Business Assist

I listened to a training call today that ignited a spark. It reminded me of some very basic skills that I haven’t been my best at lately. Are you clear with your team members in how you want communication to flow. Have you ever taken the time to explain to the people you team with, what you expect. As you start to work with a new client, a great way to get things started is to explain your hours, your turn-a-round time on tasks and in general how you work. Do you have set office hours? What is important to you. It is also helpful to ask questions and truly listen to their answers. Would the new client want to hear from you immediately after every email or is a 24 to 48 hour response time more realistic? Do you normally offer your clients a time when you can have a project completed? There are so many things to address when starting a new relationship with a client or VA, but communication should be on top of the list. Communication is key to all successful relationships.

How are you communicating?

If you haven’t been to this site yet, your missing out.  If you are an entrepreneur and looking to network and learn from other like minded individual, you’ve got to check out StartUpNation.

StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. It was created to be your one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success.  It’s thrilling to think that StartupNation has grown to be the leading online content and community resource for entrepreneurs.

Is the high price of gas, diesel and home heating oil effecting the virtual workforce?  The virtual assistant (VA) field is growing by leaps and bounds.  As a 3 year veteran in the VA field, I have noticed a big increase in VA online activity in the past 4 or 5 months.  Is it logical to think that this directly ties into the economy and fuel prices?  How much do you spend on gas or diesel fuel a week to travel to and from work?  As a VA who has an out-of-home office, I do travel a short distance to work and use about $30 a week in gas.  Will this high price force more people to move into cities and use public transportation?  What is your opinion?

Tax time is here again.  Are you prepared?  Did you send out all those 1099s on time?  During my recent work to gather, review and update my records for taxes, I’ve determined that I need to be better organized in 2008.  Do you say this every year, just like I do?

Do you have thought or ideas on how to stay organized all year long?  What softwares to you use?  What systems and tools help you stay organized?

What are your thoughts? With the price of gasoline, diesel fuel, and home heating oil soaring to record highs, how will America not fall into recession? How will the millions of small businesses’ stay afloat?

We keep hearing about the President’s economic stimulus plan and how that will bring about changes in the economy by giving Americans a couple hundred dollars to spend.

Why not drop the prices of fuel, stop blowing up the earths non-renewable resources in Iraq, and use the “economic stimulus funds” to develop jobs and a plan to bring our soldiers home.

Isn’t that what we elect our officials to do? Support Americans by strengthening our country. What do you think?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Most web users will click on one of the top 5 results on the first page when they google something or complete a search.  The ultimate goal of any SEO (Search Engine Optimizer) is to gain one of these top spots.  And, of course, the number one ranking is the primary objective. 

So how do you get your site to the top of this list? One way is by targeting keywords. In order to increase your site listing, it is vital that you target the most appropriate keywords for your pages, and for your business. While general topic keywords may have the highest number of searches conducted in a month they are also the most competitive and typically least productive.  If you research and find more specific or detail keywords, your SEO will have better results. 

Who do you appreciate?? What are you thankful for?? These are some questions that popped into my head today, as I was thinking forward to tomorrows dinner, turkey, sweet potatoes, ham, squash, green beans, rolls, pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie and the laughter and arguments of my family.

This time of year it is especially important to think of those people, whom we all know, that are without the love and support of friends or family during this happy and sometimes lonely time of year.? Keep them in your thoughts and reflect on the good that we can do in their lives.? Everything we do effects someone, somewhere.? What can you do today to help others.? Think about it!? Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, as well as to all those lonely souls out their during the holidays.

Do you feel secure when surfing the web? There are locations (web sites) that are safe and those that are not. While doing some research recently, I noted a company that is insuring people against identity theft.

I wonder, does this type of insurance apply to online fraud and theft too? What are your thoughts about online and off line security of your personal information?

Blog posting can sometimes feel like a teadeous task, so I’ll keep this post short and share some noteworthy items and happenings around the water cooler:
Samuel Kirschner’s book & CD’s have been revamped. Check it out, “The Joy of Being You”.

Gail Sussman Miller’s is offering her highly sought after teleclass, “How To Love Speaking for Women”

The Academic Ladder offers writing clubs to Graduate Students, Junior Faculty, and Professors.

Jaylene Gonyea offers assistance with photo storage and organization.

Check back regularly to see other opportunities and new products. Coming soon – relationship cards, A Starting Over Manual and some fun writing tips.

The headline is one of the most important elements in creating an effective ad, article or press release. There are thousands of pages both in print and online that cover the subject of headlines. Why? Well, because, it makes or breaks an ad, article or press release. The headline is in essence the voice of your writing. It shouts out: “Hey This Product Will Make You Rich, Here’s How!” It grabs the readers attention for at least 30 seconds and encourages them to read on.

Always use appealing keywords in your headline that attract attention or stir up curiosity. The goal is to get your targeted audience to read the rest of your copy. Consider using the following keywords when writing your headline:
How, Why, Free, Save, Fast, Now, Announcing, Introducing, Wanted, Make, Grow, Sale, Limited, Guaranteed. Don’t stop there. You should also include the keywords that your target audience will search for that directly relate to your business or offering.

In thinking about your title, ask yourself these questions.

• Who is my targeted audience?


• What is “unique” about my message?


• What will motivate my targeted audience to read on?

Next time you notice a headline that grabs your attention; use it and test it on your product or service. Remember imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But keep away from exaggerating your offer. You will quickly lose credibility if you are not honest with your targeted audience.

In my local newspaper the Lewiston Sun Journal, today, I read an article that said,

“A coalition that includes civil libertarians and online businesses said the Legislature’s final passage Tuesday of a “net neutrality” bill sets Maine ahead of other states in taking a stand for nondiscriminatory access to the Internet.”

So what does this mean to the everyday person?

“This resolution will help re-establish the Internet as the free and open arena of democracy it was always intended to be,” according to Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union.

Are you confused yet?? After reviewing a few articles on this, including one from Information Week and another from MaineInternetFreedom.com, I have come to the conclusion that I need to do much deeper research on this topic (if only I could get high speed internet access at home to do this).? If you have any information, thoughts, ideas or links to other articles on this topic that you’de like to share, I welcome them.

As a virtual assistant, I started out offering my services to anyone who might be interested. I soon found out that I really needed to deside on and develop a niche market. Researching what was needed, I found that Life Coaching is a growing industry with an aray of niche areas. How exciting, to work with life coaches who each have their own niche market.

If you are considering jumping into the Virtual Assistant workforce there are some key points to think about.

• What do you enjoy doing?


• What is your personality type?


• Do you have what it takes to be self-employed?

Think about these questions. Really think about these questions! That will give you a starting point.

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

I stumbled across this quote in my work today and could not believe how perfect it fit into my life at this moment. I feel true happiness when I have completed something and used my independent creative energy in the process. There are so many mundane tasks that we handle in our lives that when a moment occurs – and you realize in that moment that you are happy with your work – you should cherish that feeling, grab onto it and carry it forward in all that you do.

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