Recently we visited the originating company (OC) to assess the authenticity and viability of the scheme that replaces, free of charge, electric, gas and oil heating in Care Homes with Bio-Mass boilers.

We found that:

1.      The scheme is genuine, it is a Gov’t initiative part funded by the levy that energy companies (British Gas, Eon etc.)               charge in the name of Climate Change/Global warming. It’s called the “Energy Company Obligation” or E.C.O.

  a.     The Government’s aim is to reduce emissions and meet targets.

  b.    The benefit to the Care Home is a free Bio-Mass boiler etc. and lower energy charges.

  c.      Savings, over the 20-year life are estimated to be over £1,000,000.

2.      The OC designed the “Blueprint” that controls the procedure. They manage the scheme and carry out                               assessments. Installations are carried out under their directions by major companies such as British Gas.

3.      It is genuinely free to Care Homes. There aren’t any “Hidden” charges.

4.      There is an “Easy-out” option whereby you can give 12 months’ notice in the event you should you wish to sell or    leave the home.

5.      The procedure is;

  a.      We need copy bills for the fuel used to heat the home, electric, gas or oil, ideally covering 12 months but we                            can probably get away with less.

  b.    The OC assess these to make sure things “Stack-up”.

  c.      A site survey is carried out.

  d.     A report is sent to you and, at this point, and only now, will the home make up it’s mind about going                              ahead.

  e.    If any planning permission is needed it handled by the OR.

  f.      The work is carried out.

  g.     You have a happy, warm home & start making savings.

You might not think £100 is a lot of money but it’s a fair reward for 2 minutes work!

All MS did was listen to DB telling him about a problem, tell him that he knew a man who could solve it, suggest that he got that man (us) to call him and ……. That’s it! That’s what he did, we, and our partner did the rest. Once we made the sale, MS got his commission! It all took about a month from start to finish.

DB is a happy person, and MS can tell him about our other services and ask him if he knows anyone else we can help.

I bet you could do that…. Couldn’t you?

What are credit card machines?

Most credit card machines run on PDQ technology (“Parallel Data Query” or “Process Data Quickly”), communicating with the merchant bank to validate card payments via an Internet connection or a wireless connection. PDQ accelerates the validation process by breaking down a query into pieces so that several parts of it can be searched simultaneously. Most card terminals can process a payment in less than six seconds.

Over the past decade Chip and PIN technology has replaced hand signatures as a method of validating card transactions. “Chip” refers to a computer chip embedded in the customer’s debit or credit card, and “PIN” for the Personal Identification Number the customer supplies to confirm identity as the owner of the card.

How do you acquire a credit card terminal?

Merchant card service providers typically offer card machines along with their processing services. You may also purchase your credit card reader separately, from one of a growing number of UK suppliers, and still use it with your existing merchant service provider. You can even rent a credit card terminal, which is a popular option for start-ups and merchants working the occasional trade show or adding capacity for the Christmas holiday season.

What businesses could benefit from card terminals?

As we stated at the outset, any business that sells any product or service would probably expand its sales by accepting credit card payments, and to do so they need a credit card machine. Portable hardware and mobile networks now make card payment possible in situations traditionally restricted to cash, such as trade fairs, outdoor markets, taxicabs, and even the plumber who comes to fix a leak in your flat.

How much do card machines cost?

Beyond the initial cost of buying or renting a credit card machine, you will pay a transaction fee, which is a fixed percentage of each card payment you take. This fee will vary according to your transaction volume. Your merchant service provider may also charge application, set-up or account activation fees.

Setting up your very first office is a big moment for any business, no matter whether you are decking out a room in your house to become a workplace or if you are renting premises from somebody else. Here are our Top 5 Tips for purchasing your office essentials:

1. Even though your business may have noble aspirations to keep its carbon footprint low and do as little printing as possible, the truth of the matter is that you probably are going to have to print some things out. Refusing to buy a printer on principle is only potentially going to put your business at a disadvantage when you really need to print something urgently.

2. If you plan on printing any documents that contain information about you or your clients, you’ll need to have a way to dispose of them safely afterwards that makes it impossible for anyone to read. The best way of achieving this is to purchase a paper shredder that will obliterate your documents in a matter of seconds.

3 . Comfort is really important if you are going to be spending the entire day sitting at your desk working and that is why it is essential for you to have a chair that you feel comfy with. This is perhaps the most vital thing that you will buy because a poor choice could actually hurt your health in the long-term, so you should look at spending at least £50 / £100 on your preferred chair rather than picking up something on the cheap. Look at what other people have said online about the chair before buying it as a measure of quality.

4. Now that you are sorted for something to sit on, you need to think about what kind of desk you would like. If space is at a premium in your home office you’ll probably want to consider a desk that will go in the corner and not waste any space at the sides.

5. If you want to keep your work stuff separate and secure once you pack up for the day, you’ll need some sort of lockable cabinet to store files and projects you are currently working on. Something like an office cupboard with locking sliding doors would enable you to have easy access during the work day and keep it sealed up at night.

Also, if you don’t already have one, make sure you don’t forget to provide an office kettle for thirsty workers!

The Christmas period is a time to celebrate, not least because of the abundance of Bank Holidays, but unfortunately many micro business owners and self-employed people are not able to enjoy the luxury of taking the workday off. In fact, many of us work every weekend anyway because entrepreneurship is a way of life!

1. It's not actually a legal requirement for you to give your employees time off on a Bank Holiday, so if you operate a business in the service industry it would be reasonable for you to expect that at least some of your staff will need to work.
2. For some businesses, Bank Holidays are actually the busiest days of the year so you might even need to consider having more employees on duty than you would normally have at the weekend.
3. Make sure the employment contracts you give to staff are very clear about your position on Bank Holidays within your firm. Anything that allows leeway or room for misinterpretation is only going to cause problems.
4. Always inform staff well in advance about what the plan is for upcoming Bank Holidays, as unexpected surprises will mean having to arrange childcare and changing plans. If you end up forcing staff to work who had already thought they would get the time off you'll just damage morale and they won't soon forget it.
5. Lastly, don't work unless you really have to! The life of a small business owner is very hectic and often more stressful than a normal 9-to-5 job. Use the time with family or just go exploring – new experiences can often reinvigorate and inspire!

Attracting customers is one of the top challenges for startup businesses, especially if you do not have any marketing background yourself. However, the principles of marketing are common sense and can get you a long way without excessive expenditure.

Know Yourself
Time spent on working out what makes your product or service special (its unique selling proposition - USP) is time well spent because it helps you differentiate yourself from the competition. Clarifying your mission and values will provide you with a framework for positioning your business.

Know your Customers
Who is supposed to buy your product or service? Be clear about who you want to sell to. Even if your service or product theoretically could be of interest to almost everybody, pick a customer segment and start marketing to it. Once you have decided on a market segment, it will be easier to decide how to reach potential customers and which channels to focus on.

Set a Budget
Making a marketing plan and allocating a fixed budget can help you keep an eye on costs. It is easy to overspend; having a budget will help you focus your mind and your marketing activities.

Care for Contacts
Referrals and word-of-mouth are a fantastic way to get new customers. Think about who you know who could help endorse your business. Ask for testimonials, referrals and recommendations.

Be Visible
A website is a must for any new business, but it can be simple and inexpensive. The three most important elements are: Your contact details, a compelling offer and an attractive design. The same applies to any other promotional material such as leaflets, flyers and posters.

Social media has transformed the way that businesses operate in the last few years. One of the biggest social media sites in the world is Twitter, yet many companies think they can do without a strong Twitter presence.
Twitter is now an indispensable tool for business, regardless of what business you are in. Is your small business on Twitter? If not, it should be.

Exposure
There are 100 million daily active users on Twitter right now, and they post 500 million tweets a day. That means that each user is tweeting on an average of 5 times per day, whereas the average Facebook user only posts 1 time each day. Nearly everyone you know is going to be on Twitter, and what better way is there to ensure exposure for your company than by having a social media account that will give the possibility of reaching a billion worldwide users? Twitter is free, so imagine how much that exposure would cost your company through traditional advertising.

Analytics
Regardless of the social benefits, Twitter has its own analytics program. Analytics is data, and in the twenty-first century, data is everything. Using Twitter, you can see which tweets are popular. You can see what content outperforms the rest, and you can optimize every message you send to have maximum impact.

Online reputation management
Whether you like it or not, people are going to learn about your company on the internet. You have two options: You can either leave your online reputation to chance – and run the risk of disgruntled customers ruining your reputation – or you can take the chance to create your own visual image. Which is healthier for your business?

Reviews
This is related to the point above. Customers will use Twitter to review your service. Whether that is good or bad news, you want to be able to be a part of that review system. Even if it's just to hear feedback, it's a valuable resource. You can correct errors and reward where reward is due.

Your community is on Twitter
A business is not an island. It's a part of a community. If your community is on Twitter, then you need to be on it, too. This ensures a positive relationship for years to come.

Building rapport with potential customers
People will often tweet, "I wish I could have X." If X is your service, realise that that person is a potential customer. If you give that person something they want, they might be a lifelong customer.

Showing that you're helpful
Twitter allows you, or an employee of yours, to help people. If someone has got a problem, then you can write a tweet solving their problem. Even if it's nothing to do with your business, the fact that your company is being helpful means that you'll build good will in your community and you'll build relationships on Twitter.

Twitter appeals to a different demographic
With people over the age of 25, Facebook is becoming more popular. But what about the younger group? Older teens are actually too cool to be on Facebook because they're afraid that their parents can follow their every move. In order to reach a younger demographic, you'll need to use Twitter.

Your competitors are doing it
If nothing else, you should engage your audience on Twitter because if you don't, then someone else will. It's that simple. Your competitors are on Twitter, and they are stealing your customers from you using our tips in this article.

Twitter gives you more for your money
A brand's visibility on Facebook now depends on just how much it is willing to spend. That's because there is a decline in Facebook's organic reach. Twitter, on the other hand, does better than Facebook ads and drives more clicks.

Think back to a time when your business was small. No, not small. Tiny. Maybe even go back to a time when you didn't even call it a business yet. Your clients and customers consisted of people you knew personally. People whose childrens' names you could remember and whose birthdays would come and you'd send them a card. People who knew as much about you as you knew about them.

Deep personal relationships are the foundation for any successful small businesses. In fact, no matter what stage they are in, every small business relies on customer referrals and word of mouth as their primary lead generation tool. And that doesn't come from treating your customers and prospects like numbers.

But as your business grows and your client base expands, the deep connections that got you started are hard to maintain. This shouldn't diminish your desire to stay close though. It just changes your strategy. When you've outgrown your ability to keep up personally with every customer, Just One Click could be the next step for your business.

Internet marketing is important because it aligns with the way consumers make purchasing decisions. Studies by analysts such as Gartner indicate that increasing numbers of consumers use social media and research on mobile Internet to carry out preliminary product and price research before making final decisions. Internet marketing enables you to build relations with customers and prospects through regular, low-cost personalised communication, reflecting the move away from mass marketing.

Convenience
Internet marketing enables you to be open for business around the clock without worrying about store opening hours or overtime payments for staff. Offering your products on the Internet is also convenient for customers. They can browse your online store at any time and place orders when it is convenient for them.

Reach
By marketing on the Internet, you can overcome barriers of distance. You can sell goods in any part of the country without setting up local outlets, widening your target market. You can also build an export business without opening a network of distributors in different countries. However, if you want to sell internationally, you should use localisation services to ensure that your products are suitable for local markets and comply with local business regulations. Localisation services include translation and product modification to reflect local market differences.

Cost
Marketing products on the Internet costs less than marketing them through a physical retail outlet. You do not have the recurring costs of property rental and maintenance. You do not have to purchase stock for display in a store. You can order stock in line with demand, keeping your inventory costs low.

Personalisation
Internet marketing enables you to personalise offers to customers by building a profile of their purchasing history and preferences. By tracking the web pages and product information that prospects visit, you can make targeted offers that reflect their interests. The information available from tracking website visits also provides data for planning cross-selling campaigns so that you can increase the value of sales by customer.

Relationships
The Internet provides an important platform for building relationships with customers and increasing customer retention levels. When a customer has purchased a product from your online store, you can begin the relationship by sending a follow-up email to confirm the transaction and thank the customer. Emailing customers regularly with special, personalised offers helps to maintain the relationship. You can also invite customers to submit product reviews on your website, helping to build a sense of community.

Social
Internet marketing enables you to take advantage of the growing importance of social media. An article on the Harvard Business School Executive Education website highlighted the link between social networking and online revenue growth. According to the article, a group of consumers that responded most strongly to the influence of social networks generated increased sales of around 5 percent. You can take advantage of this type of influence by incorporating social networking tools in your Internet marketing campaigns.