Bizpro Ltd – Virtual Assistants

Harassing business owners…or, knowing when to stop with the marketing calls!

Yes, this post has been inspired my one of my own experiences. Over the last few months I have been extremely busy putting together the finishing touches for the franchise package, and this has involved contact with several other suppliers to enable me to accurately cost the model. Out of the many businesses I’ve spoken to, one in particular is standing out like a sore thumb, and for all the wrong reasons…

Are you up to date with your filing? Do you have an organised file structure within your business for both paper and electronic files? Can you locate your records quickly and easily?

It’s amazing how much time is wasted due to insufficient filing systems. If you’re not very organised when it comes to filing, putting a system in place for your documents and records can seem like a daunting process. It needn’t be. One of the biggest problems facing businesses is the misconception that they need to keep every document, and every email.

When it comes to managing your records, and putting an efficient filing system in place, there are several things you need to consider…

On the move…

Bizpro is pleased to announce our recent move into lovely new offices in Highworth, Wiltshire. After working from my spare room for the last few years it became even more apparent recently that as business was increasing we needed more space, and more help.

So, on 1st June we moved.

I really never realised quite how much stuff we had. Considering we are an almost paperless environment as the majority of our work is completed online, there were seemingly tons! What with the desks, book cases, files and folders we could have easily filled a small van, instead in the mad disbelief there ‘wasn’t that much’ we did it ourselves over several trips. Never again!

Still, it’s all in now, and starting to resemble an office. We have two new starters to help out, Louise & Emma, so a big welcome to them both, and no doubt you may end up seeing a few blog posts from them too!

The office move and new staff came just at the right time, given how busy we are, but it’s also a great test for us to make sure all our processes and procedures are accurately recorded and translate well enough for a new starter to grasp.

There are many benefits to working from home, but equally, there are many benefits to be had working from an office. I now get to close the door at night and go home, I now get my spare room back, too. All in all, it’s a great move for us, we’ve settled in very well, we’ve joined the local business group to help get established in the area, and Highworth has everything we could ask for right in our reach. Exciting times ahead! 

Where have we been? Where did all the time go?

It’s hard to believe I’ve not posted an entry in this blog since March – up until then I’d been really good, posting regularly every week and then bam! Things really took off and something had to give. Sadly it was the blog, but here I am ready to grovel and apologise to those that were expecting something more than just a blank screen for the last few months, and also to let you know I’m back at the top of my game, ready to unleash more useful snippets of info via the Bizpro Blog.

So, where have we been? The truth of the matter is busy. Very busy! The business exploded just as the franchise opportunity went to print, so as well as having a 40% rise in productivity, we also received over 1200 applicants to the franchise. This has meant evenings, weekends and sometimes through the night working. Not an ideal situation for any business owner, and something we consistently preach about to our clients, as a ‘what not to do’ scenario.

Normally we are consistently busier with book keeping. Right now the tables have turned and it’s more administrative enquiries we are getting. Of course we don’t mind, one bit! Bring it on, I say!

Truth is, the virtual assistant industry has exploded. More and more business owners are becoming aware of this awesome commodity perfectly within reach. They are realising the benefits of outsourcing administration, and the ease of utilising our skills.

Still, here we are back on an even keel again, and if you are wondering what happened to all the extra business, it’s still there, harvested and being dealt with by our super efficient team, who are ever ready to take on the next deluge. We’re now through the other side, with more staff and even more organised than we were before, so this time, the blog is here to stay! 

It’s nearly two weeks since I last posted on the Bizpro blog, I’m really sorry if you missed me, but I’ve been doing some really exciting things which I will tell you more about in subsequent blogs. Normally I have a stream of additional posts I can put on here which I then ’schedule’ for different times throughout each week. This means my blog is regularly updated and no one is particularly any the wiser as to whether I am here or not…

But not this time…

The last two weeks have passed by in a blur of activity for Bizpro – exciting times. My new franchise recruitment campaign went live last Monday, so I was doing a fair amount of work towards getting that right, and boy, is it working! In one week I’ve had 475 applicants, so here I am now sifting through them and making calls. I’ve also been on the most exciting coaching course which I think deserves a whole new blog post – so watch this space for more…!