How do I become a Gmail Ninja?

Gmail is a fast growing platform for both business and personal emails.  Google has put together this great list of tips to help you become a Gmail Ninja!

Become a Gmail Ninja

If you don't have the time or inclination to set up these systems, assign the set up to your virtual administrative assistant.  Administrative Business Consulting is always working to get you back to the fun part of your business by helping you delegate the administrative tasks that eat up your day.  Contact us today!

Cutting the Cord and Going Mobile

Some businesses like Yahoo! and Hewlett Packard are pulling back from the mobile worker model.  But for many small businesses and soloprenuers, the mobile office has some great benefits.  It can provide a cost savings by lowering overhead spent on office space; it can increase productivity by giving workers more freedom; and it can offer new promotional opportunities by allowing you to be face to face with clients.  If you're either new to the idea or want to jump in with both feet, you'll need to have a few items lined up to be successful.

Equipment
The first items of business for your mobile office are a laptop or tablet and a smartphone.  Tablets are lighter and offer a multitude of nifty apps to help you be more productive on the road.  But if your job or business requires a lot of typing or document preparations, you'll probably lean more towards a laptop.  The new Microsoft Surface may be a good option for people wanting a little of both.  What's most important is that the platform is reliable, designed for traveling, and has easily replacable parts like powercords.

A way to connect to the internet that is not dependent on WiFi is another necessity for being a truly mobile office worker.  That can be achieved in a number of ways. 

• You can purchase a pre-paid wireless card such as the Verizon Jetpack.  This allows the user the have a weekly or monthly charge with no annual contract.
• If you will be using alot of data, you might opt for a high-speed mobile access card with a data plan like MiFi from AT&T.
• Many tablets are sold with 3G or 4G capability built in, you'll simply have to purchase a usage plan to access that feature.

A comfortable bag is a must for the mobile office worker.  And if you will be traveling by air, it also needs to be TSA friendly.  Amazon offers a wide range of options to fit most telecommunters' needs.  Headphones will also be a necessity to help you get the most out of mobile teleconferencing a videoconferencing.

Software
The next crucial part of the mobile office puzzle is the right software for the job.  There are many cloudbased options available that make the wireless office an attainable reality.

• File Storage - Instead of carrying around multiple USB drives, make use of the cloud storage available from services like Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive, or Google Drive.  These services will let you access and share your documents from where ever you are and keep your documents backed up separately from your hardware.
• Video Capabilities - You will often need to meet with clients or co-workers face-to-face, even if you're not in town.  There are a variety of video/tele-conferencing services that allow users to do that including Google Hangouts, Skype, and GoToMeeting.
• Accounting & Billing - Expenses and billings will still need to be tracked while you're mobile.  Freshbooks.com and Quick Books on-line will give you the capabilities you need to run your business from anywhere.  Add a credit card payment accepter to your smartphone, and your one-person show is good to go.

Depending on your business model, you might also need to add on-line faxing services to your arsenal.  If you will be splitting your time between a home office and a mobile one, take a look at the services of GoToMyPC.com.  This is a subscription service that allows you to access your desktop computer from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone.  You'll have access to all your files and desktop items from anywhere you are.

Mobile officing may not be for everyone.  You need to be self-motivated enough to keep to a schedule even when there is no one looking over your shoulder.  But if you're a solo-prenuer, you probably fit that bill already.  Working in this manner can also make it hard for you to "escape the office" when you want to wind down.  Because you're always at the office, you are running the risk of overworking yourself because you never truly leave the office.  Setting up a schedule of off time and limits on when you will and will not be available can help to curb this tendency to be continually plugged in.

Technology is opening doors to increased productivity and freedom for both workers and employers.  With a few pieces of hardware and software, you too can join the mobile workforce and cut the cord.
 

Get the Most Out of iOS7

You've had a little bit of time now to start working with either your new iPhone 5 or the upgraded iOS7, and you might be wondering if you're getting everything out of it that you can.  Here are a few tips for improving your experience with the new platform.

Extending Battery Life
There are a couple of new features that may be draining your battery life in the background.  One is the Parallax setting.  This is the nifty new effect that makes your background look a little 3D.  But if the cool factor doesn't matter as much as the amount of time you can use your phone, you might want to turn it off.  Another one is the background app refresh.  This feature automatically updates apps and sucks battery power without user input.  If updating manually doesn't bother you, turn this feature off and save the power.  To access both of these settings, go to:  Settings-->General.  Switch the Background App Refresh setting to off.  For Parallax, go to the Accessibility area and turn Reduce Motion on.

Closing Background Apps
To close those pesky apps that are running in the background all you have to do is swipe up.  Double tap the home button and you will see all of the apps that are currently "on".  Simply put your finger on the one you want to close and pull it up.

Make Your Control Center More Secure
The new Control Center in iOS7 is handily available from the home screen, giving users easy access to common settings like airplane mode and wifi.  To get in to the Control Center, you just pull up from the bottom of the screen and it appears.  There is, however, the security issue that arises from that screen being accessible even when the phone is locked.  To keep potential thieves out of this screen, go to Settings/Control Center and turn off the Access on Lock Screen option.

Use Siri to the Utmost
Siri now has a more natural sounding voice and can either be male or female, based on your preference.  iOS7 has also made Siri more useful for returning calls, playing voicemails, and posting to Facebook.  You can even train Siri to pronounce things more accurately.  When she (or he) says something incorrectly, you respond with "that's not how you pronounce...".  Siri will ask for a better pronunciation and use your spoken response to suggest three alternatives.  You pick the one that is most accurate.

There's a Built In Flashlight
You can now get rid of that third-party flashlight app you've had for years; iOS7 has a built in flashlight.  To access it, swipe up from the bottom of your screen to enter the Control Panel.  You'll see the flashlight icon in the lower left hand corner.

Timestamps are Available for Individual Text Messages
There have always been timestamps for groups of text messages from a single contact, but now you can get those for each individual message.  To find this hidden feature, go to a conversation in your Messages and swipe to the left, the timestamps will appear to the right.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the cool new features and tricks available.  Take some time to poke around and get familiar with all the options out there.

A Virtual Administrative Assistant Can be Your Productivity Partner

Small business owners often find themselves mired in administrative tasks the take them away from their true function as CEO of their company.  You might be spinning your wheels doing day-to-day tasks that need to be done, but don't generate any revenue for your business.  Hiring a good Virtual Administrative Assistant, like Administrative Business Consulting, can help move you from overwhelmed employee to super-productive CEO.

First you will need to determine what your core functions are.  What are the activities that

are billable, actually bring in revenue, or set your business up for growth in the future?  Those are the things you should be concentrating on, and you should be delegating the rest.

Many productivity management techniques recommend a "brain dump" activity. This is meant to be a time where you simply capture all of the items in your head and on your to-do list, either hand-written or typed. Those items can become task lists, calendar appointments, or project folders.  A Virtual Administrative Assistant can help by organizing all of the information you've captured in to their appropriate locations.  Simply email your notes to the VAA, and she does the rest.

Blogs and social media are activities necessary to build your business, but the minutia of putting them together may not be a productive use of your time.  As the CEO, you should focus on the content of those posts.  Your VAA can then be assigned to handle the formatting, editing, tagging, SEO optimization, and final posting.  This same idea can be used for presentations and email campaigns.

Other activities that may be eating up your billable time and that are tasks that can be outsourced include:

• Travel and event planning
• Research for articles or marketing
• Setting calendar appointments for meetings and sales calls
• Anything that can be automated

Part of being a productive CEO is to identify your strengths and delegate the rest.  Fire yourself from jobs someone else can do and promote yourself to jobs only you can do.

 

Creating an Effective Sales Kit

Most small businesses have a website (if you don't, you should!).  That platform is an excellent way for potential customers to find you and get your basic information.  A good sales kit is an effective tool to help educate prospects about your business and will move them from leads to customers.

The main reason to meet with a client in person is to understand their needs and how your business can fill those needs.  The first (and most important) item in your sales kit is your active listening skills.  Think of the meeting not as a sales call, but as a fact finding expedition.  The client will usually tell you what services will help them the most.  Ask questions and keep track of the answers.  If you're paying attention and taking notes, you can easily present them with solutions based on what they've told you.

Since this packet will be the face of your business that you leave with the prospect, don't skimp on the materials.  Have folders, letterhead, or any other static pieces professionally printed.  You can print any pricing sheets (or items that may change frequently) on letterhead using a laser printer.  A sales kit is also a good place to put promotional marketing materials such as pads, pens, and calendars with your company's logo and contact information.

The first page a prospect needs to see in the packet should highlight your business's unique story and how you are different than the other companies delivering your service.  Use this as an opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition.  Make your organization stand out as the obvious and reliable choice.

Other items to have in the kit are:

• Current sales literature (brochures, sale flyers, business cards, etc.)
• List of frequently asked questions
• Diagrams or exercises to demonstrate your services to the prospect
• Testimonials from or list of past satisfied clients
• Press releases
• CD Roms or DVDs highlighted your services
• Proposal

You can put these together yourself, or you can have a Virtual Administrative Assistant service such as Administrative Business Consulting get these items ready for your meetings.  A good way to think of your sales kit is as a hard copy of your web site information.  It's something you can leave with the prospect so that it can be referred back to at their convenience.  

Joining Up to Grow Your Business

As professionals, we get asked frequently to come to meetings or sit on boards of business and civic groups in our community.  We obviously don't have time to be part of all of them, so it's important to sort out what kind of group it is, how it fits in with your business or philosophy, and how it can help you grow your presence in the area.  There are generally six different kinds of business organizations that can help you grow your organization through networking.

Casual Contact Networks
These are business groups that usually have large membership bases, with no restrictions on how many people from each profession can join.  They often meet monthly at large luncheons where guest speakers discuss things like current business issues, upcoming legislative sessions, community affairs, or other local interest topics.  Evening social mixers are usually a part of belonging to a casual contact network.  An example of this sort of organization is the Chamber of Commerce.

Belonging to the Chamber of Commerce does give you an opportunity to meet a large number of contacts from your area at one time.  You can spread the word fairly quickly by attending their events.  However, that means that you may often be face-to-face with your competitors when networking at Chamber events.  Also, fees for joining are based on the number of employees in your organization, so make sure you've calculated the costs up front.

Strong Contact Networks
This sort of group generally meets once a week and restricts membership to one person from a given profession.  The meetings are very structured for the main purpose of passing referrals between members.  A great example of a strong contact network is Business Network International (BNI).

BNI meetings open with a free networking session, then go on to short presentations by all the members.  Then the focus turns to referrals that have been given out during the past week.  I personally belong to a local BNI chapter, and I cannot say enough good things about my experience there.  Joining BNI requires a solid weekly attendance commitment, as well as a requirement to speak at each meeting and share referrals.

Community Service Groups
Community service groups serve the dual purpose of letting you give back to your community while making business connections and getting great PR.  The primary purpose of these organizations is to serve the community, but working on service projects exposes you and your business to other professionals interested in the same issues.  You get the chance to start building long-term friendships that become the solid backbone of word-of-mouth businesses.

Examples of community service organizations are The Boys & Girls Club, Rotary Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the Lions Club.  Think about what personal concerns or causes you're interested in, and find a club that fits that philosophy.  Be aware that joining a community service group will often have volunteering requirements, so take that in to consideration.

Professional Growth Groups
Groups of people often gather based on a training or growth need they have.  Professional growth and development groups might focus on a specific are or on leadership as a whole.  They offer a great forum to show other professionals the skills you have and the skills you are willing to work on.

I belong to Toastmasters, and it has made a huge difference for me professionally.  I have learned the speaking and leadership skills needed to step out of my comfort zone and be a business owner.  It has also provided me many opportunities to network to members within my club as well as members from all over the state.  Toastmasters is a self-paced program, but you are expected to participate in meetings as often as possible.

Professional Associations
Professional organizations, or "knowledge networks", have existed as long as there have been professions.  The primary purpose of these organizations is for people in a certain industry to get together and exchange information or ideas from that field.  If your goal is to use this type of group for networking, look for ones that contain your potential clients or target markets.  Ask your best customers what groups they belong to as a starting point for your research.

Some examples of this type of group are:  Certified Life Underwriters, American Bar Association, and National Speakers Association.

Women's Business Organizations
Obviously, these groups are not going to be for all business professionals.  Women's business groups can be both casual or strong contact networks, but they are focused on networking first and foremost.  They often offer a non-threatening forum for woman who are new to business and networking.  Check for organizations based in your local area such as Women Entrepreneurs of Alaska, to get the most from your membership.

In your time-strapped week you may not feel that you have time to participate in any of these associations.  But if you're serious about building a word-of-mouth business, there is no quick fix.  Consciously consider all of the options and what will be the best fit for your business mission and your personality.  Check with your peers and mentors to see what groups they belong to, and visit a meeting.  Get out there and join up to grow your business.

Ending the Scourge of Unproductive Meetings

We've all been there: you've just sat through a 3 hour meeting that never seemed to get to a point and leads to no actions or decisions.  It basically wasted everyone's time and didn't accomplish anything useful.  But what about those rare occasions when we're party to an effective meeting?  It's a night and day difference.  We leave energized and fired up, as well as having a sense of direction and accomplishment.  There are a few easy things that you can do as a facilitator that can turn your meeting from the first kind to the good kind.

Good meetings do not just happen because the key players all get together in one place.  They have to be structured to be successful.  During meeting planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up, think about these criteria:

• The meeting should meet an objective
• The meeting should take up a minimum about of time
• The meeting should leave the participants feeling that a sensible process has been used

Be very clear about the objective and have a good idea about what a good outcome would look like before holding the meeting.  Use this sentence as a starting point:

"At the close of the meeting, I want the group to..."

The last part is your objective.  Also really think about who should be in attendance at the meeting.  Identify your key people and eliminate people who don't have a part to play in this particular project.

Everyone's time is very valuable and limited these days.  A productive meeting is one that is streamlined as much as possible.  Have an agenda with clear start and stop times that drive the meeting activities toward your objectives.  Ask all participants to come prepared to discuss their portions of the meeting or with any questions they have about others.

If your participants don't feel that any thought has been put in to a meeting, they are far less likely to be engaged.  This will stall the whole thing and leave people feeling that it was a waste of time.  Show the group that there has been a sensible process utilized by sending them the agenda BEFORE the actual meeting date.  Ask for their feedback on the times and the topics, you might be surprised about what they really want to talk about and accomplish.

During the meeting, there are some things the facilitator needs to handle to ensure that everything keeps moving smoothly.  Make sure no one person is dominating the conversation.  If that happens, make a point of asking others for their input.  At the end of each agenda item, summarize the discussion and ask for confirmation from other participants.  Make note of other items that are off topic but that need further discussion.  Watch the participants' body language for clues on when to take a break.  If you don't take those clues, you will lose their attention and the momentum of your meeting.  Keep the group on topic and make a list of tasks generated with the names of who is assigned to them.  When closing the meeting, summarize the next steps and let the participants know that you will be sending out a written summary.

The written summary is a critical follow-up piece to a successful meeting.  Collect any notes that were taken, and use the agenda as your guide for writing the summary.  The summary should include what was discussed, things that will be discussed at the next meeting, action items, and assignments.  This will also be the road map for your next meeting on the same topic.  You will be able to go directly to the action items and hold the assignees accountable.

Sometimes meetings are not in person affairs, but web based collaborations.  All of the same rules listed above apply, as well as a couple of extra considerations.

• Multi-tasking is a no-no during a web conference - Your attention should be on the meeting just like it would be at an in person session.  Don't take phone calls, check emails, or social media.  If participants are not paying attention the meeting will take longer and be less productive.
• Remind all participants to choose a quite location for the meeting - Sitting through a web meeting at a noisy cafe is a bad idea.  You'll miss important information and others will be able to see (and possibly hear) everything that is being discussed.  Ask participants to use their offices or some other quiet location for logging in and taking part.  You, as the facilitator, should also observe this rule.
• Get to know your platform beforehand - The day of your meeting should not be the first time you log on to the system and try to navigate the tools.  This is a time waster and lowers the confidence your participants have in the meeting.  A few days before, run a test meeting with all of your facilitators.  Figure out any glitches and how to solve those during the test meeting.
• Clearly define the roles of the facilitators - Often during an electronic meeting, there are multiple facilitators: someone presenting, someone running the question board, someone driving the screen, someone taking notes, etc.  Have the responsibilities of the different facilitators clearly defined during your test meeting.  This will give a more professional appearance to the meeting.

Meetings can be tedious and pointless, but they don't have to be.  With a little forethought and attention, they can be a useful time for your business or organization.

Getting the Most Out of Business Cards

Being a small business owner and a member of many networking and community groups, I find myself the recipient of many business cards.  These are full of information for connecting with potential customers and vendors.  Handling those cards (and my own business cards) can help grow my marketing reach and my client roster.

First let's talk about how to use your own business cards to increase your networking effectiveness.  You should keep a handy stash of your cards everywhere; in your purse or wallet, in your car, on your desk, and anywhere you might run in to other people.  Invest in a nice holder for your cards so that they stay wrinkle and crease free.  I bought a nice little metal holder for $3 from my local Target store, but you can find leather holders or even ones that have engraving on them.  The key point is to get something that you will actually carry around with you.

Make sure that your cards are clear and present a clear and professional image.  Have easy to read contact information.  I've included a QR code on my cards that allows smart phone users to simply scan all of my contact information using their camera.  I used a free on-line QR code generator, but there are also apps available that will do the same thing.  If you have team members working for you, get them their own business cards.  They will act as another arm of your marketing plan.

Be generous when it comes to handing out your cards, hand them out at least two at a time.  Don't get cards that are so expensive that you are loathe to give them away.  You should feel comfortable posting them on bulletin boards, using them to introduce yourself at social functions, and using them as scrap paper to give people notes on.  Another good idea is to include a business card with all of your correspondence, even when you're paying bills.

Then there are all of those business cards you collect from others along the way.  Sometimes they may feel overwhelming, and you just push them aside.  How many of you have a stack of rubber banded business cards that has been sitting in your desk for months?  Don't let those opportunities pass you by!

Here are 4 easy steps to getting the most out of a business card that you get:

1. Put it in context - Make notes on the back of the card about the event and details of your conversation.  Also note any follow-up or action items that you promised during the encounter.
2. Store it in a set place during the event - Put the cards collected either in your wallet, purse, or notebook pocket so that you can easily access it later.  Keep these cards separate from your own cards to avoid having to rifle through a stack to hand your's out.
3. Review the card after the event - 24 to 48 hours after the exchange, review the card for context and any action items that need to be completed.  Loading the cards in to your address book is key at this juncture.  You can then either send a follow-up email or even a handwritten note.  Entering the cards and sending notes is a great assignment for your Virtual Administrative Assistant service such as Administrative Business Consulting.
4. Connect to your new contact - Find the new business or person on LinkedIn, facebook, or any other social media platform that they are active on.  Connect to them and ask them to connect to you.  This will grown your marketing reach even further.

Now for the elephant in the room--REFERRALS.  When you hand out your cards, don't be afraid to ask for them.  It can be as simple as saying, "I'd really appreciate it if you would pass my information along to anyone you think might benefit from my services."  This gets the other person thinking about what you do and who they know.  And offer them the same.  Let them know that you will keep their card handy and that you will let others know about their business.  You're more likely to get referrals from someone who feels like you'll give them out.

Now dig that stack of cards out and start connecting!

Ideas for a Dynamic Fall Planning Conference

I'm loathe to admit it, but we're heading in to the fourth quarter of the year.  Now is the time to look back on what your goals were at the beginning of the year and how far you've come towards meeting those goals.  It is also a prime time to start planning for the future and setting yourself and your team up for success in the future.  A good way to do this is to get your team together and hold a fall planning conference.

Getting away from the office and setting the strategy as a team is a powerful tool in helping your business get to the next level.  Planning two half-day sessions with a dinner in between can build your team's relationships and help everyone to get on board with where you want to go.  A sample agenda could be:

• 12:00 PM     Lunch
• 1:00 PM       Recap of the Year
• Struggles
• Successes
• 3:00 PM       Team Building Exercise
• 5:00 PM       Dinner
• Team Recognition/Awards
• 8:00 AM      Breakfast
• 9:00 AM      Goals for Coming Year
• 10:00 AM    Action Plans & Assignments
• 12:00 PM    Close

A fall planning conference away from the office gets your team away from distractions, rewards them for their hard work over the past year, and gets their creative juices flowing.  Some ideas for a location are a local hotel, a restaurant with private rooms, or even someone's house.  The most important thing is to eliminate the interruptions so your team can really be productive.

Including a team building exercise adds some fun and laughs to your meeting.  If you're not familiar with facilitating these exercises, businessballs.com has some great free ideas.  Other ideas, if you're not comfortable with these activities, you could also:

• Assign a top-selling leadership book to be read ahead of time and have everyone discuss their take-aways
• Hire an outside speaker to motivate or train your team
• Any activity that will build report among your people

A dinner where you recognize the accomplishments of your team from the past year is a fun way to recognize the work they've put in for your business.  Try to keep track throughout the year of good work and bring it up during the dinner.  It's even fun to have individual awards such as top sales person, best attitude, etc.  Certificates are easy to format and print from most word processing programs, or you can have small trophies or plaques made at a local vendor.  You'll be surprised at how proud your team members will be to display these items on their desks after the meeting.

The most critical portion of the meeting is the goal setting and action planning phase.  As the leader, you should spend time before this meeting seriously thinking about where you want to be in the next year and how you'll get there.  Present your ideas first, but then ask for your team's feedback.  They might have even loftier goals than you've thought of.  Let them take responsibility for the different action plans that you develop.  Once they have ownership, it's much easier to hold them accountable throughout the year.  Take good notes during this section and compile them to be handed out to the team later.

This whole idea may seem a little overwhelming if you've never done it before.  It takes planning, scheduling, and time to gather materials.  The idea of all that extra work could put you off of the idea entirely.  But you don't have to do it alone.  You can hire Administrative Business Consulting to make all the arrangements and deliver the materials.  They can also research vendors and activities for the meeting.  You would simply give guidance on budget, preferred location, and activities and Administrative Business Consulting can do all the rest.  Compiling the notes and sending out the follow ups can be assigned to Administrative Business Consulting as well.

Once you implement this as a regular feature of your year, you'll find that your team looks forward to it.  A fall planning conference can become the highlight of your year and can get you off to a great start come January.

Being More Effective on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the number one professional networking site on the web.  There are currently over 160 million users worldwide, with an average age of 45 and an average income of over $91,000.  It is a potential gold mine of referrals for your business.

LinkedIn is intended to be a place where you present your professional image, as opposed to your personal image that you use on facebook.  There are are several ways that you can use this vast network of professionals to do this:

• Maintaining business contacts
• Getting introductions
• Posting recommendations for contacts
• Getting referrals for your business
• Checking references on potential employees or associates
• Receiving industry news
• Finding, posting, and forwarding jobs

The main tool to connect with people on LinkedIn is your profile page.  It is important to make it BEEFY!  What I mean is that it needs to be rich in content and engaging to get noticed.  Tell your story with details including all of your accomplishments and milestones.  Include any references to your business in print and on-line media, any awards you or your business has received, and any certificates or credentials that show you are an authority in your industry.  Every word in your profile is keyword searchable, so be sure and include your top terms somewhere in the profile.

When potential customers look at your profile, they will be comparing it to the profile of your competitors.  You need to be current and engaging to keep yourself on the top of the list.  Use a photo that is a true representation of yourself.  The most effective profile pictures will be professional head shots done recently.  You can also add videos to your profile using the Google Presentation or Slideshare apps within LinkedIn.  This adds extra pop and sets you above the competition.  Also, take a minute to personally welcome and acknowledge your new connections.  It develops the relationships you're trying to cultivate through LinkedIn and gives you an edge on your competition.

Joining professional and interest groups on LinkedIn lets you share in professional conversations about your industry or those that you're looking to get in to.  Taking part in groups will also grow your sphere of connections to include people you might not have had a chance to talk to previously.  When you do join, participate in the conversations to help get you and your brand notice.  These are also a good place to share info on events you might be putting on or blogs that you write.

This may seem like a lot of extra work to add to your already full plate.  But if you set aside a little time each week to work on it, you will reap great rewards.  You can also hire a virtual assistant service, such as Administrative Business Consulting, to help you set up a manage your LinkedIn profile.  That set up would let you have the best of all worlds.

Making the Most Out of Working From Home

In today's technologically advanced world, more and more people are taking the opportunity to work from home.  It could be a telecommuting situation or actually running a home-based business.  While working this way removes stresses, it can also add them to your daily work life.  Here are some simple tips for making the most of your home/work arrangement.

Having a routine is an essential first step in establishing your home office environment.  When I first began working from a home office, I really struggled with this.  I was getting up at different times, randomly tackling tasks, and basically finding myself stressed at the end of the day with not a lot to show for it and maybe not even showered.  Getting up at the same time every day, eating breakfast, exercising, and getting dressed for work set me up to be more productive and successful in my home office.  You should pick a routine that works for you and stick to it.

Set up a space in your home dedicated to your work.  This could be a separate office in a spare room, a section of your own room, or even the garage for that matter.  It is wherever you feel comfortable and productive.  Make sure you have adequate lighting, a fairly quiet environment, and access to the equipment you need.  Define this area as your work space, and make that clear to your family or housemates.

Staying organized can be one of the biggest challenges of working from home.  When I left a traditional office to the home office, I went from being extremely organized to letting things go a little bit.  My papers were beginning to just be in piles all over and I was losing focus on what I wanted to accomplish each day.  Setting up my calendar on Google so that I only had to enter appointments in one location (phone or PC) was a huge help.  Now my phone and my computer say the same thing.  Using a task list program, such as Outlook, keeps me focused on what the priority actions are for the day and the week.  I also bought a label maker to get my file folders neat and organized.  A disorganized work area can add to your stress and make it difficult for you to be productive.

Clearly defining your work hours to yourself as well as to your clients, family, and friends is helpful in creating a good home working environment.  I often find myself continually looking at my email well in to the night instead of spending that time winding down.  This is frustrating to those around you and makes you feel more pressure.  On the flip side, don't let distractions available at home deter you from accomplishing your work tasks.  Be clear with your clients that you will be available during specific times, and stick to it.  Scheduling yourself breaks during the day, such as lunch, is part of defining your work hours.

Working at home can sometimes feel like being alone in the world.  If most of your interaction during the day is electronic, you can start to feel isolated and less satisfied with the home office situation.  I belong to both Toastmasters and Business Network International.  These two memberships serve a dual purpose: they each get me out of my home office once a week to interact with other people and they give me an opportunity to network with other professionals.

Lastly, double check your homeowners insurance coverages when setting up your home office.  If you will have clients or coworkers come to your home for business purposes, you might need to add some specialty riders depending on your policy.  The time to do this is now and not after someone slips on your front walk.

Working at home is a privilege that many of us have been lucky enough to have.  If you set yourself up for success by thinking ahead and doing some planning, you will love it as much as I have.

A Business Plan is Essential for Future Success

When embarking on any new venture, it is essential to have a well crafted plan to be successful.  It's no different when you're starting a new business or working on revitalizing an existing one.  This living document generally projects 3 to 5 years ahead and outlines the route your business will take to reach your goals.  There are generally nine areas that need to be covered in your plan in order to have a clear picture of where you want to be in the future.

Executive Summary - This provides a snapshot of your business as a whole including your company profile and goals.  The Executive Summary will be your first impression for investors and company participants, so spend some time really thinking about where your business is, where you want to take it, and why your idea will be successful.  Some good information to include is:

• Mission statement
• Company information
• Growth highlights
• Products and services
• Financial information
• Information on target market
• Summary of future plans

Company Description - Here is where you give more detailed information on what you do, what differentiates your business for others, and the markets your business aims to serve.  Make sure and describe the marketplace needs that you are trying to satisfy and how your products or services are going to meet those needs.  Also highlight any competitive advantages that your business has such as location, expert personnel, or value of offerings.

Market Analysis - Knowing who your customers are is vitally important when starting a business.  This is the section where you highlight your research about your industry, market, and competitors.  It should emphasize your knowledge and research about who you are going to target and how your business will deliver more successfully than your competitors.

Organization & Management - This section should include your company's organizational structure, ownership information, profiles of your management team, and qualifications of your board of directors (if applicable).  A simple but effective way to lay out your structure is to use an organizational chart with narrative information.  Ownership information should be as detailed as possible, even if you are a one-person operation.

Service or Product Line -  You need to tell the story of what you sell and how it benefits your customer in this section of your plan.  You should talk about how your product or service is going to meet a specific customer's needs, any advantages your offering has over your competitor's, and what stage of development your offering is in.

Marketing & Sales - Here is where you lay out how you plan to gain customers and how you plan to sell your products and services to those customers.  The overall marketing plan should include:

• Strategies for - market penetration, growth, channels of distribution, and communication

The overall sales plan should include:

• A sales force strategy and planned sales activities

Funding Request - If your company is seeking investment or bank funding, this section should be included in your plan.  Include specific requests for funding and the plan for how that money is to be distributed in your business.  Having a debt repayment plan in the funding request will help assure potential investors that you have a long-term plan for success.

Financial Projections - This section should be developed after you've analyzed your market and set clear objectives for your business.  Historical (if available) and prospective financial data will need to be included in this section.  If you are a start-up, take a look at information for similar businesses as a base for your projections.  Think critically about what your overhead and selling price will be.

Appendix - An appendix is optional, but it is a good place to include backing material to support the statements and projections for your future plans.  Possible things to include are:

• Resumes
• Credit histories
• Product pictures
• Letters of reference
• Details of market studies
• Licenses, permits, and patents
• Copies of leases
• Contracts
• List of business consultants

A successful business plan is not a static document that gets written once then is never consulted again.  Your business plan should be reviewed and updated no less than once a year.  It will serve as a check-up on where you are compared to where you wanted to be.

If you've never written a business plan before, there are many templates available in programs such as Word or on-line.  For more information on how to make your plan stand out, check out the website of the Small Business Administration.

What Can a Virtual Administrative Assistant Do for Your Business?

When the idea of hiring a virtual administrative assistant comes up, the most common question that occurs is "what would I have a VA do for me?".  The answer will be different for each individual client, but here's a list of possibilities to get your creative juices flowing:

Administrative Support
Email organization                                                 Travel arrangements
Voice mail response                                              Coordinate conference calls
Coordinate appointments                                      Contact updates & tracking
Calendar management                                          Business card scanning
Data entry                                                                Excel spreadsheet building
PowerPoint creation                                              Report generation
Email & mail campaigns                                       Thank you & greeting cards
Website content updates                                       Blog posts
Internet research                                                     Supply ordering
Management of team meetings                            Communication management
Mail merges

Meeting & Event Planning Support
Create & send email or regular mail - announcements, invitations, thank you letters
Set up logistics - meeting rooms, AV needs, meals, overnight rooms, vendors
Manage guest lists
Receive & track responses via phone, fax, or email
Track attendees
Follow-up with non-responders
Create meeting agendas & support materials
Collate & ship materials
Research & order giveaways

Marketing & Sales Support
Social media management                                    Mailing label creation
Email newsletter sending                                       Sales packet mailing
Compile mailing lists                                               Distribute & track surveys
Follow-up calls

This list is in no way exhaustive, but you can see that a Virtual Administrative Assistant can be a valuable right-hand person in the operation of your business.  For more information about how to hire a Virtual Administrative Assistant and how the arrangement works, check out the web site of Administrative Business Consulting.

How to Use Hashtags with Your Social Media

Hashtags (#) have been in use on Twitter for some time, but they have become common on other social media sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and now even on facebook.  But what are they for and how can you use them to boost the reach of your social media presence.

A hashtag is a key word (or group of words, with no spaces) prefixed with the "#" symbol in a social media message.  The format would look like this: "#topic".  These hashtags then become clickable text that allow users of social media to see what others are saying about that topic. People use hash tags to highlight events, ideas, conferences, products, TV shows, and many other subjects.

Any user can make any word or combination of words in to a clickable hashtag.  If you open a facebook status and type the "#" followed by your chosen phrase, you'll see that the text becomes highlighted by a blue box.  Once you hit post, the tag will appear in bold in your update and other users will be able to click on it which will show them a listing of all the other posts featuring that hashtag.

It is important to remember that this system is a simple form of organization and it can often have trouble with hashtags that are too complicated.  For instance, you can have a tag like "#thingsididwheniwassevenonmybike", but how often are other people going to use that tag?  If the answer is never, then it is probably not an effective tag to use.  Try to keep the tags short and relevant to what you want your message to be. If you would like to see what hashtags are currently trending or if the tag you want to use is already being used, you can visit www.hashtags.org or hashtagify.me.  Also, don't put too many hashtags in one post.  Research is showing:

http://blogs.constantcontact.com/product-blogs/social-media-marketing/how-to-use-hashtags/

As a business, you can use hashtags to make an event more social, join other conversations that are trending up with your customers, boost the visibility of a promotion, or engage more visitors.  Take for example an event like a customer appreciation picnic.  You could announce it on your page with a hashtag of #welovecustomers encouraging your fans to bring friends with them to the event.  Your customers share the information with their friends using your hashtag, and that gets passed around to and even wider audience.  You can then click on your tag #welovecustomers and see who is using it and get an idea of your posts reach.

It may seem complicated or just another part of social media that you have to learn, remember that 71% of users on social media are using hashtags in their posts.  43% of those users think tags are useful and 34% use them to follow categories and brands of personal interest like your business.

Using Technology to Stay Competitive

As a small business owner in today's fast paced world, it is vital that you understand and utilize advanced technologies that are available to you and fit with your business.  Technology, used correctly, can help increase your business efficiency and even expand your operations.

Accounting
Gone are the days where a one-man shop had to keep financial records in a hand-written ledger book.  There are a myriad of options in accounting software and services that can help you see your profits and losses at a glance as well as set-up and track a budget.  Even if you use a CPA or bookkeeper, it is nice to have all your records in one place to give those professionals at tax time.  Some of the great options available are:

• Freshbooks - On-line and easy to use (my personal favorite)
• Quickbooks - Both on-line and hard copy available
• Outright.com - On-line service

Calendar & Email Management

Most business owners are reliant on functional calendaring and email solutions.  The advent of cloud-computing technology has made it possible to access your calendar and email from either your laptop, smartphone, or tablet equally well.  These new services also allow you to delegate your calendar and email management to your virtual administrative assistant like Administrative Business Consulting.  Here are the most popular options:

• Outlook.com
• Gmail and Google Calendar

File Sharing Platforms

Many teams are not located in the same building, let alone the same state, anymore, but you may not have the need (or capacity) for a stand alone network solution.  You may be working with clients and contractors, like your virtual administrative assistant, spread over large geographical areas and in different time zones.  This requires you to have a good, central place to share files and work collaboratively.  Cloud-computing has made these services easy to access and use across your different devices.  Some options include:

• Microsoft Office Skydrive
• Google Docs
• Dropbox

Technology is an integral part of every successful business.  There are solutions available for not only the large corporations but also for the small operations like yours and mine.  Most of these services are either free (to a certain point) or will allow you to run a free trial to see if it is a good fit for your business.  Embracing possibilities and new ways to be productive will help you secure your success in a rapidly changing business environment.

Work/Life Balance Hacks from Liz Pearce

This is officially the first weekend of summer in my book, and that means I'm thinking about ways to achieve that ever elusive work/life balance.  As a business owner, parent, spouse, etc. that can sometimes be a struggle.  Geek Wire writer Liz Pearce has compiled this list of great hacks for reaching that holy grail of all busy people.

1. Invest in your relationships the way you invest in your 401(k) - Make small, regularly scheduled investments with your spouse, friends, and family.  Have weekly date nights, monthly girls night out, and specific activities with your kids.  Use the same rule of thumb that you use with your dentist or hairdresser: never leave one social appointment without scheduling the next.
2. Pay for services, not stuff - I don't have much of a handbag budget, but I do have a budget for someone to help me with the yard.  You might only have one pair of boots, but you have your administrative tasks contracted out every month with Administrative Business Consulting.  As a rule, try to spend your resources on things that free up time instead of take up space.
3. Treat your home like you do your inbox: get rid of everything you don't truly value - Trying to save every birthday party goody bag toy, outdated magazine, old t-shirt, and random piece of paper adds a small amount of friction to tasks you try to accomplish at home.  And that can add up to a significant emotional burden of guilt when you're trying to spend quality time at home.  Try to get rid of 15 things every single day.  They could be pieces of junk mail or old leftovers in the fridge.  Each little, frequent act of de-cluttering will also lower your stress levels.
4. When it comes to parenting, comparison is the root of all unhappiness - The constant deluge of advice and product recommendations from email lists, blogs, and books can add to your anxiety.  Try to shut most of them out and focus your energy on what is actually going on within your own house.  You can pick puzzles together over more costly lessons, drawing pictures at the kitchen table over elaborate trips to Disneyland, and bowls of warm popcorn while watching a family movie over dinners out.  Quantity time is just as valuable as quality time.
5. Conquer meal planning and you can conquer the world - That question of "what am I going to make for dinner" is a huge stress point in the lives of most working parents.  You may have to run to the store or you just end up picking up fast food.  To cut down on this issue, take one day and and plan your meals for the week.  You can download many helpful one-page planning sheets that then turn in to your shopping list.  This will allow you to go to the store once and not have to think about what you're making for dinner each night.
6. Allow yourself at least one vice - Remember that no one is perfect and allow yourself at least one indulgence for whenever the stress gets to you.  Mine is watching Dr. Who, put it could be chocolate, reading, taking a bath, or whatever makes you feel better and gives you time to recover and get back to your to-do list.

Now that you're armed with some great tips on getting a little calmness back in your life, go out and enjoy the summer!!

Tips for Public Speaking

When asked what their biggest fear is, a majority will say that they are more scared of public speaking than they are of dying.  That means that at a funeral, they'd rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy.  I used to be in that same boat, but after four years as a member of the Untwisted Tongues Toastmasters club, I've learned to embrace the opportunity to speak in public.

Most people would define public speaking fairly narrowly as giving a presentation or speech in front of colleagues or other large group of people.  But public speaking comes in to play whenever we have an interaction with another person.  It includes situations like answering a question during a weekly staff meeting, talking to a potential client about your business, or meeting a new person during a social gathering.  Toastmasters International has compiled a list of helpful tips to control nervousness and give more effective presentations.

Know Your Material
Having an in depth grasp of your material adds to your confidence level when speaking.  This will help you get back on track if you lose your place during the speech and will add a level of authority with your audience.  A comfort with the material will also allow you to use a conversational tone while interjecting personal stories and humor.

Practice. Practice. Practice.
Rehearse your speech out loud, using any visual aids and equipment that will be part of the presentation.  Practice with a timer and revise as necessary to fit in to your time allotted. 

Visualize Yourself Giving the Speech
While you are practicing the mechanics of your speech, visualize yourself delivering it in a successful way.  Imagine yourself using a clear, confident voice and the audience responding in a positive manner.  This will put your thoughts in a comforting place and will boost your confidence.

Know the Audience
Make sure you know who will be making up your audience.  Depending on your topic, you may need to alter your message or technical information to fit the people in attendance.  Knowing who you'll be speaking to will also go a long way towards building your confidence.

Know the Room
If you are speaking in an unfamiliar place, give yourself time to look at the room and its set-up.  Try to arrive early so that you know where you will be standing in relation to the audience and how your visual aids will be seen.  Also test any equipment you will be using during the rehearsal time.

Realize That People Want you to Succeed
Like I previously said, most people are afraid to speak in public and therefore understand all too well how nervous you are.  They want you to succeed at giving a great presentation.  The audience knows how you feel and are already on your side.

Don't Apologize During the Presentation
Most of the mistakes and stumbles that you perceive as glaring during the presentation usually are not even noticed by the audience.  If you make a mistake during the speech, just move on without mentioning it.  Often they audience won't even notice that anything was wrong unless you draw attention to it.

Use Your Visual Aids Effectively
Make sure the visual aids are not taking away from your spoken message.  Slides should be concise and easy to follow.  If you need help creating an effective presentation, you can hire a service such as Administrative Business Consulting to build the show.  Remenber, don't turn your back to the audience and read from the slides or flip chart.