Being Thankful
Could you list 10 things you are thankful for in 2 minutes? Could you do it in 5, 10 or 20 minutes? Perhaps a better question should be, do you really need that much time? Lately, I’ve been feeling out of sorts and not at all motivated. I think I have a bad case of the winter blues (winter is my least favorite season) and I’ve been trying to figure out how to combat them. I was in Barnes and Nobles yesterday looking for a book for my son. Somehow I ended up in the journal section. There on the third shelf was this pretty brown leather bound book with “Gratitude Journal” etched in the spine. I was intrigued so I picked it up. It’s a book of blank pages with 10 numbered lines down the page. According to the instructions, you are suppose to list 10 things you are thankful for everyday. I decided this would be a great way to beat those winter blues and gladly headed to the cashier.
I don’t know why I thought it would be easy, but it really wasn’t. Of course, I listed the obvious things. I’m gratefully for my health, my family, friends and other loved ones. I am grateful for my successful business…and…and…man this is really hard I thought to myself. I was finally able to list 10 things but wow…it took me almost 30 minutes. I guess that’s the point really. It shouldn’t be that hard. There is plenty to be thankful for and this journal has made me more aware of it. It has inspired me to really look at my life and be thankful for even the smallest of things.
I know I’m not alone here so I thought I’d share my experience and hopefully awaken something within you. Are you thankful?
Regular Computer Back Ups
Computer data can be very important to us, especially those of us who make a living on the computer. Over the last several years, the computer has grown on all of us, making our lives so much easier. For that very reason, it’s easy to tell that if we lost our computer data, it would completely destroy a majority of us.
Losing data can be an overwhelming thought to say the least. Computers store data and as we all know, these machines have been known to fail. Even though the computer has become a lot more reliable over the years, it is virtually impossible to prevent computers from losing data.
You don’t need to take this lying down through…you can fight back. The ideal way to ensure that you never lose your precious data is to back it up and keep backing it up. You should back up your computer data at least once a week, with once per day being the recommended way to do it.
The most reliable way to back up your data is to back up the entire hard drive. When you create a backup of your entire hard drive, it will copy all of your information, so if something happens you’ll always have your data. Doing a full backup of your hard drive is great, although it can be very time consuming. To make matters worse, it is recommended that you create a backup at least once a week. On the other hand, if what you have on your computer is very important, you’ll find it more than worth the effort and time needed to back things up.
Another way you can back up your data, programs and files, is to burn them directly to a data CD or DVD. This way, you can select which files or folders you want to keep. If you use CD/RW or DVD/RW disks, you can continue to add information to them when you create a backup. If you don’t use the RW (re-writable) media, then you won’t be able to go back and add more information to the disc.
Burning data directly to discs are the method of backup that most people use, although backing up the entire hard drive to an external hard drive or using a reputable online company, like Mozy and Carbonite, is the preferred way of backing up your data.
Whether it’s for your business or for personal reasons, you can’t go wrong backing up your data. You should always strive to back things up properly, as this will ensure that the data will always be there when you need it. This way, if you computer happens to crash or you lose everything on your hard drive, you’ll always have your backup files to go back to. This in itself can save you a lot of time, effort, and quite possibly even money - just for the simple fact that the files are all but a copy away to restore.
Becki Noles
Virtual Assistant Revolution - Co-Founder
Virtual Accuracy Companies
Virtual Assistant Training
How Do I Increase Ranking and Website Traffic To My Virtual Assistant Website?
I was recently asked the question, “How do I increase website traffic to my VA website?” Here are a few of the tips that I gave.
• Create a site with valuable content, products or services.
• Place primary and secondary keywords within the first 25 words in your page content and spread them evenly throughout the document.
• Research and use the right keywords/phrases to attract your target customers.
• Use your keywords in the right fields and references within your web page. Like Title, META tags, Headers, etc.
• Keep your site design simple so that your customers can navigate easily between web pages, find what they want and buy products and services.
• Keep track of changes in search engine algorithms and processes and accordingly modify your web pages so your search engine ranking remains high. Use online tools and utilities to keep track of how your website is doing.
• Monitor your competitors and the top ranked websites to see what they are doing right in the way of design, navigation, content, keywords, etc.
• Use reports and logs from your web hosting company to see where your traffic is coming from. Analyze your visitor location and their incoming sources whether search engines or links from other sites and the keywords they used to find you. Another option for reports and logs is utilizing Google Analytics.
• Make sure your customer’s visit is easy and give them plenty of ways to remember you in the form of newsletters, free reports, coupons (if applicable), etc.
• Demonstrate your industry and product or service expertise by writing and submitting articles to article banks so you are perceived as an expert in your field.
• When selling products online, use simple payment and shipment methods to make your customer’s experience fast and easy.
• When not you’re not sure what to do, hire professionals. Though it may seem costly, it is a lot less expensive than spending your money on a website which no one visits.
• Don’t look at your website as a static brochure. Treat it as a dynamic, ever-changing sales tool and location, just like you would a brick and mortar store…treat your web presence with the same seriousness and attention to detail.
Becki Noles
Virtual Assistant Revolution - Co-Founder
Virtual Accuracy Companies
Virtual Assistant Training
Press Releases
Are you looking for press release sites to promote your business? There’s a ton of them out there.
I’ve found some that I use on a regular basis and wanted to share them with you so that you can start REVOLUTIONIZING your business.
The following are free but you just need to sign up:
1888PressRelease
MaleBits
PR.com
The following are free and there’s no sign up required:
Express Press Release
OpenPR
PressBase
Now go out there and start submitting!
“Whats Rong With This Sendtuncts”
How many times have you wondered where to place the “i” and the “e” when you were writing “receipt”? Or is it really “reciept”? What about the spelling of “neighborhood”? Are you sure it isn’t “naiborhood”? It’s got to be “nayberhood”, don’t you think?
“What IS Rong With This Sendtuncts”
Or any of the following:
He’s extremely proud of the 50 page “busnes propsal” he’s just written; it’s been typed, printed and neatly bound into a leather binder for presentation at the meeting—about to start in 10 minutes–with all 25 of his Board members in da house! Mighty proud of himself, he looks through his copy of the extensive work and discovers not one but three errors attributed to “spelling”, “grammar” and “word intent” (i.e., definition). Argh!
Further, the paragraph following the spelling faux pas includes a confusing array of words in which somehow a “silly cat jumped uhh xhow ckdosjt and .kw, when the com puter screen went bl ank at the tim the mouse something or other”!
Did any of that look familiar?
So what is he is going to do? The man, that is! Short of creating a new World dictionary of his own colorful euphemisms, there is little he can do right now. However, he can save himself a headache or three in the future.
If he’s short of time or people power, he can consider locating another source (full-time, part-time employee, a temp, outsource) to review the efforts he proposes: a true testament to the “two heads really will be better than one” axiom. The person he contacts could check the “written works” a time or two prior to sending the next projects to the printer or other designated recipient(s).
There are a number of available full-time and part-time editorial, secretarial and administrative services experts from which to choose. Just look in the phone book, the newspaper and on the Internet. To suggest a few, they may be listed as Employment Agencies, Temporary Services, Workforce Centers, Career Builders or Job Finders.
And then there’s you!
As a Virtual Assistant, you know you are the perfect solution in a circumstance such as the one just described. After all, editorial and administrative support services are your areas of expertise.
But where do you go from here? How do you build upon your current knowledge, skills and abilities as you work to increase your local/global awareness and visibility? How do you go about getting yourself noticed and known as one of the best resources around?
Marketing!
That’s: M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G!
Write articles geared toward your target market in your area of expertise; prove it by giving examples of what you can do; devise a quiz. Distribute your articles to online article banks, such as ezinearticles.com or Ideamarketers.com, to get the word out and show you know what you’re talking about. Using your article collection, compile them “under one roof” into an eBook.
Strut your stuff even more!
Surf the Internet and become acquainted with the areas on the web where your target market hangs out. Introduce yourself.
Now and then, proofread the Web sites where you land. If you spot a typing or spelling error, contact the site owner to let them know you noticed a mistake.
Develop credibility as a knowledgeable resource.
Make it a point to post frequently at several (or a lot) of the Virtual Assistant forums. Check out Virtual Assistant Revolution (VA Rev); Virtual Assistant Networking (VANA); Alliance for Virtual Business (AV4B); International Virtual Assistant Organization (IVAA). And also post at forums where your target market congregates! Join in on the discussions. Ask questions.
Volunteer – Get your mouse to do the walkin’!
Offer to supply your services at one or more of the forums in an exchange or barter arrangement. You’ll have an opportunity to gain valuable experience as you make important connections.
Obtain testimonials from your volunteer associates as well as your direct customers.
Establish a Web site, a blog, a podcast; distribute a newsletter.
Put together a mailing list using data collected from a “sign up” form at your Web site. Send letters or post cards to that list, querying them about their “interests/needs”.
Provide an example
Show them how you can help them decide: “Whats Rong With This Sendtuncts”
Is Your Business a Thriving Business or Just a “Job”?
When I started my business I did so with the assistance of a program called the SEB program (Self - Employment Benefit). The biggest part of this program was to get the participants to think “outside of the box”. We were all expected to create a business plan that would show that our business idea was plausible and would be a profitable venture for us. I was so proud of my business plan when I handed it in, but that all changed the minute that my advisor reviewed it and sent it back to me with his comments …
In particular, my business advisor told me that my business plan was solid and would make a successful “JOB”, but he wanted to know what I was going to do to make it a thriving Business? I was really setback by this and offended. In my opinion this was a business … if I wanted a job then I would go get a job from someone else. So I challenged his comments and I can tell you that this was the best thing that I ever did.
His comment was that there was absolutely nothing wrong with what I had handed in, but from just speaking to me he could tell that I would never settle for having a Virtual Assistant business that would peak at 120 billable hours per month and never take that next step. What he wanted to see from me was that “next step” … what was I going to do to make this a really thriving and booming business? That he said is what would set me aside from all the other Virtual Assistants.
So, that’s what I did, I set out to be more … I set out to grow my business into something that no other Virtual Assistant had done … I had (and still have) big dreams for my business and I am so thankful to my business advisor for that push.
My challenge to you is this … what are you doing to make your Virtual Assistant business stand out, reach the next level and become the thriving business it can be? What are you doing to revolutionize your business?
Everybody Needs a Day Off
When we work for someone else, we expect to have a day or two off each week. Working seven days a week would lead to fatigue and burnout. This is just as true for those who run a business as it is for employees.
When starting a business, it can be tempting to work all the time. We want to get ahead, and we know that our success depends almost completely on us. But it is essential to give ourselves some time for rest and relaxation on a regular basis.
All Work and No Play
We’ve all heard the saying, “All work and no play makes Johnny a dull, dull boy.” It’s true that we’re not much fun to be around when we’re strictly business all the time. Work is an important part of our lives, but the fun stuff is important as well.
One of the top reasons that people choose to start their own businesses is so that they can choose their hours. Some want to spend more time with their families, while others have hobbies that they enjoy participating in on a regular basis. But once they get started, they sometimes lose sight of that in favor of growing the business.
If you find yourself working constantly, step back for a moment and think about what you’re missing. You may find that it’s the same things that you wanted to go into business so that you wouldn’t have to miss. If so, schedule some time for those things and don’t let anything get in the way of it.
Working Too Hard Can Be Counterproductive
It takes a lot of hard work to get a business off the ground. In the beginning, many business owners put in long hours in an attempt to get ahead. While putting in some overtime is often necessary, working 60 hours a week every week can be detrimental to our success.
We need some time off to recharge our batteries and attend to other things. Working too hard for too long can affect our concentration, as can worrying about other things that need to be done outside of work. So it is important to schedule time off in order to keep ourselves focused.
Scheduling Time Off When You Don’t Live By a Schedule
Scheduling can be a difficult thing when you’re in business. There are times when you need to work around your clients, and deadlines may necessitate working on a day that you would normally take off. But it is important to schedule some time off every week.
If you find yourself working when you had planned to rest and relax, try to reschedule just like you would if a work-related matter had to be postponed. Getting your work done is essential to your success, but so is taking time for rest and recreation.
You have my permission… go take the day off!
Until next time…
Heather
Such a friendly industry!
I’ll be honest. When I started my virtual assistance business, Mann Made Time, I was worried about the hundreds of other VAs I would be in competition with. If you’re a ‘newbie’ virtual assistant, you might also feel these pangs of worry about all of the other freelance administrative professionals that are more established than you are. You might be worried about your competition. I think it’s only natural for a business owner to worry about their competitors. But…the VA industry is different than any other I know of. I don’t see my fellow VAs as competitors anymore. Not really.
Because our industry is relatively new, we must all work together to educate the world about what we do - the services we provide. If you are a new VA, you might find it strange how other VAs are so willing to help you out when you need advice. At all of our networking forums, you have VAs offering marketing advice. In how many other industries can you find business owners in direct competition with each other offering marketing tips? We mention each other in blogs, leading our potential clients right to other VAs sites. We help each other with press releases and other marketing pieces.
Why? I believe it’s because successful VAs know that there are more than enough clients to go around. Most of us are working hard to promote our industry, and the more great VAs in the world spreading the word about what they do, the more people will learn about us.
I live in Canada’s smallest province, and when I started my business, I was the only VA here. Now I know of three others. When I first heard that there was another local VA, I didn’t think about how that could hurt my business. I thought about how it could, in fact, help my business. One more soul to educate PEI and the world about virtual assistance.
Revolutionary VAs don’t see other VAs as a threat, they try to learn from them and think of ways we can all work together to bring virtual assistance mainstream.
Open Source Software: OpenOffice.org
One of the largest open source projects I know of is OpenOffice.org. Many developers from all around the world support OpenOffice.org in different languages. OpenOffice.org is a collection of smaller programs that are comparable to Microsoft Office. Files can be saved in a variety of popular formats such as .doc, .pdf and even Flash.
The following smaller programs are what comprise OpenOffice.org:
Writer is the word processor. You have everything you need to write a quick letter or create a multi-column newsletter. You can open and save to Microsoft Word format (.doc) or if you prefer PDF.
Calc is the powerful spreadsheet. Tools to calculate, analyze, summarize and present numerical data and graphics. You can open and save to Microsoft Excel format.
Impress is the multimedia presentation piece to the puzzle. You can add special effects, animation and draw. You can open and save to Microsoft PowerPoint and also save to Flash.
Draw is a vector based drawing program. You have tools to create everything from a simple diagram to dynamic 3D illustrations. This is not a paint program! Vector based artwork can be enlarged without losing quality or getting the jaggies.
Base is the database program. Like Microsoft Access, you can manipulate database data, create and modify tables, forms, queries and reports.
There are slight differences in working in these programs versus Microsoft programs – like some keyboard shortcuts may not be the same, but if you can adjust to that you could save hundreds of dollars in upgrades.
Download and install the program today just to test out. You will not mess anything up by having both OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office on your computer. You’d be surprised at what you can do!
Lisa B.
Open Source Maven
WordPress Maven <– Coming Soon!
Twenty Businesses and Ways They Can Save Time, Money and Stress by Working with Virtual Assistants
Written By - Mary H Ruth - Virtual Writing & Communications Solutions,
This list is about special help your Virtual Assistant can provide, in addition to the more customary administrative services such as marketing, research, customer service, general admin, etc. which most – though not all! – VAs offer.
Because Virtual Assistants are often people who have gone into business for themselves after successful careers working for others, they frequently offer individual specialties. So you can work with a VA as a general assistant, while also benefiting from the VA’s individual skill in, for instance, marketing, or bookkeeping, or writing. Look for a VA who focuses especially on the kind of work you need done.
Just a few possibilities are listed, to get business owners started as they think about parts of their operations that might be assigned to a VA. The full list is endless.
Read through the following to get the general idea of how much really can be accomplished “off-site,” by a Virtual Assistant. The business type is listed first, followed by tasks that might be accomplished remotely.
Accountants – bookkeeping, preparing reportsAd agencies – copywriting, graphics, proofing, billing
Assisted living facilities – HR assistance, medical coding
Attorneys – document preparation, scheduling, travel arrangements
Caterers – menus, invitations, organizing
Garden centers – websites, customer databases, mailings
Health clubs – newsletters, informational brochures, registration forms
Home builders – scheduling, ordering and tracking, accounts payable/receivable
Hotels – graphics, scheduling, executive and staff recruitment
Management consultants – custom proposals and reports, confidentiality guaranteed!
Market research & analysis – outsource your overload
Mortgage companies – document preparation, client communications, appointment setting
Museums - catalogs, websites, marketing, event coordination
Plumbers, Electricians, Painters - phone answering, bookkeeping, scheduling, ads
Personal trainers – correspondence and calendar, blog editing or ghost writing, travel arrangements
Printers – proofreading, editing, layout
Real estate agents – lead cultivation, start-to-finish oversight of transactions, always-there phone contact
Senior Citizens Services – grant research, writing and submission
Travel bureaus – websites, article writing, article submission
Wineries – websites, eBooks, blogs, special events coordination
It almost goes without saying, as well, that Virtual Assistants are computer-savvy, and many of them specialize in downright geekiness. If your business needs are centered on an ambitious web presence, you’ll have an array of options amongst VAs.Oh yes, and many VAs offer concierge services as well, so your more personal needs such as gift-buying, making reservations and doctor’s appointments can also be delegated.
There are many, many more ways Virtual Assistants can save time, money and headaches for people in almost any business or walk of life. Think about it! In what ways might virtual assistance change your business for the better?
If you’re still unsure, locate your pick of the Virtual Assistant websites you find for your keywords, get in touch with them, describe your business and ask if they see any way(s) their business could save you time and money. They’ll be happy to make some suggestions.
The Virtual Assistant industry is nothing if not diverse. Most of all, perhaps, it’s simply a way of working. Rather than hiring staff, you form partnerships with service providers. Odds are good that you’ll decide it’s the ideal business model for you!
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