Office Christmas parties

December 14th, 2011

As I run my own business (and its relaunched form is in its early days), I don’t really arrange a Christmas do, as such – unless you count Anya and I going out for a nice meal.

I think it’s great for companies to take their staff out and reward them and it’s also nice to spend some time with your workmates that isn’t dominated by computers and deadlines. It does vary, though. I’ve been on some spectacularly bad ones! I think a lot of bosses dread them because they worry that someone (or several people) will enjoy the booze a bit too much and end up being a bit too honest about their views of the workplace. I’ve even heard about fights breaking out.

Providing food definitely seems to help with that, rather than everyone getting stuck into drinks at 5pm and not stopping until 12 hours later. That’s a recipe for disaster. But it can be quite difficult to organise food that everyone is happy with – and menus for groups can be a nightmare. It seems to work best when people either choose their courses in advance or there’s some kind of buffet arrangement.

Anya’s company had theirs last night – quite a classy do, I have to admit. They invited everyone’s partners, which was very generous of them. Not cheap! It’s a more modern way of doing things too, I suppose – takes away that sleazy image of office Christmas parties being all about inappropriate behaviour with people you draw up spreadsheets with. There were a few single people, of course, who were allowed to bring a friend instead – but it definitely makes things a bit less intense.

Who knows… maybe next year I’ll have enough staff to host my own do!

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Leisure, Manchester | No Comments »

Family, friends, partner and clients… the annual juggling act

December 11th, 2011

Life can be very complicated at Christmas, I’ve found. I’ve got Anya and lots of friends here in Manchester, the parents in Bournemouth… and further friends scattered all over the place. I’d love to see them all, but it’s just not possible.

Anya’s family lives in Scotland (that’s the current place, anyway), so that’s another problem… but she’s planning to invite them down here. I wasn’t too keen at first, but it is mostly her flat, I suppose. And we have spent a lot of time with my parents this year. We’ll probably pop down to Bournemouth at some point, but I think they’ll be fine… they have such a massive network of friends down there. A load of my uncles and aunts are nearby too.

I’ve also got clients to think about – many of whom are having Christmas drinks and mince pie drop-ins that I’ve been invited to. I’m grateful, but it’s so difficult to get around them all! I could use the car, but it’ll spoil the Christmas cheer a little if I can’t drink!

I am looking forward to seeing as many people as possible, though. That’s what makes it truly feel like Christmas, in my mind. Though seeing people does tend to mean you’ll have at least one of those awkward moments when one of you has bought a present and the other hasn’t. I’m having enough trouble as it is thinking of things for family and Anya.

For Anya, I think I might write some Cheltenham Gold Cup odds in a Christmas card and wrap it up like a present, as she’s so excited about the Gloucestershire trip in March! Reminding her about it will take some of the pressure off my other Christmas present choices! Though I’m sure I’ll think of a few more. I am the creative type, after all.

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Leisure, Manchester | No Comments »

Rainy day tasks

December 10th, 2011

In the last week I’ve been trying to catch up on things I’ve been putting off, seeing as the weather has been too horrid to do much else. I don’t mind nice, aesthetically-pleasing snow, but this is just cold and depressing! Utterly unreasonable stuff, rain and wind.

Anyway, for example… since moving back to Manchester, I haven’t actually told many people that I’ve got a new address. I did a postal redirection for three months, so I’ve been relying on that… but now it’s due to run out fairly soon and I don’t really want to pay to renew it. There’s also the fact that my business is taking shape quite nicely and it’s about time my marketing was inclusive of my location!

It’s personal contacts too, of course – and not just people I know, but banks and utilities. Ugh, it’s such a pain. You’d think they’d make it easy, but they don’t at all. Well, a few of them do – you can just go online, enter via internet banking security and enter your new details. But others won’t do that as they say it’s not secure enough. Which begs the question; why do they let you handle your finances that way, then?! Instead they rely on sending postal documents, which are much more open to interception, in my view. Grrr. So I’ve been wasting lots of time on that.

We’ve also been watching lots of TV. We tape a lot of things (digital recordings, I mean) – but we’re running out now. We ended up watching a documentary all about processing plants the other night – how they deal with leak detection and stuff like that.

I think I’m going to ask Father Christmas (Anya) for some new DVD boxsets.

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Manchester | No Comments »

Things to do in the new year…

December 7th, 2011

I know we’re only just into December, but Gary Vine is a man who likes to plan ahead. That’s what gives me the edge in business, I think. I’ve therefore started to plan a few things I want to achieve in the early part of next year.

Number one is recruitment. That really is something that I want to sort out as soon as possible. I learned a few things from my first round of advertising and interviews that I’m keen to put into practice, so I can find a good person to rely on.

The second is enjoying myself and doing new things. Mine and Anya’s planned trip to Gloucestershire is still on track – though I need to start monitoring Cheltenham Gold Cup odds if I want a chance of winning some money on the horses. That really would make it complete! And it wouldn’t look half bad in front of any new business connections I make.

The third is exercise. I feel I’ve let that slip a bit, recently. Anya is really into her gym membership and if she signs me up, she’ll get a bonus and I’ll get a discount. Happy all round. I don’t think she believes I’m serious, but I want to get back into shape – especially after all the food and drink I plan to consume over the festive season!

And fourth… I’d like to build my business even further, of course! The sky is the limit. I need to have a continual focus on business development and see where it takes me – without taking my eye off the ball with regard to my existing work. It’s a difficult balance, but I believe I’m up to the task.

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Leisure, Manchester, New clients, Recruitment | No Comments »

Christmas cards

December 5th, 2011

One of the most stressful things about being in business at this time of year is organising your Christmas cards.

Anya used to do it all for me, but I’m perfectly capable of doing it on my own. I’m just not super-keen on it. I enjoy letting my clients know that I appreciate them – and it’s always nice to do Christmassy things – but getting the things organised is definitely a less fun task than handing them out.

I had hoped I’d have taken on a member of staff by now, after carrying out those interviews a few weeks back, who could have helped me with the process – but I decided it was best to delay recruitment until the new year. It just makes far more sense. Lots of people go on holiday during the festive season and it’s just too hectic to make arrangements. I plan to take some time off myself, too!

But anyway… back to these Christmas cards. I tend to start by making a list of clients, then arrange them in alphabetical order, in a spreadsheet. Then I know how many I need. I then buy the right number of cards – which must be tasteful and business-like, but with a hint of Christmas cheer – plus about 20 per cent extra in case there’s anyone I’ve forgotten, or in case I make any mistakes.

Then I have a big writing session. I tend to use printed labels for the envelopes, generated from the spreadsheet. I must say, they’re quite a revelation! Though I still need Anya’s help with that bit. Oh, and then I post them. Job done!

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Manchester, Recruitment | No Comments »

DIY

December 3rd, 2011

I had to do some DIY today. I should probably mention up front that generally, do-it-yourself labour isn’t something that Gary Vine does. Some people get a lot of joy from fiddling about with their properties, gardens and cars – but not me, I’m afraid. I usually have far more interesting things to spend my time on, if I’m honest!

But sometimes, it’s just necessary – especially when the significant lady in your life is planning to do it instead. There’s a shelving unit that I bought for my home office and I haven’t had the chance to put it up yet. It’s been leaning against the wall, all boxed up. Anya kept saying I was putting it off because I didn’t know how and I’m lazy, but it’s not that at all – I genuinely haven’t had time. Then, the other day, I walked in and she was sat there unpacking it with an electric drill beside her! Seriously!

I told her straight away to stop being so daft… and so today, here I was. I said I’d do it within two days if she’d promise to leave it alone.

It went okay, actually – the shelves look good. I’m secretly quite glad that I was prompted to get on with it. Anya said I put some of the pieces in the wrong way, which is why there’s chipboard showing instead of smooth wood – but really, it’s hardly the end of the world, is it?

There’s not too much to this DIY stuff really. I don’t know why everyone makes out that it’s so macho. A college friend of mine is an engineer now and everyone thinks he’s so manly and impressive and all that. He’s always talking about things like torque wrenches and hydraulic bolt tensioners. Zzzzzzz. They’re vital to their industry, of course – but hardly a dinner table topic. I always try to steer the conversation towards business strategy instead. He looks at me as though I’ve got two heads.

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Leisure | No Comments »

The right office

December 2nd, 2011

People often ask me, ‘Gary, what kind of office should I rent?’. It’s one of the areas I offer advice about, as part of my business consulting service.

It’s not as easy a question as you might think. I’m very happy working in my home office – for the moment, anyway – but every business has different needs… and different people have different tastes.

I saw Anya’s office for the first time last week. I’d accidentally got our keys mixed up and so I went to swap them back over (she couldn’t because she was in meetings, apparently – as if I’m not busy too!). It’s a bit flashy, for my taste – all glass and chrome. But some people love that kind of thing.

When you’re looking for office space to rent, you have to think about whether you want a big airy space with a minimalist appeal, or a cosy, traditional type of building. Some businesses suit clean lines and plain personality – but others need a splash of colour, in my view.

For example, if you visit a marketing company that looks as though it has no creative flair in its own office, it won’t exactly inspire you with confidence. Whereas if you’re seeking a solicitor, you want to know they’re efficient with an impressive history of experience – so a tidy office with some comforting old-fashioned features will impress you.

You also have to think about size. In this economy, no one can afford to be heating and lighting empty space! But a cramped office can make you look cheap and inefficient – especially if it’s untidy.

When my business expands, I’m definitely going to be looking carefully at location, too… though it’ll be a difficult decision between my beloved Northern Quarter and more traditional options in Manchester’s ‘business districts’. I’ll have to think long and hard about that one.

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Manchester | No Comments »

Minibreaks

December 1st, 2011

Anya said to me the other day that she thinks we need to do more activities together – more ‘quality time’ and that kind of thing. I wasn’t quite sure what she meant, at first, but then she said she was thinking about visiting places.

I’m more of a home-city person, really… I could be happy spending all my time working at my home office and popping out for business lunches – and spending evenings in Manchester’s great restaurants and bars. There are a lot more to choose from than you might think, if you know where to look. Especially in the Northern Quarter! But sometimes it is refreshing to get out into different areas, I suppose. Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire all have loads of interesting places to visit – and Derbyshire and Yorkshire aren’t far away either.

Anya wants to go to a horseracing event. I think it’s because this new job of hers is giving her ideas. She wants an excuse to buy some nice clothes and pose! There could be something in it for me, too, though – events like this can be great for networking and generally raising your business profile. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is on in March 2012, and even though it’s quite a leap from Manchester, my business has a wide reach – I can serve people all over the country.

I’ve heard that Cheltenham is the most well-reputed National Hunt event, so naturally there should be a great calibre of people there… the sort it can be handy to get to know. I think it could actually be quite fun having a few days in Gloucestershire. Or maybe a week. I imagine Anya will get all soppy about the idea of staying in the Cotswolds. I suppose it can’t harm – as long as she lets me have a couple of evenings out in Cheltenham! Apparently they’ve got some great nightspots.

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Leisure, New clients | No Comments »

The working day

November 26th, 2011

One thing I’ve found working on my own, from home, is that the lines between work and leisure time start to get more and more blurred. You have to be really careful how you organise your time!

A lot of people think that when you work from home, life is really easy and you spend half the day watching Jeremy Kyle in your dressing gown. Well, days like that do happen occasionally, of course… but it’s amazing how much time you can end up spending in front of the computer in your home office, finding little things that need doing. There’s a guilt that stops you from doing non-work things, even if you have a spare hour or two in the day. If you don’t spend it at the computer or doing some paperwork, you feel like you’re cheating!

I’ve found I’ve had to develop a bit of a structure to make sure I get things done without letting them spill into evenings and weekends. It’s like a checklist. I think many businesses could find it useful, actually, on an administrative level. There’s quite a science to it. It’s probably a good thing that I’m now doing my own office management instead of relying on Anya to do it, as being honest, I’m not sure she ever really mastered it! She’s much more into the marketing side of things – hence this new job of hers.

I start the day by checking my emails and social media messages to see if there’s anything urgent that needs dealing with. I then split my day into sections and decide what I’m going to do with each of those. For example, a couple of hours on marketing and business development; a couple of hours on finishing some tasks I’ve already started, then a couple of hours on doing preparation for new tasks.

It’s really quite a distraction when something else arises, like a meeting or an interview. Or needing to go out to buy a pint of milk!

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Manchester | No Comments »

Finding new clients

November 24th, 2011

When I said that finding a new employee was hard, I meant it – and the process is still underway – but believe me, bagging yourself some new business is tougher! It’s fortunate I’ve got lots of world experience in these kinds of things, or I’d get really fed up. Anya used to handle the marketing side of my business, in its former incarnation – but now she’s doing it for someone else (traitor!!! Haha), I’m getting stuck in and remembering how it all goes.

I had hoped to do most of the business from our apartment, but it looks as though some time on the road may be required, in the early days, in order to attend networking events and visit people who might benefit from my services.

I’m therefore looking at getting myself a car. I know it’s more environmentally friendly to use a bike or public transport, but let’s get serious here. Turning up on a BIKE to a networking do, or a potential new client’s office, will just make me look like a drippy hippie instead of a bonafide businessman. And the bus? Please. They’re full of diseases and weird people. The train and tram are a little better, but too cumbersome and not precise enough to zip around various places to my heart’s content. You have to move fast, in this world!

So yes, a car it is. I’ve had my eye on a used Renault Scenic that’s being advertised for sale near our apartment. It’s very convenient, actually – it’s come along at just the right time. My dad has always driven Renaults and says they’re extremely reliable; and if there’s one thing I trust my dad’s opinion on, it’s cars. Not women, or property, but definitely cars. Well, he did always like Anya, but it was more his view on my employment of Anya that he was wrong about. He thought she left because of my attitude, whatever that means.

I can’t wait to get my new car on the road. In fact, I’m going to go and see the seller about it right now. Watch out, business community of Manchester! Gary Vine is coming to get you!

Show how much you like this by sharing it with your business contacts

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Business, Manchester, New clients | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »