New Year’s Eve is fast approaching, and that means a brand-new year will be starting soon. Around this time, I tend to start looking back on everything that I’ve accomplished over the last 12 months and everything that has changed.
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Have you ever seen A Christmas Carol? The scene that always stuck with me as a small business owner was seeing Bob Cratchit having to stay late on Christmas to finish his work. Boy, I’ve been there (Although being my own boss, I guess I am sort of my own Scrooge too…)In December, there are so many things on your plate, from work to family, to the holidays themselves, that it can be tricky to get everything done by the last week of the year (not to mention stretching every dollar). But thankfully, there is a holiday miracle that can…
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Ad-blockers are on the rise. Boy, there’s a phrase that puts cold fear into the heart of any marketer or business owner! Marketing has been in a Cold War with ad-blockers ever since the early days of the internet. Ad-blockers are browser extensions that will automatically filter out all of the advertisements on a website before it loads. The result is that the viewer will get a website completely free of any ads. Great for the viewer, but not for the businesses that are buying ads on the site. Thankfully, there are a few ways that marketers can combat ad-blockers…
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One of the most terrifying and exciting things in life is having to start again.Let’s face it – we are all getting older! Maybe your children have finally left home for university, (Eben, my son, started college early and skipped his senior year!) or perhaps you’re thinking of retiring from your long-time job and want to try something new this time around! Maybe you have recently been let go at work, or simply grew bored and finally want to do what you have always wanted with your life. No matter which the situation, it’s still terrifying and thrilling. For example,…
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One of the most time-consuming activities for a small business is client onboarding. There are so many steps necessary to give your customers your full focus and attention. By automating the process, you can free up SO much time that you can better spend actually serving their needs. If you are a small business owner with a limited, or non-existent staff, onboarding can take up a ton of your time. While larger businesses can afford to assign someone to handle these responsibilities, your onboarding process entirely relies on you. But what can you do? Well, the solution is automation! By…
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I like to think of myself as a veteran small business owner. Ever since my twenties, I’ve felt the drive to create my own work. It’s something that comes from within me, to create a business from nothing. I’m sure that many of the small business owners and entrepreneurs reading this blog can relate! I’ve been through ups and downs and have learned many lessons along the way. One of the most important lessons was the necessity of needing help. For the first ten years of my business, I did everything myself without any help. Not even a virtual assistant.…
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Recently, there have been a number of stories in the news that a record number of pregnant women are running for political office, more than at any other point in our country’s history. This absolutely remarkable shift was foreshadowed just a few short months ago when the sitting Prime Minister of New Zealand gave birth to her daughter. Can you imagine being the leader of a country while at the exact same time balancing the responsibilities of being a new parent? For many small business owners out there, it’s easy because they are going through something very similar. It’s time…
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When was the last time that you got a really good night’s sleep? As a small business owner myself, I know what it’s like to have to have to work 12 to 14 hour days. Back when I first started my business, I would get up in the morning, work all day, and then go to sleep. It’s rewarding, no question, but also exhausting. And what choice do we have? As a small business owner, you’re responsible for everything and, if something doesn’t get done, the only person that you can blame is yourself. But what if it didn’t have…
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I honestly think that one of the bravest things a person can do is start a small business. They have to overcome so many obstacles, even before they take their first official steps. They have to deal with family and friends doubting them. They have to worry about the potential loss of income from their current job. They have to consider the current economic climate and judge if it’s a good time to open a small business. That’s an awful lot to have on your mind! As someone who has gone through it all, trust me, I know how much…
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Some of my favorite people in the world are small business owners. There is something I just love about an entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to succeed. I admire them for starting out with nothing but a dream, building that dream into a plan, and that plan into a successful business. The big question that I’m asked the most by new small business owners is, “How do I get started?” Well, I can help with that! Hiring a virtual assistant in the early days of your new small business can give you a huge advantage, getting things started in the…
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