Just One New Year’s Resolution Can Increase Your Profit!

Just One New Year’s Resolution Can Increase Your Profit!

Happy New Year!

Ugh! The thought of making another list of New Year’s Resolutions can make some of us cringe. So, I thought I’d make just one New Year’s resolution this year.

Did you know only 44% of Americans made resolutions in 2015? And of that probably 1 in 3 abandon them by the end of January? So I decided to ditch the list and come up with something different and at the same time increase my profit.

Just yesterday I was going over the past year and making a plan as to how I was going to make this year better professionally. I’m sure all of you were inundated with everything from emails to Twitter and Facebook posts on New Year’s Resolutions, from how to keep them, to the lists to make, apps that remind you about them and what to do when you fail at keeping them, etc. It was this that prompted me to want to write this quick New Year’s post.

Making a list of resolutions can lead to a lot of negativity because when we don’t hold up our end of the bargain and don’t keep to a promise we made to ourselves, guilt sets in, and we get down on ourselves. Who wants that guilt trip immediately into the New Year? Not I and I know you don’t either. Entrepreneurially speaking, when you’re in business for yourself, failure is not an option and neither should be “good enough”.

So here’s what I propose we do instead. This one thing is all you have to do and I know you will have a great, guilt-free year. Day by day you’ll notice a difference in your outlook and your self-confidence. I wouldn’t call it a New Year resolution; I’d call it a shift in perspective because this doesn’t have to anything to do with a list. It has everything to do with our daily perspective.

Here it is; go the extra mile. We’ve all heard it before, but do we actually do it? Every day we are committed to doing things: projects, reports, schedules, meetings, emails, etc. Sometimes we are so pressed for time that “good enough” becomes our best. Don’t let that happen this year!

 

As Zig Ziglar once said, “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.”

 

How will this affect your profit? Simple, when you go the extra mile for your clients, they notice. In return, you will gain not only an increase in your self-confidence but also an increase in the loyalty of your customers. People want to do business with people they like, know and trust.

So if you have a project you have to oversee, is it running well? Or is it just good enough to get by? Take that extra few minutes, clear your head, focus and think about what’s in front of you. Ask yourself, “What can I do that takes this from “good enough” to great? If you apply this one thing with each task, you’ll feel great, you won’t feel that you did just enough to get by.

Being professional means going that extra mile, doing your best. So this year, rise above the crowd that makes lists of resolutions and keep it simple. Make just one New Year’s resolution – go the extra mile.

 

 

Stats from an article written by Mona Chalabi – a lead writer for FiveThirtyEight. (http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/only-44-percent-of-americans-made-new-years-resolutions/)

10 Smart Ways Business Owners Can Outsource to a Virtual Assistant

10 Smart Ways Business Owners Can Outsource to a Virtual Assistant

The 10 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Outsource the Projects and Tasks They Hate Doing

As a business owner, you probably have a to-do list that encompasses a lot of little details that are holding you back from the larger more important and demanding projects. Below I list 10 ways the virtual assistant industry can improve your productivity by outsourcing to different virtual assistants.

Most business owners are always running late to meetings, forgetting notes and forgetting to reply to those important emails.

If you’re nodding your head as you’re reading this, then I believe it’s safe to say, as a business owner, you are overloaded with work. Look at your watch, is it 6:30 pm or close to? If you are still sitting at your desk, it might be the time you look into the virtual assistant industry. Being overloaded is not only bad for your health by causing you stress, it’s keeping you from accomplishing the things that motivated you to start your own business in the first place!

Successful Business Owners Delegate

Successful entrepreneurs know they can’t do it all. In this article, I’ve listed 10 essential tasks that any entrepreneur/business owner can outsource. By hiring a virtual assistant you don’t have to be in the office. You can work from your home. a coffee shop or be on vacation. Knowing that some of those pesky dreaded tasks are off your back and are being done will reduce the stress that’s been building up over time. Hiring a virtual assistant like iTask Virtually, LLC, sets your mind free to think of ways you can drive your business forward. Click here for the definition of a virtual assistant.

Ten ideas how the virtual industry can help business owners
  1. Project Liaison between you and other team members. This is a great task to outsource to a virtual assistant. Once you’ve initiated the project, the virtual assistant can manage the team members and the flow of information and keep you updated with daily or weekly reports.
  2. Email Management/Filtering. This is one task that can get any business owner feeling overwhelmed. Your dedicated virtual assistant can filter the important need-attention-now emails from the less urgent ones. They can also set up autoresponders.
  3. Book flights and hotels. Do you travel a lot for your business? A virtual assistant can make all those arrangements for you.
  4. Set-up and manage Social Media Accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Youtube. We all know that having a presence on social media is a must when running a business in today’s technological world.
  5. Call clients and book appointments. Not only does having a virtual assistant do this save you time, it makes you look more professional too.
  6. Transcription service, such as transcribing voicemail, video or audio, podcasts etc. Typing up these notes can be very beneficial when reviewing for meetings, etc.
  7. Client/customer follow-up. For example, a virtual assistant can send out thank you emails, happy birthday emails or cards, etc.
  8. Research can take a lot of time; why not let the virtual assistant do the research for you?
  9. Create a WordPress site, write and manage blogs.
  10. Press Releases. Write and distribute them.

I can go on listing ways hiring a virtual assistant can help your company grow but I think the ten I listed will do for starters. Remember a virtual assistant is just that – virtual. They remotely assist you so there are no overhead costs weighing you down.

Don’t be tied down to things you’re not sure about or don’t have time for, outsource it to a virtual assistant that knows how to manage the details behind the scenes for you. Create the time and space you need to get your company looking professional and keep that forward momentum flowing. Try it today! Click on the Set Appointment tab on this page and let’s talk about freeing up your time!
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A virtual assistant or a temp agency – What’s the difference?

A virtual assistant or a temp agency – What’s the difference?

In this article, I explain the ways a virtual assistant is different than hiring through a temp agency.

Why should business owners use virtual assistants instead of a temporary staffing company?

Temp agencies have been around for a long time.  The usual needs are when an employee goes on maternity leave or gets married and goes on their honeymoon or someone just goes on a leave of absence.  Sometimes there’s also just a need for the day. Depending on the level of assistance, the employer will look for either a temporary/contract worker or a replacement.

Virtual assistants work quite differently.  First of all, most are not looking to be hired by the firm.  Secondly, virtual assistants are executives in their area and diligently work to get the project completed on time.  Most temp agencies hire out who they have on staff at the moment needed.  This means that the temp you get may not have the desired skills needed to fulfill your company’s specific requirements! With a virtual assistant, you speak directly to the virtual assistant. 

So what’s the real difference between a virtual assistant and a temp agency?

Virtual assistants have specific skills that could suit your needs to a T.  Be it tax preparation, administrative tasks, project management or simply replying to email requests for more product/service information or setting appointments.

Besides getting your specific professional needs met, you don’t have to pay the overhead costs that come with temp agencies.  Another major benefit of hiring a virtual assistant is that the work done could be totally tax-deductible depending on your state’s laws!

In my opinion, if you’re an employer, it behooves you to compare and contrast the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant with that of using a temp agency.  Call me today at 330-573-2863 and let’s discuss your specific business needs from brochures to daily tasks to website maintenance!

Should you have any comments or suggestions or simply want to inquire about our services, please fill out the contact page.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net, image by Stuart Miles.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

What is a Virtual Assistant?

What is a virtual assistant?

The definition of a virtual assistant by Wikipedia is as follows; also typically abbreviated to VA, a virtual office assistant is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from their own home office.

Because they are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance, or benefits (except in the context that those indirect expenses are included in the VAs fees). Clients also avoid the logistical problem of providing extra office space, equipment, or supplies. Clients pay for 100% of the work and can work with them individually, or with multi-VA firms to meet their exact needs. Virtual Assistants usually work for other small businesses. It is estimated that there are as few as 5,000-8,000 or as many as 25,000 virtual assistants worldwide; the profession is growing in centralized economies with “fly-in, fly-out” staffing practices.

The Virtual Assistant Industry

virtual assistant

Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, e-mail, and phone call conferences, online workspaces, and fax machines. Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis and long-lasting cooperation are standard. Typically 5 years of administrative experience in an office is expected at such positions as an executive assistant, office manager/supervisor, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, information technology, et cetera.

In recent years, those entering the virtual assistant industry are seeing an upswing in the need of many mainstream businesses.  With the advent of VOIP or other services, such as Skype it has been possible to have a virtual assistant who can answer your phone remotely without the end user’s knowledge. This allows many businesses to add a personal touch in the form of a receptionist without the additional cost of hiring someone.

Ready to get started?

Book a free consultation today and let’s discuss how your business could benefit from working with a virtual assistant.
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Delegate is not a dirty word!

Delegate is not a dirty word!

Too much work?  Feeling overwhelmed? Delegate the extra work!

Delegate the extra work! When we think of the word “delegate,” we think we’re passing the buck so to speak.  That’s just not true.  In essence, it’s a good leader, a good manager who can delegate tasks to the appropriate person.  As business owners, we don’t want to micromanage. We want to delegate to someone who knows how to work independently. Virtual assistants have the knowledge, skills, and independent factors already in place. No training, no overhead costs, and no wasting time. Appointing someone else to complete a project or task means you know who will do a good job.

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Delegating tasks and projects to a virtual assistant could be the best decision you make!

To delegate some extra work to a virtual assistant can be the best decision for a busy business owner and seriously what business owner is not busy? The idea of outsourcing work is efficient, clear and less expensive than hiring a temporary employee or bringing someone in full-time and training them.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net, image by Jannoon028