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2008 October

Ho-ho-ho! The Holidays are Coming!

It’s Halloween – you know what that means. Monday we’ll be seeing Christmas trees and holiday displays everywhere. It might seem early for that, but it’s not too early to start thinking about how you can make the holidays easier on yourself this year.

Did you realize that when you work with a Virtual Assistant, you have someone to make sure your holiday cards are ordered on time. That VA can also sign, stuff, seal, stamp and mail your cards for you. (I know how much time that can save cause I’ve done it for several clients in the past.) A VA can research gift ideas and make purchases on your behalf so you’re not stuck shopping in the days leading to Christmas.

Crowdsourcing Versus Outsourcing: Power to the People?

Melissa Ward of Newward Development, LLC posted an intriguing expose on what could be the next big buzz for entrepreneurs willing to expand their virtual horizons: crowdsourcing. In the featured video, Jeff Howe of WIRED magazine talks about how crowdsourcing is a clear and present tool in our digital midst. Social communities globally are organizing themselves around common interests, talents, values, lifestyles and more. Heck, look at Virtual Assistants! There are pockets of VAs at every turn on the web, huddling together hatching plans and ideas and yeah, maybe even the next big thang. But what does it mean for you, the client?

How Big is Your Bowl?

Yesterday I exhibited at a local business expo and shared booth space with a client of mine who has a similar target market. It made lots of sense and we were glad we were sharing when we realized how poorly the show was attended by members of our target market. Anyway…my client emailed me to see what we could use to decorate the booth that used colors from my brand. She had flowers in her colors and we needed something in Mann Made Time‘s orange and blue.

I decided to get a goldfish and put him in a bowl with some blue gravel. I named him ‘Biz’.

Quick Tip – Looking For a Legitimate Business Expense?

The bad thing about making boat loads of money as an entrepreneur is that you have to pay for it at tax time. Even though the economy is in rough shape right now, you still need to have some legitimate business expenses to help even things out next spring.

It’s wise to watch your spending on non-essentials but you can’t stop spending money all together.

One often overlooked benefit of hiring a Virtual Assistant is the fact that you don’t only get a ton of time freed up in your days, but you also get to claim the expense on your taxes!

How’s Your Hive Buzzing?

I posted this piece to my own blog back in June and never had one comment on it! I was disappointed cause I thought it was a pretty good little post. I would like to share it here because I believe it’s a great analogy.

Enjoy!

Let’s, for a moment, imagine that your business is a beehive and you’re the Queen Bee. After all, the Queen’s the most important person in the hive – her sole job is to lay eggs. Without eggs, there are no bees so nothing else can happen. You are also the most important person in your business – goes without saying if you’re a ‘solo-preneur’. You’re responsible for getting new clients and ensuring all daily operations run smoothly.

Freelancer Versus Virtual Assistant: What’s the Difference Anyway?

As an Internet marketing consultant I’ve had the opportunity to work with an array of talented individuals who assign themselves an array of titles, including “virtual assistant” and “freelancer.” Though I’ve never worked with a “freelance” admin assist, I have worked with VAs who proofread and copy edit AND freelancers who proofread and copy edit. I’ve had both good and bad results with each … uh … genre?

The Easiest Administrative Task to Delegate…

For anyone looking to add more time to their days (who isn’t?!), partnering with a Virtual Assistant is definitely the way to go.

Before this process starts, the potential client (that would be you) often has a ton of questions about how it all works. There is a lot of information about this in the blog archives here, take a look and see what questions we may have addressed already.

Get Dozens of Skills With One Virtual Assistant

There are so many benefits to working with a Virtual Assistant. One of those is that in most cases you get a lot more brains than one!

No, Virtual Assistants aren’t two-headed creatures, but most are very well connected through the VA networking forums they frequent.

Let me explain.

If you wanted to hire one employee who could maintain your website, manage your bookkeeping, design brochures, draft up sales letters and maintain your filing how much do you suppose you would pay that person if he or she did indeed exist?

The RESOURCE for Entrepreneurs Looking to Partner with a Virtual Assistant

A new resource has been developed for anyone considering partnering and working with a Virtual Assistant.

Check out our NEW Blog at VAnetworking.com

VAnetworking, the world’s largest Virtual Assistant organization is celebrating its five year anniversary by launching a new blog this week for those wanting to learn more about working with a Virtual Assistant or “˜VA’. The VAnetworking Blog is full of the ins and outs of working with a VA including what you should look for, what isn’t that important and even how VAs operate and what different tasks are easiest to delegate.   This is the RESOURCE for entrepreneurs looking to partner with a Virtual Assistant to help them succeed in their business ventures.