It's the time of year when the majority like to switch off for a couple of weeks, leaving work stress behind them and enjoy the sunshine with their families. Not always the case for SME owners.

According to research carried out by Sage more than 30% of small business owners in the UK did not take a summer holiday last year.  The smaller the business the more likely this is to occur.  Ironic really, as most small business owners work far longer hours than the average, certainly not the nine to five grind.

Whilst many SME business owners believe that they can't leave their business for a break as it may be damaging, it is actually more dangerous and less productive.  Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University Management School says that people who are constantly thinking and working on their business are causing more harm than good.  "Keep that up over a long period and it can be destructive. There's profound evidence that if you work extremely long hours over a sustained period you'll end up being less productive."

It is also proven that taking a break helps with productiveness, wellness, health and family relationships.  Many SME owners aren't able to spend as much time connecting with family as they would like, so taking a break allows them do just so.  It is a fact that most people return from holiday rejuvenated and refreshed, with a clear mind you can refocus and actually see things more clearly.

It is recommended to have a complete "digital detox" but this isn't highly likely.  With smart-phones creating instant access to everything back at home, it's hard to completely switch off.  You can't relax on holiday if your phone is constantly ringing, yet if your not answering calls then you could be losing potential sales.

This is where we come in; to help you get that much needed break.  Taking a temporary telephone service at The Virtual Office from as little as £6 per day allows your business to still run effectively, whilst you're enjoying yourself away from the stress of everyday life at home.  We can help you out of your 'catch 22'.  As the first Virtual Office, with over twenty years in the business, our reliable and experienced staff take pride in the telephone service which we provide.

Simply divert your telephone line through to our receptionists to answer and handle your calls.  With our unified voicemail messaging you can receive email alerts and return to callers as you need.  If you're expecting important calls you can just inform us and we can transfer them through to you.

No need to make the choice between family time and work.  You are free to enjoy your much needed break.

 

Author: Jess Hill

Virtual Office Team member

30 June 2014

Are phones the lifeblood of your company?

We are in a new world of business multitasking; taking conference calls whilst emailing suppliers and ordering your groceries online.

However have you ever tried to fit a light switch or replace the washer on a tap whilst answering a call from a potential client? That takes more than multitasking, it takes extra hands.

In a previous life I used to run a plumbing company and we learned quite quickly that you cannot be an effective plumber and answer the phone. 
This is particularly the case when you are half way through a job and the phone rings. Best case scenario you just lose your train of thought.

Obviously, one cheap solution is to let the phone ring out to voicemail and return the call later.  However if it is a new customer they are probably calling a list of 3 plumbers and the first to answer is likely to get the job.
If you can arrange for someone else to answer that call you have a chance to capture the business as well as projecting an image of an organised, established, reliable company. 
What's not to like?

The Virtual Office® was created especially to deal with these issues as we realised that phone calls during an important piece of work are impossible to deal with effectively.  Just getting connected to voicemail is not customer friendly, especially if the caller is unsure how to explain what is wrong or need to talk to someone urgently to sort out a problem or query.

A Virtual Office® service allows people to do their business without interference until they are ready to deal with their phone calls and mail.
And with our ISO 9001 certification you can be confident in our strong focus on total quality management. This means that we have procedures in place to make sure that we do everything we should be doing and do it excellently. 

Since pioneering The Virtual Office® in 1992 we have spent all our time improving and refining our systems and training to ensure we do not make mistakes that might jeopardise your business. 

You can be sure when you're fixing that tap your calls are being answered by a competent receptionist who will manage your callers, take messages and reassure them that they have called the right company for their needs. Your messages are delivered to you by email so you can hear the message and assess it's urgency.

My plumbing company loved knowing that every caller had a trained receptionist handling every call however busy or short staffed we were.

Author: Richard Nissen, Chairman

© The Virtual Office October 2013

Preparations to Jump Ship

Well, of course we are not talking about ships but jobs. 

During the recession many people have been working in jobs that they find unfulfilling or dissatisfying as they should feel 'lucky to have a job'.  Having a steady income and keeping safe during the recession were the priorities.  But now the water has calmed this could be the moment to set a new course by launching a business of your own.

There are many people who are fed up with their unsatisfactory jobs but have always harboured the idea that they could become their own bosses.  This need for independence and the opportunity to control your own destiny is the desire of many.

Unfortunately, with banks making loans unattainable it is difficult to propel yourself into a successful new venture that stands on its own two feet.  You need to continue earn money from your paid employment, whilst you moonlight and generally toil to get your new enterprise up and running.  Equally you may need to prove your concept before handing in your notice.
As Paul Brown of Forbes.com says, entrepreneurs are by nature risk adverse.  They accept risk 'as part of the game and then work extremely hard to reduce it to a minimum'.

We created the Virtual Office® in 1992 for the express purpose of helping budding entrepreneurs start up and succeed in their new enterprises.  We always knew that many start ups fail but our experience over the years has been that by investing in a Virtual Office service most of our clients have gone on to be successful

Why is this?  Because these people looked at what they needed to succeed and paid for the service to make this happen.  The Virtual Office enables people to work in full time paid employment and yet effectively run a parallel operation without distraction during working hours.

Just to be clear a Virtual Office service typically includes the use of our address, all post arrives at our office and is handled as directed.  It is possible to use our rooms for meetings at the same address. This is very discrete and any potential customer will always feel assured that you are a real and trustworthy.

But above all it is our telephone service that makes all the difference.  We have a highly trained group who answer a physical London number in your name (the name of your company).  They also know when you are calling in, and look after you!  Prospective clients feel reassured when a business has more than just a mobile telephone number.  A mobile is a direct link between an individual and another.  The key is that enterprises must show solidity and the reality of a proper organisation in order to grow and succeed.  Of course once contact is made everyone uses their mobiles to talk to each other.  However, the initial experience must be a proper receptionist who knows all about your company when she answers the telephone.

We revel in new start ups.  We want to help new companies succeed and our experience is that we do so.  Over the years we have helped thousands of companies succeed and prosper.  It seems that the key to success is your commitment to building a successful business and being determined to put the right infrastructure behind it from the beginning. Of course we delight when these fledgling enterprises take wing and go off to establish themselves in their own offices.

Author: Richard Nissen, Chairman

© The Virtual Office September 2013

Achieve optimum productivity by reaching 'flow state'

To produce our best work and achieve optimum productivity we need to get into what psychologists call a 'flow state'.

According to positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow state is the mental state of a person fully immersed and focused on performing an activity.  

In a working environment flow is likely to occur when you are faced with a task that has clear goals that require specific responses and are given the space to focus entirely on the task.

It takes the average person 15 minutes to reach flow state. As David Coplin of Microsoft UK says when was the last time you had 15 minutes where you weren't distracted by a phone call, email or someone telling you about a cat video on YouTube?

So far it has taken me 2 hours of broken focus to research and write this article.  Emails pop up, clients drop in, telephones ring, stomachs rumble.  There are distractions everywhere.

As such I have decided that all future articles will be researched and written with my email alerts turned off, my calls on divert to the Virtual Office receptionists and with a fresh cup of tea beside me.

I am looking forward to totally immersing myself in a writing and researching. 

However right now I'm distracted by that fresh cup of tea.

Tips for networking

I recently was asked by some colleagues for tips when networking.

The prospect of networking can be hugely daunting especially if you are new to the industry, role or just promoting yourself in a new arena.

I know the first couple of times I attended networking events I felt very young, green and female.  The majority of networking events at that time were dominated by men of a certain age in very grey suits.

Today networking is very diverse.  The increase of social media has in turn led to an increase of real life socialising for business.  There are invite only groups, female only groups, free events, informative events sponsored by big brands...the list is exhaustive.

So I have tried to list a few pointers I would have benefitted from in the early days.

Who will be there?

It is always worth researching the companies attending.  You are often issued with a list of attendees prior to the event. It is worth visiting a few websites and having a few companies that you are interested in talking to in mind.  If it's a good networking group the organisers will have pre-empted who you'll be interested in and sat you near each other.

My colleagues were attending a Young Entrepreneur Society networking event where the majority of people were start ups under 30.  Amongst them were some established companies (mentors) as well.

When you get there

Practical tips:

-        have your business cards in your right hand jacket pocket so they are easily accessible if someone asks for one.  You can put their cards in your left hand pocket.

-        try to keep baggage to a minimum. Make the most of any cloakroom and check in any coats, extra bags, trainers.

 

Getting involved

In essence networking is just formal socialising with people you wouldn't normally mix with.
It's not about pitching your business and making sales.  It is about chatting with people. 
So find out what business they’re in.  Find out about them in general.  Few people enjoying introducing themselves to strangers and starting conversations so they’ll be relieved and happy to chat about themselves.

Explaining what you do

If you've asked your questions and you're asked what you do then you explain your business. 
Pitch your business as if you were explaining it to a friend who has shown interest in using your service or product .  Relaxed and not pushy but with enough detail that if they’re interested they will ask more questions.  Try to tailor your detail to how you think you could help them.

As a rule I try not to discuss prices just the value. 

If they are interested in finding out more then you can take their card or details and email them when you are in the office.

Use the experience to learn about other businesses and how you can better serve them.  If you do get any sales from networking it is most often indirect, through word of mouth so just mingle, enjoy the refreshments and see what you learn.

For the original article visit http://www.voffice.com/hello/whatsnew

 

My take on an old favourite...

How to Work from Home Successfully

Let me start by saying that working from home is not for everyone. 

I love working from home.  I'm productive, relaxed and really don't miss the commute.  However I speak to people regularly who believe that they would hate it.  They feel that working from home they would lack focus and fear the isolation.  I currently have the best of both worlds.  I work from home and I work from the office.  In fact I believe the majority of people who 's main place of business is home actually spend half their time there.  They spend the other half meeting clients, networking, developing their business; and the increase in drop -in hubs and free networking spaces have made it easier and cheaper to connect and build business relationships.
I will revisit networking and shared spaces in a future blog.  Today I am going to focus on making your working day in the comfort of your home a productive one.

These tips work for me:

Don't feel confined by the 9-5

Everyone has times in the day when they are more motivated.  For me it is the afternoon.  So I plan my day around this.  With all administrative jobs completed, emails sent and washing done in the morning I can concentrate on creative or more involved projects in the afternoon.  I can also decide to leave the project go for a walk or have dinner then come back to it with fresh eyes and new ideas.

You may work best in the morning and be finished on your projects by the afternoon.  Even better as you can then plan your next day, cook dinner or find other ways to fulfil your day. You will be more productive when you are at work if you can also make time for other things.

However...

Set boundaries

If you're not working to a fixed schedule and don't have dinner to cook or kids to collect from school then sometimes there is no natural end to your day.  Too many times you start work early and are still working when you realise it's dark and you've missed your evening.  Then it is often good to set a reminder in your calendar or phone to have a cuppa for a time that you'll definitely want to have finished work by.  If you take that step away from your desk you can then decide whether the project you're working on can wait until the next day.  It normally can.

Break away

It is important to take breaks but it is also important to go outside.  A walk round the park or to the shop not only forces you to get dressed it is also good for your health.  It provides light exercise, improves your vitamin D levels and will help you clear your head making you more productive when you return to your desk.  Constantly putting in long hours without break is draining and damages long term productivity.  More importantly it damages your health.  A change of scenery will do you good and make you happier.

And that's it.  Nothing that will make headlines.  Just a gentle reminder to us all that working hard doesn't mean being chained to your desk.  It means working to your strengths. Keeping yourself happy and healthy will help in every area of life. Simple.

The ongoing Flexible working debate

There has always been resistance to flexible working with the majority of businesses preferring to keep employees within their sights.

Earlier this year a ban on remote working at Yahoo reignited the flexible working debate.
The arguments are the same but the strength of opinion is different. With the explosion of social technologies and the ease of remote working many are anxious about losing creative impromptu moments between colleagues. Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, feels that in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial society, we cannot afford to live without the face-to-face interaction that drives business.

However during preparation for London 2012 many companies decided to embrace flexible working as a viable option for their business. Telecommunications company O2 have moved their teams' working week away from traditional offices.
According to employee Darren Farmer people from all areas of the company are now working away from the office at least one day a week. In his article 'Flexible working one year on' he states that the biggest thing that any company looking at flexible working needs to consider is a behavioural change. I have discussed in the past the level of trust required by an employer to commit to home working. It is not just investments in technology to ensure you can still be collaborative and productive. It's about encouraging a feeling of ownership in your employees. As Darren says 'it’s all about output, not where you are. I know what constitutes me doing my job, and it’s up to me to make sure it’s done wherever I am'.

SMEs are more likely to encourage autonomy. They have entrusted their business dream to their staff so have developed more personal relationships. The result is a belief that the work will be produced speedily. Staff in return want to produce the best quality output possible to ensure the trust remains.
Essentially flexible working should be just that. Flexible. It doesn't mean always working at home with no face to face interaction with colleagues or suppliers. It means working in a flexible way to benefit the business.

Increased employee motivation and reduced premises costs are beneficial. However, ultimately, the biggest benefit is the business reaching optimal quality and productivity.

Instinct & Planning

According to The Telegraph Online most entrepreneurs rely on instinct to make business decisions.


This is not a surprising statement as it is the general business savvy and passion that drives entrepreneurs to success.

The report, commissioned by T-Mobile, goes on to state that many entrepreneurs are too busy to or even nervous about making positive changes in their business.
This is a saddening side effect of the recession. It shows that some entrepreneurs are overworked and overstretched causing their confidence to falter and their business to suffer.

The unstable economy has driven businesses to cut or downsize the services and employees they introduced to allow them the freedom to grow their business. The sustained fear coupled with the extra work load has damaged creativity and confidence.

However this will not always be the way and when the economy does improve will your business be in a position to make the most of it? Will you have the staff and support available to move quickly and make the most of opportunities?

Finding a balance between instinct and planning will help ensure your business not only survives but is perfectly positioned to thrive when the opportunity presents itself.

Five questions to ask yourself before you start your small business

Starting a business is a daunting and exciting prospect. Before you jump in here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I enjoy doing?

Consider what you love to do, your passions and skills. It will be your passion that drives you forward through the tough times when you are building your business.

2. Can I improve on current offerings?

Look at the current market and evaluate your future competitors. Develop and define a unique selling point for your business whether it's a personal mission statement, green ethics or innovation.

3. Is there a gap in the market that I can exploit?

Maybe you have tried to find a service or product that just doesn't seem to exist. If you are looking for something it is possible that others are too. Research the idea and potential market thoroughly and gauge how much people would be prepared to pay for it.

4. Does my business have a niche market? And how do I access them?

If you can find a niche market for your business then this can reduce the barriers to entry by reducing competition. However consider how you are going to access the niche market and it's potential for growth.

5. Am I making all possible profit from my business idea without compromising the delivery and my ideals?

Consider other ways to deliver your service or knowledge, online, in print or in person. Also, if your website performs well, can you make extra money from advertising or paid for content. Make sure all actions are consistent with your brand and don't diverge from your ideals.

How do these changes effect your business?

General opinions of the Mr Osborne's budget are that it recognises the role of small businesses in the continued growth of the economy. The internationally competitive Capital Gains Tax and reduction in Corporation Tax for small businesses both encourage entrepreneurism.

However there are mixed responses to the new immigration laws introducing further restrictions on the number of skilled Non-EU workers entering Britain.
The Virtual Office team is reliant on International English speakers in creating a uniform voice with no regional dialects for our clients. Our small team currently includes British, South African, Australian and Canadian all with excellent telephone voices and extensive customer service experience.

How will this change effect your small business? Do you see it as a positive step to increasing British employment or damaging to your business?

It's not where you work, it's how you work

Online articles for new businesses and entrepreneurs often emphasise the pro and cons of home working and home offices disregarding the fact that many entrepreneurs are constantly mobile. Their average day is rarely typical and often rely on smart phones and instant messaging to manage their business day.

To succeed as a mobile entrepreneur requires effective daily management and organisation whilst focusing on your clients and business needs. the growth in Virtual Offices can be explained by the number of businesses performing this juggling act.

Outsourcing telephone answering plus administrative and secretarial duties can free up time to concentrate. Many virtual office companies also have bricks and mortar locations for you to meet clients or pitch for new business, removing the need for business insurance or provision of additional space at your home.

Depending on your business the benefits of presenting an impressive business address via a Virtual Office (incorporating mail forwarding and a central ‘0207’ telephone prefix) may be a crucial component of a business plan and this value may outweigh the monthly costs.

However with such variety in quality there are a few questions to ask yourself to ensure the virtual office you choose will represent your business appropriately for many years.

1. How do you feel about clients knowing where you live and having access to your home number or mobile?
Consider whether an 0207 telephone number with a live virtual receptionist would help you manage your day by screening out time wasters and allowing you to focus on your business.

2. Do you need to project a professional image from the start or is this an aspect that can be deferred until your business is more secure? Is a business address going to help secure clients?
Some virtual office providers allow you to pick the services you need and add and remove as your requirements change. Check the terms for this, can you only do it at the end of your contract? If you want to reduce your services are the terms different.

There are some budget virtual office providers in the market that may suit your current requirements of simply an address for your website but consider all the future trajectories you can take your business. Visit the location of the virtual address, meet the staff handling your mail and telephone calls, inspect the reception area, meeting rooms and the areas that interest you now and in the future.

3. Is your plan to one day have a physical office?
If it is make sure the virtual office you have chosen can offer office space and check the flexibility of the terms. This will allow you to keep the same contact details and, if the office doesn't work out you can go 'virtual' again with no drama or inconvenience.

4. Do you ever need to meet your clients face-to-face either now or in the future?
You and your current clients might be happy to use free coffee shops at the moment but consider your prospective clients and how they will perceive your company. Also if you choose a virtual office with a business address then you may prefer the consistency of meeting rooms at your business address.

It's important to visualise the future of your business and be sure not to undersell yourself.

Go Ahead - You Deserve a Break!

Its that time of year again... and for the first time in a long time, it seems like summer has FINALLY arrived in the UK, which means thoughts will be drifting to holidays...

Whether you fancy a trendy recession-inspired 'stay-cation'; have children who will be unleashed by their schools and therefore require some extra attention; or would love to indulge in a proper long-haul holiday, if you run your own business taking time for any or all of these reasons can be daunting. But, it is so important to remember that everyone needs a break sometimes in order to maintain their sanity!

So many people who run their own businesses struggle with taking time off. There is concerns about losing money or customers if they take a break, plus stress about who, if anybody, can be entrusted to take on tasks in their absence. Still another hurdle is the guilt that business owners feel when they take time off which is often overcompensated for by spending the duration of any time they do take off working and forgetting to actually relax!

Believe it or not, there is a solution to this problem... The Virtual Office Group. Part of our range of virtual office solutions specialises in holiday cover. Just arrange to forward your calls to the Virtual Office, where our friendly and professional live receptionists will personally answer your calls for you and manage them according to your specifications. We can arrange to have certain calls (or all of your calls) transferred to you wherever you are so that you can choose which ones you want to deal with. Alternatively, we can have the callers greeted and given an explanation of your choice for why you are unavailable, and put through to your voicemail which can be checked at your convenience via SMS, email, or on the phone. This means that you don't have to answer and deal with every call yourself, which gives you the freedom to actually relax and enjoy your time off. We can provide this service for a period of a few days, a fortnight, a month, or whatever you require! If you would like more information, please feel free to contact Kat on 0207 917 9918.

The Original and the Best!

If you met Richard Nissen, you would probably not instantly guess that he was the mastermind behind developing the Virtual Office Concept in the UK; especially if you tried to ring him on his mobile phone. This is particularly surprising since Richard is responsible for developing the first telephone call handling platform that could fully support flexible working practices by placing calls through to individuals wherever they were.

Richard is the founder and Chairman of The Virtual Office Group and was inspired by American Business Centres he encountered while working in the United States of America in the 1970’s. He brought the idea back to the United Kingdom and started the concept here. Although several other companies have grown and expanded on the original idea, The Virtual Office Group still prides itself in offering the best product available even after all of these years.

Richard Nissen and his relationship to the virtual office concept has been featured in a recent edition of Property Week. Follow this link to view the whole article.

Image Is Everything

Last week we talked about how using a Virtual Office can save you money and help when you launch your company as well as during the course of its life. This week, we explore how a Virtual office can give you the impression of a larger and more established company and how that impacts your clients' and potential clients' perception of your business.

Many people are now starting businesses from home to avoid lots of the start up costs, but it can be difficult to maintain a professional image. There are ways to mitigate risk while making every pound count! By using a Virtual Office, you can have the impression of occupying a prestigious prime location office at 10-20% of the cost because you are sharing the overhead with other businesses. With Virtual Offices, you can sign up for an address, a telephone number, and have a receptionist personally answer and transfer your calls to you so you can prioritise your work and be prepared for each call. All of your faxes and your mail can be forwarded to you and you can have access to meeting rooms and hotdesk space if you don’t need a whole permanent office for your company. Virtual Offices also have options for growth – eventually your company will prosper and when it does, you can have the opportunity to take up permanent serviced office space on the premises or to add employees to your package.

Having your client facing operations in impeccable order is important because clients may feel more comfortable working with someone who looks quite established and accomplished. A great central London address and telephone number is also very powerful to anchor your webpage, whether it be as a main address or as an international branch for companies trying to startup on a worldwide scale.

Really, people starting businesses should seriously consider the options and flexibility associated with a virtual office. It is a complete toolkit to help you get on your feet quickly and gives you what you need to forge ahead of your competitors.

Cheryl