A Hampshire based firm has received a business boost from Retail Entrepreneur Theo Paphitis. Last week, Helen Cousins, owner of Fresh Spaces, tweeted Theo about her business during ‘Small Business Sunday’ and was one of six weekly winners to gain a retweet by Theo to his 500,000 Twitter followers. The weekly initiative, set up by Theo in 2010, now has 1700 #SBS winners and supports small businesses in the UK.

Business and retail entrepreneur and self-confessed Shopkeeper, Theo re‐tweeted Helen's message to his 500,000+ followers and as a result, www.freshspaces.org.uk has 100 more followers and more interest their home organising and decluttering service. They are also profiled on the #SBS website (www.theopaphitissbs.com) that is exclusive to all Small Business Sunday winners.

Helen Cousins said, “I'm absolutely thrilled to have won the Small Business Sunday Award for my own small business Fresh Spaces. It's pretty exciting, totally unexpected and I've been overwhelmed by the response to it. To be recognised by Theo for all the hard work I've put into by business is incredible. It has really helped to raise my business profile and that of the industry that I work in. Many people don't know Professional Organising exists as a service or that there's an Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers - APDO, where you can find a list of professionals through out the UK.”

Small business champion and Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue Chairman, Theo Paphitis, said: “We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK. My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club; like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings. The website and Shop #SBS will also give a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish Fresh Spaces every success.”

#SBS Winners now also have access to the exclusive members’ selling platform www.shopsbs.co.uk where hundreds of winners are already selling thousands of products, from unique gifts and bespoke furniture to pet toys or jewellery. It is another opportunity for the #SBS winners to turn tweets into sales.

Anyone looking for a re‐tweet from Theo should tweet him about their business on Sunday between 5 PM and 7.30 PM and include the hashtag #SBS. Six lucky businesses are re‐tweeted every Monday at 8 PM and then invited to enter their profile on the new website, attend the annual #SBS networking event and take advantage of the networking opportunities.

‐ Ends ‐

Fresh Spaces is a professional Home Organising and Decluttering Consultancy, based in Winchester, Hampshire and owned by Helen Cousins. Helen helps people who feel that the lack of organisation or sheer amount of clutter in their homes is getting in the way of how they want to live their lives. Helen helps her clients to create more time, energy and space in their homes and lives by eliminating clutter once and for all. Together they put in place simple to manage organisational systems.

Helen is a member of APDO - the Professional Association of Declutterers and Organisers and a winner of The #SBS - Small Business Sunday Award.

Fresh Spaces, 07885 511061 and [email protected]
Twitter @freshspacesAPDO
Facebook @freshspacesAPDO

For further information, photos and details of service, please contact Helen Cousins at Fresh Spaces on 07885 511061 [email protected]

For further information about Small Business Sunday please visit www.theopaphitissbs.com.

So that's it, January is over and we are officially one third of the way through Winter. I know a lot of people dislike this time of year, but for me it represents new beginnings and getting ready. And who could love preparing and getting ready more than a Professional Organiser?

January for me is about reflecting on the past year, setting intentions for the new year and taking those first few steps to realising them. But by the time it comes to February, I'm ready for action.

National Spring Cleaning Week
February is a great month to prepare for spring cleaning, (especially so with National Spring Cleaning Week taking place from 6-12 March). And if you are also planning a project like redecorating the spare room, clearing out the attic or transforming the basement into a hobby room, chances are you'll benefit if the space is empty first so that you don't waste hours just moving things around from one place to the next before you can start work. Spring cleaning will also be much less effort when there's less stuff to work around and when things are easier we are more likely to do them.

How to begin?

Decide on your why.
If you struggle with motivation this is probably the best thing you can do to get going. Visualise the outcome of what you want. So really spend some time considering what you will be able to do with the space you're about to create. The clearer the picture in the mind the easier it will be to keep going. Images have a super powerful effect on our minds so cut out magazine pictures, use Pinterest to find things you like, and use colours to bring your vision to life. Once you've clarified your vision it will start to become a reality, keep you focused and motivate you to continue.

Take a before picture.
There is nothing more satisfying that being about to see the results of your efforts, so take a before picture and refer back to it if you ever get stuck. And when you've finished you can feel proud of your achievements when can can see what it was originally like.

Stop distractions.
Allowing yourself to be interrupted can steal your precious time. So choose a time when you can crack on uninterrupted and if you're the sort of person that needs it, allow yourself some faffing time before hand by scheduling 15 or 20 minutes pottering before you begin.

Give yourself time - but not too much!
It look a while to accumulate all that stuff, so it's going to take a while to discard it. Give yourself a deadline to aim for. This will keep you focussed on the task in hand, and avoid putting it off or procrastinating too much.

Just start
It sounds obvious but when faced with something overwhelming or difficult human nature is to walk away - just taking small steps and not overthinking have powerful benefits.

Give yourself praise
Or a reward when you've accomplished your goals. This can be as small as a cup of tea and a biscuit after 45 mins or as big as a holiday when you've completed the whole task. It's your project - you choose, but be sure to acknowledge your achievements.

Your challenge
So this month, I challenge you to get stuck into some of those areas of the house that have been left untouched for a while. Or those where you've been shying away from a revamp. The very process of clearing space in your home can create space in your mind for inspiration to come in.