Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 8, 2014

'I know I always say I can’t believe how the time flies but I seriously can’t believe how quickly 2013 past us by! It was quick wasn’t it!? I’m not just getting old! Anyway here we are in 2014 and I hope that everyone is settling back into work after the Christmas and New Year break. I think assistants will have an interesting 2014, particularly as it is the International Year of the Secretary and Administrative Assistant with lots planned for our professional development

2014 211

2014 Social Media 2013 Retirement 211

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 7, 2014

'Heading into the end of last year, something was off for me. At first, I thought I was bothered that my half-sabbatical was coming to an end—except I wasn''t. Then I thought that perhaps I was experiencing some sort of soul-crushing boredom—except I don''t know how to be bored when the world is so big and beautiful and I love my life. What I was, I realized, was weary.

2014 198

2014 AT&T Promotion UPS 198

Stephanie LH Calahan

JANUARY 15, 2014

'A few weeks ago we started talking about visibility blocks.  Visibility blocks are those sometimes conscious, but often unconscious, things that keep us from really showing our true brilliance.  Visibility blocks keep us from fully serving our ideal clients.  They keep us playing small and there are a number of them! Today, I'm diving into the world of podcasting and sharing why you might want to consider starting a podcast as well as exposing some blocks that may be keepi

AT&T 185

AT&T Phones 2014 Social Media 185

Office Dynamics

JANUARY 16, 2014

'Interview with Gregg Fienberg, Executive Producer of HBO’s True Blood, and Founder of CallPlease. Gregg Fienberg, Executive Producer of HBO’s True Blood, set out to solve one of the most common problems assistants and their bosses face together in Hollywood and beyond: managing phone calls. After failing to find a mobile solution that could help Fienberg and his assistant Gabe Hobson manage and track calls efficiently, Fienberg put a team together and created CallPlease.

Phones 177

Phones Interviewing Email Management 177

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

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 21, 2014

'It is estimated that nearly 9,000 businesses are started each week in the UK and there are various reasons why someone would want to start being an entrepreneur in this country. Whether they have lost their own job and need to start earning money again or because they have a brilliant idea that is so… Read the full article here: Infographic: Reasons for Starting a Business on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

169

169

Eat Your Career

JANUARY 22, 2014

'By now, most of you probably know that LinkedIn is the gold standard for online professional networking. Regardless of your opinion of social networking in general, LinkedIn is a site you simply can’t afford to overlook. A basic account is free, though in order to really get the most out of it, you’ll need to invest a little time and energy into the process.

Skills 167

Skills Networking Resume Email 167

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 21, 2014

' . Marianne came to me about a client she’s been working with for four years. Despite the fact that the client loves working with her, and that she’s brought great value to his company (in several instances saving him thousands of dollars he wouldn’t have saved himself), he never misses the opportunity to mention to her, or others, how “expensive” she is.

Expenses 172

Expenses 172

Stephanie LH Calahan

JANUARY 2, 2014

'One of the fastest ways for you to reach more people, so you can serve more people, is to get your message out far and wide.  We all know that using different media to teach and market is an awesome way for our ideal clients to find us.  Yet, we put off actions that we know will produce results for our business. Why is that?? Secret: Many of us have a sneaky gremlin or two that keeps us from really being all we can be.

Clothes 171

Clothes Interviewing Health AT&T 171

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 27, 2014

'TD Ameritrade did a study late last year on retirement savings and the self-employed.  One of the questions they asked was why people chose self-employment over traditional employment.   The results, which are shown in the chart from the study below, will not surprise regular readers.  In our research on the self-employed we constantly hear autonomy, control and flexibility as the top reasons people pursue and like self-employment.  Pursuing a passion comes in close behi

Retirement 164

Retirement Confidence 164

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 20, 2014

'For all our entrepreneurial readers that run their own businesses, the main priority in their lives is to ensure that their business is a success. Everything else about their lifestyle is most likely based on their business success and perhaps even the lifestyle of their family also depends on it too. But despite the importance… Read the full article here: Top Tips for Balancing Your Working Life on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

Lifestyle 166

Lifestyle 166

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

Step It Up VA Coaching

JANUARY 15, 2014

'The VA Biz Success Academy Membership Drive is THIS WEEK! If you have been thinking about joining us to uplevel your business and get all the information, support, guidance, masterminding and networking as you do it – - NOW IS THE TIME! The Membership Drive has started, and includes all kinds of super cool bonuses if you enroll during the drive…but the Drive ends on Friday at midnight!

Training 164

Training 2014 Gifts AT&T 164

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 17, 2014

'The Hay Adams has welcomed some very very famous guests over the years, including Amelia Earhart in 1928, just recently the press junket for the 3rd season of Homeland, not to mention the Obama family prior to the inauguration in 2009. Last week they welcomed me through their historic doors. This was my first visit to Washington DC and I was absolutely thrilled to find The Hay Adams just across Lafayette Park from the White House.

Travel 198

Travel Equipment 2014 Restaurants 198

Office Organization Success

JANUARY 10, 2014

'Clients are the backbone of every solo service professional’s business. If you don’t have any, or enough, clients then you’re going to struggle to grow and build a profitable business. Therefore business owners are always on the lookout for strategies, tools, resources etc. that will make the client acquiring process much easier. But there’s one really simple strategy that many business owners don’t even think about … it’s cleaning out your office!

Filing 162

Filing Purchasing AT&T UPS 162

Eco-Office Gals

JANUARY 14, 2014

'Organizations are becoming more and more aware of the importance of practicing sustainable development in the work force, both for the reputation it creates as an environmentally responsible company, as well as for the financial benefits that permeate throughout the establishment. As your organization becomes more aware of the benefits of an environmentally-friendly work place, it’s important to also introduce a green recruiting strategy with a strong focus on reducing the HR department’s carbo

Carbon Footprint 160

Carbon Footprint Interviewing Resume Policies 160

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Management

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 14, 2014

'Some time ago, there was a client who came through the Registry at AssistU for a referral to our fabulous Virtual Assistants. When he’d narrowed it down to the few he wanted to talk with, he sent each a laundry list of questions he expected her to answer prior to his setting up a time to talk with her. Here’s that list: 1. Your Business a. How long have you been a VA?

Interviewing 157

Interviewing Learning AT&T Phones 157

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 16, 2014

'As a convert to the idea of emotional intelligence; based on the realisation that I messed up a good few things because I didn’t get it, I now find that I have to exercise it the most when I meet people who are resistant to the concept. Unfortunately this mostly seems to be with the… Read the full article here: Do you shy away from the term Emotional Intelligence?

UPS 164

UPS 164

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 15, 2014

'After declining for the last 4 years, the U.S. birth rate flattened out in 2012 relative to 2011 with just under 4 million babies being born in both years.  This maintains the number of U.S. births per 1000 women aged 15-44 at 63, its lowest level since records have been kept. But they may go even lower in 2013. As the chart below shows, preliminary numbers from the U.S.

2013 156

2013 2012 2011 Expenses 156

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 22, 2014

'Keeping event ideas innovative and fresh can be an extremely difficult exercise. It’s a delicate balancing act of trying to push the envelope to keep things exciting, but not too radical that it fails to appeal to the majority of the workforce. This seems to be even more apparent in the corporate entertaining sector, especially if you are on a tight budget.

2014 192

2014 Budget Skills Email 192

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Interviewing

Office Organization Success

JANUARY 3, 2014

'As we sit here at the start of a New Year, many of you may be wondering what the heck you’re going to do this year in your business. You may be: Feeling overwhelmed with getting your system in place – maybe you don’t have any clients yet so you’re trying to set up a system so you can serve clients; Stuck in “analysis paralysis” because you have so many ideas you don’t know where to start; or.

2014 154

2014 Social Media Management UPS 154

Step It Up VA Coaching

JANUARY 3, 2014

'I hope your new year is off to an amazing start! Mine is! Some pretty incredible women are stepping up and getting ready to make 2014 ROCK by working with me in the Make Magic & MONEY, 3-Month Coaching Program ! And you’re in luck, there is still a couple open spots! . We’ve been fielding questions about the program, and whether it’s ‘right’ for anyone.

2014 153

2014 Email Phones AT&T 153

Office Dynamics

JANUARY 12, 2014

'This is a guest post submitted by Mariel Norton & Rachael Pegram in collaboration with Lakestar McCann. . Why using social media as a means of recruitment can backfire. Last year it was reported that 4.2 billion people use their mobile device in order to access social media sites, and with Facebook home to over 1.15 billion users, it’s fair to say that the world and its dog (world’s cutest canine Pomerian pup Boo has over 8 million likes on Facebook) are pretty active on the social networki

Social Media 149

Social Media Job Hunting Facebook Networking 149

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 9, 2014

'When your business starts to grow, there will inevitably be people who try and cash in on your success. That’s why it is so important for you to trademark your business name – a fact that many first-time entrepreneurs will overlook due to their inexperience. It can be heartbreaking to see someone copying your business… Read the full article here: Infographic: Startup Trademarking on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

UPS 162

UPS 162

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Policies

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 2, 2014

'I can think of no better way to start 2014 than with a look at 2014 pet industry trends.  Multibrief's Pet Businesses Will Prosper: Industry trends for 2014 and beyond  provides such an outlook. According to the article, the pet industry is forecast to continue to grow driven in large part by the pet humanization trend. This is the growing trend of people treating their pets as family members and more like humans instead of animals.   Key quote from the article on the grow

2014 151

2014 2011 Holidays AT&T 151

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 29, 2014

'Research suggests that the role of the PA is constantly evolving. Many of today’s PAs and secretaries are multi-skilled and work in complex roles; one minute being reactive and supportive, the next expected to have a proactive approach in a pressured environment. In the workplace of today, change seems the only constant and there is an ever increasing requirement to be resilient and utilise the most effective ways of working. .

Training 189

Training Administrative Training Skills Lifestyle 189

Virtual Moxie

JANUARY 28, 2014

' . I’ve said before that I’ve yet to meet the VA who couldn’t stand to hike up her business standards. This isn''t because everyone has lousy standards, but because as soon as standards are created, and you start living and working within them, you change for the better. And when you change, your standards naturally can be higher. It''s a never-ending process, but a really fun and exciting one because as you do it, you''ll see everything about yourself, your life, and your work improving in rea

AT&T 147

AT&T Interviewing UPS 147

Clutter Coach

JANUARY 19, 2014

'Originally posted 2009-05-01 10:26:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Maximizing storage space is always a good idea. Shelves in the back of your closet, off-season clothes under the bed. This wacky shoe organizer caught my eye. I think it’s a clever idea, but the notion of lying in bed surrounded by a fringe of shoes is a little unsettling.

Clothes 147

Clothes 2009 Promotion 147

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

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Collaborate

Eat Your Career

JANUARY 8, 2014

'Download my free Key Accomplishments List template here >> One of my favorite career development tools (and one I recommend on an almost daily basis) is the Key Accomplishments List. It’s such an easy thing to do—and it’s SO valuable—there’s no reason you shouldn’t be tracking your professional accomplishments on a monthly basis (at the very least).

Resume 147

Resume Calendars Facebook Promotion 147

The Small Business Blog

JANUARY 27, 2014

'“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” That’s what Ken Olsen said, back when his company DEC dominated the computer systems industry between 1960 and 1990. But, in the words of the wise proverb, there truly is nothing new under the sun. And now, instead of the issue… Read the full article here: Top 5 Benefits of Cloud for Your Business on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

159

159

Small Business Labs

JANUARY 8, 2014

'The Wall Street Journal's Waiting Tables at Top-Tier Restaurants is New Career Path for Foodies  covers how waiting tables, at least at the growing number of expensive restaurants, has become an attractive career option. Key quote on compensation: Head waiters at top-tier restaurants can earn from $80,000 to as much as $150,000 a year including tips, according to industry executives.

Restaurants 148

Restaurants Social Media Expenses 2008 148

Practically Perfect PA

JANUARY 13, 2014

'Most of us organise travel for our executives and most of our executives are considered frequent flyers. I’ve found over the years that it is always worthwhile getting my executives to sign up to an airline loyalty and rewards scheme. Although part of our job is to find the best deals when it comes to travel I strongly believe it is also our job to ensure our managers are travelling comfortably and have the best experience they can.

Travel 185

Travel Stress Purchasing Management 185

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