Do you have a comprehensive business plan? If you don’t have one in your drawer, you should get to work! I’m a big believer in planning ahead. A business plan can give you direction, something to aim towards throughout the year. If you already have a well-thought-out business plan, then the new year is a perfect time to update it with your new goals for the new year! If you are thinking about starting out on a new endeavor, then figuring out a plan for your proposed business is a must. Here is my personal updated 8-step process, along with…
Read More
Who in their right mind would plant seeds in the dead of winter? Smart small business owners, that’s who! The biggest hope for a new year is growing your business. That’s what most New Year’s Resolutions are about, people want to grow. Grow their business, grow their income, personal growth. Growing your business doesn’t happen by accident though, you need to plant seeds. For an entrepreneur, the seeds of growth are plans for the future, and January is the perfect time to make them. Seed #1: Make a New Year Business Plan Do you have a business plan, written down…
Read More
Having to work when you are suffering through an illness is a nightmare. Every step, every thought, every burst of energy requires so much effort that it can feel like you are trying to run through a swimming pool. Everyone has had to do it at one point or another, no one enjoys it. But when you don’t have a cold, flu, or easily identifiable illness, we don’t really think about the our health or the energy we expend. We simply go about our day, exerting the necessary energy to complete tasks. As small business owners, we often put our…
Read More
Entrepreneurs and small business owners have one of the most time and energy-consuming jobs a person can have. They throw themselves into their business, giving it their all and focusing entirely on its growth. This means that they can start to let their health slide when things start to get hectic around the office. Ask a doctor what the #1 thing is that you could do to improve your health, “Exercise.” The problem is that many small business owners and entrepreneurs just don’t feel like they have the time. The thing about an exercise routine is that it doesn’t just…
Read More
As an entrepreneur, you know that the overall goal is to reach a steady flow of business. Amazing marketing techniques can help you have a steady stream of high-paying clients. There are quite a few marketing mistakes that many small business owners and entrepreneurs make, even if they are in-the-know. Here are a few of the most common marketing mistakes small businesses can make. Along with tips on how a Virtual Assistant can help you correct them: #1: Not Updating Your Weekly Blog There are so many reasons to have a blog post on your website on a weekly basis.…
Read More
Being a small business owner is a little bit like juggling, you have to keep all of the balls in the air. The trick is when your business grows and you are expected to catch more and more balls until finally… some of them are dropped. There are a ton of online tools out there that can help you better manage your business and relieve some of that stress. By unloading much of your workload, you might even be able to double your income! Here are some incredibly useful online tools that I recommend you check out to help keep…
Read More
One of the most exciting times for a small business is when they launch a new product or program. Small businesses rarely have unlimited capital for product/program development, which makes the success of a launch absolutely imperative. This can make it a very tense and stressful time in the office, as everything involved in the launch needs to be executed flawlessly. If you’re doing everything on your own, it can consume every bit of your bandwidth, pulling your focus from other, still important projects and clients. By partnering with a Virtual Assistant, you can instantly relieve this stress on you…
Read More
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…
Read More
Get contacted by any Nigerian princes lately? How about being sent an exclusive offer for cheap Canadian drugs? Or a free trip to Jamaica if you just fill out a survey? Spam email is an epidemic that has existed since the earliest days of the internet, and, despite promises every few years, it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. There are few things more annoying than spam email filling your inbox with unsolicited offers or attempts to scam you. As an entrepreneur, there is a good chance you know the frustration of your carefully crafted, targeted emails being…
Read More
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)! Some clients are wonderful, and understand that everyone needs a break now and then. Others may have (unrealistically) high expectations and not want to see any break in the service they receive from your business. You…
Read More
