It’s the Andover Business Expo’s  second year and it’s bigger and better than before. There are over 50 exhibitors, some must-see seminars, including a seminar by entrepreneur & star of The Apprentice, Karren Brady.

Bizpro will be at stand 35, and we have some fantastic prizes to give away in our FREE business card prize draw, including an annual licence for an In Touch CRM, courtesy of Nett Sales, 2 x annual licences for Kashflow accounting software, courtesy of Bizpro & PAH accounting, and 4 weeks FREE telephone answering courtesy of those lovely people at Kendlebell. These are just some of the fantastic prizes on offer, so why not come along to say hello and you never know, you may just walk away with one of our prizes!

Entry to the exhibition is free and there are exclusive show offers that could save your business thousands, plus the chance to win a £1,000 advertising campaign on Andover Sound.

The Andover Expo this year features “How To” Seminars, a Vision for Andover Business Forum and a Business Link Breakfast which you can register for online here: www.andoverexpo.biz

Look forward to seeing you there!

In the course we covered all aspects of business – from setting up and establishing a Bizpro business; getting clients, marketing, accounting, networking, etc; to growing a Bizpro business; working with associates, adding value, to name but a few. It was a great week, even if I do say so myself, and now our newest franchisees are fully geared up to go out there and create a great new business for themselves.

So I guess the next step is the introductions!

A huge welcome to Erika Smith, who has taken on the franchise for Bizpro North Somerset, and Emma James, who has taken on the franchise for Walsall & Wolverhampton.

Erika has extensive experience in working across a variety of industries in a variety of PA & administrative management roles. Proactive & professional, Erika always prepares for the unexpected, making her an ideal Bizpro business assistant and with a personal motto of ‘Get it right first time, every time and on time’, we just know Erika is going to do very well in her new Bizpro business.

From the tender age of just 15, Emma was working as a book keeper in her spare time, and has enjoyed an extensive and varied career in PA, Administration and accounts ever since. With a refreshingly positive attitude and outlook, Emma’s confidence and enthusiasm for her new venture, combined with her practical use of modern technology and ideas will make her a valuable addition to the Bizpro team.

All in all, it was a great week, and a really successful course. We’re already planning for the next one, and can’t wait!

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…!

For those that don’t know, Twitter is the new (ish) craze in online social networking – you type in updates about what you are doing at any given moment through out the day or night. Just recently its taken the 4Networking world by storm, and for me, the twitterbulb has also just illuminated.

Through Twitter, I’ve made contact and been contacted (followed) by people I wouldn’t normally ever be able to get in touch with. I’m keeping up to date with Sir Richard Branson, (not that I can really believe it’s him!), a writer for the Guardian, lots of 4Networkers, and a few other Virtual Assistants. You can update it via web or phone, and you can link it to your facebook site too! There are so many add on applications that you can do almost anything with it.

Twitter is bringing the business world closer and connecting me with people from all walks of life. Twitter is definately an excellent tool for business if used correctly. As for me, I’m still learning, so watch this space! Oh, and if you want to follow, I’m BizproVA

The difficulty with having no one to push you, no one to show that you did those tasks you said you were going to is that it’s very easy to let them slide. They build up and continue to grow and the bigger they get, the more we are likely to want to put them off. There will always be those tasks that you enjoy doing and those tasks that you don’t. Inevitably, the ones you don’t enjoy doing get put to the bottom of the pile.

Sometimes, they stay there, until they become so urgent you have no choice to complete them, and that’s were you find the task has become even more daunting.

Of course, this is where a virtual assistant could help you, by doing those tasks you keep putting off and, if you pick the right virtual assistant, they get to know you and your business and will be able to foresee and act upon these tasks as they come up, thus preventing you from that viscous circle of unimportant on non urgent tasks.

However, a business coach can also help here. If you choose the right one, they can help you to put your business plans and goals together, and keep your eye focused on achieving your aims. They can act as a sounding board & help you realise your vision and grow as a business owner.

Business coaches know about business, they also know about people. A good coach will be able to connect with you on your level, and coach you to look at situations outside yourself, enabling you to think more clearly. They hold you accountable for your actions and make you look at where you want to be and the steps you need to take to get there.

Generally business coaches have reams of tools, tricks and books to help you on your journey. They know what works, and what can make you more effective in your business.

Most business coaches will also recognise the benefits of outsourcing to a virtual assistant. By passing on the tasks you don’t have the time nor inclination for can enable you to spend more time working on your business rather than in your business.