Business – Roundabout Publications

A Spiritual Pamper Day in Tynemouth

September 29, 2013

Editor Carol Robinson was invited to join a small group enjoying a spiritual pamper day given by YouCan2 Creative Coaching in Tynemouth – oh yes, and to take five cans of food with her! She was naturally very curious to find out more…

The course was called ‘Change for the Better’, which focuses on finding your calm centre to try and help you identify what you really want in your life, both now and in the future. Mallory and Jan of YouCan2 are both Life Coaches and Reiki Practitioners, and both have a very positive perspective as well as being great listeners, as we found out as the day went on.

After tea and the initial introductions all was revealed about the five tin cans – they are collected and given to the charity I-Can who donate them to feed the hungry. We did a little exercise first to discuss how we chose the cans and we were all surprised about how similar our choices were.

After some creative exercises we were all asked to try and evaluate what we wanted to get from our day. I have to say for me it was just some peace and quiet and some ‘me time’, which is often lacking in the six weeks school holidays. Mallory told us some great and inspiring stories about how to make little changes in your life, and how those little changes can make a big difference.

We then all had a short Reiki treatment, a spiritual practice developed by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui in which the practitioner performs palm healing. This is something I have never had before but would certainly recommend as it was so relaxing and comforting. I almost didn’t want it to end – except I knew that the creative collage task was coming up next!

All of the attendees made their own collage, choosing pictures, colours, words, something meaningful to us or anything that appealed from a large selection of magazines. There were lots of stickers and jewels to embellish our efforts too. We were all merrily cutting and sticking away, and the room was quiet as all four of us reflected on our day. Once finished we discussed the results and why we had chosen the pictures and it was fascinating to discover the feelings and motivation behind everyone’s collage.

In short I had a fulfilling time! Mallory and Jan are very inspirational and help you in so many ways to open your mind to think about making some changes in your life. We all felt as if we had had a pamper day and it was great to let the inner child out to play for a while.

As a result, I would thoroughly recommend this Spiritual Pamper Day to anyone; it was truly a wonderful experience.

To find out more, take a look at YouCan2’s website www.youcan2.org.uk to see what courses are available, or call for more information: Jan on 07866 764 648 or Mallory on 07517 423 669.

by Carol Robinson

BUSINESS: In need of a little support?

June 1, 2013

I love my job. I really do. As a copywriter I have a license to be super-nosey about people in all sorts of businesses and industries (which makes me a handy addition to any pub quiz team). But I do spend a large part of the week working on my own. And to be honest it can get a bit lonely.

Two years ago a friend at the school gates said he was thinking of setting up a forum for businesses in the Tynemouth area. He said it would be “a chance to meet new people” and there might be opportunities to organise “some small events in the town”. Would I be interested? It was that ‘yes’ that saw me up at the crack of dawn six months later, helping with the First Annual VW rally.

And since then? Well, if you attended the Tynemouth Food Festival back in May – that was organised by the Business Forum. If you came to the Christmas Fayre on the green last December, again that was the Business Forum. These events were in fact by no means small – but they grew out of the enthusiasm and ambition of the members for what could be achieved.

And the great thing is, we’re not alone.

A few miles up the coast the members of the Whitley Bay Chamber of Trade work hard to put on fantastic events like their Annual Sandcastle Competition and the Christmas Fayre at the Dome. Each of these events brings thousands of visitors to the coast.

Joining an organisation like a local chamber of trade or business forum is like having a support network. The North East is an enterprising place and there’s a wealth of local talent and enthusiasm to be discovered on your doorstep. And some lovely people.

On a larger scale the North Tyneside Business Forum works to hold events like its Meet the Buyer sessions.

At these sessions local companies are given the chance to hear about upcoming work contracts and add themselves onto the supply chain lists of some of the biggest private and public sector organisations in the region. The Forum is free to join and gives access to news, advice and support from other members in the area.

If you feel the need for a bit more support, either with your business or within your community why not look into joining one of these local organisations?

North Shields Chamber of Trade and Commerce
Whitley Bay Chamber of Trade
Wallsend Chamber of Trade
Tynemouth Business Forum
Cobalt & Silverlink Business Association
North Tyneside Business Forum

Katherine Wildman is the Creative Director of Haydn Grey Ltd, a copywriting agency based in Cullercoats.

Discover how Haydn Grey can help you find the right words to promote your business at www.haydngrey.co.uk or call the office on 0191 289 3170.

BUSINESS: Bookkeeping

January 1, 2013

All small business owners recognise that feeling of dread when looking at the pile of receipts and invoices that really should be a set of books. This is the time to get them sorted, tax returns are due by 31st January plus with HMRC restarting checks on record keeping there’s never been a better time to make better record-keeping your New Year’s resolution. To help here are my top tips:

Keep it simple

Accounting records for small businesses don’t need to be complicated, however they do need to be accurate. They need to provide proper information to produce your tax returns and end of year accounts. Whilst computerised accounts systems are effective, they may be more complicated than you need; a simple spreadsheet could suffice. If you are planning on doing the books yourself, make sure the tools are up to the job by running your spreadsheet or system past an accountant or ask them to set you up a pro forma.

Don’t leave it until the last minute

The 2011/12 tax return is due at the end of this month and you are running out of time. So get cracking with the books if you’ve not yet submitted them – or you could face a penalty. Next, work on 2012/13 and get them up to date. It’s a good habit to record regularly, then the information produced will be timely and useful to you. If HMRC were to make your business the subject of a business record check then they would look at a selection of invoices and receipts from the preceding 4 months, so there’s even more reason to be up to date.

Keep accurate source records

File receipts in a way that fits with your book keeping systems, it’ll make recording a quicker job. Once you’ve recorded them make sure all original source documents are sensibly filed. In most cases, you are required to keep records for 6 years after your tax return.

Look for qualifications

If you are going to bring in an expert check they are qualified; anyone can provide bookkeeping services but look for someone who is a member of a professional body. To gain membership both qualifications and competence are assessed, including record keeping, end of year accounts and tax returns. Always ask a prospective bookkeeper which professional body they are linked to, and check it out. Common examples include AAT, CIMA, ACCA, amongst others.

Getting time to do the books is a common gripe of small business owners; if you are struggling, the question to ask is: ‘How much could I earn in the time I’m doing the books?’ You may find that a professional costs less than you imagine – and less than you can earn in the time you’d normally spend.

Otherwise, sleeves up and tackle that pile of receipts, make sure you keep going until you are up to date, then make updating your records a regular part of your routine, and stick to it!

Gill Crann (MAAT) lives in Tynemouth and is the owner of Gill Friday. Gill Friday provides a range of support to help small business owners, freeing up their time and energy for other things.

For more information as to how Gill Friday can help you in your business see www.gillfriday.co.uk or ring 0191 580 1303.

BUSINESS: Now, 5 Copywriting Secrets Every Small Business Owner Should Know

June 30, 2012

From websites and emails to leaflets and television adverts, we are bombarded with sales messages everyday. So, how can you make sure that your message stands out and is heard in the noise of the madding crowd?

As a small business owner there are 5 Copywriting Secrets you should know:

1. “You talkin’ to me?”

Ah, Robert de Niro. This famous line from the film Taxi Driver is a great one to keep in mind as you write. Using the word ‘you’ and addressing your prospect throughout your writing will engage your reader in what you’re saying.

2. “What’s in it for me?”

People are generally interested in one thing – themselves. Demonstrate how you can make your readers’ lives better by offering a benefit and not a feature of what you do and you’ll start winning hearts – and customers.

3. Why a good headline is vital

The job of a headline is to draw your customer in and get them to read the next line of your sales message. That’s it. A good headline contains one of three things:

Some kind of benefit – e.g. ‘Save money and valuable time today’.
An exciting snippet of news – e.g. ‘My Exclusive Interview with Apprentice Winner Ricky Martin’.
Something to arouse your reader’s curiosity –e.g. ‘How Twitter saved my life’.

Great headlines contain all three things like, well… the title of this article for example.

4. The space bar is your friend

People are busy. You only have a few minutes to make an impression with the written word, whether it’s your company website or your latest leaflet that’s doing the talking.

Break up your writing with headlines, crossheads (or subheadings) and lots of white space to allow your words to breathe. This will give you room to highlight the key benefits your company offers and ensure that, even if your reader only has a minute to spare, he’ll take away exactly the message you want to send.

5. “Do this now”

This may sound a bit bossy but you do have to let your prospects know what you want them to do after they have read your sales message. Do you want them to call your office? Email you for more details? Check out the latest offers on your website? Add a call to action within your sales messages to tell your prospect exactly what they need to do next to benefit from your offer.

For more helpful copywriting tips you can apply to your small business today sign up for the free newsletter at www.haydngrey.co.uk (and there’s my call to action!).

Katherine Wildman is the Creative Director of Haydn Grey Ltd, a copywriting agency based in Cullercoats.

Discover how Haydn Grey can help you find the right words to promote your business at www.haydngrey.co.uk or call the office on 0191 289 3170.