GetAheadVA

14/09/2026

National Inclusion Week runs from 14 to 20 September, with this year's theme Build Trust, Navigate Change. It's a good opportunity to talk about one of the most practical ways businesses and individuals can act on that theme: Access to Work.

Access to Work is a government grant for disabled and neurodivergent freelancers, business owners and employees, and Get Ahead VA supports grant holders in several ways:

🔸 Virtual assistant support, handling emails, calendars, invoicing and day-to-day admin
🔸 Support worker help with task prioritisation, focus and communication
🔸 Access to Work application support, from evidence gathering to ongoing claims and quotes
🔸 One-to-one productivity and executive-function coaching

For a lot of our clients, it's the difference between losing hours to admin and paperwork, and getting on with the work they're actually good at.

If you or someone in your network could benefit from Access to Work, or you're just not sure where to start, our team is happy to talk it through.

Find out more: https://f.mtr.cool/5cp0loqsfx

Get ahead services can range from a one-off project to ongoing help - our experienced team will work with you to find the solution you need.

24/08/2026

A clear brief does more work than people give it credit for. That's the thinking behind this month's expert tip on clarity from Sarah, our Regional Director for Essex & Suffolk, who's seen enough projects up close to know exactly where things tend to go wrong.

"Behind any well-delivered project is a clear brief," says Sarah. "It cuts through noise, removes ambiguity, and tells everyone exactly what 'good' looks like." Get that clarity right at the start, she says, and the rest of the project tends to fall into place on its own.

It's a simple point, but an easy one to skip past when everyone's keen to just get moving. Worth remembering next time a project brief lands on your desk, or before you send one out.

19/08/2026

We are so pleased to share that Get Ahead has won Business Support Service of the Year 2026/27 at the Prestige Awards!

Rebecca and Natasha collected the award yesterday, celebrating what it recognises: real excellence from SMEs across their markets.

A huge thank you to our clients and team for making this possible.


Prestige Awards

12/08/2026

Clarity: the quality of being easily understood, seen or heard.

This is a theme that fits well with what a lot of business owners are dealing with right now, half finished projects, a brand voice that changes depending on who's writing, admin that's outgrown whatever system was managing it. Over the coming few weeks, Get Ahead's content is going to dig into what clarity actually looks like in a business, from clear communication to systems that make sense to the people running them.

If your business could do with a bit more of that, Get Ahead's team of experts would be glad to help you find it.

10/08/2026

Awards can be a powerful way to build credibility, raise your profile and create new business opportunities – but knowing where to start can feel daunting.

That's why we're delighted that our Founder, Rebecca Neweham, has been featured in the latest edition of British Franchise Association Magazine, sharing her practical advice on making the most of business awards.

In the article, Rebecca covers:
🏆 How to identify the right awards for your business
📝 Tips for writing an entry that stands out
🎉 Why the journey is just as valuable as the result

Whether you're part of a franchise network, running a small business or growing an established company, the principles are the same. Choosing awards that align with your goals, telling your story with authenticity and celebrating your achievements can all play an important role in your marketing strategy.

Awards don't just recognise success – they can also influence buying decisions. Research from the University of Leicester and the British Quality Foundation found that 80% of people making purchasing decisions are more likely to choose an award-winning business.

If you've been wondering whether to enter an award, perhaps this is your sign to take the first step. Start with the awards that best fit your business and see where the journey leads.

A special thank you to Caroline Saunders, whose expertise and guidance continue to support Rebecca and many of our franchise partners and clients with their award entries.

Have you entered any business awards this year?

07/08/2026

An Access to Work grant is only useful once it turns into real, day to day support, and that's often the part people get stuck on: working out what's eligible, finding the right person, and getting the paperwork sorted without it becoming another job in itself.

Get Ahead supports freelancers, small business owners and employees using their ATW funding, including many neurodivergent professionals who find admin, structure or communication genuinely hard to manage alongside their actual work. The team provides DWP-compliant support, from day to day virtual assistance to productivity coaching, and helps with the application and claims process itself.

Liana Fricker, founder of Inspiration Space, describes being matched with her support worker Sara as making a real difference to both her workload and her peace of mind, after Get Ahead took the time to understand her business and the way she works.

Anyone who's been approved for Access to Work funding and isn't sure how to turn it into practical support can book a free 15 minute discovery call to talk it through.

https://f.mtr.cool/hvtvooxszl

06/08/2026

Every business has a voice, whether it's been thought about or not. The question is whether it's the one you actually want.

Get Ahead's latest blog looks at the difference between voice and tone: voice is the consistent personality behind everything a business puts out, while tone is how that personality flexes depending on the moment. A reassuring tone for a service update, a persuasive one for a campaign, a conversational one for social media, all coming from the same underlying voice. Get that right and clients start to recognise a business before they even see the logo, whether they're reading a proposal, a LinkedIn post or an email reply.

It also makes life easier internally. When there's a shared sense of how the business sounds, there's less back and forth on approvals and less second-guessing about whether something "feels right."

Read the full piece here: https://f.mtr.cool/ngqmvbvjsx

Want help finding and using your voice consistently? Get Ahead's UK based experts are ready to talk it through.

Find your brand voice and use it with confidence to create clear, consistent, SEO-friendly communications that build trust and connect with your audience.

03/08/2026

Thank you to British Franchise Association for featuring Rebecca’s article in your latest edition - it’s all about the benefit of business awards - take a read….

01/08/2026

Hello August! After summers of wondering where the sun had got to, it's finally decided to give us several years of sun all at once!

August also brings Altruistic August from Action for Happiness a month built around small daily acts of kindness. The calendar includes things like smiling and being friendly to the people you meet, checking in with someone who might be feeling lonely, or giving time to a cause you care about.

It's a theme that sits close to home at Get Ahead. The whole network exists because people choose to support each other, whether that's an RD helping a client get their time back, or the team backing each other up behind the scenes. Kindness and good business tend to go hand in hand.

This month, Get Ahead would love to hear what kindness looks like in your world, whether that's in business or outside of it.

Drop a comment and let us know.

31/07/2026

There's a big difference between running toward something and running away from something - same destination but completely different headspace.

We much prefer the energy that comes from chasing a vision, a goal, a better version of what they're building because the energy shift changes everything.
What are you moving toward right now? Let us know in the comments 👇