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Event-full Posted on 14 February 2012 by Claire Dee
No, it’s not a typo, but a play on words to acknowledge the array of local and national not-to-be-missed business events taking place over the next few weeks.
As co-chair of the Surrey Chambers Business Women in Surrey group, I am heavily involved in our annual flagship event which takes place on International Women’s Day, Thursday 8 March, at Sandown Park Racecourse. And with my Surrey Chambers council member hat on, I will also be attending the national British Chambers of Commerce annual conference in London on Thursday 15 March.
I’m also delighted to have links with the Toast of Surrey Business Awards 2012, which culminate in a glamorous ceremony on Friday 2 March at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
Local broadsheet newspaper, the Surrey Advertiser, is also organising its own charity dinner event at the House of Commons in Westminster on Thursday 1 March, with celebrity guests and some very exclusive prizes.
And of course, how can we forget the Chancellor’s Budget speech on Wednesday 21 March where Mr Osborne will reveal the true state of the nation’s finances. Not necessarily the most exciting of all the above, but essential viewing for us business owners nonetheless.
Word of the month – eventful: marked by interesting or exciting events.
Happy New Year! Posted on 11 January 2012 by Claire Dee
Here’s wishing you all a very Happy New Year and while 2012 is tipped to be a tough one, forecasters say sit tight and things will come right – eventually…
As an established and I'm pleased to say successful and growing business, Claire Dee Communications intends to do just that and much more in spades.
So keep reading and I’ll keep you posted!
Word of the month – Hogmanay: New Year’s Eve in Scotland.
The whole is greater than the sum Posted on 30 November 2011 by Claire Dee
Just a quick blog this month as I’m up to my eyes in work and loving it!
In my capacity as Surrey Chambers of Commerce council member and co-chair of their Business Women in Surrey (BWIS) group, I recently wrote a column for the Surrey Advertiser business page.
Here’s the abridged version…
Earlier this month BWIS held its latest event – Ask the Marketing Panel – organised on the basis of feedback requesting marketing and communications (marcomms) help and advice.
Our impressive panel was made up of marcomms professionals from all walks of the business world, including charity (Rainbow Trust), corporate (Sony) and public sector (Surrey Police).
Interestingly, while the experiences of each where quite different, the overall issues remained much the same: tight budgets; overstretched resources; new versus traditional media.
As a communications professional of 20 years standing, I remember the pre-online world. Including the days when photos were collected in their hardcopy form from the photographer’s studio and biked to the printers/press room to meet urgent deadlines. Thank goodness we now have email and JPEG!
However, as wonderful as modern day technology is in all its various guises, it’s important to ensure it adds to and complements other more traditional tools rather than replacing them entirely. From the traditional (newspaper) to the new-born (Twitter), each plays its own role in the communication chain and each complements rather than replaces the other.
Just as they should in the marcomms world.
By all means embrace Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with gusto, but don’t underestimate the power and effectiveness of magazine and newspaper advertising and editorial or organising face to face meetings and events.
I regularly email, text, tweet and call my clients. But nothing works better than simply getting together in a room from time to time for a catch up meeting.
Modern day technology provides several slices of the marcomms pie but is not the pie itself.
Remember, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.
Word of the month – marcomms: an organisation’s methods of communication with its customers and prospects.
Mind your own business Posted on 13 October 2011 by Claire Dee
Halfway through October already.
Time really does fly when you’re having fun. And in my case that’s so true; running my own business.
Which is why I’ve just been reading through one of the few interesting flyers on how to further improve and develop your company.
It has the usual top tips. From the obvious – know what you want – to the less predictable and often overlooked – know where you’re going. The one common theme throughout, however, is ‘you’ in all its various guises: you, you’ll, you’re, your.
Without ‘you’ there is no your business. It would look, feel and behave differently and would therefore be different and not yours.
The flyer’s overriding message is be proud of what you have brought into the world, and continue to nurture and grow it: yourself. Yes, add new team members and seek expert advice from the outside, but always ensure you mind your own business and keep your hands firmly on the tiller. As without you, it may still work but it won’t be the same.
Think Michael Marks and Tom Spencer. Clearly, 100+ years later they are no longer in charge(!), but where would Marks & Spencer in the early days have been without them.
Exactly.
Random word of the month – you: used to refer to the person being addressed.
Surrey Chambers Council and beyond Posted on 8 September 2011 by Claire Dee
Summer 2011 proved to be a very busy and prosperous period for Claire Dee Communications. And it also brought some interesting developments for me personally, including my appointment as a member of the Surrey Chambers of Commerce Council.
I have been running my business here in Surrey for two years now, and have gained much from networking and getting to know the local business community. As a result, I feel – as a Council member – I can really help make a difference to ensure Surrey continues to be a thriving entrepreneurial hub and Surrey Chambers continues to be the business organisation of choice.
My first Council meeting is later this month; I’ll keep you posted on how things go.
In the meantime, there’s lots of great Surrey Chambers events in the pipeline including the next Business Women in Surrey (BWIS) event – which as BWIS co-chair I highly recommend you attend!
For more information on all of the above visit: www.surrey-chambers.co.uk
Until next month…
Random word of the month – Council: a formally constituted advisory, deliberative, or administrative body.
Expect the unexpected Posted on 17 August 2011 by Claire Dee
The month of August is famously quiet in the corporate world, largely because most senior figures choose to take time out with their families. School’s out, so why not business.
This year, however, things have proven to be slightly different.
Parliament was in summer recess until David Cameron called MPs back to discuss how to deal with the abominable and inexcusable riot activity.
The return of the politicians led to meetings and discussions with other public and private sector heavyweights, which in turn gave the media some newsworthy content to focus on.
And so the usual languid summer silly season turned into a hectic and, sadly, very serious period.
The moral of the tale?
Expect the unexpected and have your business continuity plan in place. It’s better to be prepared and ready than unprepared and vulnerable.
It’s a bit like carrying an umbrella around. I find if I have one with me it’s less likely to rain but if it does I’m covered (excuse the pun), whereas if I don’t it almost certainly will; heavily. And I know which situation I’d prefer to be in.
Random word of the month – business continuity planning: the means by which organisations plan to maintain their businesses in the event of a crisis/unexpected situation.
Not so stupid Cupid Posted on 23 June 2011 by Claire Dee
A recent report from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills has revealed that the number of private sector businesses in the UK at the start of 2010 increased by 48,000: with 99.9% of those being small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Impressive. And further endorsement of David Cameron’s comments that the only strategy for growth is to get behind Britain’s entrepreneurs.
I’ll drink to that.
Never before has the small enterprise had a real opportunity to compete alongside the corporate giant. They may be different, but in many ways they are also the same.
Clients are king, growth is key and profits paramount; just on different levels.
And very often in such testing times, the corporate giant needs the highly experienced freelance entrepreneur to help boost their business but not their headcount.
Has the recession then played Cupid in the marriage of the large and small business? Perhaps.
I’ll drink to that too.
Random word of the month – Cupid: the Roman god of love.
Words Posted on 28 April 2011 by Claire Dee
Love them or hate them, words are a big part of our everyday life and even more so since the advent of online written communications.
As a professional wordsmith, I adore words and have had the pleasure of working closely with them throughout my career. Which is why I am distraught when I see them misused and abused.
Pacific is an ocean not a means of specifying.
Best practice - with a ‘c’ – is the recognised way of doing something properly.
Those present are here not hear; that’s for the ears.
Effective writing can significantly affect the reader, not the other way around.
The team has won (singular) not have won (plural).
And as for hyphens, please don’t use them unless they are absolutely essential for example to clarify meaning. Yes for re-sign (sign again) otherwise it means resign (leave a job) but not for email/e-mail which can be either however, put simply, since the hyphen adds no value and looks downright ugly why bother.
Rant over. See you again in May!
Random word of the month – pedant: a person excessively concerned with minor detail.
Mad March Posted on 31 March 2011 by Claire Dee
Well, where did the month go!
International Women’s Day, the Chancellor’s Budget, Continuing Professional Development training deadlines, local and national media events, the list goes on.
Being busy is fantastic and exactly what running a business is all about.
And being busy across a broad spectrum of subjects is even more fantastic and exactly why I chose to run my own business: freedom brings choice and choice brings variety.
So, while I’m looking forward to April and a well earned Easter break, it’s fair to say it’s definitely been a madly busy March for Claire Dee Communications; in spades.
Bring on the rest of the year, and as the old adage goes: if you need something doing, ask a busy person.
Random word of the month – March: the third month of the year. From old French dialect variant of marz, from Latin Martius (mensis) '(month) of Mars'.
Women
Posted on 22 February 2011 by Claire Dee
It seems us girls have really caught the headlines in recent weeks.
From Lord Davies’s review calling for more diversity in the boardroom, and the Office for National Statistics unemployment figures revealing women have been the hardest hit, to the BBC’s Woman’s Hour launching its own business series.
And while it’s great to read stories about women in the workplace, why should it be such a hot topic? ‘Men at work’ isn’t exactly front page news; so why women?
Because, despite significant progress, it’s still relatively unusual and therefore newsworthy. Particularly in professions such as accountancy, engineering, politics and the law.
I’ve been a business woman for nearly 20 years. Note: I am a business woman and not a woman in business, in much the same way men are business men and not men in business. And two years ago I voluntarily jumped off the corporate ship into more attractive entrepreneurial waters.
As a result my business network focus shifted from the City to Surrey and I ventured out and about locally to meet other like-minded business women. However, the serious business women networking community I sought wasn’t there.
So I volunteered to become co-chair of the newly relaunched Surrey Chambers of Commerce Business Women in Surrey group and our first flagship event is taking place next month: http://www.businesswomeninsurrey.co.uk/Events.html
If you’re a woman who means business, why not come along. But be quick; it’s almost sold out!
Random word of the month – muliebrity: womanly qualities; womanhood.
The pen is mightier than the keyboard Posted on 12 January 2011 by Claire Dee
Of the many gifts I received this Christmas, one of my favourites is a luxurious set of beautifully illustrated writing paper and envelopes. Nothing overly fancy or expensive. Just a simple high quality writing set of ten sheets and envelopes depicting drawings of British flowering plants on crisp blotting-style paper.
So, I hear you ask, it’s only paper.
What is really special about this simple gift is that it has inspired me to start writing again. Properly. By hand. With a pen.
As a freelance journalist and copywriter I adore writing and am fortunate enough to spend most of my day doing just that. Magazine and newspaper articles, website and brochure pages, blogs, news releases, the list goes on… However, this is all done in my professional capacity while sitting at a computer and typing into Microsoft Word.
Yes, this is preferable and productive in my working life. But it doesn’t sit well from a personal perspective. I wouldn’t dream of sending my mum or elderly gran a formal typed letter with my latest news and views!
And I suspect because of this I no longer write to them anymore. The telephone and email are so much easier, despite the fact that a call cannot be kept and reread and emails are all too easily lost or deleted.
So, one of my resolutions for 2011 is to learn to start writing again: with a pen.
And to misquote the late great English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, perhaps on such occasions when sentiment dictates the pen is mightier than the keyboard.
Random word of the month – belles-lettres: literary works written and read for their aesthetic effect.
e-Season’s Greetings Posted on 22 December 2010 by Claire Dee
Whatever is happening in the world, Christmas and New Year is always a period of time for reflection, family and friends. Which is no mean feat in today’s full-on 24/7 society!
It’s also a time for giving as well as receiving. And my business – Claire Dee Communications – is therefore wishing its clients, colleagues and contacts Season’s Greetings via email to enable it to continue to support the invaluable work of its chosen corporate charity, Surrey Wildlife Trust.
While the buying and posting of traditional Christmas cards is a pleasurable expense, it is also one where the money can be invested more wisely to assist a worthy cause in need: particularly during these austere times.
I am delighted and proud that Claire Dee Communications remains a gold corporate partner of Surrey Wildlife Trust for another year and in turn, plays its part in supporting them in safeguarding and protecting the county’s endangered wildlife and nature reserves. Surrey is a beautiful county; but not by accident.
For more information on how you can support Surrey Wildlife Trust visit: http://www.surreywildlifetrust.co.uk
Random word of the month – Yule/Yuletide: archaic term for Christmas; originally applied to a heathen festival lasting 12 days.
Let it snow Posted on 30 November 2010 by Claire Dee
As I sit here and write from my office near Guildford, the snow is falling thick and fast.
Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it’s grey. Yes, it’s inconvenient. But it’s also winter and in winter it snows. So why all the fuss.
Admittedly, from a business perspective, snow can be hugely disruptive particularly if staff are unable to make it into the workplace. However, we now live in a digital age where advances in technology allow us to work remotely. So for those who can, do.
When I first started working in London in the mid 1990s, I didn’t have a mobile phone or laptop and a blackberry was nothing more than a small fruit.
Instead, I had a push button landline phone and a cumbersome but functional desktop computer minus email access. Communication was either via a phone call, letter, memo, or – get this – face to face conversations!
The point being that back then the idea of working remotely was not an option. If it snowed you struggled in – wasting most of your time commuting; slowly – or you stayed at home and made the odd call before writing off the rest of the day.
Thankfully, in 2010, there are options. And if employers trust their employees to work from home, and employees embrace the opportunity to sail through their to-do list without the usual travel and office distractions, it’s win-win all round.
So, since we are almost into December and the winter weather looks set to stay; let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Random word of the month – brumal: of or relating to winter; wintry.
Age of entrepreneurship Posted on 21 October 2010 by Claire Dee
Yesterday the Chancellor delivered his Spending Review speech and I watched with both my business owner and business adviser hats on. It was painful viewing: necessary, but nonetheless painful.
And the key phrase of the day today? We have now reached the age of austerity. True. But I also believe we have reached the age of entrepreneurship.
When I set up my consultancy business – Claire Dee Communications – just over a year ago most people thought I was mad. A start-up in a recession: it’ll never work. But it did, very well actually, and we’re already in profit. Why? Because not only is necessity the mother of invention, she is also the sister of entrepreneurship.
In a recession many organisations shed highly skilled people, but they still need to undertake highly skilled activity. So they turn to small businesses and freelancers who ooze knowledge, experience and skill. And so these acorns become young oaks and then woodlands and beyond.
An excellent example of business growth in difficult times was perfectly illustrated at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2010. Earlier this week I attended their very glamorous ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in London, and I came away feeling proud and inspired.
In particular, I recall the words of the overall winner Ayman Asfari of Petrofac: aim high. I couldn’t agree more; and I will.
Random word of the month – frabjous: wonderful, elegant, superb, delightful, joyous.
What a year Posted on 21 September 2010 by Claire Dee
This month Claire Dee Communications is celebrating its first birthday. And what a year it's been.
Having stepped off the corporate ladder after 11 years working in the City, realising my dream of running my own business was the natural next step to take. So I drafted my business plan, calculated my figures and took everything along to an independent business adviser for a sanity check. Will this work and can I do it I asked? Absolutely, she replied.
And she was right. A year on Claire Dee Communications is a successful and profitable business with a broad mix of local and international clients and an established presence in the Surrey business community.
How did we do it? There’s no secret formula or magic bag of tricks just common sense, hard graft and self belief. Here are my top three tips:
Random word of the month – ambrosial: exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; especially delicious or fragrant.
© Claire Dee Communications 2011 |