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So, what do you do when you're spending over £10k a month on marketing... and you've got no real idea if it's actually doing anything? That was the position Martin Claridge was in - founder of Premier Veins, a...
As we met at beautiful Burleigh Court this week, overlooking the lush green Golden Valley (seriously, visit, if only to appreciate the view!), the women of Stroud WMB were asked, ‘do you have a favourite saying?’. The...
I am always feel honoured to be a trusted part of my mentees journey. I feel even more blessed to receive words like this. I feel this includes key points on how to know why and when you may be looking for a mentor – note this...
As I’ve mentioned before, hiring a Virtual Assistant can be a real game changer for a business. Not only can we save you heaps of time and stress, but we can also save you money and give you some breathing space from certain...
Hiring the right talent is a critical aspect of any organisation's success. Conducting interviews as an employer can be a challenging but rewarding process. To make the most of this opportunity, it's essential to have a structured...
Have you ever wondered how some people seem to just breeze through their to-do list, ticking off tasks without missing a beat? And somehow your list seems to take hours to grind through? You’re not alone, in fact I’d...
In digital marketing, ranking well on search engines is essential for visibility, engagement, and, ultimately, success. While on-page SEO focuses on optimizing elements within your website, such as keyword usage, content structure,...
If you’re a small business owner like me, you’ll be familiar with the need to juggle many different hats throughout the day, meaning you could have a to-do list that seems to be never ending. As well as invoicing, training,...
If you’ve done anything relating to SEO, you may be under the impression that it’s a dark art focused on appeasing the cruel and powerful Internet god, Google. Yes, Google does set the standard in modern Internet searches,...
Whether you’re heading to your first event or looking to refine your pitch, this article will walk you through a framework I use to craft a memorable introduction that sparks conversations. But first, let's start by redefining...
Social media can be a black hole for your time if you’re not careful. Whether it’s trying to think of ideas, posting every day or the dreaded doom scrolling to find relevant pages to follow, we’re all guilty of it. Here...
Having a website is essential for anyone looking to build an online presence, especially businesses in today’s landscape. These websites need to perform well and meet the need (and answer the questions) of your visitor. This...
LinkedIn can be your digital resume, business card, and networking tool all rolled into one. Whether you're job hunting, looking to make industry connections, or establishing yourself as a thought leader, a polished LinkedIn profile...
As a business owner, you’re probably juggling a lot. When you're providing top-quality products and services, managing your finances and keeping on top of everything in between, it's easy for marketing to fall by wayside....
Small businesses face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. One of the most significant opportunities lies in harnessing the power of local SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Local SEO is a strategy that helps businesses be...
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In today's digital age, having a strong presence on social media is a great way for businesses to reach and engage with their target audience. With numerous platforms available, each catering to different demographics and interests,...
What do you think is more important - the big win or the little win? I expect you’ve started reading this expecting me to pit them against each other, have them battle it out for the top spot and end up telling you that one...
We all need some ways to get ahead of our competition on Google and other search engines and we shouldn't under estimate the value of the long tail keyword! What on earth is that? Giving some thought to the right keywords...
If part of what you do involves having access to client social media accounts through your own social media accounts, then believe me - the level of security you put on your accounts is bonkers. We all know that we should...
It is no secret that happy people are more productive and more committed to their roles. This is not anecdotal it is supported by Positive Psychology studies. We all nod sagely when reading the reports and when HR departments present...
Have you ever stopped to wonder what would happen if a hacker managed to take over your social media accounts? Or maybe you’ve had the absolute horror of that actually happening? As much as we all hate to admit it - the...
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What’s the best way to create a simple, useful plan for my business? This is the question many business owners ask themselves. With things constantly changing and evolving, combined with a busy work schedule, the idea...
The sun is shining (sometimes), the weather is warming up (sometimes), and when we aren’t dealing with gale force wind and downpours that threaten to drown us, it’s almost tempting to throw open the windows and let in the...
It's easy to feel that as a business owner you need to be able to function on just 3 hours sleep and quite a lot of caffeine. When the to-do list seems never ending, emails are stacking up and you’re sick of seeing your...
How many of us have a bulging inbox, stuffed to the brim with newsletters from companies we bought a product from once about 8 years ago? Unless you’re strict, the daily deluge of newsletters and marketing promotions straight...
Life is getting busier, and for the ‘average’ business owner (not that there's really any such thing!) it's even more so. The balancing act that is making sure everything happens as and when it’s meant to...
It’s not often we talk about the plus side of the pandemic, but the one thing it did do for us is open up the world of online networking. Before we all went into lock down, networking was very much about leaving...
In the 14 years that I have been networking and organising networking events one of the things I hear more times than I can shake a stick at is “I tried networking but it didn’t work for me”. Often, when I...
As the country gets the green light to resume activity, how can you perform a business reboot and ensure that you and your business are ready to move forwards in the “new norm”? It’s true that the world we knew...
What is confirmation bias? Confirmation bias is when an individual interprets or accepts new information in a way that supports their original beliefs. This happens because people often unconsciously search out information or...
Do you get all consumed when working towards a goal? It’s easy is to forget to have fun when you are working towards deadlines, goals and dreams. You are focused, driven and your eyes are firmly on that goal,...
There’s no denying that online networking is the new normal and, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I believe that it is here to stay in some form even when life starts to get back to normal and we can meet more freely...
Looking after your energy is essential in life, especially as a business owner. Business owners tend to go all in at the start full of excitement and enthusiasm, working all hours and putting all their energy into their new creation,...
In a word, YES! But like with everything in business the results very much depend on the on going effort you put it. It’s very easy to jump from network meeting to network meeting, throwing a few business cards...
Networking is all about building relationships and at We Mean Biz and Women Mean Biz we are so proud of the friendships and community spirit that you have all built with each other over the years. Of course these relationships...
Have you ever listened to a podcast? Are you one of the 7.1 million people in the UK who listens in to a show on a weekly basis? Or maybe you've heard of podcasts but aren't really sure what they're all about. A podcast...
It’s already been a busy few weeks in terms of employment law updates and the implementation of new (to the UK) initiatives such as furlough and government loans to businesses. However, employment law continues to evolve...
The past few months have been very strange for business owners all over the world, but here in our little corner of the UK we have been heartened to see that the majority of this wonderful community of business people have been making...
If you’ve been producing content for some time, the chances are that you’ve got a whole library of content sat on your blog, YouTube channel or elsewhere, just waiting for your readers to discover. You created it,...
How strong is your inner shame game? We all have that inner critic; that pattern of negative self-talk that can control us and define our actions…if we let it. You know, the inner voice who constantly tells you that...
How positive are you feeling? What has helped you stay positive over the last couple of months? Staying positive has really helped my mental health. Prior to Covid-19, I have been told on many occasions to do breathing exercises and...
End Scattergun marketing forever When I start working with a new client, one of the first questions I ask is, "Who is your ideal customer?" And the most common answer I get is "anyone!" Sometimes...
Do you consider sustainability in your interior design? If you’ve ever had a consultation with me or we’ve chatted about interior design in any capacity, you’ll probably have picked up the fact that I...
We live in a full-on world. Almost everything nowadays seems to be on the go, available 24/7 365 days of the year! We experience the competing demands of work and home, sift through constant cascades of information via social...
I was at a Women Mean Biz meeting last month and a question was raised by one of the other attendees. It’s a question I hear on a weekly basis and think about regularly so I thought it was time I wrote a blog about it! The question...
What gets you out of bed in the morning? No, I’m not referring to your alarm clock, or a boot in the backside from your beloved, or even a wet nose on your face from the dog. Answer – your values. What do you need...
As a brand consultant and designer, I often meet people that are confused about what brand actually is. It is a very misunderstood area, the mysterious ‘unicorn’ of the business world. People either seem to believe it...
A month ago we had Mental Health Awareness week in the UK. May was also Mental Health Awareness month in the US. Why are we only promoting the awareness of Mental Health for one week or one month of the year? We should be raising awareness...
When the sun is out, all you really want to do is go out to play. We get such fitful and fickle spells of sunny weather in the UK, 20 degrees and all you really want to do is climb into shorts, slide into flip flops and soak up...
If I describe something to you, you will see it through your own lens. Try this... Imagine, a cat. It's a black cat. He has a small patch of white on the tip of his tail, as if he's brushed against a painted...
So you've invested in some PR for your business and it's finally working. A newspaper or radio station is interested in your press release and wants to interview you. You're going to be in the paper, or on the radio....
March is an exciting month for Purple Frogs Virtual Assistants as it is our birthday month and we are so happy to have reached a year old! As anyone with a fairly new business will know, the first year is a massive learning curve...
Tapping into your own innate creativity adds sparkle to your blogs. I firmly believe that everyone is creative, at least to some degree. Being creative is a natural human instinct. The misunderstanding, the disbelief, occurs...
My earliest memories of a love for writing, well, more specifically, a love of stories was of writing and reading bedtime stories to my younger siblings. I'd also write little plays and perform them with my siblings and the...
A client recently asked me what I thought of an award they had won but hadn't applied for. Should they invest in one of the marketing packages on offer to make the most of this "opportunity"? They wanted to know whether...
I started blogging back in 2013 when I was in the process of publishing my first novel, The Bronze Box, and working a full time day job as a Business Trainer. The blog began as something I did for myself, it didn't really matter...
Have you considered how networking can help you at every stage of your business? If you are looking to start up on your own or have recently delved into the self-employed world, networking is a key stepping stone in helping you...
We all know that word of mouth recommendation is the MOST powerful marketing you can do for your business. That’s why most people network, to build long term genuine relationships so that members can confidently recommend you...
It happens all the time, and pretty much at every networking meeting I go to. Most people are not aware they are doing it. But, it isn’t serving them! So, what am I talking about? It’s when a business owner starts to talk...
Were you ever so desperate to be best friends with the most popular kid in your school that you would do some really silly things to get their attention? You’d try everything and anything to impress them but it didn’t happen...
Business networking helps many business owners and entrepreneurs build long term relationships, and one of the most exciting elements is what this can lead to. For me, the art of good networking is all about collaboration.
The only constant in life is change. Yet one of the things we struggle with the most, is change. The big transitions of life challenge our identity: Starting Uni, the kids leaving home, retirement, redundancy, starting a new career,...
This has not been an easy post for me to write and in fact I've been skirting around it for a while, feeling that it is an important thing to share, but not quite getting round to doing so. Partly this has been because I've...
I talk a lot about the importance of accountability in business and often I am asked specifically what I mean. Well, firstly, accountability is often thought of as being responsible for something, but that's what responsibility...
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If you run your own business, you understand the operations behind it (or at least I hope you do!). A bakery owner knows how to make a yummy cupcake and an electrician knows the cause and cure for a faulty wire. For a large number...
Having observed ALOT of networking over the past 9 years, I have concluded that there are two types of networkers. There are those people who are re-active networkers, and those that are pro-active networkers. So, which one...
It would be naive to expect or even hope that life can be easy all of the time, wouldn't it? Having more success in your life is not necessarily about having an easy life. The greater your income the bigger your responsibilities...
I run an online Personal and Business Development Programme (Twelve Steps To Traction) which leads business owners through a 12 step process to align their activity so that they gain the traction they need in order to move forwards...
There are many definitions of leadership but the consistent theme through all of them all is ‘influence’. Leadership is the application of ‘influence’ in enlisting the support of others in the accomplishment...
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This is a question that I ask everyone who comes on our WMB Networking Skills workshop and we get so many different answers. It has become very apparent over the course of the last 8 years, that many people do not really,...
Consider this: What is it that you are most fearful of – what keeps you staying small? My guess is that it’s your fear of being consumed by the wave. You must be the architect of the changes that you want. ...
The topic of money is huge and more taboo than sex. It impacts every aspect of our lives and every decision we make. It’s something we think about all of the time, whether we’re conscious of it or not. ...
If you read my blog What’s Your Vision, you’ll know that when it comes to creating success in business, I place huge importance on having a vision that motivates you to take action. In addition to that, you also...
Do you have a vision for your business? A vision is a long-term view of the future which conveys the purpose and set’s the direction of the business. It includes the core values (beliefs that are shared by everyone...
Business networking has become an essential activity for micro, small and medium sized companies, entrepreneurs, and even the larger corporates are sending out their sales and marketing senior staff to ‘network’. ...
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