House Clearance Organisation Strategy

House Clearance Organisation Strategy

I recently had a friend who found themselves with a house to clear on relatively short notice and didn’t know where to start and what to do. This blog post is aimed to help you if you find yourself in a similar situation.

This blog post provides a strategy moving forward equipping you with an insight to either do this yourself, let Busy Lives! assist you or hire a house clearance company.

 

Overview

1.     What is a House Clearance?
2.     How long does it take to complete a House Clearance?
3.     What is a House Clearance Company?
4.     Preparation – Before Contacting the House Clearance Company:
a.          When the company arrives:
5.     Clearing out a house yourself.
a.          Preparation
b.          Have a system
c.          Throw, Keep Sell, Recycle?
d.          Get rid of the rubbish
e.          What to do with everything else
f.           Selling
g.          Gifting
h.          Charity
6.     Being Safe
7.     How Busy Lives! can help you with this

 

What is a house clearance?

Several things may require you to clear out a house, a bereavement, a move or a simple desire to declutter may lead you to clearing a house.
In the most basic terms, a house clearance is when a house is ‘cleared’ of it’s contents. If you are a landlord, you may be disposing of items left behind by a tenant.
The very first thing you will need to do is decide whether you will do the clearance yourself or hire a specialist company to do the job for you.

 

How long does it take to complete a house clearance?

As a general rule it is said that two people can clear one room in half a day. According to the BBC the average UK house has 5 rooms which would, using the above rule, take two people two and a half days to clear. To be on the safe side I would recommend adding on an extra half of a day. Even if you are planning to use a house clearance company I would still put aside time to go through the house first to ensure you remove any items you wish to keep.

 

Clearing out a house using a house Clearance Company

What is a house clearance company?

A house clearance company is a company that will empty part or the whole of a house. The cost of this service will depend on the size of the property and how much stuff needs to be removed.
When looking for a house clearance company it is best to review the house first and make a list of all the heavy / bulky items such as large pieces of furniture and appliances.

 

Top Tips:

  • Be sure to ring more than one house clearance company for a quote.
  • When enquiring for a quote be sure to mention any timescale you might have.
  • If the house or flat is has any access issues (no parking, on the 15th floor etc.) be sure to mention it as it may affect the quote given.
  • Be aware that some companies may ask to visit the house before giving a quote.
  • Book a morning slot so that if anything crops up (e.g. furniture needs to be dismantled) they will have to do it without needing to return a second time therefore saving you some expense.

Before contacting any company, it is a good idea to do some research into them to ensure they are reputable and reliable. This can be done online or by asking friends and family for recommendations.

 

Preparation – Before Contacting the House Clearance Company

Even if you have decided to use a house clearing company it is a good idea to go through the house yourself and remove any items you want to keep or give to family / friends.

Be sure to check in drawers and cupboards as that is where you are likely to find things hidden away there.
It is best to do this before getting any quotes from companies as the items you remove may affect the quote they give.

 

When the company arrives

Go through the house with the person in charge of the house clearance company, point out anything that is to remain or items which may need to be disconnected such as cookers. Also point any hidden nooks and crannies which may get missed.
If there is any items you can’t find and would like to keep ask the company to keep an extra pair of eyes out for them while they work (but it is best to try and find and remove items beforehand).
Once you have gone through anything it is best to leave them too it. Ask to be phoned thirty minutes before the company is due to finish so you can be there and check everything has been removed and ensure you get a ‘waste transfer note’ – this covers you legally for waste disposal. This is also when you should receive your invoice. Only after you are happy should you pay.

 

Clearing out a house yourself.

Preparation

If you are going to be clearing a house yourself it is best to go in prepared. Before starting gather up any supplies you may need. This includes:

  • Packing materials – boxes, tape, marker pens, etc.
  • Food and water – if you are clearing out a family members, friends or unknown house you may need to supply your own food for the duration of the clearance.
  • Helpers. Having more hands will make the job quicker and easier. (Offering lunch may entice people to help)

Hiring a skip or arranging for a ‘man and a van’ to clear away rubbish.

 

Have a system

Once you have everything you need to get started you need to formulate a plan – are you going to go room by room? Largest items first?
However, you plan on proceeding, it is a good idea to decide before you start. If you are planning on moving room by room then decide what order you are going to proceed. If you would prefer to get rid of the large items first make a list of what needs to go and where it will be going.

 

Throw, Keep, Sell, Recycle…

Now you are ready to dive in it’s time to decide what your going to do with each item. If you are working alone then you may be able to keep track of things using a pile system (a pile of things to keep, a pile of thing to throw etc.) however, if you are working with friends then you may need to use a different approach.
One useful system to adopt if you are working in a team is to use coloured dots. Rather than having your team ask you about every item or risk them throwing out something you wanted to keep. Go through everything quickly and ‘dot’ items using stickers. For example, use green dots for things to keep, red dots for things to throw and so on.
It may also be a good idea to pack paperwork into boxes for you to sort out later.

 

Top tips:

  • Don’t hold back.
  • Don’t keep things just for the sake of keeping them.
  • Be thorough.
  • Empty every room, cupboard and drawer.

 

Get rid of the rubbish

Once you have done a day’s work get rid of the rubbish – either move it all into the skip or make sure your ‘man and a van’ come by and collect it all. This will ensure you having space to work in and all the useless clutter is gone.
Remember to be careful when disposing of paperwork or personal documents. Ensure these are disposed of properly, this could be mean using a shredder or a specialist service.

Also, if you clearing out the house of a deceased relative be sure not to throw away anything important in case it is needed later on. If you are unsure talk to the solicitor / executor before proceeding.

If you come across anything deemed hazardous (this includes things such as chemicals, paint, tyres, batteries, etc.) you must ensure you dispose of them correctly. If you are unsure of what to do contact your local council or recycling centre to find out the appropriate way to dispose of these items.

 

What to do with everything else?

Now the rubbish is gone you should be left with things you either want to keep or recycle or sell. The easiest thing to do here is move the things you are keeping for giving to friends / family to their new homes.
Once all that is gone you should now be left with things you are getting rid of. Now you have several roads open to you.

 

Selling

Items in good repair may be worth selling. If you stumble upon any antiques, jewellery, or items of value it is a good idea to get them properly valued before selling.
Large items such as furniture can be sold online or to second-hand shops.
You can take items to a car boot sale and sell them there (remember you will most likely have to pay for a plot on the field)
You can sell clothes, DVDs, books, CDs and more online however if you don’t want to individually list items you can go to places that buy clothes based on weight to get rid of them and websites such as ‘Music Magpie’ will bulk buy DVDs, CDs and books.

 

Gifting

Ask friends / family if there is anything they would like. Mark it with their name and arrange for it to be collected.

 

Charity

Charities will always be appreciative of donations and some charities will collect items from your home. If you decide to donate to a charity and you have large items such as furniture, call or visit them and ask if they will be willing to collect it.
Some charities cannot take large or heavy items in which case you can either approach a second charity or dispose of the items in another way.

 

Being Safe

When clearing a house yourself you will most likely need to move heavy furniture around, make sure you get help doing this and work in a safe manner using correct lifting practices – keep your back straight and bend your knees. Also make sure your path is clear and you where you are moving the item to before you lift it.
Open windows to combat dust and if you find an excessive amount of dust or you are going into a dusty area (i.e. the attic) wear a dust mask.

 

How Busy Lives! can support you with this

Busy Lives! was created when I left a busy career that left me time poor and not able to give sufficient priority to what really mattered to me. I now provide a wide range of business support for people in that position.

I am happy to help by:

  • being an extra pair of hand to assist you if you are clearing a house yourself.
  • Clear the house for you once instructed where you would like all the items to go.
    researching businesses to use if you decide to outsource the task.
  • If you need or would like some emotional support for how you’re feeling whilst doing this, I know an excellent therapist I can refer you to who will help you transition through this difficult period.

 

Let you help you gain precious time back. Ring Busy Lives! 07565 722 031
Drop me a message on LinkedIn / Messenger on Facebook
Or Email: karen@busylivesnottingham.co.uk

Preparing for Important Meetings

Preparing for Important Meetings

Spending time preparing for important meetings can really make a difference not only for yourself but the others who attend. An important meeting can potentially make or break your reputation or business. Whether it’s between you and your colleagues or you and a client / customer, every meeting needs to be professional and efficient.

Below are some tips and advice to help you prepare effectively to make sure every meeting goes extra smoothly.

 

Overview

  1. Purpose of the meeting
  2. Pre-reading and research
  3. Who needs to attend?
  4. How, when and where the will meeting taking place?
  5. Style of meeting
  6. Composing an agenda
  7. Initiations to the meeting
  8. How Busy Lives! can support you with this

 

Purpose of the meeting

Every meeting needs to have a purpose and goal; something you want to achieve by the end. You may find it helpful to write this down. Make sure your goal is specific, add a deadline and make sure it can be measured if relevant – this can be in terms of sales, product output, delegation, impact etc.

 

Top tip

Don’t have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting! You’d be surprised how many people make this mistake. ‘I always have a meeting on a Wednesday, so we’re having one!’ Colleagues will quickly become disengaged and switch off if there is no real purpose behind a meeting and using up their valuable time.

 

Pre- reading & research

Read all the associated paperwork for the meeting, making notes or highlighting against items you may wish to raise or comment upon.

It will very quickly come apparent who has or has not prepared for what is to be discussed. Don’t be that person.

If an agenda item being tabled or discussed isn’t something you don’t have first-hand experience of and will be required to decide upon, research additional information or look at evidence gathered towards it. This is invaluable if there is conflicting views in the meeting for you to be able to provide an insight. It will also help you in achieving the goal you want.

 

Who needs to attend?

When you set up a meeting everyone who attends should have a role to play or be relevant to what they do. Are the necessary? Decide if each person has a purpose, if you cannot find one, it is time to decide if they really need to attend. It may be better use of their time to either let them have access to the minutes or a short verbal summary of specific parts of the meeting afterwards which were relevant to them.

 

How, when and where is the meeting will take place?

Once you have decided on how many people are participating, you can decide when and where you are going to hold the meeting; that could mean deciding whether you are going to hold the meeting in person or online. If you are choosing to hold the meeting in person think about the best location for this. You may need to book a room or meeting space, this may dictate the time and place you can hold your meeting if not on your premises. Online meetings have more flexibility, but you should still ensure your participants have enough notice to ensure they are available at the appointed time.

 

3 Top tips

  • Make sure the room is the right size for the number of people attending.
  • Think what resources you may need access to such as a flip chart or projector if a presentation is going to be made for instance.
  • The layout of the room will influence and make a difference. It needs to be factored into suit the style of your meeting. Think carefully how chairs and tables are set out. For instance, formal, relaxed discussion, presentation, debate, a difficult conversation or recruitment all need different layouts.

 

Composing an agenda

Now you know when and where your meeting is taking place it’s time to make an agenda. You will already know what the meeting is about. Carefully composing an agenda is the time to carefully allocate your use of meeting time for maximum effectiveness. Having a well-planned agenda means your meeting will flow and stay on track which not only makes your meeting achieve its goal but will also display your professionalism and ability to deliver on-time.

An agenda should typically fit on one side of A4 paper.

Essential information to go on the agenda

  • Date
  • Time
  • Location
  • People Attending
  • Chair
  • Minute taker / attendees taking their own notes
  • Bulleted agenda items – If different people are presenting different items off the agenda, have their initials next to the specific bulleted item
  • AOB (Any other business) – Think carefully if you want to allow this or not.

 

Other information you may wish to include after the agenda items at the bottom of the page:

  • List of papers and documents that will be used or referred to during the meeting.
  • Business priorities for the period.
  • Vision statement or business strapline.

 

The agenda should be sent out at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. This allows attendees with different schedules and commitments prepare at a time that suits them.

 

Invitations to the meeting

Now you have a list of participants and a meeting place set up you need to send out invites. Reinforce the purpose, date, place and timings in the body of the invite you send. Ensure to send any related paperwork, documents or previous minutes that will be referenced or used alongside the agenda.

After sending out your invites keep a note of who is and isn’t attending. If key people cannot attend it may be worth considering rescheduling to a time when everyone can attend. If only one or two people cannot attend decide if the meeting should go on ahead on that date – if you do decide to carry on make a note who cannot attend and send them any minutes paperwork they may need in order to remain informed.

 

Last Top Tip

Print off the agenda and all papers in advance of your meeting. If there are a number of papers being discussed from the agenda it’s worth spending the time ordering the papers to coincide in the same order as the agenda item. I then label each document in the top right-hand corner with the Agenda item number on. This helps you quickly reference the exact paper you need within the meeting and again demonstrates to others you’re professionally prepared and organised.

This can also be achieved electronically. Create a folder with the agenda all the documents for the meeting in. When you save each document into the folder save the file name commencing with the agenda item number followed by the title. This will help you quickly access what you need to open as the meeting progresses.

 

How Busy Lives! can support you with this

Busy Lives! was created when I left a busy career that left me time poor and not able to give sufficient priority to what really mattered to me. I now provide a wide range of business support for people in that position.

I am happy to help by:

 

Let you help you gain precious time back. Ring Busy Lives! 07565 722 031

Drop me a message on LinkedIn / Messenger on Facebook

Or Email: karen@busylivesnottingham.co.uk

 

 

Blog writing for beginners

Blog writing for beginners

Having a blog for your business is a great way of connecting with your customers as well as attracting new ones.

Letting your customers, present and future, see your experience and knowledge of your business is a fantastic way of proving to them you are an expert in your field and getting them to put their trust in you and your business. But how do you write engaging blogs that convert readers into buyers?

 

 

  1. Do your research.  

Every blog you write should be as factually accurate as you can possibly make it. Giving out the wrong advice can put off your customers and they will doubt your business. This is true for both the large and small details, for example if you mistakenly claim Mount Snowdon is in England (it’s in Wales) you give the impression of either lacking attention of detail or being amateurish.

Top Tip: Spend time to research your facts and figures.

 

  1.    Plan your blog.  

Once you’ve completed your research you should know exactly what you’re going to be writing about. Now you need to come up with a logical order. Its always a good idea to start with an introduction which tells your readers what the blog is about. Afterwards comes the main body, I recommend you avoid writing large paragraphs and instead opt for short paragraphs. Lists or bullet points are popular are they are easier to read than large blocks of text.

Top Tip: You should also end with a brief conclusion which sums up everything you’ve said.

 

  1. Get the visuals.  

The beauty of a blog is that you can include lots of full-colour images. Take advantage of that and be sure to include photographs in your blog. These images should be relevant, well composed and well lit. You can even include videos to demonstrate points or techniques.  Top tip: If you are not a particularly good photographer, you can use stock images (just be sure you’re using copyright free images).

 

  1. Review.

Now you’ve written your blog and got the visuals to match its time to review your work. Go through your blog at least twice to look for any grammatical errors or incorrect information. If possible, get someone else to read it, they might notice something you missed.

Top tip: Try changing the font before you review, this can help stop your from automatically glancing over mistakes. You can also try reading the blog backwards, this is extra helpful for spotting spelling mistakes.

 

Ultimately, getting better at writing blogs is down to practice. The steps above are a good place to start learning the technical side but the creative side of writing must be down to you. Reading widely is a great way of exposing yourself to new styles and techniques but your blogs must have your voice attached to them in order to make them ring true and display the values you and your business hold.

 

This is a guest blog post written by Hollie Parkin who is a creative writer and loves this type of work. She has supported Busy Lives! and been a great asset to myself, as I lean more towards tasks that are mathematically bias.

Secrets of being systematic & methodical

Secrets of being systematic & methodical

Being systematic and methodical is not everyone’s strength. Some people in fact find procedural tasks boring or too hard for them to do. This blog post explores some of the secrets of being systematic and methodical. You may find you apply many of them already or you may find some good tips to try for yourself. Why not have a read?

 

Overview

  1. What is the difference between systemic and methodical?
  2. Why should you be systematic and methodical?
  3. How to be more systematic and methodical?
  4. Conclusion
  5. How Busy Lives! can support with this

 

 What is the difference between being systematic and methodical?

Why do people want to be systematic and methodical? What are the benefits and how do you become a systematic and methodical worker?

Whether you own your own business or simply want to take charge of your life, being systematic and methodical when working can help boost your productivity and help you tick off that to-do list you’ve been procrastinating about.

But what does it mean to be systematic and methodical?

Systematic people are people who do things using a plan or procedure while methodical people do things in an organised way. Both work hand in hand.

 

Why should you be systematic and methodical?

Being methodical with your decision making often means you’ll be making better decisions. For example when choosing a supplier it may seem easy to just pick the cheapest or the nearest one but if you conduct a little research you may find that although Company X is the cheapest their products are subpar whereas Company Y has the best ratings but in actual fact their products aren’t what you’re looking for. Making the best decision first time around will save you both time and money and prevent the hassle of having to switch suppliers.

Being systematic in your approach to things – by making a plan or following a procedure – can often save you time and effort as you are not wasting time doing things that ultimately will not get your task done any quicker or easier. For example if you are organising paperwork making a list of things to keep, things to shred and things to recycle will make the job easier as you are not wasting time wondering whether or not you should keeping a particular piece of paperwork.

 

How to be more systematic and methodical?

Being systematic and methodical is not a hard thing to do. Here are some simple steps to help you become a more systematic and methodical worker:

  1. Make a to-do list then cut it in half

Making lists and plans is a simple and easy way to become a more efficient worker. However, when your list becomes too long it can be counterproductive. To avoid this, make your to-do list then strike off anything that doesn’t matter – while it would be nice to reorganise your pen drawer, will doing that really help you complete your deadline task?

I have a Busy Lives! to-do pad at the side of me, so the number of tasks always has be on the one page. The list often lasts for the month but can at times be for a week depending upon the time of year.

  1. Plan out your day

Most people are more productive in the mornings when their brain is fresh. Start your day with the biggest tasks and aim to get them all done before lunchtime, try and schedule meetings for the afternoon. This should help you to boost your productivity and get all those hard tasks done.

  1. Break bad habits

Most of us will have picked up a few bad habits, whether that’s checking your phone constantly for social media updates or putting off tasks until it’s too late. Breaking your bad habits will help you get more done, and free up time. For example, by putting your phone away and getting down to work you may find yourself finishing all your tasks ahead of time meaning you have some spare time to scroll through social media without worrying you’ll get behind on work. Or being methodical with your approach to big tasks can prevent you from having to do the whole thing in one go the day before the deadline – when you receive a large task break it down into smaller tasks and aim to accomplish one or two of them a day.

  1. Stop multitasking

Trying to do ten things at once is counterproductive. List things in order of importance then work your way down the list. Often, you will find you get things done faster than if you tried to do them all at once.

  1. Keep it simple

Working methodically and systematically can take some time to implement. Don’t try to follow fancy or complicated, planning systems. Keep it simple and you’re more likely to stick with it.

 

Conclusion

Implementing the above steps and learning what it is to be methodical and systematic with your work can help you become a more productive worker which can translate into more money earned and more time saved.

Learning to prioritise your time and get more work done will ease the burden on you overall and guarantee you have healthy work habits as well as ensuring you get all those to-dos done and prevent any of those ‘impending deadline day mad dashes’.

 

How Busy Lives! can support with this

Busy Lives! was created when I left a busy career that left me time poor and unable to give sufficient priority to what really mattered to me. I now provide a wide range of business support for people especially who own their own small business in that position.

Everyone has different superpowers, mine are being systematic and methodical especially when it comes to organisation and getting things done. If you find you’re become overwhelmed or just don’t know where to start why not let me help and do it all for you!

Let you help you gain precious time back. Ring Busy Lives! 07565 722 031

Drop me a message on this website, LinkedIn or Messenger on Facebook

Or Email: karen@busylivesnottingham.co.uk

 

 

Organising your clients paper record base legally

Organising your clients paper record base legally

This blog posts demonstrates the processes involved when storing paper copies of confidential client information efficiently.

It is no surprise, when everyone is so exceptionally busy, how filing cabinet contents can get to the stage where you break a fingernail trying to fit an important piece of paper into a client’s folder! Before you know it there are then piles upon piles of paper taking over every available surface.

 

Here is my organisational system to help you avoid this.

Overview

  1. What is a client’s records base?
  2. What are the current GDPR and Financial Regulations?
  3. What does it mean for you, holding client based records?
  4. Why you don’t recycle old records and do need secure shredding
  5. Procedure on how to organise your clients record
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. How Busy Lives! can support with this

 

What is a client records base?

A client records base is made up of all your customers and is vital for any business. Increasing your client record base goes hand in hand with increasing the size / profits of your business.

 

 

What are the current GDPR and Financial Regulations for retaining information?

The 2018 General Data Protection Regulation has seven principles for retaining data which all business must follow, these are:

  • Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency
  • Purpose limitation
  • Data minimisation
  • Accuracy
  • Storage limitation
  • Integrity and confidentiality (security)
  • Accountability

 

Top Tip

If you need to know more or are unsure about your business and data protection there is good guidance on the Gov.uk website. Click here to take you to the page on this.

 

What does this mean for you holding client base records?

In short it means:

  • Any personal and sensitive information you hold on another individual must be stored securely and within locked furniture such as a filing cabinet or cupboard.
  • You cannot keep personal data for longer than you need it – if you are planning on keeping personal data ensure you have a good reason for keeping it.
  • If you share data with another company under lawful grounds you must ensure both companies understand what it to be done with the data once it is no longer needed – return to original company or both companies destroy it.
  • You must use appropriate security to stop the data you hold from being accidently / deliberately compromised. Along with this you must have a procedure to follow on any data breach and report it immediately to the ICO and any individuals affected by it if there is one.

 

Additionally, HMRC also details what financial / accounting records you must keep, these are:

  • All goods bought and sold and who bought / sold them (unless you run a retail business).
  • Money spent by the company.
  • Money received from sales.
  • Statements / any other financial documents which you use to complete your tax return.
  • Moneys received – grants / payments from support schemes.
  • Company assets.
  • Company stock / Stock takings.

 

All the above financial / accounting records must be kept for 6 years. However, some records may need to be kept longer, for example, machinery that is expected to last more than six years or if you conducted a transaction that lasted more than one tax year.

 

 

Why you don’t just recycle old records and need secure shredding

Sadly, you hear on the news how people have had their identities stolen, some of which has been through extracting papers from dustbins.

Shredding documents is the most secure way to destroy data. The type of shredder you use will dictate how secure it is. For example, a strip shredder is the least secure type of shredding as documents can be put back to together whereas cross-cut shredders are amongst the most secure.

To find out how you should shred documents you will need to look at your industry sector guidelines and corporate policies.

If you have large quantities of client records for shredding, you can outsource your data destruction. Always ensure, if you decide to do this, to get a certificate of destruction to prove you disposed of your data and paperwork securely.

 

Procedure on how to organise your clients record base.

When you decide to tackle the monster that is your filing cabinet of records there are steps you can take to make the task easier while ensuring you adhere to GDPR and Financial regulations.

Once you have made the commitment to start sorting your records you need some items to help make the task easier to not get in a mess or destroy the wrong papers! These include:

  • A large working space
  • Filing cabinets and dividers
  • Square cut folders
  • Archive boxes
  • Lined paper
  • A printout of all your clients sorted by your method of referencing – i.e. by surname / client reference number
  • Secure shredding collection bags

 

Step 1:

  • Break the task down into small steps – this could be working on one section / drawer at a time.

 

Step 2:

  • Now you are prepared to start, empty your first section / drawer onto a clear surface.
  • From there start at the top of the pile and work your way down.
  • For each record check off the client against your list – if the record is for a client who is no longer a client decide if the record needs to kept or not (make sure you adhere to GDPR). Extract this record and either archive or if you no longer need the client record put it in the secure shredding collection bag.
  • For clients who are still part of your data record base go through the record and remove anything older than six years and put it in the shredding collection bag – unless you have good cause to keep the information.

Step 3:

  • Now, with client records you are keeping go through them and remove anything older than three years. Put this information into a folder marked ‘Archive’ and write the client name and number in the top right corner of the file.
  • File into an archive box.
  • Make a note of the client name / number on a separate sheet of paper to use later

 

Top tip to save time in the future:

At the end of every financial year go through your records and staple or treasury tag together all the papers from the year. Label the top sheet with the year to make for easy location.

 

Step 4:

  • Once you have gone through an entire section / drawer put the files you are keeping away ensuring they are all labelled appropriately.
  • Between 1 – 3 years is recommended depending upon the information being retained.
  • If you retain different types of information on a client consider using a different colour square cut folder for each i.e. personal information = red / financial information = yellow / work related records = green.

Step 5:

  • Take the list of archived clients you made earlier, now stored in an archive box and type it up.
  • Give each archive box a clear heading and table the contents with the client reference number in the first column and full name or company in the second column.
  • Print three copies and laminate.
  • Attach one of the print outs to the front and one to the right had side of that. This will ensure the labels are visible if stacked by breadth or width.
  • Place the third copy inside the lid. This serves two purposes – if the labels come off there is still a record within the box, and it is also a quick reference for finding a specific client.

 

Top Tip:

You will most likely end up with two types of boxes for archiving – previous clients and current clients. To help with archiving you may find it easier to label previous client boxes with a letter and current client boxes with a number.

 

Step 6:    

  • Transfer your boxes to a secure location.
  • If storing securely on your own site I recommend using a shelving system (my personal recommendation is company called BIGDug). As when you stack boxes on top of each other you may find yourself struggling to access any of the files in the middle boxes.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to organise a paperwork in a filing cabinet office?

This depends on your filing cabinet and the office! It usually ranges from half a day to a day to go through a full filing cabinet depending on the amount that needs both sorting, archiving and organising.

I’m worried about you throwing away papers that may be important and need to be kept. How do I know this will not happen?

After fact finding about you and your business, any papers which I do not feel you need to hang onto I put into a ‘check’ box as I go along. This gives you the final say and opportunity to check before it is recycled.

Do I need to be there if I outsourced you to organise my office for me?

I need to have an initial meeting with you as part of my fact find about your business, yourself and how ideally you would like your office to look. After that, I am fine on my own.

How do I know I can trust you with my paperwork and data protection?

This is all set out in my Freelance contract and Terms & Conditions document which you receive in advance of any work taking place. I am also registered with the ICO and fully insured.

How do I book your services?

Either give me a call or complete the contact me details on my website and I will be in touch. Once we have discussed your needs I will book you in the first available slot I have.

 

 

How Busy Lives! can support with this

Busy Lives! was created when I left a busy career that left me time poor and unable to give sufficient priority to what really mattered to me. I now provide a wide range of business support for people in that position.

 

If the procedure above sounds too much like hard work and effort or boring to you why not let me do it for you?

Equally, if you know anyone taking over a business where this may be what they are inheriting, please tell them about me. I can provide outsourced project support where systematic and methodical organisation is required.

 

Let you help you gain precious time back. Ring Busy Lives! 07565 722 031

Drop me a message on this website, LinkedIn or Messenger on Facebook

Or Email: karen@busylivesnottingham.co.uk

 

What Are Business Support Services?

What Are Business Support Services?

What are business support services, how they can save you money, and free up your time?

‘What are business support services, how they can save you money, and free up your time?’ is a question I frequently get asked. Unlike some industries, I have worked and solved the pain points for varied and diverse clients. Busy Lives! services are bespoke to be precisely what you need help with not what ‘Joe Bloggs’ needs. This blog post explains and gives some concrete examples of my current trends in work, things I have been asked to do and how, as a result, generated more income for businesses.

 

Overview

  1. What are business support services?

  2. What are the most common types of services requested?

  3. How business support services can free up your time and you make more money?

  4. Is it worth it?

  5. Your to-do Lists!

  6. Key questions to ask yourself if business support is right for you and your business?

  7. How Busy Lives! can support you?

 

What are business support services?

Business Support Services are there to solve the pain points in your business.

This can be aspects of your work you haven’t got the capacity to do within your day or jobs that you really don’t enjoy doing such as invoicing and reconciliation.

Business support services are services provided by an outsider business which aim to help your business grow without you having to employ additional staff.

Business support services frequently complete those time-heavy tasks which don’t automatically generate you additional income but in the process of doing these for you free up addition time allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business which do.

The beauty of using Busy Lives! is that you can assign work which is from a few hours up to a day on a weekly or monthly basis. This can be at your business premises or remotely whichever works best for you.

Top Tip:

Just like many other businesses there are busy and quiet periods of the year. When possible book well in advance when you can to ensure your delegated work is completed well in time for when it is needed.

 

What are the most common types of services requested?

Business Support services such as Busy Lives! have two categories of clients, ad-hoc clients that need a specific task either once or a few times within a year and regular clients which range from weekly to a specified number of hours within a month.

Current top five business services Busy Lives! is used for with repeating clients:

  • Financial managerial support such as income invoicing, paying expenditure bills and reconciliation.
  • Database and analysis work most frequently on excel specific to finances, clients and services used.
  • Research, a vast spectrum depending upon the business industry.
  • Organisation and filing of paperwork.
  • GRDP data protection related work such as extracting papers for archiving and shredding.

Current top five business services Busy Lives! is used for as a one-off service:

  • Website review and comparison against key competitors.
  • Combining and creating a central client database from financial programs such as QuickBooks, Emailing contact lists and business cards.
  • Researching specific businesses and creating a database to market and reach more clients from public information available such as businesses within a specific postcode area.
  • Tidying up contacts within a CRM removing duplications and completing all missing fields.
  • Organisation of all household paperwork creating a quick and easy filing system for the future.

Business support services can span a wide range of need. My most popular services tend to be mathematical and systematic orientated work, but I can do other types of work.

 

How business support services can free up your time and you make more money?

Using a business support service can save you time and make you money in several ways. Their hourly rate may be a fraction of what yours is, so getting someone to do certain tasks really can generate more money with what you can be doing with your time instead.

If your business is expanding you may not be at the stage of employing an additional person with all the additional costs which will have to be met such as National Insurance Contribution, Tax and Pension. With outsourced support you pay a flat agreed rate.

Below are real-life examples of how Busy Lives! have assisted businesses.

Example 1:

Business X did not have a single database for their clients. Instead they had several data bases for different clients – this is not an effective way to store this type of information. The negative effect of this meant that when the business ran marketing campaigns, they missed clients which in turn lost them custom and money.

Busy Lives! resolved this by compiling a central client database. Having all client information in one place meant everyone was being targeted in their future marketing campaigns.

Example 2:

Business Y had a client database but did not have all the information for every client. Busy Lives! was bought in to conduct research and gather all the missing information. This allowed Business Y to conduct specified marketing, for example they could target all clients within a certain postcode area or clients who work in a specific trade. Targeted marketing resulted in a more successful campaign and more sales.

This client had been planning on doing this for over a year but didn’t have the time to dedicate to achieving this. With Busy Lives! doing this work, the client was able to spend more time maintaining and building professional business relationships which was key to their business.

Example 3:

Business Z wanted to conduct a postal campaign for businesses with a certain number of employees and within a specific radius.

Busy Lives! complied a list of businesses which fulfilled both requirements. This list allowed Business Z to conduct a postal campaign, target businesses, and obtaining new trade.

The above examples demonstrate how business support services can assist businesses and help you to maximise your profits. Many small businesses can benefit from using business support services as they allow you to focus on your products / services while someone else completes the ‘housekeeping’ tasks for you. Business support services are also beneficial if your business does not have dedicated people to complete housekeeping tasks or if you struggle to complete these tasks yourself as companies like Busy lives! have experience in all areas of business and so can complete any tasks you cannot do yourself or need assistance with.

 

Is it worth it?

Perhaps it depends on the person when considering outsourcing. One way of looking at this would be if you consider the overall cost per year, another way would be the amount of time you’d actually gain back from doing it!

Two quick examples from two of my regular clients:

3 – 4 hours a month – this equates to them having 6 additional days a year to do with as they wish for business or pleasure.

3 – 4 hours every week – this equates to them having an additional 24 days a year to do as they wish for business or pleasure.

 

To-Do Lists

We all have tasks that we enjoying doing and others that always go the bottom of that to-do list and get transferred to the next one! Rather than putting pressure and guilt on yourself with those tasks reflect if they could actually be outsourced. Just think about it – ‘X’ never being on that ‘to-do!’ list again.

Top Tip:

If you can’t get a referral about which business support service to use, have a look at a few websites and read the testimonials which have been written. These will often give you a greater insight into the calibre of person than just the ‘About Me’ page.

 

Key questions to ask yourself if business support is right for you and your business?

Ask yourself what are your pain points?

“What don’t I like doing?”

What takes up too much of time or can be is relentless?

What three things could you outsource that someone would be able to do quicker than you?

Why haven’t I given Karen a call yet? (07565722031)

 

How Busy Lives! can support you?

Busy Lives! was created when I left a busy career that left me time poor and unable to give sufficient priority to what really mattered to me. I now provide a wide range of bespoke business support for people in that position.

Busy Lives! relevant links to this blog post, click on the sentence below:

  1. Find out what other questions I frequently get asked about business support.
  2. Take a look at my case studies where I’ve solved other clients problems.
  3. Business support for the running of your business.

Let you help you gain precious time back. Ring Busy Lives! 07565 722 031

Drop me a message on this website, LinkedIn or Messenger on Facebook

Or Email: karen@busylivesnottingham.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

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