Do you have lots of business cards cluttering up your office that need organising?  Even in today’s digital world, the exchange of business cards continues to be the norm.  However, these small cards find their way into bags and desk drawers and you can never find the one you need when you need it. 
 
Contact information is fundamental to networking and business communications. By organising your business cards effectively and uploading their information to your Contacts, you’ll be able to find key people quicker, leading to long-term relationships and increased sales.
 
Before you begin to organise your cards, look through them and discard any that may no longer be of relevance.  This applies particularly if you’ve been in business for some time.
 
Once you’ve established the cards you wish to keep, here are some suggestions for organising them.
 
1.Scan cards with an App
Business card apps are very useful and suit all budgets.  Simply download the app to your phone, scan your business card and the information is instantly transferred in a digital format.  There are many to choose from and when researching you should consider these three things. Firstly consider the stability of the app (you don’t want to upload the cards, discard them and then find it loses all the data).  Secondly consider its ability to sync with your preferred cloud technology or existing contacts app.  Lastly you should consider the transfer ability of the app and whether or not it’s capturing the information adequately.
 
Apps such as SamCard allow you to exchange E-cards and the Premium version allows integration with Salesforce.  Scanbizcards is another option and allows the integration of multiple CRM services such as Salesforce, SugarCRM, Mailer and Oracle Fusion.
 
I tried scanning my own business card using the free version of SamCard and the result was pretty good

​As we enter a new year, it is a time to reflect on the year just gone, and think ahead to what goals we have for 2018.
2017 was a bittersweet year.  My sister was married at the end of May and with it came the excitement (and stress!) for her and other family members in planning her wedding.  I was maid of honour and it was an incredibly joyous day that I’ll never forget. She was married at St John’s Church, Friern Barnet and the wedding breakfast was at Mill Hill School. The school is Grade II Listed, set in beautiful grounds and of historic interest.

It was also the year I ceased working as an employee as a Virtual Assistant and launched my business. Having been a business owner previously and having loved being my own boss, I knew it was something I could do, but I knew it wouldn’t be without challenges.
After several months gaining a couple of clients, networking and trying to increase my brand awareness, my Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and after only a month passed away at the end of October.  Having never lost a close family member, it was a huge shock and had a significant impact on any business development. 

We are a very close family and I will miss him dearly.  We are thankful that having reached 86 he was still leading an active life with many interests.

So what does the year ahead look like? I have started 2018 with renewed motivation, energy and excitement.  This week I’ve been registering for several networking events and on Monday attended my local FSB meeting in Finchley, where I made several new contacts and left feeling focused, ready to grasp the nettle and move my business forward.
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I became a Virtual Assistant in order to have more flexibility. I therefore wish to obtain a better work/life balance, which means spending more time with my 5 year old son, meeting new people and working from a café instead of being stuck at my desk.  Planning my day is key and I am currently working through a marketing course, which will hopefully help me focus and allow me to have more structure.
Whatever your personal and business goals are, I would like to wish you every success and look forward to working with you in 2018.