Mobile Phone Locked

We will unlock it for free if you purchase the Econet Wireless UK Sim card either online or from our retail shops in Northampton and Crawley to enable you to use Econet straight away

Win £100 Marks & Spencer Vouchers

With Christmas coming up and pressies  to buy, a £100 Marks & Spencer voucher would come in handy. Crosby Abbott is offering any customer who purchased an Econet Sim Card from us a chance to win these vouchers.

All you have to do is recommend a friend to Econet Sim card and your name will be entered into a draw to win £100 voucher from Marks & Spencer. Above all we will give an extra calling credit for every friend you recommend.

A Special Announcement

I am pleased to announce that Crosby Abbott Ltd UK has been appointed one of the official distributors of Econet Wireless SIM card in the UK.  Econet is a well recognised brand in Africa where it operates in 14 countries. The Econet Sim will be in selected retailers from Next Week.  We are extremely pleased to be associated with Econet Wireless in addition to our existing partners such as HSBC, DHL, Western Union, TNT, Barclays Bank and Payzone.

Have a cracking day!

Regards

Izzy Mutanhaurwa

MD Crosby Abbott Ltd

Company Registration In Zimbabwe

If you search for Zimbabwe’s Economy on Google or Bing or your favourite search engine you will get myriads and myriads of results describing various states of the economy. While there is differing discourse on Zimbabwe it can not be disputed that the Zimbabwean economy is on the mend. It is those that take advantage now that will have a slice of the Zimbabwean economy. I know the sentiments amongst my fellow countrymen that of waiting till everything is right robs them of an opportunity to take advantage this economy which is on a rise.

To do business in Zimbabwe one has to follow a rigorous criteria; register a company, inform the tax authorities, open a bank account, obtain a tax clearance certificate. The red-tape and bureaucrat delays will frustrate even an average investor. What we have done at Crosby Abbott is making it easier for potential investors by going through all the red tape on your behalf. We now offer a fully fledged Company Registration service including opening of a bank account. We have teamed up with Page Hearth our subsidiary in Zimbabwe who will do the running around on your behalf to make sure that your business compiles with regulations in Zimbabwe.

Remember that those who said it cannot be done are passed by those already doing it. Do not put off registering your business in Zimbabwe today because by the time you think its safe to do so all the opportunities will have been taken and the barriers to entry pushed so high making it difficult or economically senseless for you to do business in Zimbabwe. We still offer our core services  here in England – Company & VAT registration, web-site design, business networking and our added services.

To discuss your business services needs please email us on info@crosbyabbott.com

To view some of the headlines on Zimbabwean economy please click the link below:

Zimbabwe’s Economy

Bank Deposits On The Increase

Time To Move Africa from The Periphery To The Centre of Economy

Crosby Abbott Restructuring Finished

The Board met in January of this year to restructure Crosby Abbott Ltd  in the light of the UK economy and now we have completed it though it took us more than 3 months it was worth doing. We have added new services, acquired a new African subsidiary and we are on course to change our Internet Newspaper to suit demands and stay competitive.

In February we acquired Page Hearth Trading in Zimbabwe – a retail arm with two shops in Gweru and Triangle we deal with electrical items, mobiles phones computers and computer accessories we also offer a fully fledged business consultancy for individuals starting up a business in Zimbabwe . With the news that the Zimbabwean economy is on the up again we feel its the right time for individuals and business looking to invest to get a foot in before everything fully picks up of which the barriers to entry in any chosen field will have gone up. So we are now offering Company formations in Zimbabwe, including registration with ZIMRE (Zimbabwe Revenue Services) and Business Banking with Barclays Bank Zimbabwe Ltd.

Another diversification of our services is our opening of Crosby Abbott Tech our Internet Cafe’ in Northampton which offers Internet Access, Printing, Photocopying and Faxing Services, Mobile Phone Sales, Repairs and Unlocking and Computer and Laptop Repairs for both Hardware and Software issues. We also on course to open up a Crosby Abbott X Catalogue Furniture Sales, we are busy looking for suitable premises to be on target that it opens on the 1st June 2010.

Our other proposed services which we feel we will be able to launch this year includes Crosby Abbott Global Visas – a visa processing services fro people travelling to UK, USA and Canada from either Zimbabwe or South Africa initially with plans to expand the services to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We will also be launching our food services before the end of the year.

Our Internet newspaper News of black Interests will finish its staff restructuring by the end of May this year, with reduced incomes from advertising it was important to revise our staff structure at the paper and also recruit a new marketing manager to spearhead the sales of advertising. We shall be closing our bureau  offices in Africa, and remain with one Editor who will be  responsible for the whole of the continent. Let me take this opportunity to thank the staff that is leaving us for the wonderful work they have done to start this project we wish them well in their future.

We are back and fully operational.

Best Regards

Israel Mutanhaurwa

MD Crosby Abbott Ltd email: i.mutanhaurwa@crosbyabbott.com

http://www.crosbyabbott.com

2010 & Ahead

Compliments of the season, I hope I find you ready and gearing to go in 2010.

We have added a Business News section for members and visitors to our website. So you can keep abreast of changes that can affect your business. We will also be sponsoring The Business News Section of subsidiary paper NewsofBlackInterest.com

Our latest news geared for small businesses and entrepreneurs covers, the looming deadline of self assessment, also that firms have been given two weeks to adjust prices following the return of VAT to 17.5% from 15%. You can read it all here

Have a great day.

Regards
Izzy Mutanhaurwa
MD Crosby Abbott Ltd
i.mutanhaurwa@crosbyabbott.com
+447960076652

Starting A Business Is The Only Way To Make Serious Money

Forbes magazine has just updated its annual rich list and they have also asked eight self-made entrepreneurs tips about how to make it and this should not surprises you:

Business tips are a penny a dozen. A billionaire’s playbook for success: priceless.

We asked eight of the wealthiest self-made members of the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans to weigh in on 22 topics, from universal health care to the right amount of vacation. These guys have horrendous schedules and a lot on their minds, but for the most part, they were willing to share.

One lesson is clear: If you want to make serious cake, start a business. Of the 400 titans on our list, 274 are self-made–up from 270 last year.

You heard it from those that have made it. To help you in your goal to make serious money, take adavantage of our fantastic offer if you are just starting up.

At Crosby Abbott we can do all the donkey work for you. We have a chain of actions that we can help you along your way to be on the Forbes Rich List. You can pick up from an part of this cycle

Below is a summary of how Crosby Abbott can help to start your own business and set yourself up on a path to financial freedom. Remember that the market place rewards hard work and ingenuity, the greater the ingenuity the greater the reward.

Above all this we will also help you nurture and grow your business through networking via our Crosby Abbott Business Network. Please visit our website for more details: http://www.crosbyabbott.com

Ready to start up? Start-up like you mean to – call us on 01293613028  or 07815490248 today or email us on info@crosbyabbott.com

Networking- Whats In It For Me?

When we launched our promotion yesterday of a free website and free advertising in exchange for membership for or our flagship business network, the promotion elicited a lot of response. We had people calling and emailing asking us what is networking. Some were direct asking what is in it for them and their business. Others wondered if networking only benefits businesses. So I sat down this morning to address all of those questions.

In computing terms networking is the linking of computers to share some resources i.e. networked computers can share a printer, processing power..etc. On the same token Business Networking in its purest sense is linking of likeminded businesses which is an essential skill for most business people, but especially for entrepreneurs.  There is a strong association between the entrepreneur as a person and his or her business, that association demands that entrepreneurs get out into the world and create and maintain business relationships. Crosby Abbott Business Network was started for purposes of expanding business opportunities for small to medium scale businesses and as a marketing tool as well as a social vehicle.  Crosby Abbott Business Network (CABuNet) events are a source of ;

1. Opportunities of new business
2. Opportunities to meet new business contacts, leads, clients, customers
3. Help get rid of the need to cold call
4. Provide opportunities to promote your services/products
5. Enable you to meet owners or decision makers from many other businesses
6. Allow you to share and gain knowledge, expertise and contacts
7. Give an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with others
8. Meet potential service providers
9. Form strategic alliances

Let us examine each in turn.

1)    Opportunities for new business Opportunity to meet new business contacts – Some of our members have found new opportunities during some of our network events. We have had businesses forming strategic alliances with each other. One of our members Karina Hair & Beauty recently agreed to stock hair products in their three saloons in South East made by Maureen’s Hair Products. This opportunity could not avail had these two businesses not met at a CABuNet event.

2)    A lot of our members act as referral agents for other members. If they know a member providing a service, when asked by their own customers or friends they have gladly passed on the details of that member.  We have had people that were looking for contacts in the NHS to bolster their staff supply business and they were put in touch with that person.

3)    The most dreaded moment is starring at the phone to call someone completely out of the cold and ask for their business. That is eliminated with networking because people at networking events pass out gladly their contact details, it will not be a cold call to call them the following week after a network event and say you met them at CABuNet event and you were calling to see if you can be of any service to them. They are very unlikely to slam the phone down on you. You might actually find that there is a service or product which they can supply to you at discount or they will say they were about to call you to see if they can get samples of your product as it is something their business was looking for.

4)    The 5 minute pitch when you introduce yourself and your company at our events enables you to sell your product or service to a roomful of between 25 to 100 people depending on the event. If you take the ‘The Law of 250’ into consideration; that an average person knows 250 people. You will be effectively be selling to 6 250 and 25 000 respectively. It’s a market you do not want to ignore.

5)    Network events allow you to meet other business owners and decision makers even though they might not be from the same industry as you. The experience and knowledge they will share with you is invaluable.

6)    Our mastermind group has business mentors with over 30 years of experience in running businesses,  and there is a lot you can learn from these people in terms of strategy, where to get funding, they also open doors to vast number of contacts they have developed over the years

7)    Running a business is not easy and the tips, guidance and informal advice will encourage you and help you if you are starting out even when you are established.

8)    Meet potential service providers – – At CABuNet we encourage inter-member trade so most of our members use each other’s businesses instead of looking for an outside supplier. We also encourage members to offer discounts to other members which makes it more attractive. A lot of our clients for our other ancillary services at Crosby Abbott are from Networking events and the referrals from the members of CABuNet. Our members have had new business take Springwell Investments an Accounting firm has gained 10 new customers in the last week. Most of our members used to buy stationery from Staples, but now since D Stationers joined us every member is saving money by switching their stationery suppliers. It’s the same for Linkpin Ltd a courier company which gained over 1600.00 worth of new business when they attended their first breakfast meeting when they joined. CABuNet has a varied membership and this has resulted in an increase of inter-trade between members by 40% in the last month. We have every type of businesses represented from home based businesses, online businesses and other traditional businesses like limited companies, retailers, manufacturers, restaurants make it difficult for any member not to have some benefit of new business.

9)    See no.1

So there is a lot for everyone in networking, the benefits are staggering. Join us today and who knows your phone might be ringing off the hook with customers waiting to place an order. Other than that we have numerous other benefits, we help our clients open business bank accounts, get them an affordable accountant, help them register for VAT, get them discounted business insurance, discounted merchant service, discounted legal cover, discounted car hire and hotel accommodation, a permanent online directory listing, once a year printed directory, a quarterly magazine for members, bulk purchasing and the master mind groups as well as our golf clinics.

For more details about membership and to take advantage of our current offers of a free fully functional website and free banner advert on a leading online newspaper please visit our website http://www.crosbyabbott.com or you can email us on cabunet@crosbyabbott.com

Israel Mutanhaurwa

MD Crosby Abbott

07815490248 or 01604634345

i.mutanhaurwa@crosbyabbott.com

Networking is the key to success for small businesses

Many small businesses that we meet say they struggle with marketing their business, they cite lack of money as the biggest factor. A lot of these businesses do not understand what marketing is. When we ask them for some specifics they say advertising is expensive they cannot afford to buy a banner ad for a lengthy period of time to have a realisable impact.

What they are not aware is that advertising is just one aspect of marketing. It is the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet.

Marketing on the other hand is the systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products. Marketing is a process. It is something that takes time. An effective marketing strategy involves use of color, logos, and how your products and services are sold. A marketing strategy includes the perception people have of your business. Is your company a forward thinking company, a fun company or a large stable business?

Advertising costs money and its true many small businesses do not have money to place ads on TV or Radio or Print ad in national newspaper. Research has shown that it takes up to seven times for a person to respond to an advert. For a small business this is a non starter they simply do not have the money to pour in advertising for up to seven times and survive. Beside even the most effective adverts produce mixed realisable outcomes which accounts for a fraction in return of investment. However it does not mean that if a small business does not have money for placing an ad in a newspaper they should stop marketing.

Consumer skepticism and a resistance to advertising are apparent in today’s marketplace. According to Insight Express, “consumer trust in advertising has plunged 41% over the past three years and only 10% of consumers say they ‘trust’ ads today.” In the varied world of today’s media, the consumer is increasingly in control. A 2008 study by Yankelovich, Inc. revealed that nearly 70% of consumers were actively looking for ways to block, opt-out, or eliminate advertising. Media fragmentation is out of control the average household today has over 100 television choices.

Given these facts, the pressure is on small business find ways that they can market their business without alienating their customers and at the same breath do that on a minimal budget. In order to do that one has to understand what marketing is. Marketing at its essence is a discipline about building relationships and this does not cost any business money. The relationship between you and your customer is symbiotic in nature and fundamental to both of you and your customer. It is a relationship between two people where each person is essential to what the other needs from the relationship. That is why it is important for small businesses to build quality relationships and thereby realise the potential of their business relation with their customers.

Networking is the best way to build quality relationships. It allows you to develop set of contacts that in turn will be able to push your business forward. If you are in business, your mission includes reaching out to prospects that have a need you can fill. If you want to keep the doors to your business open, you can’t hide under a rock or in a cave and expect prospects to beat a path to your secret lair. You have to reach out in effective ways to let people know who you are and how you can solve their critical problems.

One of the easiest and most immediate ways to market your business is through personal networking. A recent study found that two fifths (38 per cent) of small firms do not believe that networking can boost their businesses’ chances of growth and success. Just ten per cent of small firms say they do not devote any time to networking, while 42 per cent admit they only get involved a few times a year. Just 15 per cent said they devoted time to networking every week.

However, companies that do not take advantage of networking could be missing a chance to grow their business or improve their sales according to Lloyds TSB. Of those businesses that do dedicate time to networking almost three quarters (71 per cent) have won new customers over the past year as a direct result of networking while two fifths (42 per cent) have found new suppliers.

Stephen Pegge, head of communications, Lloyds TSB Business, said: “We’ve all heard the old adage ‘it’s who you know not what you know’ but for many small firms today, the importance of building relationships is being seriously underestimated. ”It’s clear that small businesses are often too quick to overlook the benefits of networking, but, when they do find the time to nurture new contacts, it’s never too long before they realise the part these relationships can play in their future growth and success.”

There are terrific rewards for investing the time and effort in networking. It’s fun and friendly– people are there to meet new people, to explore connections and set up follow-up meetings. You meet many people fast – so often isn’t it timing that makes things come together? You meet people who in some way are pre-qualified for your product or service by being members of the group or attending that particular meeting. People who attend networking events have an agenda and they will tell you why they are there – the openness and directness is so productive. Something leads to something – whether you are looking for clients, vendors, professional services, a new job, or contacts at a particular company; if you put it out there, you are bound to get a few hits (6 Degrees of Separation Theory). If you keep your product/service a secret, no one can know how great you/your company are. Professional friendships – attending networking events regularly, you will build up rapport with people as they get to know, respect and trust you. Get your nose out of your day-to- day business and get a pulse on the marketplace – clients won’t come to you unless they know you can take away their pain. Networking gives you a chance to assess the market and know where the trends are headed.

To encourage many entrepreneurs, small business to network at Crosby Abbott w ar proud to announce the following offers

• A free fully functional website worth £300 if you join Crosby Abbott Business Network before 31^st of December 2009
• A 250×250 banner advert for 90 days on News of Black Interest worth £260.00 if you join before 31^st December 2009

Plus our other usually benefits:

• World class business banking with HSBC or Barclays
• Discounted Business Insurance, Merchant Service,  Car Hire, Hotel Accommodation and Legal Protection
• Free listing on the Crosby Abbott Business Network Online Member Directory – free advertising
• Free listing in the Printed member directory – free advertising
• Assured member trade – our members buy from each other
• Crowd Clout bulk purchasing – compete with the big boys at your own budget
• Breakfast Networking – effective word chance for word of mouth
• Golf Clinics – reenergise your batteries, learn a new skill
• Discounted training, workshops, seminars and summits
• Mastermind groups – for motivation

Please visit us to join today and take advantage of this wonderful offer

Israel Mutanhaurwa

Managing Director

Crosby Abbott

Crosby Abbott Business Network Membership Benefits Update

CABuNet Membership Benefits Update

We proud to announce that we have teamed up with HSBC to offer Business Banking, Business Insurance and Merchant Service to all our members.

If you need a business bank account or business insurance or you are looking for merchant service all you have to is to reply to our email and our team of administrators will take it forward for you.

We are also proud to offer you 60% off our current advertising rates. News of Black Interests receives 1000 unique visitors a day. If you want to reach this audience then take advantage of this fantastic offer by emailing advertising@newsofblackinterest.com quoting CABuNet60.

We are constantly looking for more benefits for your membership.

What is Crosby Abbott Business Network?