Small Business Labs

MARCH 21, 2012

The recent Global Coworking Unconference Conference left many with the same impression it did Shareable's Neil Gorenflo - that " coworking's all grow'd up "   GigaOm's Jessica Stillman echoes this view, writing in her article The conversion to coworking 2.0 continues : "Coworking, it seems, is growing up and moving out of its original geographic and industry-specific enclaves, penetrating the consciousness of more mainstream institutions."   Cont

UPS 216

UPS 2012 Agencies Mentoring 216

Stephanie LH Calahan

MARCH 23, 2012

  One of the questions that I frequently get when I work with clients is "What is the best way to ensure that I get things done? What type of to do list should I use?"   And I often answer: "It depends!" You see, managing your tasks is a personal thing.  There are many fantastic systems out there for managing tasks.  The best tool is one that you will actually use and trust.  Often, people fail with their to do system because they simply don't tr

Calendars 211

Calendars Keyboards AT&T Management 211

Productivity Bits

MARCH 22, 2012

S ometimes being productive means having the right tools at the right time. Sometimes having the right tools means having to shell out extra dollars just to get them. I wanted to do stuff over the internet when I am at home during the weekend. Being productive for me also means I have time to do things that I like to do on the side. I have a laptop that I use for everything I do online.

Google 180

Google AT&T Purchasing Networking 180

Virtual Moxie

MARCH 19, 2012

My deep thanks to Tami for suggesting this topic--it's a goodie! Divorcing, firing, ending the relationship with, telling them to eff off--by whatever name you give it, this is one aspect of owning a VA practice that often creates a lot of anxiety for people. I think the reason for that is often because we don't like confrontation, and we see this kind of conversation in that light.

Email 180

Email Learning UPS 180

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!

Collaborate

The Small Business Blog

MARCH 19, 2012

Entrepreneur Conferences need a business health warning. November and March are always the biggest months for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship conferences. Last week, I was lucky enough to be in Liverpool for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.

Health 160

Health 160

Stephanie LH Calahan

MARCH 21, 2012

Sometimes not getting a task done really is okay and other times it is a symptom of something going awry in your business.  Recently, Debra shared the following comment to me on Facebook : " I echo what Gina and Michelle shared - I'm still here at the computer. It's the end of the day and I feel "guilty" about taking time to go walk the dog as I haven't gotten everything done.

Management 193

Management Facebook AT&T Goals 193

Office Dynamics

MARCH 20, 2012

The Savvy Admin’s Guide to Travel! Tips for the Tourist in All of Us. I have been hosting the Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence for 19 years. I also host a high-end training program for executive assistants and administrative assistants called World Class Assistant , in Las Vegas. I have observed hundreds of assistants travel and heard numerous stories about their travel experiences both while in transit to Las Vegas and during their stay in Las Vegas.

Administrative Professionals 159

Administrative Professionals Travel Training Restaurants 159

The Small Business Blog

MARCH 21, 2012

In my previous post (The Questions I Would Ask If I Were Marketing Your Business – Comment and Part 1) I posed two questions: How much of your current business comes from existing clients and how much comes from new clients?

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157

Small Business Labs

MARCH 19, 2012

The Edelman 2012 Trust Barometer is out.  Edelman is a large public relations firm and they've been conducting an annual trust survey for 12 years. They cover a lot of ground.  The survey is global and they look at trust levels for media, government and corporations.   The key data for small businesses, I think, is their data on who is credible.  The groups they asked about the and the percent who felt they are credible are: Academic or Expert - 68%.

2012 150

2012 Finance 150

On The Job

MARCH 23, 2012

Americans love a quick fix and I'm one of them. I never go anywhere without Super Glue. Break a nail? I zap it with Super Glue. The wheel falls off my office chair? Super Glue does the trick. But when it comes to fixing your career or finding a new job, the going can be a lot slower. Many people think a career coach will be the Super Glue for them, but it doesn't exactly work that way.

Resume 148

Resume Networking Interviewing Learning 148

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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.

Interviewing

Virtual Moxie

MARCH 22, 2012

Clients ask questions. Unfortunately, they often mean to ask far more complex ones than they do. For instance, "Do you know a good SEO person" isn't really a yes/no question, or even a "Yes, Jane Doe at www.janedoe.com," but a question that's asking you, "Do you know a good SEO person? If so, what's great about her, have you worked directly with her and what was your expeirence, why should I consider working with her, and how do I get in touch with her?".

Training 139

Training 139

The Small Business Blog

MARCH 19, 2012

Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Try to make as many useful professional business contacts as possible in your local area, even if it means attending lot’s of tradeshows / exhibitions or networking events.

Networking 149

Networking 149

Step It Up VA Coaching

MARCH 22, 2012

by Donna Toothaker. “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” – Aristotle. We see it happen all the time in blogs, social media, or mass media — someone gains a certain amount of success and notoriety, and suddenly, critics come crawling out of the woodwork. It’s a risk we take when we dare to put ourselves “out there” in the public in a bigger way.

Social Media 138

Social Media AT&T Learning Skills 138

Small Business Labs

MARCH 20, 2012

Deskmag's  Coworking Powers Weak Tie Business Networks is a guest article authored by us. It covers research we've recently conducted showing that coworking membership enhances weak tie business networks.   "Weak ties" are links among people who are not closely associated.  Stanford professor Mark Granovetter's classic 1973 paper The Strength of Weak Ties  described the powerful role they play in spreading ideas, finding jobs and helping people j

Networking 136

Networking 136

Advertiser: Aggregage

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!

Policies

Eat Your Career

MARCH 22, 2012

As a former executive assistant, I have a huge respect and appreciation for the field of office administration. The role is absolutely essential to the success of any business, and yet, administrative professionals are often overlooked, under-appreciated and under-utilized. Ironically, “support” professionals often lack the very thing they provide. Businesses simply don’t support their administrative professionals the way they deserve.

Administrative Professionals 131

Administrative Professionals Budget Training Google 131

Office Organization Success

MARCH 21, 2012

For several years I have hosted my own teleclasses — I LOVE doing them! Not only do they get me interacting with YOU (my target market) and sharing a ton of great content, but they’re also a fabulous (and low-cost) way to build your list … FAST! But I’m surprised at how many business owners are not utilizing this simple marketing tool because they don’t know how to plan, set up, and host their own teleclasses.

AT&T 126

AT&T Email Learning UPS 126

Virtual Moxie

MARCH 18, 2012

Many years ago, someone stole my intellectual property (my entire Virtual Training Program).twice. After the second time the attorney contacted her, I talked with her, not fathoming why she didn't understand why this wasn't ok. Only after I used the word "plagiarize," something clicked for her and she got it. In truth, copyright infringement and plagiarism often look the same, and the lesson is the same: Freely use only what’s yours.

Copyright 126

Copyright Training 126

Tips From T. Marie

MARCH 21, 2012

It’s a rare occurrence when reading an article about a city budget makes me sad, but it happened just a few moments ago. The article discussed how the City of Hickory, NC proposed offering early retirement to 84 of their employees. Reading the details of what would be offered in exchange for taking the early retirement deal didn’t really strike me as a wonderful option for those 84 people., especially in the current economy.

Telecommuting 122

Telecommuting Retirement Attire Filing 122

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.

Training

Office Dynamics

MARCH 22, 2012

You already knew this, right? We read this story at U.S. News on February 27, 2012 of the best jobs in 2012 and as one of the best jobs this profession was cited to see "significant growth over the next decade." Here is their article. The Best Jobs of 2012: Executive Assistant. From U.S. News & World Report By Miriam Weiner. The Rundown: The "assistant" role within the office environment has evolved drastically with the ever-increasing reliance on technology.

2012 116

2012 AEAP Postal Service Administrative Professionals 116

Office Organization Success

MARCH 20, 2012

What a glorious last couple of days we’ve had… I don’t think I’ve ever gotten my summer clothes out in March before. It’s like we’ve completely skipped Spring and gone straight into Summer! These past couple of weeks, I’ve been totally immersed in Suzanne Evans’ Be The Change Event. We’re less than two weeks away from the event now, and I can’t wait.

Clothes 126

Clothes 126

Virtual Moxie

MARCH 22, 2012

You must behave in such a way that your client feels safe with you. This safety is something you create solely by your actions.

Training 145

Training 145

On The Job

MARCH 21, 2012

One thing that makes life bearable at work is being able to work with people you really like, people whom you consider friends. Then comes the day when your boss tells you that you’ve been named the manager over the people who have seen you tipsy on strawberry margaritas. These are the people you count on to tell you there is spinach stuck in your teeth before a meeting and give you a heads up when the office bore is headed your way.

Management 115

Management UPS 115

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.

Policies

Practically Perfect PA

MARCH 22, 2012

I must admit I’ve been struggling to start writing the blog this week, I knew I would be discussing the dreaded task of processing expenses and as I’m sure you can imagine the subject hasn’t really stirred my creative juices! Unfortunately for us this is a job we as assistants have to complete on quite a regular basis, it is dull, time-consuming and can cause no end of problems but we have to do it.

Expenses 109

Expenses Policies Credit Card Budget 109

Loosely Speaking

MARCH 22, 2012

In which our son walks out of the clubhouse for the last time, and we begin life after baseball. Many famous athletes have written eloquently about the first day after a career in professional sports ends, so you can go to Amazon to get books on the topic if you want to know more about their experiences. As the weeks go by, we’ll find out first hand what it’s like not to have a son stepping up to the plate on Opening Day.

Training 109

Training Management UPS 109

Virtual Moxie

MARCH 20, 2012

Moxie isn’t about pushing that boat up the river, but being smart enough to do things in a way that allows more ease.

UPS 139

UPS Training 139

Office Dynamics

MARCH 20, 2012

The Savvy Admin’s Guide to Travel! Tips for the Tourist in All of Us. I have been hosting the Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence for 19 years. I also host a high-end training program for executive assistants and administrative assistants called World Class Assistant , in Las Vegas. I have observed hundreds of assistants travel and heard numerous stories about their travel experiences both while in transit to Las Vegas and during their stay in Las Vegas.

Administrative Professionals 109

Administrative Professionals Travel Training Restaurants 109

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

Networking

Men With Pens

MARCH 18, 2012

There comes a point in every freelance writer’s career where he simply can’t take it any more. Unless he’s leaving the house to conduct first-hand research, he’s seeing the same things all day, every day. The place where he works during the day is 20 feet from the place where he lounges at night. It’s the same kitchen, the same bathroom, the same everything, every day.

Environment 80

Environment AT&T 2006 2011 80

Brilliantly Better

MARCH 22, 2012

I’m a man, so I like soccer. Don’t even try to challenge this affirmation, it’s hard wired in my genes. Just like women are born with the natural ability to give birth and nurture their children, men are born with the soccer gene in their DNA. It’s just the way it is. But I’m not a fan. I’m not tied up to any team, I don’t worship any player, nor do I paint my face in a specific color combination every time there’s an important game going on.

Agenda 79

Agenda Training Forms Promotion 79

Small Business CEO

MARCH 20, 2012

According to a new workplace web poll study , employees are very unhappy with their current employment situation. 79% of the 1,500 professionals polled plan to look for new employment when the job market improves. Why? Well, 51% cited the lack of growth opportunities at their current jobs and 28% didn’t like the way their current employer treated employees during the recession.

AT&T 60

AT&T 60

Office Dynamics

MARCH 23, 2012

Office Dynamics has exciting news for administrative assistants around the world! The book, Who Took My Pen. Again? which was created at the Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence by 240 creative administrative professionals and written by Joan Burge, administrative expert and CEO and Founder of Office Dynamics; Nancy Fraze, executive assistant at Chevron Corporation and Jasmine Freeman, Chief Executive Assistant to the CEO of Office Dynamics has been ranked as the #2 best seller on the

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Training Skills 100

Service Untitled

MARCH 19, 2012

Here in sunny South Florida, real estate is booming again, but there are definitely new rules when it comes to new construction. Builders who have been lucky enough to survive the economic real estate plunge are slowly emerging again with new and improved products. Home buyers are more concerned with advanced energy, the use of efficient materials, and builders who understand their desire to conserve the environment.

Customer Service 58

Customer Service UPS Budget Environment 58