Latest news with #AnaClarke
Metro
20-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
I used my divorce settlement to pay for a year of rent upfront
Welcome back to Me and My Money, Metro's series taking a peek into the nation's wallets and bank accounts. This week we meet Ana Clarke, a 40-year-old business strategist and translator, who lives with her nine-year-old son and two dogs in a rental property in Kent. She currently doesn't pay rent monthly – because she chose to pay the landlord for 12 months upfront. Ana says she'd like to inspire more women to become financially independent and money savvy, having reshaped her finances and career plans after finalising a recent divorce. Here, she explains what she does with her money. I got my divorce finalised in October and I've had to budget and manage the settlement to make sure I have a roof over our head for myself, my son and my two dogs. We are living in a three-bedroom, modern house in a village near Tunbridge Wells. It works really well for us as it's near my son's school and we feel very well-connected to everything. I'm originally from Romania and moved to the UK 16 years ago. I'm a translator for the NHS, social services and police through an agency. I sit in on meetings for people where English is not a person's first language, making sure they've understood everything. I currently interpret in Romanian as well as German, Spanish, French and Italian. Alongside my translation work, I am also building a business. Because my family live abroad, I can't rely on them to help with childcare, so I'd like to build something that will work around my child and provide us with a comfortable life, long-term. I used some of the divorce settlement to invest in a franchise called TBSC (The Business Success Company), selling business courses in matters such as finance, HR and strategy. I paid £10,000 upfront and I now pay a monthly fee of £300 for my company, Lifezone Training, to be part of TBSC. A typical day for me involves taking my son to school, and then coming back home to work on the franchise. This means taking phone calls as they come, while doing outreach to potential clients and leads. I may also be doing some translation work, sitting in on online meetings. I try to finish by the time my son finishes school. Then we walk the dogs, do homework and when he goes to bed, I may pick up work again. I get Child Benefit of about £100 a month. My food bill is around £400 a month, which is perhaps on the higher end and seems to go mostly on packed lunches! In general though I am careful with food spending. We don't have takeaways or eat out much and I shop at the local market for fruit and vegetables. I pack coffee flasks and packed lunches when we go for days out and I batch cook – my son loves to help me. Because I work from home I've time to prepare meals in the day and I save on commuting costs. I'm not paying pet insurance. I paid it for years but when one of my dogs needed treatment they didn't pay out and I had to pay thousands of pounds. I now set aside £100 a month to cover any future treatment that's needed. Because I recently moved house, I've had to buy a lot of new things for the home and have put this on a credit card that I'm paying off at around £100 a month. I'd like to go on holiday this year so am setting aside £400 a month. I'm planning to go to Morocco in the summer with my son and Lapland in the winter. Monthly breakdown of spending Rent: (per month, paid in advance for the year) £2,050 Council tax: £297 Energy: £274 Water: £34 Home contents insurance: £8.99 TOTAL: £613.99 Other payments Car insurance and finance: £238.92 TV licence: £14.54 Mobile: £11 Business insurance: £21.25 Essentials Food: £400 Fuel: £75 Credit card payments: £100 TOTAL: £575 Extra Activities £34.99 Pet pot £100 Holiday pot £400 TOTAL: £534.99 What's left: £990.31 I wouldn't say I've always been good at managing money. I used to be very scared to look at my bank account, always worrying that I wasn't making enough. But now I'm more relaxed about my financial situation, knowing I have the power to earn more. I paid the first year's rent for my home upfront, out of my settlement, so at the moment rent is not coming out of my monthly budget and I don't have to worry about that. It takes the pressure off earning a high income for now, although I'd like to aim for an income of more than £200,000 a yearin a few years' time. I used to have shares but I sold them during the divorce. I would like to get into investments again. I'd also like to pay into a private pension again. I used to have a workplace pension before I became self-employed in 2022, but have never started one up. I have always made sure to pay National Insurance though, to make sure that I'll qualify for the state pension. More Trending My goal is to live a comfortable life, which involves holidays, a nice car and a really nice house. I'm not sure whether I want to get back on the property ladder again. With renting, I like the fact I don't have to worry about maintenance. I also like having the flexibility of being able to move if I want. I have a house in Romania that's paid off, so I do have some property assets. View More » I'd also like to continue building my business and inspire more women to become financially independent and money savvy no matter the circumstances. MORE: I didn't know how to react when Mum mistook me for her mother MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables MORE: I'm 53 and have never had savings – I thought that was normal
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'I've turned to ChatGPT after 18-month NHS waitlist - results are astonishing'
From providing the opportunity for self-reflection to giving access to immediate help, using AI for therapy is becoming increasingly popular. We talk to two women who use it Patients waiting for mental health treatment are eight times more likely to have to hold on for more than 18 months for help, the NHS revealed earlier this year. Meanwhile, booking a private therapist can cost upwards of £40 - and as much as £100 - for one 50-minute session. So it's perhaps no surprise to learn women are turning to AI, and in particular ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot, for an alternative to a traditional therapist. They include Ana Clarke, who sought help through the NHS four months ago while in the midst of a difficult divorce. "I am still on the NHS waitlist after a few months down the line," said the 40-year-old mum, who has been told it could take 18 months in total to reach the top of the list. "They have kindly sent me a message to say: 'You know we haven't forgotten about you but you are still there somewhere'. "So with therapy inaccessible for me because of the huge waiting list, I needed some emotional support and I turned to ChatGPT, a digital soundboard. I've recently divorced and we are trying to navigate this transition into this new co-parenting relationship, which comes with its own struggles and with emotional charge. "ChatGPT is an amazing tool to just pour my emotions into. I can ask: 'How can I ask this without the emotions that I feel?' and it comes back with a very nice diplomatic answer, while acknowledging how I feel and giving me permission to feel that way." Ana has found ChatGPT useful for helping her reframe her thinking when it comes to her new life, which includes the co-parenting of her nine-year-old son. "I lost my dad 10 years ago and I was pregnant so I gave birth pretty much a few weeks after that," she said. "It knocked me really bad and I had CBT therapy which worked, because all I needed was someone to give me a structure to my thoughts. I moved on, got married and had my son but then I got divorced and the grief is still lingering. It stays with you and sometimes it comes back. So with the divorce and transition, I thought I should seek therapy." The mum, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, uses AI-based therapy to talk through any struggles over the divorce, to make sense of the complex feelings she is experiencing in the process and even how to draft difficult conversations. "It's a bridge between self-reflection and support and it's in real time," she said. "You don't have to call someone to book an appointment and you don't have to wait on this crazy waitlist, you just ask a question and get an immediate answer." But the life coach acknowledges that while using AI for therapy is an 'amazing' tool, it is not a replacement for seeking traditional support. "Due to my job, I know it doesn't replace the deep long-term value of therapy or life coaching," she said. "And it's really important to ask the right questions to get the help that you need. "But it does give me a space to process my emotions, to ask hard questions to gain clarity. It's also a space where there is no judgment, it answers with all the knowledge that it has through the information that gathered through the time." Tamia Rees, 26, began using AI for therapy after seeing it recommended on social media app Tik Tok nine months ago. She uses a free app called Untold, which allows you to type or voice record your problems, with AI responding and posing additional questions. The app then suggests affirmations, meditation, and reading based on issues outlined in therapy. "I've previously worked through a lot of stresses through therapy and I wanted an outlet to help me to manage day-to-day stresses," said the tech coordinator. "If I've had a stressful day at work, I can use the audio notes in the app almost like a diary entry and it will give me prompts on what I've said, for example how I could manage this better in the future. "It asks me self-provoking questions in order for me to move forward and creates recommendations for me, for example daily affirmations based on the way you're feeling such a in a low mood." Tamia, from Reading in Berkshire, has been using the app for about half a year. "I was using it daily and now it's when I need a particular outlet," she said. "It asks you questions for your own self reflection, giving you answers you may already have." Life coach and breathwork facilitator Sam Adams ( helps clients from CEOs to elite athletes navigate major life transitions, grief, burnout and big identity shifts. She said she was 'deeply sceptical' of the new trend for ChatGPT-based therapy. "While I'm curious about tech, I'm also deeply sceptical of AI therapy," said the life coach. "It can be helpful in parts but it's a blunt tool. It lacks nuance. It can't read a body's signals and it can't hold space for silence or tears. In a world that's becoming more digitally saturated, we're craving real connection more than ever. "There's evidence that strong human bonds reduce anxiety, improve immune function, and literally help us live longer. AI might simulate support, but it won't satisfy the soul."
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How to write a business plan in seven easy steps
Have you started your own business from scratch? Let us know by emailing money@ Your head may be brimming with brilliant ideas for a million-pound-plus business (or businesses). Yet you may not have the faintest notion of how to go about actually getting things off the ground. One of the key things you need to do at the outset is put together a strong business plan. But how do you go about this – and what does it need to include? Here, Telegraph Money explains what you need to know. What is a business plan? What should you include in a business plan? How to format your business plan Tips to write a successful business plan Presenting a business plan What is a business plan? Put simply, a business plan is a document which clearly outlines the vision, mission, purpose and intentions for your venture. You're essentially mapping out answers to the questions that come with starting a new enterprise. James Mountain, product and strategy director at Funding Circle, an online platform for business loans, said: 'A well-crafted business plan helps both you – and potential investors – gain a deeper understanding of your operation, showing how you intend to achieve your goals, whether there is a gap in the market and what differentiates you from competitors in that space.' What should you include in a business plan? Executive summary: outlining highlights of the business and details of the problem it is solving. Business description: an overview of your venture, including the story behind the brand as well as its objectives. Offers and market: includes a description of the product, the unique selling point, the target market and how it fits the industry. Sales strategy: covering channels, pricing and promotion. Marketing strategy: including objectives and metrics and how to reach the target market. Operation and team: details of the key people who will be involved and in charge of driving growth. Sales forecasts: these need to be realistic financial projections (profit and loss, cash-flow, balance sheet and so on). Timeline and metrics: how you measure success, your targets and your ideal results. How to format your business plan Keep it simple Consider keeping your master copy in Word or Google Docs so it's easy to update your business plan and collaborate on it. Think about it being a live, working document that can help you with launching and running your business, not something that gathers dust. Ana Clarke, a business strategist, said: 'Some of the most successful business plans are often a simple Word document. The key is to keep the plan structured and concise.' Preferred formats tend to be those that include a 'one pager' to summarise the whole document, and those that are to-the-point, well organised and visually appealing. Tailor to your audience When you reach the point that your plan is ready to share, it may be worth converting your plan to PDF. This protects the formatting and looks professional. Once you have the bulk of your plan in place it can be valuable to have more than one final version, so it is suitable for different readers. Carol Evans, an entrepreneur, business coach and founder of Consultancy and Coaching said: 'Be sure to match the format to the audience. For funders, investors or collaborators, design and presentation matter. A visually engaging, easy-to-follow document helps you stand out. For internal use, keep it simple but structured.' Lauren Chiren has run a host of companies over the years and also supported start-ups to develop their business plans. She said: 'Personally, I like Canva presentations as they are attractive, engaging and you can generate great animations. In addition, you get to run as a live presentation directly from Canva, download as a PowerPoint or PDF, so you have multiple styles to choose from and match to your audience.' Don't make it too long Think about limiting your document to around 10 to 12 pages to help maintain clarity and engagement. How to write a business plan A strong business plan needs to start with an executive summary. This is essentially your elevator pitch, according to James Caan CBE, former panellist on BBC's Dragon's Den who founded his own recruitment company. He said: 'This summary should tell me who you are, what you do and why it matters – all in less than two minutes.' The next stage is a business description. This needs to clearly define the problem your business is solving – and how it provides the solution. Mr Caan said: 'Your market analysis must show real understanding of your audience and competitors backed by data, not guesswork.' Then, you need to outline your product or service offering, including details on what makes it valuable and how it stands out from what is already on offer. From here, your focus is on presenting your sales and marketing strategy. In other words, how you will acquire and retain customers. This should be commercially viable, backed by projections and data, not theoretical. Having done this, it's time to set out your operations and team. This section also provides a good opportunity to show off your skill set and why you are a good person to drive the business and invest in. Mr Caan said: 'Talk me through who is doing what, and how the business will function day-to-day. Also highlight the key people who will drive growth.' At this point, you need to lay out the financial plan. This should include cash-flow projections, as well as a sales forecast and expenses estimations. Mr Caan added: 'Give me three to five years of forecasts with clear assumptions, margins and funding needs.' Finally, include an appendix for any supporting evidence such as CVs, customer testimonials or product specifications. Tips to write a successful business plan Be clear and concise 'If it reads like a thesis, it's going in the bin,' Mr Caan said. 'Investors are looking for insight, not fluff. Tailor the plan to your audience. A venture capitalist has very different priorities to a bank manager or grant assessor.' Avoid industry jargon Keep language simple and concise to get your points across as quickly as possible. Mr Caan added: 'If I can't understand it quickly, I'll assume you don't, either.' Tell a story Think about the journey – where you're going and why someone should believe in you and your business. Include projections Always validate claims with credible data, clearly demonstrating evidence of customer demand and market potential based on research. Use the 'Smart' method This framework is designed to help you create a plan that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Seek help Speak to other small businesses about what they included. Also consider talking to a financial adviser on any aspects of your plan that you are unsure of. Brush up on business banking. Use online resources Make use of free templates available online to get you started. For example, Funding Circle's online resources can help individuals get started on their business – or grow it further. Also check out local organisations such as the Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses. Be specific with finances When outlining your business's financial plan, be sure to identify where the funding will come from and when potential investors can expect a return on their investment. Mr Mountain said: 'Being transparent about how much money is needed, what it will be used for and when it's required helps build trust with investors and gives you a clearer understanding of your own financial needs.' Proof-read thoroughly Think about getting someone to copy-check your report before you share it outside your business; typos do not look professional. Build in flexibility While it's important to have a plan, things change and you must be able to change your plans with them. Sarah Mathias, e-commerce strategist at This is Growth, said: 'I see businesses get caught up in sticking to their plan like glue. You have to be able to learn and adapt throughout your business journey. If you're too slow to adapt you lose.' Presenting a business plan Start strong When it comes to presenting your business plan, it's crucial to grab attention from the outset. Ms Evans said: 'Your opening should clearly explain what the business does, who it is for, what impact it creates and what the opportunity is.' Sell a narrative Remember that while numbers are important, you must not underestimate the power of narrative – your history and how you've come to make this business plan. Ms Evans added: 'Tell the story, don't just state the stats. Why this business? Why now? What's your vision? When you're excited and aligned, it comes through in every word.' Be professional, but human 'People don't just invest in ideas,' explained Ms Evans. 'They invest in energy, conviction and leadership. Ensure your plan reflects your personality and passion, as well as your strategy.' Know your numbers Make it your business to know your numbers inside out. Nothing undermines a pitch faster than uncertainty over your own financials. Leanne Gunns, an accountant at The Profit Hero, a firm which supports business owners who are growing their ventures, said: 'Making sure you are confident with the numbers will ensure that you are able to present the facts with conviction and back up your plans with tangible data. Preparation here is key.' Lead with impact Use visuals, charts, graphics and product shots, as people remember what they see, not just what they hear. Keep your presentation tight Mr Caan said: 'Stay focused on the big levers: problem, solution, market, team and financial upside.' When presenting, stay calm. Speak slowly and clearly, showing confidence in your offering. Be prepared for tough questions, especially around cash-flow and scalability. Try to anticipate the things you may get asked and ensure responses are succinct, credible and evidence-backed. Ms Clarke said: 'People invest in individuals who they know, like and trust, The presentation has to do exactly that. Start with what's in it for them and then show the value and the problem you are solving and why your solution is innovative and unique. Sprinkle all this with your back story, your why, your vision and the mission.' Leave a summary Finally, always leave behind a one-pager – your business in a nutshell. That's what decision-makers will keep hold of and share after you've left the room.
