Get Ahead VA Blog

Allison Wood
7
Dec

Meet the Regional Director: Allison Wood

Here at Get Ahead VA, our people are everything. We’re dedicated to growing our business all over the country, so our customers can access a wide range of highly skilled professionals wherever they are. We currently have regional offices in Leeds, Reading and Bristol, and we’re pleased to announce our latest addition: Newcastle.

Here’s 60 seconds with one of our new Regional Directors in Newcastle, Allison, who is working alongside fellow Regional Director Karen McCulloch to bring Get Ahead VA to Newcastle.

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Holiday Cover
4
Dec

Service Spotlight: Holiday Cover

Get Ahead VA offers a wide range of business and marketing services. In our Service Spotlight, we take a closer look at one of these, and show you how our virtual assistants can help you and your business. This month, with Christmas on the way, we’re looking at holiday cover.

 Why do you need holiday cover?

When you run your own business, it can be easy to think that it will simply fall apart without you, which is probably why nearly 1.5 million (about one-third) of the UK’s sole traders didn’t take a day’s holiday at all last year. Even when small business owners do take a break, it often isn’t proper time off – over 90% check work emails and do work admin during their holidays.

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Get Ahead franchise
28
Nov

Would you like to run a branch of Get Ahead VA?

If you’ve always wanted to run your own business, but have been too daunted by the idea of going it alone, then becoming a Get Ahead VA regional director could be the next big move for your career.

Get Ahead VA is headquartered in Surrey, but we are proud to have branches all over the country, from Bristol to Reading, Newcastle to Leeds. These branches are run by regional directors, and we’re always looking for driven, entrepreneurial people to become regional directors and take Get Ahead VA somewhere new. That’s where you come in!

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Small Business Saturday
26
Nov

Celebrate Small Business Saturday

If you’re a small business owner, then you should know that there’s an important event coming up for your calendar. No, it’s not Christmas – it’s Small Business Saturday!

Every year, on the first Saturday of December, this not-for-profit campaign encourages consumers to support small businesses in their area, whether that’s by visiting independent shops or buying locally online. In 2017, £748 million was spent on Small Business Saturday, so if you want to get involved this year, here’s what you can do.

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Karen McCulloch
20
Nov

Meet the Regional Director: Karen McCulloch

Here at Get Ahead VA, our people are everything. We’re dedicated to growing our business all over the country, so our customers can access a wide range of highly skilled professionals wherever they are. We currently have regional offices in Leeds, Reading and Bristol, and we’re pleased to announce our latest addition: Newcastle.

Here’s 60 seconds with one of our new Regional Directors, Karen McCulloch, who is working alongside fellow Regional Director Allison Wood to bring Get Ahead VA to Newcastle.

Name: Karen McCulloch

Area(s) of expertise: 20 years’ experience working as an Executive Assistant at a senior level, managing multiple priorities and working across a range of tasks. Being able to work creatively and analytically, as well as maintaining confidentiality and discretion.

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Black Friday
14
Nov

Black Friday for small businesses

Black Friday – a day on which retailers offer huge discounts to their customers – has been around for decades. It originated in America in the 1920s, and by the 1980s it had become one of the most important shopping days of the year. In 2010 the phenomenon crossed the pond, and in the last few years it has well and truly made its mark in the UK. In 2017, we spent £1.4 billion* in online Black Friday sales alone.

This year, Black Friday will happen on Friday 23rd November, and it is expected to be as significant as ever. But is this an event for big retailers only, or can everybody get involved? Read on to find out whether running a Black Friday promotion is right for your small business.

Should I take part?

There are plenty of good reasons to take part in this seasonal shopping bonanza. On Black Friday, shoppers will be ready to spend and actively looking for deals, so you might find it easier than ever to draw in new customers. It’s also a great excuse to clear out surplus stock, and it means you can boost your sales before the busy Christmas period.

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Email marketing
9
Nov

Service Spotlight: Email Marketing

Get Ahead VA offers a wide range of business and marketing services. In our Service Spotlight, we take a closer look at one of these, and show you how our virtual assistants can help you and your business. This month we’re looking at email marketing.

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is the use of emails to promote products and services to, or to build a relationship with, current or potential customers. Email marketing has lots of advantages over traditional direct-mail marketing: it’s cheaper, you can reach a wider audience, and you can more easily track data to help you refine you marketing efforts. Email marketing is one of the most powerful online marketing techniques out there – according to some research, every £1 spent on email marketing can provide an average return of £38.

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Prepare for Christmas
6
Nov

Prepare your business for Christmas

Christmas is one of the most important times of year for any business, and it’s especially important for SMEs because seasonal spending can provide such a valuable boost in sales. Last year, the UK spent more than £78 billion on Christmas, and this festive shopping spree starts early, with more than 50% of people planning to do most of their shopping before December.

It can pay, then, to start thinking about Christmas now. Not sure where to begin? Here are some of the key ways you can prepare your business for the most wonderful time of the year.

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LinkedIn SlideShare
29
Oct

Introducing LinkedIn SlideShare

LinkedIn SlideShare is “the world’s largest community for sharing presentations and other professional content” online. It has 80 million users and it has been around for a number of years, but it is still only used by 17% of B2B marketers. That’s a huge missed opportunity for businesses looking to promote themselves online.

If you’re a business owner and you want to know more about how SlideShare can help you, look no further! Let us give you the lowdown.

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Website development
24
Oct

Service Spotlight: Website Development

Get Ahead VA offers a wide range of business and marketing services. In our Service Spotlight we take a closer look at one of these, and show you how our virtual assistants can help you and your business. This month we’re looking at website development.

What is website development?

Website development is everything to do with creating and maintaining a website. This includes designing, building and hosting – basically, everything that makes a website look good and run well. Web development is usually divided into the ‘front end’ (e.g. design, usability), which the customers will see, and the ‘back end’ (e.g. coding, hosting), which only the website’s owners will see.

Having a good website is one of the most important elements of modern business, even if you operate your company out of a physical office or a brick-and-mortar store. Studies have shown that 88% of consumers will research a product online before making a purchase, so having a website is essential for boosting your credibility and your sales. Having an online presence is also crucial for marketing – creating a mailing list, engaging with customers on social media, and finding new customers through online search all require a strong, well-designed website to be effective.

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