Women rule the world

I hear tweeting do you

Well I have spent some time last week and this on twitter. Now all I can hear is tweeting although it could be something to do with the bird feeder outside my office window.

The idea of twitter is a message system using your phone or internet connection to send short messages (140 characters to be exact) to those who have chosen to follow you. What messages you send are entirely up to you. Mine are mainly business related and give you links to great web sites I have found and all that great stuff I just know and I think you may like to.

The difficulty is if you start to follow others you then get their tweets and if you don't control it you can spend all day reading about Aled from Wales campaigning for his local theatre and Stacey from the states who loves food and sharing food ideas with you. All very interesting you may think but the value to me is what. Well from my twittering I have learnt bout projects which can benefit my clients, found a guy who can help me with a commercial mortgage I need and generally been entertained by the antics of others.

Want to join me go to http://twitter.com/Rebecca_Jones and select follow and then you to can enjoy hearing about me and my life.

Want to understand how twitter could help you in your business visit http://www.theresultsacademy.com/75-ways-to-use-twitter/

A step too far – is business start up for you?

Are you a would be business owner? Always planning, considering business ideas, developing adverts and designing the logo? Yet you haven’t actually given your notice in at work, taken the lease on a shop, or signed that contract for your first business enterprise yet.

It’s hardly surprising in the current economic situation that you are considering your options very carefully, re-planning, re-calculating and generally wondering if going it alone would suit you.

I have learnt that, for some people, their business idea really is only a dream. They have no intentions of ever starting it up, but the dream itself is enough to give them the escapism they crave.

You now need to decide, will you always be the dreamer, or do you want to be the boss? I believe that now is as good a time as any for most business start-ups. At least this way you would be in control of your destiny rather than waiting for the boss to hand you your redundancy package.

Firstly, what you need to do is start looking at the reasons why you want to be your own boss; and you can then concentrate on these reasons when doubts creep into your mind. Look at the benefits of being self-employed; you know there are downsides but concentrating on them won’t help you make this leap from employment to self-employment.

Secondly, review your skills. Concentrate on what you are good at, not potential failures. Most business owners don’t know everything; that’s why they read books, share with each other, employ staff or ‘buy in’ support when they need it.

Thirdly, know your market. Having a brilliant business idea and no market place is a common business error. Find your market, then identify its needs and offer them what they want.

Finally, if you want to run your own successful business you will need to take that decisive step at some point and, if you have done your research and planning, you will need to make the move at some point. Accept that only you will really know when the time is right, don’t ask family and friends as they are likely to answer how they feel about the idea and it’s not them starting a business its you.

Good luck on your enterprise journey.

British Women wealthier than men

It is estimated that British women will be wealthier than men by 2025, owning 60% of the nation's personal wealth

Go girls

Banks don't consider the people behind a bank account

It seems almost a weekly occurrence now for me to hear about how another business owner I know of looses the battle to keep their business afloat because of the banks.

In general many of these businesses are not bad they actually could be and often have been successful. Experienced staff, orders and a good customer base isn't enough to keep the bank of your back for many business owners.

If a bank decides almost overnight to call in your overdraft its fairly inevitable that you will loose your business and all it means to you, your family and your staff. Its usual for many business owners to have a business overdraft for times in the year or month when expenditure rises above income. Over the year this often sorts itself out. But without an overdraft it can mean paying staff or suppliers is not possible.

If banks are unwilling to consider supporting your business even with a full order book it seems many businesses will have to go the same way. I wonder just how the government's current schemes for business owners will help in these situations.

Maybe banks need to be a bit more supportive to these business owners and help them by giving them the support and advice they need to make their businesses more stable during this unsettled time. Every time a business ceases to trade their staff loose a job, any suppliers owed money will have an impact on their business and the owner will have the difficulty of coming to terms with the upset and personal loss.

Mind you last week I tried to open a new business account with my business bank of over 10 years and they cant even be bothered to call me back so with customer care like that its no surprise they don't care about the real people behind a business bank account.

When will banks get it right?

Hay girls we have never had it so good says pants man

Sir Stuart Rose Chairman of Marks and Spencer's tells us how girls have never had it so good. The best thing Marks ever gave me were good quality pants but Sir Rose tells us women in his workplace have no glass ceiling to worry about although they still do moan about it.

Talking of his staff he says one has 2 or 3 children (well its hard to remember actual facts) and has made her way up the ladder. So obviously no glass ceiling then. Telling the Observer newspaper women had it all and what else did we want then, Sir Rose seems to think having one female fighter pilot who has now joined the red arrows shows just how far equality has come.

Gosh maybe he should spend some time in the shoes (sorry pants) of some of the women I work with.

to read more visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8075642.stm

Degrees of seperation still for girls

The Independent newspaper reported how female university students beat male students in everything. With more women than men studying at university, less of them likely to drop out and more of them leaving with a better degree. Yet despite this the women leaving higher education are likely to earn a lower salary than men who are leaving with the same level of qualification.

Why is this? Well we are being told it could be down to the fact that women choose subject areas which are likely to lead to lower salaried positions. For example teaching or creative industries.

What should be done about this? I wonder who is to blame, do girls tend to choose sectors which pay less or are employers paying less because they know they can. Additionally what can be done to encourage girls into other sectors.

With a daughter planning on entering university this September I know how difficult the decisions can be about the course and career route to take. Our daughter has chosen a non traditional route for a girl yet she has had little encouragement or support for this.

I wonder if we are doing enough to open up the eyes of our young people in general to the opportunities out there and to encourage them in the choices they make.

Employee by day entrepreneur by night.

There have been reports recently of the increase in 5-9 business ownership. With the increase in on-line businesses which don’t require staff or full time commitment more and more employees are running their business in the evening after completing a day in the office.

Often running their enterprise from a laptop at the kitchen table many of these businesses are not to be laughed at. Often started to earn extra money for treats or from a hobby which has grown, these entrepreneurs can frequently earn a good second income. On-line business support web site Enterprise Nation recently reported that 5 million people work from home outside of their day job.

These part time business owners report their businesses are growing. Many of the 5-9 business owners I know have plans to give up their day jobs once their business has grown sufficiently, others have no intentions of becoming a full time business owner but enjoy the buzz of running a business and the benefits of extra money.

So why are more and more people working in the evening after a long day at the office. Well it is possible that many are doing so as the economic situation in the country has become more worrying. Knowing you can add to your salary by running a small enterprise in the evening and weekend could take off some of the pressure of the mounting bills. Or you could use it as a back up plan if you feel less convinced about long term job security.

How then could you run a part time business? Well first of all many part time businesses grow out of hobbies or interests. Karen started baking wedding cakes for friends who then told others and soon she had a list of customers. Initially able to satisfy requests by working at the weekends and some evenings the business grew and is now a full time enterprise. Rob takes on private tuition classes in the evening for extra money to pay off his student loan, but he has no intention of leaving his full time teaching job. Anyone can find something to do Avon, Betterware, Virgin Vie and other party plan or door to door sales companies offer part time business opportunities . Or you could start an on-line shop, possibly using e-bay to start with or other on-line business ideas. The ideas are endless and you will know what suits you, your skills and the time you have available.

To run a business and go to work you will need to be organised and committed to both, to ensure your employer and your business are both treated fairly. Don’t be unrealistic about what you can take on or how long things will actually take. Plan your business and treat it professionally, it may be a part time business but it has the ability to become something more and setting it up correctly to begin with will save problems in the future.

Don’t forget your employer, your business mustn’t distract you from the day job, if you still need the salary from your employer your commitment to them must remain high. It may also be necessary to check with some employers if your contract allows secondary employment / self employment. It’s also important to remember your tax implications, speak to the tax office and let them know your plans and look into the effect any additional income will have on your tax especially if it takes you into another tax bracket.

Running a business part time whilst still in employment is a great way to try self employment and see if you like it and if your business idea works. Remember don’t over commit and be realistic and above all have fun

BBC could tell Sir Alan - You're fired

The BBC it seems are nervous about Sir Alan's appointment as the new enterprise tsar and how it could compromise their political impartiality. Following calls from senior conservatives for the entrepreneur to stand down from his programme "The Apprentice" the BBC have said they are speaking to him about his future connection with the show.

The next series due to start in March next year, just weeks before the likely date of the next General Election, assuming Gordon Brown is not forced to step down before then.

The connection between Sir Alan and Gordon Brown is obvious yet Sir Alan has stated he is also loyal to the BBC. No doubt the saga will be played out on our screens, will Sir Alan be fired by the BBC or will Gordon Brown lose yet another powerful person from his team.

From this of course could come the opportunity of a new entrepreneur in the hot seat and speculation will become rife, so for what's its worth I would like to recommend Scot, Michelle Mone of Ultimo Bra success. Unless of course the BBC would consider me, much cheaper option I am sure, but possibly not such an audience puller, ah well a girl can dream.

Business Tip No 3

Think professionalism from the start

Many women in business let themselves and their business down by not looking and sounding professional right from the beginning. Customers want to feel safe with you, they want to know that you are an expert and you know what you are doing.

Remember customers are handing over their hard earned cash to you – would you give your business your money?

Run your business on a professional level right from the first day. Don't think things are good enough or will do for now. You dont have to spend a fortune to look professional, what image does it portray if you arrive late at a meeting, or have forgotten to bring the right paperwork with you. Do work calls go to the home phone which gets answered by your family answerphone message or your kids.

Clients dont need to know that your new to all this, that you work from the dinning room table or that your nervous in sales pitches, yet we seem to think its acceptable to tell them and then expect them to treat us professionally and pay us accordingly. You should, never lie to clients but think do they really need to know you couldn't get to the phone because the baby was crying or the dog had just escaped from the garden.

Be professional and others will take you and your business with the level of seriousness it deserves.