Our Musings
Finding your website voice
When I’m speaking to clients or chatting in the Beyond the Kitchen Table Facebook group, people often tell me they find it hard to write for their business - particularly their website copy. There are lots of reasons for this, some real, some perceived: lack of time,...
Taking back control
The last couple of weeks have been challenging - trying to work with children (and the husband) at home whilst the unknown of the Coronavirus looms over us. The "juggle" is one many of us working mums are familiar with, but this time it is different. Unlike the...
5 effective SEO tactics for small businesses
What is SEO and why should small businesses invest in it? Did you know that 87% of adults in the UK are online each day (according to the ONS)? Most of the remaining 13% are over the age of 70. But only about 67% use social media each day (according to Statista)?...
Which website builder is best for small businesses?
Etsy, Amazon, Wix, Weebly, Wordpress, Squarespace, Shopify, GoDaddy. There's an endless choice of platforms to build your website on. It's bewildering. Overwhelming. How are you supposed to choose which website builder is going to be the best one for you to use?...
7 reasons why you need a website
A new website is a big investment - I get that. Especially if your business is still in its early stages and not earning very much. Those early stages seem to involve a lot of paying out money - there's the logo, business cards, accountant fees, maybe a lawyer,...
Setting your Business Strategy for 2020
'Tis the season... ...of vision boards, goals and resolutions. But spoiler alert! Vision boards and goals won’t get you where you want to be in 2020. The reality is that to get where you want to be in 2020 you need a strategy which includes an action plan. A...
It’s not all “me, me, me” – writing your About page
Your About Page is a hugely important page on your website. Website visitors usually want to know more about you before they buy from you. They’re interested in YOU and they are looking to see if they think YOU can help them. We’re all a bit nosey!! I mean I bet...
4 reasons you shouldn’t display your prices on your website
Do you have your prices listed on your website? The issue of whether to display your prices on your website is a bit marmite. It tends to divide the world into those who believe it is a necessity and those who think it is the worst thing you can do. There are...
3 ways to get more sales fast
Do you need more sales? Sales is the life blood of any business. We all like to think (or is it just us?) that customers will find us by magic, or by "word of mouth", but sometimes you need to give sales a helping hand. We are building a business for the long term,...
Our guide to blogging
Do you blog? Like many small businesses, we have a complicated relationship with blogging. We know it is good for us, but sometimes it feels like hard work, we worry about whether anyone reads the posts (and whether they like what we have written) and...
Who is your Ideal Customer and why does it matter?
I was listening to Graham Norton interviewing Kevin Clifton the other day on his radio show. Kevin mentioned that he applied 3 times to be on Strictly as a professional dancer before he was accepted. The first time he was going through a "grungy" phase -...
My date with Theo
Last week I was fortunate to be invited to Birmingham to spend the day with Theo Paphitis (ok it wasn't just me, there were a few other businesses there too). Theo spoke about the importance of small businesses to the economy and the strength of the...
How to sell products online without a website
One of the questions we often get asked by people setting up in business is Do I need a website? Given we build websites, it is tempting to always answer yes, of course you do, but actually that wouldn’t be true... A website is a big investment in terms...
My Miracle Morning
Last night I went to the regular monthly meeting of a local networking group I am a member of. At the beginning of the evening, one member talked about the Miracle Morning. Now, I have heard of the book (by Hal Elrod) and indeed heard various business coaches talk...
Upping Your Game
No-one is entitled to business, it has to be earned A new supermarket has just opened opposite our local Sainsbury's. It's an Aldi - with a reputation for lower prices. I've just made a visit and was impressed. It was bright, spacious, clean and the staff were...
New Beginnings
September is my favourite month of the year. After the long days of summer holidays (which, don't get me wrong, I also love), there is something exciting about starting afresh in September. September is always a time of new beginnings. New school year,...
The Importance of Good Navigation
So, this weekend we were fortunate to go to the Muller Anniversary Games at the Olympic Park in Stratford. Having tried, and failed, to get tickets to the athletics in the Oympics 6 years ago we were excited to see an event in the Olympic Stadium. We arrived early....
What’s your niche?
What's your niche? My husband jokes that we will soon have Amazon and Google knocking on our door asking us to build them a website. And I respond that they can go away. Why? Because they aren't the kind of client we want... It seems counter-intuitive to...
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