Business Management Skill Development
Break Through Your Salary Glass Ceiling
As an employee, have you ever had an absolutely fantastic year! You crushed every single deadline. Your superiors praised your valuable contributions on a weekly basis. BUT…
When the end of the year arrived, you receive a hearty pat on the back along with the adage, “atta-girl” routine. Certainly, you thought that a pay raise was deserved. Guess what, your manager and her manager felt the same way. However, the company just does not have the budget to express their great appreciation by means of monetary compensation.
Once again, you have hit your head on the salary glass ceiling!
Do you want to change this situation? Is it important for you to take control of your employment security? Do you want to break through the glass ceiling that has been bruising your head for years? Of course you do! Perhaps you have yet to learn that you can take the administrative skills and knowledge that you have and create your own source of income.
Decide To Change
If you really want to change your employment situation it is important that you decide to do so. When you decide on a matter, it means that you exclude all other options. For example, when you decide to change your current employment situation, your current state is no longer on the table as an option. Your new focus is to create a new situation whether you will be employed or self-employed. So, make your decision to break through your compensation glass ceiling.
Learn How To Change Continue Reading>>
Achieving Goals Business Management Motivation
4 Reasons You Are Hiding From Your Goals
You have 70 days left before the start of 2014!
Are you thinking the same thing that many other Virtual Assistants are thinking; ‘Where did the time go?’ The year 2013 is almost gone, a wrap, over, FINITO! How do you feel about your goals for this year? Are you beaming with excitement because you have accomplished a large portion of them? Or, are you avoiding the area where you have posted those goals. You know the feeling of being afraid to review your goals because you think that they will fully understand how you have ignored them for so long.
That is understandable. We all have been there before! So, instead of being scared of those goals, we will discuss 4 reasons why you are hiding from them. Let’s put it out there. Recognize and acknowledge the reasons so that you can overcome them in the future
Reason #1 Procrastination
For some presumably good reason, you decided to delay getting started on a particular objective. Maybe in your mind it was a bit too overwhelming to tackle. Or, you thought that the goal was so easy to reach, that you could start on it at any time and finish it at your leisure. However, there are fewer than 70 days left in the year and you haven’t even started working toward the goal.
Reason #2 They Got Lost and Forgotten Continue Reading>>
Marketing Target Market Virtual Assistant Webinars
#002 VA Success Cafe: Starting New Client Relationships The Right Way
Marketing Networking Skill Development Target Market
5 Pieces To Effective Business Conversations
Have you ever had that feeling? You know what I mean.
It’s that feeling that you get when your mind is racing, your palms start to sweat and your thoughts decide that they do not want to make the faintest connection to your vocal cords. And then, you become…
SPEECHLESS!
Has that ever happened to you met a potential business associate. You exchange greetings, you learn each others’ name, and then the conversation goes deeper with the one question that makes you cringe… “So, what do you do?”
For many Virtual Assistants this is the most dreaded question because they do not know how to clearly convey the problems of their target market (if they have one), or how they solve those problems effectively.
What Are the 5 Pieces?
There are 5 critical pieces to masterfully articulating your value as a business owner and making strong connections. When you are face to face with a conversation partner keep the following conversation pieces in mind.
1 ~ Choose A Target Market
Having a target market gives great subject matter on which to have business conversations. If you tend to be on the shy side, focusing your attention on a separate group of people will give you the confidence needed to add more fuel to your conversation fire. If your target market is business coaches, you can talk about how that stresses that they experience with owning and operating their coaching practice. Then move to piece #2. Continue Reading>>
3 Things You Fail To Do In Your Business
Have you ever baked a cake? Imagine for a moment that you were baking a red velvet cake. However, you failed to include you flour, sugar and red food coloring. Would the finished product be a success? I don’t think so!
What about your Virtual Assistance business? If you are missing key ingredients, how do you expect to accomplish your goals? Make sure that you do not fail to generously use the following three key ingredients for baking up business success.
Those ingredients are Planning, Focus and Completion.
Planning
If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there. Almost everything conceivable has a vision, action steps and progress. When you decide to bake a cake, you have likely seen the finished product in one form or another. It may have been a picture or you could have tasted the delectable item.
The same is the case with your business. You know what your version of success looks like. One of the easiest ways to measure that is in terms of income generated. Why? Most businesses are designed to produce revenue. The health of the business can be determine by its’ profits. You should already know your revenue goal for the year, for the month and for each week.
Now that you have those numbers written on paper, you will need to determine what activities will enable you to reach these goals. The amount you charge your clients should be clear. The number of clients you need to have each month should be stated. Your marketing strategies for acquiring clients must be recognized. And you need to measure your activity and your results. You should have a detailed plan with a copy of it on your desk for daily review.
Focus
When your cake pan is in the oven, the mixture of ingredients in that pan is ready for intense heat. This is the only way to bring about the finished product; focused, intense heat. Are you putting focused heat into your work? It is one thing to have a plan, but undistracted follow through on that plan is of paramount importance.
Of course you wear many hats as an entrepreneur. Still, a successful business is the result of many projects and tasks being carried out with committed focus. Take a look around your office. How many projects, tasks and follow up appointments are waiting on your attention? After acknowledging these matters, you can progress towards the third ingredient.
Completion
What indicators make it apparent that a baking cake is almost done? Your nose gives you a hint. A better and more accurate gauge is your clock. Likewise, put a time stamp on all of the projects and tasks that you need to complete. Be realistic in your assessment. If you need to get a new website up and running, there is no need to block off three months for this project. Also, when it comes to marketing your business, you should have specific activities noted on your calendar for each month and each week. Note as well, the day and time that you will engage in your marketing activity. Do these to completion!
It is certainly difficult to focus on and complete projects and tasks in this day and age. We live in an era of many distractions and shiny objects. At the same time, if you want your Virtual Assistance business to be a success for you and your family, it is imperative that you know what your vision of success looks like. Plan out the work that it takes to bring that vision about. Focus with intense heat on all of the projects and tasks that will enable you to fulfill your vision. Do not stop working until you have completed every project and task. When you generously apply these three ingredients, your success is certain!
What Is The Next Skill
Growth is an ongoing objective of your Virtual Assistance business. A major component of business success is your skill development. Back in the day when you were employed, you likely had to learn new software, new systems or even new ways of carrying out your responsibilities. That type of skill development enabled you to remain relevant to your employer. Likewise, you have to continue developing your skill set as a Virtual Assistant.
This summer I’ve been working on building a few skills. One of them is video recording and editing. I love the excitement around creating videos and posting them on the web so that other people can benefit from them. There are so many tools and opinions on what to do and what to buy. The biggest challenge for me when it comes to skill development is finding the time to practice. Learning is one thing, but implementing what you learn is a different beast!
Do you have a list of skills that you need to add to your repertoire? If you do not, you may want to start creating one. The skills that you have now will need to be improved upon as time goes on. Your virtual work environment can become obsolete if you fail to implement helpful tools, knowledge and skill that will help you to grow your business. Avoid becoming stagnant. It is imperative that you increase your skill in order to grow your business.
Here is a tip to help you develop skill in a systematic way. First, make a list of the things that you want to learn. Second, rate these items according to level of important (i.e. #1 being most important, #10 least important and so on.) Third, add the training to your budget. Fourth, schedule a time for the training including when you will begin to practice and implement the things that you learn.
So, what is your next skill? I’d love to hear about the cool new things that you are learning now and plan to include in the future.
Motive Check… Why Are You Doing This?
What is in it for you? Would you like to see what is truly in your heard and why you are doing (or not doing) what it takes to reach your business goals?
Answer a few questions for yourself. How did you come across this article? Do you already have a Virtual Assistance business or are you seeking more information on how to create your own business? Why are you interested in the Virtual Assistance industry?
It is good to ask yourself these questions because you will want to get to the bottom of your motivation for gathering information. It is quite possible that you are (or were) an administrative support professional who is tired of the daily commute, office politics and the glass ceiling of compensation that you continue to bang your head against.
It is also possible that you have the desire to create your own income because your personal and family goals are the driving force that will get you started AND KEEP you in business for years to come. Do you have a desire to dictate your own schedule? If so, what is the motive behind that? Is it because you have an aging relative who needs constant assistance? Or, is it important for you to take your children to and from school without worrying about the heavy traffic jams that plague your commute to work?
Whatever your motive is, clarify it and hold it close to your heart. Your motive is what will get you started, keep you going and drive the success that you seek. I have an example that highlights the importance of motive. Have you ever known a person that kept a job that they hated? Every single day for years, they go into the same place of employment although they hate it. Perhaps you have even asked them, “Why do you stay in that job?” Their answer (which explains their motive), “I need the money”, or “I feel secure.”
Motive a powerful force that will keep you in a bad situation or yank you out of it and get you on the road to fulfilling your true goals in life. So, I ask you again, “What is your motive? Why are you seeking to learn more about starting your own business? Why have you already started your business? What keeps you excited about staying in business?
What is YOUR motive?
Business Management Organization Time Management
Why Planning Your Work Leads To An Outstanding Life!
It’s time to go to class. Business Development: 101! 
One of the best things that you can do for your business today is to plan the next seven days of your working life. If you would like extra credit, you can plan the next 7 days of your personal life as well. Why is such planning a boon to your business? There are three reasons.
Reason #1 – Increased Energy and Excitement
There is something that fill make you slowly creep out of the bed in the morning. It is called a lack of direction. When you wake up in the morning and have no sense of direction, your desire to get out of bed will be impotent. How can you increase your energy and excitement for the tasks that you need to accomplish?
Plan your work! Give yourself a reason to wake up with enthusiasm every single day. Even if your goal seems difficult, focus on the benefits of achieving your objective. Take each activity one step at a time. Enjoy the process of getting things DONE! You know the joy that comes from striking through an item on your to-do list ☺.
By planning your activity in advance, you will wake up each day with the motivation that you need to build a successful virtual assistance business. (These same principles apply if you are currently employed.) Can you feel your energy bubbling forth as you read this? Here is a way that you can give yourself an edge each day. Make your first task super exciting! Ensure that the first activity of the day is worthy of your jumping out of bed.
Reason #2 – Increased Productivity
When you plan your work for the next seven days, the most important tasks and projects will clearly come to the forefront of your mind. These activities will help you to accomplish your most important business goals. (Note: If you are not working towards your most compelling goals, what are you doing every day? That is another article.)
Planning your work for the coming days is also a brainstorming strategy. It will enable you to get your best thoughts written down, prioritize your work and the way you choose to use your time. This will increase your productivity. How so? Planning your work automatically puts you in a mindset of focus. You look at each hour of your day as an opportunity to build something great. It is only with this mindset will you avoid the pitfall of allowing time wasters to control your day. Think of things that currently waste your time. By planning your day in advance, you create a road map to successful and productive working.
Reason #3 – Increased Fulfillment
Is there anything that makes you feel better than a job well done? Likely, you associate 8-12 hours of each day for work (including travel time, lunch etc.). This is how you support your family. Be sure to make that time count. It should be meaningful and precious to you. Avoid wasting time because you cannot recoup ill-spent time. You can however make your time valuable by planning your work in advance. When you accomplish your important “to-dos”, the sense of joy and satisfaction you get from being productive is definitely increased.
Start today by planning the next seven days of your business and personal life. Remember to schedule something thrilling as your first activity each day. Such planning will help you to go to bed excited. You will wake up energized and enthusiastic. This will lead to greater productivity and ultimately increased fulfillment. Can you think of a good reason for not wanting increased energy, productive and fulfillment? I didn’t think so. Now get to planning your work!