Blog Archives - Page 4 of 5

How to take your existing business skills successfully into different ventures and different markets.

Having a “job for life” is something that’s rare in today’s world. Changes in the economy, general uncertainty and advances in technology are some of the reasons why “safe jobs” in many traditional industries are changing. New jobs are often advertised as zero hours contracts, shift work, or temporary assignments.

This shift in corporate thinking has filtered down to local businesses and I’m sure it has prompted a surge in both men and women taking on self-employment to create a secondary income. It’s not uncommon to meet someone employed in one job who also runs their own business as a side-line to bring in some extra cash.

This has lots of different rewards and many people carve out a lucrative income and flexible, family-friendly lifestyle, by working for themselves following tried and trusted methods. Instead of being seen as a supplementary income, with the right organisation and attitude, the sky is the limit. What may have started out as a side-line or hobby can become a primary source of income for many people.

I’m talking about my work as an Arbonne Independent Consultant through which I have discovered a way to complement my existing work and extend the range of products and services I can offer my clients. I am able to use my business skills in accounting, customer service, organisation and administration, to put together ideas and strategies to help individuals and business owners alike.

If you’ve heard of Arbonne, you’ll know the principles behind this world-leader in nutrition, skincare, bath, body and hair products. But, there’s more. Through using the products myself I was invited to join an Arbonne team. This was the launchpad for me to use my existing business skills to organise events and showcase the products to potential customers.

Then to prove Arbonne is an excellent opportunity for men and women to be involved, I introduced my friend Jon Smythe from Smooth Design to the range of products and discussed the potential for running events together.

Jon’s background in graphic design enables him to create powerful, eye-catching images for his clients. He also has many years of experience in network marketing, successfully promoting a range of healthcare products to an audience in the UK and abroad. With consumer interest shifting, Jon agreed to try the Arbonne products for himself.

Then following our conversations, Jon was impressed with the products and the company ethos enough to become an Arbonne Independent Consultant himself, switching from the healthcare products he had previously promoted and transferring his skills to the new market.

I asked Jon for a quote to share in this blog about how I’ve helped him transfer from promoting his previous products across to Arbonne and join the team with me. This is what he said:

“I first met Rachael when she was known as “The Contracts Lady”, helping business owners with their legal documents and terms and conditions. Rachael is extraordinary as an accountability partner. It’s what she’s best at. She’s efficient and organised and will help you achieve anything you need to do, when you need to do it. Whatever I say to Rachael I need done she will make sure I get it done.” – Jon Smythe, Smooth Designs.

Through our individual work and regular collaborations creating pop-up shops and other events, Jon and I are pleased to see the impact of Arbonne products, such as the fizz sticks and skin creams, being used on a daily basis by new and existing customers.

I find talking about the benefits between a healthy body and a healthy mind are so intrinsically linked that you cannot have one without the other. I am organising several events this year and looking for people to join me, either to try the products or to hear more about the lifestyle benefits.

If you would like to know more about the sustainably sourced, gluten-free, 100% vegan certified products in the Arbonne range, including the popular fizz sticks that beat the afternoon energy slump, please contact me either by emailing rachael@rachaelchiverton.co.uk or by telephoning 07756 772950. Together we can make a big difference using your existing skills in different markets.

Does Social Media Make A Difference To Your Business?

It’s hard to remember a time when social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc., was just used for social interactions. You’d post a photo of your dinner, or your cat, you might keep a journal, or share a joke. Your online friends were people you knew well, people you went to school with or who lived in the same town. Social media was a smaller pool of information with a limited reach and audience.

However, studies carried out in 2019 suggest there are 3.48 billion people using social media on mobile devices with a growth of 297 million users, a year-on-year addition of over 10%. That’s a lot of people you could put your message in front of and social media is now an integral part of most businesses marketing strategies.

For many people, social media is also an essential part of everyday life. Checking for new activity and commenting on recent posts is probably one of the first things many business owners do each day, along with making a cup of coffee and checking emails. You don’t even need to be in the office to do this as social media platforms are available 24×7 on your smartphone and tablet.

If this sounds strange, just consider these key reasons why business owners need social media:

You have access to an instant global audience across multiple platforms.
You can connect directly with potential customers using targeted marketing.
Social media can influence whether people buy your products and services or not.

Going back to the idea of posting a photo of your dinner on social media, if this is done from a business perspective, it can have a substantial impact on the person viewing the post. If, for example, your business is in the fitness industry, a photo of a healthy meal along with a motivational message or special offer could prompt an enquiry from someone. This could lead to them buying a product, visiting your gym, or trying your health programme. All from a photo of your dinner.

Other examples include videos of car journeys to advertise car manufacturers, garages, taxi firms and travel companies. Before and after photos are popular with business owners demonstrating how their hair, make-up and skin care products can transform your look and your confidence. We are very receptive to visual stories and these are extremely successful ways to market almost any product or service.

Social media is an invitation to interact with people from anywhere in the world. If you can post regular, interesting, educational, informative, or simply fun messages, you’ll soon attract a loyal following of people keen to hear what you have to say next.

This is the key to becoming visible online. If you think of the 3.48 billion people online, it can be daunting to start thinking how you can stand out and how you can attract new customers. Simply by delivering regular posts targeted to users on via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, you can maximise the impact of your marketing budget.

This is where I can help. If you’re stuck thinking what to write or worried people won’t see what you’ve posted, I can help. I’ve recently launched a new service called “A Post A Day” designed to take away the stress of creating content and scheduling it across the social media platforms.

So, if you’d like to get your message in front of as many people as possible, please give me a call on 07756 772950 or visit http://getfocus.guru/a-post-a-day and let’s get started.

Merry Christmas And End Of The Year Reflections

Over the last twelve months I’ve covered many different topics through the Focus Guru and RachaelChiverton blogs. Some of the blogs have been written to address common questions I’m asked about business and contracts and others have been about mindset, creating habits and making the best use of time.

Here is a re-cap of everything I’ve covered, from my Communications and Cashflow Workshop with James Perryman, to the business skills we can learn from our pets.

I’ve had some lovely feedback from clients in different sectors who are gaining huge benefits from the improved time management and streamlined processes I have helped to implement.

If I can help you or your staff with any business related issue, please contact me either by emailing rachael@rachaelchiverton.co.uk or by telephoning 07756 772950. I offer a free 15 minute consultation and will work with you to make small changes that make a big difference.

January

February

March

April

May

June

August

September

October

November

December

Relax and Buy Your Christmas Gifts at the Wet Led Pop Up Shop
How to look after yourself and your business in the Christmas party season
How To Schedule Your Social Media So You Can Spend More Time Doing What You Want
Merry Christmas And End Of The Year Reflections

Thank you for sharing this year with me. As 2019 draws to a close, I hope to continue working with you, developing new strategies, boosting your social media presence, creating new habits and being accountable with sticking to them, writing your contracts and enhancing your processes and productivity. Let’s make 2020 your best year yet!

How To Schedule Your Social Media So You Can Spend More Time Doing What You Want

Social media is arguably the most powerful way to transmit your message around the world in seconds. From the moment you think it, you can type it, speak it, video it and within the blink of an eye your message is online for anyone to read, listen to or watch.

It's easy to stop social media overload — It’s easy to stop social media overload

If you want to be seen, social media is a great way to publish news about yourself and your business. Writing a post about taking on a new employee, launching a new product, or attending an event, are popular messages to broadcast.

As soon as your post is online, your message is instantly available to people in your circle of friends and connections. Using relaxed privacy settings, friends of friends can view your posts and, if you choose, your message can be broadcast to the world at large.

But, keep in mind your posts aren’t the only posts on the Internet. How will someone see your news above your competitor’s news? Why would someone want to follow your company? How will it benefit them?

If you want to be remembered, it’s important to keep posting new items, new stories and new news that your viewers can absorb. It takes time to remember someone and even longer if there are lots of things to remember at once.

With the quantity of information online, to be remembered takes consistent effort to keep your message at the front of people’s minds.

It’s no longer enough to post once a month as your message will be seen by several people, then pushed further down in their memory as new content from other people supersedes your message. Even posting once a week is having a limited effect for many businesses.

Building up a loyal following takes time and each time you post, the content must add value to the reader, the listener or the watcher. It must inform or entertain. Or both. You may remember the last video clip you watched, or the last Live you watched. Or, as quickly as you watched it, the content perhaps made you think or laugh, and then it was forgotten.

So, the consistency of posting then becomes important. Creating a post a day across different platforms is the consistent way to keep your message at the top of people’s minds. If they need a window cleaner, they’ll think of you. If they need a new car, they’ll think of you. Or an accountant, web designer, solicitor etc. they will think of you. Social media is available for every type of business.

If you don’t think you have enough news to share or are concerned people may find what you do boring, this isn’t the case. There is always something to write. It could relate to trending news, or an anniversary, or to something that’s happened in your working day. Your daily post could mention upcoming events, promotions, awards, functions, legislation changes, motivational quotes.

Anything that could be of value to your audience is worth posting.

But creating content isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. This is where I can help you with the writing and scheduling of your social media to free up your time for the things you want to do. Creating interesting, quality content and scheduling the consistent release of new news and information is a simple way to add lasting value to your social media presence.

Launching this month, I am happy to share my new service called “A Post A Day” which is available to individuals and business owners who want to enhance their social media presence with consistent quality posts every day.

For more information and details about signing up for a trial, please visit https://getfocus.guru/a-post-a-day or call me on 07756 772950 and I can answer any questions about this exciting new service available for your business.

How to look after yourself and your business in the Christmas party season

December is a great time of the year for social get-togethers and work parties. Lots of people relax, let their hair down, and there’s a party atmosphere that lasts for most of the month. I always have the feeling of closure as the year ends and lots of anticipation to see what’s next.

Many of my clients have their planned work-dos, office parties, meals out and in-office celebrations. If you have a partner who works in an office or has a team get-together, then you may have double the number of invitations to indulge in the festive spirit.

And talking of spirits, and wine, and beer, this month is renowned for excess. Lots to eat. Lots to drink. Late nights. Lots of socialising and partygoing. These indulgences can have a huge toll on our health and wellbeing, sometimes without us realising. The effect on our body and mind can be slow going, things taking longer, clouded thinking and poor decision making.

But, just like a winter cold, these symptoms can be treated without missing out on the fun.

I can recommend four things which will help your after-party hangover and keep you feeling fresh and fit to cope with your end-of-year workload.

Complete Hydration

When drinking alcohol your body needs to rehydrate to clear that fuzzy, sludgy feeling that makes everything seem more difficult than usual. Complete Hydration is a product filled with electrolytes to support rehydration and make you feel normal again!

Fizz Sticks

I love these and use them nearly every day to boost my health and wellbeing. Each fizz stick is packed with antioxidants, ginseng, vitamin B and natural caffeine. These help with improving your mental alertness and reducing fatigue.

Rescue and Renew Detox Soap

Who can resist relaxing in a warm bath to ease away troubles? These quick-dissolving sea salt crystals contain grapefruit, orange, lavender, rosemary and ginger oil and are perfect for unwinding after talking and dancing all evening.

Bio-Hydria Herbal Infusion Drink

As if these ideas weren’t enough to revitalise you, there are more ways you can stay hydrated, relaxed and focussed. Instead of relying on traditional tea and coffee, these hydrating teabags filled with chamomile, rosemary and wild thyme, are designed to give you a natural boost throughout the day.

While you’re looking after yourself and making sure you’re feeling 100%, this will naturally help your business to run smoothly, which in turn can lower your stress levels, which in turn keeps you on a healthy track for success in 2020.

If you want more time and more energy and more choice, take the time to look after yourself even more than usual during the party season.

If you would like to find out more about these “hangover cures” please get in touch on 07756 772950 or call into my pop-up shop next Thursday (19^th December 2019) at the Wet Led Bar in Church Street, Macclesfield. Next Thursday is also the last posting day if you would like to order energy products to be delivered in time for Christmas. Please see my online shop at www.rachaelchiverton.arbonne.com for exciting Christmas gift ideas for friends and family.

Relax and Buy Your Christmas Gifts at the Wet Led Pop Up Shop

Are you finding Christmas shopping a little bit stressful? Or are you guilty of putting it off altogether? Don’t worry, you’re not alone and I have the perfect solution for you!

Many people spend more money on Christmas gifts and activities in December than they spend in all of the other months combined. This could be to do with buying something for everyone all at once, rather than staggering purchases throughout the year. It could be to do with the constant TV advertising reminding us the holidays are coming. Then there’s the peer pressure to have the latest gadgets and technology.

With this in mind, wouldn’t it be nice to relax and buy everything you need in a friendly, no-pressure atmosphere? To say, “Cheers to Christmas”, raise a glass with your friends and get some Christmas presents purchased at the same time?

If this sounds like a great idea and you’re in the Macclesfield area, come and join me at the Wet Led pop-up shopping experience on Thursday the 19^th of December. I’ll be there with my pop-up shop and I know you’ll find top quality gifts at great prices. You can even have a drink in your hand while you browse.

I’ll have some of my favourite gifts on sale including the “Pampermint Foot Care Gift Set”, “Mulled Cider Hand Care Duo” and a “Hangover Cure Party Season First Aid Kit” which promises five steps to a better morning after!

All of the gifts in my pop-up shop are formulated from quality natural ingredients and are sustainably sourced. They are plant based, cruelty-free gifts and don’t contain artificial colours or fragrances. From pocket money stocking fillers to full beauty sets and pamper packs the range of gifts is sure to catch your eye.

Did I mention you can enjoy a drink while browsing? Whether you prefer a winter-warming whisky, a cold beer, a traditional glass of Glühwein or a cup of coffee, you’ll be able to relax and get into the Christmas shopping spirit, without leaving the bar.

The pop-up shop is open on Thursday the 19^th of December from 5pm to 6.30pm at the Wet Led bar in Church Street, Macclesfield. This is a free event and everyone’s welcome. For more information please contact me on 07756 772950.

Will Outsourcing Your Admin Help You Grow Your Business?

If you’re a small business owner, it might seem an extravagant luxury to outsource your admin. The thought of someone else filing your receipts, invoicing your day’s work or chasing a payment, might feel too small to warrant delegating to someone else.

You might feel you can do it better, or it just takes five minutes, they’ll make a mistake, it’ll take longer to explain, or think you can’t afford it right now. These comments are extremely common, but the reality is unless you’re superhuman, you can’t do it all by yourself forever.

How outsourcing can help grow your business

There comes a point when it genuinely makes more sense to outsource the admin tasks than to persevere doing everything yourself. That mountain of paperwork can disappear off your desk. All those receipts you’ve stuffed in a box can be organised neatly by name and by date. You don’t need to worry about picking up the phone to chase for a late payment because it’s all done for you.

Warning Signs

From speaking with clients there are some common warning signs that the overload of admin is stifling the growth of their business. If you identify with any of these then outsourcing some of your admin tasks is definitely worth considering.

Have you missed meeting friends because you’ve needed to catch up with your paperwork?
Do you stay up late answering emails, sending out quotes, or doing your accounts?
Has your partner commented that you’re always working and they don’t see you as much as they would like?
Do you feel stressed about how much paperwork your business seems to need?

Left unchecked, these warning signs can escalate into bigger problems which can go on to affect your health and wellbeing and give concern to your family and those who care about you. This is the reason why it’s important to make your time count. If you can outsource your admin, you’ll find you do have more time to spend on the things you want to do.

So, my question to you is simple:

Will outsourcing your admin help your business grow?

For many people the answer is yes! I have been helping Steven Wade from Full Moon Coaching with some of his admin tasks over the last few months and he has seen some amazing results.

Example

Steven came to me saying he’d been working hard with clients to the point where he didn’t have the time to keep on top of his admin and it had built up to a mountain of receipts and a jumble of paperwork which needed sorting. He knew the end of the tax year was coming and told me he’d been dragging his feet.

“Rachael told me to ‘eat that frog’. I needed to bite the bullet and get something done about my paperwork. I know I can earn more in the time not organising and typing up the receipts than if I was to do this myself. Rachael is professional and organised. She takes the pressure off and gets the job done.” – Steven Wade, Full Moon Coaching.

Steven gave me a huge box of unorganised receipts. There were receipts for business and personal expenses to separate and receipts dating back several months where nothing had been done with them since the items had been purchased.

To enable Steven to focus on his business I separated the business and personal receipts and organised them by date and supplier into clearly labelled folders for easy accessibility. This seemingly small task made his tax return and end of year accounts much easier. It also gave Steven an easy way to add new receipts into the folders to keep things simpler going forward.

Outcome

“With Rachael’s help, the new system is efficient and manageable. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders knowing the background jobs are getting done. I can focus on my clients, meeting people and running my business.” – Steven Wade, Full Moon Coaching.

I enjoy restoring order to admin chaos and believe it’s possible to turn the most disorganised of filing systems into smart, efficient, easy to use systems which will increase your productivity. It will certainly save time at the end of the tax year knowing your receipts and expenses are available at the click of a button.

It can also help with the smooth running of your business if your daily, weekly and monthly expenses are available in graphs and charts to predict your outgoings and cashflow. When using my services, I can promise you confidentiality, accuracy and honest suggestions for improvement.

If, like Steven, you have piles of receipts that need sorting, or any admin headaches you would like cured, please get in touch on 07756 772950 or visit getfocus.guru and I will be happy to help.

How Small Social Media Changes Can Make A Big Difference To Your Life

There’s no denying social media plays a massive role in our everyday lives. It’s a never-ending source of amusement and entertainment, a bottomless pit of information, research and knowledge. You can keep in touch with almost anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time of the day or night.

Having an active social media presence for your business is almost as expected as your business having a website, email address and telephone number. Rather than contacting you by traditional methods, people want to find things out for themselves. It’s quicker for them and saves you time answering common questions if they can get what they want online. You may have already noticed that your telephone rings less and your mobile beeps more.

This leads into one of the common problems with social media. The notifications. The pings and beeps. The red dots next to your apps with numbers letting you know how many messages you need to look at. The noise and the numbers are designed to grab your attention. Even the bright red colour is psychologically designed to make you stop and look.

Recent research indicates many of us spend up to 12 hours using our devices for social media, messages, responding to emails, gaming, streaming TV, films or radio, looking at articles, posts and status changes, every day!

Why the notifications work so well

Once the red dot with the number flashes on your phone or browser, it sets off a reaction in your brain to let you know something has happened, that something needs your attention. However, if you stop each time a notification arrives, you may find you’re losing hours each day simply from the distraction and the micro decisions you make whether you need to stop and respond, to delete it or deal with it later.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of using social media to boost your self-esteem and self-worth. The reaction from social connections and sharing news is physically and psychologically addictive. Excessive social media is said to give you a high, similar to taking an addictive substance, and the comedown can be devastating causing depression, negative body image, paranoia and loneliness.

How to make changes to be more productive

Making small changes does make a big difference. I work with clients to help distance themselves from the volume of notifications on their social media accounts. I can help analyse the time spent on social media and make suggestions for managing the incoming notifications to improve wellbeing and productivity. The results have been amazing.

“Rachael showed me how to turn off notifications on some of my Facebook groups and set up a timer so I can check how much time I spend online. It feels more manageable now. I’m less anxious and I don’t feel like I’ve missed anything.” – Alison Stead, Spiritual Medium and Copywriter.

My top tips for managing social media

Look at the groups you have joined – do you gain anything from being in them? If not, simply turn off the notifications or leave the group altogether.

Use a timer to measure how long you are on social media. It’s easy for “just a quick look” to turn into half an hour or longer. Ask yourself, “has this been a productive use of my time?”.
Aeroplane mode is your friend – I spoke to a client about this, she removed all shortcuts to social media from her phone and used areoplane mode when going to bed. She texted me the next day

“So grateful for your flight mode tip. I actually slept last night and haven’t even looked at social media today! Fx”

When working with clients I always ask, “what do you hope to achieve from your social media platforms?”. I can help clear the online clutter and enable you to make the best use of your time to achieve your goals.

If you want to interact with more clients or prospective clients, I can help.

If you want to stop using your time unproductively, I can help.

If you have FOMO or are addicted to checking your phone and friends and family have commented, I can help.

Please get in touch on 07756 772950 or visit getfocus.guru.

Do You Need To Update Your Contract For 2020?

As the end of the year draws closer it’s a good time to review the different elements of your business. You can check your stock and your sales, your products and your people. In fact, there are many areas which can be analysed at the end of the year and it’s important to check you’re using your time and your resources efficiently and effectively.

By carrying out a review, you may discover what’s worked well, where you’ve found new customers, which events were worth attending, which products were popular and which services were profitable. You may also find things which didn’t go so well, and these may be areas which can be improved for next year.

One of the key things I recommend checking is your terms and conditions, your contract of business with your customers. Many people consider their terms and conditions as something they do once, they get them written and that’s it. However, if something has changed during the year, it’s really important to check your contract is still up to date.

There are 3 key times when you need to update your contract.

These are:

Any changes to your business structure.
Any changes to your location or trading name.
Any changes to your products and services.

You’ll also need to advise your customers and suppliers of changes to the contract. Not only could this influence their decision to use your products and services, but you may have invalidated your existing contract with them if something major has changed.

When changing the terms in your contract, it’s usual to send notifications in writing, either with the changes or directing people to your website. If using your product or service relies on the customer agreeing to any changes in your contract with them, then they will need to sign the contract again either in writing or electronically.

Updating your terms and conditions and contract doesn’t need to be scary. Contracts can still be robust and reliable without being complicated or over-wordy. In fact, having a Plain English straightforward contract is the preferred option for many customers and suppliers. Everyone knows what’s included and it makes sense.

If you’re unsure whether your current contract contains everything you need to protect yourself, your business and your customers, or if you don’t have a contract at all, please contact me on 07756 772950.

I specialise in writing terms of business for companies in many different sectors. I can look at your existing contract and make suggestions or write a new contract from scratch.

If you’re introducing new products or services in 2020, or if you’re changing your business in any way, you may need new terms written into your contract and I would be happy to help with this.

Please visit rachaelchiverton.co.uk to get started.

Are You Looking for Amazing Christmas Gifts for Your Awkward Family and Friends?

Now the Halloween parties are over, and Bonfire Night has come and gone, many of us are turning our attention to Christmas preparations. For those of us who celebrate Christmas, the month-long frenzy of buying presents, organising food, drink and accommodation can be overwhelming.

It can be worse if you have an annoying friend, or awkward partner, who has either got everything or doesn’t want anything. Yet if you don’t get them something, that will be wrong too!

My solution to this is simple. Don’t even think about trawling the shops in the rain to see what’s available. I can guarantee there will be something online to satisfy them and match their needs. Even better, I can suggest amazing gifts suitable for any member of the family, and you might find there’s something you’d like too.

It’s ok to buy a treat for yourself. I’ve been known to buy myself a small gift when shopping for other people. At Christmas there are plenty of special offers and it’s nice to be able to have a little luxury treat, especially at the end of the year.

My favourite treats come from the Arbonne Festive Collection. I’ve found amazing gifts for friends and family, even those who are the most awkward to buy for. The products are vegan and gluten free. They’re not tested on animals. They contain pure ingredients and are high quality, luxurious items, perfect for special presents at any time of the year.

So, if you have someone to buy for who is hard to please, the Arbonne range is based around botanical ingredients, scientifically tested products for a pure and healthy lifestyle.

For children, there is a fun bath-time range of hair and body washes in deliciously sounding Sugar Cookie, Snickerdoodle and Gingerbread scents. These are popular with adults too!

For ladies, there are extremely soothing hand lotions, perfect for protecting your hands in the cold weather and tempting body butters in a range of sumptuous flavours including vanilla, rose and coconut. There are candles and facials, foot care, makeup and gift sets with everything you’ll need for everyone you can think of.

There’s also a suave choice of festive products for men, even the ones who complain about pampering, there’ll be something they might like. This is the perfect One-Stop-Christmas-Shop which ties in with my philosophy of using my time efficiently and effectively, just what’s needed at this busy time of the year.

If you would like any help with your Christmas shopping, or even to have it all done for you, please get in touch as soon as possible. All I need to know is who you would like to buy for, and your budget per person, and I will make it happen for you.