3 Risks Worth Taking In Your Business

Yes, it may be a cliché, but I believe it really is true, change maybe scary at times but more often than not, it is totally worth it.  I was recently reminded of this just this week when I completely stepped out of my comfort zone, took a risk and made a change.

What did I do?  Well, I cut my hair.  Not just trimmed, not lightly shaped, but cut cut cut.  I had a good six inches cut off.  There I was, talking to my hair dresser, telling her I needed a change.  We agreed, a shorter style…not too short, but fun and easy.  And I will tell you, when she started snipping, I started to panic a little bit.  But I trusted her and I really did want something different.

So now instead of blonde, it’s dark brown.  Instead of long, it is now pretty darn short.  And you know what?  I love it.  Everyone that knows me loves it.  The change, and the risk, really was worth it.

So what did cutting my hair teach me? It taught me how to take a risk, push through the panic, and enjoy the rewards.  So here are my top three risks that I took and that I believe will change your business:

Risk #1. Jump into Social Media.  
If you’ve been hesitant to engage on social media, now is the time. Start slow, and if you want, pick just one to get started with. Get a Facebook business page, create a company profile on LinkedIn, update your website, get a twitter handle.  Just start.  I promise you will not regret it.

Social Media should be part of your overall strategic marketing plane for your business.  It may not replace all your marketing but it is a great wway to build and reinforce ongoing relationships with your clients and prospects.

Risk #2. Invest in yourself.
This does not necessarily mean spending money, but can if what you need to accomplish warrants it.  This means taking the time you need to and invest in your own growth.  Read books, blogs, newsletters, watch podcasts attend Webinars/teleseminars.  Mark time on your calendar specifically to invest in yourself and gain the knowledge you need to succeed and take your business to the next level.

One thing I really have found extremely helpful was to work with an executive coach.  Actually, I worked with two, and yes sometimes both at the same time, but on different things. It changed my mindset and my business.  So I highly recommend finding a Mentor or Coach.  Ask someone you admire for advice.  Work with them informally or formally.  It could be as simple as having lunch once a month to a very detailed plan.

Risk #3. Don’t do it all yourself.  Delegate.
In my small business several of my everyday tasks are regularly delegated to virtual assistants around the US.  I love it because it allows us to give them a lot of flexibility.

When you consider delegating, it is important to visualize specifically what the virtual assistant can execute for you in relation to the cost it would be if you did it yourself.  I like to think of my hourly rate versus there hourly rate.  I calculated this by taking my salary and divided by 2080 (the number of working hours in a year, less vacation, etc). This number crunching exercise should also probably need to include the added cost elements associated with full-time or even part-time employees, the benefits, pensions, insurance costs, productivity and so on.

So there you have it - my top three risks, not counting the hair cut, that helped to change my business.  Sometimes taking a risk and trying something new is fun, and who wouldn't enjoy a bit of fun in their business?

The Holidays are Coming, is Your Business Ready? How to Know If You're Inefficient Or Not

How will you get everything done, increase your efficiency and streamline productivity?

It seems like everywhere we look we are seeing a drive for efficiency. Waste is to be avoided and expenses have to be cut if the small business is going to survive, let alone prosper. Today it's more important then ever to get maximum value out of the money spent on resources, whether it is the direct costs of running a business or the substantial costs associated with employing personnel. There's no room for uncertainty when it comes to handling these costs and every reason for the small-business owner to put in place systems to analyze where and why the money is being spent.

There are so many different reasons for employing a virtual assistant.  Each one of these reasons has in one way or another a lot to do with efficiency, so it is somewhat ironic when one of the reasons put forward by a typical small-business owner – faced with the question about hiring a virtual assistant – is one related to efficiency.

"I simply don't know how many hours work it should take to complete, so how can I employ a virtual assistant on an "as needed" basis?"

Before any progress can be made moving forward it is important to get a feeling for exactly what work needs to be outsourced. This will require careful consideration for the executive, who will almost certainly be surprised as the list grows longer and longer. These are all the tasks that should be delegated and many of them may be tasks that can be handled on an "as needed" outsourced basis.

Just think how inefficient it really is to employ an assistant or administrator on a salaried or weekly basis. This person is being employed for 40 hours whether there is sufficient work to fill those 40 hours or not. Invariably this leads to massive inefficiency as a salaried employee may simply "expand" the time that it should take to complete a variety of tasks in order to justify his or her salary. Some people might look at this as cheating, while other people would say it is also human nature to a certain extent. After all, this is the traditional way of handling administration and is it really the fault of the individual employee if there is not an "exact" amount of work to fill an exact number of hours?

In a drive toward efficiency this kind of operation of course needs to stop. Once that long list of outsource-ready tasks is complete a top notch assistant can be engaged to advise. The VA will know how long it should take to conduct and complete each and every task and can then agree with the small business owner to take on this raft of tasks efficiently. A price will be quoted for each job through completion and there will be no need for the business owner to worry about an employee "expanding" to simply fill up their weekly timesheet.   The best Virtual Assistants are experienced small business owners themselves. Their business is streamlining productivity for others and over time as they work with you, they can offer expertise in other areas of your business.  The more efficient the small business owner can be in this way the more likely they are to succeed and go on to prosper in the aggressive real world out there.

Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time
Diahana

Small Business Tip - What About Using a Virtual Assistant?

One of the most advantageous aspects of using a virtual assistant is the ability to employ industry experts for the completion of certain tasks. This becomes beneficial in situations where a small business is faced with a complex problem which is beyond the expertise of the in-house employees. Using a virtual assistant gives the small business the opportunity to outsource the task of solving the problem to a highly qualified candidate. Plus, many small business owners find that the virtual assistant’s service fee ends up being significantly less than what it would have cost them to solve the problem with their in-house staff. The amount of time it would have taken coupled with the potential for costly mistakes makes it clear using a virtual assistant is the right decision in this scenario.

Another scenario where tasks may be outsourced to an industry expert is when the small business is faced with the task of performing more work than they are capable of handling in-house. During aggressive deadlines or unexpected delays, using a virtual assistant can be used to complete projects according to unyielding deadlines.

Flexibility in Scheduling

Many small businesses balance the workload they take on based on the number of employees they have on staff capable of assisting in each individual task. However, using a virtual assistant gives small businesses the ability to consider accepting more work than their in-house employees are capable of completing. An example of when this is beneficial is when consultants are awarded more projects than they had anticipated and are suddenly in a situation where they are not able to meet their deadlines due to larger than anticipated workloads.

Another advantage to using a virtual assistant is the ability to take on larger projects than usual. One of the most elementary factors often considered when awarding projects to consultants is the number of staff members who are available to work on the project. Clients evaluate this number with their project needs and schedule to determine whether or not they think the consultant is capable of completing the project on time. Consultants who outsource portions of their projects are effectively able to increase the amount of employees they can afford to have working on a particular project.

Reduced Operating Costs

Finally, using a virtual assistant can help companies to produce higher quality work by enabling them to reduce their operating costs. Using a virtual assistant can save companies a great deal of money because they often do not have to pay benefits such as social security, workers’ compensation and Medicare to those who perform work on a contract basis. Additionally, those who perform the outsourced work typically do the work from their own office meaning the company does not have to provide resources for the individual. Although these costs may seem trivial, they can really add up especially if using a virtual assistant is used on a regular basis.

Combined with the reduced operating costs, many companies find that productivity is increased through using a virtual assistant. By using a virtual assistant the in-house employees are freed of additional responsibilities and can focus exclusively on the tasks they were hired to perform. This is significant because without using a virtual assistant these same employees might be tasked with attempting to perform complicated tasks for which they are not properly trained or qualified. When this happens there is a significant decline in productivity as the employees take longer than necessary to complete the more complicated tasks and do not have time to complete the simpler tasks.

Do you have experience using a virtual assistant?  Please feel free to share any thoughts or comments.

Thanks for reading!  Until next time...

Diahana

Small Business Idea - How to Increase Your Efficiency

Everywhere we look we are seeing a drive for efficiency. Waste is to be avoided and expenses have to be cut if the small business is going to survive, let alone prosper. Today it's more important then ever to get maximum value out of the money spent on resources, whether it is the direct costs of running a business or the substantial costs associated with employing personnel. There's no room for uncertainty when it comes to handling these costs and every reason for the small business owner to put in place systems to analyze where and why the money is being spent.

There are so many different reasons for employing a virtual assistant, for example. Each one of these reasons has in one way or another a lot to do with efficiency, so it is somewhat ironic when one of the reasons put forward by a typical small-business owner – faced with the question about hiring a virtual assistant – is one related to efficiency.

"I simply don't know how many hours work it should take to complete, so how can I employ a virtual assistant on an "as needed" basis, accordingly?"

Before any progress can be made moving forward it is important to get a feeling for exactly what work needs to be outsourced. This will require careful consideration for the executive, who will almost certainly be surprised as the list grows longer and longer. These are all the tasks that should be delegated and many of them may be tasks that can be handled on an "as needed" outsourced basis.  Just think how inefficient it really is to employ an assistant or administrator on a salaried or weekly basis.

This person is being employed for 40 hours whether there is sufficient work to fill those 40 hours or not. 

Invariably this leads to massive inefficiency as a salaried employee may simply "expand" the time that it should take to complete a variety of tasks in order to justify his or her salary. Some people might look at this as cheating, while other people would say it is also human nature to a certain extent. After all, this is the traditional way of handling administration and is it really the fault of the individual employee if there is not an "exact" amount of work to fill an exact number of hours?

In a drive toward efficiency this kind of operation of course needs to stop. Once that long list of outsource-ready tasks is complete a top notch personal assistant can be engaged to advise. The VA will know how long it should take to conduct and complete each and every task and can then agree with the small-business owner to take on this raft of tasks efficiently. A price will be quoted for each job through completion and there will be no need for the business owner to worry about an employee "expanding" to simply fill up their weekly timesheet. The more efficient the small business owner can be in this way the more likely they are to succeed and go on to prosper in the aggressive real world out there.

Thanks for reading!  Feel free to share your thoughts.

Until Next Time,
Diahana

Ten GREAT Ideas On How To Use Evernote For Your Small Business

1. Paperless. Going Green has never been easier!  If you use this solution creatively you may never use a paper and pen again. Type away into Evernote instead of taking notes, or if you do fall off the wagon and find yourself taking some handwritten notes, scan them into the software, where the words can be recognized for indexing purposes.

2. Storage. Evernote provides you with a unique e-mail address, so when you receive document attachments that you need to reference from time to time, or when travelling on business, forward them to the e-mail address.

3. Watchdog. If you designate a specific folder on your computer as your "work in progress" for example, Evernote can keep an eye on that folder. Whenever any recognized file formats are inserted therein, they will be automatically uploaded to your account. This means that they will be available on various devices and off-line if needed.

4. Planning. When you're starting to work on a potentially challenging and multifaceted project you simply have to be organized right from the start. If you create a stack of notebooks within Evernote, you can categorize different tasks and responsibilities into the various notebooks. Tag keywords carefully and methodically and you should never experience project "brain freeze" ever again.

5. Doodle. If you want to commit an idea that just popped into your head to virtual memory then you can use the facility within Evernote known as the "ink" note. You can sketch onto the tablet using a variety of different colours and formats. The next multimillion dollar idea doesn't need to be on the back of a napkin, even if that makes a good story.

6. Brainstorm. Collaborate with your cloud-based virtual solutions team to come up with ideas for new ventures, projects, client relationship management and so on. When you find resources online you shouldn't bookmark them to your browser or local machine but do create an instant link or screen grab here. Keep all this in your research section.

7. Snap. Because a picture tells a thousand words get used to the idea of snapping away with your iPhone or iPad whenever you see something relevant or inspirational. The app that enables you to upload these pictures directly to your Evernote account with ease.

8. Tweet. There is integration between Twitter and Evernote, enabling you to capture tweets that are important, memorable and enabling you to create your own archive.

9. List. Evernote has a checkbox feature. Therefore, you can create any number of lists including daily "to do" lists. As you complete you are able to check them off and move on to the next pressing issue.  A must have for any small business!

10. A-ha. You never know when your next inspirational brainwave is going to hit. The chances are that you will have access to a mobile device of some kind when it does. Commit it to virtual memory right away, safe in the cloud for anytime access, as this is sure to be the brainwave that pays for your upcoming retirement, is it not?

Until next time,
Diahana

LearnEASE

4 Ways to Make More Money by Using an Assistant

I strongly believe that every small business needs an assistant:  Someone who can handle the everyday stuff while you concentrate on the big

 money generating tasks 

like talking to potential customers and servicing customers.

If your business isn’t big enough to hire a full time person, consider using a Virtual Solutions Team of experts (like those at LearnEASE...yes this is a little bit of a shameless plug).  With our people and our technology, we are here to help in a cost-effective way.  There are many ways to use a Virtual Solutions expert and the good ones will have a wide range of ways to help you automate and streamline your business.  Here are a few that our clients use the most:

1. Social Media & WebSite Assistance:
Developing and maintaining a strong social media presence can seem like an overwhelming task for the small business. But don’t worry!  There are solutions out there designed to help make the most of your business’ social presence and increase your visibility.  We can set these up for you, automate, monitor and provide you with regular updates.  You have the benefit of keeping your finger on the pulse of your business without having to handle the groundwork.

2. Time Management Assistance:
If your business bills hourly, it is extremely important to know where you are allocating your time.  Even if you do not, ideally you should know how much time you’re spending on money generating tasks versus everyday paperwork, IT troubleshooting, and other tasks that take up time but don’t make you money.  A good virtual solutions team can ease your time constraints in a cost effective way that allows you to focus on your business.

3. Email Marketing & Newsletter Assistance:
Email marketing campaigns and newsletters can seem like a daunting task.  Making sure your emails stand out and your newsletters are noteworthy takes time and thought in order to add value for your business and your customers.  We can make your email campaigns and newsletters pain-free and we'll take the work out of designing and delivering, incorporate social media and web components, to help you reach more customers.

4. Analytics and ROI Assistance:
Measuring the results of your efforts is essential to building a successful small business and getting the most out of the hours you spend.  A good virtual solutions team will have an easy and cost-effective solution that can help you understand the data, give you integrated analytics and dashboards, specifically designed to streamline and track your success.

Every small business is unique and you have your own individual needs.  But you can't do it all, and by handing off the tedious tasks to someone else you'll free up your time to focus on what you do best -

Your Business and Making More Money!

As always, we are here to help.

Until next time,
Diahana

info@learnease.com

"I'm Not a Sales Person" But I Need More Sales

Read our article, "I'm Not a Sales Person" on page 16 published in The Paperless Entrepreneur Magazine:

Open publication - Free publishing

What do you think of the article?  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment box.

Until Next Time...
Diahana