Powershred Waste Bag (Pack 50) 36056
July 14, 2011 By
Running a successful business
May 20, 2011 By
Many people think about starting their own business and working from home, however most are quite understandably concerned about saying goodbye to their monthly pay slips from payroll services.
There are approximately 300,000 new companies started each year joining the 2 million limited companies currently listed in the UK. As people face the prospect of no pay rises and little prospects during these difficult financial times; more and more of us are thinking about those little ideas which would make us a million. Television programmes like ‘Dragons Den’ and ‘The next big thing’ only add fuel to our fire. [Read more...]
Choosing the right networking event
March 3, 2011 By
There are no hard and fast rules to choosing the right networking event for your and your business but there are however, some things that you might want to consider before committing to attend.
Is the event relevant to your business area? You can find this out easily enough by researching the company holding the event. If you look online I am certain that there will be reviews from candidates from past events that will help you to decide whether this is the right event for you.
Networking events can come in all guises, from an away day with your peers to an evening out bowling. Do you want to attend a formal presentation from an expert but meet other contacts or do you want to participate in a more informal outing.
How much expenditure are you prepared to commit? An away day can be costly as you have travel expenses and overnight stays in hotels to consider as well as the events costs. This is why it is so important to check that this event is going to be right for your business. [Read more...]
Writing And Preparing A Business Plan
February 28, 2011 By
A business plan is a document that describes the type of business that you are planning to commence, where in the marketplace this business fits against competitors, how you plan to grow the business and also forecasts how much money you think can be made from this new business.
Business plans usually follow a very similar format and contain key information that can help you to obtain funding from an investor or bank.
The key components are an executive summary, which is your opening gambit to an investor, it showcases your idea and needs to be dynamic and concise and really sum up what your business is about and where you see it developing. It is the most important part of your business plan and probably should be written last. It needs to grab the potential investors attention and make them fall over themselves to hand their money over and invest in your new venture. As the title suggests it needs to be a summary you can go into detail in the subsequent sections of the business plan. [Read more...]
Boosting Morale – Team Building and Corpporate Events
February 18, 2011 By
In the current economic climate employers are looking at ways to streamline businesses and cut costs, measures taken by employers can sometimes stretch employees by asking that they take on extra tasks on occasion without the ability to offer any financial reward. This is where corporate events are great ideas.
This may seem to contradict the need to cut costs but a corporate event need not be an expensive and lavish affair. A drink after work with colleagues can be a great team building session.
The point of a corporate event is to spend time with your colleagues in a more informal setting and get to know the people that you spend your working days discussing business matters with. [Read more...]
Presenting A Business And Putting Together A Business Presentation
February 13, 2011 By
To most of us the very idea of public speaking fills us with dread, particularly if we are making a business presentation to fellow experts in a particular field. The best way to prepare is to research your subject and practise your presentation before you have to present to peers.
Business presentations are not all about the slides that you create, these are great visual aids and prompts, but people actually want to hear what you have to say. It is a certainty that you have a great wealth of knowledge to draw from on the topic that your business presentation is about; trying to read from slides could distract you and disturb the flow of your speech.
When preparing your presentation think about your audience, do they already know the basics of what you are going to present or are you speaking to people with little if any knowledge on your chosen subject. Cater your presentation accordingly.
In your opening slide summarise what your presentation is about in a few punchy bullet points.
Use the rest of your slides for visual aids such as graphs, pie charts, pictures and close with a similar summary to cover what has been discussed.
Ask a friend or colleague to listen to your presentation and give you some honest feedback, is the presentation snappy throughout or is there too much detail? A trusted friend will help to identify parts of your presentation that need to reworked. [Read more...]
How To Write A Business Plan
February 9, 2011 By
The main purpose of business planning is to create a written outline that includes all aspects of the economic viability of the business venture. Business plans can vary enormously. Each business plan will have it’s own unique details and information, specific for it’s business idea. Business planning and a business plan are useful in the following number of ways:
• It will define the objective.
• It can uncover omissions or weaknesses.
• It can be used as a selling tool in dealing with lenders and banks.
• It can be used to seek advice from people, including those in the same field of business.
A good business plan is one that presents a lot of information in as few words as possible. The format to follow includes an assessment of all the factors critical to the business purpose and goals. Some suggested topics to tailor into the plan may include: [Read more...]
How Can A Corporate Event Help Morale In Business/Team Building For Business
February 7, 2011 By
Team building for business is a company’s way of recognising employee needs in both personal and work-related aspects. It comprises of stages that lead to positive outcomes, where strengths are reinforced and weaknesses are given solutions. It does require an effort, since the employees work hard on team activities to build a much stronger relationship with one another, therefore fostering a sense of togetherness within the group. There are a wide range of fun corporate events and team building activities that include conferences, motivational days, outdoor activities, themed evening corporate events, treasure hunts, sailing/powerboat days and corporate hospitality. One thing that all team building exercises have in common is that they involve getting co-workers to engage with one another, so that each member feels an integral part of the team. The main reason a company pursues team building events is that they are thought to produce higher worker productivity.
People in all workplaces talk about being in a team, but few understand how to create the experience of effective team work. Successful team building for business requires attention to each of the following: [Read more...]
Top Ideas For Setting Up Small Business/Home Business/Online Business
February 4, 2011 By
Wanting to start your own business? Don’t know where to begin? Starting up even the smallest business can be a challenging venture, but find inspiration in the fact that many budding entrepreneurs have the found right business idea for them and have turned it into a successful career. One of the very first steps to starting a business is to come up with a business idea and then create a business plan. While these may seem obvious steps, many people who want their own business have the desire to be an entrepreneur, but haven’t come up with a business idea. For those who have the inspiration and the motivation, there are many options to consider:
Popular home based business ideas:
Home based businesses are ideal for most first time entrepreneurs. By starting a business from home you keep your overheads low allowing you to lessen your risk and to make a profit faster. Some ideas to consider are as follows: dog walking business, leaflet distribution business, book keeping business, web design business, wedding planning business, or starting a consultancy.
Online/Internet business ideas: [Read more...]