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Holiday Of A Lifetime
buy:time prides itself in organising unforgettable experiences and holidays for clients. With no affiliation to resorts or companies, buy:time really listens to what your requirements are then goes out of its way to build an itinerary that you will never forget.
A buy:time client, with a very clear idea of the holiday he wanted, down to the location of the Bedouin tent at Petra for a candle lit dinner with no one else around and authentic musical entertainment, recently used his buy:time PA to put exactly this together for him. Now a holiday like this doesn’t just happen and busy people often compromise as they just don’t have the time necessary to research how such events can be booked and all the intricate details involved in stepping off the beaten track.
See for yourself what buy: time can do for you, “The key to this holiday was buy: time’s outstanding attention to details. All 21 guests felt that my PA took personal responsibility and delivered a very personalized VIP service. Without my buy:time PA this would not have been such an amazing experience. World class service!”
For more details please call 0870 486 2624.
How can those not on the Rich List get meaningful help to organise their lives?
“Fortunes in Britain are soaring as the world recovers from the 2008-09 crash”. In 2010 the Rich List has climbed to £335.5 billion, up £77.265 billion on 2009 - the largest annual rise in the 22 years of the Rich List.
The super rich and super busy have little difficulty in throwing resources at organizing their lives but how do the more modest of us succeed in juggling busy professional and home lives and still have time to enjoy some of our downtime?
A buy: time PA is a real person who gets to know you and can work wherever it is necessary to get the job done.
Imagine you need a holiday but just haven’t the time to dedicate to it? Your PA is completely independent and will go out of her way to find the right location for you at the best price from tried and tested suppliers.
The NatWest bank states that 326,000 people in the UK now earn more than £100,000 - twice as many as in 1998.
Increasingly busy people turn to concierge services to assist them. Frequently supplied by banks to premium customers and credit card holders at an annual fee, the services offered are often rather prosaic compared to the bespoke approach offered by buy: time’s personal, part time PAs.
Disappointment with the rather impersonal service supplied by concierge companies is pushing more and more people to look for a greater depth of service tailored to each client individually needs.
For more information on the services buy: time offer call 0870 486 2624.
Is Britain set to see a record low turnout in May’s election?
The 20th April is the closing date to register to vote.
It is not true that since its peak during the Second World War the United Kingdom’s electoral turnout has been in steady decline. Even as recently as 1992 some 77 per cent of British voters went to the polls.
UK voting trends switched decisively downwards in 1997, when they plummeted to just 59%, an 18 percentage point decline without any precedent in British history. They then stayed at this low level in 2001. The UK now seems to have settled into a low turnout rut.
The turnout predicted from an Ipsos/Mori poll recently projected likely voter turnout in the 2010 election at about 53 per cent, compared with the last election’s level of just over 61 per cent. This may be a little on the low side but is cause for concern.
There is no doubt that the increasing use of postal votes and proxy voting rule changes have made it easier to vote although critics cite concerns over the validity of this system.
Fall in turnout is likely to be due to a number of factors but is thought by some be related to a decline in voters’ identification with parties and in their confidence with parties in general. Recent scandals over MP’s expenses may have had less of an adverse affect on levels of trust in politicians and parties than one might think. On a scale from 0 to 10 confidence levels were in the range from 3.5 to 4.5 in 2005, bottoming out at 2.5 to 3 points in June 2009- the peak of the expenses scandal and rising again, by November 2009 to the range from 3 to 3.5 points.
Also, very important is the role of young voters. An Electoral Commission report stated that only 56 per cent of 17-24 year olds were even registered to vote. It is likely that non-voting in the 18-34 age group will exceed 45% in this year’s election. With over 4 million new voters since the last election this is a valuable section of society for any of the parties to target.
A recent report based on a YouGov report estimated there to be over 12 million undecided voters. While this figure doesn’t take into account people’s inclination to actually vote (if it did the figure would be closer to 6.5 million), it is clear, that in any case, a good number of people have no idea who they will be voting for only a few weeks out from the election.
buy:time provides dedicated personal assistants that can work for as many or as few hours as you require each month. It is an ideal service to just break the back of personal administration that is building up and becoming an annoying burden. To test how the service can assist you getting life back in control it is possible to buy a block of 10 hours at the discounted price of £33 per hour plus VAT. Alternatively, offer someone you know the gift of time by buying gift vouchers available in any time denomination. With a well thought out task list your buy: time PA could still even get you registered to vote in this year’s election. The closing date for people wishing to register to vote is 20th April 2010.
Call us now on 0870 486 2624 or e mail on info@buy-time.co.uk
National Insurance Contribution Changes
On April 1st 2011, the current Governments scheduled increases in National Insurance Contributions (NIC) come into effect, giving another good reason to bring in a service instead of hiring an employee. buy:time’s flexible PA services provide perfect outsourced administration to companies and a private PA to the personal lives of busy individuals.
Labelled as a “tax on jobs”, these proposed NIC increases would affect both employees and employers making it more expensive to take on staff and employees losing more from their pay packets. A typical worker earning about £25,000 a year will pay around £200 extra a year in NIC from next April, as employee contributions rise to 12%.
This is however, only the tip of the iceberg. The front end costs of recruitment and the risks associated with it, cause many new businesses to put off taking on a new person for as long as possible. A part time PA, when you need her, allows you to focus on your success. This state of the art, flexible approach avoids the needs to invest time and money in recruitment, agency fees and training. Furthermore, if it doesn’t work out and the personality fit is just not right you avoid employment law problems, simply switching you PA with another from the buy:time pool.
Many start ups do not require full time administrative support but desperately need an extra pair of hands either on a regular basis, to handle invoicing and office administration or to handle specific one off tasks such as product launches, research projects or business travel.
With no annual tie in, monthly subscription or minimum usage you can access very highly skilled, carefully selected and trained executive PAs when you need them. With hourly tariffs as low as £29 plus VAT you can use your PA for as much or as little as you require each week. You will always get the same PA who can work from your office, home office or remotely. Your PA will get to know you, your business and as this is not a temporary fix, your PA is highly motivated to deliver the best service possible over a long period of time.
To learn more about dedicated part time PAs call 0870 486 2624 and ask to speak to Jane Rampin.
Deadline for tax returns
31st January is the deadline for online filing of Self assessment tax returns. Over 9 million of us file on line. The last tax year ended on 5 April 2009, with paper returns due in by 31st October 2009. There is a £100 penalty and a seemingly larger risk of HMRC investigation for late returns.
So often it is not about filing the return but getting all the information together and to your accountant or tax advisor so he or she has a cat in hells chance of filing on time. We all vow to be more organised but once again that pile of receipts, information of share dividends and interest payments is all somewhere. We just haven’t got the time, until the panic is really too much to bear, to get down to it.
buy:time’s highly trained and flexible PA’s are experienced in coming into your home or office and just getting on with the job. Catherine Green, matrimonial lawyer , “I am a highly organised individual but when it comes to sitting down after a long day and scrabbling about to find all those bits of paper I am reduced to tears of frustration. My buy:time PA arrived at my office, took a copy of the past years return and trawled through my files piecing together most of the information for this year’s return. When I saw what had been prepared I was able to rapidly focus on what was missing.”
buy:time’s PA’s have years of experience and it’s their job to take the stress out of routine tasks hopefully making the situation more efficient going forward. You are allocated a PA, who equipped with timesaving solutions will work from your home, office or remotely to prepare the necessary information in an easy to understand way. They will register you for an online return and as they go they will set up systems to make it easier for you to maintain records going forward. The PA will ensure the information is provided to your tax advisor or accountant and act as a middleman on follow up enquiries. Whilst buy:time can recommend tax professionals, should this be required, we will work in the way you are already set up.
For more information on how you can access your own private part time PA located in your area, call or e mail buy:time on 0870 486 2624 or info@buy-time.co.uk
Recruitment: someone special to help grow our business
buy:time is having an excellent year and we want to find someone special to make the most of this success and take us on to an even brighter future. There is massive opportunity in the present climate. We want to further improve our great service to existing clients and find many new ones.
Your job will be to bring in business: new clients, both personal and business from within the private and the corporate market. Existing clients can also be given more, building their interaction with us and letting us help them every day.
We have the best team of lifestyle managers / personal assistants in the market. We have a management team with a successful track record, loads of ideas and a determination to be the very best we can be.
Your job is to get the buy:time service in front of the right people and bring them on board to become happy clients.
This is a results-driven role and you’ll be well-rewarded for the success you’re expected to bring in. You’ll need drive, enthusiasm and the ability to make things happen.
Are you that someone special? If you are ready to get your teeth into a dynamic, challenging role that will play a part in growing this company whilst rewarding you well, please send a covering letter answering the question ‘What I think I can bring to buy:time’ along with a copy of your CV to recruitment@buy-time.co.uk
We want the best Sales Executive a business can hope for.
New designated Virtual Assistance desk
buy:time has recently launched a new Virtual Assistance desk in response to the growing demand for clients wanting a dedicated professional service to offer administration and virtual PA services on an efficient and flexible basis.
Small businesses, sole traders and freelancers are increasingly finding that they need assistance but do not want to employ someone on a fixed term or full time basis. This service is designed to assist clients with their business support; offering a dedicated phone line for their clients and that vital first point of contact, extensive diary management and a full range of remote secretarial services.
The virtual desk, with a designated assistant at the end of the phone, can also be used on a more personal basis in the traditional concierge style: to book restaurants, travel and to solve those difficult problems of where to find a nanny or which is the best gym in town.
Why not consider offering this concierge service as an employee benefit service or as an incentive for members of your organization or club? It will certainly make any organization stand out from the crowd.
Do you need a full time, short term Executive PA?
buy:time is pleased to announce the launch of the Fixed Term Assistant service. This is designed to be used by any sized company and covers full time roles on a temporary or short term basis. The service lends itself to holiday and maternity cover as well as the option for additional administrative support on an ad hoc basis.
As clients realise they need an Executive Assistant for a few days, a few weeks or sometimes several months to: move their business forward; float in additional man power for projects and busy periods; or to outsource general administrative support, the Fixed Term Assistants can provide these services.
The buy:time assistants have spent a number of years supporting high level directors in the corporate world and enjoy the challenge of an ever changing work environment.
Entrepreneur Awards Winner
buy:time was nominated for the Independent entrepreneur awards in June 2009.
The public voting lines closed after a month of coverage on the story, with the polling stations at the press night finalising the numbers.
Claire spoke on the success story of a historical entrepreneur named Hester Pinney - an inspiring lady Claire was proud to champion.
The combination of the well deserved recognition of this historical business woman, together with the innovation and success of the contemporary support services buy:time provides won the awards.
buy:time has evolved over the years into providing high level flexible PA support to businesses and entrepreneurs on an international basis, handling administration, managing properties and providing critical support services to a current environment that is more in need of streamlining time and resources than ever before.
People need to focus on their businesses, various interests and ventures, outsourcing as much of the day to day running of them as possible. It makes no sense to work in any other way.
A Better Way to do Business in London
Upside to the Downturn
- A Better Way to do Business in London -
A combination of recession and new trends in the workplace has led to an explosion of self employed freelancers; consultants; and new business start ups.
Unlikely to be able to afford or want a full time PA or rented office space, people are increasingly turning to private members clubs for a professional and comprehensive working environment and to buy:time for flexible, affordable personal and business assistance.
buy:time offers the ultimate in personal assistance for small businesses and individuals, requiring a quick thinking and productive, dedicated PA, allowing you to focus on getting started or developing your business. We work from anywhere and cover everything.
The invaluable combination of the buy:time business support with a flexible, affordable place to work supports a new working era with ease and efficiency.
Claire Brynteson at buy:time adds: Small businesses, new or established, face a dilemma: they need a London office base for business but they don't need it all the time and don't want to pay London prices. They also need high-quality staff to help them but they don't need them for the whole week and don't want to incur the costs and liabilities of full-time employees.
If you could have premium London office space and a dedicated, experienced, expert PA, both available when you need them but not costing you when you don't, you'd have the perfect solution at the best price.
Thanks to a new partnership, buy:time can now offer its clients exactly this.
We can provide our clients with flexible (and stylish) London office space at a fraction of the cost they'd expect. Add this to our well-known, well-established team of dedicated personal assistants, giving your businesses and personal lives support when it's most needed, and you have all the help you need at a fraction of the cost you'd expect.
Please call us for an informal chat or full consultation on your business needs.
Personal Assistance in Dubai
We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Elan Lifestyle in Dubai.
buy:time provides personal assistance to business men and women travelling to the UK and working here, whether for a few days or for a sustained period of time.
Alongside us, Elan Lifestyle, who are based in Dubai, are providing support to buy:time customers whilst they travel and work in Dubai.
Both buy:time and Elan will plan the best holiday; manage properties; help set up businesses; or provide general support and personal assistance to you whilst you are in the UK or Dubai, on business or for leisure.
Our services are also perfect for helping people relocate to either the UK or Dubai, when a concentrated level of support can ensure a smooth transition to moving abroad.
In addition, it offers a friendly, yet supportive arm to anyone looking for guardianship or just some company and a helping hand whilst on holiday in the UK or Dubai.
This relationship offers valuable benefits to professionals with connections in both the UK and Dubai, whereby continued support is provided in both countries. buy:time and Elan work together and deliver a seamless service using experience built in their respective local markets over time.
Flexible, high calibre administrative and organisational assistance allows business professionals to maximise their working day and focus on their core business activity.
Back office services is vital - and someone has to do it - alongside a client facing secretary for diary management, meeting arrangements and all other secretarial duties.
As always, buy:time and Elan will work from anywhere, at any time and for as little or as much is required.
Property management is also a key element to this service and should be highlighted here.
International property owners requiring hands-on, local management for their properties should speak to us.
buy:time looks after London properties for overseas property owners, based in Dubai or anywhere else for that matter. We take great care of them and look after the maintenance of the building and interiors, handle the post, manage the laundry and shopping and all else imaginable.
Elan does exactly the same by taking care of properties in Dubai for our UK customers.
Please ask me for more information on this service. It just makes sense.
Claire Brynteson
The New Travelling PA Service
By popular request; buy:time has launched this new service, catering for customers requiring an assistant to accompany them during business days out and trips across the UK and abroad.
Personal lives also sometimes need someone there to help out whilst away from home. Enquiries of this nature are welcome too.
For more details on hiring your own travelling assistant, please visit Specialist Services on our Services page and don't leave home without us!
Corporate Errand Running
Never has the need for companies to offer a helping hand to their employees been more great than now. buy:time has recently launched a dedicated team of errand runners to service those people working harder than ever to maintain their business.
We suggest that you spend your time wisely by outsourcing as much as possible to us.
For more information on errand running, please visit our Corporate Services section of our Services page.
HNW Concierge Awards
buy:time has been nominated for The Best Concierge Service category of the Spears Wealth Management awards.
Claire Brynteson, buy:time's Founder attended the prestigious awards ceremony and event. She says; "buy:time is not a traditional concierge company, yet incorporates concierge into it's offering. I felt privileged therefore to be nominated for the award, alongside the pure concierge companies".
"We have come a long way in the 6 years that buy:time has been operating and have evolved the concierge concept into something comprehensive; offering a flexible, yet dedicated part time personal assistant to individuals, households and business alike".
"The buy:time team of assistants work from their own desks, from within our clients' homes or offices, combined with being out running errands. This really hits the nail on the head and I am so proud of everyone here for achieving so much for our customers".
Symbolising the return of the 'Family Office' buy:time now partners wealth management firms in handling all the lifestyle management client affairs. This leaves these wealth management companies to focus on what they're good at; managing wealth and tax affairs and allows buy:time to do what we do best and pick up on the rest of life.
Time Out's Little Black Book
The infamous Time Out has produced it's first edition; 'The Little Black Book of London' and buy:time is featured in the Essential Services section, where concierge services are highlighted.
Time Out says; "No matter how well you know London, certain mysteries remain. In a city with hidden delights around every corner, it pays to have a well-stocked contacts book".
Claire Brynteson, buy:time's Founder says; "Time Out states that this book seeks out the unexpected and the overlooked and I agree that the The Little Black Book does just that. It's about the practicalities of living in The Capital and however long you've lived in London, there's always something new to discover".
"Arguably a 'must-have' for every Londoner, either based in The Capital or just visiting, I am thrilled that buy:time is included in this book, as a service that simply people should know is on offer to them. buy:time is just so helpful in so many ways. I know, I use it!".
"If any buy:time customer finds us having read The Little Black Book, I will be delighted to see that word is spreading about this little gem of a guide. Thank you Time Out for putting this together. I dip into it often myself and all of us at buy:time will also do so for the benefit of our clients".
You can buy one at your local newsagent, book shop or London Underground station for starters.
buy:time's Television Debut
buy:time's first appearance on Television offers guidance on providing a successful and well used service.
The ever popular Spendaholics show is often repeated on television and always creates a flurry of interest in buy:time.
Claire Brynteson of buy:time featured on the show and gave advise and inspiration on launching and running your own business.
One of the buy:time lifestyle managers, Trista Connor, was filmed in action, illustrating what can be involved in running other peoples' lives.
"Both Claire and I had a lot of fun filming for Spendaholics and hope that it gives good insight into how buy:time has evolved and how helpful our service is to people", says Trista.
Sunday Times; You Can Do It Too
Rachel Bridge, author of the best-selling 'How I Made It' and The Sunday Times Enterprise Editor, has released her fourth book; 'My Big Idea'
"Essential reading for every budding entrepreneur", says Sir Richard Branson.
Within her new book, 30 successful entrepreneurs reveal how they found inspiration and Rachel, having spoken to hundreds of successful entrepreneurs throughout her career, tells the stories of thirty of them.
Claire Brynteson and buy:time is featured in this new release and Claire says; "I am thrilled to be a part of this publication and have thoroughly enjoyed working with Rachel. She wrote about buy:time last year for The Sunday Times business section and I thought then that having spent such an enormous amount of time talking to so many entrepreneurs, that she must hold more secrets and knowledge than anyone else in business. However, she claims that she knows masses about entrepreneurs and successful business ideas, yet would make a lousy entrepreneur herself!"
"Rachel is a talented journalist, writer and conference speaker and she can spot a business about to thrive a mile off. I am deeply encouraged that she agrees with my belief in the service that buy:time delivers. Rachel says that the first requirement of a good business idea is that it solves a problem. buy:time solves many, many problems every day for so many people, so I'm glad to see that we've got that bit right!"
BBC Radio 4 Feature
Invited to participate in the popular BBC Radio 4 'Ways to Make a Living' show, buy:time featured on the programme and chatted about how and why in 2003 we ended up pioneering and securing our place as leaders in our field.
There is no other service as unique and complete as the one buy:time offers and Claire Brynteson, the founder of the company, was asked to share her journey and the customer experiences buy:time has learnt from.
Claire divulged her thoughts on the type of person it takes to dream up, design and implement an innovative solution and tread where no-one else yet has. She talks about what makes a somewhat quirky business idea sustainable and admits that a couple of decades ago, perhaps even she herself would have doubted whether the product she crafted would have been embraced in the way it is now.
One of the buy:time lifestyle managers, offering personal assistance and errand running, also had fun in recording some highlights of her role for the show.
"Ways to Make a Living" was aired in the States during 2007 and was such a hit that the show made its debut broadcasting here in the UK, receiving a similar positive response.
buy:time plans to provide a copy of "Ways to Make a Living" to our website soon.
Woman of the Year Awards
buy:time's Managing Director, Claire Brynteson is selected as a 'woman of achievement' and nominated for her special contribution to the workplace.
"I am both delighted and honoured to be chosen for this prestigious award and relish in the opportunity of meeting and learning from such inspiring people. I look forward to the years ahead for buy:time and hope that the service we bring people continues to make such a positive and very real difference to their lives", says Claire.
For over fifty years the Women of the Year awards has brought together outstanding women from all walks of life, creating one of the most significant assemblies of women in the world.
The Women of the Year Foundation is to encourage women all over the world to develop their talents and enable them to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
Woman of the Year Awards 2008