Virtual Moxie

JUNE 12, 2012

When you're new, whether to being a Virtual Assistant, or to a type of work, system, or process, you'll often hear people saying, "Fake it till ya make it!" as a way to help you jump in with both feet. That's not unwise, yet.if you're going to fake anything, make sure that its attitude, and confidence, rather than know-how:faking know-how is likely to get you into hot water, but a can-do attitude mixed with serious confidence can get you much further along than anything else.

Confidence 186

Confidence 186

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 10, 2012

You will have friends and family who run a micro business, you may do so yourself or you are thinking about it. What do you think about these businesses and their owners? Do you think their businesses are a joke? IMO, most of the so called economy and business elite (i.e.

168

168

Eco-Office Gals

JUNE 15, 2012

Once upon a time, the only way to go green at the office was to employ paperless practices and energy-conscious efforts. Although businesses across the country use these green practices and more to make a lighter impact on the environment, eco-friendly individuals and businesses can now take the task of keeping our Earth healthy to the next level. How?

2013 165

2013 2012 2006 Environment 165

On The Job

JUNE 15, 2012

It sometimes is one of the great mysteries of the universe that the most obnoxious jerk on the planet gets promoted at work while the nicest folks seem to get laid off or stuck in dead-end jobs. But it’s really not that big of a secret if you consider that Mr. Jerkface has exactly what the boss is looking for: bottom-line focus. While the nicest people at work may pitch in on projects or even bring cookies every Friday, the truth is that if they’re not making real bottom-line contributions, they

Promotion 164

Promotion UPS 164

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

Virtual Moxie

JUNE 14, 2012

To survive, and more importantly, to thrive in business long term, you can’t be someone who’s shaken by every little bump in the road. “Whoop-dee-doos” (as my husband calls them) don’t last forever, and they don’t come so frequently as to be the norm. So when you run into one, instead of going to a place of upset, be a person who takes care of it, laughs it off, and gets on quickly to something better. .

164

164

Eco-Office Gals

JUNE 12, 2012

There’s a lot of big ideas for how to make an office greener, from uploading your office onto the cloud to biking your way to work. With all the outlets you have for making a greener office, there may be a (literal) outlet you’re overlooking. Your surge protector. It’s probably better known as that hunk of plastic you plug any of a thousand devices into.

Management 165

Management Equipment Customer Service AT&T 165

Small Business Labs

JUNE 13, 2012

The rise of women is a topic we often write about.  The basics of this trend are that women are playing increasingly important roles in business, government and society.   The trend holds true for small business ownership and especially women as independent workers. Large corporations are starting to pick up on this trend, so I wasn't surprised to see Lincoln Financial pushing the idea that women are Chief Life Officers in their advertising.

UPS 142

UPS 142

Virtual Moxie

JUNE 11, 2012

As much as we'd like it, life does not always behave itself. Some days are wonderfullydeliciousIcouldspinaroundandaroundlikeachildI'msohappy sorts of days, and others. well, they're less so. On the days that are fantastic, remember to be grateful (ok, be grateful for every day, and enjoy them all to the utmost!). On the days that are not so wonderful.when you have problems, get hurt, hurt someone else, or feel stressed, remember that your perception of it changes the experience you have.

Stress 155

Stress UPS 155

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 12, 2012

Ever since Neanderthal man found that sharpened rocks helped to cut through the tough meat from the latest kill, mankind has sought to find ways to ease tasks, either with methodology or with tools.

162

162

Advertisement

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

Eco-Office Gals

JUNE 12, 2012

Living a greener life is becoming progressively more important and something that thankfully, more people are gradually becoming aware of. Eco-Office Gals previous post on dressing greener for the office is something that needs to be read and a great first point of call when adopting a greener wardrobe. This video gives a quick guide to buying eco-friendly products, a 101 on eco-shopping if you will.

Attire 142

Attire Environment Health UPS 142

On The Job

JUNE 12, 2012

No matter how much you may whine, you're probably going to be subjected to a performance evaluation this year. I've written a lot about why many experts believe performance evaluations aren't a good idea , but the fact is.they're not going away any time soon. So strap on your big boy or big girl shoes, and let's learn how to step into these reviews with confidence and emerge a winner.

PowerPoint 136

PowerPoint Medical Promotion Confidence 136

Virtual Moxie

JUNE 10, 2012

The best marketing isn’t spray-and-pray, where you "spray" your message out to as many people as you can via the most venues you have access to and "pray" that something sticks to one or two of them. The best marketing is intimate.focused, deep, and intense. Fortunately, that's also easier to do, and requires less time and energy.

UPS 139

UPS 139

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 10, 2012

Hard Wok Cafe Keep up won’t you. Yes I know you didn’t expect me back in Britain so soon, particularly in the company of my dull and difficult to understand agent, Tony Robinson OBE.

UPS 160

UPS 160

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

Small Business Labs

JUNE 14, 2012

Earlier this week we wrote about the growing trend towards unpaid work.  We got a lot of feedback from folks who provided many more examples of work without pay. The bottom line is this trend is more widespread than we thought. Many of the examples we heard about were unpaid internships.  This came as no surprise.  There's a pretty active debate going on about the merits of unpaid student internships.  SF Chronicle's The Ethics and Economics of Unpaid Internships

International 134

International UPS 134

Job Advice Blog

JUNE 13, 2012

More than ever, when you are in transition you should have a brand. Why? you ask. Because that is how you differentiate yourself and stand out from the proverbial crowd. Branding is not about what you like but about what employers like. Your branding statement—whether in writing, on the Internet, or spoken via your elevator [.].

Interviewing 130

Interviewing Skills 130

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 10, 2012

An interesting documentary from the History Channel on body language. Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously. John Borg attests that human communication consists of 93 percent body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves;[1] however, Albert Mehrabian, the researcher whose 1960s wo

Assertiveness 130

Assertiveness Forms 130

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 11, 2012

Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Make sure that your employees are aware of the risks that your business faces if they compromise your security and the serious consequences they would face. 2.

Social Media 159

Social Media 159

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

Small Business Labs

JUNE 11, 2012

The article Write for BetaNews really caught my eye because it so matter of factly lays out the realities of the New Normal job market. BetaNews is looking to hire writers and they have 3 classes of jobs - traditional, freelance and unpaid. Key quote from the article: We're hiring and taking on new freelancers and other writers. You could be among them.

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134

Office Organization Success

JUNE 15, 2012

An ezine, or electronic newsletter, is a quick and simple stay-in-touch strategy … it’s a great marketing tool for your small business. It’s really important that you have some kind of stay-in-touch strategy in place so that you can build a relationship with your readers and encourage one-on-one communication. When someone subscribes to your database they are putting their hand up and saying they want more information, so make sure you are communicating with them on a regular

UPS 126

UPS 126

Step It Up VA Coaching

JUNE 14, 2012

by Donna Toothaker. Effective client communication is a crucial element in running a service-based business, yet it is often overlooked in favor of things we think are more important, like client work. However, it is so important for clients to feel as though they are in good hands, to know that work is getting done and progress is being made, and not to have to worry that things are falling through the cracks.

Google Docs 126

Google Docs Dropbox Project Management AT&T 126

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 9, 2012

Don’t believe all you read A lot of the same ‘must haves’ are quoted by entrepreneurship academics, management gurus, glampreneurs and politicians as being needed for you to start and run your own business successfully. Training and supporting prospective entrepreneurs in gaining these ‘must haves’ is a $multi-billion worldwide industry.

Training 159

Training Management 159

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

Eco-Office Gals

JUNE 13, 2012

If you’ve wondered where the best place is to store a large amount of files for your business, some people might think that using a server is the best, most secure option. While many businesses insist on using servers, they have more than their fair share of drawbacks. These include being expensive to own, being expensive to run and limited accessibility.

Filing 126

Filing Expenses Travel Forms 126

Office Organization Success

JUNE 11, 2012

On Wednesday my Dad, brother, and sis-in-law arrived from the UK for a two-week visit. It’s so lovely to have them all here. We’ve got lots of fun stuff planned so I really am taking a light schedule over the next two weeks. Talking of which, have you checked out my brand-new Summer 2012 workshop program: Business Building Success Kit ? You know, the slower pace of summer really is a good time to brush up on your education so that you can hit the ground running come the fall.

2012 122

2012 Learning Management UPS 122

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 12, 2012

I haven't been posting in awhile as I have been considering retiring the blog. I will continue to write a few articles now and then, but have been spending more time on finalizing another book, giving webinars on minute taking and I would like to expand into other speaking opportunities where I feel my expertise can be used. I will leave my blog up and running as there are over 400 articles that I want available to anyone who needs them, so please search the blog and I am sure you will find some

Retirement 118

Retirement Email UPS 118

The Small Business Blog

JUNE 12, 2012

Our priceless tree logo bears many fruits. Spare yourself a second or three to study it. Drawn by our then 11-year-old niece Rosa and our 6-year-old daughter Ella it holds all things precious not least the colours of life, diversity and optimism.

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157

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

Office Dynamics

JUNE 13, 2012

Hello! We all use an iPad in our office for many things and we are always learning more about this awesome tool. In fact, we know of a webinar that will help you if you are interested in learning about effective use of your iPad for business. If you don't have an iPad but your boss does and you need to help them with it, often, this might be a great webinar for you to attend so you can teach them how to really use their iPad for business!

Learning 100

Learning 100

Brilliantly Better

JUNE 12, 2012

Every once in a while I feel the urge of writing one of these huge lists. The last one was written almost a year ago, so you can understand my eagerness. But I can’t write something that big without a very specific topic, preferably one that I usually enjoy. So, since feeling well was one [.].

78

78

BioTeams

JUNE 14, 2012

With the explosion in social software and the recognition that these types of systems need to reach critical mass to survive and prosper it is amazing that so few people are applying the well-established philosophical principles of living systems ( autopoiesis ) to design for sustainability.

Networking 67

Networking 67