September 2014: Promoting, Assisting & Supporting UK Small Businesses

VIR
EDITION #4: September 2014
September 2014
Promoting, Assisting & Supporting

UK Small Businesses
www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | hello@virtusoassistsant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197
Contents
Page No.
Article
2-6
Since We Last Met
3-4
Crowdfunding
Success Story!
Small Business Saturday UK 2014
7 - 10
Small Business Showcase
11 - 13
The UK Outsourcing Centre
14 - 17
Business News & Events
18 - 21
Recommendations
18 - 19
Newgistics Freight Solutions Ltd
20 - 21
Amshire Solutions Ltd
22 - 24
Social Media & Marketing
25
This Months Offer
26
Win a Month in the Spotlight
27 - 28
A Bit of Fun
29 - 31
Finally
Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197
SINCE WE LAST MET

Were back!
Are you all feeling relaxed and refreshed after your summer breaks? Maybe youve
not been yet and have waited (sensibly) until schools return to take a holiday. If so,
have a wonderful time.
I spent a week in Kefalonia at the end of July and I can honestly say it was the best
holiday Ive had for quite a while. For about five consecutive years of holidaying in
France we had nothing but rain so this year we wanted to pick a location where we
could almost guarntee wall-to-wall sunshine.
It worked!
Kefalonia is still relatively unspoilt in places because of the mountainous terrain.
We stayed at Sami (I believe Captain Corellis Mandolin was filmed there) and,
apart from a mixture of shops and tevernas along the quayside, there wasnt a great
deal to do in the evenings apart from eat, drink wine and admire the beautiful
scenery as the sun dipped behind the mountains. So not a place to take small
children, perhaps, but it was ideal for us.
If youre thinking of visiting yourself, perhaps next year, Id be happy to recommend
some hotels to you.
Back to Business
Rather a lots been happening since Julys edition of Virtually News.
Crowdfunding
Ive been attempting to make a pitch for crowdfunding so that I can start hosting
Virtually News on digital magazine software.
The reasons for this are simple and theyll all be of benefit to you:-
It looks more professional
It will facilitate sharing across social media and email via links for
each, individual page
I can begin to invite businesses to advertise on our pages
Advertising will hopefully generate some income, which will be put back into
the magazine. I will then be able to offer you many more discounted offers
to help you in business.
Perhaps you need business cards to hand out at networking events? You
might want to print off flyers or leaflets. Or maybe youd like to join a local
group of networkers but cant afford the registration fees.
This is what I hope Ill be able to offer you at discounted rates with the
revenue I raise from advertising.
Please do feel free to have a look and share our fun crowdfunding SlideShare. The
sooner I can get funding in place to purchase the software, the sooner I can start
raising funds for you.
Feel free to share the Slidedeck over on social media:

http://www.slideshare.net/nickypasquier/virtually-newscrowdfunding
Success Story
Last month I received an email from Jacqueline, owner of The Parlour, London. If
you read my June newsletter youll know who Im talking about. If not, Jacqueline
transformed a small hair salon in Chiswick, West London, last year and gave the
concept of hairdressing salon a quirky tweak.
After I put The Parlour, London in the spotlight in June, Jacqueline received rave
reviews in Time Out Magazine and was recently nominated as Finalist by London
Lifestyle Awards in the London Hairdressing Salon of the Year category.
Considering she and her team have only been in business for a year I think thats quite
an achievement, given that theyre up against global names like Nicky Clarke, Jo
Hansford, Aveda and Charles Worthington.
Many congratulations to Jacqueline, her artists and the best of luck for the
Finals in October!
Small Business Saturday UK 2014

On a personal note, I was absolutely thrilled to
discover last month that Virtuoso Assistant,
together with 99 other fabulous small businesses,
start-ups
and
entrepreneurs,
had
been
nominated winners of Small Business Saturday
UK.
It really was the culmination of a

hard year but its wonderful to start
reaping the rewards!
Find out what well be doing on 6th December to support small businesses in our
community - everyone is invited so put the date in your diaries.
Just by way of a takeaway for other start-ups who might be reading this, I hope this
gives you some incentive to get your business up and running. If what youre doing
feels absolutely right, what you might call a gut instinct then run with it because it
may be the best thing you do.

TRUFFLEicious: Home Made Belgian Truffles
Congratulations to TRUFFLEicious!
Jan Steele describes herself as an artist / designer / truffle-maker / chef.
Jan manages and runs her own business, working between studios in Surrey and
Wiltshire. From what I can see on Jans website, she appears to be incredibly busy
attending various craft and farmers markets throughout the West Country from now
until December.
I know a little about truffle making - its a bit of an art and involves a great deal of
patience and care: one drop of water in a bowl of melted chocolate and disaster ...
Poubelle as the French say!
Heres what Jan has to say on her website about her truffle business ...
My Home made chocolate Truffles are made with subtle blends of Belgian
Chocolate 72% Cocoa mass, from my own recipes which I have devised
over many years, primarily as personal cook both at Cowdray Park,
Midhurst, West Sussex for family and Polo Functions, Mr Al Fayed, Harrods
Food Halls and running my own private Dining Room in Broad Camden,
Gloucestershire.
All Truffles are handmade by myself using fresh seasonal fruits and where
possible local ingredients. They do NOT contain preservatives, additives,
colourings or extra sugar and are available in fresh fruit, cream, liqueur,
dairy and gluten-free and diabetic varieties. They can be dipped in
chocolate or rolled in an ingredient of your choice.
As they contain no preservatives these Truffles need to be stored in a cool

dry place and have a shelf life of approximately 2weeks.
Flavours
Ive picked out some of my favourite flavours that are new out this week, just to whet
your appetite:DAIRY & GLUTEN FREE: Double Choc Brownie, Fresh Orange, Lady Grey & Citrus
GLUTEN FREE CONTAINS DAIRY: Black Forest, Organic, Damson Liqueur, Organic
Tayberry wine & White Choc
THIS WEEKS SPECIAL: Milk Choc, Orange & Almond Truffles (GLUTEN FREE)
For me the most important aspect about Jans business is that shes using local
products, from local farmers, which is very much in keeping with the current theme
of supporting local, small businesses.
8

Jan also has an eye on healthy options, using gluten-free and organic ingredients.
Its wonderful to see that she doesnt load her chocolates with too much added sugar
- does that mean I can order some, even though Im on a sugar free diet, Jan?
(No. I didnt think so)
You can find out many more details and a list of all locations where you can find Jan
at West Country craft and farmers markets on her website, Avrioart.
Why not say hello to Jan on the following social media sites:
@Trufflesicious OR @AvrioartJan
Jan Steele
Trufflesicious
Jans has a dedicated online shop where you can place your orders. Im not entirely
sure how she manages orders for Christmas but Im sure she has an extremely
efficient plan. Why not give her a call and find out: 07778 157375?
Perhaps you have a wedding coming up and youre looking for little favours to place
on the tables for guests? Im sure Jan would be delighted to discuss ideas with you.
Your Chance to Win a Month in the Spotlight!

Find out how YOU can win a months FREE business advertising via
Small Business Showcase, turn to pg. 26
Keep Updated
Leave your details with us and well deliver a copy of Virtually News direct to your
Inbox each month.
10
THE UK OUTSOURCING CENTRE
Were back again for with Kerry Field for the latest updates and news from The UK
Outsourcing Centre.
Hop over to The UK Outsourcing Centre for full details of how Kerry will help your
business. Read about the three different membership packages she offers and what
youll be able to do.
If youd like to email Kerry with any concerns or questions, please do contact her at
info@theukoutsourcingcentre.com or telephone her on 01926 825 064.
Just to summarise, however, as a member you can expect:
Your business to be listed in the UK Outsource Centres directory

Business growth
Support & promotion
Growing credibility and an enhanced business reputation
Access to business-related documentation such as business plans, templates,
advice for start-ups, exit plans, etc.
11
Whats new at the UKOC?

Last month the Business Hub went live and its resources are now available to Silver and
Gold Members.
What can you expect from the Hub?
Access to free information and downloads to help you through each stage of your business,
from planning and setting up right through to expanding your business and hiring employees.
New member, JBP Business Consultancy Ltd (see below), offers a fabulous Cash Flow
Forecast spreadsheet including pre-formatted cells to enable you to input data easily for a
quick overview.
Muse:HR have provided some extremely useful templates, including a pre-formatted
induction checklist, an HR General Audit and a Grievance Policy template.
The hub itself is contantly being updated as members write and add their own branded
content.
Similarly, the information youll find on the UK Outsourcing Centre website is not finite; its
there for everyones benefit so if Kerry feels something isnt working as well as it should, or
if there is enough interest in a particular aspect of business, she will review and update the
content accordingly.
Quick Tip: its up to each member to get involved and interact with other business people
as they would on LinkedIn, for example. It may take a little effort initially but the benefits
are enormous.
If you know of anyone in business who
might be interested in joining, simply
direct them to the UK Outsourcing Centre.
12
Hello and welcome to new UKOC Gold member:

JBP Business Consultancy Ltd
Run by Janice Bentley-Pearson, JBP Business Consultancy offers business advice and,
in particular, strategic planning for growth & development.
Contact Janice for friendly business advice via:Email: jbpbusinessconsultancy@gmail.com
Telephone: +44(0) 7434 939 694
Twitter: @JBPBusiness
LinkedIn
13
Business News & Events

1. Women Outside the Box - Festival of Female Entrepreneurs
Click over to Women Outside the Box for further details.

14
2. eCommerce Expo - Olympia, London, 1st - 2nd October
If you have an e-Commerce business you cant afford to miss this event.
Heres what eCommerce Expo say on their website,
Unlike many other events, we focus on all areas of ecommerce,
delivering specialist advice, products & services and thought leadership
on areas including: marketing, platforms, payments, delivery & logistics,
customer service and the more generalist topics affecting your overall
ecommerce and multi-channel strategies.
Grab a ticket here and check out the keynote speakers.

Meantime, why not get chatting with over on Twitter @ecommerceexpo and on Facebook
- you might find out some little gems about the show that others visitors might miss.
3. Office* - Olympia, London, 7th - 8th October

Calling all you fabulous PAs, EAs and even VAs!
Office* isnt a show you want to miss.
Book into a couple of seminars during the day - theres
a downloadable list available on the Office* website.
Registration is FREE so book your tickets and take a
day out of the office.
15
4. Financial News: Funding for SMEs

Im sure many of you read or heard on the news that funding to SMEs fell for second
consecutive quarter, despite the Governments FLS (Funding for Lending Scheme) although
the rate at which banks leant to small businesses was not as low as during the previous
quarter.
"Funding for Lending continues to disappoint. The real

test for the scheme has always been whether it is able
to get credit flowing to young and fast-growing
businesses," said John Longworth, director general of
the British Chambers of Commerce.
"Unfortunately many of these firms remain frozen out

when it comes to accessing the finance they need to
fulfil their potential."
John Longworth, British
Chamber of Commerce
Chief Executive of United Kapital, which provides funding to UK SMEs, considered that,
despite Governments efforts to put pressure on banks to lend, the root of the situation
had not been addressed.
Fortunately for small business they have the full support of Nicola Horlick, CEO of
Money&Co, a Crowdfunding site. She will be spending what remains of 2014 visiting
major UK cities and talking to companies about joining her at Money&Co.
16
If youve lost confidence in the banks and would rather

consider an alternative source of funding, its well worth
having a look at Money&Cos website.
Its very clearly laid out with easy-to-follow lists, explanatory videos and downloadables for
both lenders and borrowers.
Theres also a comprehensive list of Q&As and the usual social media buttons so that you
can listen to whats being said over on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
If there are any topics youd like to see covered in the

Business & Events section, please feel free to drop me an
email and let me know:-
hello@virtuosoassistant.co.uk
17
RECOMMENDATIONS
This is a new section, where Ill be listing a couple of businesses per month who
are reputable, reliable and who I feel offer real value to other small businesses.
1. Newgistics Freight Solutions Ltd
Quite a few of you will have e-commerce businesses
or that involve transporting goods regularly, either
domestically or internationally.
I cant think of a company more trustworthy and
hardworking than Newgistics Freight Solutions.
Why are they worth a mention?

Newgistics is an independent, family-run business where the customer is king. Because
theyre a relatively small business compared with others, they offer a friendly service and
will go to enormous lengths to meet your needs.
We can offer the very best in Parcel Services

Worldwide where price discounts have been achieved
through bulk purchasing from the worlds largest parcel
delivery companies. There are several levels of service
offered including 3rd party collections worldwide
Consignments can be fully tracked from pick-up to delivery by logging into your account
and entering your individual consignment number.
18

Warehousing
Newgistics also offer state-of-the-art warehousing facilities which are run by fully
trained and professional staff. They cater for all needs and offer bespoke solutions to
suit your requirements.
If youre unhappy with your current postal arrangements or if you feel youre paying
over the odds for your logistics arrangements, why not send Newgistics a quick email:
info@newgistics.co.uk or give their lovely staff a call on 01554 740800. Theyll be
more than happy to discuss your needs with you and tailor a plan to suit you.
Meantime you can find out what the team are up to over on Facebook and keep up-todate with all their news.
Here are the contact details again:URL
https://www.newgistics.co.uk/
Telephone :
01554 740800
Email
info@newgistics.co.uk
19
Amshire Solutions Limited pride ourselves on being big enough to cope, small
enough to care
We are a family owned Company that delivers reliable IT solutions to businesses in the
South Manchester area and beyond. The business was set up in 1995 (and now in its
19th year) by Trevor Taylor, our Managing Director. We now have a team of 13 and look
after more than 139 Servers and over 1,300 workstations across a wide range of
businesses.
Our 5 core service areas are:
Professional IT Support
Data Backup Solutions
Cloud Computing
Internet Connectivity
Business Support
Our innovative and cutting-edge IT support services give you access to the full range of
expertise necessary to run your business successfully. We can manage all your routine
IT tasks, supply and install new equipment as needed, and provide efficient IT helpdesk support that gets you out of trouble quickly.
We have a range of flexible and cost-effective service plans that suit a business of 3
Users or of 200 plus Users. Our comprehensive services provide clients with unique
technology solutions that are customised to meet the specific demands of their
businesses, by competent, qualified experts in their field.
Our mission is:
" to provide our Customers with the highest level of quality service and
satisfaction by delivering the most efficient, cost effective IT solutions and
networked computer systems."
20
Contact Details
URL:
Telephone:
Amshire Solutions Limited

0330 2020 340
Email:
Twitter:
solutions@amshire.co.uk
@amshire
Quarterly Business Talk magazine: http://www.amshire.co.uk/businesstalk/
21
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING

This Months Recommendations
Over the past few months Ive become more and more interested in the use of visual
content within social media and marketing, for a very good reason. Visual media is
becoming increasingly popular as businesses and individuals understand how their
content can be greatly enhanced just by including one cleverly tailored image per
web page, per blog article or over on their social media platforms.
I shall be resurrecting my own business blog, which has been sadly neglected for a
month or so, and I will be writing about all things visual, from image creation, the best
web-based, iOS or Android apps to use, how to use eye-catching Calls to Action on your
web pages / blogs and similarly how to create landing pages that convert new leads
into paying customers or clients.
So to get the ball rolling, this months recommendations will be all about VISUAL
content creation.
Blog of the Month

A Visual Guide to Social Media Best Practices
By Rebekah Radice
22
SlideShare of the Month

10 Reasons Visual Communication Cant be Ignored
By Haiku Deck
Webinar of the Month

Your Visibility | Adventures in Visibility with Ellen Britt
By Denise Wakeman
23

Just by way of explanation, I always try and watch as many of Denise Wakemans
webinars, Adventures in Visibility over on Google+ as possible and, if I cant make
it for some reason, Ill always catch up with them on her YouTube channel.
Ive got to know Denise over the past year and I can safely say her webinars never
disappoint. Theyre always right on topic - in this case, shes talking about Podcasting,
which is currently underutilised by marketers.
Denise makes every webinar fun and friendly; she invites her live audience to
participate by sending in questions, which she and her guests will either answer live or
after the show has been wrapped up.
Highly recommended.
Ellen Britt is an expert podcaster from PinkCoatTails.com so if you want to pick up
further tips about creating your own podcasts, thats your first port of call.
App of the Month

If youre often making short, promotional business videos have a look at VideoHance.
There is quite an array of options you can use to turn a rather mundane video into a
more professional-looking job.
Adjust colours, add overlays, use frames and even add music.
If you have difficulty talking to camera for any length of time (as I do) take it in short,
bite sized chunks and add each clip together to make one longer video.
When youre done you can share your creation on social media, email it or upload it
onto YouTube.
24
Offers, Fun & Competitions

This Months Offer
Jan from TRUFFLEicious is very kindly making you a special offer this month.
Order a box of 6 mixed truffles (see below) for just 6.50, including P&P.
Offer runs until 28th September and is available in the UK only.
To order contact Jan at jan@avrioart.co.uk
25
WIN a Month in the Spotlight!
Small Business Showcase (pgs. 7-10) is open to a very simple Twitter

competition.
If youd like a months FREE advertising then heres all you have to do:-
Send me a tweet @VirtuosoAssist

Include the hashtag #VirtuallyNews
Tell me why your business deserves to win.
Simples!
Your business will also be #retweeted for a whole week by
the lovely team at Bizitalk. You will be introduced to
thousands of their followers - thats awesome reach for a
small business.
26
A Bit of Fun
As always, a little bit of light-hearted fun to finish off with.
As Charlie Chaplin said,
A day without laughter is a day wasted
27
28
FINALLY
Small Business Saturday UK
How YOU Can Benefit Right Here at Virtually News
If youve been following Small Business
Saturday on social media, you will have
noticed that each winner has been given
one day which is dedicated to promoting
their business.
Local newspapers and radios have been
notified and some lucky winners have
already had articles written about them.
Small Business Saturday UK has its grand
finale on Saturday 6th December.
Youre all encouraged to support your
local, independent businesses by turning
your back on the High Street, for
example, and shopping local for the day.
Local councils are already tweeting ways in which theyll be supporting local
businesses on 6th December by waiving parking fees for the day.
Other people are holding free workshops to teach potential start-ups about social
media and marketing for small businesses.
Heres what were doing & How YOU can Benefit

Well be publishing a bumper edition of Virtually News which will go out on 6th
December.
Well be listing all the 100 Small Biz Winners for your information.
29

More importantly, Id like to reach out to any business owner, large or small, who
would like to be featured free of charge on the understanding that they offer our
readers a fabulous offer or discount.
This is the essence of Virtually News.
>> Its all about give and take <<
If youd like to take feature in our December issue wed love to hear from you.
Send an email to me, Nicky Pasquier, at hello@virtuosoassistant.co.uk with -
brief details of your business

a link to your website, and
what youd like to offer our readers
30
DONT FORGET
Have your copy of Virtually News delivered direct to your Inbox. Just
leave your details with our postman!
31

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VIR

EDITION #4: September 2014

Promoting, Assisting & Supporting

www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | hello@virtusoassistsant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Since We Last Met

Small Business Saturday UK 2014

Small Business Showcase

The UK Outsourcing Centre

Business News & Events

Newgistics Freight Solutions Ltd

Amshire Solutions Ltd

Social Media & Marketing

This Months Offer

Win a Month in the Spotlight

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

SINCE WE LAST MET

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

It looks more professional

I can begin to invite businesses to advertise on our pages

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Feel free to share the Slidedeck over on social media:

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Small Business Saturday UK 2014

It really was the culmination of a

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Small Business Showcase

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

As they contain no preservatives these Truffles need to be stored in a cool

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Your Chance to Win a Month in the Spotlight!

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

THE UK OUTSOURCING CENTRE

Your business to be listed in the UK Outsource Centres directory

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Whats new at the UKOC?

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Hello and welcome to new UKOC Gold member:

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

Business News & Events

Click over to Women Outside the Box for further details.

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197

EDITION #4: September 2014

2. eCommerce Expo - Olympia, London, 1st - 2nd October

Grab a ticket here and check out the keynote speakers.

3. Office* - Olympia, London, 7th - 8th October

Virtuoso Assistant | www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk | 0118 324 0197