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Growing Your Business – The Art of Outsourcing

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Given today’s climate, business owners are actively looking for ways to cut overall costs in their business whilst remaining competitive in the post lock down market. It is important for businesses to take into consideration the structure of their company and what tasks are performed where, how and by whom as these are all major contributors to the profitability and productivity of the business. 

Whilst it’s true that outsourcing is expenditure, it can actually help to grow your business and save money in the long run. Fortunately, due to the wealth of freelance workers and contractors out there and the abundance of skills they possess, there are no size restrictions on the type of company that can use outsourcing.

As a business owner, one of the main benefits to outsourcing is the freeing up of time. All those hours that would’ve ordinarily been spent on performing or managing menial, repetitive or even specialist tasks can now be spent focussing, improving and evolving your business to adapt to this new economic climate.

So what is outsourcing?

Generally, in the business world, outsourcing refers to the process of hiring an external freelance agent or contractor to provide support for or to completely perform a task that was previously undertaken in-house.

Most outsourcing is taken as a cost cutting measure, either for when a business needs extra support without employing a full time staff member or as a way of reducing workload for employees so that efforts can be focussed elsewhere.

What could a business outsource?

It’s natural to have concerns or be reluctant to take that first step into the world of outsourcing but it is crucial to remember that by outsourcing some of the key background activities in your business you could begin moulding your company into a much more efficient and productive model.

There really is no end to the type of tasks you can outsource, as long as you can find the right person with the skills you require then you’re very much good to go. Here are some base ideas for tasks that you can easily outsource to help grow your business and save money…

Bookkeeping

Now more than ever, finance is one of those areas where you really don’t want to be making mistakes.  It might be tempting, especially for smaller businesses, to assume that undertaking this in-house is time and cost saving. In reality, if you’re lacking in core accounting skills then this can become a very time consuming and laborious part of your day that eats up large chunks of your time.

Outsourcing to a bookkeeping aficionado will not only give you the peace of mind in knowing that someone competent is handling your accounting but also could gain you valuable time back each day.

Content Marketing

It’s a tried and tested fact that good quality content marketing can not only produce new leads for businesses but also strengthen the relationship that a business has with its existing customer base. Like most companies, you may not have the required free budget to hire a fulltime in-house marketing executive or content writer and ideally shouldn’t be spending your time creating content if that isn’t your area of expertise.

The simplest answer to this is outsourcing, freelance content writers are widely available and will enable you to not only save time and money by freeing up time but also to increase your profitability by gaining new custom too.

Admin

That job that we all love to hate, whilst administration is 100% necessary within every business, it is very time consuming and is perfectly suited to being outsourced to outside contractors rather than being undertaken by business owners or employees specialising in other business areas.

Virtual assistants with scheduling software are widely available and are able to automate vast amounts of administrative tasks which will in turn allow you and your employees to utilise all of that newly discovered free time to focus on the growth of your company. As a general guide, anything considered as a repetitive or time consuming task within your business is one that you should be looking to outsource.

But how does it save money?

As your business begins to expand, so too does the workload. It’s not uncommon for yourself and your employees to begin to feel overloaded with work as you try to perform all of the day to day functions in-house. In doing so, businesses often begin to become more unproductive and less able to provide consistent levels of service.

Outsourcing can help to avoid this and whilst you do have to spend a small amount initially, the long term benefits are worth it. Outsourcing can provide you with the time required to learn, develop and grow your business which in turn leads to increased revenue long term.

Here are a few of the main benefits to outsourcing:

  • Provides time to focus on business development.
  • Can help cut costs or provide services without employing more staff.
  • Helps with staff workload and increases productivity.
  • Could help to avoid mistakes made by unskilled employees performing skilled tasks.
  • Increases business efficiency.

How do I get the best from outsourcing?

If you decide to seek outsourcing externally then there are a couple of things you can do which will help to ensure a successful, productive and smooth business/contractor relationship.

Be clear and concise in your request to them, outline exactly what tasks you require and give adequate initial guidance to allow them to be able to perform the tasks effectively. Constant conversations to change parameters are convoluted and confusing for both parties.

Be ready to hand over the reins! It’s tempting, especially if you previously managed the task, to feel the need to micromanage or take control again. You must be able to let go and allow your contractor to work, if you try to spend all of your time overseeing them then this will render the whole concept of outsourcing pointless.

The truth is that running any business is never without trouble, outsourcing some of your more menial day to day tasks however, should not only make your own work day easier but can also help to grow your business and save money in the long term. If you want to discuss how Pink Spaghetti can assist you with any aspect of your business then you can visit here to find your local team today.

Life After Lockdown – How To Bulletproof Your Business

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Business owners across the UK are already beginning to feel the strain that Coronavirus and the associated lockdown is causing and this is leading to feelings of anxiety and business insecurity. There are, however, actions that businesses can put into place during the lockdown period that will not only help them to simply survive Coronavirus but also to thrive in the yet unclear economic environment. 

Understandably, thinking about your business’s recovery may be far from the forefront of your mind. But it is important to remember that the UK will recover, life will resume with the energy and vitality that we are accustomed to and ‘business as normal’ will also resume. Some business owners may choose to simply wait this out and when normal business resumes they will go back to doing what they used to do but we’d like to think that with a little careful planning and forethought many businesses can make steps that will greatly boost their future business.

Here are a few ideas on how to help your business recover from Coronavirus.

Consider how your customers are affected.

Regardless of what sector you operate in, it is inevitable that your customers too are experiencing issues related to Coronavirus. This could be in the form of financial loss, restricted workforce, supply chain disruptions or just a slowdown in business. Regardless of what side effect they are experiencing it is important that you think about how this might be challenging their business and how you can help. By taking the time to stop and assess your customers’ needs it will allow you to tailor your sales approach and create dedicated marketing which is specifically designed to cater to them.

Another important thing to remember is to be kind. Your customers are as essential to your business as oxygen is to the planet, one cannot exist without the other. Whilst the lockdown is frustrating and tensions can run high, your customers will remember how they were treated. Negative experiences will leave a bitter taste for a long time following recovery; however positive experiences can only guarantee that they seek your business out again.

Look at how you can adapt your business.

Whilst the current climate is far from ideal it can be a fantastic opportunity to re-evaluate your current business provision and look at ways it can be amended. There are many businesses already doing this in varied ways – fitness instructors are taking to online platforms to offer virtual training, restaurants are offering take out services and online resource services are making themselves more accessible. Take the time to reach out to people via social media platforms, really promote the services that you CAN offer during lockdown and sing about the functions that your business is still able to perform.

Regardless of the lockdown, people across the UK still want to use services and make purchases so it is an important time to look at how you can improve your online marketing efforts and generate new online custom. Don’t look at lockdown as downtime but as a time to become proactive and productive. Business is still happening and will still happen, but more of it may need to be online.

Make an action plan and review your goals.

Coronavirus is instigating massive change across the business world and this is expected to continue right the way through to recovery. Whether you are a retailer, restaurant, freelancer or a service based business, when the UK recovery begins and lockdown ends there will be an emerging demand for your products or services. How are you going to prepare your business, rebuild and begin to grow again?

Prior to the lockdown, did you have any business plans/goals? If you did then it’s time to reassess, if not then it is a good time to put something together. You’re going to want to look at short, medium and long term goals for your business with a view to keeping it flexible to keep up with the ever changing situation. Here are some short, medium and long term goals that may be worth considering including within your plan.

Short term

  • Consider how to maintain contact with your existing customers, is it effective? Are your existing customers aware of what level the business is operating at and have you provided them with enough information to continue using your services?
  • If you can’t provide your usual offering, have you offered replacement services/alternatives?
  • Are your services/products in demand, if so then can you do anything to improve delivery timescales or offer priority for vulnerable persons?
  • If you have no ability to provide services/products are you keeping customers informed about how to cancel/keep/move pre-planned appointments?

Medium term

  • Think about recovery, how are you going to put your business in a good position post Coronavirus?
  • Create a marketing plan – where and how will you advertise your business in order to retain custom and gain new customers?
  • Assess your business strengths and weaknesses – what were you doing right and what could you do better?
  • Are there any opportunities that have arisen from Coronavirus that you can take advantage of in the long term?
  • Will you continue to provide your products/services in a different way? Has this been beneficial? What impact does this have on your staff/cash flow and customers?
  • Get to know your customers – who are they, what information do you have that you could use to drive business?
  • Look at your competitors – who is doing well and what are they offering that you could also look to do?

Long term

  • How will you plan for growth? Do you have a set target post lockdown?
  • Look at your brand. Are there changes that you could make to your website, promotional materials or content that will propel your business in the long term?
  • How will you continue to maintain positive contact with your customers and provide them real and lasting value in the future?

In summary, whilst we understand that these times are indeed testing and uncertain we can be confident in one thing, which is that this WILL end. Regrettably, the truth is that some businesses might not successfully endure this period but we would urge all business owners to take a look at what they can do now to avoid this and better position their business in a post lock down economy.

If you want to discuss how Pink Spaghetti can assist you with any aspect of your business then you can visit here to find your local team today.

 

Becoming a Virtual Assistant – The Journey to Professional Freedom!

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For many businesses it may feel as though the work load continues to increase whilst the hours in the day decreases, which is probably why large numbers of businesses now utilise the services of a virtual assistant and with the global number of people using virtual assistants set to reach a 1.8 billion by 2021 there’s never been a more perfect time to get on board.
In this blog we’ll look at what a virtual assistant does, what skills they require and how to go about breaking into what is definitely one of the most flexible and rewarding business sectors out there.

What is a virtual assistant?
If there was an official title for those of us that consider ourselves Jacks/Jills of all trades then virtual assistant may just be it. Typical tasks requested from businesses come in the form of social media and email management through to book keeping or particular project management but the nature of work will always be dependent on the types of business that you are assisting.
There’s no confined limit to what tasks can be covered by a virtual assistant, if the skills are in your wheelhouse and the task can be completed from your home office then it’s a viable offering for your customers.

What skills should a virtual assistant possess?
Because of the broad nature that virtual assistant work offers, the services you can provide are only ever limited by the skills you have. The larger your sample set of skills, the more support options you can offer. If you’re considering becoming a virtual assistant then a great place to start is to list the skills that you have and then work out what you can offer and who would benefit from this. Not only will this allow you to see your true potential but it can also be a valuable tool in identifying those first few customers.
Here’s a sample list of the type of services a virtual assistant can offer:
– Editorial/proofreading support
– Website maintenance/design
– E-commerce management
– Content creation, i.e.: for social media and blog posts
– Project management
– Billing/invoicing
– Research
– Email, calendar and logistics management
– Transcribing/translating

How much does a virtual assistant earn?
Naturally the more demanding and skill intense the work then the higher the price, typically a virtual assistant would look to charge around £25 per hour but this will vary depending on the type of work you are completing.
The important thing to remember however is that you are working for yourself so it’s crucial to work on fostering consistent business relationships and agreements with clients that will help to provide a steady income. Though it is always tempting to reduce prices to boost clients each job you will complete will also need to be billed and administrated by yourself so try to avoid eating into your costs by underselling your time!
Ultimately as with any business, it can take time for regular customers and business relationships to build so it’s a good idea to have a financial buffer in place as you start out. This may be funds you’ve saved as a business reserve pot or it may mean overlapping current employment with the start-up of your service. Either way it will ensure that you are able to look after your financial security whilst your business establishes itself.

What else do I need to consider before becoming a virtual assistant?
Office set up – Are you equipped to begin your work, whilst you may be working from home there are still multiple things to have in place before you can start. You are going to require somewhere to work from that is designated for your business, a good internet connection (remember a lot of your work will be utilising this daily) and a computer that is kitted out with the relevant software to provide the services you want (design software, accounting packages, office packages all have associated license fees that it is worth knowing before you get started). Along with this you will need to ensure that you have suitable storage methods and business processes in place to ensure you are compliant with GDPR and HMRC guidelines.
Marketing – A virtual assistant with no clients is never the ideal outcome, so how are you going to attract them? Websites, social media, business profiles are all vital parts of your business and invaluable tools for helping you to gain new clients. As a virtual assistant your presence is virtual too and therefor it needs to be reflective of you and the services you provide. There are many free options for websites and online presence building but you may wish to consider the costs of alternative marketing streams too such as Google Adwords, Facebook advertising or similar. It’s a good idea to do your research on the current provision of virtual assistant services in your area so that you can identify any gaps that you could fill. Not only that but it will also give you a good network of likeminded businesses that you may be able to share and trade clients with along with ideas around business practise and support.

Where does Pink Spaghetti fit into all of this?
By now you’ve probably got a good idea as to whether this sounds like the right career for you, albeit the route to getting there may sound daunting when looking at all the things to account for before beginning your journey.
At Pink Spaghetti we can help you during every step on your path to becoming a virtual assistant; we have nurtured over 40 virtual assistants from the beginning of their adventure to being fully fledged and successful virtual assistant franchises.
Over 70% of our franchisees are employers and are supported to grow their business through regular mentoring and ongoing training and development.
Pink Spaghetti is committed to providing you with all the help and support you’ll need to make your business a real success story.
To support you we offer full training, marketing help and continued support in every aspect of your business. With Pink Spaghetti, you might be on your own, but you’re never alone.
Pink Spaghetti has an enviable reputation for success and franchisee satisfaction and are the only PA services company in the UK to feature in the Elite Franchise Top 100. We’ve also held a 5* rating for franchisee satisfaction from WorkBuzz for the last 5 years!
If you’d like to know more about starting a virtual assistant franchise, please contact us on 0333 355 0986 or visit our franchising pages to request a copy of our Franchising Prospectus.

Gold Medal Paralympian Inspires Pink Spaghetti Franchisees at the Annual Conference

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Pink Spaghetti held its annual conference on 8th and 9th March at their head office in Northwich, Cheshire. The Head Office team were joined by nearly 50 franchisees from all across the UK for two days of learning, networking and celebrating each other’s success.

During the two days, the franchisees were joined by a number of guest speakers including Emma Wiggs MBE who is a Paralympic gold medal winner and seven-time World Champion paracanoeist in the women’s 200m KL2 class. Emma shared her inspirational story and the some of the secrets behind her winning mindset.

New Franchisee, Michelle said: “I thought the conference was brilliant and honestly cannot sing all your praises enough, the quality of training and support you all provide is fantastic.  I got loads from the conference and I agree Emma is truly an inspiration. “

Vicky Matthews, Co-Founder of Pink Spaghetti reflected on the two days. “It is always fantastic to bring all our franchisees together and this year was particularly special as it coincided with International Women’s Day. Seeing so many amazing women in one room together was very special.”

 

PRESS ENQUIRIES:

For press enquiries please contact vicky@pink-spaghetti.co.uk or call 0333 355 0986
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Work from home, but do it well

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Until recently just 2% of people worked from home. In recent days that has risen to 4% and is expected to rise sharply over coming days and weeks.
We at Pink Spaghetti are used to working from home. Our franchisees and staff, around 100 people in our business, all work from home. It is not for everyone, so what would we suggest for people about to start? Here are some of our tops tips for structuring your day.

Routine

It can be very easy to merge home and work life, but this could be a mistake. Get up at the same time, keep to your morning routine, and instead of leaving the house, you sit at your computer. Some people even find that being in work clothes instead of the often written about pyjamas can help the mind differentiate between home and work life.

Take breaks

You can use a timer such as a Pomorodo Timer, to ensure that every ½ hour or hour you take a break. Go into the garden, get some fresh air, make a cup of coffee, whatever you need.

Keep in contact

One of the great things about going into work are the people. Talking about what is going on, who saw what on television, etc is vitally important to us all and yet this is the first thing that goes with working from home. Set up a virtual team. This could be in the form of a private Facebook Group, or software such as Slack. Zoom can be used for visual meetings. You could start the day with a video meeting, and then continue with group messaging throughout the day.

Woman working from homeOur teams are experts at working from home, and love to use technology in all sorts of ways. Do get in touch for a chat if you would like to work out what you could be doing differently.

Our franchisees work across the UK – if you fancy a video call to see how they could help you, or would like a few ideas of how you could work effectively from home, get in touch.

Four Small Business Tips for Getting to Grips with Social Media in 2020

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Take your small business to the next level in 2020 by using the tips in this blog to get to grips with social media.

If your business doesn’t yet have a social media presence, then you’re at a disadvantage compared to competitors that do.

Effective and consistent use of social media can improve your business’ reach, build your brand, increase conversions, establish a following and even improve customer service.

But the success you achieve on is dependent on how committed you are to the cause.

Here are our top tips for achieving social media success in 2020:

Dedicate time and resources to it

Let’s face the reality of the situation here; social media for business isn’t something you can pick up, put down, and then expect to see big returns from. Building a successful social media presence requires research, planning and dedication. So, if you’re serious about using social media as a way of adding value to your business, it’s vital to allocate time and resources to it.

Take a ‘social media simplified’ training session with Pink Spaghetti

Here at Pink Spaghetti, our team of social media experts run short, affordable, social media training sessions that make understanding social media for business simple. We have seven different sessions available including training in Facebook, facebook for business

Instagram, LinkedIn and Hootsuite. When you take part in one of our courses you also receive access to a private Facebook group where you can receive ongoing help and support with any problems you have.

Create a social media strategy and content calendar

Research, planning and preparation are important to staying organised and consistent with your social media efforts. A social media strategy will help you to identify your audience, the type of content that encourages engagement, and the frequency with which you want to post. A content calendar ensures you don’t miss important dates and help you to plan, organise, and schedule in a good mix of content for the months ahead.

Use the free resources, tutorials and courses provided

Who is better placed to tell you how to get the most out Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram than the people behind the platforms themselves?

Once you’ve identified the most appropriate channels for your business, take the time to read through the free resources and tutorials available on their websites to discover useful tips and tricks to help you to get more from your business page.

Some key free resources available include:

For help or advice with extracting and analysing data from social media, why not speak to one of our expert virtual personal assistants here at Pink Spaghetti? Find your local Pink Spaghetti office.

Small business guide to managing fluctuations in sales at Christmas

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Wrapped presentWith the right planning and preparation, your small business can effectively manage and even capitalise on any fluctuations in business over the Christmas period.

Most small businesses experience some level of seasonality with peaks and troughs in sales occurring throughout the year. Some common causes include the weather, holidays, university terms and the economy.

For some Christmas is their busiest time of year, but for others the seasonal period can be barren.

If your business usually experiences fluctuations at the turn of the year, it’s important to prepare for how you’re going to manage them.

Here are our top five tips for managing dips or peaks in business this Christmas:

Review last year’s sales

Analysing your business’ performance at this time last year can give you some idea what to expect this time around. Don’t forget to consider any anomalies caused by unexpected events like snow days or problems with suppliers and stock. Ideally, you should make a habit of reviewing your business’ Christmas performance early in the new year so you can budget accordingly for the next 12 months.

Manage your cashflow

Cashflow should be carefully managed throughout the year to account for any seasonality, including changing trends at Christmas. If business is usually slow, then you’ll want to save money made during busier periods to see you through. Meanwhile businesses that are busy over Christmas should make sure they have cash available prior to the festive period to invest in stock, advertising and marketing campaigns to help them make the most of an opportunity.

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7 reasons your small business needs to go paperless

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personal assistant prices for your home.Going paperless has countless benefits for your business and once you’ve gone digital, you’ll never look back.

If your office cupboards and drawers are bursting with paperwork it can be time-consuming and frustrating trying to locate important information.

Timesheets, invoices, contracts, statements, receipts, meeting minutes, and printed copies of emails can stack up over time, until there’s paperwork overflowing out of every drawer.

Most of this paperwork is also often printed unnecessarily and ends up going in the wastepaper bin.

Here are 7 reasons why your small business should consider going paperless.

Save time

Searching for a particular piece of paperwork amongst a huge bundle can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. When all your paperwork and documentation is saved electronically, a simple search on your computer or phone should help you locate the information you need in seconds.

Work more efficiently

Storing information and paperwork digitally can help you to complete many tasks more efficiently. Rearranging or organising information can be done with the click of a button and it is far easier to edit or share digital information than it is paperwork.

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4 cost benefits of working from home

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Is going to work costing you more than you think? Here are four ways you can reduce your expenses simply by working from home.

Many people are choosing to take back control of their lives by starting their own flexible home-based business venture.

Flexible home-based working opportunities like those that we offer here at Pink Spaghetti won’t only improve your work/life balance and job satisfaction, they can also help you to significantly cut your expenses too!

Here are 4 cost benefits of working from home that you may not have considered yet.

The commute

Is there anybody out there who actually enjoys the commute to work? Whether you spend it packed tightly on a tube or tram, stood checking your watch in the rain at the bus stop, or stuck in traffic in your car, the daily commute is the bane of many people’s life.

And what’s more, unless you’re one of the lucky few who can walk to work, fuel and public transport usually costs an arm and a leg.

Cutting out the commute will not only save you a considerable wad of cash, it is also better for the environment and saves you time and stress.

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How to avoid isolation when you work from home

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Working from home gives you freedom, flexibility, control and quality of life, but if you don’t look for opportunities to socialise it can become isolating.

Working from home has plenty of perks. You get to be your own boss, take a break when you most need one, wear what you please, and make yourself the most amazing cooked lunches; but it does mean sacrificing the office environment.

Even those that thrive on their own company can find that their home office becomes a little too quiet and boring at times.

The good news is that working from home needn’t be lonely, but it’s up to you to make sure that you’re putting aside time and making the effort to be sociable.

As well as ensuring that you keep a healthy work/life balance and spend plenty of quality time with your friends and family, you should also take steps to make your working hours feel less isolated.

Whilst working alone can be great for your concentration, feeling disconnected can be demoralising, lowering your mood, enthusiasm and productivity. Staying connected and speaking with others, even whilst still working from home, can be inspiring, give you a new perspective, improve your knowledge and be highly motivating.

Here are five ideas to help you to beat the isolation blues.

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email help@pink-spaghetti.co.uk or click here to find your nearest team