Business Plus Baby

September 3, 2015September 3, 2015

Watertight Marketing: Book review

Did you know it’s Small Business Advice Week (31st Aug – 6th September)? The aim is to help the UKs 4.5 million SMEs (small and medium employers) thrive in what can still be tough times for many.

So with this in mind, I thought I’d tell you about the book I’m reading right now, which is Watertight Marketing by Bryony Thomas.

First of all, it’s a really excellent book. And if you’re thinking it might cover stuff about sales funnels that you’ve heard before, then you’re in for a nice surprise!

A central theme in this book is to give your prospects and customers exactly the information they want, when they want it. And this book really does practice what it preaches in that it’s taken what could be rather dry business theory and made it speak to busy small business owners. It does cover how to set up a sales and marketing system that works in the long term – for both your business and your customers – that is built on solid relationships. But it uses lots of quick-to-understand concepts (buckets, funnels and taps) and looks at plugging the gaps we all have in our marketing systems.

One concept that really grabbed me was the logic sandwich. If you’re wondering whether to sell using facts or emotions, this could be just what you need. Because when people are first looking at your products, they need an emotional approach. Then they’ll want to know all the facts and figures about your product – that’s the logically part. Finally, when they are just about ready to buy they’ll switch back to using their emotions again. And those are the three layers of the sandwich. If you get this wrong, you can end up by hitting them with the facts too early and scaring them off, for example.

One thing that many small business owners are afraid of is being too ‘salesy’. Watertight Marketing shows you that a more subtle approach that goes at your prospect’s own pace is much more effective in the long run than selling fast and hard. That’s a big relief for those of us who aren’t natural sales people!

The book is very practical, and you can download workbooks from the website given in the book to make it easier to implement what you learn as you go along. I haven’t had a chance to do that just yet but I definitely will.

So I recommend you grab yourself a copy of this book!

September 2, 2015

Alternative options for businesses low on space

As your business goes from a start up to a success, you will probably find your space that was once half empty, is now bursting at the seams with staff, products and equipment.

But, just because your business is starting to succeed, doesn’t necessarily mean that moving to bigger offices or a space with a warehouse is an option.

This may be for financial reasons or because the space simply isn’t available – or both! Central London office space availability, for example, has fallen to its lowest rate in 14 years according to CBRE.

The first quarter of this year saw a 3% drop in office availability to 10.8million square foot, alongside the take-up of 3.1 million square foot. This high take-up and low availability is of course now causing a spike in rent as a result!

So, when you find yourself in this situation, how do you find the space?

Storage

If your business is selling a product, a rise in sales has probably resulted in a lack of space that has come from the rising stock, you originally kept in a storeroom out the back.

You now have so much that a warehouse to store it all in seems to be your only option. But after purchasing a warehouse, you would then require extra staff to work in it, as well as other costs and inconveniences. Have you thought about using self-storage instead?

Somewhere such as Kelly’s Mobile Self Storage will keep your items secure and allow 24/7 access, so you could see it as your temporary warehouse space. If at a later date a warehouse is the right thing for your business, your storage pod can be delivered directly to the door!

Think outside the box for meetings

Do you have a lack of meeting space? Or could the meeting rooms you do have be put to better use, as they are only used about 10% of the time? Then you need to think outside the box when it comes to meetings. You could, for example, hire a meeting room, or hold a conference Skype call if attendees of the meeting are a distance away.

Share/temporary office space

Maybe your lack of space is from a growing workforce. Your original small team has grown significantly and with that comes desks, IT equipment and the rest! So where do you put everyone? A temporary office would provide you with the space that you need, without getting tied into a long-term contract you can’t afford. Another option is to share office space. Team up with another company that require more room themselves or haven’t filled their office, and take advantage of that unused space.

Hot desking

An option, that keeps all your staff in one building, is hot desking. So rather than all members of staff having there own desk, they find an empty desk, set it up for the day and clear away in the evening. Hot desking can cut the running costs of an office by up to 30% and will of course provide you with much needed space, by cutting down on the number of desks that you require.

August 31, 2015

The types of workers who should use smartphones (Hint: it’s all of them)

The work phone is no longer exclusively for the executive, and it hasn’t been since 2007 with the birth of the first iPhone. This piece of technology changed business (and most notably small business) forever.

Fast forward to 2015. We now have the iPhone 6, a smartphone that makes the original look like an old Nokia. But all the bells and whistles aside, the one thing that makes the smartphone more impactful on small business than anything else is its access. It doesn’t matter if they’re a billionaire or lower class, almost anyone can own the world’s best cellphones. This means small businesses have an even playing field with major corporations when it comes to mobile technology.

So who should carry smartphones for work? The answer is everyone. The only aspect that will change is how they use them.

The Outdoor Labourer

Remember Nextel? Before it was acquired by Sprint, the cellphone manufacturer made two-way capable phones that acted like walkie-talkies over a mobile network to save on precious minutes (before they were unlimited). While the brand didn’t last, the phones were popular among blue-collar workers.

Now, the Voxer app has taken over this functionality. It’s a free two-way radio app for iPhone and Android that lets users send unlimited messages back and forth, just like a walkie-talkie. As more blue-collar workers carry cellphones, this has become a useful app while they’re on the job.

The Desk Jockey

The smartphone was seemingly invented for the desk jockey. It has everything he or she could ever need — web, email, calendar, task manager and much, much more. But where the smartphone is really shining for the master of the cubicle is in time management apps. When working a 9 to 5 job, every minute matters to have the most productive day possible. Hours is an elegant, simple-to-use iPhone app that tracks every minute of the day so workers can accomplish as much as possible in an eight-hour window.

The Personal Assistant

When it comes to managing someone else’s life, the native calendar app that comes with iPhone and Android just won’t do. Personal assistants need to organize everything about their boss’ life — where to go, when to be there, who to meet with, what to talk about and so on. The native calendar app for iPhone has come a long way since 2007, but there are better third-party options available.

Sunrise Calendar is consistently praised as the best option for the iPhone. It has all the bells and whistles of the native app as well as a beautiful UI and integration with popular services, such as Dropbox and Evernote. And when Microsoft acquired Sunrise in early 2015, it was just another sign that the app will get even more support and features in the future.

In addition to a sophisticated calendar, Wunderlist is another app that outdoes the native task manager (which is really nothing more than a basic list and reminders app). Wunderlist’s handiest feature is the ability to add reminders using basic language. Type “Boss meets with David tomorrow for lunch at Johnny’s Restaurant,” and the app adds the event, time and location, using only the info from that single phrase. While the personal assistant uses dozens of apps to manage the boss’ time, none get more use than the two listed above.

August 26, 2015

Five business ideas you can build from the comfort of home

Luckily, it has never been easier to start a business from home because of the Internet. It is lucky because the job front has never been as bleak due to the after effects of the recession that are still evident today. So, instead of going out and looking for a job that has hundreds of applications, you can just create your own. There is no need for physical office space, employees or even conventional methods of advertising. The only thing you need to start an online business is a computer and a drive to succeed.

Here are some of the most popular businesses that you can start from home.

Babysitting

If you have the mornings and afternoons few, there couldn’t be a simpler way to make money. The best thing about babysitting is that you don’t need additional qualifications or certificates. As long as you know parents who need a babysitting service, you can look after children in your home. Of course, you will need to start small because parents won’t leave their children with strangers. But, once you start creating a buzz, you can make a lot of money.

Freelance

Freelance relates to almost every industry, which means it doesn’t matter what your profession is in most cases. The best example is a freelance journalist or writer. They secure contracts on freelancing websites and complete the work remotely. With a freelancing contract, you don’t have to worry about getting up early and going to the office. All you have to worry about is completing your work by the end of the day.

Personal Trainer

With the right amount of space and the right qualifications, you can educate people on how to look after their bodies. Obviously, personal trainer businesses are much harder to startup because you need a certain amount of knowledge of the human body. Plus, you need to certify your business as a personal trainer and get insurance. If that doesn’t sound like too much hassle, there is no better way to make money and keep fit at the same time!

E-commerce

E-commerce businesses can take a variety of shapes and sizes. In fact, an e-commerce business is any business that trades goods over the Internet. You might be an antiquities dealer, or you might sell old clothes on eBay, but you are still under the umbrella of e-commerce. Generally, they are great businesses to start because they don’t need much to begin with. People will buy old junk that you have wanted to get rid of for years! To get your project off the ground, checkout Magento Developers software. Over thirty percent of the world’s e-commerce platforms have been created with the software.

Bed & Breakfast

Do you have a spare room you don’t use? To get the most from the room, rent it on couchsurfing.com or other similar sites. People will pay a good chunk of change to rent a room for a couple of days or even an extended period.
The above are just suggestions. Your business can be whatever you want it to be.

August 25, 2015August 25, 2015

Cleaning hacks for the busy professional

If you’re a busy mumpreneur, the last thing you probably want to do is spend your precious time on your cleaning. Dusting, hoovering and other household tasks can seem like a big chore, so aside from calling in professionals like Molly Maid, here are ten cleaning hacks that’ll make your life easier.

1. Wash up as you go

It might sound simple but washing up as you go is a lot easier than spending thirty minutes trying to remove dried Weetabix from a bowl. And if something does get stuck – soak it in warm soapy water and deal with it when you get home.

2. Use lemon juice as an all-purpose cleaner

If the work surfaces could do with a clean but you’re out of all-purpose cleaning spray – fear not. Simply squirt half a lemon onto a dishcloth and use it as a natural disinfectant.

3. Unblock drains with baking soda and vinegar

Is the water taking ages to drain after a bath or shower? If so, put three heaped teaspoons of baking soda down the plughole followed by several glugs of white vinegar. Wait for the fizzing to stop before flushing through with warm water.

4. Use baking soda to neutralise smells

Believe it or not, baking soda can neutralise bad smells so if your fridge is a little on the stinky side, then pop a small bowl of this raising agent inside to get rid of the pong – you can even put some next to your shoe rack or cat litter tray.

5. Use olive oil as furniture polish

Shopping for cleaning products can be difficult if you’ve little time to spare – after all you probably don’t want to be picking up bleach on a Saturday. The good news is you’ve probably got some olive oil lying around so use this as a natural furniture polish.

6. Use salt as an abrasive

Got a tough stain you want to remove? Out of scourers? Then use salt as an abrasive. This works on many cast iron surfaces including pots and pans, so why not give it a go?

7. Use salt and lemons to clean your chopping board

Salt can also be used to clean chopping boards, which, as you probably know tend to get very dirty (and sometimes smelly). Simply sprinkle some onto half of a chopped lemon and scrub away.

8. Clean the oven with vinegar and baking soda

Shop-bought oven cleaners tend to be full of toxic chemicals which can sting your throat and burn your eyes. They’re expensive too, but there is an alternative – vinegar and baking soda. That’s right, pour some vinegar over the inside of the oven before sprinkling in some baking soda and let the chemical reaction work its magic before wiping clean.

9. Use an old toothbrush to clean your keyboard

Incredibly, researchers have discovered that computer keyboards contain far more bacteria than a toilet seat – with swabs even detecting faecal matter. With this in mind, try scrubbing your keyboard gently with a slightly wet toothbrush.

10. Clean your grater with potato

If you love grated cheese, carrots, apple and such like but hate all the bits that get stuck in the grater, try cleaning it using a raw potato. This will remove anything that’s lodged in the small holes allowing you to prepare your meals quicker.

With these hacks, cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore so go ahead and give them a go.