Category: News

1. 5 Reasons to Enter Business Awards

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 12th Jun 2022

   After managing and supporting small businesses for over 10 years, I have seen a lot of change in what can help and market your SME. As a social media consultant, I would always say to start with social media but after that, it has to be business awards.

   

   But which one? How do you decide which awards to enter? There are usually two types of awards, one is voting and the other is a panel. If you have a good social following and extensive network, a voting could be beneficial however ultimately a panel awards system is completely impartial and independent (and my personal preference).

   If you have a great product, amazing vision or simply a story to tell then an award can be a new platform to a wider audience (not to mention the kudos). However, if you need any more convincing, here are our top 5 reasons to enter business awards.

   1. Free marketing - if you are nominated or a finalist, you will undoubtedly get additional exposure and social mentions.
   2. Increases credibility and customer retention. An award win can give a business more credibility and is a sign of quality for potential customers.
   3. Exposure - we know that exposure doesn't pay the bills but CAN put your business in front of influencers and key people within your industry.
   4. Recognition - public acknowledgement of your achievements is not only a great feeling but by pitching yourself as the best you can attract the talent you need to push your business forward.
      
   5. Who are your audience more likely to use if you’re THE award-winning business in your sector?

   

   It is not a secret that we are an award sponsor this year but again for us, working with the very best is important for our own brand. The Business Success Network Business Recognition Awards are designed and developed to celebrate SME’s business success throughout the UK and have a range of catergories, suitable for all businesses at any stage of their journey. 

   The BSN Awards celebrate the fantastic work being done by businesses and individuals within the UK business community and we will be sharing more details on our socials of the 2022 event at the awards next weekend. I shall also be spending the next week debating over my awards outfit but in the meantime, if you can't wait for the BSN Awards 2023 and you are considering entering your business for an award, make sure you carefully choose your awards process and category to best suit your business and its achievements!

   Good luck! 

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2. Energy-saving ideas for your home

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 8th Jun 2022

   With the cost of living crisis on everyones mind, saving money on energy bills is a hot topic of conversation right now. But aside from doing some of the obvious things like switching lights off or changing the light bulbs. I wanted to share with you some energy-saving ideas for your home. 

   Download the SaveMoneyCutCarbon app

   I have worked with SaveMoneyCutCarbon for some time and was therefore really excited to hear that they have launched their own FREE app! The new SaveMoneyCutCarbon Home app is the place to learn, shop and save. In one app there is help for you be more sustainable by reducing energy, water, plastic & carbon all while saving money.

   It is really interesting that the app helps you to get to know the impact of your household consumption of water, energy, carbon and plastic and has a handy swap shop to understand the ecofriendly swaps you can easily make. 

   

   Make the most of the night rates

   It sounds crazy, but many energy companies and tariffs will offer cheaper rates for using energy at night. You might think, what’s the point if you are asleep? But actually, there are things that you can do. For example, you can set your laundry to come on in the early hours of the morning. A full load will be ready for you when you wake up, and it cost you less than it would during the day. You could also do this with the dishwasher as well. Two appliances you still want to use, but an energy-saving way of using them. (This is only applicable if you have Economy 7 or similar). 

   It is also important for you to understand your bill and the tariff that you are on. Understanding your bill and costs will help you to make informed decisions about the changes in the cost of living.

   Forget standby, switch things off 

   Some people think that putting something in standby mode is the best thing to do, but it actually doesn’t help when it comes to energy-saving and uses up energy, even just a little bit. So make sure you switch things off fully and even at the wall to ensure there is no residual energy being used. 

   Don’t fill the kettle up

   Every time we switch that kettle on to make a cup of tea or coffee, most people fill the kettle up. But this means you are using more energy to heat the full kettle of water when you likely only use one or two cups full. So a great idea is to only fill the kettle with the water that you need. You will use much less energy and make a big saving over the course of a year. 

   Turn the temperature down

   When you do your washing, switch the temperature down. You can still get great results when it comes to cleaning your clothes when switching the temperature to as low as twenty degrees. 

   Keep the curtains closed

   No matter what time of the year it is, keeping the curtain closed retains residual heat during the winter and keeps your home cool in the summer. This means you are less likely to use more energy on heating or trying to cool down your home during the summer months. 

   Hopefully, these tips will help you to save some energy in your home.

   (feel free to pin this for later)

   

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3. Top tips to help you go freelance

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 15th Aug 2021

   With many students receiving GCSE and A Level results recently, there are discussions in households across the country about future career choices, with many parents wanting their child to choose carefully and wisely. When it comes to the job that you do, as you get older you may find that you are stuck in a rut with your career. It might not have been your first choice and is not be something that you feel passionate about.

   However, you may have gained skills and experience that could be utilised when working for yourself and going freelance. Picking and choosing the work that you do and finally getting that work and home life balance right. So how do you change that? 

   

   Going freelance can be quite scary. You have the loss of security of that consistent wage, and it can often feel overwhelming when it comes to managing the work and home life balance. But there are so many incredible benefits and finally being able to choose your workload or even do something you are more passionate about far outweighs the worries. So here are some of the top tips to help you go freelance. 

   Have the confidence to take that step

   One of the hardest things to do when it comes to going freelance is to have the confidence to do it. Right now you may be secure in a job. You feel you have security, and a consistent wage each month. This gives you the comfort that bills are paid and things are getting done, but that’s all it gives you. Have the confidence to step away. If at first you think it is too much of a leap use any spare time you have to start working on the side, and then build it up gradually. Be confident in your ability and also your decision that inevitably will give you what you want in the long term. 

   Seek out work opportunities 

   Going freelance doesn’t need to be as scary as you might once have thought. So many people are now taking this route to live the life they want to live and are getting to the stage where they are able to do it. There are websites out there that advertise freelance opportunities. Websites like People Per Hour and Fiverr are great places to start. You can also advertise your skills directly on there. You can even use Facebook as a way of advertising for jobs or seeking out work opportunities through groups or using the marketplace. There is also the fact that you can start to easily advertise your services through your own website and through social media content. This is one of the bets things to get you started as a website can hold all of the relevant information anyone would need. Whether that is sample of your work, feedback from previous clients, and any pricing information. You can also reach out to potential clients through platforms like this and pitch to them directly. 

   Make sure you are professional in all aspects 

   Once the work starts to come in it can be quite hard to not be overwhelmed by it all, but the one thing that you can’t let slip is the professionalism that you need to contain at all times. Being professional in all lines of communication such as phone, email and social media messages helps you to continue that working relationship. Also, the same can be said for when an invoice needs to be raised, Ensure that you display all of the correct information. A great tip is to use invoice templates so that you can get things right. Websites like PayPal are great to use at the start. This will also help you to get paid quickly rather than needing to amend and resend when information is forgotten about. 

   Your working environment matters 

   Finally, it might be a good idea to ensure that you consider your working environment. Most people who freelance work from home, and this can be distracting if you don’t have a dedicated area to work. If you can, create an area in your home that is dedicated for working. It might be a desk in the corner of your living room or your bedroom. Having a desk area helps you to segregate between working and home life. If you have the space in your home, a home office could be a great option to consider. The idea is that you can walk away from your work, or feel productive and work mode when you are sat at your desk. 

   Let’s hope these tips help you if you think going freelance is an option.  

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4. Sustainable Lifestyle: 4 Green Habits To Adopt In The New Year

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 27th Dec 2020

   No doubt, the majority of us aspire to live a sustainable lifestyle, but how many of us actually manage to lead a sustainable life. Since working with SaveMoneyCutCarbon, I have become more conscious about how we live and how this contributes to CO2 emissions. Before you learn how to adopt green habits to adopt to make yourself healthy, you know what sustainable living is all about. You can lead a sustainable life by protecting your natural environment and ecological health, and you can lead a sustainable life by making conscious choices to preserve the planet's future. In doing so, you don't need to compromise your lifestyle. All you need to know that when you lead a sustainable life, it will make your life easier, and it will surely make you happy. It was found that there is a link between the sustainability of your life ahead and quality of life. Are you planning to adopt a sustainable lifestyle for the New Year, then you don't need to worry as we have got your back by offering some tips which will help you in achieving your goal?

   

   1. Produce minimum waste - Surely, it is one of the everyday things that you must have heard frequently, but you need to know that it is easy to say but challenging to practice. Above all, minimizing waste is not something impossible; you can indeed reduce your waste. All you need to do is start here and ensure you think about everything you are doing. Of course, the things that waste varies from situation to situation. When it comes to producing minimum waste, then you can be as passionate as you want to be. Additionally, you can keep a tab on your goals and processes. For example, when you choose to buy multipurpose furniture, it will not only minimize the wastage of money and space, but it will also help you in creating your garden. 

   2. Choose where you live carefully - The sad reality today is that cities not only have the most extraordinary developments but at the same time, they are dirty, polluted, and have no forest. While some cities are the complete opposite as they feature both unique architecture and green space. The only secret is that they have efficient public transport systems and choose where you live consciously.
      

   3. Don’t travel; instead, meet online - Thanks to brilliant technological developments, we can have everything today at our fingertips, so why not take advantage of this. We all know that taking time away is essential but now we can all take time off closer to your home and explore new places. The technological advances are helpful when it comes to working. You can organize virtual meetings instead of traveling to work meetings or conferences. Even if you avoid only half of the physical meetings, you can still contribute to living a sustainable lifestyle. 

   4. Save water- There are no second thoughts to this saying as we have heard these phrases a number of times. It is because water conservation is one of the most critical components of a sustainable lifestyle. It is something which you can do regularly, and it is going to have a significant impact if all of us start doing it. Simply taking less baths and shorter showers are just one small way to make a bigger impact.

   If you lead a sustainable life, this will hopefully also become habit and second nature for our children too, which ultimately will encourage them to lead a similar life for generations to come.

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