It's only Tuesday but I've had a manic week already, so I thought I'd hit pause for 30 minutes and write this post before diving back into client work and proposals. 

The admin side of business can be daunting but I've run my own business in the past so I know it's just as important to manage the "boring" side of things as well as the fun client work. When I first moved to the UK, I set up a mail forwarding/online custom shopping business for people who wanted to buy from stores like Zara and H&M in Australia. Back in 2009/2010, those stores didn't ship to Australia so my service was pretty popular! Frustratingly, when I did the tax returns, I found the finance side of things a total nightmare to piece together and it took me ages. So for this business, I've made sure to get all those spreadsheets up and running already, so I'm set from day 1 (it helps that my husband is an accountant!)

I've also applied for a business banking account, arranged insurance, set up my website (obviously) and have plans to get a proper logo made. I always like using local businesses where I can, so here's a few of folks I'd recommend: 

Insurance with Jack

Jack offers bespoke business insurance for freelance creatives. I've known of Jack for a while now because I've met Ashley Baxter (the owner) through instagram a couple of years back. I saw a tweet from her which reminded me I needed to get a quote which I was able to do from my phone, lying on the couch. The site is very slick and easy to use, and I received my very reasonable quote quickly. We had a few emails back and forth and then boom, I was insured. Insurance is boring but Ashley made the process simple and painless, which was delightful. 

The Floating Designer

I met Sarah through instagram as I really loved her photos. She made the new logo for The Glasgow Food Blog and I was super impressed with how easy she made the process – she sent me 4 draft ideas, and we went from there. At the end, she gave me all the files set up in the right sizes for social media. I always enjoy working with Sarah as she's adaptable to my timeframes – I've had her do rush projects for me in the past (like when I needed a brochure made up for the Cheese Toastie Festival in about 24 hours) which makes life a lot less stressful! 

Massage by Elizabeth

While massage might not be an essential part of setting up your own business, it really should be! It can be a stressful time and I really enjoyed taking an hour on Friday afternoon to see Elizabeth for a 60 minute massage. I've been seeing Elizabeth for nearly 4 years now - sports massages were great when I played roller derby! And now I just go for a relaxing, unwind, zen, bliss-out session. I found her by her amazing twitter handle – @bestevermassage. I saw that handle and read it as some kind of bold-as-brass claim about the quality of her services, and booked immediately to see if she really was the best ever. I can confirm she is, and I'm always delighted when it's time to visit for a massage. 

Of course, there's many more businesses involved in the "getting started" process so I'll blog again in a few weeks time when I have more to share!