The decision to go into business for yourself is an exciting, liberating one that often sparks an endless stream of creative, imaginative business ideas. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, the brainstorming process is a fun and important step in making your dream of independent business ownership a reality. In the end, though, you’ll have to settle on one—at least to start with! Because entrepreneurs tend to be high-energy, inventive people, it can be a challenge to settle on one idea and to make sure the one you’ve chosen is the right one. By following these five steps, you’ll be well…
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In the past, the only businesses that were required to produce daily quality content were news, academic organizations, and entertainment companies. In today’s world of online branding and representation, all businesses are required to maintain professional, interesting content if they want to succeed and maintain contact with their market. Providing your audience and clients with relevant, regular content via social media platforms (including LinkedIn), blogs or professional articles, newsletters, and up-to-date websites strengthens your brand and builds your expert reputation. First thing’s first: your business must produce quality content. Grammatical errors, too casual of a tone, and content that is…
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For those who are unfamiliar, ezines are electronic newsletters or magazines that you email periodically to customers or clients who have opted in (signed up for the e-zine). Ezines allow you to stay in contact with your customers/clients while building a relationship of trust and interest. At Jennie Lyon Virtual Assistant Services, newsletter services are one of my specialties. If you are a small business owner who is new to ezines, here are a few basic do’s and don’t’s: DO: Include blog posts, special offers, and coupons Offer the ezine weekly or monthly, making sure that your business can stay…
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If you are like most small business owners, you want to focus the majority of your time on building your business. Yet, you may be finding that you are spending an exorbitant amount of time on tasks you shouldn’t. Even if you find that you are getting sucked into these tasks and they are taking away from you really building your business – it’s time to get a team in place. The first team member that I would suggest that you hire is a virtual assistant. Read on for a quick rundown of 9 ways our team can save you…
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Starting a business in any industry, time period, or global climate can be a serious roller coaster. So many changes will be made in policies, procedures, staffing needs, marketing, and so on that you are going to feel overwhelmed most of the time without someone there to help you out. It’s always great to feel confident and proud enough that you can start your business by yourself, but with all the stress and endless preparation that comes with it, why wouldn’t you want an anchor to keep you focused and organized? Hiring a virtual assistant from the get-go is the…
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It’s fairly simple to start working with a virtual assistant. I start by having an in-depth consultation with my prospective clients to give me an idea of the areas they need assistance with. This initial consultation also gives me enough time to decide if I think working with the client would be a good fit for both parties. Once the contracts have been signed and we are ready to start working together, there are several systems that I use to keep my client and their projects organized. I’ve outlined some of these systems, all of which are essential for a job well done.…
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As a busy small business owner or self-employed entrepreneur, managing your website and blog can seem like too much to deal with. You need a website virtual assistant! Why? Although you have all of these amazing ideas and the best of intentions for sharing them with your community, doing so keeps falling to the bottom of your to-do list each week. Between finding the time to write your blog post, post it with an amazing photo, and schedule your week’s social media, it can all seem overwhelming. On top of that, there’s putting your blog posts into a newsletter to go out to your…
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As a busy business owner, you know deep down inside that you can’t do it all. If you don’t have a team in place to support you and your business, there are areas of your business that are falling through the cracks. Ask yourself: Are your emails and voice-mails being answered in a timely, professional manner? Are your blog posts and articles being submitted to the appropriate sites and social media platforms? Are you missing appointments, double booking yourself, or having a hard time with scheduling, period? Are updates being made to your website quickly, and are you staying connected with your online…
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