Business Plus Baby

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015

Going to University after starting a family

Having a family totally changes your priorities, especially in terms of how you ear a living. Sure, there are the practicalities of fitting your work in around school and childcare, but it also brings up other issues. In my case, I had a job that involved travelling and overnight stays – that was going to be almost impossible with two very young children.

It isn’t just the practicalities, though. Sometimes we realise that our old career had run its course and we’re ready for something new, maybe the economic climate has changed and jobs are harder to find with our skill set (hello recession and credit crunch!) or perhaps the babies arrived early and we hadn’t had time to go to university as we’d hoped.

The good news is that learning really is lifelong these days and you can – and probably must – retrain throughout your working life. There are many online courses which you can study flexibly around your family, even at the university level. If you’re thinking of going to university you may be able to get help with childcare, course costs and travel – see study after having a baby by Money Advice Service for more information.

So what might you study at university? Some mums use it as an opportunity to do what they’ve always wanted to do. Maybe they ‘fell in’ to their old career by accident when they were young and now they want to work in an areas that really matters to them or that they are passionate about. What have you always wanted to do? What interested you as a child? What do people tell you you’re naturally good at? These can all be ways of homing in on a new career.

If you don’t have the time right now to start a whole new career or study, why not talk to people who work in the field that interest you or maybe shadow them for a day? This would enable you to see what the job is really like before you commit to the time and expense involved in a university course.

Finally, a university course doesn’t have to be a three year full-time undergraduate course. If you already have a degree, there are many postgraduate diploma. certificate and masters courses you can study part-time that could launch a whole new career.

April 23, 2015April 23, 2015

How to get more done as a freelancer

Freelancing has lots of perks. You can work your own hours. You can pick and choose your projects and work with just those people you enjoy working with. You can take holidays and time off with a sick child without asking permission from the boss. You can even go to work in your pajamas!

However, all that freedom can get in the way too. Sometimes it can seriously distract you from getting the work done.

Productivity is the key. Freelance more, get more done for your clients and you’ll earn more money. Productivity doesn’t just mean working more – it means working smarter, too. So here are some tips to help you become a more productive freelancer:

1. Set yourself a fake deadline

Let’s say you have a deadline to design a logo and it’s due on the 15th. If you’re like many freelancers then you put it on your calendar for the 14th and you don’t think about that client or project until then. Fake the deadline and put it on your calendar for the 10th. You’ll deliver early and make the client happy. Even better, it leaves your diary free for more work between the 10th and the 15th!

2. Work in chunks of time

How do you schedule your work? Do you work some 10-hour days and not work other days at all? Chances are those 10-hour days are long and slow. It may actually take you twice as long to complete a project if you try to sit down and finish it all in one go.

Instead, work in short segments of time. While 20-30 segments may be best, experiment and see what works for you. When your time is up, take a break and do something else. Go take a walk, read a book, or do something that doesn’t require intense focus. Then return to your project feeling refreshed and ready to focus again.

3. Create a daily task list with your priorities at the top

Find a tool that works for you – paper and pen or scheduling software are both good. Personally, I just create a really simple list in Evernote.

Create a task list for the upcoming day. Put priority projects and tasks at the top of your list so you start the day making an impact. There are also handy smartphone applications (e.g. Evernote again!) that you can use to stay on track each day.

Then, get clear on your strengths and which tasks you really want to do. Identify your top challenges and create systems to overcome them. For example, if you are easily distracted by email, consider finding a virtual assistant to manage your business email. If you’re a procrastinator and save everything for the last minute, consider taking on more projects so you’re always busy and don’t have time to procrastinate.

Take a few minutes to sit down and document how you work at the moment. What makes sense? What encourages productivity and success? What’s getting in your way? Create systems to eliminate the challenges and finally create the freelance business you want.

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April 9, 2015April 10, 2015

8 tips for increasing the revenue of your meeting rooms

If you have meeting rooms to hire, then it makes sense to make sure you make as much revenue from these rooms as you can while offering the best possible experience to your clients. Here are eight tips for increasing the revenue of your rooms:

1. Make sure your employees are happy

It’s important that your employees have a friendly and outgoing manner with your customers. If you make your employees happy by paying them fairly and recognising their achievements, they will want to be good ambassadors for your business. When your employees go above and beyond what’s on their job description, it leads to happier customers, repeat visits and for your customers to tell others about your venue. Continue reading “8 tips for increasing the revenue of your meeting rooms”

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

10 Simple Steps to Becoming a Super Successful Franchisee

Joining a franchise can be a great way to become a business owner as, among other things, it offers a proven business model, support to get you up and running and the reassurance of knowing that although you are in control of what you do, you are not on your own. The franchise model is only the start though. While it may provide the foundations for a great business, it need what YOU bring to it before it can grow and develop into something really special.

If you are thinking about taking on a franchise then, you may be wondering if you have what it takes to make a success of running your very own business. It may not always be easy, and every franchise offers something a little different, but whatever business you are thinking of undertaking following the steps below will help you build on those foundations to make your business into the fantastic success that is absolutely possible for you to achieve!

Step 1 – Know Your Why

Running a business is a big commitment and will definitely have its ups and downs, so before you decide to go ahead you need to really know why you want to do it in the first place. It may help to ask yourself some of these questions; Continue reading “10 Simple Steps to Becoming a Super Successful Franchisee”

March 13, 2015

How to save money while acquiring appropriate office space

In some instances, acquiring office space can be a drain on resources, and this is especially true for start-up companies. An increasing number of real estate brokers and landlords require companies to sign for 3 to 5 year lease terms and have personal guarantees while renting an office.

For that reason, small companies are constantly seeking ways to minimise extra liabilities and grow. Before buying or leasing an office, it is advisable to think creatively and find ways to save money and time. Mentioned in this article are some of the ways in which you can save money while leasing an office space for your growing business.

Consider renting some shared office space.

Shared office space is becoming an increasingly popular option and is a great money saving idea when it comes to renting office space. This particular option is beneficial in that, given its setup, it allows the employees of a company to interact more and share ideas with each other. Additionally, the environment that it creates encourages collaboration and a sense of togetherness among the employees.

Owing to the tough economic times, many companies are forced to cut back which leaves such companies with more office space than they actually need. Instead of losing money on this excess space by letting it go to waste, some companies are now looking to sublet that extra space for a very reasonable price. Therefore, with regards to saving on expenditure, getting a shared office space is a great idea.

Look into the option of co-working space.

The increase in the establishment of digital-based companies has made co-working spaces a lot more prevalent. Companies that would like to rent office Bracknell space should consider getting a co-working space that is flexible and allows them to rent on a monthly or yearly basis. This solution is particularly beneficial for start-up companies that are looking to interact with other like-minded people and companies that may have a bigger marketplace presence than they do.

Minimise the work force.

Many established companies in the country have a lot more employees on the payroll than they require, which in turn means that capital is being wasted. Examining the role and need for staff members in the company can turn out to be a huge saving opportunity. To get an idea of how much office space a company needs to rent, it’s important to evaluate the need for the current workforce and minimise it through internships, sweat-equity arrangements and independent contractor agreements where possible.

Explore the possibility of renting a fully furnished office.

Some properties are now leasing offices that are already fully furnished with necessary amenities such as hook up phone lines and Internet. To save on time, money and effort, renting a fully furnished office can be a great opportunity for start-up companies. Such spaces also offer the company staff access to conference rooms, a receptionist, and kitchens as well as many other essential amenities for the day-to-day running of the business.

As you’ll have probably gathered, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to renting office space. The suitability of any office space will solely depend on the individual requirements of a company and its budget, but as you’ll have seen from the above, there are a number of different ways to save money while acquiring appropriate office space for your business.