I recently wrote a blog about the Power of Awards. And, given that I've just joined the Networking in Surrey Group and the SME Surrey Business Awards Entry deadline is 14th October... I thought I'd attach an excerpt here to inspire and encourage you to click the link and enter. Good luck!

To enter: www.surreyawards.co.uk…

This month we had Tracey Shrimpton from ‘Sixth Sense Marketing’ covering our 10-minute speaker slot informing us of ‘3 Ways to make your Marketing more effective’.

1. Set your Objectives –      Where do you want to go with your business?

What do you want your marketing to achieve?

To have a clear Target Market

2. Be an Expert -   Knowledge is Power!

Know Yourself – Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Know your USP – What makes your business…

Whilst the likes of Richard Branson (Virgin) and Sheryl Sandburg (Facebook) operate in a different universe from small business owners, the issue of making sure you take on the right person for the job remains the same whether you run a multinational conglomerate out of Necker or run a two person business from Dorking.

It may be less damaging to make a poor…

You’re working really hard, but it feels like you're standing still. That no matter what you do, it’s really hard to get your business to grow  and you can't seem to break through the wall. Frustrating isn't it?



There are many reasons why this could be happening.  Here are seven along with some actions you can take to make changes.

1. Trying to do everything yourself
   
   As a solo business owner you will be doing everything from…

Summer holidays are almost at an end, kids all back to school and now looking forward to the next holiday season, Christmas!!

Some more new faces to the group this month, thank you for coming along…

This month we had the pleasure of Peter Trembeth, from Peter Trembeth Wealth Management, taking up our 10-minute speaker slot.  He gave us an insight on ‘The Importance of have a Plan’.

First piece of advice was to ‘Keep things simple’ and to do this we need to recognise the…

In the current climate of uncertainty, many people are seeking to take greater control of their future by setting up their own new business.

The most successful start-ups are those whose owner identify possible pitfalls and costs and can budget accordingly.

Whilst the concept of ‘following your dream’ is very appealing, it’s important not to forget the practicalities of running your own business. This is where a robust business plan will pay dividends.

So you…

I made the decision to hand in my notice in May. I had to give 3 months, and the sense of relief was interesting. Yes, I'll miss the place and the people (and the regular pay), but hey, times are changing, and if I don't do it now I never will. So here I am, going freelance - lectures, workshops and a few solo exhibitions, a bit of writing, a bit of speaking, a bit of costume design and illustration. 

Scary, but good.

Free-falling a little.

Now to network with people who…

It’s about WHO you know

Firstly, you need to know who you need to know! Are you networking and randomly collecting contact details from everyone? Building a network this way is very time consuming and not very effective. Before you even step into an event know who you are looking for. Once you know who you need in your network start building your…

I just created my first ever timelapse movie and am quite pleased with it.

It would be good to receive feedback

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1jsnKegC0c&feature=youtu.be

To paraphrase the late, great Bill Shankly it is much, much more important than that.

Most businesses will have an issue with cash flow at some stage in their life and for an SME this can be catastrophic; according to Dun and Bradstreet, 90% of small business failures are caused by poor cash flow.

So what kind of issues can give rise to a cash flow problem? Imagine the situation at 9.00 on a Monday morning when you get the bad news. It could be:

• A…

Top Tips for Exhibitors

With the Chamber’s Business Expo coming up on 22nd June 2016, we have again been looking at how our exhibitors can make the most of their stands. Exhibiting at shows can be a great way to get your business in front of hundreds of local businesses in just one day and typically at the same cost as an advert in your local newspaper.  It should therefore be a simply way to…

 Cost management strategy

Poor cashflow can be the undoing of any business, yet 70% of organisations do not have a cost management strategy, according to a recent survey by management consultants Auditel. It also found that fewer than 2% of companies track costs on an ongoing basis.

In a startup situation, careful cost management is particularly crucial. But where…

Your Business Rates Are About To Change!

It has been almost seven years since the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) reviewed business rates but all that is set to change from April 1^st 2017 and as a result your business may find itself with a higher bill.

The VOA are revaluing every commercial property across the country and the government is changing how your business rates bill is calculated. The impact…

What is Solution Focused Hypnotherapy?

Solution-focused Hypnotherapy

“A contemporary therapy linking the solution focused brief therapy model back to the hypnotherapy of Milton H Erickson the hypnotherapist who inspired Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) adopts practical, modern strategies that include the best of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and…

Here's a great blog post by NiS Member and Social Marketing Queen Veronica Pullen on the perils of Facebookk like ladders... you can read the original post here on Veronica's Blog

Why Participating in Like Ladders is Hurting Your Business!

February 15, 2016 By …

The HR community has been buzzing recently, following the announcement that some very large, high profile organisations including Microsoft and Deloitte have abandoned their formal Appraisal Schemes, in favour of on-going performance discussions between managers and their team members. "How sensible!", many people have said. Appraisals are old hat. They are too bureaucratic. They are tick-box exercises that don’t motivate anybody or improve performance. Far…

Do you know what a Virtual Assistant is?

Even if you do, do you know how they can help you or are you scared to try?

If your business is growing and you could do with some extra help, but don’t want to start employing people, then step into the 21st century and consider turning virtual into reality!

A virtual assistant is a highly skilled professional who offers business support services virtually.  This means they are located off site, are independent but specialise in…

See the thing is, people do the same thing each year - over indulge over the break and then go for a new routine, usually to lose weight, but really to feel better - often subconsciously out of guilt, ....in the new year.

But, this doesn't work very well, and here's why!  When people attempt too many things, they fail - or succeed only at few, and poorly.

So - think about it.  Think about the changes you're making, a change of routine compared to the last few…

As a procurement professional with over 17 years experience it is very pleasing to see that the value of procurement is now recognised more widely within the SME community. Procurement Consultancy exists to provide reliable, professional advice to SMEs in order for them to operate their businesses more efficiently and achieve continued success. 

Many Surrey based SMEs do not have the funding to support a full time procurement professional. A common assumption is that implementing best…

Hi,

Going online as a small business owner can be terribly daunting and overwhelming.  I've learn't a lot but there are a billion things I don't know how to do, yet, or have no intention of learning.   As with anything new it's a steep learning curve.  When I started my business I knew nothing about marketing and now that's what I mostly help people with!

I have really enjoyed getting digital and mostly, showing others how easy it is to too.  Being a Digital…