If you would like to be consulted by the Government on regulatory issues affecting you and your business, you can sign up to join The Small Firms Consultation Database. The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) describes this as ‘an opportunity for small firms to influence new regulations at an early stage, by providing feedback on any potential impact the changes may have on them.’ The BERR Enterprise Directorate, on policy officials’ behalf, will contact owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who have agreed to be contacted and are listed in the database.

Officials can invite SMEs to:
take part in informal discussions in person or over the phone
attend a focus group
respond to targeted consultations about proposed new regulations
For more information or to sign up please see the BERR website.
The Small Firms Consultation Database

An article by Jim Connolly
In this article, I am going to show you how to sell anything (and for a great price too!) This means not only making a sale or gaining a new client/customer - but making that sale or winning that contract in the most profitable way possible.

Overview
People often tell me that once they get ‘in front’ of a prospective client, they are pretty good at converting the prospective client into a paying client. The problem is; they just don’t get in front of enough people! If this sounds like you or someone you know, here’s the solution. Read the rest of this article »

Think about voices which have impressed you.
What have you liked about them?
What do you think of your voice?

A voice can be seductive, alluring, exciting, soothing and a pleasure to listen to. However, it can be irritating, harsh, weak, dull and boring. It is an indicator of what is the essence of the person. It can be developed and trained.
It tells the listener about the background, education, confidence, sincerity and authority of the speaker. A good voice is a great asset.

Read the rest of this article »

So you’ve got a marketing plan and a strategy. Now you need a graphic designer. Why? Because good design sells. A good designer will combine form and function in harmony. In other words, the end result will not only look good but work well.

You need to choose your designer carefully. Ask people whose materials you like about their designers. Check out their websites and then talk to at least three designers. During meetings with a prospective designer pay attention to how they question you and listen to what you have to say, as well as looking at their work and discussing it with them. You will need to trust that they can do a good job for you. Check what they will provide for you, make sure you understand who will own the copyright and what you are allowed to do with the work you have commissioned.

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Stress, a word that appears to trip off everyone’s tongue most days. They are not referring to load on a structural part of, say, a bridge, what is being referred to is factors in our life which put added pressure on to our time, our mind and our emotions.

We all need some stress in our lives; the `fight or flight` response where the body pumps out adrenaline to prepare us for emergency action is of vital importance. But unrelenting demands and pressure for seemingly interminable periods of time that wear you down, day after day and year after year, with no visible way of escape, can lead to chronic stress.

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