In days past, it used to be that a potential client’s first impression of your business was your office. Just from the way it looked from the outside, they would instantly make a judgement. Your office was the first thing they had to go on about your professionalism, attention to detail, and level of success. But in today’s business world, a potential client’s first impression of your business is no longer your office. It is your website! [Tweet “In today’s business world, a potential client’s first impression is your website!”] Your website should be a portal into your entire business.…
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When partnering with a virtual assistant to streamline your business, you want to make the most of the time you’re paying them for. There are a number of useful tools for organizing your virtual team that can help you streamline your partnership with your virtual assistant. These range from materials you can create yourself, to apps and websites for project or schedule management. Some of the ones I use in my business are listed below, along with other suggestions to make your life easier when partnering with a virtual assistant. Procedure ManualsI’ve written about procedure manuals before in more detail,…
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There are so many little details that go into running a small business that it can be hard to keep track of as a new business owner. Knowing what you have in place already and what still needs to be done to keep your business properly organized and running smoothly is key for sustainable success. With that in mind, today we have a checklist of things you should have dealt with either when setting up your business initially, or on a yearly basis. Have you completed all of these? If so, congratulations — that’s a huge accomplishment that you should…
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The days of simply reading and liking social media posts are over. The most active and engaged social media users spend time asking questions, starting conversations about topics that are important to them, and sharing content that is meaningful to them. If your business wants to engage in meaningful conversation on social media, you need these top 4 tools. 1. Be Professional But Not StiffThink of social networking as virtual cocktail parties: charm, wit, and jokes are encouraged while maintaining professional boundaries and keeping the conversation relevant to all involved. There is an element to this type of conversation that…
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If you’ve ever started your own business, you know that there are—or at least seem to be—an endless amount of steps to take to get your business up and running. If we listed them all, this blog post would quickly turn into a book! In this post, I am taking for granted that you already know what services or products you want to offer and how to finance your venture, and are ready to get the ball rolling. The following is my small business launch checklist. 1. “Paperwork”All small business owners need to go through the “paperwork” process of starting their…
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If you’re anything like me, you’re an ambitious entrepreneur who—at one point or another—has felt sure that no one else can do your work better than you. Or that if you just work a little harder and a little longer you can get it all done. I have news for you: if you want and expect your business to expand, thrive, and be successful and sustainable, at some point it will (and should) become too much for one person to handle alone. Growth is great—burnout and overwhelm are not. Here are 6 signs that it’s time to outsource your work…
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Your business website is your online storefront, and the first impression you offer visiting and prospective clients. Obviously, it’s of utmost importance that your site is one that invites clients to visit and one they enjoy returning to. Here are my essential elements to include in your small business website. Functional and Easy to Use Your website MUST be easy to navigate and use and, of course, needs to be fully functional. Your shopping carts need to work and be free of bugs, links need to work, and your contact forms must send messages to the right place. Additionally, if…
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Technology has given us so many incredible things, like modern medicine, instant toast, and spaceships, for example. For me and many other entrepreneurs, one of the greatest gifts technology has given society is the virtual office. We now enjoy the ability to instantly access just about any person, piece of information, and resource imaginable—all from the comfort of a home office. In addition to the virtual container of the Internet, cloud-based small business software has made it possible to hold online calls and meetings, erect storefronts in cyberspace, and share schedules, data, and media of all kinds. Here are my…
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More and more small businesses these days are home-based or physically scaled down, operating out of a small office with minimal equipment. Additionally, more businesses start with modest budgets and aim to cut overhead costs in order to develop into successful startups more quickly. Because small businesses still need a team to operate, the cost-effective, simple solution is to partner with a virtual team of workers instead of staffing an office with salaried employees, which requires a bigger office rental, bulkier payroll, and an HR department—to name a few things. Even though virtual support teams are non-traditional (though they are…
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Small businesses need to utilize these digital marketing tips—period! In the days before the internet, companies spent huge sums on visual campaigns. Nowadays, this type of marketing is not only old-fashioned and expensive but becoming irrelevant, too. The majority of consumers read, shop, and communicate on their devices. The average adult’s attention span is around 6-8 seconds, so you have to grab their attention quickly. Today’s small business owners can benefit from a wide, growing variety of platforms to market their businesses. You now have the ability to learn so much more about your target audience and market specifically to…
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