Sat.Dec 31, 2011 - Fri.Jan 06, 2012

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Top Ten Small Business Trends for 2012

Small Business Labs

Below is our fifth annual Top 10 Small Business Trends list.  Links to our prior lists are available here.   Our overall economic outlook is for continued moderate growth with U.S. GDP increasing 2.5%-3.0%.  While we expect hiring and the job market to improve, unemployment will remain high, finishing the year around 8%.  Social Trends.   1.  Being Human:  A trend that has rippled through our research the past couple of years - and especially

2012 207
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4 Easy Ways to Make Your Career Better in 2012

On The Job

I know a lot of people say you shouldn't make resolutions because you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. But I feel just the opposite -- when I make a resolution, I feel hopeful. I think that's because I do a gut check as I make a resolution. I mean, I know that if I say I plan to give up Diet Dr. Pepper's and M&Ms, I'll know in my gut that is never going to happen.

2012 184
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I wish for you as an Administrative Assistant.

Office Dynamics

After more than 40 years of living in and with this profession, these are my wishes for every administrative professional, especially you. I hope you will pass this on to your peers so that we might light a fire that burns in all administrative professionals' hearts. My wishes for you are that you. live your profession with inspiration, enthusiasm, energy, inquisitiveness, and passion. wake up every day with excitement about the work you do and the opportunities that lie ahead that day. will nev

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Top 5 Small Business Tips for the New Year

The Small Business Blog

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Look at your competitors and see how their product offering has changed over the course of the year and examine what they’ve done right and wrong. 2.

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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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13 Tips for Time Management

Ian's Messy Desk

1. SPEND TIME PLANNING AND ORGANIZING. Setting aside time to think and plan is time well-spent. Organize in a way that makes sense to you. If you need color and pictures, use a lot on your calendar or planning book. Some people need to have papers filed away; others get their creative energy from their piles. So forget the “shoulds” and organize your way. 2.

More Trending

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All Aboard the Induction Process

Practically Perfect PA

One of the tasks that is often given to a PA/EA is the introduction of new members of staff and having the responsibility for the induction process. Putting together an efficient policy is important because it ensures that all employees are integrated into the company and their role in the organisation quickly. Support staff should ensure the new starter has all of the necessary information they need to begin their job.

Equipment 148
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Top 5 Tips for Starting a New Business in 2012

The Small Business Blog

The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Don’t be afraid to seek out a mentor to help and guide you. Starting a business is a daunting prospect for many of us. 2.

2012 148
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Avoid Overwhelm When Starting a New Project

Step It Up VA Coaching

by Donna Toothaker. It’s a NEW YEAR, and you are very excited! For the past month you’ve been planning, and the ideas for new projects and collaborations were flowing. You have several pages with notes about a new product, program or service you want to launch. It’s the first week back to ‘work’, and your desk is covered with notes, messages, and things that need doing…NOW!

Basecamp 147
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The Trauma of Unemployment

Job Advice Blog

The emotional stress associated with unemployment is understood only by those who are unemployed. Often, even people closely associated with the unemployed such as spouses or other family members don’t fathom the emotional pressure and pain that settles in on those without sources of income and places to go to called work. Unfortunately, some jobless [.].

Stress 146
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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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Shoot for the Moon

Eat Your Career

Here’s a little bit of trivia about me you probably didn’t know: I was the senior speaker at my high school graduation ceremony. Now, let me be clear: I went to a very small, independent study high school where most of the students attended just one day of class per week. The ceremony was actually held in the parking lot. So I’m not bragging here. I wasn’t valedictorian, though I did graduate with honors.

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Moxie Tip 93: Who Defines You?

Virtual Moxie

Clients (or people outside this industry) have no business telling Virtual Assistants what they need to be doing in their businesses. The reason they do it? They have a personal agenda they're trying to get you on board with. For example, a prospect who tells you about a "better" way to bill for your time is usually saying, "I can't afford you the way you've set things up, but if you do it this way, it's to my advantage.".

Agenda 143
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Attitude by Charles Swindoll

Office Dynamics

One of our favorite quotes to reference here at Office Dynamics. By Charles Swindoll. The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home.

Skills 130
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Does it really matter if I get along with my boss?

Laughing all the Way to Work

We spend most of our time at work so it stands to reason that the relationships we have at work are very important and worth spending time making them better. As an admin we work very closely with our bosses, but also with other admins. I'm sure everyone has experienced a day when they feel that their boss just doesn't understand them or another assistant is being nasty, but can our reaction make a difference?

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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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Stupid is what stupid asks!

Job Advice Blog

Have you been asked any odd questions during a recent interview? How about this one “If you were a color what color would you be?” How about “If you were a superhero which one would you most resemble?” I know you’re thinking, what the hell does this have to do with the job I am [.].

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Moxie Tip 96: The Pain of Being Inauthentic

Virtual Moxie

If you are not authentic, you can't attract ideal clients and opportunities because you're hiding who you are. Who you're pretending to be will be the attraction point, and problems will crop up when you can no longer continue the facade. Being yourself is just easier!

UPS 138
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Why Family is My Business Resolution for 2012

Tips From T. Marie

Sometimes life has a way of taking you to task. As the owner of Clerical Advantage, I tend to put in long hours, often working through holidays and weekends. Even on the occasions when I travel I generally try to keep a somewhat normal work schedule. That was my intention when I planned my holiday trip to visit my new granddaughter who was born on December 14 th.

2012 112
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How important do you think a college degree is?

Office Dynamics

by ALICE BUMGARNER, MODERATOR on DECEMBER 8, 2011 12:43PM. in ADMIN PRO FORUM. Question: “I have a college degree, and $20,000 in student loan debt to show for it. I’ve now been in the workforce seven years and I’ve noticed that the degree (I’m still paying for it) gives me a level of respect that others—even those who have years more work and life experience—don’t get.

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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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Cash, Stubborness and Music

Brilliantly Better

I had the first cassette recorder when I was around 4. It was called Jola 2, a Polish make. I know, I know, Poland and cassette recorders. But hey, it was the peak of the communist era in the Eastern Europe, in very early seventies. We were all actually eating our own dog food. I still have a very clear recollection of both the actual device and the context which lead to its acquisition.

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Moxie Tip 94: Employers

Virtual Moxie

Clients who tell Virtual Assistants what to do, how to do it, when to do it, how to report it, and/or dictate "what they'll pay" are known by the IRS and CRA as. employers. Don't work for them. Instead, tell them how you work, and let them go if they're not agreeable to it.

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Iphone 4s: constant loss of mobile signal problem

BioTeams

In early December 2011 I upgraded from an iphone 3G to iphone 4s on the Orange UK network. Since upgrading, a month ago, the iphone 4s has been losing the mobile signal about 10 times per day for periods of up to one hour. During this time it is not possible to make or receive phone calls or texts. In my view there is definitely an unacknowledged issue with the iphone 4s - my advice would be NOT to purchase one until it is resolved - watch this space!

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Follow These Tips For Better Virtual Assistant Hiring

Small Business CEO

Technology has made home based businesses and working remotely more possible than ever. And the best part is that you’re not limited to your local area for your next hire. Maybe you live and run your home business in a rural area and don’t have access to someone as internet savvy as yourself. Where can you turn? Why, online of course!

2012 59
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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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Taming Monkeys Aftermath

Brilliantly Better

It’s the first day of 2012 and I think it’s time to review my taming monkeys experiment. It all started a year ago, when I decided to ditch my new year resolutions. Instead, I replaced them with twelve monthly challenges, in which I wanted to tame an inner monkey. Very shortly, an inner monkey is an unfulfilled promise I made to myself, or a thing I really wanted to do but never really had the time to make it happen.

2012 70
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Moxie Tip 95: Transparency

Virtual Moxie

Transparency--your willingness to put who you are out on the table, is incredibly important in relationship building and marketing. Plus, it's harder to hide who you are than it is to share it.

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Auto insurance companies working on their customer service experiences

Service Untitled

Automobile insurance companies are going all out to please their customers. Once upon a time we just called the insurance agent our parents dealt with for twenty years and gave them the information about our car and the amount of liability, collision and uninsured motorist protection we needed and sent in the premium. We didn’t shop around, and who would have thought that an automobile insurance company would actually cater to a customer?

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2012 Goals – Working Healthier At Home

Small Business CEO

We’re three days into the new year and I find myself thinking of some things I’d like to work on this year. Not outrageous, unattainable goals but small, minor adjustments I’d like to make to my daily schedule. Working from home, it can be so easy to get caught up in the hustle online. It never ends. Somewhere, anywhere, any time; something is happening.

2012 59
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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