There is something rather sneaky about a monthly subscription. It starts with a sensible reason: a quoting app for a busy month, a design tool for a particular project or software that promises to save time. You sign up, get on with your work and eventually stop using it. The…
There are certain emails that seem to write themselves. An enquiry arrives, you thank the customer for getting in touch, explain what happens next and send it off. A few hours later, another enquiry arrives and you type virtually the same thing again. It might only take a couple of…
I came back from holiday recently, and by the relief and joy my clients expressed, you’d think I’d been away for months. You see, my clients have got so used to not having to do everything themselves that they notice even the smallest thing missing when I’m not there. So…
I’m not trying to build an empire. I keep my client list small on purpose — so the people I work with actually get what they need. Most of them are too busy running their business to be stuck sorting inboxes, updating spreadsheets or dealing with admin they didn’t ask…
In a world full of “scale fast” advice and inboxes full of offers that promise the moon, I’ve chosen a different route: keeping things small and manageable. Not because I don’t like being busy. (I do – especially if it involves ticking things off a list and having a strong…
There’s no shame in admitting admin isn’t your favourite job. It’s rarely top of the to-do list, and by the time it gets there, it’s usually more of a to-don’t. Here are a few of the usual suspects I come across and how I help sort them out. 1.…
I don’t work with loads of clients. Not because I’m lazy, but because I like to do a good job and still have time to put the kettle on. If you’re after someone who replies on time, remembers what you said last week, and doesn’t go missing halfway through the…
You see a post from a small business, give it a nod, maybe even think “nice work”, and then ignore it like the fruit option at McDonald’s. It’s ok, we’ve all done it. But. Those little buttons – like, share, save, actually do more than you’d think. This isn’t a…
Running a business often means doing everything – quoting, invoicing, emailing, social media-ing – sometimes all before lunch. And let’s be honest, most of it isn’t thrilling. It’s the never-ending admin that takes up your time, zaps your motivation and usually gets shoved to the bottom of the list. That’s…
You know what’s annoying? Spending time on a quote, sending it off, then three weeks later, realising you’ve heard nothing back. By then, the customer’s either gone elsewhere or forgotten they asked in the first place. And let’s be honest, chasing quotes is a job no one fancies after a…