What is the secret to finding and working with a virtual assistant team? Simple: you need to connect with the right people. Trust me, I know this from personal experience! Years ago, I was a “lone wolf” virtual assistant. If my clients needed social media written, blogs edited, sales funnels designed, or email newsletters sent, it would be me behind the computer. While my business was thriving, I certainly wasn’t. The stress was starting to get to me. And even worse, because I was doing EVERYTHING myself, I was limiting my business’s growth. I couldn’t take on new clients because…
Have you taken the time to think about how people get to your website? A sales funnel is key. Even though we are firmly in the age of the internet, there are countless small businesses out there that maintain a “real world” focus on their company. The online part of their business isn’t given as much thought and focus as it should. First off, online IS the real world. Everything we do is online nowadays. Even before the pandemic hit, online sales and interactions were starting to outnumber in-person interactions. And now, well, there isn’t even a contest. Just look…
Do you have big business plans for the new year? With the previous year in the rearview mirror, I’ve been putting a ton of thought into revamping my business plan. I’m a firm believer in coming up with a new business plan every January (And then of course, I revisit it quarterly to see if I need to tweak it). In this year’s plan, I’ve been specifically focusing on ways I can grow my brand through digital marketing. Branding encompasses everything in a business, including your personality. Your personality, goals, business sense, beliefs, everything goes directly into your brand. And…
Sometimes, I wonder how I manage to get through my daily to-do list in my business. Not to brag, but believe me, my to-do list can get a little crazy at times. I’m working with dozens of different clients who work in several industries. It takes a lot to keep everything straight (which is why I live by my project management system), I use Teamwork and it is my lifeline! I couldn’t work without it! It helps me keep every project organized and ensures that I never miss a detail or a deadline. So keeping things organized is the easy…
Have you ever given a webinar? For some small business owners, the idea of presenting a webinar is almost crazy. It’s simply not in their frame of reference as far as marketing strategies go. But I’m here to tell you that webinars are one of the most effective marketing techniques for positioning yourself as an expert online! The trick is that webinars are a ton of work, especially if you’ve never created one before. If that’s the case, a virtual assistant can be worth their weight in gold, especially if they have experience working on a ton of webinars in…
How much time every week do you spend on your social media? I’m not just talking about writing it. Creating compelling content is only one of the keys to social media marketing success. So much more needs to go into it if you genuinely want to build your audience and convert your followers into paying customers! Here’s an admission for you: I’ve been spending WAY too much time recently growing my Instagram! But I genuinely believe that it’s worth every second. Social media channels like Instagram and Facebook offer small businesses an invaluable (and remarkably cheap) advertising platform to reach…
In some ways, this year feels like it has dragged on and on. And in other ways it feels like it’s zipping by! I realized this week is Thanksgiving! Then, I started to think how I haven’t started my holiday shopping yet! As a small business owner, there is nothing like shopping for client gifts to make the holiday stresses pile up! With Black Friday and Cyber Monday in front of us, small business owners are starting to think about finding the right gifts for their family and friends and CLIENTS too. You’re probably one of them and if you’re…
Wouldn’t it be great to have an assistant at your beck and call? All you’d need to do is hit the intercom on your desk, and like a flash, they appear! Unfortunately, that’s beyond the means of most small business owners. Many of them work out of their home. Unless they draft their kids into the role, (take it from me, this isn’t a great idea! haha!) having an assistant might seem like it simply isn’t possible. Or is it? The Internet Created Countless Jobs The internet has created countless brand-new types of jobs over the last twenty years, including…
I bet the holiday shopping season is going to be a little different this year. Every November, you see the same news story on Black Friday: hundreds of people crowding outside of Walmarts and Targets around the country, waiting to grab as many deals as they can. It’s the biggest shopping day of the year with sales galore. COVID-19, however, has changed all that. I suspect that we won’t see the insane crowds as usual outside of stores this Friday, November 27th. As large indoor gatherings are prohibited, stores won’t allow a borderline mob to roar in, grabbing everything in…
You know the old saying that mistakes are why they put erasers on the end of pencils? Well, that might do the trick when you’re in the 6th grade, but when you’re a small business owner, mistakes have slightly higher stakes! As a small business owner, I’ve faced countless difficulties throughout my career. Heck, like everyone else in the world in 2020, I’ve faced incredible challenges over the last few months! The good thing is that I’ve learned how to take those mistakes and learn from them. But trust me, that wasn’t easy! I’ve always found that the next best…
