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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 - [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]