February Talk with Claire Brewerton

As February dawns and Valentine’s Day approaches, February is known as the month of love – or historically a month of ‘new beginnings’. Today we're talking to Claire Brewerton, of The Virtual Business Centre, based in Brinkworth. The team offer outsourced call centre, telephone answering, and admin services. Claire has run the business alongside her husband Marc for more than 21 years.

What do you love about running your own business? 
No two days are ever the same- as a working mum who suffers from working mummy guilt the opportunity to pick up from school is not taken for granted and I am grateful to my team who have my back and cover me when I am away from the office.  

What do you love about your business community? 
The varied clients we have, it keeps things fresh every day as well as the support we get from the local business community. 

What do you love about your business which has changed over the last year? 
The way we have been able to adapt and change, it makes me realise challenges are not always something to fear. It is lovely to have the team back in the office even though the past 12-18 months have proven how adaptable we have been. 

What have been the main challenges you’ve had to overcome in the last year? 
Uncertainty, particularly around Covid19 and the impact it has had on our clients, some clients have gone quiet whilst other clients have grown massively and have used us to help support their growth. 

Is Valentine’s Day a ‘thing’ for you in your business? 
For some of our clients providing products and services it is......although in the office we are all hoping that the florist may ring the doorbell for flowers for one of us!

Is Valentine’s Day a ‘thing’ for you in your life? 
I love driving past the florists and seeing all the wonderful displays but on a personal basis I am not too fussed – my husband and I exchange the same card every year – and just re date it – it’s our “thing” I guess!

Is it your birthday this month? 
Not this month but I have a BIG birthday coming up in the Summer which I am beginning to think about 

Did you know that Feb 7 to Feb 13 is National Apprenticeship Week? Does this mean anything to you? 
We have employed apprentices before in the past and would do so again, in fact my son is in the midst of securing work experience as part of his college course so we are very open to supporting apprentices.  

In the yearly cycle of your business – what do you expect during February? 
This is the month where our business starts to really accelerate. January is traditionally one of the quietest months of the year and everyone can feel a little flat and deflated but  February is the month that our call volumes and new business enquiries really begin to ramp up.

Are there any key moments or events within your business that you’d like to share during February? 
We have taken on several new employees which is always lovely as it brings new energy to our team.  We also have two new pet goats who are settling in and entertaining us all. 

We are attending the Theo Paphitis #SBS (Small Business Sunday) event in Birmingham at the end of the month, which is a great opportunity to catch up with clients and do a bit of networking – I always find it an inspirational event to attend. 

Have you got any special offers you’d like to mention?
This is a good time for a reminder that we not only answer inbound calls but have a very skilled and experienced telemarketing team. 

We can run call campaigns for customer service checks and follow up responses to e-marketing campaigns and social media advertising so let us show YOUR clients how much you love and appreciate them. 

If you need a call answering or a call made, we can do it.

More information can be found here - https://www.virtualbusinesscentre.com