Eat Your Career
JANUARY 30, 2012
I’m not a big fan of the word “hate” but let me be honest: I’ve definitely felt some very, VERY strong negativity toward a few of my superiors in the past. Hey, I’m only human. This is probably one of the most common challenges I hear from professionals. Working for someone you don’t like is the absolute worst. And yet, it can be a great learning experience if you approach it with the right attitude.
The Small Business Blog
JANUARY 30, 2012
There are several types of business in the UK – but one thing every business has in common is a starting point. You need cash to start a business. There’s a lot to do and one essential job is finding the right source of business finance.
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Virtual Moxie
JANUARY 30, 2012
Clients who think the best way to get support is by "hiring" cheap labor should look to underdeveloped countries. Don't try to talk them out of it. You're not what they need, and they're not your market.
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 2, 2012
Over the last few months a hot topic in the media has been business storytelling. Entrepreneur's How to Become Your Company's Storyteller is a good example. It explains the reason business stories are becoming so important: "These days, corporate-weary consumers care more and more about buying locally, supporting independent businesses and owning products that are made sustainably and responsibly.
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!
Eat Your Career
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
This is a small segment pulled from a webinar I did at the beginning of the year where I provided tips for helping you keep your New Year’s resolutions. If you need a little assistance putting together SMART goals, this video breaks it down quickly and provides step-by-step instructions to turn an abstract “resolution” or “dream” into a concrete action-oriented goal.
Administrative Professionals Pulse brings together the best content for administrative professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Office Organization Success
JANUARY 31, 2012
One thing that kept cropping up for me when I was teaching at a recent event was the fact that so many of you are getting overwhelmed with your marketing; not so much with the list building or connecting with potential clients, but your actual marketing planning. The busier you get in your business the harder it becomes to keep a handle on things. Just some of the issues that cropped up at the event I was at were: You’re being asked to speak at events or telesummits and don’t know how this fits
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 30, 2012
The New York Times Economix blog post The Quiet Driver of Economic Growth: Exports covers the steady growth in the percent of U.S. GDP generated by exports. The chart below is from the article. Most interesting is their explanation for the rise in exports - domestic problems. Key quote: Much of the rise in exports is a consequence of domestic problems.
Eco-Office Gals
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
If you’re looking to start a service-based business and have a mind for both energy efficiency and eco-friendliness, then near the top of your list of priorities should be securing green office space. While we’re mostly familiar with the dead giveaways when it comes to evaluating the greenness of a particular space, there are subtle indicators of a property’s green status relative to other options.
The Small Business Blog
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. The first step is to work out what the actual problem is. Encourage employees who have issues within your business to speak up about these problems. 2.
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Sharing your authentic self in a virtual interview can be an unwanted challenge. How do you break through the digital barrier when conducting a virtual interview and share your exceptional self? Think in unconventional ways to elevate the virtual interviewing experience.
Step It Up VA Coaching
FEBRUARY 2, 2012
by Donna Toothaker. Most people are not 100% at home promoting themselves and what they do. As business owner, however, you have to get comfortable selling yourself and your services, and quickly, for your business to thrive. If you’re holding out on promoting yourself – whether out of fear, self-consciousness, or not knowing how to do it the “right way,” you are holding your talents, skills and gifts back from the world, and from potential clients!
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 31, 2012
U Mass Dartmouth marketing professor Nora Barnes has caused quite a stir in social media circles with her latest study on the usage of social media by Inc. 500 companies. The research shows the number of Inc. 500 companies blogging declined in 2011. It actually declined quite a bit. In 2010 half of the Inc. 500 blogged. But in 2011 only 37% did. While blogging is down, social media usage is up. Facebook is used by by 74% of Inc. 500 members, Lin
Ian's Messy Desk
JANUARY 31, 2012
I have a terrible time remembering people ’s names. Let me rephrase that, I have a terrible time learning people’s names. I don’t know how often I’ve been embarrassed when someone greets my by name and I can’t remember who the person is. I envy those people that remember your name from the first time they hear it. Anyone with such an ability has a head start on building strong relationships.
Virtual Moxie
JANUARY 31, 2012
The time between when you send your client agreement/intake packet to a new client and the time you actually begin working with her is the "intake" period--the time you do the work to get things ready on your end to work with the client. . This might be setting up files, or reading materials the client sends you to bring you up to speed, or setting up an online collaborative workspace, or any number of other things you might do in preparation for the actual work to begin.
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On The Job
FEBRUARY 2, 2012
Those who graduate with degrees in romantic art history or have a background making typewriters may find themselves with a very short list of job possibilities. If you're looking to explore a new field that is projected to grow by leaps and bounds in the next few years, check out this story I did for Gannett/USAToday. Most people may not have any idea what a computer forensics expert does beyond a general knowledge gleaned from spy novels.
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
We posted last fall on the preliminary results of a study on non-profit employment from Johns Hopkins Non-Profit Economic Data project. The study showed non-profit employment increased by 2.1% from 2000-2010 while for-profit employment fell slightly. The final report is available and has greater detail on non-profit employment over the last decade. As we mentioned in our last post on this topic, non-profit's employ a lot of Americans. The chart below - from the r
Ian's Messy Desk
JANUARY 30, 2012
Everybody loves it when the underdog wins. The theme crops up regularly in movies: whether The Absent Minded Professor or the latest version of The Bad News Bears , something feels right about a group of misfits pulling it together for an eleventh-hour victory over the perennial champs. We love these stories because they make us believe we have potential to be winners, regardless of how we feel about ourselves at the moment.
Virtual Moxie
JANUARY 31, 2012
Meet, learn, grow, laugh, love. Do each as often as you can, wherever you can, and with whomever you can. Creating a successful business doesn't do away with the living. It can't be nose-to-the-grindstone all the time, pounding through tasks. That's friends, is scarcely living. And I want more for you than that (I bet your clients do, too!)!
Speaker: Tim Buteyn
Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.
Job Advice Blog
JANUARY 31, 2012
JTL Services, Inc. has been getting hammered with new jobs so far this year. If you or someone you know is looking for a new position I will list a link to our job page. I’m not sure what people are thinking about what 2012 is going to be like but I figured that it [.].
Office Organization Success
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
List Building: Hosting free teleclasses are a great way to build your list quickly & easily. They’re low-cost, simple to do, and they allow you to engage with your audience – a great way for your potential clients to get to know you better! Pick one of your most popular articles, create 3-5 bullet points and you’ve got content for your teleclass.
Ian's Messy Desk
JANUARY 28, 2012
Do you have trouble remembering things? Are you having trouble sleeping or is your stomach in knots? Are you sleeping too little or too much? All of these can be symptoms of stress. A certain amount of stress is good –or. Image via Wikipedia. even necessary– for all of us, but it is easy for it to get out of hand. Here are a few simple tips that can help you deal with stress.
Virtual Moxie
FEBRUARY 2, 2012
You're growing, changing, becoming more "you" all the time. And because you work virtually, it's likely that your clients are absolutely blind to most of that. Consider a quarterly update email to your clients to fill them in. Maybe there's something new about you that will spark something new in one of them. and lead to new ways for you to work together!
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
We’ve all been there. You’ve been given a pile of dry content and asked to create a compelling eLearning course. You’re determined to create something more engaging than the same old course that learners quickly click through, but how do you take this “boring” content and create something relevant and engaging? Many instructional designers will say, “Boring in means boring out.
Eco-Office Gals
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
Most of us make an effort to be eco-friendly at home—recycling, not wasting water, and getting rid of toxic cleaners are all pretty well known ways to go green. But what you might not have considered is that there are opportunities to be just as eco-friendly at work as you are at home. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to make businesses more eco-friendly.
Office Organization Success
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
Last weekend in Orlando was fun, but exhausting. I got to work with a great group of business owners, as well as hang out with Suzanne and the rest of the team. And I have two more trips back to Orlando planned for March — one for 10K; and the other for Suzanne’s Be The Change Event. Lots to look forward to! And this week has seen me continuing to do my market research activities, with phase 2 being announced tomorrow … so watch your inbox!
Ian's Messy Desk
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
Image via Wikipedia. Lotus Notes is the groupware of choice for my employer. It is coupled with my BlackBerry via the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. This allows me to keep my e-mail in-box, calendar, to-do list , address box and journal synced between my desktop and handheld. Lotus Notes works somewhat differently than other types of productivity software.
Virtual Moxie
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
If you work virtually and don't have a great community (online and/or off) of peers to support you, go find one. They're everywhere. If you don't know which you'll like best, try them all and then decide what's "home" for you. But don't let not knowing which to choose stop you from finding the one you should choose. :).
Speaker: Chester Santos – Author, International Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer, Memory Expert, U.S. Memory Champion
In October, scientists discovered that 75% of patients who experienced brain fog had a lower quality of life at work than those who did not. At best, brain fog makes you slower and less efficient. At worst, your performance and cognitive functions are impaired, resulting in memory, management, and task completion problems. In this entertaining and interactive presentation, Chester Santos, "The International Man of Memory," will assist you in developing life-changing skills that will greatly enha
On The Job
JANUARY 31, 2012
When I was growing up my parents listened to Tony Bennett. I still listen to him and am astounded that at 85, the man still has such a vital presence in the music world. The other night I watched a show that recorded his duets with artists like Lady Gaga, Faith Hill and Andrea Bocelli. In each of those instances, Bennett was relaxed and appeared to be having fun.
Practically Perfect PA
FEBRUARY 1, 2012
I was at lunch with a fellow EA a few weeks ago and as usual we were discussing our jobs and having a bit of a grumble about our work. My friend was having a particularly bad time with her boss, who just happened to be female. Their relationship had become so terrible that my friend went so far as to say she “would never work for a woman again”! Coming from a ‘women’s lib’ sort of background I was quite shocked and somewhat disappointed that a woman would say this about another woman.
Ian's Messy Desk
JANUARY 31, 2012
Toastmasters International has put together a list of ten tips that will help improve your public speaking skills. Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say. Practice. Practice. Practice !
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