Did you know that Right to Rent checks are changing?

​From the 6th April 2022 people who hold Biometric residence cards and permit can no longer just manually show their documents. Like those with pre-settled or settled status they need to obtain a share code and then you can use the Home Office checking service to check their eligibility. Tenants can obtain them here  https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-rent 

There are no changes for those with pre-settled or settled status. 

There are also some plans for British & Irish citizens who if they prefer will be able to submit their documents using digital technology known as Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT). At the moment this is optional for Landlords and Letting Agents. However, manual checks are still acceptable and the Home Office have advised that there are no plans currently to make this mandatory. For bigger multi-national agencies it may make sense, but perhaps not for single branches.

The Right to Rent checking service for Landlords and agencies can be found here
 https://www.gov.uk/view-right-to-rent

Video right to rent checks remain acceptable and will end on the 30th September 2022. 
For more information
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-landlord-right-to-rent-checks

 How many of us spend time scrolling? Are you wasting time or is it constructive? It depends on why you are scrolling. Throughout the day unless I am doing Facebook Community Management I tend to stay off social media of all types. 

In the evening I can be found scrolling again but I combine it with looking at business groups which I belong to. I spend about an hour a day checking my preferred channels and thinking about my business and how to engage on social media. 

Some people recommend chunking it into 15 minute intervals, throughout the day. But for me I know that this realistically won't just be 15 minutes and will interrupt my work flow and probably the rest of my day too.  My plans for this year are to schedule time to work on LinkedIn each day and also Facebook, scheduling and planning the time makes the rest of the day that much easier - and run a lot smother than it might otherwise. Often when I am reading or watching the news I will see something that I choose to share across my social media platforms, it's my way of keeping myself up to date - and my platform too. 

As a planner, and someone who likes to be in control, I spend a couple of hours each month planning and scheduling most of my social media posts. It doesn't have to be monthly if that doesn't work for you, if weekly works for you then that is great, it is whatever works for you.  For me, a quiet Sunday morning with a cup of coffee (biscuits are optional) works the best! 

My posts tend to be similar each week to provide consistency to the people who follow me, as well as appealing to those people who might be interested in working with me. 
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My 3 top tips for social media are simple (and I don't mean 'simple' - I mean simple)  

• Pick one or two platforms you like & post on them regularly.
• Be consistent
• Use a scheduling tool  

Do you struggle to do it all? We choose to be in business for many different reasons - but whether we choose to admit it or not we are doing it to make money!

For some people this honesty might be uncomfortable. As business owners looking to survive there are many more things than working with clients, whether providing a product or service. The unseen aspect of running a business is time consuming and at times stressful.

You are your own IT department, Bookkeeper, Customer Service Department and Social Media Manager, while also working in your Business Development department. This is as well as delivering the products or service.     

Along with this you are also trying to balance this with your own life, whether as a partner, parent or carer or more frequently a combination of all of them. 

Outsourcing the things that you hate or feel overwhelmed by can make your life a lot easier and you a more pleasant person to be around. I say this from a personal point of view and my daughter would certainly agree! This frees you up to concentrate on the things you enjoy doing, rather than the things you feel you have to do because there is no other option.   

This isn't a new idea, if you read Chillpreneur by Denise Duffield-Thomas she advocates this from early on in your business journey.

For me, I outsource my bookkeeping & accounting. I am comfortable preparing my invoices and uploading my expenses but anymore than that, means I am then way out of my comfort zone. My lovely accountant knows this and is always patient with me. She must despair at times, I know I certainly do! Even though I am organised you can never find one piece of paper when you really need it (it is usually in the right pile but in the middle of it)! One year in the (hopefully) not too distant future, I will surprise her and not have to spend time looking for something. To make her life easier I now scan everything as it comes in.

Everything else I do in my business (with some assistance from my teenage daughter). Interestingly I having spoken to a few other Mums recently we have all co-opted our teenagers - willingly or not into working in our businesses. A tip for any teenagers reading this is that you can't pick & choose what you do, in the working world everyone hates some aspects of their jobs but you can't choose not to do them!

And it is the same for business owners, we don't get to choose which part of our jobs we don't want to do - but that is always why, if you are in the position to do so, outsourcing is a good option. It limits the chaos (and removes the parts you really have an issue with - such as my accounts book-keeping), and allows you to really focus on doing what you enjoy. 

Often weekends are spent working on my business and I know I'm not alone on this. My next plan is to get a cleaner (Covid permitting) - so that's one thing off my always growing to-do list. In the meantime if this post resonates with you and you feel like you are drowning, work out what you dislike doing & think about outsourcing.  



   

Recently I had an altercation with a car, but what does that really mean?  The reason I ask the question is because what you think you said, what you said and how people interpret what you said might be completely different.

When I advised my clients of this their interpretation was different to mine. They assumed incorrectly I had been involved in an accident when driving. The reality was very different, I had been knocked over by a car! You are probably wondering where I am going with this.

Basically in my head I had been clear (admittedly still shocked when I sent my unambiguous message), but I wasn't which led to the confusion.
When my clients actually realised the reality they were shocked but please I had only sustained minor injuries. For me, who is usually clear and coherent in my communication it made me think about how sometimes, we see and read what we think is there.

If you are reading or listening to this using adaptive technology and my story is resonating with you and you regularly find yourself in a similar situation, where your messaging isn't getting across or people misunderstood what you are trying to say, then hiring a Virtual Assistant can help you get your ideas across, in your voice.

As a Virtual Assistant I work with you in the way you are most comfortable with. If voice messaging works for you then great - one of my clients sends me voice messages all the time and I write his emails for him using the recording he has sent to me. If you prefer to video call we can set up a regular time, and you can call me to tell me what you would like doing.  As after all, that is the whole point of a Virtual Assistant. 

This year I decided to try something different. I still love my logo & branding, but decided on a fresh approach to my social media. It is very easy (almost too easy) to get caught up and imitate other people's websites. As they say the best form of flattery is imitation. To date I have never seen anyone imitate me, thank goodness.

Maybe to some the imitation is a compliment, but business for me, has always been about being authentic, being me and making no apologies for it. Being unique and honest, and not trying to be something I'm not.  I am me, and refuse to apologise for my love of pink.

The real me, is an introvert and will never be the noisy one in the room. I dread networking, but underneath the quiet persona is a sense of fun. I am calm,  patient  and passionate about everything I do (ok, maybe not the housework)!

I decided I wanted to ensure consistency across my social media and the channels I use. So hopefully you will see more consistency in what I am doing, while letting my personality shine through with the new templates that I now have to work with.

You might be wondering where I've been going with all of this, and honestly, if there is one thing you take away from this, I hope it is that to be in business does not always require corporate  design. Be authentic, and be you, and let your business reflect that - no apologies are required.