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50 Things to do Before I’m 50

Always up for a challenge, I set myself on a journey to complete 50 things that I have never done before, before my 50th birthday in September 2016

Some people have given me challenges, some I have set myself.

I will be charting my journey on Facebook (one challenge I was set was to take a selfie of every challenge I did and post it to Facebook – here is the link to that album).

Some of the things I have completed so far are…

1. Find a geocache (too easy so I have upgraded it to find 50)
2. Make a Great British Bake Off technical challenge
3. Get Food Intolerence Tested
4. Volunteer for the day with a charity
5. Deliver cupcakes to the homeless people in Bath
6. Run a UK marathon and beat my PB (smashed by PB by 29 minutes)
7. Sell Poppies
8. Ride a Zip Wire
9. Complete a Duathlon
10. Complete the Movember (move every day in November) challenge

And some on the list to complete are….

• Win a competition
• Add to my race medal collection so that I have 50 medals in total
• Get 2,000 followers on Twitter
• Learn a new skill
• Give up wine for January
• Give up chocolate for Lent
  And many many more

I still have a few challenge spaces left if anyone wants to send me a challenge – just email me angela@ampmpa.co.uk

Small Business Saturday

Bath is a fantastic city for shopping, we know that because coach loads of people come in, for that very reason, but how many of us stop and think about where we buy things.

With a little thought, we can all make small changes to help support our local traders – people who really do value your business, people who in turn, will spend their money locally and keep our local economy buoyant.

One initiative we can all support is Small Business Saturday (6^th December) which encourages shoppers to ‘buy local’ on the first Saturday of December, of course we can all make changes and shop locally every day of the year.

So instead of buying your morning coffee from a large coffee shop chain, why not buy it from an independent coffee shop and next time you are looking for a gift, don’t head straight for the high street stores, seek out some of the fantastic array of quirky little shops that Bath has to offer.

The key thing here is that now we have so many more choices, and we often say the reasons for this are convenience and cost benefits. Your local shops are not always more expensive than supermarkets, and the advantages are that they can you offer a personal service and also a depth of knowledge of the products they sell.

The sad thing is that if we don’t use our independent businesses, we may lose them. One less customer a week for a small shop could mean closure within a matter of months.

So next time you go shopping think small first and shop local!

Getting Started in LinkedIn

On Wednesday 26th September, around 30 Bath business owners joined Angela MacAusland at the Bath and County Club, to learn about ‘Getting Started in LinkedIn’.

Angela, a committee member of the FSB Bath Branch, and FSB member since starting her Bath based business AMPMPA Ltd, is an avid user of social media and in particular LinkedIn.  Using her previous skills (IT, marketing, coaching, training) Angela delivered an hour long training session to the group on not only how to get started in LinkedIn, but how to make the most of some of the features.

Angela shared her top 5 ‘Classic LinkedIn Mistakes’ as follows:-

1 – Upgrading to a premium account and not using the features
2 – Not updating your status regularly
3 – Not having a complete and professional profile
4 – Not having the right people in your network
5 – Joining too many groups and not engaging with people

Some of the feedback directly after the event was.

“Thank you very much for yesterdays do, it went magnificently well and you were star!  a good combination of information, facts and practical as well as a bit of humour.  Well, done.”

“Angela, the linked in talk you gave on behalf of the Bath FSB was great. I came away knowing a lot more than I went in that’s for sure. Sitting and listening to you was entertaining and inspiring, if you give any more talks in the future I will definitely back to listen to them. Thank you once again. I would recommend that everyone should attend your presentations, as they are very clear and informative”

“Well done Angela – a great event with some excellent tricks to use”

If you would like some help ‘Getting Started in LinkedIn’ or would even like to know how to achieve a 100% LinkedIn profile contact us hello@ampmpa.co.uk or call 01225 443483 or find Angela on Linkedin uk.linkedin.com/in/angelamacausland

South West of England PA Awards 2012

AMPMPA are proud to be supporting these awards, Angela MacAusland is on the judging panel. Details below:-

Calling all PAs – and their bosses.

The South West of England PA Award 2012 will recognise PA’s who go the extra mile in helping their organisations reach their potential, who make a real difference to their managers and who play key roles in delivering excellence in the workplace. 

Bristol Business News, Bath Business News and Swindon Business News have teamed up with Ston Easton Park Hotel, near Bath, to stage the South West PA of the Year Awards – the first of their kind in the region. 

PA’s are often the unsung heroes of an organisation. A steadying influence during challenging times, they are professional, reliable and pivotal to an organisation’s success. Yet they often go unrecognised – until now. 

The PA of the Year Awards will take place on July 4 when the winners will receive their accolades following a champagne tea on the hotel’s beautiful terrace. 

There are 3 award categories: 

PA of the Year 

Newcomer of the Year
(Open to those who have been employed in a PA role for less than two years as of Sunday 17th June 2012) 

Best event organised by a PA
(Entries valid for events that took place between January 2011-June 2012) 

Entries will go before our judging panel for a chance to win fantastic prizes such as tickets to Ballet in the Park at Ston Easton Park presented by Covent Garden Dance Company, a spa day for two at The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, theatre tickets, racing tickets and much more! 

Award entry closing date: Sunday 17th June 2012 (midnight) 

If you’re a PA please nominate yourself OR if you know of a fabulous PA get nominating! 

Please enter by visiting the following address and completing the online form. http://swindon-business.net/index.php/2011/04/18/south-west-pa-of-the-year-entry-form/

Or join the LinkedIn Group for more details http://linkd.in/SWPAAwds 

Looking back to 2011

At the start of the second week of 2012, there will be plenty of New Years Resolutions that have already been broken (it’s almost as traditional as setting the resolutions in the first place).

This January I am going to take inspiration from the Roman god ‘Janus’ who is said to be the ancient god of doorways and beginnings.  Janus is usually represented as having one head with two bearded faces back to back, looking in opposite directions (one into the past and the other into the future). So in my first blog post of the New Year I shall be looking at the highs of 2011 See a photo of me this time last year.

My next blog will look forward to 2012.

2011 Best Bits

January

• Spent a fantastic week in France with family and friends, lots of cheese, wine and snow!
• Also published my first range of Greetings Cards – see blog post here. 

February

• Spent a wet Sunday afternoon learning how to decorate cup cakes.  My blog post has photos, but I did this for several reasons, a) to take time out for myself, b) to see what all the fuss was about with cupcakes and c) to meet some new people. A bit of fun, but the enjoyment far outweighed the cost and time out of my day.

March 

• I raised £270 for the Julian House ‘Big Bath Sleep Out’ by sleeping rough (only a sleeping back and cardboard bed) for one night.

April

• Started taking part in a twice monthly local pub quiz at The Richmond in Bath. Our team ‘The Charlie George All Stars’ named after our mascot (our dog) has finished first or second every time since the start. Still going strong in January 2012.
• April 29th also saw the Royal Wedding of William and Kate most people remember this as they got a free day off work/school etc.

May

• Carried out a bit of consumer research by using Groupon extensively for a while, to see how it worked, how it would work for other businesses and how it could work for me.  My blog post here was very positive, an update should follow as my views have changed/evolved some-what.

June 

• Ran in the Bath ‘Cancer Research Race for Life’ only 5km and only raised £39.90, but it started off my running passion.
• Also took part in the Bath Sky Ride – a cycle around Bath for all ages, on closed roads.
• And attending a ‘Breakthrough Breast Cancer’ charity Twenty20 cricket match at Bath Cricket Club and won a signed shirt in the silent auction.

July

• Went on holiday for 2 weeks to Corfu with the family. The first time I have taken 2 weeks out without phone or email. Practised what I preach and had all my calls and emails managed by some-one else, one of the new members of the team, Hannah who joined us in the summer.
• Also went to see ‘Take That’ at Wembley Stadium. Amazing show and wonderful day out.

August

• This was the month that I decided I wanted to run a half marathon, so (without any training) I entered the Bath Half marathon 2012 and to tie in with the event I was organising in September, decided to run it for the Forever Friends charity. Pledged to raise £175 – and even if I have to pay the rest myself, I will get there.
• My daughter got her GCSE results – 2 A stars, 7 A’s and 2 B’s – very proud Mum.
• My son got his first full-time job, enrolled on a college course and applied to re-sit his A Levels, equally proud Mum.

September

• Helped to organise a reunion at Kelston Park, Bath for the ex-employees of The Andrew Brownsword Collection, Andrew Brownsowrd Gifts, Gordon Fraser Gallery and Classic Card Company (all latterly Hallmark Cards). Raised £250 for the RUH Forever Friends Appeal.
• Also spent a fantastic week in New York. The same weekend as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 – will never forget that trip.

October

• Had a weekend away in Wales and took my husband to the Black Mountains Falconry Centre for a half day hawk and owl experience. If any ‘townies’ want to spend a day in the country and learn lots, see beautiful creatures in a wonderful setting, I can recommend.
• Also remembered that the world hit 7 billion people.

November

• Spent a fantastic weekend away at Dartington Hall in Devon. Walked around the beautiful gardens, ate and drank at the White Hart (on-site) pub and restaurant and had a tour of the incredible conferencing/wedding/venue facilities. Was also interested to hear about their commitment to Sustainability and Social Justice.
• Got some photos into the Bath Life magazine ‘By Invitation Only‘ event page.
• Sponsored a few men in the ‘Movember‘ moustache growing appeal to help raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer.

December 

• Created a Facebook Page for AMPMPA Ltd
• Ran the longest distance in one go that I ever have attempted – 9 miles – all around Cambridge. Feeling confident that the half marathon is attainable. Decided that I needed to run a Marathon by the end of 2012 as a result.
• Took 2 weeks off work and spent it with family and friends, a lovely warm end to an amazing year.

I think that just about sums up my year – I am sure I have forgotten a few things, so will update/edit as and when I remember.

My Events Team

Last night I was part of a team of people who organised an event and now after the buzz I thought I would write a short blog on reflection.

Over a year in the planning, everything came together on the night. 100 happy people, most of whom had not seen each other for at least 10 years. It was a reunion and then some.

We had a fantastic venue, live music, a hog roast, celebration cake, drinks, a photographer and 100 wonderful people. Even the weather was perfect.

Without exception everyone thanked me for organising the event, but I was just the bossy one, the team behind me made it. The people behind the scenes don’t get enough credit when it comes to events. I love organising people and events, but I know that not everyone shares my passion, so even more so the team should be credited for helping me realise my goal – that everything runs smoothly, and that people enjoy themselves.

One person asked me how I measure the success of an event, to which I replied – “if people want to come in the first place, enjoy themselves when they are there and share their happy memories of the event afterwards, then I would say that was a success” – All 3 boxes ticked so far!

For the people who come along to events the enjoyment peaks at the event itself, but for me the enjoyment starts at the planning stage, and continues right through until the last bag of rubbish was filled.

Then it’s time to relax and unwind, until the next time – bring it on!

You can even buy a copy of the event ‘book’ click here for the link.

A big thank you!

My Bed for the night

Just wanted to say a very big thank you to everyone who sponsored me for the Julian House Charity Big Bath Sleep Out on Friday 11th March.

It was a long cold night, and although my cardboard was a little uncomfortable, I did manage to get in about 4 and a bit hours sleep.  I raised £270 in sponsorship money – and as I had requested from my sponsors, I raised enough to be sponsored for £1 for every minute that I slept. So thank you.

I hope that my small efforts go some way to help some of the many homeless people in the region. I will look out for any news about this and update my blog later, but I think there were around 150 people there, and I hope a lot of money (and awareness) was raised.

Out of my comfort zone – literally

As part of my ‘just get on and do it’ mantra for 2011, I would like to declare that on Friday 11th March 2011 I will be taking part in the Big Bath Sleep-Out, for the Bath based charity Julian House.

Julian House is the leading provider of services to single homeless men and women in Bath & North East Somerset. Providing a bed is the relatively easy part of its work. Much more difficult is the task of identifying why its clients are in this situation and then finding the right solutions.

I am not asking you to join me, although you are welcome, but I want to raise £390 sponsorship, (£390 would be £1 for every minute that I will be ‘sleeping’ outside). Please note, this is not camping, I will have a cardboard ‘bed’ and a sleeping bag.

I will be customising my cardboard bed by adding the names of people to it that have supported me – so if you are willing to sponsor me (any amount will be a great help) please visit my Just Giving page – http://www.justgiving.com/Angela-MacAuslandAMPMPA – thank you!

I will of course keep everyone updated with my Twitterfeed – so please follow me if you haven’t done so already @am_pm_pa.

Virtual Mystery Shopper

We are now offering a ‘Virtual Mystery Shopper‘ service – for just £25 + VAT (plus any expenses incurred for actual purchases etc). We will carry out a 1 hour ‘Virtual Mystery Shopper‘ survey for you, or your business, or more importantly your competitors. You may select any of the following options, or any others that you wish us to carry out (within reason!)

The choices are:-

• Visit to your website, feedback on ease of use, visibility etc.
• Visit to your e-commerce site and purchase an item – feedback on process, ease of use etc.
• Telephone call to your Sales Department to enquire about a specific product
• Telephone call to your Customer Services Department with a specific enquiry
• Contact email to your company via your website or completion of feedback form
• Competitor analysis for 1 company or business (add on an extra £25 per competitor)

Why are we doing this you ask?. We come across examples of ‘how not to’ every single day, and we do try to feed this back to people when we come across these ‘problems’ but far too many companies have their heads in the sand when it comes to their websites and call centres.

Examples of ‘how not to’s’ that we have found recently:-

• An e-newsletter was sent to us with a link to a product on a website that did not exist.
• We were searching for the phone number of a shop when we were out and about, their website was not viewable on our i-Phone or Blackberry
• We were phoned by a company who wanted to sell us business insurance, we wanted to buy and asked them to phone me back in an hour as we were busy – they didn’t phone – they didn’t get the business. We went elsewhere.
• We ordered several office consumable products online, only to get to the checkout and our basket contents had disappeared.

What was the common factor in all of the above? – all were guaranteed sales as we wanted to buy – but NONE of them got  our business, we went elsewhere.  All of the purchases above were much more than £25, so what have you got to lose?

Contact us today on mystery@ampmpa.co.uk and lets talk!

One fine networking evening….

Since the summer we made a stand on networking and decided that we must attend at least one networking event a month, so far, so good.

We started off in July by being invited along to the 25th anniversary celebrations of Berkeley Bate (our accountants) at the Victoria Art Gallery and were served delicious canapes and bubbly by our favourite caterers Eat 5 Star.

Later in  July we attended a Best of Bath networking event at the Royal Crescent Hotel, it was a lovely evening and we not only enjoyed canapes and wine in the garden, we met lots of very nice people.

In August we ventured further afield to The Square Club in Bristol to attend the Bath & Bristol Marketing Network Group meeting – lots of people again and fantastic speaker.

September saw both Angela and Sibylle attending the Business Against Poverty networking and wine tasting event at Great Western Wine in Bath.

Making sure we always make the most of everything we do (trying to save ourselves time and money too) we picked up one new supplier – Harvem for our office supplies who we have used twice already and are enjoying the fantastic service on offer. And also became members of Business Against Poverty – so that we may help others who are less fortunate than ourselves and have the chance to put something back. We also had a good evening and had a chance to catch up on a more personal level with each other, and enjoy some lovely wine too!

So remember if like us, networking is not on your To Do List, go along to 1 event a month and make it work for you, its not always about meeting new clients/suppliers etc, sometimes it may just be to let your hair down and enjoy a glass of wine or 2!