Month: October 2018

Juggling It All As A Small Business

A woman holding her head in her hands while working at a laptop surrounded by notebooks

Want to listen instead? Click Here

It’s so easy to say yes to everything and everyone, but this can add a lot of stress to anyone who is self-employed or managing a small business, particularly with a household to run or a family to consider. So we’ve pulled together a few of our tips and tricks to help you manage.

Keep your calendar updated

Sounds simple, but if it slips your mind to add things into your calendar it can quickly snowball into overstretching yourself and can cause the added pressure of trying to fit too much in.

Top tip: Colour coding commitments is a great way to keep on top of everything and focus on the task in hand.

Plan your week

Planning is a big part of making sure your week runs as smoothly as possible. At the beginning of each week, ask yourself what you want to achieve realistically each day. Make a weekly (and then daily) plan, setting it all out.

Top tip: Make a list of what you would like to get done and work your way through it.

This will help you reach your end goal and keep a clear mind resulting in a better work/life balance.

Set realistic time frames

Set realistic time frames on everything from business priorities to family time. It’s never a good idea to squeeze anyone or anything in as it will take away from the quality of your work or time with those you care about.

Top tip: In your calendar, set approximate time frames on how long each task/activity should take you.

Spend time with family

Take time out to be present with family and focus on their needs and building / maintaining strong relationships with them. It’s easy to get caught up in constantly thinking about work and what needs to be done but it’s best to keep a clear line between business and family.

Top tip: Try keeping this time varied and interesting and you should find it helps keep energy levels up, resulting in a positive impact on work too.

Although there are many ways to juggle running a business with family time, sometimes you can still feel stretched and overwhelmed. At MOMENTUM we understand how valuable your time is, so should you find yourself in this position we’d love to help with our Admin and PA services. Get in touch by emailing makeithappen@mbsmih.com or by giving us a call on 01903 688789.

This article was featured in Issue 8 of Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce’s Connect Magazine

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Business Directories

A selection of business newspapers placed together

Want to listen instead? Click Here

It’s not enough to set up a business and hope the right clients or customers will find you. You know it takes work and a whole lot of promoting! Which is why you’ve probably been out networking all hours, getting active on social media and paying for ads in local or national publications. But, have you also thought about getting your company listed in the UK’s top online business directories?

An online business directory is a website listing information about businesses by industry, niche, product or other category. The amount of information detailed about a business can vary from directory to directory, but will often include the basics (name, telephone, address, location, etc.) plus additional information such as: description; opening hours; services or products; offers; images; testimonials; reviews; and so on. Users can then search these directories and find relevant companies providing a particular product or service.

There are plenty of reasons to list your business in an online directory, but here are our top five:

It’s Free!

Before we even get started with all the real benefits, it’s good to note that many of these listings are either completely free, or at least have a freemium (free with a premium choice available) option. So the only investment you need to make is time.

Lead Generation

Most of the directories have a search function and many have a specific option that allows users to request quotes or further information from company’s they are looking to work with. It hasn’t cost you a penny to be listed but could very well send some leads your way – it’s a no-brainer, surely!?

SEO

With competition for webspace in every industry high, it’s all about Search Engine Optimisation. SEO is all about increasing your website’s traffic in an organic way. When someone searches the web for the services or products you provide, you want your website to be one of the first results returned to that user. With that in mind, legitimising your business across the internet is extremely important, and business listings are an excellent way to help do that.

Exposure

Following on from SEO, a happy additional outcome of increasing your visibility in searches is that it will increase your exposure, and who doesn’t want that when trying to grow their business…

Validation

With so many businesses out there trying to sell their wares, everyone turns to the internet to try to validate and verify. They’re looking for reviews, trading history, a good web presence, they want and need to know you’re the right fit for them, that they’re not going to be let down. Improving, refreshing and updating your online existence regularly and via as many mediums as possible will help do just that.

So what are you waiting for? Make it happen..

It’s worth noting that each listing can take up to 60 minutes to complete. To get the best out of all the benefits above you need to make sure all of your descriptions are unique to that website. No copying and pasting! So make sure you set aside some specific time to get them done.

Alternatively, feel free to give us a shout, we’d be more than happy to take on the task for you.

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

Thanks for reading!