Boy, I remember my first few years of business… When I think back, I kind of cringe at some of the mistakes that I made in my first few years as a small business owner. Now, sixteen years later, I simply can’t believe that I ever made those silly errors. But the reason that I am still in business is because I learned from them. Every single mistake I ever made, I learned from. That’s how you make a small business thrive. December is the perfect time to take a good look back at your year, figure out what worked…
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Tis the season… to be ridiculously stressed out! The holidays can come at you fast, sometimes too fast for you to get everything done in time. Your usual workload is often augmented by extra holiday-related tasks, and not just at your small business. There is decorating, cooking, gift shopping… That kind of stress can build up! If you have limited staff at work, or if it is just you, getting a little extra holiday help can be useful. But it can cost too much to hire and train new employees just for the holiday season. Enter an experienced virtual assistant!…
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There are some holidays that seem almost custom-made to give you the perfect excuse to reach out to former and current clients, telling them how much you appreciated their business. There is Christmas, of course. Valentine’s Day is another popular occasion. And then, there is the November holiday that is coming up fast, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the time of year where we gather with family and friends to give thanks for all of the wonderful things in our lives. For the small business owner or entrepreneur, Thanksgiving also gives you an ideal opportunity to be thankful for your business, including…
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How long is your to-do list? To-do lists are awesome things. Just trying to get through the day-to-day work at your business can be stressful. When you need to tackle a huge project, the work can sometimes seem overwhelming. By using a great to-do list, you can mitigate that stress by seeing all of the tasks of the day, week, or month laid out in front of you. The trick is that, when you are running a small business, your regular to-do list might be a bit too limited to get the job done. This is one of the reasons…
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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…
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What would your company be without your clients? One of the keys to a successful small business is to develop long-term client relationships. For a business to become truly successful, you need to build a foundation of repeat customers and clients you can rely on. This can require a tremendous amount of time and effort, just like developing any other lasting relationship in your life. Here are some tips on how you can get started strengthening your client relationships, with the goal of eventually converting them into regular, long-term clients: Communication is the KeyAll of my long-term client relationships have…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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