Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 14, 2013

I’m not going to lie, I became an assistant because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Growing up I’d dreamed of becoming everything from a spy to an air hostess but those dreams faded once I left University and hit the big wall of reality that is paying bills and funding your social life. Looking back over the last 10 years and having worked my way up from a Team Administrator to an Executive Assistant I wouldn’t change my decision for the world (not even the world of espionage!).

Confidence 219

Confidence Social Media Interviewing Skills 219

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 15, 2013

Below is our sixth annual Top 10 Small Business Trends list.  Last year's trends and links to our trends lists from prior years are available here. Our overall economic outlook for 2013 is for continued moderate growth with U.S. GDP increasing 2.25% to 2.75%.  We expect hiring and the job market to continue to improve with unemployment falling and finishing the year in the 6.8% to 7.2% range.

2013 205

2013 2012 Elance Health 205

Eco-Office Gals

JANUARY 29, 2013

Even office workers that have yet to embrace the ideals of green living are aware of the fact that recycling exists, especially if you’ve decided to set up bins around the office to remind them that there’s an alternative to throwing everything in the trash. But aside from reusing scrap paper, sending toner cartridges in for refills, and reusing or recycling other supplies, you might not know which items in your building can go green on their way out the door (or better yet, find a s

Equipment 199

Equipment Budget Filing AT&T 199

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 7, 2013

I’ve waited a whole eight days to wish you a Happy New Year, not because I was lazy and couldn’t be bothered to eke out a greeting earlier, but because I was enjoying my life and work was the furthest thing from my mind on January 1. Add to it that I felt it was super noisy around the New Year, with everyone else sending well wishes; I know that I ended up deleting a whole bundle of them from biz people I respect, and I admit to feeling somewhat annoyed that solo businesses were actually giving

Holidays 186

Holidays 2013 2012 Email 186

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

Payroll

Stephanie LH Calahan

JANUARY 12, 2013

Many of us have been taught that it is much better to give than to receive.  We were taught that at a young age by adults that did not want us to be selfish.  On the surface, that sounds good, but t oday, Coach Barb Wade shares her thoughts on why giving is not better than receiving. Do you agree? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Gifts 182

Gifts Lifestyle Mentoring AT&T 182

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 25, 2013

When I am not blogging, I am writing or editing copy for clients. I have exactly eight hours in which to get this work done. That’s a fair amount of time, isn’t it? Well, four of those hours are between 8am and 12pm while my four-year-old is at nursery. (I have tried working while she is at home in the afternoon and have even become adept at singing the ‘Hog Dog Song’ along with her, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto while simultaneously bashing out some copy – but frankly, it’s not ideal)

Social Media 179

Social Media Email Twitter Facebook 179

Office Organization Success

JANUARY 12, 2013

It happens to all of us at some point or other … a client will ask us to do something different for them that is outside of our normal business practice. And, in the interest of keeping our clients happy, we will accommodate. The thing is, when you do make exceptions for one client, you’re not being fair to all of your other clients. So it’s really important that you have in place clear policies and processes, and that you have effectively communicated those policies to your clients.

Policies 178

Policies Credit Card Budget Management 178

Eco-Office Gals

JANUARY 15, 2013

WordPress is a wonderful platform, back in it’s early onset I knew this was going to be the medium I wanted to work with at Eco-Office Gals. Unlike a static, HTML site of old, it grows with you, it grows with our online needs. Growth also means change. While some plugins & themes are tried and true, many are not. Plugins you installed years ago may become out of date, hindering the functionality of your website or causing a security issue.

2013 196

2013 Facebook Google Purchasing 196

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 21, 2013

The idea for this post was a Facebook conversation about judging that came as a result of a friend posting this quotation: I understand the spirit of it—I really do. But being a word geek, I struggle. I just cannot get behind the second part of that as it’s written. It’s meant to convey that we should judge others less. But that’s not what it actually says.

Facebook 176

Facebook Training Learning 176

Eat Your Career

JANUARY 29, 2013

We’ve all heard it a million times: “It’s not WHAT you know; it’s WHO you know.”. While I don’t believe this entirely (to me, it’s both what you know and who you know), I definitely agree that having a strong professional network is a critically important part of creating career success. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t think about expanding their network until they need something—like a job.

Networking 174

Networking Mentoring Business Cards Retirement 174

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.

Equipment

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 7, 2013

Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Start this new year with a post-mortem of all the things you did right (or wrong) in 2012.

2013 177

2013 2012 177

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 7, 2013

Well today I am back to work with a very large bump! I’ve been out of the office for just over two weeks and having had a wonderful break catching up with family and friends I am now sat back at my desk wondering how it is already January 2013 and why did the Christmas and New Year’s holiday go so quickly! I need to find some motivation and I need to find it fast, I have over a 1000 emails to sort through, a boss who has already been back in the office for a few days without me and a to do list

2013 192

2013 Holidays 2012 Email 192

Job Advice Blog

JANUARY 10, 2013

Not too long ago, much-respected blogger Tim Tyrell-Smith of Tim’s Strategy conducted a survey, clearly finding that interviewers’ number one concern is “fit with the company’s culture.” From other articles on that subject, too, it seems as if the old-fashioned “Tell me about yourself” and “What are your key accomplishments?” questions—even when answered well—are apparently [.].

Interviewing 166

Interviewing Skills 166

Eco-Office Gals

JANUARY 31, 2013

A lot of times, when we toss food into the trash can, we don’t give it a second thought. However, once it is picked up to be taken to our local landfill, do you know what it turns into over time? It becomes methane gas and aside from its direct contribution to global warming, methane gas also contributes to digestive problems and a deprivation of oxygen within our bodies.

Restaurants 190

Restaurants Purchasing AT&T UPS 190

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Management

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 14, 2013

Amy wrote to pick my brain , with this conundrum: “When a potential client emails me and wants to do a consultation, I always send back three very date/time-specific appointment possibilities, and immediately block those times on my calendar, pending his response; it's what I feel I should do, since I offered those times. I find that when he doesn’t respond quickly, and we’re marching up to those dates/times, I start to feel anxious about having them blocked for him, when I know there’s so much

Calendars 166

Calendars Interviewing Email UPS 166

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 28, 2013

Interesting 2013 trends list from CFO Magazine.  Their six trends are: 1.  The pressure on CFOs to unlock corporate cash hordes will grow. Billions and billions are sitting corporate balance sheets basically earning bupkis due to low interest rates. CFO expects stock buybacks and increased dividends.  2.  To hire or not to hire will be the question.

2013 159

2013 Finance AT&T UPS 159

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 26, 2013

If only you could see my desk right now – alright I’ll let you. This is it, four hours into a day, when all order and good intentions have melted into delicious, organised chaos. Many moons ago, when the computer age was just kicking off and my sticky-drawers wooden desk in the newsroom of a large corporation was suddenly carted away and replaced with a “station”, boxed with high padded sides so I couldn’t see or talk to anyone, I was told I was moving into the pape

AT&T 176

AT&T Training UPS 176

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 24, 2013

In last week’s blog I wrote about assistants working together as a team and part of the blog discussed how we should cover for each other when one of us is off sick or on holiday. Once the blog was published I had a couple of people tweet to say that cover for other assistants is hard work and can be a thankless task so I thought I’d follow up with the questions you need to ask before you agree to cover for another assistant.

Holidays 191

Holidays Calendars Email Management 191

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Interviewing

Step It Up VA Coaching

JANUARY 10, 2013

by Donna Toothaker. Wow, I can’t believe we are charging into a new year already! Exciting things are happening, and I’m looking forward to a wonderful year in my business. How about you? Are you anticipating a breakout year in your business? Are you ready to grow your client base, expand your resources and your income? If so, good for you! Of course you have a solid plan for making those things happen, right?

Social Media 155

Social Media Project Management Networking Goals 155

Eco-Office Gals

JANUARY 22, 2013

Believe it or not, building an eco-friendly house from renewable materials isn’t the only way to go green. That’s right, even the smallest changes like arranging boiler maintenance or fixing leaking taps can save you money and protect the environment, so there’s no need to shop for wind turbines or solar panels just yet. Use energy-saving light bulbs.

Environment 185

Environment Carbon Footprint 2004 2020 185

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 29, 2013

Divorcing, firing, ending the relationship with—by whatever name you give it, this is one aspect of owning a VA practice that often creates a lot of anxiety for people. I think the reason for that is often because we don't like confrontation, and we see this kind of conversation in that light. As a result, we don't want to have it, even though we know we need to.

Health 164

Health Learning 164

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 8, 2013

The BLS recently released their Industry Employment and Output Projections to 2020. One of the more interesting projections is the share of the labor force that is self-employed:  it's projected to fall to 5.9 percent in 2020 from 6.3% in 2010. At first this seems somewhat counter intuitive. But it becomes a bit more clear once you understand how the BLS defines self-employment.

2020 156

2020 2010 2009 Health 156

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Policies

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 31, 2013

I expect the vast majority of us know, by now, that blogging is good for business. We know that effective blogging is a vital element of our marketing strategy; it encourages customer engagement and attracts traffic to the website. And yet, some still hold back from doing so. Lack of time is a major factor. After all, our foremost concern is a business to run.

UPS 171

UPS 171

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 19, 2013

In my recent blog on what I think Assistants can expect in 2013 I briefly discussed the relationship between assistants and how teamwork and support of each other will become more important this year. I thought I would go into a bit more detail and give some tips on how we can work as a team. Working as a team. If your company is anything like mine then you will also have assistants spread out across different teams, floors, offices and Countries reporting into different managers with varying de

Agenda 188

Agenda Suppliers 2013 Gifts 188

Office Dynamics

JANUARY 7, 2013

Do you read Executive Secretary Magazine ? We do and we love it! Lucy Brazier and her team do a fantastic job and that is why Joan is honored to be on their advisory board and to contribute occasional articles to this fantastic publication. They care about this profession, as we do. They are looking to amplify the success of the administrative profession, as are we.

Administrative Professionals 153

Administrative Professionals Twitter Facebook 153

Eco-Office Gals

JANUARY 23, 2013

In an ideal world of eco-thusiasts, all buildings would run on totally green power, creating no carbon footprint whatsoever. Unfortunately, the majority of homes, offices, and other buildings still run on electricity from the grid, natural gas, and the like. In other words, they operate entirely on the consumption of fossil fuels. Such buildings are estimated to draw nearly half of all fossil fuel energy produced, and as a result, they are responsible for massive greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon Footprint 167

Carbon Footprint Expenses Home Office Environment 167

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

Collaborate

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 9, 2013

If you resonate with the goat path (as I call it), to be the best damned goat anyone has ever seen, you need to learn far more things, and learn them at the hands-on level. If, on the other hand, you resonate with the eagle path, you need to learn ABOUT all the same things, but instead of the hands-on level, you need to learn about them with the 10,000 foot view.

Learning 160

Learning 160

Job Advice Blog

JANUARY 21, 2013

By far the most effective way of getting a new job is by networking. When making presentations to large groups, I often test that tenet, and invariably it proves to be true. Therefore, networking is how people in transition should spend most of their time. For many, though, networking is a challenging task because they [.].

Networking 153

Networking Interviewing Skills 153

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 16, 2013

Consider this: two projects are in trouble; one team bring their project to a successful conclusion; the other team fails. What’s the difference between the two of them? Leaving aside the variables, the difference may well be the personality traits of the project managers in charge. Here are five personal attributes that might make one project manager and team more successful than the other.

Project Management 171

Project Management Management Budget Skills 171

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 30, 2013

Congratulations you got the job, you’ve worked your notice, you have bought a few outfits and now you are sitting at your desk ready to face the challenges of a new role. Hopefully you would have been interviewed by your new manager so you will have gained some understanding of what they are like and what they require from you. Nevertheless it can be a daunting prospect working with a total stranger, especially as a PA/EA because we do need to build strong and close working relationships with

Management 171

Management Calendars Filing Email 171

Speaker: Tim Buteyn

Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.

Training