Positive mental attitude works every time for me!
In today’s busy world it seems that events control us as opposed to us controlling events.If you feel that way, here are 5 ways to start taking control and help you shift into more positive thinking patterns.
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Filed under: General | Tagged: Business advice, Business health check, small business advice | Leave a comment »
As a Sussex Business Consultant I travel around to many networking events, some as a member, some as a guest and some which are a splendid mix of business and social.
One such networking group is the Business Builder Club which takes place in Horsham once a month……..SHHH. don’t tell anyone though as they may want to attend!
As an experienced writer and business author, my expert articles are regularly featured in the regional Sussex and local media and on various online business websites. This is a fantastic compliment to my work and I love sharing my knowledge with every reader.
So as a member of the Business Builder Club I was delighted to be invited as a regular online contributor to their website. Thanks guys. Have a look here and why not join me at the next event to share in the best Business Social in town.
Watch this space for more top tips too!.
Need focussed and insightful business advice, then contact me at Janette Whitney & Associates
Filed under: Networking & Social Media, NEWS | Tagged: Business Builder Club, Business Growth, Business Review, Horsham, Janette Whitney, networking, small business advice, Sussex | Leave a comment »
Those nice people at WordPress.com prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog and I thought I would share it with you.
Thankyou for reading my website blog throughout 2011 and I look forward to spending time with you in 2012.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
Filed under: General, NEWS | Tagged: blog, Business consultants, National Minimum wage, small business advice, WordPress, WordPress.com | Leave a comment »
Networking online
Networking is not an ‘all or nothing’ approach. Networking for business has a cost and can bring a return – but the return may take time to appear. Take your time to find the right mix for you.
Want to know more about online networking?
Then follow me on twitter or linked in or contact me at Janette Whitney & Associates
Filed under: Networking & Social Media | Tagged: blog, Business advice, linkedin, marketing, networking, small business advice, Social Media, Social Networking, twitter | 1 Comment »
Minimum Wage
Guidance providing greater clarity for businesses who offer work experience, placements and internships has been published today, as announced in the Social Mobility Strategy in April.
The updated guidance from Business Link and DirectGov includes advice on the payment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for work experience staff and interns, and clarifies when someone is entitled to this payment. The guidance also includes a new worker checklist for employers and examples of case studies, which aims to make sure that those who are entitled to the NMW receive it.
Entitlement to the NMW does not depend on a job title but on whether the arrangement they have with an organisation makes them a worker for NMW purposes. Where an individual is a worker – and no exemption applies – then they must be paid at least the NMW
The full version of the guidance can be found here – www.businesslink.gov.uk/nmw
Anyone who feels they have had their National Minimum Wage rights abused is encouraged to contact the Pay and Work Rights helpline on 0800 917 2368 for free and confidential advice.
From 1st october 2011, new National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates will come into force. The NMW applies to nearly all workers in England, Scotland & Wales and sets hourly rates below which you must not allow pay to fall.
For pay reference periods beginning on or after 1st October 2011, you will have to pay all eligible workers the following:
The daily accomodation offset.
You will be able to offset from the NMW an amount of £4.73 per day for each day that you provide a worker with living accomodation.
For professional & impartial Business advice contact Janette Whitney at Award Winning Business Consultants, Janette Whitney & Associates on 01403 733671 or email jw@whitneyassocs.co.uk
Filed under: Finance & Cashflow | Tagged: Business advice, Business planning, Employment, finance, Internships pay, National Minimum wage, Placements, small business advice, Work experience | Leave a comment »
Relax........
So RELAX ……..THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS ………. AND LEARN TO SAY ‘NO’,
so you don’t take on more than you can handle.
If you are more concerned about the health of your business than your own state of mind then consider my Business Health Check – a 2 hour impartial and professional review of your business.
For professional & independant business advice contact Janette Whitney at Award Winning Business Consultants, Janette Whitney & Associates on 01403 733671 or email jw@whitneyassocs.co.uk.
Filed under: General | Tagged: blog, Business Growth, Business health check, exercise, Health, small business advice, stress | Leave a comment »
Minimum Wage
From 1st october 2011, new National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates will come into force. The NMW applies to nearly all workers in England, Scotland & Wales and sets hourly rates below which you must not allow pay to fall.
For pay reference periods beginning on or after 1st October 2011, you will have to pay all eligible workers the following:
The daily accomodation offset.
You will be able to offset from the NMW an amount of £4.73 per day for each day that you provide a worker with living accomodation.
What happens if workers are underpaid?
Employers who do not pay the correct minimum wage will be issued with an fine of up to max £5000. You will have to pay this even if the underpayment was a mistake !
The most serious cases could be subject to an unlimited fine.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are responsible for enforcing the law on the national minimum wage and they will follow up complaints from workers and other sources.
For professional & impartial Business advice contact Janette Whitney at Award Winning Business Consultants, Janette Whitney & Associates on 01403 733671 or email jw@whitneyassocs.co.uk
Filed under: Finance & Cashflow | Tagged: Business advice, Business planning, business support, Employment, finance, MINIMUM WAGE, National Minimum wage, small business advice | 1 Comment »
Most people don’t spend time probing the depths of this unconscious communication; they just have a ‘feeling’ or a sense that their intuition is telling them something. However, there are things we can use in our sales effort by looking a little more closely at the experience.
Top 5 Handshakes and what they reveal about you or your client:
1. Sweaty Palms – When a person is nervous their sympathetic nervous system often becomes overactive, sometimes resulting in sweaty palms. Do what you can to put this individual at ease.
2. Dead Fish– Indifferent handshakes that feel like the person has no bones in their hand often indicate a passive or reserved personality. This handshake ranks as the number two least favoured. Individuals with this type of clasp are generally not people-focused. Knowing this, you can tailor your conversation to de-emphasize the people aspect and focus more on the mechanical or thing focused benefits.
3. Brush off – This handshake type is a quick grasp and then a release that feels like your hand being shoved aside. This handshake is a statement of ‘it’s my turf and my agenda that matters, yours doesn’t’. Listen first to what the person wants before talking about your ideas for them.
4 Controller– You feel your hand being pulled toward the person or strongly guided in a different direction, perhaps towards a chair. People who do this are controllers. This means they want to dominate any inanimate or animate object in the room ( and that would include you). If your goals are different to theirs there may be challenges ahead. Do more listening than talking and see if you can find common ground so these individuals can control the situation toward your desired objective.
5. Politician– Your hand is firmly grasped as in a normal handshake. However, their other hand may cover yours or be placed on your forearm or shoulder. Unless the two of you are good friends, this is a form of false sincerity. The person is attempting to communicate that the two of you have a deeper relationship than you actually have. After receiving this kind of handshake, I recommend you check your pockets or purse to see if anything is missing. Similarly, be cautious about relying on this person’s word for anything and be attentive in your dealings with them.
As in any sales situation, the more you know about your prospects and clients, the better you can communicate with them. So create a strong first impression by being aware of your own handshake and understand the hidden messages in your clients.
For professional, Impartial advice & Solutions contact me at Janette Whitney & Associates on 01403 733671 .Award Winning Business Consultants & Business Growth Specialists.
Filed under: Networking & Social Media | Tagged: Business advice, business development, Business Growth, marketing, networking, sales, sales leads, small business advice, Social Networking | Leave a comment »
SO WHY IS BUSINESS PLANNING SO IMPORTANT?
.No-one sets off on a journey without knowing where they are going and having a pretty good idea of how to get there.
Business is the same.
You need to plan in the first place, but you also need to check constantly that you are on course.
There are 3 simple questions that many businesses don’t ask themselves – but should
1. Do you really know what your business is good at?
2. Do you have a good idea of where you want to be in 3 yrs time?
3. Do you know if you are doing well enough to get there?
One of the reasons why many business owners fail to plan properly is that they are too close to their business – you are all emotionally involved and your time is taken up with solving the day to day problems.
As a result you may not have time to step back from the business and take a long look at it.- that’s where an impartial adviser can help you most.
We’ve all said it – “I have more important things to do than plan”
But people who say that end up working longer hours for the same profit,
They chase sales in the belief that turnover is the key to success.
You know if you are in this trap if your turnover rises and your profit are static or falling.
Remember Turnover is vanity profit is sanity
Your aim should be to improve profitability by at least at the same level as turnover.
You will only be able to do this by planning ahead, analysing your performance and keeping your finger on the pulse of the business.
So to recap 5 key tips to remember
To summarise why Business Planning is vital
A good business owner wants to control the business rather than be controlled by it.
If your focus is short-term then you are being controlled by your business.
By taking a longer view and having a direction, you have a better chance of controlling your own destiny.
Regularly ask yourself
It is better to use the help of an IMPARTIAL ADVISER to help you answer these questions to give you an objective picture of your business- which means you have to be forward thinking enough to ask for help. Are you?
“contact me at Award Winning Business Consultants Janette Whitney & Associates”
Filed under: Business Planning & strategy | Tagged: Business advice, Business Growth, Business planning, Business strategy, small business advice, start ups | 19 Comments »
Janette Whitney & Associates, Business Consultants 
Thought For The Day
To all politicians:
Filed under: General | Tagged: Election, expert comment, networking, politicians comment, small business advice, thought for the day, twitter | 1 Comment »