The Holidays are the perfect time to slow down, take a step back and be inspired. It’s also a great time to plan ahead for the coming year. Below are some suggestions for making the most of your vacation and turning it into your best year ever!

Out with the Old
A new year is a time for new beginnings and a clean slate. Take some time to purge what you no longer need. Clean out your filing cabinet and tackle that stack of papers on your desk.

Your purging shouldn’t stop with the stuff around your desk. Your computer needs purging too. Whether you use a desktop, laptop or both take an hour or two to get it ready for all the hard work it will be doing in the New Year. Clean up your inbox. Delete your junk mail and any emails that are not important. Archive all of the emails you have saved either by using your email client’s archive function or if you use Adobe Acrobat Pro you can create a PDF archive of all of your emails.

Once your email is cleaned up go through the rest of your computer and get rid of any files that you no longer need. Save client project files in a client folder and archive them to a disc, flash drive or external hard drive and then remove them from your computer. Delete or archive anything else that you are no longer working with. Back up your entire computer to an external hard drive. If you don’t have one, get one as soon as possible. They are reasonably priced and can be a lifesaver in the event that your computer crashes.

Finally, once all of your files are managed, clean up your hard drive by defragging it and doing any maintenance checks needed. Also don’t forget to go into your internet browser and clear your browsing history and temporary files. When you’re ready to go back to work your computer will be too.

Brilliant Ideas are at Your Fingertips
Chances are you have a shelf full of books you’ve purchased but haven’t had the time to read. Or that audio program or system you thought was exactly what you needed for your business but never got around to listening to it. Give yourself that time now to do it. Choose something that will inspire you and use what you’ve learned to give your business an edge in 2010.

Write it Down
What do you want the next year to look like personally and professionally? Studies have proven that people who write down their goals and intentions are more likely to achieve them. Make a plan for what you want to accomplish. Break it down in even more detail by quarterly, monthly and weekly goals. Decide ahead of time on rewards you will give yourself for each goal met. You deserve it!

Connect
Have you been too busy lately to take advantage of tools like Facebook or Twitter? Now is a great time to reconnect with those you haven’t interacted with in a while and to make new contacts, create a fan page and start new conversations. If you’ve never used social networking tools, now is also a good time to learn how to use them and find out what the buzz is about.

Use some or all of these ideas to make the most of your downtime during the Holidays and get ready for a Happy and successful New Year!

                          

Many entrepreneurs these days know the value of having a virtual assistant. But what about multiple VAs? Perhaps Mr. Edison was onto something. Now, I’m not suggesting you go out and get twenty-one assistants, however there is a plus side to having more than one VA.

Strength In Numbers
Not all VAs are created equal. Some offer a wide variety of services while others specialize in one or two specific areas. One person might love bookkeeping while another loathes it. It’s important to know when searching for a VA not only what types of services a she offers but also which ones she is good at and enjoys doing. You may find that you partner with a VA for certain projects and later decide that you would like her to do other projects as well. That’s great but she may not enjoy doing those new tasks or even know how to do them. Could she learn? Sure, but time is money and you need the work done sooner rather than later. This is why having multiple VAs that specialize may be beneficial.

A Team of Experts Means Peace of Mind
I have one client who has a team of six or seven VAs including myself. Does she do it to brag? Not at all although she is very successful at what she does and consistently tells the world she couldn’t do it without the support team she has in place. Part of her criteria for seeking the services of a VA is that they need to specialize in a particular area. She wants any person she partners with to be good at a lot of things but great at one thing. This is because when she delegates a project she wants to trust that it is being done correctly and efficiently without having to worry about it. She knows it is being handled by an expert in that area and she can willingly hand it over and move on to the next thing.

More Is Less
Is it costing my client any more money to have so many assistants? Absolutely not! Remember she is only paying for the work that is done and it would cost her the same amount of hours for her various projects to have one person do it than it does to have multiple people. Perhaps even less since each person is specialized in their area of expertise, there is less back and forth, correcting mistakes and waiting for questions to be answered which means she could actually be saving money by having more people on her team.

Is a VA Team Right For You?
Having a team of VAs can be a great asset to your business but it’s not for everyone. If you are not good at managing priorities or people then it might not be in your best interest to have a VA team. Having more than one VA may also not be for you if you’re not good at communicating. Communication is key when working with one person much less a multitude of people. It is essential to have regular team meetings via phone or other means as well as to have individual conversations with your VAs. Doing so will ensure that everyone is on the same page with your business objectives and everyone clearly understands what they need to do.

Your business is your baby and you want it handled properly. Putting together a team of highly skilled individuals who have your best interest at heart might be just what you need to take your business to the next level.

                          

Several times per week I browse newsletters and sales pages from some of my favorite “experts” only to find their work sprinkled with not just one but many typos! It astounds me each time I discover another one because quite honestly in my opinion it really tarnishes their “expert” status in my eyes. Now don’t get me wrong, accidents happen. We all make mistakes. It’s human nature. But it’s important to learn from those mistakes. No one is going to take you seriously if you consistently put out work that tells the world you were not the winner of the 8th grade spelling bee!

My question is, are people not pointing these mistakes out to the author? Isn’t there an assistant somewhere whose job it is to make sure something is letter perfect before it goes out to the public? I make it a point when finding an error to let the author know. I’ve never once gotten a response that was negative. In fact, most people appreciate when I point out the errors.

Am I a perfect speller? Not at all. (Although speaking of the 8th grade spelling bee, I was a runner up thank you very much.) I do enjoy however, reading with a critical eye and picking these proverbial needles out of their grammatical haystacks and offer proofreading as one of my services to satisfy my proofreading fixes.

Spell Check Is NOT Your Friend!
I know so many people who rely on spell check in their word processing program to edit their documents for them. Please don’t rely solely on a computer to check your work. Spell check is great in some cases but it does not pick out every error. If two words are very similar in spelling or meaning, it might very well ignore the error. I’ve seen it happen before. If you insist on using spell check, please have a second pair of eyes read the document before it is published. Give it to an assistant, a trusted friend or a colleague for review before putting it out into the world.

When people read your words and get your message without having to back track over spelling errors your credibility remains intact and your audience will thank you for it by purchasing your product.

                          

Your VA can do more than complete projects and perform daily administrative tasks. She can also be you when you’re not available.

Virtual Events
If there’s a teleseminar, webinar or online workshop coming up that you’d really like to attend, sign up and give the login information to your VA. Let her know the date and time so she can schedule the time to attend. She can ask any questions you’d like her to or simply take notes and present you with a report on the highlights.

Local or Long Distance Events
If you know of a conference in town or even in a different state, ask your VA if she would like to attend on your behalf. Not only could she get great information for you from the various speakers but also make valuable contacts for you by being a representative of your company. Some conferences that even suggest you send your VA or accompany her if time and budget permit. This option is especially helpful if you have two events happening at the same time and would like to attend them both but you can only choose one. Have your VA go to the other one and you can have a meeting upon returning to discuss what you learned.

Books and Programs
Do you have a stack of books you’ve been meaning to read but haven’t been able to get to? How about programs or systems that you’ve purchased to help you in your business? Many of us are guilty of spending money on these products but never seem to find the time to get to them. Why not send them to your VA to read or go through? Your VA can give you the highlights of what she has learned and even work with you to implement strategies to help you build your business. You’re not only getting good information for your own business but you’re also helping her improve her business by giving her access to tools and resources which will only benefit you in the long run.

So the next time you wish you could clone yourself and be two places at the same time, know that you can with the help of a VA.

                          

As a business owner, you wear many hats, President and CEO, Director of Marketing, Bookkeeper, Public Relations Coordinator, and the list goes on and on. Doing all of those tasks every day means you have less and less time to focus on building your business, networking or even spending time with loved ones. You may become overwhelmed, feel out of control and wonder why you decided to go into business in the first place. But what if you could delegate some of that work to a skilled and trusted professional that you knew would get the job done leaving you more time to do all of those things you’ve been putting off? Wouldn’t you feel relieved, energized, focused and even IN CONTROL?

A virtual assistant is that skilled and trusted professional you need to keep you moving forward in your business instead of wading through a black hole of “to do’s” that may never get done because you don’t have the time. Here are just some of the things you can delegate to a VA:

“¢  Updating your blog or website
“¢  Organizing and maintaining your contact list
“¢  Creating and updating a monthly newsletter
“¢  Designing your PowerPoint presentation
“¢  Organizing a webinar or teleconference
“¢  Research
“¢  Formatting an ebook
“¢  Marketing your business on the internet
“¢  Creating marketing materials like postcards or brochures
“¢  Monitoring your email
“¢  Proofreading
Are these some of the things you’re doing in your business or have thought about doing but can’t seem to find the time?

Having someone you trust handle these tasks and others means:
1.  You are saving time by not having to do them yourself
2.  You are focusing on money making activities in your business
3.  You are saving money by not paying for overhead costs that come with an in house employee
4.  You are able to set goals and do things that make you happy
All of this adds up to MORE CONTROL!

So the next time you are wondering whether or not to delegate something ask yourself one question, “will delegating this task give me more control of my business by saving me time and money?” If the answer is yes congratulations! You’re ready to take the next step and call a VA!

*To help you get started, I’ve included this handy delegation worksheet, including a list of ideas that you can download to help you sort out your projects and decide which tasks would be better delegated to a VA.

                          

Communication Before the Relationship Begins
Before any contracts are signed or agreements of any kind are made it is crucial that both the business owner and the VA have a clear understanding of what the others needs and expectations are. A VA typically has some sort of questionnaire or client information sheet that either she or the client fills out indicating what types of services the client is looking for and how they think a VA can help them in their business. This is a great start however a conversation should take place at some point before the relationship begins where the client specifically lays out what they are looking for, what their goals are and what their expectations are of the VA they work with. In turn, the VA should be asking questions about the manner in which the client likes things done, the methods they are currently using to accomplish daily tasks and how much autonomy they are willing to give a VA to carry out assigned tasks.

Don’t Just Talk-Listen!
While its important that everyone get a chance to talk about what they expect from the relationship, it is equally important that each person listen closely to what the other is saying. By listening a client might find that a VA has a great amount of knowledge in a specific area that the client does not which could be hugely beneficial to their business or the VA might have a suggestion for improving the way the client does certain things in their business. If the VA listens carefully they will get a feel for what the client’s likes and dislikes are, what they are comfortable doing and how they prefer to work as well as pick up clues that will help the VA be more valuable to the client.

Communicate Consistently
Once a client and VA agree to work together it is vital that they communicate consistently however frequently they decide whether it is daily, every other day or once a week depending on the arrangement. It’s important that the VA keep the client up to date with progress that is being made and the status of the project or task assigned and ask any questions as needed. It is equally important that the client clearly state when something is not to their liking or if they would like something done a different way. Or if there is new information the VA needs to know about a specific project.

Be Respectful of Boundaries
Always be mindful of time differences. More often than not, VAs and their clients work in different states and sometimes even different continents. This could mean a time difference of an hour or ten hours. Don’t pick up the phone until you think carefully about what time it might be where the other person is. If it is too late at night or too early in the morning consider an alternate form of communication like email.

Also be respectful of office hours. Although many entrepreneurs work at all hours of the day and so do many VAs, there are many that set specific office hours and also take weekends off. Be clear about what those hours are in your initial meeting so there are no misunderstandings later.

No Excuses for Lack of Communication
There are so many ways to communicate these days, it’s almost ridiculous! Between, phone, email, texting, video conferencing and instant messaging, there is absolutely no excuse for lack of communication. In your initial meeting, be sure to state the methods of communication you prefer most.

With a little effort on both sides, consistent dialogue and open communication can make the relationship between a business owner and a VA a long and successful one.