I send telephone messages to my boss by email rather than writing it on a telephone message pad. That way it won't get lost in the pile and saves on paper. You could also open a folder in Outlook for Telephone Messages if that would be useful to refer back to. Voicemail Tips: Remember to put an Out-of-Office voicemail message on your telephone when you will not be in the office. I always identify myself and give my title. MORE
Home About Me Advertise Sync Your Hand Held Device By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, November 15, 2007 Filed Under: Networking , Organize , Productivity , Travel A re you looking for software that can synchronize most of your hand held devices? MORE
New Small Business Startup Idea: Virtual Import/Export Assistant by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 13, 2007 You may speak more languages and have market segment knowledge about a certain product or service. E-Mail me or follow me. How to be successful and eco-friendly. MORE
First Small Business Export Summit in Washington, DC » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Accounting , Office - IT , WinWeb , bootstrap , plan cash-flow , plan your business , use online IT. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
Home About Me Advertise Opening Microsoft Office 2007 Files in Microsoft Office XP By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, January 09, 2008 Filed Under: Client Service , MS-Access , MS-Excel , MS-Outlook , MS-PowerPoint , MS-Word , Productivity I recently had a vendor send us an Excel spreadsheet that he created in Microsoft Word 2007 format. MORE
At this point she should have known things were not going well, as I made her answer the following questions three times: My question: Are you saying, you delivered Mac OS X Server to me on Saturday, Oct 27, 2007 between 9:30 to 10:00 am? Said on November 11th, 2007 at 1:13 pm [.] MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 07, 2007 A few years ago I decided to change over to Apple computers from Windows based computers and up until now it seemed the right decision. UPDATE Nov 8, 2007 – 19.38 Stefan Töpfer Said on November 7th, 2007 at 7:33 pm Leif, thank you for your comment. MORE
» « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Friday, November 2nd, 2007 at 8:42 am and is filed under Business Books , Comments. Said on November 2nd, 2007 at 9:12 am [.] John Jantsch Said on November 3rd, 2007 at 12:09 pm Stefan, Thanks for the nice mention of my book. MORE
I just got my new issue of OfficePro (the IAAP magazine for office professionals) and it was a great read on the bus the last few mornings. Some highlights are: Corporate Gift Giving, which is a good article for this time of year with some excellent information on this topic. There is an article on Organizational Churn, which is an article about going through changes in your organization. MORE
Home About Me Advertise Cubicle Etiquette 101 By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, November 01, 2007 Filed Under: Office Gossip , Productivity D o you find that your colleagues are hovering around you when youre on the phone? Posted on 1 November, 2007 12:12 PM Richard Rinyai I agree with portions of this as well, since "some" offices are created so that there is a radio blaring or what have you. Posted on 1 November, 2007 3:37 PM Anonymous I work in a cube farm of engineers. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 01, 2007 Choosing an accountant/CPA is probably one of the most important decisions to get right, because you are unlikely to have an accountant’s grasp of taxation company law dealing with the tax authorities wide range of knowledge about small business. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 31, 2007 When you have internal meetings try to keep them short. David Daly Said on November 9th, 2007 at 9:16 am I totally agree with you that meetings are often too long and achieve too little. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 29, 2007 I was kindly invited by 3 Network & Skype to attend the launch of the new 3 Skypephone in London today. 3 SkypePhone Said on November 4th, 2007 at 6:17 pm Great idea but for business? E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 20, 2007 Many worries in a small business are centered about sales and the need to earn money in order to pay for over-heads like rent, wages and so on. Stefan Töpfer Said on November 24th, 2007 at 9:24 am Craig, I do that still wrong and always have to stop myself. MORE
Home About Me Advertise Office Fridge Etiquette By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Filed Under: D o you bring your food to work? Do you keep it in the office fridge? Are you in a constant battle to get your food into a pint-sized fridge because others leave their food there for days on end? Heres an article I recently found on office fridge etiquette. Heres an excerpt on the article: Do not eat or drink foods that do not belong to you. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 20, 2007 When you talk about business, small business or even micro business, eventually the talk always turn to making money. E-Mail me or follow me. How to be successful and eco-friendly. Making your small business carbon neutral. Build your own network! MORE
Home About Me Advertise 4 Ways to Cope with Difficult Colleagues By The Professional Assistant on Tuesday, December 04, 2007 Filed Under: Productivity D o you find yourself having to deal with a difficult person in your office? Do you feel that they are overbearing and don’t know when to keep their opinions to themselves? Do they make inappropriate comments in a professional environment? MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 19, 2007 WinWeb has just updated their OnlineOffice accounting module , to include cost centre functionality. E-Mail me or follow me. Effective Small Business Planning Strategy Planning your small business is the best way to avoid costly mistakes. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 16, 2007 Just got this question, I know there are others questions I have not yet answered, and I have already written my “ The Week Ender &# post for the week, what the hell, but I’m in the mood to have a go at “The System&# again. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 13, 2007 When you sign up to WinWeb’s free LiveNet – still in public beta – you can also use our useful and FREE RSS Press Release service. E-Mail me or follow me. Starting a Small Business? MORE
Managing A Small Business In A Recession by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 10, 2007 Here in the UK we had the “ Pre Budget Report &# yesterday. E-Mail me or follow me. Starting a Small Business? On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure™ allows you to run your business online. MORE
and Small Business by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 02, 2007 In the past twenty years the term “ work-life balance &# has come to symbolize the problem many face with increasing work pressures and the neglect of family, friends and their hobbies. Said on October 12th, 2007 at 8:54 am [.] MORE
Home About Me Advertise Calculation of Discounts in Excel By The Professional Assistant on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Filed Under: MS-Excel H ave you ever wondered how to calculate discounts on certain products/services that you or your firm offers? MORE
Small Business Bootstrapping Techniques by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 01, 2007 I often refer to “ bootstrapping “, when I talk about small business, you may very well be asking “ What the hell is bootstrapping?&# Said on October 12th, 2007 at 7:05 am [.] MORE
Here is an article with some ideas about the bring-forward system that might be helpful to you: [link] (accessed October 8, 2007). The Bring-Forward System (or sometimes referred to as a BF system) might be an old term for the younger assistant, but the principle is similar to using your Tasks in Outlook: You need to have some sort of system to bring forward items that need to be handled at a future date. MORE
12 Comments » | Trackback | Share This 12 Responses to “ Small Business Failure – Reason: Funding &# MichelleVan Said on August 30th, 2007 at 3:22 pm I totally agree – The first step to getting more money is to sell something. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
Small Business Failure – Reason: Management Control by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 28, 2007 The typical scenario is you work hard all week , have no live and at the end of it all little money to show for it. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
Home About Me Advertise 4 Easy Steps to Finding Old E-mails By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, December 13, 2007 Filed Under: MS-Outlook , Organize , Productivity , System Security D o you have trouble sifting through hundreds or even thousands of e-mails ? MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 29, 2007 This question was emailed the other day, and I must say, in my mind this is only half the question – but first things first. usedcarforms.org Said on October 29th, 2007 at 9:48 am [.] E-Mail me or follow me. How to be successful and eco-friendly. MORE
By The Professional Assistant on Friday, December 14, 2007 Filed Under: MS-Outlook , System Security D o you receive spam in your e-mail box? Home About Me Advertise Phishing & Spam - Not Your Everyday Food Items! How can you determine whats real and whats not? Do you fear that opening an e-mail will cause a virus to roam around your firms network and do some potential damage? Youre not alone. Im sure that everyone receives spam on a daily basis. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 26, 2007 Well, two things come to mind: Often the term “ staff turnover &# is used in connection with fluctuation in staff levels , which means staff leaves the company – for whichever reason. E-Mail me or follow me. You ask a question, I answer! MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 25, 2007 I’m answering three questions here, emailed to me during last week, so excuse the long headline. E-Mail me or follow me. Effective Small Business Planning Strategy Planning your small business is the best way to avoid costly mistakes. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 18, 2007 How long is a string? 7 Comments » | Trackback | Share This 7 Responses to “ Q & A: What are successful cost-cutting solutions in small business? &# Liz Said on October 21st, 2007 at 3:03 pm Hi Stefan This is a great list. MORE
« Ethics And Small Business Small Business Quotation: Obstacles » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 10:52 am and is filed under Business Checklists , How to. E-Mail me or follow me. What is Small Business Infrastructure? MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 18, 2007 A sole trader is totally responsible for the small business in every aspect. E-Mail me or follow me. Effective Small Business Planning Strategy Planning your small business is the best way to avoid costly mistakes. How to be successful and eco-friendly. MORE
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 14, 2007 I had the above question emailed to me over the week-end. » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Sunday, October 14th, 2007 at 7:43 am and is filed under How to. E-Mail me or follow me. Build your own network! MORE
Cost Cutting for Small Business – Payment Terms by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 24, 2007 There are two ways to get better payment terms from your suppliers – make sure you know what the pricing is and negotiate the payment terms last, without warning. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
Hat-Tip to Tim « Small Business Failure – Reason: Fixed Cost Small Business Failure – Reason: Cash-Flow » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 8:51 am and is filed under Balderdash , Blogging. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
» « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 9:37 pm and is filed under Failure , Health Check , Outsourcing , Small Business / SOHO , Start-Up , Virtual Assistants , avoid growing pain , bootstrap , do a SWOT plan , do a reality check , do bookkeeping. , MORE
» « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 8:44 pm and is filed under Contractor , Employment , How to. Said on October 11th, 2007 at 6:30 am [.] Said on October 16th, 2007 at 1:11 pm [.] Said on October 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pm [.] MORE
The New Paperclip, [link] , (accessed October 8, 2007) Taken from OfficePro Express, IAAP. Tags: Microsoft Office 2007 Office 2007 Here is a site that will help you: The New Paperclip. MORE
Small Business Checklist: Business Costing by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 15, 2007 Do you know what your overheads and variable costs are in your business – have every worried about that? E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
Low Staff Turnover in SME/SMB Businesses by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 09, 2007 Not so long ago I wrote about small business being less volatile and that employees see small or personal business as less risky than working for bigger companies. E-Mail me or follow me. MORE
2007 Related Topics The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 1, 2007
Small Business Bootstrapping Techniques by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 01, 2007 I often refer to “ bootstrapping “, when I talk about small business, you may very well be asking “ What the hell is bootstrapping?&# Said on October 12th, 2007 at 7:05 am [.]
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 2, 2007
and Small Business by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 02, 2007 In the past twenty years the term “ work-life balance &# has come to symbolize the problem many face with increasing work pressures and the neglect of family, friends and their hobbies. Said on October 12th, 2007 at 8:54 am [.]
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 16, 2007
» « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 8:44 pm and is filed under Contractor , Employment , How to. Said on October 11th, 2007 at 6:30 am [.] Said on October 16th, 2007 at 1:11 pm [.] Said on October 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pm [.]
Laughing all the Way to Work
OCTOBER 8, 2007
Here is an article with some ideas about the bring-forward system that might be helpful to you: [link] (accessed October 8, 2007). The Bring-Forward System (or sometimes referred to as a BF system) might be an old term for the younger assistant, but the principle is similar to using your Tasks in Outlook: You need to have some sort of system to bring forward items that need to be handled at a future date.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 2, 2007
» « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Friday, November 2nd, 2007 at 8:42 am and is filed under Business Books , Comments. Said on November 2nd, 2007 at 9:12 am [.] John Jantsch Said on November 3rd, 2007 at 12:09 pm Stefan, Thanks for the nice mention of my book.
Laughing all the Way to Work
OCTOBER 8, 2007
The New Paperclip, [link] , (accessed October 8, 2007) Taken from OfficePro Express, IAAP. Tags: Microsoft Office 2007 Office 2007 Here is a site that will help you: The New Paperclip.
Laughing all the Way to Work
DECEMBER 13, 2007
I just got my new issue of OfficePro (the IAAP magazine for office professionals) and it was a great read on the bus the last few mornings. Some highlights are: Corporate Gift Giving, which is a good article for this time of year with some excellent information on this topic. There is an article on Organizational Churn, which is an article about going through changes in your organization.
Laughing all the Way to Work
SEPTEMBER 22, 2007
I send telephone messages to my boss by email rather than writing it on a telephone message pad. That way it won't get lost in the pile and saves on paper. You could also open a folder in Outlook for Telephone Messages if that would be useful to refer back to. Voicemail Tips: Remember to put an Out-of-Office voicemail message on your telephone when you will not be in the office. I always identify myself and give my title.
Professional Assistant Blog
NOVEMBER 15, 2007
Home About Me Advertise Sync Your Hand Held Device By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, November 15, 2007 Filed Under: Networking , Organize , Productivity , Travel A re you looking for software that can synchronize most of your hand held devices?
Professional Assistant Blog
DECEMBER 14, 2007
By The Professional Assistant on Friday, December 14, 2007 Filed Under: MS-Outlook , System Security D o you receive spam in your e-mail box? Home About Me Advertise Phishing & Spam - Not Your Everyday Food Items! How can you determine whats real and whats not? Do you fear that opening an e-mail will cause a virus to roam around your firms network and do some potential damage? Youre not alone. Im sure that everyone receives spam on a daily basis.
Professional Assistant Blog
DECEMBER 13, 2007
Home About Me Advertise 4 Easy Steps to Finding Old E-mails By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, December 13, 2007 Filed Under: MS-Outlook , Organize , Productivity , System Security D o you have trouble sifting through hundreds or even thousands of e-mails ?
Professional Assistant Blog
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
Home About Me Advertise Office Fridge Etiquette By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Filed Under: D o you bring your food to work? Do you keep it in the office fridge? Are you in a constant battle to get your food into a pint-sized fridge because others leave their food there for days on end? Heres an article I recently found on office fridge etiquette. Heres an excerpt on the article: Do not eat or drink foods that do not belong to you.
Professional Assistant Blog
AUGUST 21, 2007
Home About Me Advertise Calculation of Discounts in Excel By The Professional Assistant on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Filed Under: MS-Excel H ave you ever wondered how to calculate discounts on certain products/services that you or your firm offers?
Professional Assistant Blog
NOVEMBER 1, 2007
Home About Me Advertise Cubicle Etiquette 101 By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, November 01, 2007 Filed Under: Office Gossip , Productivity D o you find that your colleagues are hovering around you when youre on the phone? Posted on 1 November, 2007 12:12 PM Richard Rinyai I agree with portions of this as well, since "some" offices are created so that there is a radio blaring or what have you. Posted on 1 November, 2007 3:37 PM Anonymous I work in a cube farm of engineers.
Professional Assistant Blog
JANUARY 9, 2008
Home About Me Advertise Opening Microsoft Office 2007 Files in Microsoft Office XP By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, January 09, 2008 Filed Under: Client Service , MS-Access , MS-Excel , MS-Outlook , MS-PowerPoint , MS-Word , Productivity I recently had a vendor send us an Excel spreadsheet that he created in Microsoft Word 2007 format.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 10, 2007
At this point she should have known things were not going well, as I made her answer the following questions three times: My question: Are you saying, you delivered Mac OS X Server to me on Saturday, Oct 27, 2007 between 9:30 to 10:00 am? Said on November 11th, 2007 at 1:13 pm [.]
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 18, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 18, 2007 A sole trader is totally responsible for the small business in every aspect. E-Mail me or follow me. Effective Small Business Planning Strategy Planning your small business is the best way to avoid costly mistakes. How to be successful and eco-friendly.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 26, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 26, 2007 Well, two things come to mind: Often the term “ staff turnover &# is used in connection with fluctuation in staff levels , which means staff leaves the company – for whichever reason. E-Mail me or follow me. You ask a question, I answer!
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 20, 2007 When you talk about business, small business or even micro business, eventually the talk always turn to making money. E-Mail me or follow me. How to be successful and eco-friendly. Making your small business carbon neutral. Build your own network!
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 20, 2007 Many worries in a small business are centered about sales and the need to earn money in order to pay for over-heads like rent, wages and so on. Stefan Töpfer Said on November 24th, 2007 at 9:24 am Craig, I do that still wrong and always have to stop myself.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 11, 2007
First Small Business Export Summit in Washington, DC » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Accounting , Office - IT , WinWeb , bootstrap , plan cash-flow , plan your business , use online IT. E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 29, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 29, 2007 I was kindly invited by 3 Network & Skype to attend the launch of the new 3 Skypephone in London today. 3 SkypePhone Said on November 4th, 2007 at 6:17 pm Great idea but for business? E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 7, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 07, 2007 A few years ago I decided to change over to Apple computers from Windows based computers and up until now it seemed the right decision. UPDATE Nov 8, 2007 – 19.38 Stefan Töpfer Said on November 7th, 2007 at 7:33 pm Leif, thank you for your comment.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 13, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 14, 2007 I had the above question emailed to me over the week-end. » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Sunday, October 14th, 2007 at 7:43 am and is filed under How to. E-Mail me or follow me. Build your own network!
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 19, 2007 WinWeb has just updated their OnlineOffice accounting module , to include cost centre functionality. E-Mail me or follow me. Effective Small Business Planning Strategy Planning your small business is the best way to avoid costly mistakes.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 31, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 31, 2007 When you have internal meetings try to keep them short. David Daly Said on November 9th, 2007 at 9:16 am I totally agree with you that meetings are often too long and achieve too little. E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 9, 2007
Low Staff Turnover in SME/SMB Businesses by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 09, 2007 Not so long ago I wrote about small business being less volatile and that employees see small or personal business as less risky than working for bigger companies. E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 28, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 29, 2007 This question was emailed the other day, and I must say, in my mind this is only half the question – but first things first. usedcarforms.org Said on October 29th, 2007 at 9:48 am [.] E-Mail me or follow me. How to be successful and eco-friendly.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 18, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 18, 2007 How long is a string? 7 Comments » | Trackback | Share This 7 Responses to “ Q & A: What are successful cost-cutting solutions in small business? &# Liz Said on October 21st, 2007 at 3:03 pm Hi Stefan This is a great list.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 25, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 25, 2007 I’m answering three questions here, emailed to me during last week, so excuse the long headline. E-Mail me or follow me. Effective Small Business Planning Strategy Planning your small business is the best way to avoid costly mistakes.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 1, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 01, 2007 Choosing an accountant/CPA is probably one of the most important decisions to get right, because you are unlikely to have an accountant’s grasp of taxation company law dealing with the tax authorities wide range of knowledge about small business.
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 24, 2007
Hat-Tip to Tim « Small Business Failure – Reason: Fixed Cost Small Business Failure – Reason: Cash-Flow » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 8:51 am and is filed under Balderdash , Blogging. E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 13, 2007
New Small Business Startup Idea: Virtual Import/Export Assistant by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 13, 2007 You may speak more languages and have market segment knowledge about a certain product or service. E-Mail me or follow me. How to be successful and eco-friendly.
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 10, 2007
Managing A Small Business In A Recession by Stefan Töpfer on Oct 10, 2007 Here in the UK we had the “ Pre Budget Report &# yesterday. E-Mail me or follow me. Starting a Small Business? On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure™ allows you to run your business online.
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 23, 2007
» « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 9:37 pm and is filed under Failure , Health Check , Outsourcing , Small Business / SOHO , Start-Up , Virtual Assistants , avoid growing pain , bootstrap , do a SWOT plan , do a reality check , do bookkeeping. ,
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 15, 2007
Small Business Checklist: Business Costing by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 15, 2007 Do you know what your overheads and variable costs are in your business – have every worried about that? E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 13, 2007
by Stefan Töpfer on Nov 13, 2007 When you sign up to WinWeb’s free LiveNet – still in public beta – you can also use our useful and FREE RSS Press Release service. E-Mail me or follow me. Starting a Small Business?
The Small Business Blog
OCTOBER 18, 2007
« Ethics And Small Business Small Business Quotation: Obstacles » « Previous Entries This entry was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 10:52 am and is filed under Business Checklists , How to. E-Mail me or follow me. What is Small Business Infrastructure?
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 30, 2007
12 Comments » | Trackback | Share This 12 Responses to “ Small Business Failure – Reason: Funding &# MichelleVan Said on August 30th, 2007 at 3:22 pm I totally agree – The first step to getting more money is to sell something. E-Mail me or follow me.
The Small Business Blog
AUGUST 24, 2007
Cost Cutting for Small Business – Payment Terms by Stefan Töpfer on Aug 24, 2007 There are two ways to get better payment terms from your suppliers – make sure you know what the pricing is and negotiate the payment terms last, without warning. E-Mail me or follow me.
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