Archive for category: Uncategorized

It is true, everyone has their own ways and means of going about how they communicate with the outside world, but as times have moved on, it’s quite intriguing to find someone who blatantly refuses to sign up to any sort of social networking website.  Some are even just petrified at the mere mention of the internet and the ‘World Wide Web’, let alone if it involves any sort of technology and social media – perhaps they have a valid point?
 
Some people will argue that the majority of social networking is for, and aimed at young folk, but a lot, including myself would beg to differ and say there are a lot of the older generation and successful business men, women and corporations etc. who regularly use social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn the list goes on.  Even my 92 year old grandmother being no exception!  We could collectively say, “Networking sites have made it possible for some of us to find and connect with old friends, family and business acquaintances.”  So yes, when used well, it’s great.  Other advantages include the fact that you can literally stay in touch with people on a regular basis, what with `like’ buttons and `comment boxes’, so even if you don’t want to speak to them, you don’t have to – well verbally anyway! But mind you the feeling might be mutual.
 
I’ve noticed however, that the one thing that people constantly get wrong when they register on these sites is that, they don’t actually take the time to read and make use of the `privacy setting’ feature thoroughly enough.  A lot of people (sorry, especially the not so young folk) tend to unintentionally leave themselves quite exposed that it is almost easy to pin point their exact location at any time.  Whether that be on their way to the airport for a much needed break or by openly advertising what time they’re due back from the shops.
 
Earlier on this week, whilst I was doing some company updates on Facebook, I noticed a friend of a friends status update which basically read, “The doctor has confirmed my little boy has got ‘Hand, Foot and Mouth”.  Along with a few comments from friends empathizing with the situation, others had just decided to be Facebook’s very own Dr Remedy, with comments on how it happened to them before, to what the best cure was.  Thank god she was only a friend of a friend and I have no direct contact with her I say! Scarily though, later on whilst speaking to my friend I found out that half the people who had commented on the post weren’t even on her friend list – her `status’ had been set to `Public’- ouch!
 
Though there are many benefits to social media networking in terms of mass communication of service messages, marketing, digital sales and the like’s one must always remember that it can also be pretty intrusive too, and once information gets into the wrong hands, we all know what could potentially happen from there.  So the moral of the story is, be careful on social networking sites, do it well, be thorough and most importantly keep safe and check your settings – often!
 

Thinking about hiring a virtual assistant may well bring dozens of questions to mind. After all, this will be another expense for your business surely? So, it is important to determine whether hiring a virtual assistant is not only worth the cost but also whether it benefits you and ultimately your business. Consider whether any of these thoughts have come to mind to determine whether the time is right to hire your very own virtual assistant.
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You’re having problems staying organised. If you find that you have trouble staying on track of daily / weekly tasks then, hiring a virtual assistant may well greatly benefit you. This additional help can provide a bit more structure to your daily routine, by making sure there aren’t any conflicts within your schedule and that everything goes according to plan.  Not only can they manage your email inbox & route emails to the relevant persons or departments, they can also provide diary management, ensure no calls go unanswered and pass messages on.
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You have too many time consuming tasks. It’s easy to get caught up in time-consuming tasks that may or may not be important and / or vital to your business but, these can hold you back from more financially beneficial aspects of your business. A virtual assistant can complete many if not all of these tasks for you, leaving you more time to focus and concentrate on other important areas of your business such as revenue. A virtual assistant can help schedule and confirm meetings and appointments, manage credit control, provide office administration and cover absent staff whether that be as a result of illness or holiday (vacation).  There are untold projects or tasks that can be managed for you therefore don’t underestimate the value of having a virtual assistant on board. Ultimately this can save you valuable time spent on mundane tasks, so you can remain focused on running your business or even busy household.
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You don’t have the money to hire additional staff. In this day and age it can be very expensive to hire staff (employees), whether it is full time or part time. When you hire staff, you are not only paying for the work they complete but also for their breaks, idle time and benefits that are usually associated with salaried staff, including medical, pensions etc. With a virtual assistant, you are simply paying for the work that is completed, not any breaks, private healthcare or holidays (vacations) which can save you thousands of pounds or dollars each year.  Can you afford to overlook this?
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You don’t have space for another on site employee. If you work in a tiny office or simply don’t have the room to add another employee in your office, hiring a virtual assistant is the perfect solution. You don’t have to worry about providing desk space or even moving your business to a bigger location thus incurring all the costs associated with this. Hiring a virtual assistant allows you to get the work you need completed done without any additional overheads or stress associated with adding a new employee(s) to your office space.  A virtual assistant comes fully manned with their own fully equipped office to support you in your business.  They are also fully responsible for their own software and hardware, so no additional IT costs for you.
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Your work-life balance is non-existent. If you’re feeling totally overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work required then it might be a good idea to consider hiring a virtual assistant who can help you make sure your business is running productively. A virtual assistant can help you with straightforward or complex tasks that you may find too time consuming, making sure you get everything done.  Thus providing you with more time to relax, enjoy your job again and provide you with more quality time for your friends and family.
If there is any doubt in taking the next step in hiring a virtual assistant (if you haven’t already done so) then why not hire one on a trial basis? Most virtual assistants would be happy to provide support for you on a trial basis to ensure that the working relationship is suitable.  With ever evolving technology the services of a virtual assistant is too good to pass up, after all we could all do with a helping hand, couldn’t we?

When running a successful business, it is highly likely that you will search for ways in which to move your business forward. One of the most sought after ways to grow a business is to expand it into international markets. With technology forever evolving a lot of the previous barriers that hindered such expansion have neigh on disappeared.  Has your business got what it takes for this next step? And are you prepared?  Find out whether your business is ready for international expansion and consider the options of doing it.
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Signs Your Business is Ready for International Expansion
1.     You are receiving international requests or enquiries. If you find that you are getting an increased volume of enquiries from potential customers overseas about your products or services, there’s a good chance that your services or products are in demand and an indication that your business could potentially expand internationally.
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2.     You realise new products or services may do better (more profitable) in other markets. Perhaps you’ve received requests for a new product or service from international customers that in comparison may fare better in their market than your own or, fare just as well.  If you feel it is appropriate and the timing is right, consider the opportunity to test this new service or product initially without fully jumping in feet first or putting all your eggs in one basket!  Research and due diligence is the key here and no new venture or decision should be made without either.
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3.     Your business is going well and you’re looking to the future. Knowing your business has been doing well for quite a while and realising that it might continue flourishing or could ultimately slow down is a sign that you should consider alternative revenue streams for your products or services. One of the possible ways to do this is to expand and take your business into the international arena.
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4.     You have saturated the local market. If you notice that your sales have been pretty flat or indeed down on previous periods / years and all marketing efforts exhausted, it may be the push needed and the ideal time to look further afield for new business opportunities.
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How to Expand Your Business Internationally
1.     Create an international business plan. Determine why you want to expand your business internationally and develop a strategy to enter foreign markets. Keep in mind what additional costs you can expect, as well as the amount of revenue you plan to allocate to the effort
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2.     Identify potential markets. The first step in expanding your business internationally is to do research on countries where you might consider expanding your business to, whilst deciding which have the greatest demand for your services or products. You may want to look into developed countries that have a heightened need for your products or services as well as developing countries that may not currently have the products or services you readily offer.
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3.     Know the legal requirements. Make sure you know all of the rules for exporting your products or services internationally. These can vary greatly depending on the markets you are hoping to expand into so, research, research is the key!
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4.     Determine the capabilities of your business. Be aware of what capabilities your business has for expanding internationally. Make sure you understand which of your services and products have potential for success overseas. Also, bare in mind the strengths and weaknesses of your business and its potential growth rate.
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5.      Choose which international markets to enter. Once you have a good plan in place for expanding your business and feel that you are ready to take the plunge, select the markets you want to enter and get yourself ready for international expansion.
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Pros of International Expansion (to name but a few)
1.     Expansion and growth of potential customer base
2.     Spreads risk by customer diversification beyond local market
3.     Provides firsthand experience and awareness of how international business is
conducted
4.     More cost effective running costs
5.     Worldwide status and recognition
 
Cons of International Expansion (to name but a few)
1.     Insufficient research or due diligence which could result in unexpected risk to
currency fluctuations, or political instability in some international markets
2.     Disruption of cash flow due to payment delays
3.     Potential for lost or damaged goods in overseas transportation
4.     Foreign regulations and standards
5.     Increased operating costs ie additional staff, specialised transport networks etc
however hiring a virtual assistant could turn one of these Cons  into a positive.  See virtual assistant services for a solution to that problem.
 
Ultimately, with the right focus and commitment, businesses can succeed in the global marketplace providing they do business with secure trading partners regardless of where in the world they are located

It seems like some days there just are not enough hours in the day to get everything you want done, especially when you’d much rather be using your time to focus on making increased profits for your company – or better yet, taking a much needed break! That’s where I come in. As a professional virtual and onsite business & consumer assistant, I can help you to manage many important aspects of your life as well as office administration tasks, giving you more time to focus on the more important things, thus –  saving you both valuable time and money!
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Some of the Services I Offer to Save You Time & Money
Telephone Support: I can provide telephone support for both inbound and outbound customer calls. Outsourcing your telephone support to me will not only give you more time to focus on other aspects of your business but it will also give you the peace of mind that no calls or opportunities go unanswered or are lost.
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Virtual Assistance: I offer a number of virtual assistant services, including: email management, office administration, diary management, data research, data entry, account management, and so much more. Using my virtual assistant services is a great way to make sure the work you need done gets completed without having to worry about handling these tasks all on your own, giving you more time to focus on the money making opportunities for your business.
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Onsite Support Services: I also provide a number of onsite support services to help you manage your business in house. My onsite support services include office administration, receptionist services, email management, consultancy, account management, and much more. These allow you the benefit of having me serve your business in house in case anything comes up that you need me to handle right away.
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Some of the many Benefits of Virtual & Onsite Assistance

1. An escape from work. By hiring me as your virtual or onsite assistant, you can take advantage of more quality time outside the office relaxing, enjoying a hobby, or even taking a mini vacation.  Knowing that your business has been left in good hands.
2. Have more time to focus on new business opportunities & increased client base. Having an assistant allows you to have more time to focus on more exciting aspects of your business, such as new revenue generating opportunities. Many tasks can easily be outsourced, giving you less stress and more freedom to focus your energy on making your company more profitable.
3. Be more flexible. Utilizing a virtual or onsite assistant allows you more flexibility so you can handle important tasks as they arise, since I will make sure that everything you need my assistance with gets taken care of.
4. Have more peace of mind. Hiring me as your affordable assistant gives you the peace of mind that everything you need completed will be finished on time, so you don’t have to worry about not meeting any deadlines or running late for any meetings.

Find out more about the affordable services I offer here and see the many ways in which I can help you save time and money, allowing you to operate your business much more effectively & efficiently!  Can you really afford not to?

Sometimes people jump headfirst into things without considering the consequences and unknowns of working from home, because they become so enamored by the idea that they can work from the one place they enjoy being the most, i.e. home. Working from home definitely has its redeeming features; namely, (a) you don’t have to get dressed up if you don’t want to, (b) you don’t necessarily have to report to a boss—at least in person anyway, (c) you are only responsible for yourself and of course the client hiring you, (d) you can choose a schedule that works for you, which means if you need to pick the children up from school or get your shirt from the dry cleaners, you can do so, and not have to worry about the implications of scheduling conflicts. It’s true there are many benefits to working from home. Yet, some of these benefits will be determined on the basis of what type of work you are actually doing, working from home.
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A virtual assistant is someone who works from home, who remotely services an individual, or company for that matter, by doing a myriad of tasks. These tasks include (a) compiling databases in Excel, (b) taking incoming calls for the client via Skype or landline, (c) writing articles for search engine optimization purposes, (d) doing edits on a book, (e) creating PowerPoint and video presentations, and (f) any other kind of task you can think of which can be done remotely working from home.
For someone introverted whose ideal work environment is one that encompasses the embodiment of total autonomy, being a virtual assistant may sound like the perfect job!
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On the flip side of these benefits reside the consequences and unknowns mentioned earlier. For instance, people who work from home as virtual assistants can earn much less money than their counterparts doing the same types of work inside the confines of a traditional office setting. Often times, your average work from home individual forgoes health insurance as well as other company provided benefits, such as retirement pensions and paid company holidays. When you factor these elements into the equation, it becomes even more devastating and daunting to think about all that is given up as one works from home.
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So the question remains, do the pros outweigh the cons? The answer to this question is simply that it just depends on the individual and their specific circumstances. This answer is subjective, and relies on an answer from each individual considering working from home. An extrovert, who embraces audiences, and who enjoys the interaction of other people, may very well decide against the idea of working from home as a virtual assistant. On the other hand someone who is more introverted, someone who embraces autonomy to a high degree, and someone who is happiest in their own home environment, well to this individual it may very well be the best decision for them to choose by choosing to work from home as a virtual assistant, in this type of capacity.
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One has to consider one’s propensities and faculties as well as ones education and adeptness and talents, to determine if working from home is something that is a right choice for them. One also has to consider one’s habits and work behaviors,because, as people who flourish working in a traditional office setting, with near-total supervision and guidance, perhaps this person would fall apart left on their own expedients, i.e. working from their home with absolutely no supervision, guidance, or help. Working from home can be just as demanding and exacting as working in a traditional office setting, so for this reason targets and schedules still need to be set in place and adhered to, but in the end, you may find, like most people find, that working from home, all in all, far outweighs the daily commute, the daily office gossip, and a stressed-out boss who keeps nagging you to move faster and faster, while constantly adding more and more tasks and expectations on top of your already piling workload. At least working from home, you can control the workflow, and therefore control how much income you actually make. This spells empowerment in my book!!!!