MG Business Support Blog

Working harder or working smarter?

2009-11-13T11:22:00.006Z

Over the years I have worked for many different managers and companies and this has given me a very broad view of office working techniques.When I worked for the government in the local tax office work didn't seem very hard at all. Obviously, I was much younger then and new skills came very easily to me, but looking back I didn't even understand the word 'stress' as related to work. My line manager used to check my work and there were seldom any errors. I used to have plenty of time to chat with colleagues and still completed my work on time. Admittedly we had people doing the filing, making the tea and other necessary office jobs to ensure the smooth running of the office.

Nowadays we each have to do all these things for ourselves. There is less of a hierarchy - no junior to do all the menial tasks in most organisations. And certainly for the small business no-one to do all the administration.Some of my earlier articles have mentioned outsourcing and I feel it's important to mention this again. It is an ideal way for the small business owner to consider who is trying to do all the admin as well as the main work of the company.

Let's take an example - the local plumber. Apart from actually going out to homes to mend pipes, plumb in washing machines etc. he/she also needs to take new telephone calls, run a diary system, keep a record of clients and tasks completed, complete invoices and do the banking. These are just the main tasks needed to run the business efficiently.The actual amount of admin work often doesn't warrant employing someone full time, or even part time as the amount of work can vary from week to week. By outsourcing some of these tasks he/she would only pay for the number of hours worked. Also he/she would have no National Insurance or tax to worry about. Just an invoice to pay either weekly or monthly. It is up to he/she to decide which tasks to delegate.

You may think this will be costly and in today's current economic climate, but think of the time you will save and can possibly enable you to fit in more of your work.

Have a look at my website to see if there is any help I can give you. If in doubt just give me a ring - you have nothing to lose, but may have a lot to gain!
http://www.mgbusinesssupportservices.com/

The Art of Letter/Article Writing - Spelling and Grammar

2009-03-09T15:00:00.000Z

Have you ever received a marketing letter promoting some really good retail goods and been put off by the number of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors? I have received such letters from highly thought of professional companies which have made me wince. How these ever passed the proof reading stage I don't know. Is good grammar and spelling a lost art? and can it actually lose you business? I get so irritated by these errors that I can't be bothered to read what the letter is really about.

Back in my school days spelling and grammar were of prime importance when writing essays on any subject. Weekly spelling tests were the norm. We left school knowing at least how to spell common usage words and how to put a sentence together grammatically. Today I'm not so sure.

Going back many years when I first worked in a Bank part of my job was to write letters to solicitors, accountants and customers. It was very important to not only get the information correct, but also the spelling and grammar. We had secretaries then who would type the letter and correct anything as they did so. The letter would be returned to me to be checked and then a manager would sign it. The manager would also ensure that spelling, grammar and information was correct. Yes, it was a bit long winded and expensive even if the end result was very good.

Over the years staff in most companies was reduced until now, letters are written straight onto the computer and are rarely checked. No wonder we get mistakes occurring. Most people use computers or word processors and these have a built in spell checker. This makes life so easy and we all get lazy about our spelling because the computer will do this for us. However, the English language is full of words which sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings. We have there and their, hear and here, bough and bow to mention just a few. We also have UK and US spelling.

Therefore, we cannot just trust the spellchecker completely. We need to proof read our letter or article to ensure that the correct words are used, given the meaning of the sentence. A little time taken to proof read a letter, or get a colleague to do it, may earn you more sales, less complaints and a reputation for being very professional.

8 KEY PRICIPLES FOR PROBLEM SOLVING USING THE “WRIGHT WAY” TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

2009-03-03T17:00:00.000Z

Recently I came across the following article and thought I would share this with you. I thought it very appropriate in these times of recession and financial difficulties although it was written over 100 years ago.

When Wilbur and Orville Wright finished the first successful manned flight on Dec. 17, 1903, they amazed and astonished the world. They also demonstrated the power of their problem solving method.

They not only solved a problem that others had found too complex and technical, but they did it without any help from outsiders. These brothers had little formal training or education, but they had amazing brainpower. Few accomplishments can match what these two former bicycle mechanics did with that flying machine.

The key principles of problem-solving used by the Wright brothers are still relevant for business owners today. There are only eight of them, and here they are:

Ø CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICT: This conflict can be used to discover and validate new ideas/strategies to find a practical answer.
Ø TACKLE WORST THINGS FIRST: When big problems are put first, the cost for the whole is limited to this set should a solution prove unachievable.
Ø JUST PLAIN TINKERING: New approaches can be created by tinkering with parts of a problem when you’re trying to understand it.
Ø RIGID FLEXIBILITY: Flexing the mind allows for thinking of possibilities outside the realm of policy, tradition, or experience.
Ø FOREVER LEARNING: Learning as a lifelong passion is essential for finding the information to solve problems.
Ø METHODICAL METICULOUSNESS: The fastest, most efficient way to solve a problem is by being meticulous and methodical in your approach.
Ø EQUITABLE TEAMWORK: The force of a group with a common purpose is multi-plied by interdependence and powered by trust, effort, profits, power, and honor.

A side benefit to these steps is that there is an added financial bonus. By using these principles, the Wright brothers minimized their costs to less than $1,000 and solved the problem of flight with mind-boggling speed. What business owner wouldn't want to solve a problem in his business and cut cost at the same time?

Book keeping Basics

2009-02-26T14:50:00.001Z

Most people probably think of bookkeeping and accounting as the same thing, but bookkeeping is really one function of accounting, while accounting encompasses many functions involved in managing the financial affairs of a business. Accountants prepare reports based, in part, on the work of bookkeepers.

Bookkeepers perform all manner of record-keeping tasks. Some of them include the following:

-They prepare what are referred to as source documents for all the operations of a business - the buying, selling, transferring, paying and collecting. The documents include papers such as purchase orders, invoices, credit card slips, time cards, time sheets and expense reports. Bookkeepers also determine and enter in the source documents what are called the financial effects of the transactions and other business events. Those include paying the employees, making sales, borrowing money or buying products or raw materials for production.

-Bookkeepers also make entries of the financial effects into journals and accounts. These are two different things. A journal is the record of transactions in chronological order. An accounts is a separate record, or page for each asset and each liability. One transaction can affect several accounts.

-Bookkeepers prepare reports at the end of specific period of time, such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. To do this, all the accounts need to be up to date. Inventory records must be updated and the reports checked and double-checked to ensure that they're as error-free as possible.

-The bookkeepers also compile complete listings of all accounts. This is called the adjusted trial balance. While a small business may have a hundred or so accounts, very large businesses can have more than 10,000 accounts.

-The final step is for the bookkeeper to close the books, which means bringing all the bookkeeping for a fiscal year to a close and summarized.

10 Tips for getting New Clients

2009-02-23T15:04:00.001Z

The art of getting new business is no mystery. In fact it’s so simple we miss the forest for the trees. Here are 10 tips to remind you how to build more client base.

1. Get New Business From Old. Ask existing clients for more business before you try warming up a stone cold lead. Ask the happy clients for referrals to people they know that you don’t – and be sure to keep track of who referred whom.

2. Pitch a Stranger. It’s like bad advertising when you blow hot air when pitching to a new prospect. In face-to-face mediating you’ve got to know what to say, and say it with conviction.

3. Give It To Me Straight. No one has time for the “warm-up”. Prepare well honed phrases and practice them in front of a mirror. People like it when you can get to the point rapidly and intelligently. If it’s by email, make sure they don’t have to scroll down to read it all.

4. Talk About Your Failures. Seriously! It builds credibility. Everyone can’t be perfect all the time, and when you can tell a prospect why you lost a client and what you’ve learned it’s a welcome change. They appreciate not getting the usual hot air & razzle-dazzle.

5. Offer a “Loss-Leader”. People are less and less apt to buy impulsively from a person if they don’t have a good feeling about them. Offering a loss-leader allows the relationship to mature over time. (Loss-leader is the practice of offering a product or service at a considerable discount and loss of profit to attract future business.)

6. Get Sold Yourself. Pick the most successful competitors in your area and let them sell you. Play customer and be aware of how you feel during each step, and see why their approach works so well. Car maufacturers buy each others cars and break them down to nuts and bolts. You can do the same thing in your space.

7. Pitch an Enemy. Find the most disagreeable son of a gun you can find and pitch him or her. Let them be as nasty as they please, then analyze later if anything they said had any merit. Be totally unemotional, and don’t defend anything. You’ll learn where you’re lacking after doing this.

8. Start an E-mail Newsletter. This is much like #5. Give them useful information week in and week out, or month in and month out. Make them happy to see your name in the “from” field. If they only hear from you when you want something, they’ll turn you off when they hear from you.

9. Offer Testimonials. Satisfied clients or customers can say things about you that you can never believable say about yourself. Use the person’s full name if possible when doing this. “KM from Buffalo” isn’t nearly as strong as “Kenneth Moore from Buffalo”.

10. Ask Questions. I can’t emphasize enough how important and how underused this tip is in business. Simply allowing people to verbalize their needs makes them happy and tells them you listen. It also allows you to hone in on the points to make when it’s your turn to talk.

It’s strange, but we become so busy doing business that we have a tendency to overlook what’s in front of our noses. Most of the tips listed, would come about if we ever had the time to visit with our customers while doing business.

Three Common Tasks You Can Outsource

2009-02-13T15:00:00.003Z

You can save a lot of time in your business by outsourcing some of the different parts of your online business. While you will always want to keep your finger on the pulse of every aspect of your business, certain tasks can easily be outsourced to talented freelancers, leaving you with more time and energy to focus on other things.

If you earn income on your website with Adsense ads, you know it can be a time consuming procedure tracking the ads and tweaking your site content to increase sales. You can outsource your entire Adsense campaign to a competent virtual assistant who can not only track your Adsense program, but can also write fresh content for your site to keep the search engine spiders happy and site visitors returning.

You can also outsource your sales processes by using affiliates to market your information products for you. When you create an affiliate program for your products, you agree to pay a percentage of the sales to others who publish sales pages and promote your products. By agreeing to pay your affiliates a healthy percentage of the profits, 50% for example, you can let them do the sales work for you while you collect a passive income. You can then spend your own time creating new products to put on the market.

A third task that lends itself well to outsourcing is the eBay auction portion of your sales funnel. If you use eBay to sell physical products, you know there is a great deal of time involved in processing orders and preparing them for shipping. This type of work, however, can be easily systemized, which makes it ideal for outsourcing. You can create a step-by-step process for fulfilling orders and maintaining customer service. All of your customers needs get met in the same way, assuring quality control, and you gain several hours back in your weekly schedule.

Why do you need a book keeper?

2009-02-11T15:30:00.001Z

As a business owner, you know that you have to record every financial aspect in your business. It isrequired by law. The books you record it in to will befor tax purposes and the figures should be accurate.However, you have to consider the fact that if you own an online business, there will be too many things on your mind and you will often tend to forget about doing the books. Being negligent on this part can incur serious penalties. If you don’t have enough time for book keeping, then you might want to try outsourcing book keeping for your online business.

Today, many companies are now outsourcing book keeping jobs in order to save time and be more efficient in running their business. Besides, if you let other people do your books, then you will be able to concentrate more on running your business. Outsourcing book keeping is as popular as it is very cheap.

You have to consider that outsourcing has become a trend in today's business world. Because it is a lot cheaper to outsource than to have an in house bookkeeper or accountant, many businesses today are now outsourcing their book keeping jobs.

These are the advantages of outsourcing book keeping.It will not only give you more time to concentrate inrunning your online business, but it will also saveyou a lot of money.
However, before you hire a book keeper to do this kindof job for you, you first need to remember that youhave to choose the right book keeping service first.

The first thing that you need to look for is the qualifications of the book keeping services company.The staff should be knowledgeable in the field of bookkeeping, and they should also be certified professional book keepers.

Besides the qualification, they also need to be experienced in the field of book keeping and are knowledgeable in the inner workings of businesses especially about financial transactions in businesses.You have to remember that one doesn’t need to hold a degree as an accountant in order to become a good bookkeeper. Normally, everyone can become a book keeper.The most important thing that you should look for in a book keeper is experience.

The portfolio of the book keeping services company you look for should also be good. The more clients they have, it will mean that they are trusted by people.Besides, as a businessman or woman, you too would understand the fact that people will only buy the services of businesses that they trust.

These are the things that you should look for in book keeping services companies when you plan on outsourcing your book keeping jobs to them. By having all the mentioned traits, you can be sure that you will be able to get your books back in time for taxtime.

Remember these tips and you will be able to have more time on running your business and save a lot of money.

One last thing - by outsourcing book keeping for your online business,you can be sure that you will have nothing to worry about when tax time comes. However, just remember that you have to give the book keeper you hire all the necessary information about your business and also your financial records or he/she cannot prepare accurate financial information to your accountant and taxes.

How Do You Find a Good Assistant for Outsourcing?

2009-02-05T15:00:00.000Z

If your business has reached the point where you have more work than you can handle, it could be time to start considering outsourcing. Outsourcing is the term used when you assign certain projects or tasks to freelance workers who are not regular employees of yours.

You can outsource a one-time situation, on occasion or on a regular basis with a contract. Many small-business owners, especially solo-preneurs have found outsourcing to be a valuable way to extend their ability to cover all the tasks that need to be taken care of in their business.

So where do you look for outsourcing? There are many different sources of freelancers available on the Internet. Each one will have a wide variety of freelancers and services. Most include various categories of work such as content creation, IT work, graphics work, video or audio content creation, accounting, sales etc.

Here, some things in keep in mind as you look for the perfect person to help you accomplish all the aspects of your business:-

Ask for recommendations or testimonials from previous clients. Like most situations, testimonials are likely to only speak to the positive. If a freelancer has several testimonials readily available, however, it does speak to their consistency of work.
Do they have a website? Look at the site and noticed the detail involved. Are things spelled correctly, laid out neatly, easy to navigate? If an individual doesn't put the time into their own website to make it look professional, they may not be the best choice for your business either.
Look for feedback. Many on-site freelance work sites allow an employer to provide feedback to a contract worker after the job is completed. Generally speaking, this feedback is not accessible by the freelancer for editing, so this should be a reliable source of information.
Ask for referrals from people you know. Check with your colleagues and find out if they do any outsourcing and what services they use. If they have had good luck with a particular source or service, they should be happy to share the information.

The list is actually quite endless. Of course finding the competent, quality freelancer you're looking for is a little more complicated than simply clicking on a website. Take the time to do your homework, ask around for recommendations and take it slow when you first start out and you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect person for your needs.

7 Tasks Online Business Owners Can Easily & Quickly Outsource

2009-02-02T16:00:00.006Z

As an online business owner, you've probably heard the term “outsourcing” more than once. Outsourcing is a great way to expand your business while freeing up your own time and saving money too. But, what exactly can you get help with in your business and how will it help? Keep reading for seven tasks that can easily and quickly be handed off to someone else allowing you to focus on more important things in your business and personal life.

Content Creation – Ah, the basis of all websites, content is a necessity if you want your prospects to actually find you on the Internet. Hiring a ghostwriter to produce content such as articles, special reports, eBooks, and more is one of the best ways to grow your business and free up your time.
Article Marketing – Submitting your articles to directories is very time consuming but another necessity to grow your business. You can find a virtual assistant who specializes in article submissions for very little costs.
Graphic Design – The majority of people aren't born with the gift of artistic ability. If you’re one too, outsourcing graphic work is a god-send. No more spending hours trying to put together a professional looking graphic that turns out blurry or indistinct.
Technical Tasks – Technical stuff isn't everyone's best friend. As a matter of fact, many online business owners have a fear of the techie side of their business and for good reason. In one click you can lose it all if you don’t know what you’re doing. Save yourself from the possible heartache by hiring someone who specializes in this area to maintain your website or create software for you.
Bookkeeping/Tax Preparation – Most of us dislike the numbers side of business (unless of course your business is bookkeeping). Unless it’s the numbers making it into our pockets we just don’t have an interest in the figures. Save yourself a lot of heartache at tax time and hire a bookkeeper. Then when your accountant asks for your annual information you can simply hand it over!
Customer Service – Many online marketers have a hard time letting go of this part of their business, but in all actuality it serves more than one purpose. You no longer spend an entire day replying to or checking your email. Even better, you aren't emotionally attached to the responses you might receive. When you’re that close to the action words can hurt. If you let someone who is not so vested in your business, you’ll only see the things necessary for your input. Let the haters have their say, now you don’t have to let it get you down.
Website Design & Maintenance – Do you have a vision for your website, but have no idea how to make it real? Let a professional handle it. No need to learn every little detail in order to keep your site maintained or even created from scratch.

These are only 7 of the many, many tasks that can easily be outsourced to someone else. Take a minute to think of the things you could use a hand with or just want to be relieved of in your business and start researching people who can help you get them done. Once you start removing things from your plate, you can then focus on the things you enjoy doing in your business – the things that an owner should be centering their attention on.

10 Top Budgeting Tips

2009-01-30T15:00:00.003Z

Here are some helpful hints regarding budgeting which I hope you will find useful.

If you've been reading my blog you will have seen my tips on organising your office. A well organised admin system makes all the difference to being able to find the necessary information needed for your budget quickly. Budgeting is a bit of a chore so anything that helps is a must.
Keep all paper records filed using an alphabetical and date system.

Keep all spreadsheets up to date. If you are not good at this pay someone a couple of hours a week or month to do this for you. It's well worth the money n the long run.

Utilise the spreadsheet charts and filter systems - again pay someone a one-off fee for setting up spreadsheet solutions for you. Once these are created all you have to do is enter the information. The secret of success is to keep these records up to date either daily or monthly.

Don't let yourself worry about the recession and prevent you planning. It's very easy to procrastinate and the more you do this the more you will worry and this could start to have an adverse affect on your business.

If you can afford to have someone help you with your budget and forecasting this could be money well spent.

Remember to keep your budget in view as the year progresses. You may need to update or change your plan as the financial climate changes.

Be flexible and look for new opportunities opening up even if they are not in your plan.

Keep a constant check on your finances and if you have a cash flow problem talk to your Bank Manager before he sends you one of 'those' letters!

If you do need to see your Bank Manager take your budget and forecast plan with you so that he/she can see what you are trying to achieve for your business. This will also help him/her assess the overdraft facility you may need.

How do you manage your budget?

2009-01-19T15:00:00.001Z

Lets face it budgeting is one of those topics we'd rather avoid, but in business, it's an absolute necessity. To prepare a reasoned and thoughtful budget, an accountant or must start with a broad-based critical analysis of the most recent actual performance and position of the business by the managers who are responsible for the results. Then the managers decide on specific and concrete goals for the coming year. It demands a fair amount of management time and energy. Budgets should be worth this time and effort. It's one of the key components of a manager's job.
To construct budged financial statements, a manager needs good models of the profit, cash flow and financial condition of your business. Models are blueprints or schematics of how things work. A business budget is, at its core, a financial blueprint of the business. Budgeting relies on financial models that are the foundation for preparing budgeted financial statements. Those statements include:
--Budgeted income statement (or profit report): This statement highlights the critical information that managers need for making decisions and exercising control. Much of the information in an internal profit report is confidential and should not be divulged outside the business.
--Budgeted balance sheet: The connections and ratios between sales revenue and expenses and their corresponding assets and liabilities are the elements of the basic model for the budgeted balance sheet.
--Budgeted statement of cash flows: The changes in assets and liabilities from their balances at the end of the year just concluded to the projected balances at the end of the coming year determine cash flow from profit for the coming year.
Budgeting requires good working models of profit performance, financial condition, and cash flow from profit. Constructing good budgets is a strong incentive for businesses to develop financial models that not only help in the budgeting process but also help managers in making strategic decisions.
This may seem very daunting to the small business owner, but a certain amount of budgeting and planning needs to be done, especially in these times of recession. It is most important that you know where every penny is going and whether the cost is productive. Some outlay is necessary, however, to ensure your budget and forecasting is accurate. An accountant can be expensive and if you need help at a lower cost you can visit my website or email me for an estimate of cost.
Website: www.mgbusinesssupportservices.com
Email: support@mgbusinesssupportservices.com

Office Organisation - The Secret of Success? Part 2

2008-12-18T10:00:00.001Z

Just like paperwork, computer files need to be kept neat and tidy to ensure that they can be found easily. I am assuming that your operating system is microsoft based where files are stored in drives. If you work for a medium to large company there may be several drives and each department may have a separate one. If you work for a smaller company you may only have one - like on most home computers. Each of these drives then consist of directories to hold your folders and files.

It is these Directories that need a system. All files, folders and directories will automatically be sorted into alphabetical order so you don't need to worry about that. Main directories come first, then folders and then files. Let's use an example - you work in accounts, so in all probability your main directory will be called Accounts. In your main directory you may then have folders for each year and in the year folders, files for that year. The year folders can also be sub-divided into names of clients or members of staff, whatever seems most suitable. As a company developes so the filing system may need to be revised.

It is good practice to keep reviewing your filing systems so that files can be found easily. As time goes by so files increase and you don't want to have to spend valuable time looking for them. There isn't a definitive system for filing, but common sense and practical usage is paramount.

Just one last comment - keep your systems simple and use directory/folder names that are easily understood by all who have to use them. This is a task that my consultancy offers. I would always ensure that I discussed with the staff using the files that any system I set up is user friendly and tailor made for their needs. For more information please go to my website: http://www.mgbusinesssupportservices.com/

Office Organisation - The Secret of Success?

2008-12-16T20:48:00.001Z

Have you ever searched for what seems like hours for that important address or necessary document? Has your boss stood at the side of your desk while you try to find that spreadsheet on your computer? Whether it's paper records or computer records the quicker you can find them the more time you have to actually deal with an enquiry. And the less frustrated you feel!

When I first started work computers were not the norm. It was paper records........mounds of paper records! My first job was in the Inland Revenue as a Tax Officer. Sounds like a grand title, but everyone had to start at the bottom! And the bottom was - you've guessed it - FILING!! Nowadays not many businesses have the resources to employ someone just to keep the filing up to date. Nor is it so necessary because of computers. However, some thought needs to be given to filing systems whether on the computer or paper records.

Firstly lets look at paper records. There are two main things to consider regarding filing these - having a system i.e. alphabetical/type of record and ensuring everyone knows the system.

In a smaller business it is usually whoever has the time (ha! ha!) does the filing. However, if you have a filing system, rather than a heap of paper (or several heaps of paper) and you ensure that everyone is aware of it, the several heaps can be minimised. If, say as part of the wind down to the weekend, Friday afternoon is filing time and everyone in the office helps it is all soon done. Come Monday, everything is in order to start the week.

For the office with an unusually high paper base a daily filing time is a good idea. Last thing before going home is a good time and then you start the next day afresh.

If it is part of your job to keep the filing up to date it is still a good idea to to have a time for doing this. It is also important that everyone knows your system for those times you are absent from the office. It's sod's law that you boss needs a file while you're at lunch so he/she needs to know how to find it. Of course there are some bosses who can't be bothered to learn the system and so a list on the outside of filing cabinets can be useful. You only need to put brief details on these lists.

These sort of lists are useful whatever the office size and they do ensure that everyone can find relevant files. This goes a long way to an efficiently run company and consequently a profitable one.

Making Life Easier - simple Excel Formulas

2008-12-16T20:47:00.001Z

You can save yourself a lot of time and boring effort by adding simple formulas to your spreadsheets.

Suppose you use a time sheet for keeping a record of your daily activities. Down one column is each date of the month and in the next column is the day. One way of achieving this is to laboriously enter each date and and day by typing it into the cells. Another way is to fill the date column using 'auto-fill', but you would still need to enter the day of the week individually.

However there is an easier way that takes a few seconds. Once you have entered the correct formulas all you need to do is complete the first day of the month (i.e. 01/04/08) in the top cell and the formulas do the rest.

The formula you use for the date column is +1 and the formula for the day column is =TEXT(B2,DDD) assuming B2 is the 1st date of the month.

I have prepared a spreadsheet showing this. If you click on the link at the side of this article for Google Docs this will take you to my sample spreadsheet. Scroll down to the bottom of the sheet and click on 'edit this page'. By clicking on the 'File' menu you have an option to export the file. Export it as a 'xls' file to your Excel spreadsheets on your computer. You can then click on the cells to see the formulas.

You can change the date in the first date of the month cell and see all the changes happen as if by magic!!

If you have any problems with Google Docs please email me at admin@margaretgammons.co.uk or add a comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Easy Spreadsheet Solutions - The Next Step

2008-12-16T20:46:00.000Z

So, you've started your spreadsheet and got your headings in place. Why bother to format the headings? Or the sheet for that matter. Excel formulas and data are still there! If a spreadsheet looks attractive and has formatted headings etc. it is not only easier to read, but less tiring on the eyes. You are less likely to make errors when entering data because you will see immediately where data needs to go.

In my career I have come across many spreadsheets which not only look very boring, but it has taken me some time to work out where the data is that I need. There have been times when I've been accused of spending valuable time on formatting and I have, on occasions, removed all formatting to show that it does help visually and thereby saves time in the long term. Time is a valuable commodity in today's business world.

So, experiment with colours and fonts to get a pleasing looking spreadsheet. It must be easy to read, so don't go mad with your colours etc.! I have also seen spreadsheets with every colour imaginable and they can be just as difficult to read as one with no formatting.

Have you looked at the sample spreadsheet in google docs yet? When you click on the link on the sidebar it will take you to the sample spreadsheet. You then need to click on 'Edit this page' to take you to the spreadsheet proper. As I mentioned in an earlier article if you compare row 2 with row 8 this shows the difference between a non formatted heading row and a formatted one. Before experimenting with formatting you will need to copy this file to your computer as using 'Google Docs' only has limited facilities. To copy it over to your computer click on the 'File' tab and go to 'Export' and then 'xls'. A further pop-up box will appear and click on 'save'. This should then bring a further option as to where to save the file on your computer. You could start a new folder with 'Sample Spreadsheets' as the name.

To format row 8 I highlighted the whole row by clicking on the row number. I then right clicked on the row and a drop down menu appears. Go down this menu to 'Format Cells'. There are several tabs with different functions. I used the 'alignment' tab, the 'font' tab' the 'border' and 'fill' tabs. If you do this you will see what I formatted. Experiment with the different tabs and views to get a tile row which pleases you.

When I have satisfied myself on the look of the title row I then usually highlight all the columns/rows below and put a border line in as shown on rows 10 - 20 on Sheet 1 (2). Again to do this I highlighted the rows and columns I wanted to format and right clicked and then went to Format Cells, Borders. The reason for this is that if you need to print a page for your manager it looks more professional if you get rid of the grid lines. Look at Sheet 1 (3) and click print preview. Compare this with Sheet 1 (2) print preview. This is all a matter of preferences so experiment with various alternatives. Your manager may like a certain look to his spreadsheets/reports so check with him/her before finalising things.

Just one point on all this formatting - you can always change it! Nothing is set in tablets of stone unless you have a corporate image to maintain.

This does all sound time consuming to the beginner, but believe me the more you practice the quicker you will get. And also your spreadsheets will become more and more professional to look at. Consequently they will become easier to use.

Any queries please complete a contact form on my website - Contact page - and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Website: www.margaretgammons.co.uk

Easy Spreadsheet Solutions - starting out

2008-12-16T20:45:00.000Z

So here you are biting your nails and wondering what to do next! Your boss has given you a new task - to set up a spreadsheet to monitor holidays in your department. Challenge - you have never started a spreadsheet from scratch before, at least not one others will need to look at and verify the information. This will not just be your boss, but other managers too.

Having opened excel and have a new spreadsheet on your screen the first thing to do is save the file with an appropriate title. e.g. Team Holidays. You will go to the appropriate directory and file/ save as/Team Holidays - draft. By saving the file as a draft you let anyone else know that this is work in progress and not yet for use. There may be a directory already in existence which is available for this purpose.

Your next task is to find out exactly what information is needed on the spreadsheet. e.g. is the holiday allocation to be shown in days or hours? Hours is often easier if you have part time staff or staff with different hours on different days. Also you need the names of the staff together with their start date. For employees who have been with the company for the whole of the year this is not necessary although can prove useful information. However, for those who joined the company during the year it is necessary to calculate the pro rata holidays. Similarly those leaving during the year will need to have their holidays recalculated. HR departments will often advise you of the entitlements, but this may depend on the size of your company.

It is now time to put all this information on the spreadsheet. You will need a header row so that you know what information is required in each column. It's a good idea to format this in bold type. You can also add borders to the headings. This makes them, stand out from the information cells. Have fun and play around with different colours, fonts and borders. One very important thing to note is to REMEMBER TO SAVE FREQUENTLY! I have lost information and files by not doing this and my computer has crashed - very frustrating.

So that you can have an idea of the difference formatting make go to my link showing Spreadsheet Examples and click on Sample Holidays. This will take you to a spreadsheet showing some of this. At the top of the spreadsheet is the basic information with no formatting and if you go down to row 8 you will see this formatted.

Don't be afraid to experiment depending on the time you have. It is time well spent because a well formatted spreadsheet is easier to read, prints out the data in a clearer, more readable way and will therefore save you and your manager time in the long run.

If you would like any further help please go to my website and complete a contact form found on the 'Contact' page with your query and I will get back to you.

Office Organisation - Record keeping

2008-12-16T20:42:00.000Z

In previous articles regarding Office organisation we have looked at filing, both paper and computer. Now lets have a brief look at the actual records themselves.

Firstly, why do we need to keep records? This may seem a silly question, but it is surprising how many businesses don't keep adequate records. Some small firms often have a drawer, or several drawers, crammed full of paper. They may have separated these records into 'bills', 'clients' and payments inward/outward, but this doesn't help find a specific record when needed.

What might you need these records for? A telephone number, an address, the last order a client made? You also may wish to advise all your clients of a new product or service you are offering. An excel spreadsheet is one of the best ways of keeping these records. An access database is another, but requires more technical training.

Let's look at an excel spreadsheet. On one sheet in a spreadsheet file there is enough cells to keep huge amounts of data. By using a sheet for each 'filing' type you can keep most of your business information in one file. This information can then be used to create reports, mailing lists and simple profit and loss information. By the use of formulas, pivot tables and macros your simple spreadsheet can give you professional reports and up to the minute information easily.

OK, so you're not an excel whizkid. This is where a Virtual Assistant can help and once again is something my consultancy offers. We look at your current computer files and after discussion with you make the spreadsheets work to suit your business needs. This can be as a one-off task or can be ongoing to help you keep your records up to date. If you would like more information please go to my website and you will find a simple form to complete on the 'Contact' page.

Time Management

2008-12-16T20:41:00.000Z

Where to start! There has been so much written on this subject and for many years now time management has been one of the key areas for employee training. It started with training top managers, executive officers and working directors. It was then considered useful for middle managers and sales staff. Now, the majority of office staff and anyone who needs to schedule work for themselves - i.e. employees who don't have a set daily time frame for completing tasks, but even then to encourage employees to seek promotion or other areas in the company this is useful training.

There are many tools to help you manage your time. The obvious one is a good paper diary system and is still needed even in this computer age. One of my favourites is the Franklin Covey system - see the link in the sidebar and visit their website. Franklin Covey offer not just a diary system, but self help books and also training courses.

Another system is the Outlook calender and other computerised diaries. These have built in reminder systems together with the ability to schedule meetings and appointments. Technology has really developed this area so check out new updates on the web. On my website -http://www.margaretgammons.co.uk/ -there is a link to a book from the Society Of Virtual Assistants on Time Management which has lots of useful information.

It is now mostly a matter of personal choice - whichever system suits you. Sometimes there can be a corporate system and this obviously must be used. If, however, you are in a position of influence in these companies it is worth keeping yourself up to speed on any new systems. This could be time saving in the long term.

Saving time - considered delegating?

2008-12-16T20:40:00.000Z

Over the years in business I have found the most difficult thing is to delegate work. I suppose I start from the premise that no-one else can do the work as well as I can! Many of us are very proud of how well we do all our tasks and cannot imagine anyone else comes up to our perfectionist standards.

It was a bitter blow to learn that others can do certain tasks as well as I can. We all have our own particular skills and we excel at certain tasks. This doesn't mean, however, that someone else cannot do these tasks just as well. With me it was the fear that another person would mess up my work that stopped me, but why should they?

Take letter writing. When I write a business letter I have my own style. So does the next person. Compare both letters and provided they are giving the same information, in an understandable way, each letter is fine.

So why not delegate. Anyone running their own small business can easily get overwhelmed with the amount of individual things they need to do each day or week. Sometimes, though, the amount of work that could be delegated does not warrant actually employing someone permanently. There is now an alternative - employ a Virtual Assistant. Have a look at my previous articles on Virtual Assistants for guidance. Or go to my website http://www.margaretgammons.co.uk/ for more information. On the Business Resources page of my website you will also find a book you can purchase for much fuller information.

How to create a spreadsheet from scratch - part 3

2008-12-16T20:39:00.000Z

Have you looked at the sample spreadsheet in google docs yet? When you click on the link on the sidebar it will take you to the sample spreadsheet. You then need to click on 'Edit this page' to take you to the spreadsheet proper. As I mentioned in an earlier article if you compare row 2 with row 8 this shows the difference between a non formatted heading row and a formatted one. Before experimenting with formatting you will need to copy this file to your computer as using 'Google Docs' only has limited facilities. To copy it over to your computer click on the 'File' tab and go to 'Export' and then 'xls'. A further pop-up box will appear and click on 'save'. This should then bring a further option as to where to save the file on your computer. You could start a new folder with 'Sample Spreadsheets' as the name.

To format row 8 I highlighted the whole row by clicking on the row number. I then right clicked on the row and a drop down menu appears. Go down this menu to 'Format Cells'. There are several tabs with different functions. I used the 'alignment' tab, the 'font' tab' the 'border' and 'fill' tabs. If you do this you will see what I formatted. Experiment with the different tabs and views to get a tile row which pleases you.

When I have satisfied myself on the look of the title row I then usually highlight all the columns/rows below and put a border line in as shown on rows 10 - 20 on Sheet 1 (2). Again to do this I highlighted the rows and columns I wanted to format and right clicked and then went to Format Cells, Borders. The reason for this is that if you need to print a page for your manager it looks more professional if you get rid of the grid lines. Look at Sheet 1 (3) and click print preview. Compare this with Sheet 1 (2) print preview. This is all a matter of preferences so experiment with various alternatives. Your manager may like a certain look to his spreadsheets/reports so check with him/her before finalising things.

Just one point on all this formatting - you can always change it! Nothing is set in tablets of stone unless you have a corporate image to maintain.

This does all sound time consuming to the beginner, but believe me the more you practice the quicker you will get. And also your spreadsheets will become more and more professional to look at. Consequently they will become easier to use.

If you have any problems with the spreadsheet please email me at admin@margaretgammons.co.uk.

How to create a spreadsheet from scratch - part 2

2008-12-16T20:38:00.000Z

How to find a Virtual Assistant

2008-12-16T20:37:00.000Z

The obvious answer is 'on the Internet'! But where?

Not wishing to teach my grandmother to suck eggs.......by using the keywords 'Virtual Assistant' a whole host of websites appear, so how do you choose? There are several websites which have lists of Virtual Assistants who have been checked out and are therefore bona fide people to use. Three of these websites have links on my website. They are 'Free Index', 'Society of Virtual Assistants' and 'UK Association of Virtual Assistants'. There are many more. Also, all Virtual Assistants have their own websites so you can look at these. It can be a little daunting, but is less time consuming than the recruiting process used by employers today.
Most Virtual Assistants will supply references which helps reassure employers. This is no more complicated than employing a temp and less hassle!
Work can be sent through in a variety of ways depending on what is needed. There are sites on the Internet which specialise in this and also guarantee privacy and confidentiality.

So to finish, it is really easy to get a Virtual Assistant once you have done the research. And when you have found one that suits your business needs they can be used as often as required.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

2008-12-16T20:35:00.000Z

Virtual assistants are independent entrepreneurs who work remotely and use technology to deliver services to clients globally. Virtual Assistants (VA's) are qualified administrative specialists who offer their services 'virtually' to other businesses via the use of today's growing electronic technology, and have adapted traditional skills to a virtual marketplace. They are business owners themselves who provide a variety of skills to help small business owners and other professionals manage their back end administrative activities and creative services. These skills include administrative, executive, marketing, secretarial, customer support and others that can help small businesses become more effective and productive. Virtual Assistants is the largest UK employment agency resource which matches people that work from home with the businesses that need their skills.

One really useful thing about using VA’s is that they can help you get your work done without increasing your payroll. Virtual Assistants most often charge an hourly fee or a monthly retainer, and charge only for actual hours used on projects. They are very cost effective because you only pay them when they work. Also there are no payroll costs i.e. National Insurance, tax, pensions, training or HR admin. Another is, as mentioned above, you only pay for the time taken to complete any work. You don't pay for lunch hours or tea breaks!

And how do you find a VA? See my next article due to be published early next week.

How to save money and time

2008-12-16T20:34:00.001Z

Paying for software to help with the day to day running of your company can be expensive. Also most software applications are not always exactly what you want or need to help you be more efficient and cut down on precious time which could be spent more effectively. Another consideration is that admin staff don't always have the time to look for more efficient ways of using spreadsheets and databases and this is where a Virtual Assitant is useful. If you are not sure what a virtual assistant is, my next article will explain this.

One thing I love doing is setting up administration systems, tailor-made to suit a company's needs using basic Microsoft office applications, mainly excel and access. I have found that by looking at current spreadsheets or databases I can often make them more efficient and easier to use. I have also found that looking at companies' admin/record keeping systems, 80% can be improved or overhauled to make them simpler to use and cut down on time spent entering information. As a busy manager you may need to know how certain products/services are selling or how many current clients you have. This can all be programmed into spreadsheets or database so that at the touch of a button you can have current reports, charts or graphs. This can save you and your staff time and money and give you very accurate reports.

In this Blog I will be giving some basic tips for the novice excel/access user so watch this space!

My website link is below, so please visit this for more information.

http://www.margaretgammons.co.uk/