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 [...]