As the weather draws in and we get closer to Christmas a lot of us get stuck with what to do in the evenings. Well LA Bowl in Ryde has come up with a great idea - free bowling!

Whether you’re a first-timer, an established league player or a seasoned pro, ten pin bowling at LA Bowl is always an action packed and fun day out.

Every Wednesday in November from 10am-6pm you can bowl for FREE!!

There’s no catch, just quote ‘Free Wednesday’ at the LA Bowl Reception desk - and you’ll receive 2 FREE GAMES OF BOWLING!! Check out the attached link for full details!!

They are always running new promotions and events so keep a track of them via Facebook here.

It has always been important for freelancers and small businesses to monitor there own business processes but this becomes increasingly critical during the tough times many of us are facing in the current economic downturn.

One of the more crucial business processes that should qualify for some scrutiny is the way in which new clients are found and new business is secured.

Winning new business

As potential clients look to tighten their own belts they will often reduce their budgets across the board - and certain projects, such as web based work, are easily seen as surplus to requirements and become the first lambs to the budgeting slaughter.

So what can a freelancer do to improve their chances of winning new business during tougher economical times?

Certainly a good looking portfolio is a must, as well as the willingness to be flexible about the type of work you are prepared to do (and how much you are willing to charge for it).

But what about winning new business? How can a freelancer improve their chance of meeting new clients and securing new work? One answer is to use freelance auction websites.

Freelance auction websites

The basic concept behind a freelancing auction website is that individuals or companies requiring freelance work done can post a project description on the website and then freelancers can enter their proposals along with a covering letter and project fee.

It is important to note that the cheapest bid will not always be the “winning” bid. Instead the prospective employer can choose one (or more) of the candidates who have placed a bid to undertake the work.

Not only do these auction-style websites serve as a highly accessible platform to bring employers and freelancers together, but since many have their own payment systems in place they offer a degree of protection to both the freelancer and the employer.

Freelancing websites in the UK

There are two auction websites that cater for freelance work in the UK that particularly stand out; freelancer.co.uk and peopleperhour.com.

Freelancer.co.uk offers a very simple interface with very few limitations to the freelancer. You can register a basic account for free which will give you access to all the major components of the website. You can create your own on-line portfolio, upload a CV and even have access to the live chat feature of the site.

Projects out to tender are very easy to browse and equally easy to bid on. They have their own Escrow payment system available, although you are not forced to use this to bill clients you may win through the website. Payments settled outside of this system will not qualify for client feedback; although from my experience a lack of feedback has never been a deal-breaker.

Certain projects will be restricted to bids from freelancers with a “PRO” account, and basic project are limited to 20 bids from freelancers with a free account so it is worth checking every day. Alternatively you can upgrade to a PRO account for £40/year.

Peopleperhour.com is a more complicated website to navigate but there are far more jobs available to bid on. There are also more freelancers, so the bidding process is more competitive. Basic accounts are free or you can upgrade to a “Gold” or “Platinum” level for £7.95/month or £14.95/month respectively.

Bids are restricted in a number of ways.  Depending on your account status you are limited to a certain number of bids per month and a certain number of categories in which you can bid. The amount of commissions that they will charge also changes according to the type of account you hold.

The other main restriction comes when setting your fee for a particular project. A basic account must place a minimum bid of £150, and you are also required to ask for a deposit of at least 20%. You will be able to state any alternative payment terms in your bid description however.

Which freelancing auction site is best?

This really depends upon your own position. If you are looking to use a freelance auction site as your main channel to win new business then I would recommend peopleperhour.com due to the potentially huge audience of clients you can appeal to, but if you are after a simple system that might provide a bit of extra work then freelancer.co.uk is a better option in my opinion.

There are alternatives out there, and new freelancing websites are springing up all the time – so keep looking!

One of the more recent additions to the mrhill portfolio is on-line boutique for Gemma Holley, a hat maker and designer based in the West Midlands. Her collection of unique millinery is simply stunning and has won her many accolades.

Gemma studied at Loughborough University and Kensington & Chels

ea College and is currently a millinery designer for an accessories company who supply to the high street. She has always maintained a passion for creating unique designs and styles and is looking to promote herself and her own collection.

Her final collection was chosen to be exhibited at the New Designers Exhibition 2004 in London where one of her pieces was then selected to be photographed for a New York fashion magazine. It was her final collection also that gained her work experience with Stephen Jones Millinery where she fell in love with the Industry.

Since then Gemma has gone on to work for the likes of the highly profiled Milliner Philip Treacy, as well as for Edwina Ibbotson Millinery and also Bailey Tomlin.

Her website, www.gemmaholleymillinery.com was designed by NYDP and features an interactive gallery of her bespoke headwear as well as an on-line catalogue of her purses and other items, all with basic e-commerce functionality.

The Gemma Holley logo and headwear designs are copyright Gemma Holley

Wait… fav-what?

A favicon is simply the small icon attached to most websites that shows up in your browser’s navigation bar or bookmarks list. They can really help to back up the branding of a website.

Considering favicons are so widely used it is quite surprising that top of the line graphics packages such as Photoshop do no support this format. There are patches available, but there is also a fast and free alternative to creating favicons on the web.

The “Favicon from Pics” software at HTML Kits website lets you upload any picture in a common image format such as GIF or JPG, and it will create a favicon for you based upon that image. Download the icon package from the HTML Kits website and you are ready to install the favicon on your site.

Adding the icon to a webpage is an incredibly easy task. Firstly, upload the .ico file to the root of your website and then add the following code into the HEAD section of the page you want to add the icon to:

<link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”favicon.ico”>

Et voila, your favicon will be visible to the world!

Travellingbumps.co.uk is the latest site to be completely designed, developed and maintained by mrhill.com. It is run by Kelly with the aim of helping pregnant women when they travel abroad, be it for a long weekend or a round the world trip.

Kelly first had the idea for Travelling Bumps when she was about to embark on her own trip around the globe. She got the good news that she was pregnant just a few days before setting off, but realised that it was something she had not prepared for. She was now planning for two, and some of the questions that had been so simple before had to asked again:

• What clothes should I bring?
• When am I allowed to fly until on my airline?
• What about travel insurance?

The idea for Travelling Bumps was born - a website that would offer personalised and detailed advice to women who will be travelling whilst pregnant.

I aim to offer personalised and detailed advice to other women like me who want to travel during pregnancy, whether it be for a weekend, 2 weeks or 6 months, a trip down the coast or a journey across the world. You can be assured that all information comes from a first hand source that has lived and been there - Not an internet site or journalist who does not know you, your journey or your Travelling Bump.

The website will provide a potentially invaluable source of information for any women who will be travelling during their pregnancy.

If you would like to learn more about getting your own customised advice then please get in touch with Kelly at kelly@travellingbumps.co.uk.