The SPEEDy interview AP Photography

–State your name for the record

Andrea Palmer

–Please tell us what problem your business solves in 50 words or less

People have many special times in their lives. They want to be able to store their memories in visual images. Businesses and public bodies are increasingly using visual media to get their message across. Traditionally commercial photography is boring and expensive. I offer competitive but tailored solutions with my commercial packages

–Expand on your idea – how will you make money from it?

I offer all kinds of photography packages from special events to commercial shoots. People can order and pay for their photography online. In fact I see my website www.andreapalmer.com as an online shopfront, where a large proportion of my business takes place

–Explain who your customer is

Businesses, public bodies, such as councils or the police force, and the general public

–Describe where you see yourself in 5 years’ time

I’d like to have a studio and have a business employing staff

Random Questions – choose one and answer

• Who would you most like to have dinner with? Someone who can make me successful, quickly!!

Links for Creatives, but not exclusively!

Fellow Hiver Debbie Bryan told me about the first of these links, Image Loft. It's a website where you can upload photos of your work for journalists to use in publications. Making sure you have your pictures tagged with useful keywords will be crucial, so people can actually find your work. Debbie has since had her work picked up for use in three magazines, including the Financial Times! Click the image or the link above to go there...

Rhea Clements has registered on Indie Quarter, a UK based Designer's Blog. It looks great, for promoting your creative business, for finding inspiration from the other designers, or for shopping! Click the image or the link to visit it...

Zen, and the art of to-do lists

Anyone who's sat in an office with me for more than five minutes, will probably know that I like to write a list of things to do. Some of you have noticed that if I don't write down what I say I'm going to do, I probably won't do it. Not necessarily because I look back at my notes, but because the act of writing it down seems to store it in my head.

Plus, I have a note of it to prompt me when I forget.

Head like a sieve.

So when someone gives me a tip on to-do lists, organising my day, generally being task focussed, I feel the need to share it. I found a lovely little web app today that I'm just busting to share. Unfortunately for you guys, there's no-one here right now, so you're all gonna get it!

Its so simple, it's great!


Read this blog post on Manage Life about making tasks easy!

I subscribe to the EnterQuest Bulletin, which is a weekly newsletter about small business issues, and usually includes great articles about sales, staff, commercial behaviour and so on.

I read this morning's headline article as I sat in a (very) quiet Hive, and thought how interesting it was that the Hive provides just such a workspace to NTU SPEED students free of charge and very few of you actually use it. How bizarre! I reproduce the article below, but if you want to read it in it's original location, click here (actually, I'm hoping they'll have it posted by the time you click it!)

The benefits of serviced workspace

Finding suitable and affordable workspace has always been a major hurdle for people deciding to start their own business. In fact, many individuals who initially go down the freelance route often continue to use their home well into their third or fourth year because of the obstacles in taking on permanent premises.

Business owners are faced with a dilemma because location and the working environment can be the difference between success and failure. Yet property management is not something you'll want to worry about, let alone a long-term lease.

Serviced offices enable businesses to have accommodation that suits their needs without the hassle of leasing and managing a place of their own.

One of the main reasons why many businesses choose to take space in a serviced office is the flexibility it gives them. Conventional leases, which typically last for 10 years or more, tie businesses in to their offices. This means that if during the life of a lease, a business's space requirements change, they are unable to adjust without incurring significant costs, administrative issues or delays.

In a serviced office, tenants are able to expand and contract as they wish, usually at very short notice. This can be beneficial to a business when times are good and you need more space quickly, or equally when times are bad and you need to contract.

As well as flexibility, serviced offices allow businesses to enjoy an all-inclusive service. For a fixed price, tenants can expect to receive everything they will need to run their business, from desks, chairs and telephones to staffed reception desks, cleaning services and refreshment facilities.

The costs involved will vary depending on location, how many desks are taken and the length of stay, but serviced offices should not be thought of as an expensive option once all the associated costs involved in leasing or buying an office are taken into account.

Small businesses can benefit greatly from serviced offices, with the ability to set up quickly (within days) and enjoy facilities they would otherwise not be able to afford.

While serviced offices will never be a solution for every business, the flexibility and convenience of serviced offices can offer a great stepping stone on the road to expansion.

So how about it people, are you gonna take advantage of the facilities offered to you?

Competition- just for the Chicas

Women make up half of our population, but interestingly nowhere near half of our entrepreneurs, company bosses or managers. According to the BBC, almost half of private companies in the US are headed up by women but the UK is lagging behind. Many agencies are trying different strategies to encourage women in the workplace, one of whom is the Make Your Mark campaign.

They have launched the Girls, Make Your Mark Competition which is designed to find and reward outstanding female achievement in enterprise. Find out more by clicking the link, and most importantly enter it! (If you're a chica that is)

But hurry, the closing date is the 21st July 2008

Well done to Kawsar, another glowing report in the local press. If you picked up a copy of the Evening Post on Tuesday, you'll have seen three beatific grins looking out at you from the business pages (That's Phil, K and Chris Hall) If you didn't, read the article here

Kawsar's website is www.digicomsolutions.biz and is currently under construction.

Want to promote your business? Get in touch!