Free Teleseminar: Creating Your Boundaries (Perfect for us virtual assistants!)
May 28, 2007
Guest: Amber Miller of Smart to Finish
Call Topic: Creating Your Boundaries Blueprint
As Virtual Assistants and Service Professionals, we are constantly being pulled in many directions throughout the day. To avoid burnout and fatigue, you must have strong boundaries in place.
With these easy steps, learn how you can create your boundaries blueprint and be able to stand up for your business and most importantly, yourself!
Call Date & Time: Wed., May 30, 2007 at 1pm ET / 12pm CT / 10am PT
To Register & Receive Call-In Information: Send a blank e-mail to info2071-247456@autocontactor.com.
Technorati Tags: Amber Miller, Smart to Finish, virtual assistant, virtual assistants, VA Visionaries, boundaries, dealing with boundaries
Five Business Resources I Can’t Live Without
May 25, 2007
There are many resources that I use on a daily or weekly basis that are online-based. I wanted to share these with you and get feedback from you on what your favorite resources are. I think we can all benefit from knowing what it is that helps make our businesses efficient and cost-effective.
(1) WordPress
WordPress is a valuable one for me since it powers my website / blog, powers the websites and blogs of my clients and allows me to openly communicate with my website visitors and with my clients. It also allows me to communicate with my friends and family easily and efficiently through my personal blogs. Speaking to the business side of things however, it becomes my main portal for all things related to my business and industry.
(2) MyHours
Each day, I log the hours that I put in for my clients. It is one of the most important tools for me because it solely determines my invoicing and billing for my clients. On the 15th and the 30th of each month, I pull a report from MyHours and invoice my clients according to what appears on that report. The program is great because it is web-based which means that from any PC, any location, I can log the hours I am working for my clients.
(3) Cartville / 1ShoppingCart
In terms of list building and tracking contacts, I use Cartville. I don’t use the software yet for the shopping cart or the affiliate program but I do plan on taking advantage of those items once I get to a point in my business where I have more products than services or at least an equal amount of each. Cartville is a great business tool and 90% of my clients also use it for their business.
(4) PayPal
In addition to MyHours, PayPal is the other most important resource in terms of invoicing and billing. PayPal is the website that I use to invoice my clients and because it is free (except for a few small fees on transactions) it keeps my costs low. The other benefit is that I receive payments quickly rather than waiting on checks from other countries. My clients in Australia can easily submit payment for their invoices just as quickly as a client in Canada or the US could.
(5) Feed Demon
Feed Demon is a feed reader that I use to track other blogs on the internet. I subscribe to the blog’s feed and I track them in my software program so that I can stay current. What is great about Feed Demon is that it keeps the posts organized by subject (I specify what subject I want them to fall under) and also by individual blog. This is great because it allows me to stay connected to the bloggers that I enjoy with minimal effort. Time is something we, as entrepreneurs, highly value and this cuts down my time spent on blogs.
Technorati Tags: Feed Demon, PayPal, MyHours, Cartville, 1ShoppingCart, WordPress, business resources, online business resources, internet resources
Feeling Overwhelmed?
May 23, 2007
I was just reading Tim Sander’s blog and his post on delegation and overwhelm was so great, I had to write about it. How many times do you find yourself saying yes to every project or every new client because you don’t want to turn away work? I imagine it happens often. Well, according to Tim, it doesn’t need to!
“Before you week is over, tell someone you can’t.
That’s right, just say no.
Don’t let people delegate to you when you are full of your own plans.”
The thing is, we all have to say no at one point if you want to maintain your sanity. When someone comes to my business looking for a specific service that I don’t offer, I simply say, “No, I’m sorry, that isn’t something to do but please contact ‘x’ and they’d be happy to help you with that if they have the time and capacity to do so.”
So just say no… That’s my second challenge for the week. Say no to at least one thing this week and you’ll feel better about your own workload.
Technorati Tags: Overwhelm, delegation, Tim Sanders, just say no, balance, stress
Zaadz… What Is It & How to Register
May 21, 2007
I’m setting up my Zaadz account and I thought I’d share the process so that you can ALL get started! My good friend and client, Viki Viertel, The Business Buddha, is on Zaadz (as well as a few of my other clients) and I figured it was a great time to get on there and learn my way around! The way I learn is by doing it and this process helps me provide the best service to my clients… So, hopefully this helps you in some way!
Signing Up for a Zaadz Account
1. Go to the Zaadz sign up page. Fill out the details to setup your account.
2. Wait for Zaadz approval of your account. This generally takes a few hours - sometimes up to a few days. (It also may appear in your inbox from Zaady instead of Zaadz. I think this is an error. Wonder if they know about that?)
3. Login to your account. Once Zaadz approves your account, go to the login page. Enter your user name and password.
4. Choose your Zaadz site name. Choose a URL and a title that best suits what you want to convey to your network on Zaadz. I chose Erin Blaskie ~ Business Services, ETC ~ Virtual Assistant and the URL of http://bsetc.zaadz.com/.
5. Invite friends or go to your home page. Once your URL and name is accepted, you can either invite friends to join Zaadz or you can go directly to your homepage.
Setting Up Your Zaadz Profile
1. Upload a photo. On the left-hand side, click on “Want Your Own Icon” and then Upload a Photo of choice.
2. Update your profile. Click on “Edit My Profile” under the photo you just uploaded and then fill out the details within.
3. Add some blog entries. Click on the ‘blog’ tab in your Zaadz profile and insert a few different blog entries. This will allow people to get to know you and your expertise through your Zaadz profile.
4. Add additional photos if you wish. Under the ‘photos’ tab, you can add individual photos or add a new album. You can upload photos related to your business, yourself or whatever else you’d like to share!
5. Add goals. Under the ‘goals’ tab, you can add a goal and a description that will let people know what it is you want to achieve.
6. Add to your books. Your Zaadz profile has a section devoted to books. You can list books that are on your bookshelf, books you are currently reading or planning to read and a whole array of other fun, book related things.
7. Add some quotes. On your profile, there is a tab called ‘quotes’ in which you can list your favorite quotes. I love this section of Zaadz because to me, quotes are so incredibly moving!
As I learn more about Zaadz, I’ll post future blog entries on the subject. For now - get started and look me up at http://bsetc.zaadz.com/.
Technorati Tags: Zaadz, setting up your Zaadz account, opening a Zaadz account
Newsgator Coupon! Save Some $
May 19, 2007
Just got an e-mail from Newsgator… Wanted to share this special coupon code they gave me:
From now until May 31, 2007, you can take $10 off any client software purchase just by typing LikeIt in the promo code field in the shopping cart. This is a great chance to try out our latest versions of NetNewsWire, FeedDemon and NewsGator Inbox. And maybe you hadn’t heard, but we have three great mobile clients that synchronize with your other NewsGator readers. Take $10 off your purchase of NewsGator Go! for Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Java phones and you’ll learn to love checkout lines, meeting delays, and anything else that gives you an excuse to catch up on your news.
Technorati Tags: Newsgator, FeedDemon, NetNewsWire, NewsGator Inbox, NewsGator Go!, coupon, free coupon, coupon code
How to Write a Sticky Note Business Plan
May 17, 2007
In the middle of May, my assistant Trina Lamarche of VA Assistant, will be joining me in my office full-time. She’ll be working for me part-time and the other amount of time will be spent doing work via her own business which she just recently launched. Tonight, she is coming over to work on some projects that we are in the middle of but I also may do the following with her… Read through this article if you’ve struggled over the concept of a business plan before.
Thank you to my good friend and client, Sheri McConnell, for passing this article my way. It was written by Christine Kloser.
If you’re like most creative entrepreneurs, the thought of writing a business plan is not the highest item on your priority list. You’d rather explore new ideas, create products and services, develop a new speech, or work with your clients… than sit down and write a plan.
But, to be successful in business, you need to have a plan in place. The good news is you don’t have to write a formal (bank-friendly) business plan to keep your business on track. In fact, until recently, I used my self-made “sticky note business plan†to keep track of my business goals and plans.
The “sticky note business plan†is a simple and fun tool you can use anytime, any place to keep your business pointing in the right direction. Here are a few simple steps to get you started:
Gather Your Planning Supplies
Thankfully, you won’t need fancy computer software, or heavy reference books to write your plan. All you’ll need is a wall, six poster boards, three pads of sticky notes, scotch tape, a note pad, a Sharpie marker and a pen. It’ll also help to have a quiet place and a few hours of time to enjoy this process. You may even want to light your favorite candle and play some relaxing music.Lay Out Your Plan
Tape the six poster boards up on the wall. Once the boards are up on the wall, grab your notepad. Sit down for a few minutes and quietly think about the aspects of your business you want to plan. For example: do you need to design a new product or event, do you want to create a marketing plan, do you need a timeline plan for the next 3 years of your business, is it time to plan the launch of a new service?Use your notepad to collect all of your ideas and decide on the six main categories you want to include in your plan. Next, write each category on six separate sticky notes using your Sharpie marker. Then, stick one note on the top center of each poster board… so each board is labeled for one of your six topics.
Download Your Ideas
Here comes the fun part. Get your pen and sticky notes and begin to write down every single idea that comes to mind for each category. Don’t edit or censor any ideas. Simple write them down and stick them on the poster board for that category. Try to say with one category at a time as best you can. But, if other ideas keep coming to mind, write them down and pop them on the appropriate poster. Let the ideas flow and enjoy the process of getting everything on paper.Organize Your Ideas
So, now that your ideas are on the poster boards, begin to organize them. Look for themes, sequences, and categories of items. Physically move the sticky notes on the poster board to group ideas together. Sometimes I’ll organize ideas by timeline, sometimes I’ll organize by concept… you can organize them in the way that makes sense to you.Put It All Together
Now, step back and take a look at your whole plan. After going through this process, you may discover some items need to move higher on your priority list; while other ideas may need to be dropped from your plan completely. The right things to do (and the order in which to do them) will surface now that you have the whole plan in place. Next, rearrange the posters so the highest priority plan is at the left side of the wall and the lower priority plan is to the right side of the wall. Finally, transfer your highest priority tasks to your calendar to make sure you begin executing your plan.Keep Going
As you make progress with your plan, continually re-evaluate where you are… and keep moving forward with your projects. Personally, once I complete a concept from one of my poster boards, I remove the sticky notes so I can visually see my progress and all that I’m accomplishing. You may enjoy doing the same thing.Now that you know how to write your “sticky note business planâ€, you’ll discover it’s actually FUN to work on your plan. And, it’s a huge asset to your business.
© 2007 Christine Kloser
Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Christine Kloser “The Conscious Business Coach,” publishes the revolutionary ‘Conscious Business Connection’ ezine. If you want to learn proven business strategies boosted with Spiritual success principles, you’re in the right place. Get your FR^EE tips now at www.ConsciousBusinessCoach.com.
Technorati Tags: Christine Kloser, Conscious Business Coach, Sheri McConnell, Trina Lamarche, VA Assistant, business plan, business plan creation, virtual assistant, virtual assistance
1ShoppingCart Announcement
May 15, 2007
Just got this notice from 1ShoppingCart and Cartville:
As of this morning, May 8th, we have solved the SpamHaus block against our email service and ALL email is being delivered once again. (Including autoresponder & broadcast email as well as order notices and opt-in messages)
While no blocked email is good, our monitoring of the situation has shown that less than 15% of outgoing email was affected over the last 48 hours, hopefully causing as little disruption as possible to your business.
We have always, and will continue to strongly encourage following email best practices to ensure a responsive, clean mailing list. As many successful business owners know, using a double opt-in system will eliminate suspicious sign-ups and help ensure that only valid, interested leads remain on your list.
Technorati Tags: 1ShoppingCart, Cartville, SPAMHAUS
Elance Updates
May 13, 2007
For those of you using Elance.com:
We’ve been hard at work here at Elance to make it easier for potential customers to find your profile, review your skills and experience, and get in touch with you. These changes, summarized below, are in beta and will be implemented over the next few weeks. Let us know what you think – and what other improvements we could be making.
Improved profiles – to better highlight your strengths
Better display of key information like your experience, feedback, and portfolio will help you create a compelling online presence. Plus we have added several new optional features including direct contact options, instant messaging and hourly rates. Sneak peekImproved portfolios – to better showcase your work
A redesigned portfolio feature will make it much simpler to add, organize, and describe portfolio items and will help prospective customers better appreciate the style and quality of your work. Sneak peek
Improved search – making it easier for customers to find you
A refined search and matching algorithm will deliver superior search results and will do a better job at matching prospective customers with the relevant members of the Elance professional network. More relevant matches mean more customers can find you. Sneak peekComing soon!
The new search and profile beta release will come online in May. For more information and real-time updates, feel free to stop by www.elancelabs.com. We will also send you an email in the next few weeks with further instructions so stay tuned for more information.Sincerely,
The Elance Team
www.elance.com
Technorati Tags: Elance, Elance.com, Elance Online, freelance website, virtual assistant, virtual assistance
Erin Blaskie - Expert on Delegation on Upcoming Teleseminar
May 11, 2007
Krishna De of Biz Growth Live will be interviewing me on May 14th about delegation and about working with a virtual assistant. Check out her blog entry below and click through to her website to sign up today!
Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have more free time for family, friends and fun?
Or pehaps you want more time to work on key activities serving more clients?
But what might be stopping you is that you are concerned that if you employed more people in your team it would be a huge impact to your fixed overheads?
Or perhaps you are not sure how to delegate more areas of responsibility to members of your team?
Well delegation and outsourcing strategies to grow your business is the subject of our next ‘Biz Growth Live’ where I will be in conversation with Erin Blaskie, Virtual Assistant.
Erin is the author of “30 days to delegationâ€and has worked with many business coaches taking on accountabilities so that they can focus on client centred work while Erin and her colleagues manage the administration for their growing businesses.
So if you are a small professional services firm and you want to explore how you could delegate or outsource adminstration to a virtual assistant or perhaps you are already working with virtual assistants and want to explore how you could be even more effective in leveraging these relationships to create more time for family, friends and fun, then join me for the no-cost Biz Growth Live call on the 14 May 2007.
Technorati Tags: Krishna De, Biz Growth Live, Erin Blaskie, Business Services ETC, BSETC, free teleseminar, teleseminar, delegation, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, working with a virtual assistant
Being a Virtual Assistant in the Spring
May 11, 2007
Today is a gorgeous day here in Ontario, Canada. One of those beautiful days that when you worked corporate, you couldn’t stand looking out your window at. One of those glorious days when the birds are chirping, the sun is shining and there is a slight breeze that is just enough to take the edge off of the heat.
These are the days that I sit back and truly enjoy what I do. Why? Because today I am working from my back patio. Last night my husband and I went shopping and we purchase two outdoor couches and a table and some miscellaneous items for the back patio and we turned it into a haven. It’s my space now for coffee in the morning, cocktails in the evening and during the day… to work from.
If I wasn’t a virtual assistant, I know there are other jobs I could get that would allow me to work from home. But there is just something so satisfying about being able to produce work for my clients while being energized by the sun and allowing my dog to play with her toys in the backyard. I love my job and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
So, if you work from home, do you take it outside sometimes? Do you just allow yourself to have those moments when you are working non-traditionally be it in a bathrobe, in your living room, in your backyard or from your bed? I do. I allow myself this time quite often and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Technorati Tags: Virtual assistant, virtual assistance, spring, working from home, home based business