Sister Snog

Many workers have been affected by transport disruptions. Technically it is their responsibility to get up earlier and find an alternative route into work. In reality, many employers arrange home working which reduces stress and improves productivity.

If you don't have an established car sharing or lift sharing scheme, you should be careful you don't end up setting up liability for uninsured drivers. You should not be ordering or directing employees to get into a car with 'Fred' if you don't know that 'Fred' is insured. If the car is a fully insured company car that's different.

Hourly paid workers are not usually paid except for the hours they work, though salaried workers may be on a different basis. You should check your contracts to see if you do in fact pay people on an hourly basis, or some other way.

Annabel Kaye (Tanguera) is Managing Director of Irenicon Ltd, a specialist employment law consultancy.
T: 08452 303050
F: 08452 303060
W: www.irenicon.co.uk
Twitter: AnnabelKaye

Do you remember, on your way to Blackpool, Brittany or Berwick-upon-Tweed, frantically waving out of the back of the car at the ever-so-slightly embarrassed driver behind you?
Do you remember 20 questions? Or I-Spy? I-Spy! That's brought it all back. I-Spy Wild Fruits and Fungi. And they’re about to re-launch them too. 

But come on guys & gals, why I-Spy On A Car Journey? Get with it, Big Chief! Bring I-Spy bang-up-to-date? I-Spy Killer Heels.  I-Spy FitFlops. I-Spy TV Bags.

Look. In any case, we're all spying these days. Linking in (link in video). Following.  Tweeting. Sharing photos. There's so much out there to spy on. So much useful information to gather. New friends to find. The beauty is there's no cloak and dagger about it. No furtiveness. All collaboration. And no need to work for MI5 any more!

Power Pants

Hands up if you’ve had to stand in front of an audience, and present.  What are you wearing?  Statement or safe.  Charcoal-suited.  Naughtie navy.  Cheeky pinstripe.  Zebra or leopard.  Or are you ‘Legally Blonde’  in an immaculate shift dress?

Actually what’s on the outside is possibly not as important as what’s on the inside.  How do you feel?  What do you want to project to your audience?  Power.  Control. Knowledge.  Expertise.  Something else?

Whether you want to blend in or stand out, wear something that makes you feel like a Princess.  Queen of the stage.  Dame of the moment.  In the undergarment department.

If you’re looking for a confidence boost be sure to wear a pair of Power Pants  at your next presentation.  Forget Imposter Syndrome. Pop on a pair of sunshine-yellow nick-nocks if you’ve got a challenging day ahead.  They never fail to cheer you up.  If yellow's not quite your colour what about risky red ?  Passionate purple?  Or Spanx for higher power.  Feeling good on the inside makes you feel good on the outside.  So go on.  Get yourself a pair, and wear them with pride. No one will ever know.

Penned by Myfanwy Neville
Berg Kaprow Lewis

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Leading Lady. Starlet. Flocked wallpaper that blends into the background. Or wilting wallflower? Ouch!

The new going out
If your little voice is telling you going out to 'that' business event could be a big mistake. Stay at home. Clear down your inbox. Sort out your expenses. Write a blog. Have a Twitter. Or a flutter. Play Wink Bingo (just kidding)! Make a to-do list. Phone a friend. Read a book. Trash, trivia or totally topical. Something by the Leo Sayer lookalike. Or Mr Godin perhaps? Lacking inspiration? Look no further than 15 worthy books for business minded women.

Looking good. Feeling good
Don't take shortcuts. Your sins will find you out. Wrinkeld shirt. Crumpled skirt. Chipped nail varnish. Forgot to polish your shoes. Hotter on the tube than anticipated? If you don't take pride in your appearance, what does that say about your attitude to your work. You are what you wear.

Smile Power
Wearing a smile when you are among strangers is the best way to invite them to get to know you. A smile sends a message that you are friendly. Likeable. Engaging. Your face is the first thing people look at when they meet you. So be a flower. With a delicious scent. That draws people close enough to see inside you. Now that's Smile Power.

Talking hands
Body language speaks volumes. Handshakes have a language of their own. A Controller extends their hand. When your hands are linked - they manoeuvre theirs on top. They want to be in charge. If you'll  let them. The Dead Fish. Sweaty, wet palms. The sign of a nervy individual with a nervous disposition. Is that someone you really want to cultivate. Maybe not. The Limp Finger syndrome. Extending fingers rather than the entire hand. More common in women than men. Not really a handshake at all. More of a token gesture lacking authenticity. And The Sandwich. Enveloping another person's hands in yours. Inappropriate for strangers. To be reserved only for people you know. Or who know you. 

Razzle dazzle
Add a sprinkling of pzzaz and a touch of theatre when you describe what you do. Be animated. Be authentic. Be your personal brand. What snippets or anecdotes can you share. Everyone loves a story. Remember Jackanory?

A hint of perfume
OK. So you look fabulous. Have captivated your audience. Time to move on. But before you do, leave a hint of perfume on the pillow. A well designed business card (using both sides). The promise of a sensational website. Or a brilliant blog. Show you're someone who's connected. That connects. 

A spoonful of sugar
We're living in a collaborative era. Think 'what can I do for you' rather than 'what can you do for me'. What doors can you open? What juicy bit of information can you share? A top tip that worked for you. A golden nugget of information. 

Nice to see you. To see you nice!
When you get home, take out the business cards you've collected. Pick out the people you clicked with. Chemistry is key. Be selective. Check out their website. Tweet on Twitter. Link on LinkedIn. Find them on Facebook. Blab on their blog. Stand out and shine by staying in touch with tasty morsels and tit bits.

Endorse. Be endorseable
Endorse. When appropriate. Put yourself in a position so that they can easily return the favour. Make sure you, your proposition, your website, blog or tweets are colourful enough to be associated with. And easy to promote and shout about.

Spelling bee
How's your orthography? You know. Your spelling. Which do you think is correct accommodate or accomodate? Do you know the difference between complementary and complimentary? Does it matter? Well yes. It does actually. In fact there's a strong case that Dan Quayle lost all hope of ever becoming President of the US when he very publicly misspelt potato. Adding an 'e' to the humble tuber. Poor spelling can have powerful consequences. Could make you look sloppy or slapdash. Incompetent. Or is it incompetant? Make sure you're remembered and stand out from the crowd. For the right reasons.

Caroline Bosher is a networking specialist who helps people discover their magnetic personal brand both online and offline. For more info visit www.carolinebosher.com

Stand out from the crowd
Wouldn't you just love the press to fall in love with you. Course you would. The obvious call. Send out a press release. Picture it landing on a journalist's desk. Lost amongst a pile of other press releases. Now imagine the same press release with a book accompanying it. Different story.

Start with your heart. End with your head.
It's tough to get all the way to the end of a book  if you're striving for perfection first time round. Forget the minutiae. Word count. Grammar. Chapter lengths. These can wait. Just give yourself permission to write. No holding back. See where the incredible journey takes you. Then when it comes to your second draft, tackle it head on. Some paragraphs will stay. Others go. A perfectly natural part of the process of what can be a rather cathartic experience.  

Find the magic number
Books don't write themselves. If you're serious about writing a book it has to be a daily commitment rather than a commitment for a whole day. Top tip. Get a timer. Set it for 45 minutes. Write. No delicious distractions allowed. Everyone has a magic number. After a couple of sessions you'll find yours. Even 10 minutes a day can lead to a best seller.

The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43
Singer Harriet Goodwin cut back on touring because she had small children. Then she stumbled on her second career. As a children's writer. She woke up one morning, convinced a dream she'd had was the plot for a novel. She began writing for 10 minutes a day when her children were napping or at school. Religiously.

Something in the woodshed
In 2009 The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 became book of the month in Borders and was shortlisted for last year's Blue Peter award. Ms Goodwin is now working on a second book in a shed at the bottom of her garden. She hasn't given up her day job and still gives concerts but finds writing complements her singing. Proof there can be harmony between two careers.

So what are you waiting for? Time to release the book inside.

Jacqueline Burns
Publishing Consultant
publishabestseller.com
@writersclub
 

Careers from the kitchen table
The number of people starting and growing a business from home rose to 2.8 million in 2009. Collectively these Kitchen Table Tycoons contributed £284 billion to the annual UK economy according to a survey by Enterprise Nation and BT. And many of the are women.

May all your donuts look like Fanny's
Fanny Craddock may have been crowned the 'First Lady of Food' but she's certainly not the only one who has seen her business leap off the kitchen table into the limelight. You can find  Cheryl Cullen and Kitten Kit keeping company with Sally Preston, chief cook-and-CEO at Babylicious, Rebecca Jay with her Dodo Pad and Julie Pankhurst who captured the desire to reunite with friends. So a big thank you to new technology which has at last created a new liberation for these Mothers of Invention by enabling them to run successful businesses from home.  

Oh! What a circus
Most Kitchen Table Tycoons double up as Mobile Entrepreneurs. Their average day. Rarely typical. And they rely heavily on smart phones, apps and instant messaging to manage their very-much-in-the-now businesses. Organisation. Communication. Accessiblity. Availability. All key to the circus of business. The Mobile Entrepreneur is both Mistress of Smoke & Mirrors and Master of the act of juggling and balancing the needs of the business with the demands of their customer or client. Which is what possibly explains the growth of the Virtual Office.

Step into the virtual world
Time is both the currency and the enemy of every entrepreneur. However, outsourcing telephone answering, admin, secretarial and support services can buy time. Many virtual office companies also have bricks and mortar locations that can masquerade as a business HQ. They'll open mail. Forward mail. Who's to know? They're perfect for a pitch. Marvellous for a meeting. Leaps and bounds better than Starbucks or Costa. And granny gets to keep the flat. It's a no brainer.

So if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and say au revoir to the kitch'n'sync.

Sally-Ann Mannas
Group Marketing Manager
The Virtual Office
www.voffice.com
Follow on Twitter @aVirtualOffice

Girlfriends in High Places was an eye-opening study about the rise and rise of the New Girls Network. The study published in 2004 showed how these networks were forming an essential part of the business framework. Each with their own brand, identity, personality and loyal fans. Today that’s still the case. Even more so. If you’re in business, being a member of a business ‘network’ or two is essential if you want to build up your resources, enhance your reputation, create opportunities for your empire or career and get a step closer to your next customer or client.

The New Girls Network
Women have been networking as long as men, if not longer. The only thing is  women have been doing it slightly longer on a different and rather more subtle level. The fairer sex, have been getting together in far more imaginative settings than the golf course or a dusty private members club. In fact, a trip across the channel demonstrates the power, impact and far-reaching influence of women’s social networking dating way back to the seventeenth century.

The women of French Salons

Interestingly enough, by delving into history and looking to France we can find the forerunners of the intelligent, self-poised, clear-sighted, independent modern woman who now forms the backbone of the New Girls Network. These were the women who provided a beautiful, unwitting blueprint for today’s entrepreneurial woman. Their remarkable variety and originality made the French Salons of the seventeenth century so influential. The Salons were a place where intelligence blended with practical knowledge.  These progressive women were usually very clever and rather brilliant. And it was their cleverness and brilliance that was exercised to bring into stronger relief the talents of their friends. They may have taken centre stage when it was their turn, but they also made sure they dipped into the wings at the appropriate moment. Everyone should know when their fifteen minutes of fame is up and it’s someone else’s turn! Their peculiar gift was to inspire others and that’s the case with today’s inspirational women.

Similar but not the same
By the same token, the real New Girls Networks don’t see men as a threat.  Quite the opposite. It’s all about equality in terms of ability but different in terms of make-up. Similar but not the same. The differences are complementary and should result in harmony. Men and women simply do things differently, relish different things and operate at their best in different environments.

A curious nature
Women are also naturally curious with a healthy appetite for information and want to find out about each other. And this hunger for tasty tit bits goes way beyond the business arena. In fact, business talk often comes way down on the agenda at the early stages of a relationship.

Balls in the air
Women share certain characteristics.  And multi tasking is one of them. They know what it’s like to juggle work and home by looking after the children, cooking for the freezer, making sure legs and armpits are hair free, keeping the team at work happy, balancing the balance sheets, being energetic in the bedroom and ensuring clients and customers are totally and utterly delighted.  Phew!

The ultimate trump card


It’s certainly not a major disadvantage to be female in business. Actually it’s a trump card if played well and with confidence. The only barriers to success are personal demons coupled with a lack of drive, determination or dedication. Why did Sex And The City become a must-watch-series and a blockbuster? Because it glamorised different female stereotypes. What’s more it made it more than ok to be one of those stereotypes. There’s no doubt there’s a breed of business woman who gives the V-sign to convention and actually sets her own standards.

Lunching or lobbying
So, if you are a woman in business or climbing the career ladder and you haven’t joined forces with a bunch of like-minded business women you’re missing opportunities.  Whether you’re into lunching or lobbying it doesn’t really matter. There’s a club or group that will ring your bell and open doors for you that may have otherwise remained shut.

So, what are you waiting for?

Why don't you twitter this blog post?  

Just about everyone has a favourite chocolate indulgence. What's yours? Bet you'd really love some white chocolate. Right now! Or maybe dark's your thing. The darker the better. The purer. Maybe 100% pure. Makes you feel better. Because it's eco-tastic as well as something to die for.

And it's not just about how crazy you are for it. What do you feel about the brand itself. The associations. What do you think of the girl with the flakey stuff? Or the flyboy in the shop who can't resist the crispy creamy stuff? Stuff about chocolate can make you smile. Laugh out loud even. Come over all fruity and nutty. Or rather territorial. Particularly if you've got a thing for Terry. And your favourite colour is Orange. Or is it All Gold? Chocolate can make your heart skip a beat. Man. Polo neck. Boat. What the Lady loves. Or feel high class with a bit of black magic?

There's a lot to learn from the world of chocolate for anyone who's in business. The passion of the true chocolatiers for one. Packaging another. Brand extension. Festivals, fountains and celebrations. Like Chocolate Week. Bringing fans and brands together in chocolate heaven. For tastings, samplings and soirees. Over dinner. Or The Ultimate Chocolate Indulgence Afternoon Tea. Now there's a thought!

Why don't you Twitter this blog post?

Here at Snog Towers we’ve been thinking about autumnal pastimes. Of the outdoor variety. Things you could do with your local chums and loved ones. At the weekend. After one of those frantic weeks. Chasing business. Going to meaningless meetings. Lovin' up your clients. Pitching. Tweeting. Wrapping. Blogging. For starters. No more hanging out at platform 9 3/4 checking those useless numbers. Or loitering around in airport lounges in flares, crying over a plane with a silly nose. No more prodding at God's ickle fishies with a stick and an oversized cotton reel. Save the knitting, scrapbooking, decoupage for the winter. Sister Snog thinks leaf peeping's the thing.

Have you noticed autumns are-a-changin' and the leaves we're used to seeing are becoming more catwalk. This autumn stuff has taken off big time in certain parts of the world. There you’ll find folks who are mad for a bit of leaf peeping. They’ll spend whole weekends, weeks, even longer, looking for the best shapes, the most vibrant colours. Coach loads, spurning the dreary-drab city for the groovy, psychedelic trip that is God’s countryside. Chasers looking for colours and leaves - quality and quantity. And there’s money in them thar hills. People have done the natural thing and turned others’ obsessions into big bucks.

Hotlines have been set up giving best guidance on shape, tint and hue. “Looking for a bit of red sir? Well, go no further. We’ve found an intensely cerise Maple – just the thing madam”. Websites too, complete with “leaf cams”. Fantastic! Making a business out of a hobby. As the world's getting warmer this type of thing looks more and more likely to happen closer to home. At a park near you. Even in your back garden or your next door neighbour's. The dry weather in the run-up to autumn increases sugar concentration in leaves, which turns up the intensity in their colours. Mellow russet is becoming sassy scarlet.

Leaf peeping is a great reason to escape deep into the country. Your local arboretum will take the place of a trip down the shops, the flicks, the footy or your local gig. Leaves. The Next Big Thing. You’d better beleaf it.