Virtual ways to help navigate financial woes For businesses, the combination of the recent rise in National Insurance Contributions and the lowering of the salary threshold will be an absorbable expense. But we probably all know businesses - of all sizes - for whom this is having a considerable, if not detrimental impact on how they operate. Some will be forced to reduce their payroll or delay hiring decisions longer than they’d like. The increase in employer NICs means paying an extra [...]

Aiding mental wellbeing in the workplace I’ve spoken about areas of professional life that we all know are important, but we find difficult to focus on - prioritising our mental wellbeing at work probably falls into this category for many of us. The theme of this year’s recent World Mental Health Day was workplace mental health, something that needs to be given attention all year round. Mental health charities do all they can to support people through crises and to help prevent [...]

Think like an athlete to invest in your venture Summer is here along with an abundance of competitive sports, from the Euros, Wimbledon, and as it’s a leap year, the Olympics are also just around the corner. Interestingly, it’s been 100 years since the Olympics were last held in Paris, and the city will become one of only two cities to have hosted the games three times (the other is London). It always amazes me the level of training and preparation high [...]

Stepping back from the dream can still pay off A few years ago, I hired an office. I had taken on some associates a few years before that, and a high street location felt like the next natural step. While work remained consistent, the shine soon wore off. The costs felt unnecessary and I wasn’t really getting the visibility I’d imagined. I know of many business leaders who tell a similar story - having had a ‘dream’ of what a successful business [...]

Building your personal brand pays dividends Last year, I made a shift in my career. While my virtual administration company is still my main focus, I started to look at ways to diversify and use my skills in different ways. As a result, I’ll be taking on some auditing and assessment work this year. I guess the initial shift was a mental one as I considered what I want to be known for. Interestingly, this process sits within a wider shift among [...]

Helping career development is crucial for SMEs At Business Owl we are often called upon to support employers with their staff’s career development, this could be in-house training, CPD or even accreditation. While this is a crucial part of growth for any SME and business owners themselves, lack of time is often cited as a reason why employers don’t invest in this area as much as they should. We can support time-restricted employers with this and I believe there are a number [...]

Cyber security strategy needed as firms grow A friend of mine told me about a recent conversation she had with her five-year-old daughter. The young girl had read the word ‘fax’ on a business card and thought the ‘a’ was a mistake and the word should be ‘fix’. My friend relayed how she struggled to explain what a fax was to her daughter, but was also surprised a fax number would still appear on a business card in 2023! Communication really has [...]

Breaking down barriers in sport and business We were recently announced as a finalist for the VA (Virtual Assistant) Awards again, which got me thinking about the recent barrier-breaking victory by the women’s English football team this summer and the barriers women face in business. One of the many things the Lionesses’s World Cup win showed us, is that a win for women, is a win for all. So much has changed from times when it was illegal for women to inherit [...]

Businesses can go green and make it affordable ‘The cost-of-living crisis’. It’s the phrase on everyone’s lips at the moment, but another big crisis which we don’t hear about as much is the climate one. We are repeatedly told we are facing a climate emergency, yet because the impact doesn’t have the same immediacy as a financial crisis, in times of economic challenge our climate concerns tend to take a back seat. But what if there is another way? What if we [...]

A recovery tool for businesses As we step into spring, there is a lot for Yorkshire businesses to be optimistic about. Yes there are challenges for many about how they get past the damaging effects of the pandemic coupled with rising costs and volatile markets. But there is something coming on the horizon which presents an incredible opportunity for the business community at large, not just culture. And no, I don’t have a crystal ball! LEEDS 2023 is less than a year [...]

Virtual assistants can help a business to declutter and become more agile For many businesses – and people – 2020 was the year of survival. 2021 has been the year of adaptation. Hundreds of thousands of new businesses have been launched in the UK as the pandemic drove entrepreneurial spirit and people responded to challenges like redundancy, furlough and being couped up at home. In fact, data from HMRC also shows that in March 2021 more new businesses were created than in [...]

How virtual working can boost our post pandemic recovery I think a lot of us at the beginning of the year thought we would be in a slightly better position right now when it comes to COVID but, here we are in July 2021, and the challenges are still coming. Although the lifting of restrictions is in sight, a return to complete ‘normality’ still seems somewhat out of reach. As the ongoing uncertainty continues to add pressure and complexity to industry, many [...]

Virtual assistant gives businesses tips for post-covid success A North Yorkshire based virtual assistant who expanded her team after securing a number of new client contracts throughout last year’s lockdown, is encouraging businesses to be agile if they want to thrive in a post-lockdown world. Jen Workman of Business Owl, who supported a number of businesses in their transition to remote working last year, believes those lessons learnt are what will help small businesses as we gradually return to ‘business as normal’ [...]

Inspirational Woman: Jen Workman, Founder of Business Owl After a career in the legal sector and then as a PA at the University of York, I decided to combine my skills and experience and I founded Business Owl, a virtual assistant business. Initially I worked from the dining table on my old laptop, which was so slow that I had to switch it on before breakfast, to give it time to warm up! Thankfully as the business grew I was able to replace [...]

From out of the crisis, businesses can emerge stronger and more resilient We’re fast approaching the anniversary of when we first entered lockdown. Who would have guessed, what we thought might have been a temporary, three-week lockdown would turn into three lockdowns? While the compounded impact of the current lockdown has proven detrimental for so many, the signs of progress are encouraging. The road to recovery for many Yorkshire businesses will be very long, but we’re a hardy bunch and based on [...]

Award-winning virtual assistant expands her firm A North Yorkshire based virtual assistant has expanded her team after securing a number of new client contracts this year. Jen Workman of Business Owl is now working with two associates – including one who specialises in transcription. It comes at a time when businesses have been forced to become more agile and think creatively about how they work following the pandemic. Jen has noticed an increased need for transcription services by those wanting notes typing [...]

Northallerton businesswoman shortlisted A Northallerton businesswoman has been shortlisted for an award for her virtual business. Jen Workman runs Business Owl from her home office in Northallerton, providing specialist business support to the legal sector. Jen said that little did she know three years ago when she decided to concentrate on the business full-time, that the experience she would gain working from home would prove so relevant. “I was able to start my business from home in a structured way and it [...]