Category Archives: Business

A break from Working Home Alone

February 28, 2013   StaceyP   No comments

One thing I don’t enjoy about working from home is that I can feel isolated and forced to stare at the same four walls all day, I find this distracting and it also doesn’t help me to generate good ideas or repeat business.

I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as lonely but my job still requires connecting with different people all of the time. When working from home gets too much for me I utilise a local hot desk service in town, sure I have to pay to rent the desk but it is in a very different environment from working at home, everyone needs a break – don’t they?

While “hot-desking” is a big change of scenery for me when I get fed up at home, I have found it has drawbacks:-

• A hot-desk is not the place to take your client if you want an in depth private conversation
• It is nice to connect with other local business people but when you have a tight deadline to meet people hovering over you and asking you questions is distracting
• I am used to the flexibility to work as and when I want to but if I utilise my local hot-desk service it is only open 9-5 on Monday-Fridays

Some of the benefits I receive from utilising my local hot desk service – (apart from supporting a local business) are:-

• A speedy internet connection and Tea/Coffee made especially for me!
• I can ask other business people for their expertise
• A meeting room I can utilise if needed
• Professional printing facilities

Another great thing about working away from home is that It gives me the opportunity to network with other local businesses, really spreading the word about my own business.

By getting feedback and opinions on the services I offer, can help me to improve and build on my own business. If I get to a dead end in my work, would like some help or just need a chat to break up the day, I can enjoy the company and inspiration of my new found co-workers!

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Half an acre of employment land per #NDevon parish!

February 09, 2013   Kevin Woodward   1 Comment

At the Economic Forum held earlier this week in Bideford we discussed the Local Plan – we have to comment on it by 15th March & it can be found on both the North Devon District Council & Torridge District Council websites.

What was interesting is that businesses, not just residents, are needed to comment – the plan is after all a plan to grow North-ern Devon (dislike this term myself) and to do that we need jobs, inward investment, houses & importantly “employment areas” – where are these new businesses going to go?

One of the aspects that made me think was that some of this employment areas will be on greenfield sites – once the land is allocated, new businesses will be able to get planning permission far easier than on brownfield sites, particularly as the cost of cleaning up the mess that is already there needs to be taken into account – contamination was one area that creates a barrier to wanting to take over a brownfield site!

This plan does not include rural development, it only includes the major towns, Bideford, Torrington, Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and the like (are there many more?) and each town has to build so many houses, have so much employment land, recreation land etc…, but it doesn’t yet include rural development – that comes later in the process, but the villages and rural parishes will have to come to the party!

A suggestion, and it was only a suggestion, that each parish will have to come up with employment land – let’s say half an acre each – as well as housing to support the jobs that this land will create!

What do you think – is it a good idea to extend the development of the area in both the towns & the more rural villages, or should it be left to the towns to absorb the anticipated growth?

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‘Appy birthday!

January 31, 2013   Kevin Woodward   No comments

Earlier this month it was my birthday, it happens in January every year!

This year I was bought an iTunes voucher – £25 one, wasn’t I lucky – and the note in the card said ‘Appy birthday! A great pun, based upon the fact that have an iPhone & an Ipad.

I am always on the look out for good Apps – I don’t play games, rarely listen to music, except on the radio when driving in my truck, so I now have £25 to spend on an App.

I want to buy an App that is a business App, one that will make my iPad more useful as a business tool.

What would you recommend?

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Are you a customer – of course you are?

January 29, 2013   Kevin Woodward   2 Comments

It is a modern thing nowadays to buy things on-line – you do your research on-line, you make the purchase on-line & never speak to anyone – it is the modern way of things. The company contacts you with an automated response & may or may not keep you informed by email & the goods turn up, you open the package and before you know it the purchase process is long forgotten.

The only time you might contact the company again if you have a fault with the product – good customer service hopefully kicks in and sorts your problem out – and on you go!

It is so easy that I think we lose our manners with this automated process and forget our please and thank you!

But then, there are times when it is necessary to contact the company – you might do this by phone, by email, through a contact form – and ask for more information, you may even want a quote, the company spends some time responding to your question(s) and you take this information away and think about it.

You may then go on-line and buy the product, or you may go elsewhere, but do you ever let the company that you do not purchase from know that you are going elsewhere, do you thank them for the help they have given you in making your decision, do you think to give them feedback as to why you bought their product or why you went elsewhere. Businesses won’t snap at you for not buying their product and it will help them close their files!

Do you thank them for their time, even if you do not want to buy their product?

You should you know!

 

 

 

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Why the doom & gloom Mr Press?

January 27, 2013   Kevin Woodward   No comments

Last week, in fact last Monday, was Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year!

I went to bed on Sunday not knowing anything about it, but awoke to the radio station telling me! I wasn’t planning on being depressed, but having listened to the radio for half an hour I got out of bed on a right downer. Nothing to do with the real reasons on why it is called Blue Monday (It is thought the date was picked out by psychologist Cliff Arnall after he came up with a scientific formula based on the length of time until next Christmas, holiday debt and the likelihood of giving up New Year’s resolutions. Mr Arnall first wrote about ‘Blue Monday’ seven years ago – in a press release for Sky Travel, a now defunct British TV travel channel.), just the fact that the radio kept going on about it!

I’d better give credit for where I found the above information!

But, it wasn’t that that I wanted to have little rant over, it was the fact the newspapers were telling us in the week that Britain was on course for an unprecedented triple dip recession. Apparently the economy shrank 0.3% in the last three months of 2012 – well whoopy doo – 0.3% isn’t a big number, in fact if you round it up to a whole number it becomes zero! OK, fine it didn’t grow but it didn’t fall either, if you use whole numbers!
Don’t get me wrong, I know the economy is struggling, I know that it is going to be hard to get back to the prosperous years (whenever they were), I know people are losing their jobs, I know businesses are closing down, in fact we all know that it is tough, but in my opinion what we want from the press is for them to tell us the good news, it will get better, rather than to rub it into our faces that life is tough!
Just as in the example above, without their help I would have had a cheery day last Monday, by telling us we are going to be depressed, well we are, but if they had ignored that and told us we were all going to have a good day, well we might have! Mightn’t we?
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Presenting is a great way to promote your business.

July 20, 2012   Elaine Isaac   1 Comment

This morning I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the BmyOffice open day. Stacey kindly asked me to present a short workshop on ‘What is CRM?’ and it also gave me an opportunity to introduce to the audience ConvallisCRM, a CRM application that we have developed here at Convallis Software. This was a great opportunity for me to be able to introduce and promote my business, and in particular our expertise in the CRM sector and how useful it is to business to a wider audience, and at the same time help promote BmyOffice and the services that they offer.

Although I was nervous to start with, the feedback I have had was very positive, and those that attended also helped promote my business via social media channels such as Twitter that helped spread the word even further.

If you ever get the chance to do anything similar I would say go for it, sometimes when you are networking or marketing you don’t get the chance to let people understand fully your expertise, presentations give you the opportunity to do this and to get interesting questions or feedback from your audience.

 

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Should shops open for shorter hours?

May 17, 2012   Kevin Woodward   No comments

This past weekend I did something that I rarely do, and that was to amble around a shopping centre looking at things and wondering whether to spend my money on stuff that I might need. I did actually buy something but that’s another story!

What made me think though, was the fact that most of the shops were devoid of customers – yes, it was 9:30 on a Thursday morning, but I am not sure that has anything to do with it – and I wondered whether it was like that most mornings.

The coffee & breakfast shops were fairly busy but the department stores, the chemists, the clothes shops all appeared to have none or very few customers.

So, why open – why don’t these shops open at say 10:30am or even later?

The cost of opening at 9:00am – the utilities, the staff costs etc… must mean that it is economically sensible to stay shut.

When you think about it, most of the working world are … well working … they are not available as customers, most of the parents at home are …well just got back from dropping children off at school … they are not available as customers, most of the non-working student are … in bed … not available as customers, most of the the shopkeepers are … in their own shops … and not available to customers, so why are they open?

At 5:30pm when most of the workers have finished work and are available as customers … guess what … the shops are shut!

So, why don’t the shops open at lunch time and stay open until a bit later – surely they’ll more likely get more customers!

Maybe that is too radical – are you a shopkeeper? Are you afraid to not open, just in case it is busy? Or, am I missing something?

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New NDBA magazine

March 16, 2012   Elaine Isaac   No comments

Yesterday at the B2B event in Barnstaple I picked up the latest copy of the North Devon Business Alliance magazine.  I had a chance to have a quick read this morning and must say it’s a very good read. This copy focuses on Twitter and has some great articles on Twitter basics and getting the most out of Twitter.

The magazine has articles written by local North Devon business people, but I must single out one of them. Robert Zarywacz not only wrote articles he also edited, designed and arranged the publication of the magazine. This obviously takes time and I would like to offer my personal thanks to him for all the effort and hard work that he puts into it as well as his other business activities.

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I use South West Office Supplies

March 13, 2012   StaceyP   No comments

Over the years in business we have really struggled to find a great stationery supplier that provides great value products matched with great customer service – Well at last we have found them!

They are a company called South West Office Supplies

Their customer service is great and if there is something I need a bit of advice on I know I can give them a call or send them an email and they are only too happy to help. Their delivery is also fantastic and super quick and products are great quality and value for money.
The final bonus is they are local and it’s great to support local business!

Thanks for the great service Sue and Lance – looking forward to many years of placing orders!

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What is service?

March 10, 2012   robertz   No comments

Today I went into Pedlar’s, a department store in Ilfracombe. Nick Pedlar, the owner, was on the phone trying to source a scarce item for a family. They had found what they wanted online, but because Nick had helped them find something previously, they wanted to give him their custom. Once again, he was phoning around trying to source what they wanted.

I’d gone in to buy some potting compost. I picked up a bag I saw and went to pay for it. Ivan, who works with Nick, asked if that was the size I needed and pointed out another size in the shop and two more larger sizes they kept out the back. As it happened, I did want one of the larger sizes and left very satisfied because I’d got just what I wanted.

It’s unlikely that this level of service would be available at many national chains. How often have I heard: “If it’s not on the shelf, we haven’t got it.”

It’s no surprise that a number of national retailers are failing. What is more surprising is that so many have survived until now when they have provided such poor service.

What is so valuable in Ilfracombe, and I’m sure it’s similar in some other North Devon towns, is very helpful shopkeepers who offer a personal service. They care for their customers.

That is why I always go to Pedlar’s first for my garden supplies and other local shops for other goods before even thinking of a big garden centre or national chain.

Perhaps larger retailers and high streets could learn from this?

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