Sat.Jul 28, 2012 - Fri.Aug 03, 2012

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Can Your Career Survive a Political Discussion?

On The Job

I don't think I've ever worked anywhere that people didn't talk about politics. Of course, my jobs have always involved the news business, so that's pretty natural. But I know that for some people, discussing politics at work can be uncomfortable. Still, is there any way to avoid it? Check out this column I recently did for Gannett/USAToday. Most of us know that it's best to stay away from discussions about politics and religion at work.

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Food Trucks = Business Model Innovation

Small Business Labs

The gourmet food truck craze sweeping the nation is a classic example of business model innovation.   And the response from brick and mortar restaurants is a classic example of how incumbent industry participants tend to respond - by using their political power to try and fend off the innovative new firms.   Business model innovation refers to taking a new approach to an existing business or industry.

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Olympic Sports for Assistants

Practically Perfect PA

So the London 2012 Olympics is finally here! I absolutely adored the opening ceremony and revelled in the celebration of our British culture and traditions. As a local East Londoner I could also just about make out the fireworks and the Red Devils flew over my house so I was extra pleased. London is really busy at the moment but the place is buzzing and I think the city is looking pretty hot right now!

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Top 5 Tips for Dealing With Holidays in a Small Business

The Small Business Blog

Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Don’t let it come as a shock to you when an employee is off on holiday.

Holidays 174
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SME Relationships: Proven Solutions for Seamless Collaboration and Success

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!

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Eco-Friendly Transportation Ideas for Small Businesses

Eco-Office Gals

Concern for the state of the environment is spurring more and more companies to seek sustainable business practices. Not only can a company adopt green practices and materials within the business, they can also provide incentives to encourage employees to use sustainable travel options. Go Electric. Any business that utilizes vehicles as a normal part of their day should consider switching to electric cars or trucks.

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Why Ask Why When Clients Choose Other VAs?

Virtual Moxie

In May, I wrote a post about letting go of the disappointment when a client chooses another VA. A related question I am sometimes asked by Virtual Assistants is why clients choose VAs other than themselves. These are Virtual Assistants who have mad skills, and who generally are befuddled when clients don't work with them. Mental masturbation--that's what pondering is.

Skills 159
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Good is boring.

The Small Business Blog

Ever wondered why nobody cares about your business, yet everyone tells you it is a good (or great, etc.) business? Here is why: Good is middle of the road Good is not Remarkable Good is boring Good in not inspiring Good is never remembered Your business needs to be remarkable at something.

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New Test Identifies Arrogant Bosses

On The Job

Do you have a boss who discredits the ideas of others while claiming to have superior ideas? Does your boss blame other people and refuse to take personal responsibility for anything? Does your boss reject feedback? If so, you have all the makings of an arrogant boss, someone who can drag down an organization with his or her sense of superiority in all things.

Stress 152
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The Advantages of Truck-Based Commerce

Small Business Labs

ABC's Haute Wheel: Fashion Takes a Cue from Food Trucks covers several mobile clothing and accessory trucks. As the article points out, the trends that make food trucks attractive also work for other kinds of retail:  - trucks are a quicker, cheaper way to get started than a traditional brick and mortar store.  - trucks work well as low cost incubators, allowing entrepreneurs to test concepts and ideas.  - trucks create a more personal and intimate experience for cust

Clothes 141
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Elevating the Virtual Interviewing Experience

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.

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Moxie Tip 215: Yes and No

Virtual Moxie

Saying no to what doesn’t fit for you is one of the absolute best ways to give yourself time, space, and energy for whatever matters more/most (the art of saying "no" to make it possible to say "yes"). There’s nothing quite like being so clear on what’s good and right for you that it’s easy to say no to everything else.

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Business Cost Cutting

The Small Business Blog

All to often we are confronted with cash-flow problems. Lack of new business, clients paying later and later, etc. – which invariably brings us to think about reducing costs in our business. But there is more to reducing costs than meets the eye, it can have a negative effect on business growth and productivity.

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Should You List Your Business With Specialized Directory Services?

Stephanie LH Calahan

There are many different and effective ways that you can expand your reach and exposure on-line.  One of the ways that you can do this is by being listed in directories.  However, there are some things that you should consider before opening up your wallet.  Reader Question: " I am reviewing my expenses for the year and I was just wondering what you thought of getting on-line leads from specialized directories like XXXXX?

Expenses 140
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Flurry of Articles on Micropreneurship

Small Business Labs

Micropreneurs - generally defined as people who work for themselves or run businesses with fewer than 5 employees - has been getting a lot press lately.  Articles include: Why People Want to Be Micro-Entrepreneurs :  From Fast Company Co.Exist, this article covers a survey by micro-task site Fivvr on why people want to be micropreneurs.  The top reasons are job independence, frustration with the 9 to 5 grind and the money.   The Rise of the Micro Entrepreneurship Economy

Agencies 141
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Mandatory COVID Vaccination Policy Template

New vaccine mandates and testing policies will affect employers with more than 100 workers. Get Paycor’s free, customizable vaccination policy template to communicate critical details and new requirements to your employees. Get Paycor’s Template today!

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Moxie Tip 214: Motivating Factors

Virtual Moxie

Know what motivates you. You can’t fight City Hall, they say, and I’ll add that you can’t fight your own nature with any degree of success. So knowing what motivates you will absolutely bring you one giant step closer to the practice of your dreams. And if that’s not a truly good incentive, I honestly don’t know what is!

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A Woman, still in a Man’s World

The Small Business Blog

The equal pay act was passed in 1970, and you guessed it, us women are still low earners compared to our male counterparts, sometimes earning only ¾ of a man in the same job. In a world where everyone is seen as equal, everyone should be paid equally right?

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Olympic Sports for Assistants

Practically Perfect PA

So the London 2012 Olympics is finally here! I absolutely adored the opening ceremony and revelled in the celebration of our British culture and traditions. As a local East Londoner I could also just about make out the fireworks and the Red Devils flew over my house so I was extra pleased. London is really busy at the moment but the place is buzzing and I think the city is looking pretty hot right now!

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Quick Biz Tip: Income Analysis Financial Report

Office Organization Success

This is a very simple report that you can set up using a spreadsheet that tracks your monthly income. This is money you receive into your business from clients, products, programs, affiliate commissions – in fact, any income that you receive as part of your business activities you need to list in this report. Set up your report so that you monitor the whole year on one spreadsheet, broken down month by month.

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Is Training the Right Solution?

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.

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Moxie Tip 216: Honoring Yourself

Virtual Moxie

One of the best things you can learn to do is say no when you want to say it. It keeps your life and commitments where you want them to be, and it’s powerful modeling for the millions of other people who haven’t yet learned how to do it.

Learning 135
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Customer Value?

The Small Business Blog

Did this with a client yesterday – thought I would share it here. (Scanner needs cleaning, sorry!). Anything to add?

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The Sacred Process of Growth

Eat Your Career

I was ready to quit. I had my email message all typed up. Yes, I was going to cancel via email. That’s how unprofessional I was ready to be. I was in full-blown meltdown mode. There was no way I could manage a call at this rate. I had just gotten off the phone with one of my mentors. I had told her about the big training event I had been asked to host.

Mentoring 130
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Reach Your Goals With a Self-Management Checklist

Ian's Messy Desk

Everybody faces challenges in managing certain aspects of their lives. Someone who loves to go trail riding on a bicycle will have no problems motivating themselves to exercise. However, putting aside time to sit and read might be problematic. On the other hand, the reader might have problems putting down the book and getting active. This self-management checklist can be applied to any area of your life where you need to gain some control.

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Revitalizing Dry Content: A Lesson in Engagement

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.

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Moxie Tip 213: Want to get Ahead?

Virtual Moxie

Just stop. Stop chasing the clients. Stop chasing the skills. Stop chasing the work. Take the time to get help with laying or strengthening your foundation, and then move forward again. To keep doing what you’re doing and expecting to see different results—well, that’s the definition of insanity.

Skills 135
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UK Creative Professionals Like Being Independent

Small Business Labs

The UK recruiting firm  Major Players surveyed over 1,000 creative, design and marketing freelance professionals in the UK last February.  They found 72%  of the respondents chose freelancing and only 28% ended up freelancing because they couldn't find a traditional job. One of my favorite findings is one of the drawbacks cited by the respondents is "not being able to have blue Mondays and lazy Fridays."  Despite having lived and worked in London for sev

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Quick Biz Tip: Check Links Before You Hit Send

Office Organization Success

If the broadcast is for a teleclass or other event, are the telephone numbers listed correct? If it’s your ezine or other broadcast, are all links correct? There’s nothing worse than sending out a broadcast with an incorrect phone number or bad link and then having to resend it again because you made a mistake the first time. It doesn’t look good for your business.

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7 Reasons to Create Information Products

Step It Up VA Coaching

by Donna Toothaker. It has never been easier to create and give away (or sell) information products. You’ve probably downloaded a few of these yourself as a giveaway on a website. They are also known as free reports, eBooks, digital products, audio downloads, and pretty much anything you can create and email as an offer. In fact, there are so many ways to distribute information products and use them as part of your marketing that they can help make your business a success.

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Brain Fog HQ: Memory Enhancement Techniques for Professional Development

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