Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 14, 2014

'Intuit recently did a survey of small business owners. A key finding was 64% of small business owners surveyed said they started their business with less than $10,000 in invested capital.   Equally interesting is that only 13% said they spent more than $50,000 starting their business.   Our surveys of independent workers who work on their own as freelancers, independent contractors, etc. consistently show most of these solopreneurs spend even less.

2014 219

2014 219

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 23, 2014

'I have written a lot about diary management over the years, which is not surprising when you think assistants spend at the very least a third of their day organising their manager’s calendars. Juggling our boss’s time is a complex operation. There are also a lot of tasks related to diary management, for example ensuring our managers get to their meetings on time, understand the reason for the meeting and are prepared for it.

Management 210

Management Calendars Agenda AT&T 210

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 21, 2014

'Safe In The Harbor Or Setting Sail? Guest Post by Debbie Gross, CEA to CEO, John Chambers, Cisco Systems. . “You are the Captain of your own ship!” I am fond of the saying that we are all “captains” of our own ships. I fully believe that we are in complete control of our destiny – no one person or company has that control.

Goals 192

Goals Administrative Professionals Training Management 192

The Small Business Blog

OCTOBER 28, 2014

'Firstly: if you don’t know about the Ryder Cup it is a biannual golf match played between the professional golfers of Europe and those of the USA. As with many international sporting events it is used by many commentators as a barometer of what is good or bad about the state of the particular sport,… Read the full article here: Four Lessons You Can Learn about Personal Effectiveness from the Ryder Cup on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

Learning 170

Learning International 170

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

Virtual Moxie

OCTOBER 14, 2014

'In her book, One Day My Soul Just Opened Up. Iyanla Vanzant, wrote: When are we taught that it’s ok to say what you feel when you feel it? Certainly not when we are children. As children, we are taught what not to say and what not to do if or when it will make others uncomfortable. The others are the big people. As children we are taught to take care of the big people, the adults, those in authority.

AT&T 164

AT&T Learning UPS 164

Eco-Office Gals

OCTOBER 23, 2014

'Being environmentally-conscious is a big deal for many businesses today and most likely your company has embraced practices that are eco-friendly. You recycle bottles, cans and paper. You’ve embraced digital documents over paper ones. You opt for energy-efficient office equipment, and you’ve even worked on greening your business strategies. All of these are great ways to help the environment, but while focusing on the inside of your business, you may be forgetting about the outside.

Environment 154

Environment Equipment UPS 154

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 2, 2014

'One of the great benefits of running Practically Perfect PA is the chance to meet some extraordinary assistants either face to face or through social media. I continue to be completely amazed by what these assistants achieve and how they continue to push our industry forward. With this in mind I have decided to start a new section of Practically Perfect PA – A day in the life, to give our readers an idea of how these assistants run the office and their lives!

Social Media 201

Social Media Networking Promotion Agenda 201

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'If you think it’s still too soon to start planning your professional and personal success goals for 2015, I want to encourage you to think again! As quickly as this year passed, so will next year. Your future will become the present sooner than you think. If you don’t set success goals and map out a plan, you will be at the same place next year as you are today.

2015 174

2015 Goals Holidays Training 174

The Small Business Blog

OCTOBER 7, 2014

'Do you remember those small handwritten sticky notes that people used for phone messages? Communications has come a long way since then, but are we really any better at getting the message to the right person at the right time? Sticky notes have been replaced by email or text messages. Face-to-face meetings are often replaced… Read the full article here: How Enterprise Unified Communication Technology Is Changing Business on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

Collaborate 160

Collaborate Email Phones 160

Virtual Moxie

OCTOBER 21, 2014

'Beth and I were talking about how paralyzed she feels. She''s been trying to choose between two options for a project she''s working on for her business. Because she has no prior experience with this thing she''s trying to choose, and neither option seems perfect, she''s been unable to make a decision—for six weeks. Six weeks ! That''s a long time to be undecided.

AT&T 162

AT&T Learning UPS 162

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

Office Organization Success

OCTOBER 27, 2014

'Give yourself enough time to plan and implement your launch. So often business owners don’t allow enough time to put in place all the key steps needed to ensure a successful launch campaign. There are so many moving pieces in a launch cycle that if at any point in the process a step gets missed, it could spell disaster for your launch and means it might not to be as successful as you hoped it would be.

152

152

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 27, 2014

'We think one of the most important findings from the MBO Partners State of Independence researc h is that freelancers hire a lot of other freelancers.   In 2014 38% of independent workers (self-employed, freelancers, independent workers, etc.) reported spending about $92 billion over the past year hiring other independent workers on a contract basis.

2014 185

2014 Collaborate Management 185

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 5, 2014

'Now that I live in Barcelona it is always a bit strange going back to London and experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city that I worked in for over ten years. Seeing familiar faces rushing to and fro. The shops and cafes I once frequented still packed with customers buying a quick lunch before returning to their desk and of course the bars and pubs full to the brim of an evening with my friends and colleagues still in need of a pint come 5pm.

2014 191

2014 Retirement Equipment AT&T 191

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 31, 2014

'Although demand is high for qualified, knowledgeable administrative professionals, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Did you know that in the United States alone, there are over 4 million jobs in the administrative field, including those for executive assistants and administrative assistants like yourself? Identifying the best administrators can also be a tough task for talent managers.

Administrative Professionals 152

Administrative Professionals Confidence Skills Resume 152

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Management

The Small Business Blog

OCTOBER 6, 2014

'I get asked all the time if we are “HIPAA Compliant” and honestly I have no idea! OK, I’m only kidding. Of course I know if we are HIPAA compliant, and we ARE, but most people probably either don’t know what HIPAA compliance is or don’t know how it relates to sending automated appointment reminders.… Read the full article here: Automated appointment reminders and HIPAA on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

156

156

Virtual Moxie

OCTOBER 15, 2014

'This month''s interview is with Jude Rush, a talented Certified Professional Virtual Assistant from Rochester, NY. I had a great time talking with Jude, and hope you''ll enjoy getting to know her a bit better! Meet Jude Rush. .

Interviewing 159

Interviewing 159

Office Organization Success

OCTOBER 30, 2014

'Wouldn’t it be great to put some of those day-to-day activities on autopilot? As a solopreneur being able to follow-up with your clients and potential clients is crucial in growing and sustaining your business, and keeping a steady flow of new clients coming on board. However the downside is the time it takes to follow-up with each and every one of your contacts – after all spending all day following up with clients isn’t a good use of your time; you also need to spend your ti

UPS 150

UPS Purchasing Email AT&T 150

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 30, 2014

'According to several recent articles the financial problems of millennials is leading to changing behaviors and purchase patterns as well as broader societal shifts.   For example, the New York Times article No Picket Fence: Younger Adults Opting to Rent focuses on the shift away from home ownership and towards renting by young adults.  Key quote: Since 2008, the year Lehman Brothers collapsed and home prices dropped precipitously, there has been a steady increase in the number of p

2008 182

2008 2014 Retirement Finance 182

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Interviewing

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 9, 2014

'I am so proud and delighted to launch the first conference from Practically Perfect PA – The Assist Conference 2015. It is taking place on the 27th February 2015 in London and as you can imagine I am very excited! I wanted to give all of my readers more information on the conference and why I think it is going to be a fantastic event. Being an assistant is something unique.

2015 190

2015 Confidence Skills Goals 190

Clutter Coach

OCTOBER 27, 2014

'by Originally posted 2008-04-25 15:16:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Changing habits is hard. It’s easier the more motivated you are to do it. Tip: be honest about what motivates you. I was riding in my friend’s car the other day and she mentioned that she was trying to keep h er speed down to 55 mph to maximize fuel efficiency. Her car is a Prius, so she’s really into that kind of thing.

Resume 148

Resume 2008 Promotion 148

The Small Business Blog

OCTOBER 13, 2014

'Your Niche. Your Unique Selling point. Unique Value Proposition. Compelling Value Proposition. Useful Value Proposition. Oh Help! Whatever you call it – and that’s a whole topic in itself – why is it so darned difficult to find it, define it and then ‘sell it’ to the people you want to buy your stuff. Okay,… Read the full article here: Why is nailing your niche so darned difficult?

156

156

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 14, 2014

'DeskDemon Announces the Winners of “Our Favorites – The Award,” A Prestigious Award Honoring the Best of the Best in Office Products, Services and Vendors. In recognition of quality products and services used by corporate America every day, DeskDemon launched “Our Favorites – The Award” the first award program honoring the best of the best in office products and services voted on by those who know best, the administrative professional.

Administrative Professionals 144

Administrative Professionals Staples 2014 IAAP 144

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Policies

Office Organization Success

OCTOBER 30, 2014

'These past couple of weeks I’ve been immersed in lots of online trainings and, as a result, I’ve been re-working my sales and marketing funnel — in the 3 Ms to Online Business Management Success business model, this is S tep 1: Manage. So you can see, even though I’ve been in business for over 13 years, as my business evolves I still need to go back to the first step and revisit some of the stages there to make sure I have the right systems in place for my business.

Training 145

Training Management UPS 145

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'"Freelancer Management Systems (FMS)" is a term used to describe cloud-based systems that allow businesses to better engage and manage independent workers, freelancers and other contingent workers. These systems allow users to search for contingent talent and then activate, manage and pay the independent workers they hire.  These systems also allow the creation of private talent pools that provide access to profiles of approved contingent workers.  Freelancer management syst

Elance 153

Elance Management Legal Confidence 153

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'So today I am doing a little bit of celebrating because it is officially my three year blogging anniversary. Thanks to everyone who has already sent me their congratulations. When I first started the blog, I really didn’t put much thought into it. I was head-smashing-against-a-brick-wall bored in my job and I missed having creative tasks. I had also just split up with boyfriend and wanted to prove something to myself.

AT&T 188

AT&T Confidence 2013 Interviewing 188

Virtual Moxie

OCTOBER 7, 2014

'Let me ask you a couple of questions: Do you struggle (generally, or time to time) with managing your time; juggling, and getting everything done? Do, or have you struggled with what your "regular" office hours "should" be? Is part of your challenge with setting office hours your innate want of flexibility? If so, join the club of other right-brained (or fairly balanced-brained) VAs who struggle with the same things.

Calendars 143

Calendars AT&T Management UPS 143

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

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Collaborate

The Small Business Blog

OCTOBER 15, 2014

'Slip and fall law suits increase exponentially in winter, where icy surfaces increase hazards and snow may not have been cleared. As a business, you are required to keep areas such as aisles, stairs, walkways, car parks, and other parts of the premises reasonably safe for clients and employees. Legal Liability in Winter Your legal… Read the full article here: Avoid Costly Law Suits Through Proper Winter Maintenance on: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG.

Legal 154

Legal 154

Clutter Coach

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'by Originally posted 2009-06-01 13:35:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter. Creating an organized space makes it easier for you to lay your hands on the things you need and helps you be more effective because you now have time for the important stuff. It's also an essential part of taking care of the most valuable person in your life, yourself.

International 138

International AT&T Promotion 2009 138

Office Organization Success

OCTOBER 6, 2014

'I’ve been working on a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff this week, and I’ll be making some changes in the next couple of weeks too. You know that famous quote: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~ Albert Einstein. Well, time to change things up and get some different results! Stay tuned.

UPS 142

UPS 142

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 22, 2014

'I attended the Staffing Industry Analysts Contingent Workforce Summit a couple of weeks ago. This show is targeted at contingent workforce managers at large companies and provides a forum to discuss best practices around the hiring and managing of contingent workers (freelancers, independent contractors, etc.). As you can see from this write up on the conference , large corporations are forecast to increase their use of contingent workers over the coming years.   It's not just the SIA

Management 149

Management UPS 149

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