Workshop – Bright Business Basics

NatWest, TaxAssist Accountants and Bright Dimension present…
bright business basics
Tuesday, 7th July, 5.30-8pm
Bristol Golf Club
£15 per attendee
 
Are you a small business owner looking for better and more effective ways to grow your business, but feel frustrated by problems such as:
  • You are not getting enough new clients
  • You don’t know how to market your business effectively
  • You find running you own business a lonely experience
  • You don’t have a plan which will help you in the current economic climate

If you face any of the above challenges then come along to the Bright Business Basics workshop.
Here’s what you will get by attending:

  • The opportunity to explore the 7 most common problems business owners have and what you can do to solve them.
  • The chance to meet, and network with, other business owners
  • The tools you require to refocus, re-motivate and re-inspire you

To reserve your place, email iansmith@taxassist.co.uk

Please pass this invite on to any small business owners who you feel would be interested in this event.

Why do today something you can do tomorrow – or get someone else to do?


One of the problems with being a small business owner is the number and scope of jobs which land on your desk. These jobs can be broken down into a number of categories:

  • Jobs you like and can do well
  • Jobs you hate and put off as long as you can – worrying all the time in between because they have not been done!
  • Urgent Jobs which take all your time
  • Important Jobs you don’t get round to because the urgent ones take precedence
  • Non important/non urgent jobs which you like doing but distract you

Trying to deal with everything is the route to inefficiency and despair! However, there are solutions which can help you manage your time – and your business – more effectively. Below are a couple of strategies you might like to embrace.

Firstly, look at the jobs you are doing and work out if YOU need to be doing all of them. Most small business owners end up doing everything because they believe their time is cheap. This is absolutely wrong! Your time is the most expensive of anyone’s. You are the only person who can plan the direction your company should be going in so, if you aren’t able to spend time thinking about strategy because you are doing the bookkeeping, how expensive to the company is that bookkeeping work? On top of that you probably hate bookkeeping and worry you aren’t doing it right!

Review the jobs on your plate and decide if there is someone better placed to do them. Examples of these sorts of jobs are:

  • Bookkeeping/Accountancy/Payroll
  • Phone answering and diary management
  • Web design
  • Lead generation

There are people out there who love doing each of these types of jobs so, if you hate doing these activities, find someone to do them for you.

Secondly, look at how you are spending your day and make sure you allow time to think about the really important issues in your business. This will mean managing the ‘urgent’ jobs. Taking telephone calls and answering emails are jobs which will always push themselves to the front of the queue if you let them.

When the phone rings we have an in-built need to answer it. However, if you are in the middle of a job the interruption can be very distracting. If you have an answering service which can take calls when you are busy, you can manage your time better – and also ensure you talk to people when you have the opportunity to deal with their issue effectively.

Similarly, have a method of dealing with emails which works for you. Some people only look at emails at a particular time in the working day and restrict the time they spend doing so. Others will manually click to receive emails (rather than automatically receiving new emails) which means that they can, again, manage when they are prepared to accept the distraction of dealing with emails.

Time management is always going to be a struggle if you are a small business owner. So do yourself a favour, acknowledge the problem, and work to find a solution to save your sanity!

Fiona

What’s in a name?

One of the hardest things for prospective business owners to decide on is a name for their baby!

A well thought through name can draw customers to you, help to engage them in what you are about, and help with branding your product or service. Equally a ‘bad’ name can turn people away before they really understand what you do.

Once you are established it is difficult, and costly to change your name, so getting it right from the beginning is vital.

As we have gone through the exercise of naming our company, we wanted to share with you some pointers which might help you.

Be sure of what your business is about
Make sure you are clear on your business concept and have a clear business plan. This will help you define what your ‘brand’ represents and the type of customer you are hoping to attract. In our case we wanted a name which conveyed our ethos and what our course would encompass. For us the bright element of any business includes entrepreneurship, communication, effectiveness and confidence, whilst the strategic dimension includes strategy, marketing, sales and finance.

Don’t do it on your own
Seek professional help. Remember, whilst you might be clear on what you want to offer, a third party will be able to help you to match your name to your proposed market. They will also help you ensure you look at your business objectively.

Our branding expert, Louise, helped direct our brain storming session to clarify; what our business is about; who our customers are; what our ethos and goals are; how we will deliver our service; and anything else which defines the essence of our business.

Be prepared for a fairly full-on session! As the name is so important, the naming process can be an emotional journey but, if tackled well, you can end up with a name which perfectly matches your business offer.

Even if you decide not to engage a branding professional we would strongly urge you to go through a brain storming session with a friend, relative or business colleague. This way you will find it easier to open up and really explore what your name will do for your business.

check it out
Once you have a name you like look on Google to see if the name is being used by another company. If it isn’t, but a similar name is, just check you are happy with the potential association. Finally, check it isn’t registered at Companies House. Although you might not be ready to be a limited company, you may want to leave the door open to incorporation in the future. If you register the name (a cheap and easy exercise) you can ensure no one else nicks it!

Finally, before you take the plunge, and order all your marketing material, try it on for size over the weekend. Ask what your nearest and dearest think, and see if you still feel the same about it on Monday morning. After all you have to live with it for a long time to come!

Happy naming
Fiona