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My Day - 3 March to 5 March

3rd Mar 2015
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Thursday 5 March

Busy day.

Spoke to the marketing consultant. Not happy. I will reflect on her proposal. Initial feeling is she is just not right for our practice. A lot of sales talk without much substance.

Potential client I met yesterday signed up today. It is hard work signing up clients. There is a fair amount of communication before they sign. 

Clients are savvy. I can no longer charge £175+VAT for company formation. They talk to their friends who set up companies for under £20. As a carrot I charge £30+VAT. If they go elsewhere, some formation agent would refer them to TaxAssist (thank you Made Simple!). 

It has got so competitive now. We really have to be on the ball. Hence my idea of a Goodie bag. Overall, very pleased with the response on Goodie bag thread. Thank you all. 

Another potential client meeting tomorrow at 5pm (no 2 of 3 I spoke to on Monday). Have to sign him on! He has two companies.

Having rest of the day off tomorrow.  I have a lot of personal stuff to do. 

My Week blog likely to be tomorrow.  

Wednesday 4 March

Had a potential client meeting with a client who called on Monday. Meeting was good. He agreed to signup. 

Though he may change his mind on receipt of our engagement letter. Sometimes it happens. 

My area of concern with the current improvement in growth is we do not lose our way. In the sense of failing on customer service. Already, I am beginning to forget what some of my clients are about. Maybe this is a downside of growth? 

We also failed to respond to a couple of client emails promptly. I do not want us slip on customer service. We need to retain our clients. Failing on customer service is a certain way to loose them. 

Tuesday 3 March

Exciting and slightly nerve wrecking day. I am pleased to be here on AW. I think best to leave the past where it belongs and move forward. 

Work wise my productivity slumped. Stupid me lost the keys to my flat yesterday. Also they were other keys like my car keys, my bicycle shed and keys to the office.All gone. It was and still is stressful! 

Thankfully, my decorator had a spare set of keys. By the time I had access to my flat it was 2am. I also have a spare car key. Other keys - I will have to replace the locks. 

Further, wheels and other stuff on my bike were stolen last Thursday. I was horrified with the repair bill £225. The bike cost £325. I fail to understand why they went ahead with the repair without asking me. Collected the bike today. Now keeping the bike in the office. It spoils to look of our lovely office. Have  had enough of my bikes being nicked!

We ordered a bigger fridge for our office. It was delivered today. We unpacked and installed the fridge. 

I cannot have off days since I am now only working 4 days a week. 

I found a NHS consultant performing gastric bands privately. I will arrange  a consultation to find out more about the procedure and then decide which way to go. 

Want to end today's My Day blog on a positive note. Business has picked up more recently. Further, I am positive about the future on both personal and professional front. I am beginning to live my life the way I want. About time. 

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Replies (14)

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By jimmercy
03rd Mar 2015 18:27

Welcome back

Missed your blogs and the often lively debate that it ignited.

Just remember that the vast majority of folk on this forum wish you well.

Take advice/comments as a genuine offer to help not personal criticism

Best of luck

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By petersaxton
03rd Mar 2015 19:40

Prague

Consider going to Prague.

My stepdaughter went there and they did a great job.

http://www.bodiesbeautiful.co.uk/

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By User deleted
03rd Mar 2015 20:38

Gastric band

The problem with a gastric band is that unless you actually eat less, a lot less, afterwards it will fail. It happens to a lot of people who think they can go for a quick and easy route to weight loss. They have it done, go back to their old bad eating habits afterwards and boom, the weight goes back on and they've lost the money (or in most cases, the NHS has wasted the money).

The best way to lose is weight is the simplest - eat less, move more. If you eat crap, and too much of it, and don't do enough exercise you'll put on weight. If you eat a smaller amount of healthier food (a normal-sized portion, what your body needs rather than what your eyes fancy) and take a bit more exercise (nothing drastic, a bit of brisk walking or a few mins on the exercise bike each day) you'll lose weight and keep it off. 

Maybe not having a fridge at all, and walking home for a light lunch would have been a better idea.....

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FT
By FirstTab
03rd Mar 2015 22:32

Thanks

jimmercy - Thank you for you support. 

Peter - Thanks. I will look at the link. I may ask you for further information. 

Flash - Thanks. They are many cases of successful gastric bands. I understand a person feels less hungry since the size of stomach is reduced by the band. 

I am still looking into it. I have not decided which way to go. 

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By User deleted
04th Mar 2015 09:26

Missed you bud ...

... but all surgery has a risk and personally I would avoid it unless absolutely necessary - do what is right for you, but agree with Flash on the fridge, I have a small one for milk but I bring lunch from home n a lunchbox with ice block - you can make healthy sandwiches and salads the night before and take with you, too easy to fill a big fridge with unhealthy snacks.

I'll just say once take what you need from replies, ignore what you don't like and don't get drawn in to pointless exchanges - and good luck with the new start.

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By lisimano
04th Mar 2015 12:57

Welcome Back

Hi Firsttab,

Welcome back - that was a surprise! I have been keeping up to date with your blog anyway, so now I will read both.

Enjoy!

 

 

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FT
By FirstTab
04th Mar 2015 17:23

Fridge

Hello and thanks OGA and lisimano.

OGA - Thanks for your concern on surgery, believe me I am taking it seriously and it is my very last option. It is a case of benefits far outweighing the risks in my case. 

On fridge - the reason for a bigger one is because they are 3 of us now. Our mini fridge did not cut it. 

Fair points on unhealthy snacks and pointless exchanges.

lisimano - thanks for following my other blog. My plan is to make AW my only blogging channel. Though it is very much wait and see how it goes. 

 

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By ShirleyM
05th Mar 2015 08:45

Willpower

Whatever method is used to lose weight (gastric bands included) it still needs willpower. There have been instances (but I'm not sure how common they are), where people have put on weight after a gastric band operation. It isn't a miracle cure on it's own. It still needs determination and willpower.

Personally, I would be trying every possible alternative before resorting to surgery and my fear of hospitals and surgery would probably be sufficient to give me the willpower I need.

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FT
By FirstTab
05th Mar 2015 18:12

Hello

Hi Shirley, good to see you! I am glad you are here.

We have our differences that is life. 

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By ShirleyM
05th Mar 2015 19:12

Thank you, but I never went away!

I'm still plodding on, trying to help people where I can, and voicing my opinion when given the opportunity.

Differences are good. There would be no debate or discussion otherwise, and I do enjoy a good debate.

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By User deleted
06th Mar 2015 13:20

Company Formation ..

... I think you need to work on this. I charge £175 plus VAT, I tell them they can do it themselves online much cheaper but they just get a basic company, with me it covers all aspects, so writing up the registers, registering for VAT, PAYE etc.and advice on acting as director, responsibilities etc. (subject to fair use) and they can use me as Registered Office

I have been signing up one a week last month or two! It also covers the engagements letters etc. I won't do it for less as it is not worth the aggro.

Had one do it himself but he has signed up for the monthly fee which is more important, the fee for formation is just bunce, the monthly S/O is the bread and butter I really want.

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By tom123
07th Mar 2015 07:24

Do you have staff now?

I see you have an office, and describe the day with 'we' - What type of office did you get in the end? Were you working from home before?

The only way, I find, to eat less is to ensure you don't have access to food as much. I don't take much to work - usually soup - and have so far managed to resist the call of the sandwich vans that come round.

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FT
By FirstTab
07th Mar 2015 10:00

Company formation

Hi OGA, 

Good to hear about you sign up. I hope it continues. Thinks have up picked up more recently. 

On your company formation you made, I have tried the approach you suggested and most clients still want to do what their friends did.

Thankfully so far none of them have taken up the offer of accountant's consultation through a formation agent. The risk is still there. Guess I just have to live with it.  

 

 

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FT
By FirstTab
07th Mar 2015 10:10

Setup

Hi Tom,

Good to see you!

Things have changed a lot during my period away!

I just could not work from home anymore. So I moved to a small office. Worked on my own. Within months in my small office I took on a intern. It was always one intern at a time. 

One of the interns stayed with me and the longer he stayed the more of my time he got. He is now no longer and intern. He is part of the team. 

I love working with ACCA/ICAEW/CIMA finalists interns. All my interns were/are. Both parties benefit.

We are now in a bigger office. I have one staff and one intern. I am pleased with both of them.  

Food wise I still struggling. I am working on it. 

 

 

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