When did you last take a look at your business plan? One of the smartest things that a small business owner can do is create a yearly business plan. It’s an invaluable resource that helps them lay out their goals, challenges, and growth for the upcoming year. Whenever you feel like you are going off-course, you can always refer to the “north star” of your business plan! The only problem with creating a business plan is that it takes time. And around the holidays, time is the last thing you have (unless you have a virtual assistant)! You’re running around…
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Want to know the worst feeling in the world when you’re a small business owner? It’s when you feel the first inklings that you’re getting sick. You know the signs. Sleep the night before may not happen. Your energy is running dry, or you get a tickle in the back of your throat. You think, “I’m getting sick. I can’t afford to get sick! I have too much to do this week!!!” As a small business owner, it’s not unusual that everything is on your shoulders. Your customer service, marketing, daily tasks, sales, EVERYTHING goes through you. And if you’re…
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For some small businesses, getting a new client is “Good news, bad news” time. The good news is that you have a new client! The bad news is that if you don’t have an automated onboarding system, it can be a massive headache. There is the first consultation, the follow-ups, sending/signing the contract, convincing them of the importance of filling out their client information form, invoices, scheduling your kick off call, learning their habits and preferences… It’s a ton of work! Of course, you can make things go much smoother by streamlining your entire client onboarding sequence. And a big…
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Does this situation sound familiar? You’re a small business entrepreneur, doing it all yourself. You have a big project due by the end of the day that only you can work on. Unfortunately, you also have to post your company’s social media, finish up writing a blog post, sort through your emails, and build a sales page. And that isn’t even counting the hundreds of distractions that can occur throughout the average business day. How on earth are you going to get your big project finished with all of those little, non-specialized tasks in your way? The answer is that you…
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As a small business owner, do you ever worry about getting locked into a contract when you need to outsource work? It’s a reasonable concern! There are many companies out there who look at small businesses like cows to be milked dry. To be frank, that isn’t good for your small business OR for the Virtual Assistant industry as a whole. Thankfully, with most reputable Virtual Assistant firms, you don’t have to worry about signing long-term contracts with them, locking you into their business and services. You can simply contract them for the period of time that you specify, and…
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If you do a search online, you will find that there are countless Virtual Assistant companies out there, each with their own specialties and strengths. There are Virtual Assistant firms that cater to huge, multi-national corporations and ones that specialize in specific industries like finance. When you are looking for a Virtual Assistant company as a small business entrepreneur, you need to make sure that you are getting one that can handle all of your business’ needs, has a solid amount of experience, and charges a reasonable price. You also want to make sure that they are flexible enough to…
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Email marketing is an exciting and complicated arena in the field of business. For the affordable amount of money that you put into it, it can deliver remarkable results, with high levels of conversion. It can also be time-consuming and confusing to create a pitch-perfect email blast campaign. After you’ve worked so hard to develop a fantastic email list, you want to make sure that you will only be delivering them the best marketing blasts you can. An experienced virtual assistant can be the key to writing better email marketing blasts to send to your email list. With their copywriting…
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If you’ve been building a successful email list for your business, you’re probably wondering what is the best way to use it. If you have all of these people who want to hear about your business or product, how do you capitalize on it? Simple! You do it with a high-performing email campaign! A well-designed email campaign can be one of the most effective marketing tools in your arsenal, allowing you to reach your entire email list with a targeted message, informing your customers about a great sale or new product you’re offering. The trick is to get the email…
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Everyone loves a summer vacation, but taking one can seem impossible for busy entrepreneurs! When you run your own small business, it can consume all of your time and energy if you aren’t careful, and letting go can be difficult. Trust me when I say that I understand! However, even passionate entrepreneurs need time to relax, and that means finding a team who can keep your business running smoothly in your absence. When you have a virtual team that you trust, it makes taking time off much less stressful. The trick to developing that trust is getting used to working…
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For a small business owner, taking a vacation often depends on staying ahead of clients’ needs. You can’t afford to let things slip or have radio silence reign in your absence. I’ve always found that clients appreciate an entrepreneur who makes every effort to maintain continuous service no matter what time of year it is. However, that doesn’t have to mean skipping your vacation(s)! Stay ahead of the curve in order to take a vacation while still satisfying clients. Click To Tweet Some clients are wonderful, and understand that everyone needs a break now and then. Others may have (unrealistically)…
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