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- This newsletter is distributed to anyone selling in a Slivers-of-Time marketplace. Also, to those waiting for a market to start in their area.
- It will keep you posted on developments in this exciting new way of working.
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in this issue
- SELLER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Record Breaker
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SLIVERS FUTURES: Watching the Champions
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TIP: Stuff the maps in your bag
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TUTORIAL: Selling yourself to buyers |
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SELLER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Record Breaker |
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Active: Satvinder [Bookings: 56, Hours sold: 154, Buyers: 9]. |
“Who's your most active seller?” is something we're oftenasked. Currently it's Satvinder Singh Ryan who's doing 3 – 4 bookings a week.
Satvinder's maze of studying commitments explains his need for Slivers. “I'm doing 4 part-time courses at different colleges and Adult Learning Centres”. He enjoys the variety he gets from working Slivers. In the last month he's found himself doing work as diverse as admin. for a local small business, furniture moving and call taking.
His best ever booking? Promotional work at East London's Excel Stadium for 2 hours. “I was facing the crowds coming into an event and it was a real rush”.
And his worst? “There was a 3 hour booking to deliver addressed letters. The buyer gave us the leaflets in carrier bags which split under the weight. Then the street numbering turned out to be all over the place. And they'd given us keys to get into specific areas which were so rusty one of them bent off in my hand.”
But, the reason buyers like Slivers-of-Time sellers is their resourcefulness. Satvinder explains “we all did the best we could and we managed to maintain our composure”. |
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| SLIVERS FUTURES: Watching the Champions |
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At Slivers' HQ we spend a lot of time talking to the people who are launching a Slivers market in their area. They tend to be the individuals in an organisation, willing to champion something new and do what it takes to get it up and running.
Our fastest moving Champion at the moment is probably Nick Hughes, MD of social enterprise South Liverpool Recruitment. In September he saw a segment about Slivers-of-Time on BBC2's Working Lunch programme. He decided that “reducing worklessness to bite-sized chunks” could be key to solving employers' desire for a more flexible workforce, and making his candidates attractive in the labour market.
Within a week, Nick had organised a group of employers, agencies and regeneration bodies into meeting to discuss how they could collectively arrange a launch. “We have the Merseyside Employer Coalition which helps make things move up here”, he explains.
Targets were set: “we aim to have 50 workers each selling 5 hours a week within 6 months”, he says. The South Liverpool Market launches on October 30th. And, coming full circle, BBC1's Breakfast Time are due to give it national coverage that week. Looking likely to follow in the next few months are: Hull, Yorkshire and Manchester. |
Championing Slivers. Nick Hughes of South Liverpool Recruitment. |
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| TIP: Stuff the maps in your bag! |
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When you get a new place-of-work, print out the system's maps and public transport plans. Stuff them in your bag until you need them.
Cartoon by Slivers-of-Time seller Shamina Aktar Koli [Bookings: 28, Hours sold: 86, Buyers: 4]. |
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| TUTORIAL: Selling yourself to buyers |
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The system gives you three boxes where you can enter some text about yourself.
When a buyer inputs her requirements she sees all the sellers wanting to do that booking, what their track record is and how much each will cost her. She can click on any name and see what's in these boxes. |
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Access the boxes from your About Me tag on the top menu bar. Then SELL YOURSELF! This is no place to be modest. Everyone has experience, skills and ambitions. They don't have to be related to formal work. If you've looked after a pet, organised outings for your friends or been a regular footballer, it can all help the buyer understand you.
So, put in a few key words drawing on all areas of your life. Show the buyer what you're enthusiastic about and you'll come across as much more of a potential asset. | | | |
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| Slivers-of-Time: the basics |
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Marketplaces for Slivers-of-Time are for:
1) Anyone who wants to work around other things in their life, such as:
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childcare
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studying
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part-time work
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caring for adult
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medical commitments
2) Organisations who need top-up workers at short notice, for short periods:
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councils
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caterers
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retailers
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logistics supplier
Benefits:
Sellers: do whatever odd hours of work they want and quickly build skills, experience and a track record they can print at any time.
Buyers: access a self selecting pool of local people who choose to work in a way that demands flexibility and rewards reliability.
Signing up:
Anyone who wants to know when a marketplace is starting in their area should enter their details at:
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