Essex Business Woman Helping Change Lives In Africa
It is great to be a member of The BWN and its great to be back at all the events. I work for FSB and I look forward to telling you more about how it could be good for your business and save you money on the every day business essential but for now I want to say “I’m off to South Africa!”
No, not another holiday (courtesy of Half Moon Travel!) I’m afraid. I have invested both time and money in order to take part in a charity expedition in May with the Wilderness Foundation. The charity focuses on protecting the world’s last remaining wild areas and it’s wildlife, whilst making a difference to local communities
As part of the Wild Swans project I will be working with a community in Sedgefield supporting and engaging with young women in order to explore aspirations, build confidence, education and skills and ways to deal with the negative influences they face – We will also be helping with the development of their website, social media, and helping them produce marketing materials so they can encourage support.
The next part of the expedition will be backpacking and spending time with the anti-poaching White Rhino project to save this iconic species which is near to extinction…so an amazing, humbling and challenging experience all round!
I have funded the expedition expenses myself though I’m reaching out to see if people would kindly sponsor me for taking part as I have pledged to raise £2000 of which 100% of monies received will go to the Wilderness Foundation and helping the Community project too.
If you would like to find out more about the expedition I’ve set up a Virgin Money Giving page; http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AngelaLock2
I of course will also be at The Essex BWN events, so I look forward to seeing you there!
Happy Birthday Us! What does that mean for you?
The Business Womans Network is 6 years old today. In that time we’ve;
Raised over £8000+ for charities like 
Farleigh’s Hospice, Little Havens, Colchester Mind, Colchester Food Bank, Dancing Giraffe, Children in Need, Comic Relief and others. Sometimes sensibly collecting non perishable foods, other times exposing our perishables!
We’ve helped you raise money for the charities of your choice, because we know charities want to get their organisation loved, so even if money was not raised we’ve been a part of your charitable activity to get you, your business and the charity known.
We’ve taken your viewpoint to the Bank of England, the Home Secretary and the Home Office.
We’ve got Business women on ITV1, BBC Radio Essex, BBC Radio Herts, BBC Radio Suffolk and BBC Radio London.
We’ve helped business women win awards both locally and nationally.
We’ve helped business women literally too scared to speak, stand up and speak eloquently to a room full of business women. To the point that they now do it for a living!
We introduced you to some of the leader business speakers and experts in the UK including speakers that are best selling authors and one speaker who has been on the Oprah Winfrey Show so that you 
get real answers and solutions to grow your business, enhance your performance and increase your confidence.
We’ve connected you to organisations that have given you opportunities that you couldn’t have got if you didn’t walk through our door every month.
Above all we know what matters to you most is to increase sales, gain customers, increase profit and not be too exhausted to have a life outside of work and you tell us we help you achieve that!
But above all, in the last 6 years we’ve met hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of businesses and given them support to get the results they want, always with our tagline in our heads “
AS PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS AS YOU!”
On our 6th birthday knowing the support and results we bring to your business puts a warm glow in a hearts and a smile on our faces. Because we can’t wait to see what the next 6 years will bring.
We are now actively looking to launch the BWN in other countie so that more business women can get paid to network. And if you are lucky enough to be able to join us in Essex this Friday, we are so honoured to know you, help you and network with you.
As Annabelle Catchpole from International Organisation Mancroft International once so 
eloquently put it; “If Carlsberg did networking it would like The Business Wommans Network”
Go on let us prove to you that this is the best network, that is not a girlie chat* but a motivational, great environment to help you in every area of your success from confidence and self belief, to business skills and Success methodology. This is your network, Happy Birthday!
*We can’t guarantee that conversation won’t turn to how gorgeous a business woman’s shoes are, but hey we all know great networking is about great communication and showing you care about others so they know you, like you and trust you, right?
Not booked for this Friday at Five Lakes Crowne Plaza, Colchester, 10am? Book here.
46 business women confirmed, 14 stands. (£25 exhibitors stand includes 1 ticket)
Exhibiting With The BWN – Your Questions Answered
You are welcome to have a stand at any BWN event. The great ones to exhibit at are our Birthday events, our big summer events in July and our Christmas events in November (We moved them from December because you told us you wanted to shop early for Christmas!)
But what can you expect?
- You can expect between 30 and 70+ business women in one room to show case your business to.
- You are welcome to offer mini sessions of what you do as long as it fits on to 1 table.
- You are welcome to bring your banner, again as long as it fits next to your table.
- You can bring your products along.
If you would like confirmation of the room we are in, please feel free to text your area coordinator to confirm, however the reception staff will be more than happy to inform you which room we are in and we aim to post this on our Twitter account on the day too – @BWNcouk
The event starts at 10am but you are welcome to arrive at 9.30am to get set up.
Officially the event finishes at 12.30 however most business women stay on until 1pm.
We request that you do not dismantle your stand until 12.30pm.
Only the first 25 business women to book and pay are guaranteed a speaking slot of 60 seconds, so booking in advance is advisable.
If you have any concerns or further questions contact your area coordinator.
You are able to further benefit by sponsoring any event – £100 (Golden Ticket price £75) includes a 10 minute speaking slot, your business literature and goodies on each place setting, logo on the marketing material for that event and an exhibition stand.
Good ideas to make it really good for your business.
If you are exhibiting with us its a good idea to set up some social media mentioning us because everything we see, we are happy to share, like and retweet. All of our social media is accessible on the home page of our website.
Read our guide How To Stand Out An Exhibition. Click here to read it now.
It is a good idea to send out an email to your database letting everyone know where they can learn more about your business and that you will be attending this event.
You are welcome to request a copy of the event poster to add to your marketing in the run up to the event and it’s a great idea to post on the Facebook event page for that event too.
We look forward to helping to promote your business.
How To Get People Buying
As a business womans coach I’m often with a client who has fabulous products and services and yet for some reason people just aren’t buying from their business.
When I run Business Growth Training Programmes at some stage this question will come up and my Sales Mountain helps business owners ask questions like “How can I help people be more aware of our products and services?”
“People aren’t buying our products that really generate profit, how can I turn that around?”
So if you would like to increase sales at the top with the flag flying high for your business success and profit margin, ask yourself how do you get people buying at all levels?
Want more advice like this? I’m at every Essex BWN event and happy to talk about your business. You can also work with me from £8 here or invest £750 + VAT and become one of my Growth Accelerator clients. Learn more here.
The Price is Right
Here Joanne Stevens from Business Growth Academy shares a top tip to helping you grow your business and a pet hate when it comes to people setting their prices.
One of the most powerful exercise we do on our introductory workshop is to look at what you want your business to do for you and work out what your price needs to be based on this. It’s the biggest AH-HA moment for so many. And I cannot help but be frustrated when I see so many people set prices by looking at what their competitors charge, then knock a bit off!
Virgin takes a tried and tested product or service, finds out how to do it better than anyone else then works out what the price point needs to be to make this work for the company. Take Virgin Airlines – they select only certain routes, they negotiate good contracts with the airports and then they stamp their brand all over it, advertising to their target market in the right way. Far more focussed than a budget airline selling tickets low cost to anyone that will put up with a less than satisfying experience.
So how do Virgin charge a price that suits them rather than the price their competitors dictate?
- First they know their ideal customer inside out. They know what appeals to them, set their expectations and over perform every time (well enough times to have a built a great reputation).
- They offer alternatives – economy, premium and first class. Most people will go for economy but they have enough choice to satisfy everyone in their target audience.
- They up sell – even to those buying economy they give the customer plenty of opportunity to upgrade if they want to. They use discounts and other incentives to make this look really attractive.
- They deliver on their promises and ensure they provide a great customer experience.
- They follow up – using loyalty cards and relevant offers that match the customer experience.
To apply this to your business and ensure you are in control of your business rather than it controlling you:
- Work out what you need to earn to fund your lifestyle – pre tax. Look at how many hours you want to earn and price your service or product to match these 2.
- Based on where you are pricing yourself, decide who is your ideal client and work out what the benefits are TO THEM of you product or service
- Get these benefits in front of them in the right way – making sure your promotion matches their profile
- Convert them into paying customers. Engage them in conversation, give them the opportunity to buy and when they show they want to make it easy for them to do so.
- Deliver on the products or services at a level that exceeds expectation
- Follow up – for another le, a recommendation, or just simply a thank you. Show your customers you appreciate them too.
To explore this and other ideas to grow and control your business join me at my last Free workshop on Saturday 26th March – for full details and to book click here: How to hit your100000 fast – not Turnover, Profit
Jo attends our North Essex events. You can learn more about Jo and here business here;
TEL: 08456 788 825
PA Angels Fly’s Through the Sky for Farleigh Hospice
PA Angels Fly’s Through the Sky for Farleigh Hospice
Jenny Sjollema, 41, of Heybridge Basin, Maldon, Essex flew through the freezing cold sky’s in Beecles, Suffolk on Friday 20th February to raise money for Farleigh Hospice as part of the £50 Birkett Long Business Challenge in Mid-Essex.
“I decided to do the challenge, after my friend Stella Bradbrook had been diagnosed with liver and bowel cancer earlier in the year. And I decided to do the skydive having overheard another lady at the cheque presentation evening that she was doing one, and I thought, well why not!”, Jenny said.
She reached speeds of up to 120mph on her free fall, and was on the ground in less than two minutes!
Jenny took over About My Area Maldon and Burnham from Stella in the Summer, having taken over Chelmsford and Witham previously, she now runs Mid-Essex websites. About My Area is a community based website, supported by local news.
“Once I’d decided to do the skydive, I went full steam ahead, promoting it on the website, social media and the local press,” Jenny said. “I have raised over £800 to date for this AMAZing cause, that have supported Stella and her family over the last few months.”
If you would like to support Jenny to raise funds for Farleigh Hospice, you can do so by going to www.virginmoneygiving.com/JennySjollema
Or feel free to give Jenny your money when you network with her at The BWN in Essex!
Free Seminars – Workplace Pensions for Small Businesses
Here BWN member Fiona Cowie from Essential HR speaks about some opportunities to understand the legislation and how it could impact you and your business. We hear many business women say they are not willing to employ staff because they “can’t face all that” however with the right staff and the right support your business will be able to grow in ways that are not easily accessible for the sole trader.
Free Breakfast Seminars – Workplace Pensions for Small Businesses
Workplace Pensions for small businesses is about to become a reality as the staging dates (the date on which the new laws must be met) for those businesses with less than 50 employees begin from 1st March. If you are a business with one or more employees, you will have a staging date already allocated to. Workplace pensions will have an impact on your business in the shape of extra administration, data processing, payroll and compliance which all mean additional cost.
We are running two FREE breakfast seminars in March to inform small businesses about workplace pensions and what it means for them. To learn the key facts about workplace pensions please come along and hear Fiona Cowie, your local Workplace Pensions Specialist.
4th March – 8am – 9.30am at Ivy Hill Hotel, Margaretting. In partnership with Sound Financial Planning and Consort Insurance. Email fiona@essentialhr.co.uk to book a place.
17th March – 8.30am – 10.30am at The Bay Horse, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford. In partnership with Success Recruit. Visit Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unlocking-the-myths-about-auto-enrolment-tickets-15811414366 to book your place.
Don’t leave your planning too late. Come along now to find out what’s involved in Workplace Pensions.
To learn more about Fiona Cowie and Essential HR visit – www.essentialhr.co.uk
Connect with Fiona on Twitter – http://twitter.com/HRandReward
Telephone – 01245 349492
Email – fiona@essentialhr.co.uk