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James Caan explains the benefits of virtual offices

In an interview with the Times Online, James Caan of Dragon’s Den fame explains how virtual offices have helped him establish more successful businesses in the UK.

James explains that he established 10 virtual offices in different parts of the UK, which helped him save money.

As an investor in numerous businesses, I am able to use technology to increase the cost-effective opportunities. To help one recent acquisition secure customers all over the country, I established 10 virtual offices in leading cities across the land.

This allowed James to operate in the locations without the expense of hiring staff and renting property. He is very glowing about the use of a virtual office, which he says allows you have a very high profile address without the expense of a city centre location.

Today the use of virtual office facilities – a prestigious address with a mail-forwarding service and exclusive telephone number with call/message forwarding provided by a dedicated team – has created an immediate national presence without high overheads.

To read the full interview with James you can visit the Times Online website.

Microsoft bides adieu to Bill Gates, reluctantly

Undoubtedly, the most respected techie, who started Microsoft, 33 years ago, called it a day on Friday (June 27). Bill Gates started the venture with a distinctive belief that personal computers will be an integral part of every day life. Today billions of computer users are ample proof of his unique foresight and dream that turned into a reality.

Bill Gates, who at the age of about 19, ventured out to create history, created the world’s largest software company, Microsoft. He is resigning the Chairmanship of the company, but will continue as non-executive chairman, putting in about one day a week at Microsoft. Personalities like him can never pass time idling. The rest of his time will be devoted to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, unarguably the wealthiest charity in the world.

The foundation is engaged in improving healthcare around the world and at the same time aiming at reducing extreme poverty globally. Billions will be transferred and added to the existing endowment of about $38.7 billions, as legendary investor Warren Buffet, the world’s richest man, will soon be transferring most of his personal wealth to the foundation.

Visionaries like Bill Gates will always find a permanent place in the hearts of the computer users and hardcore techies for a long time.

Plan for eco-towns met with opposition

Campaigners from nearly 15 sites in England, which have been earmarked for ‘eco-towns’, are to raise their voice of protest outside Parliament. The groups include local authorities and some pressure groups. They will hand in their feedback to the first round of heated public consultation. The developments come as environmental campaigners are set to call on ministers to ‘return to the drawing board’ on the plans.

Meanwhile, the government is to begin the next round of consultation. It hopes to build 10 of the 15 planned eco-towns by 2020. They are meant to mark new, exemplary green standards in house building. The 15 shortlisted schemes comprise sites in Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire and South Yorkshire.

The concerns that the conservation charity has raised about the proposed developments are:
1. The schemes risk becoming ‘car-dependent’ housing estates.
2. Most are in greenfield sites; two are in the Green Belt.
3. Most schemes go against local plans that have been agreed with communities
4. Lack of evidence to believe that schemes will provide really sustainable models of working and living.

Financial Sector Is A Boom Industry

When working in the financial industry, there is always the matter of regulation and compliance to keep up with.  Most areas of the financial sector are governed by the FSA (Financial Services Authority) and if you wish to work in the financial sector, especially in an advisory capacity, such as working as a mortgage advisor or financial advisor, then there are legal requirements about the qualifications you must hold.

Mortgage advisors in the UK must have a particular level of qualification and 80 per cent of mortgage advisors hold the CeMAP qualification (Certificate of Mortgage Advice Practice).  Financial advisors must hold their CeFA qualification (Certificate in Financial Advice).

At times like these with property prices fairly stagnant and mortgages becoming more difficult to attain, you might think the financial sector is suffering but apparently not so.  This seems to be because when times are good, people want to spend or invest and so demand for mortgage advisors and financial advisors are high.  When times are bad, people need to make the most of what they have, so again, they need mortgage advisors and financial advisors.

Beacon Financial Training is a specialist financial training company, who run CeMAP training courses in Manchester, Leeds, London, Liverpool, Birmingham and more.  Indeed, they are overrun and are adding more locations all the time.  They also run CeMAP training in Scotland and are currently the only national training company to offer CeMAP courses tailored specifically for Scottish Law - an  important factor if you want to train to work as a mortgage advisor in Scotland.

They also offer Equity Release training (a specialist branch of mortgage advice), will writing and now CeFA courses too for delegates who wish to become a financial advisor.  They work for several national mortgage companies, who outsource all their training to them.

It certainly seems that all factors point towards the financial sector being a real boom industry and seemingly recession-proof.