Four day weeks are not all their cracked up to be...

I hate to admit it, but you were all right – I am struggling to keep up with my weekly newsletters / blogs! Mind you, I have a good excuse, last week I was in Paris for a long weekend of rugby (more of that later) so apologies for the delay in getting a latest update out but it’s been slightly busy in the world of Zzing.

It’s obviously not helped by the fact that this week we have a Bank Holiday this week AND next week. Oh, how your perception of national holidays change. Four months ago I would have been counting down the days to having a four day weekend and two four days weeks, however, now in the lonely world of self-employment, it can only mean one thing...no work means no jingles in ones bank account. Yup, I officially have two days of not earning any money and two weeks of trying to make up for the two days missed. Honestly, if I ruled the country....

I’m trying to meet up with my old friend Vicki West who runs her own print brokers, Tiger Ink – she’s just launched her new website and it is pretty groovy, even if I do say so myself as I did the copywriting www.tigerink.com (blatant plug there) – anyway, we’re due to meet up for a coffee tomorrow which is great however, I reckon that looking by my diary, I’ll pop in for a quick coffee on my way back from my PR work for the construction company in Alton, but will need to get home pretty soon as I need to get cracking on some trend analysis for some market research I’ve been doing.

Whoever says being your own boss is all about lunches, playing golf and early evening cocktails is living in a different world to me that’s for sure.

I’ve just finished one of my market research contracts and I’m in the last phase of the other market research project on recruitment trends which I’m working on too. It’s hard work but really interesting, especially trying to not laugh when someone answers the phone and says they’ll put you through and the next moment, the person you were being put through to is “in a meeting” – I laugh as that is exactly what I used to ask my team to say when market research calls came through to me. How times change. Still, I’m doing the research for a nice client so I hope that they find the research findings useful.

I’ve done three weeks now working on the retained work I do every month for the construction company, cfes Ltd and I have to say it’s odd going into another office for a couple of days every week as I’ve so got used to working from home. Luckily they have loads of work for me to do so before I know it, my hours are up and it’s time to head back and the 16 hours a week I’m doing is enough to get enough work for them done along with working on other projects for clients so an ideal situation. I’m quite liking juggling different projects and market sectors I’m working for currently, it certainly keeps me on my toes and my brain active which can only be a good thing, I don’t want the early onset of becoming the local strange bag lady with lots of cats who talks to herself.

The break to Paris was amazing, we stayed in a really nice little hotel in Montmarte where we made the most of the cafes and bars (I know have a longing for Pernod and water), we wandered around all of the main tourist sites, watched an excellent game of rugby which England should have won however it was an amazing atmosphere in the stadium, especially as France won the grand slam –

...oh, and the boy and I also got engaged  under the Eiffel Tower at night when it was a lit up like a Christmas tree. A very happy trip all in all and one to remember!

So now the month of April is creeping up upon us and apart from the retained contract of work, I’m on the lookout for new contracts and pieces of work. I’ve got a couple of possible copywriting and marketing contracts in the pipeline, but as ever, it is back to the waiting game of getting sign off and the bank holiday period is not going to make it happen any quicker either. I’m also trying to organise the rowing clubs annual regatta but we’ve just found out that on the same day it’s Southampton Football clubs last home match of the season and as our regatta take place 2 mins away from the football stadium we’re struggling to find car parking for 300 rowers and their boat trailers. Doh!

Ah event management, the headaches you give me. I’m thinking that my experience of delivering and managing overseas sales conferences for 300 (mainly drunk) sales people along with organising rowing regatta’s and championships for up to 1,000 people should stand me in good stead for organising a little wedding next year – it can’t be that taxing surely? I’ve started on the draft guest list at the airport when we were delayed, so far we know 250 people and that’s just close family and friends (well, when you add in the Rowing Club, Rugby Club and Hockey Club, it starts to add up...)

Anyway, here’s hoping that April is as busy as March was, I’ve got vol au vents for 250 people to save for.