If you only want to pay professionals who other people rave about, then you’re in the right place. CertainShops – professionals online. The certain way of doing business.

SUZY’S DIARY

“Don’t cook those eggs mummy – we are supposed to be incubating them!”

My daughter rescued her charges and returned them to the makeshift egg warmer her farm school had provided, so she could babysit the eggs till they hatched. In a mad rush to get out of the house in time for an important meeting, it was bad enough having less for breakfast than I had planned, but to find one of the eggs actually hatching as I was about to leave only made matters worse.

How was I supposed to know that a chick was going to hatch out and imprint me as its mother just before going to meet my new bank manager?

Thank goodness for CertainShops – professionals online. Whilst the newborn cheeps emanated from my pocket I tried to distract my new account manager by showing him how brilliant CertainShops is. He seemed quite excited about being able to get a quote for conveyancing, arrange a photoshoot for his children and organise an event for his business team in Venice, all from his desk, and in the full knowledge that he was dealing only with personally recommended professionals.

Even my strange fidgeting and constant coughing to hide the plaintif cheeping did not deter him from offering me everything I needed to remain a happy customer. Although he did insist that I should seek immediate medical attention for my cough and nervous twitch.

THE CERTAIN WAY OF LIVING LIFE

“What’s the latest news?”

The Starting Over Show – Brighton 2008 – the first UK event of its kind.

Saturday 11 October 2008 at Brighton Race Course.

The UK’s first ever divorce show is progressing well with not only our vetted professionals from CertainShops attending the event, but a wide range of other exhibitors, from legal firms like MayoWynneBaxter, right through to the Shoe Queen empowering women through the wearing of gorgeous shoes!

To download a pdf of our Exhibitor information just click this link…..

Or contact Suzy direct on 07825222404
suzy@startingovershow.co.uk

“Any good networking events?”

Lynn Tulip is not only skilled at psychometric testing and career management, but she is also Sussex Regional Director of Business Scene who are putting on a big networking event in Mid Sussex on the 17th June.

They have attracted sponsorship from 2 major brands (O2 & BlackBerry) and media partnerships with the Telegraph.

 

Click here for details on how to register….

 

 

For those of us who are members of Network 2012 there are some free places on the excellent PR courses run by Blue Rocket in Hove during June.

For details register on Network 2012

“Who won the competition?”

The winner of three nights in Venice was Kathryn Colas of Simply Hormones.

She is over the moon, as you can imagine!

But luckily…..

For any CertainShops members there is a special offer rate for staying at Ca’della Corte, of 120 euros per night tax and breakfast included.

Want to know how to get there? Whether flying, or reducing your carbon footprint by taking the train (a much better option), Jean Young of Genie Travel offers an excellent service (as you can see from her testimonials if you click this link)

“Any interesting social networking articles?“

I liked this one about how journalists are starting to use Twitter and which may give some clues as to why so many people are beginning to use online social networking for business as well as for pleasure. Take a look at Twitter for Journalists….

For more general blogs and articles on business related topics

check out Suzy Says

PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHTS

Andy Williams – Preference Trusts & Wills

We will all be aware of the impact of Alistair Darling’s change to the treatment of the Nil Rate Band between married couples and civil partners.

We have all seen the headlines talking about the ‘joint allowance’ of £624,000 available since 6th April 2008. Now that the dust has settled a little and we start to look at the practicalities of the situation it is clear that all is not as simple or as straightforward as the headlines suggest.

Indeed, anyone being charged with the responsibility of being an Executor and in a position to submit a claim may find themselves in a very difficult situation.

Firstly, lets get one thing clear. The benefit of any unused NRB from a deceased spouse/civil partner is not automatic – it must be claimed. The value of this claim may be as high as £124,800 of course – and more in years to come.

Therein lies the first concern. HMRC are being asked to forego a substantial amount of tax. That makes the correct completion of the documentation (Form 216) extremely important.

It is fair to say that we expect HMRC to look at each claim quite closely given the sums involved. It will be to their considerable benefit to disallow a claim.

Okay, you may say, ‘its just a claim form’ but have a look at it and it is not as simple as you might think. 

Consider the position of the Executor who has to sign the document to say that the answers to the questions are all correct. Consider the questions that the Executor has to answer. Take question 4 for example: What lifetime gifts did the deceased make in the 7 years prior to their death?

It is possible that the former spouse may have died 10 years previously. In which case, the Executor needs to be able to go back 17 years to be able to answer that question. How do they do that? After all, the person best placed to answer the question has just died.

How can Preference Trusts and Wills help?

As you may know, we store all our clients documents in one safe and secure location. In the event of the death of one of our clients and subject to their membership of our Private Client Scheme, we hold a meeting with their Executors and Trustees, with all the necessary drafted documents to hand, so we can help them understand and undertake their roles. We are there when we are needed. Further more, this meeting is at no cost to the said Executors and Trustees and at no cost to our deceased client’s estate.

As you also know: Prevention is always better, cheaper and less traumatic than an attempt to cure.

Therefore, we have created a new, additional and unique service to those of your clients who are widows or widowers.

We will meet them and help them by drafting a statement of affairs which will contain the information required so that in the event of their death, their Executor shall be far more likely to effectively complete Form 216 and successfully claim the joint Inheritance Tax allowance.

This service could save your clients and their families up to £124,800 and rising each year! Our fees can be as little as £175.00 rising to a maximum of £395.00.

For a no obligation chat with Andy Williams make contact via this link.

READER OFFERS

10% Discount for CertainShops readers for a wonderful holiday in Spain in a former Buddhist retreat in a natural park in the hills above Granada.

La Pena is a beautiful building in a natural park in the mountains of southern Granada. It comes with 22 acres of land with olive and almond trees and offers amazing views over the mountains with distant views of the sea. It offers the perfect tranquil getaway and antedote to city dwelling. La Pena is also a 40 minute drive from the coast and about a 45 minute drive from Granada city. Granada and Malaga airports are also quite close by.

In addition to the Certain Shops offer we are also offering ten percent off for anyone who books before the end of Febuary 2007, a further eco offer for anyone taking the train to get there and if that wasn’t enough ten percent for each person you recommend that results in a confirmed booking. If you get enough that means your stay is free!

Please see www.lapena.co.uk for information on this very special place.

In the Frame

For any CertainShops newsletter readers who commission me to take their photos, be it corporate or domestic, I can offer them a FREE large size, panoramic canvas print of one of the photographs of their choice.

Contact me, Scott Collier, at: http://www.certainshops.com/service-provider.php?sp=125.

Special offers from our Client Members

FREE LAPTOP with ‘s best value Broadband Service from the Utility Warehouse
This amazing package offers all the benefits of BroadCall, and a free high-spec Fujitsu Siemens laptop. It is available to all existing and new customers who have at least one energy service with us. The laptop even comes with a free lifetime extended warranty (for as long as you remain connected to BroadCall Laptop tariff).
Contact Client Member Cath Godsen, via http://www.paperpig.co.uk

Free Coaching with NLP Session!

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a proven and highly effective method
of enabling people to achieve what they really want in their work and
private lives. Combined with coaching, the results can be astonishing.

Heather Barrie (a client) said, “Thanks for yesterday’s session – am feeling
more focussed than I’ve been in years – feels gooood!!” The first 30 people
to respond will receive a free taster session worth £75. Be quick! Offers
like this don’t come along often.

For further details, please contact Simon Donnelly on 01403 738967 or at
simon@life-celebration-coaching.co.uk

Business Moneyfacts is offering our registered users a special discounted rate for subscribing to their highly respected publication.

SERVICE PROFESSIONALS:

If you have a strong professional track record and would like to join our waiting list to be part of our consortium of high calibre professionals selected on merit contact us: join-us @ certainshops. com

We will promote you through:

Pay per click, Link Campaign and SEO

Press releases and Radio interviews

Paid magazine and newspaper advertisements

The monthly Site Newsletter free to all Registered Users and Service Providers

Business networking events and trade shows

Corporate Packages

Apply online here…..

CLIENT MEMBERSHIP:

To view the many benefits of our Client Membership package, includingfree Situations Vacant – please click here…

SEND TO A FRIEND:

Help each other out and let your friends and colleagues have access to our consortium of high calibre professionals selected on merit – why not forward this newsletter to them now?

SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK:

Let us know what you want us to put in the newsletter or your ideas on how to improve the content or layout by contacting us at:feedback @ certainshops. com

The small print

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We help make those important choices simple leaving you secure in the knowledge that your needs are fully understood and served by our carefully selected professionals online

© CertainShops Ltd 2006 All Rights Reserved

All text is copyright © of the author and CertainShops Ltd. Logos are copyright © their respective owners.

The information and opinions in contributions to this newsletter and printed on the CertainShops web site in no way reflects the opinions of CertainShops Ltd.

CertainShops Ltd., 72 Medway Drive, Forest Row, E Sussex, RH18 5NX | 02088167281 | textphone 18001 02088167281 | www.certainshops.com | e: suzy @ certainshops. com

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The following are my comments posted on Thinking About Collaboration, which talks about how collaboration fueled the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions – but seems to be missing from the Knowledge revolution.

“It is timely for me to read this blog as I am being encouraged by a man I have never met via Skype to take my new brand and make it global – not in a monetizing franchising way, but as a collaborative effort. His vision is to allow people in other countries (he is in South Africa) to share the experience he and I gain from putting on our individual events focused on people starting over (divorce, bereavement etc).

On the one hand I find myself trying to decide when to invest in patenting a new brand that has not yet even experienced the test of it’s first event, and on the other hand, keen to create a collaborative platform via a shared website to support others who want to do their own versions of the show, but within a kind of consistent framework (like with franchising).

But without trademarking and without the discipline and clear consequences (removing the right to benefit from ‘the brand’) for those who choose to dumb down or spoil the collaborative vision, how can collaboration work when the players are dispersed, and the project they are working on lacks the clarity of a new open source software development?

Democracy – when done well – is all about collaboration. When King Arthur sat at the Round Table, he was no longer King but part of a collaborative group, with a shared vision and values of conduct.

In our modern world, perhaps it is the lack of clear vision and the lack of shared values that makes collaboration so often fail. Successful collaborative work is democracy in action. Management culture without true democratic processes and inspired vision will always be a sham.

This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.

Just read Saad Kamal’s brave posting on using Twitter as a direct marketing tool and wanted to post my own comment back here, as it got me thinking about the real value of social networks even to marketeers…..

“Like everything in life it is good to explore all the possibilities, and unpopular though your thoughts are Saad with many Twitter users, you are only speaking out loud the thought process of marketeers who use the application.

Personally, I have found the real value of Twitter to be in the building of a community and shared information and resources. I believe the marketing potential is in giving followers access to blogs and websites that may then exploit the marketing techniques you outlined. But the key thing is for a tweet to either connect with or provide something of value to another person, so any direct marketing potential needs to be one level down at least.

I don’t think seeing marketing as a dirty word is helpful since I do my marketing via a genuine enthusiasm to share something that is really good and useful. But I have lernt that even when offering something for free via Twitter, if it is anything at all to do with your business, all you have to do is be upfront about it. Pimping is fine as long as you call it what it is.

Real marketing is about informing and connecting with your potential marketplace, so Twitter definitely has a role to help find out what people want and how they feel about products, services, issues etc. I think it has a fantastic value regarding market research and testing out ideas with early adopters. Most of all however, as a way of boosting your own confidence in your ideas and keeping going via the support of the group – that is where Twitter is really of value to me.”

I’m not being mushy or anything about Twitter, and maybe what I am about to say should be cause for concern, but I find the community of Twitter, even when I only have time to dip in and out at odd ends of the day, as a place that I feel automatically supported. We all need to be part of a gang, as life as an entrepreneur in particular, especially if you also happen to be a single mum with other responsibilities, can be quite tough when it comes to keeping your spirits up and vision strong.

No matter how many supportive and wonderful friends one may have in the flesh, they are not always in the
room with you when you need to have a bitch, a grumble, or to celebrate on the spur of the moment. But the Twitter community is.

If I was a psychology graduate, I would want to do a PHD on the psychological power of Twitter to support creative communities of people who are as diverse in their fields of endevor as they are in their geography.

I have no idea whether my Twitter buddies will make any difference at all to the success of my businesses in material terms, but psychologically their benefit to me is inestimable.

This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.