Dear Reader

Hello, and welcome to the exciting first edition of the asklilach newsletter. I'm very proud to have been recently short-listed for the Virtual Assistant of the Year 2007 Award at the National VA Conference and Award Ceremony. It's a real honour for asklilach's achievements to be recognised at this prestigious event.

The sun has been making a few appearances recently which means summer is finally approaching. But before you start dusting off your bikini and signing off those holiday request forms its time to sort out those admin tasks you've been putting off forever and really get stuck in to all those networking opportunities out there.

Below are a few ideas to get you started:

	Building New Routes to Enterprise, Creating Opportunities
	Work-Life What?!
	The Million Children Campaign
	Contact Us

asklilach was delighted to organise the Ethnic Minority Business Group Seminar, "New Routes to Enterprise, Buying a Franchise", which took place in Watford on 20th March. This was a fascinating and fun event where local business owners had the opportunity to network and learn about growing their business though franchising and licensing.

The EMBG, with their partners Business Link Hertfordshire, runs many courses free of charge and exist primarily to promote, advance and coordinate the interests of the ethnic minority business community. Based in Watford, with a third of its members based in London, they cover the East of England region and work with partners such as Create and Exemplas to deliver services and add value to your business.

A lot of column inches have been dedicated recently to employees striving for a "work-life balance". For those of you who run their own business, it can be tempting to laugh maniacally in the face of friends who moan about having to stay late in the office or occasionally work on a weekend. If you are starting out as a one-man-band or running a small outfit, holidays may be but a distant memory. When your home is also your office, it's nearly impossible to switch off and you just have to hope that your kids and partner still recognise you without a 'phone attached to your ear.

If this sounds a bit too familiar and you are the type to scream "Work life what?! Are you having a laugh?!", before burrowing back beneath a mountain of paperwork and wondering where the rumbling noise is coming from (you forgot to take lunch break, silly), then maybe you should take note: consistently long hours result in lower levels of performance and flag ineffective working habits.

Here's a few things to think about next time your family demand to see some i.d.:

	You may think you don't have time for a lunch break. But taking regular breaks refreshes your mind and body and increases productivity. Even a simple ten minute walk in the fresh air (or just around the building if the weather's gone apocalyptic) will help to revive and relax an overworked mind, so you can return to the office more focused, relaxed and ready for anything.
	Are you still typing with two fingers, struggling to keep up with telephone messages and getting in a pickle with your bookkeeping? If administrative tasks are slowing you down and restricting the time you should be using to build your business, why not hand it over to an expert like asklilach instead? We have very competitive rates and will free up your time to concentrate on creating more business and focusing on your clients. Why not take advantage of our special offer - a week of call-minding - absolutely free! Click here to see what else asklilach can do to save you time and add value to your business.
	When asked if they had any regrets, no-one on their deathbed ever said "I regret not spending more time in the office". Make time for what's really important to you in life.

It's shocking that, in one of the richest countries in the world, more than one million children live in housing that is overcrowded, run-down, damp, or dangerous. Bad housing is making our children ill, robbing them of a decent education and damaging their future. They deserve better.

The housing and homelessness charity, Shelter, is making real progress with their Million Children Campaign, from helping persuade the Chancellor to prioritise spending on housing, to helping reduce the use of temporary accommodation by 2010. But it's not enough. With the Spending Review on the horizon, now is the time for a strong commitment from the Government to ending bad housing for good. You can help by adding your voice to more than 75,000 other campaigners. You can join the million children campaign and find out about all the work that Shelter do by clicking on www.shelter.org.uk/signup

Well folks, that's all for this month. I hope you're having a wonderful, productive and prosperous April.

All the best,