Business121 Small Business Newsletter #10

Business121 No.10

In this week’s Business121:

1. An easy way to write more effectively
2. A practical guide to business grants
3. How to find an office for your business
4. Ten marketing tips to help promote your small businesses
5. How to set up a website that works
6. A Guide to Employment Contracts & Statements of Employment
7. How to Survive the Dragons’ Den!
8. How to choose a good contractor accountant
9. How to choose a small business bank account
10. Small Business News

An easy way to write more effectively

For small business owners the subject of writing is often dismissed, “I’m not a writer, so why do I need to know about writing”. But when you stop and think about it, much of your success will be down to how well you communicate with others through the written word.

The Information Age means that more and more of us are finding that writing is an increasingly important part of our work. Writing is an everyday task for most of us, what with business plans, emails, sales letters, press releases, brochures, elevator pitches, website copy, blogs and even email newsletters to write.

A well-written business plan will mean that you are more likely to get the funding you need to launch and expand your business. A well-written proposal will increase your chances of winning that all-important contract.

What you write and the way you write is clearly a very important factor in how your business is perceived by customers, partners and suppliers. Yet how many of us have had any training on the subject since we left school?

Another problem many of us have with our writing is that we don’t have much time to do it. We’re business people not writers after all (with the exception of the copywriters and journalists among us), so we have to write quickly and effectively.

With time at a premium, it’s tempting to dive straight into that sales letter or proposal but this can mean you end up taking much longer to complete the piece and the end result isn’t as good as it could be.

So, one of the first things you need to do to write more effectively is to plan what you are going to write before you put pen to paper or start tapping away at the keyboard, take a step back. Whatever you are writing, you can break the task down into 3 main parts:

PLANNING
WRITING
EDITING

PLANNING
The time you actually spend writing will be far more productive if you’ve planned what you are going to say. Here’s what you need to think about when planning your piece;

1. Think about the reader. What do they want from you?

2. What do you want the reader to do? In other words, what is your goal? Once you know what you want to achieve it’s a lot easier to work out how you are going to get there.

3. After deciding on your aim, think about the key messages that will help you to achieve it. Think of it a little like coming up with an elevator pitch. There are dozens of messages that you can use but whittle them down to the two or three most important ones.

4. Structure it. If you’ve followed this process you’ll find that structuring your piece is fairly easy. You know what your key messages are and how they link together to achieve your goal.

WRITING
With your plan in place, you can start writing. Don’t be tempted to ‘Edit’ at this stage.

Separating the writing from the editing will help you to get the main body of your writing done quicker. These two functions rely on different parts of the brain, so trying to edit as you are writing can frustrate your creative side.

Trying to write and edit at the same time means you’re trying to satisfy two masters at the same time. It can feel as if you have two contrasting voices in your head and it’s all too easy to find yourself sitting in front of a document constantly cutting, pasting and re-writing as the clock ticks by.

Before learning to separate these tasks I’d often find my ‘rational’ editing voice worrying about the structure of a sentence only to find that by the time I’d got my ‘creative’ writing mind back into gear I’d lost my flow and train of thought.

EDITING
This is the easy part. Now that you’ve got something to mould you can release the ‘rational’ voice and worry about the details, the sentences and the grammar.

Whether it’s a business plan, proposal, sales letter or website copy you are writing, following this simple structure will help you to write more effectively. It will also help you to write more quickly, so you can use the spare time to deal with all the extra business your new writing skills will be bringing in.

If you want to learn a little more about writing, I’ve found, ‘Writing for Business’ by Chris Shevlin and published by Penguin, really useful. http://snipurl.com/Writing_for_Business

(Emyr Williams)

************************ Partner Message *************************
A GREAT, FIXED-FEE ACCOUNTANCY SERVICE
--------------------------------------
SJD Accountancy are experienced, specialist providers of accounting and taxation solutions to small businesses, contractors and freelancers in the UK.

With a money back service guarantee, fixed-fee competitive monthly fees and a wealth of accountancy awards, SJD can provide the accountancy solution you are looking for.

Just click here now to see how we can help you; http://snipurl.com/_SJD_Accountancy
********************************************************************

A practical guide to business grants

So you’ve got a brilliant idea, but no cash. You need start up capital to move your business from an idea to reality. An initial injection of money could enable you to fund R&D, conduct market research, test the market with a prototype, get legal advice or develop marketing materials. One route is to look for a business grant. Here are 10 tips to help you find and get that elusive grant
http://snipurl.com/_Grants_10_Top_Tips

How to find an office for your business

Moving into an office is a big step when you run a small business or start-up, and finding the right premises in the right location and at the right price is a daunting task. Get it right, and your office premises will help you improve productivity, attract and retain good employees and give a positive impression to your customers. But get it wrong, and you could be left tied into a costly lease with premises that might not suit your needs in the future.

Here’s what you need to do to find the right office space for you;
http://snipurl.com/Finding_an_Office

Ten marketing tips to help promote your small businesses

Do you sometimes feel invisible? Here are ten low cost marketing ideas guaranteed to boost the profile of your small business.
http://snipurl.com/Ten_Marketing_Tips

How to set up a website that works

Many businesses are disappointed with the results from their website. The reason is often a failure to
understand what they should be focusing on to make the site successful. Yet it doesn't have to be complicated, this article guides you through the steps to creating a website that works.
http://snipurl.com/_Website_that_works

Guide to Employment Contracts & Statements of Employment

What you need to know about employment contracts and the written statement of employment., including a list of required and implied terms of an employment contract, details on termination and links to sample contracts.
http://snipurl.com/Employment_contracts

How to Survive the Dragons’ Den!

The Dragons’ Den on BBC 2 pits entrepreneurs seeking funding for their businesses against a panel of celebrity investors. Aside from the entertainment, there are a number of valuable lessons that can be taken from the programme. Here are the Top Five Lessons to be learned from previous participants’ pitches.
http://snipurl.com/_Dragons_Den

How to choose a good contractor accountant

Just as every small business needs to ensure their financial affairs are being handled by experts, all IT contractors and freelancers should make sure they sign up with a reputable, specialist accountant. With the added complexity of tax issues such as IR35 and Section 660, we recommend you follow these top tips to help choose a good contractor accountant.
http://snipurl.com/Contractor_Accounts

How to choose a small business bank account

Choosing a bank for your small business is an important decision. There are several key things to consider - such as transaction and borrowing costs, what facilities the bank offers, and the type of relationship you want from a bank. Here are some suggestions that will help you decide which bank would best suit your needs.
http://snipurl.com/_Choose_Bank_Account

********************** Advertisement ********************
EARN TAX-FREE PROFITS EVERY WEEKEND
---------------------------
Using detailed statistics, compiled by a working odds compiler and unique to The Sports Statistician, you could be making anything from £30 to £300 pounds or more, every weekend, from the lucrative football betting markets.

The Sports Statistician gives you all the information you need to make ‘obvious’ bets on the less obvious markets, such as corners or bookings. Every month, our in-depth newsletter and weekly emails will guide you to the value in the coming fixtures.

To learn how you can get a 3-month trial of this unique service for just £3 click here: http://snipurl.com/Sports_Statistician
*************************************************************

Small Business News

SMEs to continue hiring throughout festive season
-----------
Small and medium-sized enterprises are reporting strong hiring intentions to the end of the year, according to research released by Manpower.The report reveals that medium sized employers are the most likely to hire in the run-up to Christmas with a balance of +15% intending to increase their headcount. It also shows that +10% of small and +11% of large-sized businesses intend to increase their staff numbers before seeing in the New Year.
http://snipurl.com/SMEs_Hiring

Massow cleans up on reality TV
----------------------
Ivan Massow is a successful, self-made man. His most recent achievement is mentoring Leila Wilcox in Make me a Million, Channel 4’s latest reality business offering, through choppy waters to a significant victory.
http://snipurl.com/Massow_cleans_up

===========
CLASSIFIEDS
===========

DO YOU EVER GET STRESSED AT WORK OR IN THE CAR?
...............................................................
Do people wind you up, leaving you angry and frustrated? Is giving that presentation causing you palpitations? There are simple techniques that you can learn and use anywhere, anytime to help alleviate all these and a host of other emotional and physical difficulties. For details contact Rick Auton at info@acceleratingdc.co.uk or call 01302 882304

WE SPECIALISE IN MORTGAGES FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED .................................................................
FreelancerMoney specialise in arranging mortgages for small business owners, freelancers and contractors. To learn more about how we can help you to get the mortgage you want just click here: http://snipurl.com/_FreelancerMoney

MAKE A LIVING ON eBAY
...............................................................
Oliver Goehler is famed for making around £1000 every week using online auction website eBay. Now, you can learn the inside secrets that make Oliver consistent eBay profits. To read his special report explaining the specific steps you should take to profit from eBay click here now: http://snipurl.com/_eBay_Secrets

HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES TO GET A BETTER DEAL .................................................................
Through LogBuy all small businesses can club together to benefit from lower prices. It costs nothing to join and is simple to use, it's an effortless way for you and every other small business in the country to get a better deal. Sign up today to start saving right away: http://snipurl.com/_LogBuy_Home

COLD-CALLING WITH IMPACT – 1-DAY COURSE
.................................................................
Cold-calling is the part of sales most of us fear to tread. Done well, cold-calling is a direct route to gaining lots of new customers, done badly it’s unfulfilling and de-motivating. Our ‘Cold-calling with Impact’ course is designed to maximise your chances from every call. Find out more here (limited places left): http://snipurl.com/_Cold_Calling_Impact

SEE YOUR AD HERE
...............................................................
Business121 is read by over 12,000 small business owners every week. You can book an ad here for as little as £30. Just email: Classified@Business121.co.uk for details

(c) Business121.co.uk 2005