring cleaning is easier if we break it down into manageable chunks. Here are five separate areas to approach when we’re spring cleaning our businesses:
(more…)Climate change impacts all of us, and we all share the responsibility for slowing it down. Operating individually, we can easily feel overwhelmed – how will a fabric-wrapped shampoo bar make any difference to such a huge problem? Fortunately, as business owners, we have more power. When we adopt sustainable practices on a business-wide scale, we can set an example to others and have a wider positive impact.
Here are five ideas to help businesses lower their carbon footprints and operate more sustainably.
(more…)Regular followers of Get Ahead’s updates may have noticed that we’ve been diversifying our content recently. The team has collaborated to write and design two e-books, while our founder, Rebecca Newenham, has written her own book on franchising and flexibility, called Virtually Yours.
We’ve created the books not only because we have information to share, but also to showcase the skills and experience of our copywriters and graphic designers. We’ve noticed that e-book experience is in increasing demand, as more clients decide to make their knowledge available to their own business family.
(more…)Do you make New Year’s resolutions? And – more importantly – do you stick to them?
New Year’s resolutions can be powerful motivators and a great tool to drive your business and yourself to a better place. The ones that work best are those that are flexible and realistic. A resolution you stick to is its own reward – if you and your career are in a better place because of it, it’s worked its magic.
In this blog, we look at choosing New Year’s resolutions, business and personal, and how we put them into practice.
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