Photographer: Mike Rakoski

I cannot believe that Spring is here. Where does the time go? Spring brings many changes to our lives; our bodies start to want lighter food as it awakes from its winter slumber; our family activities start to pick up and our businesses start to see increased energy.

This is a perfect time to think about change, because people already associate the spring season with renewal and transformation.

But do you have enough time?  Even though we have gained one extra hour of daylight, does not mean you stay at work one more hour. Daylight savings time should be used to get out during daylight, enjoy those spring baseball games, take a walk at lunch and smell the spring blooms, and reflect on how your business will grow into this year, especially in today’s fast-changing environment.

Using the changing of the clocks can also be used as a reminder to:

• Spring means cleaning out the clutter!  The clutter of negative relationships, clients, situations or events and making a new beginning.
• Examine your work environment.  Think about what you like and change what you can of the things you don’t like about your job and environment, and practice accepting what you cannot change.             Reflection: The Serenity Prayer
• Spring clean your processes, goals and personnel. This can be very effective and give you a clean, fresh start.
• Give yourself time alone.  What does your business need now?  What is waiting in the back of your mind to begin?

Learn to notice the changing seasons of your life and your business from winter (making endings) to spring (making new beginnings).  You will feel a renewed energy, hope, and a desire to grow in yourself and those around you.

If you are interested in letting me show you the benefits of working with a VA to help you grow your business, please give me a call. 

Inspired by a recent presentation given by  Allison Muzal, President/Owner of SBI Financial Services, Inc. dba Bookkeeping Express. at the West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs Although this is entry is for Outlook users, you can certainly use the same tactics in Gmail.  Also check out the recent blog entry by WSWE member Brooke Randazzo Eggert, Owner / Senior Designer of r3mg::creative boutique where she really explains the different Quadrant’s of Allison’s presentation.

NEW YORK, NY — Avoid wasting your time chasing down scam job listings. Here are some tips to help you spot any red flags in a job post:

• There isn’t a company name in the ad. Blind ads can be used to gather personal information about individuals as part of an identity theft scheme. Protect yourself and use the confidentiality feature offered by most job boards.
• The e-mail address ends in @yahoo, @gmail, @hotmail, etc. Not all companies have a company e-mail. However, if there’s a company name in the ad, not having a professional e-mail might be something you should consider looking into.
• The person of contact cannot be found through a simple Google search. Not everyone can be found through a Google search, but if you’re an employer, there should be some type of information about the employer online.
• They offer you the job within 24 hours of sending your application. You have to remember that all companies have a hiring process to go through. Any company worth working for will want to get to know you before offering you a paycheck for your skills.
• They want to pay you before you start working. Some scam artists send checks to their victims as a way of getting into their bank accounts. In an article on the MSNBC website, 1.3 million Americans were victims of check scams in 2009.

But how do you find the time to sit and write all those Holiday cards, or find one that truly expresses your gratitude?

What if I can show you a card system that will produce high level cards, personalized with your message, your business logo or even a family photo, addressed, stamped and sent in less then half the time that you spend in the Hallmark store at half the cost. Would you be interested?

Have you heard of SendOutCards, the gratitude card system? I have been using this system for just about a year now and I have received amazing compliments from my clients, friends and family.

I have personally never come across a product like this with so much mass appeal and at very little cost. The #1 priority for businesses to embrace is Marketing. Touching clients, prospects, referral sources, and alliance partners is crucial.

The cost to find a new customer is five times more than to keep an existing customer. Communication strategies have become so high-tech with email, newsletters, online surveys, tweeting, Facebook, etc., that the personal touch has been lost. So show your clients you care… send a card!

If you would like to see how simple it is to send a card visit www.SendOutCards.com/112271 and send a FREE card, my gift to you; or give me a call and let me share with you how this remarkable system can work to your benefit.

Interested in support?
Call or email me today! Remember that we work as a team, so don’t worry if this is not your area of expertise.

Please help spread the word!
Please share this email with your friends and colleagues. We offer a 20% discount for referrals! This discount is valid toward your 1st month of service and will be automatically applied to your invoice.

Hiring can be one of the most time-consuming tasks of all.  I’m definitely not suggesting delegating the final decision on hiring, just the search process.  I’ve heard of business owners who delayed hiring because they froze at the sight of a 6-inch tall stack of resumes they had to go through. 

It might pay to hire a recruiter to do the screening for you so that you are presented with only the finalists. 

Interested in support?
Call or email me today! Remember that we work as a team, so don’t worry if this is not your area of expertise.

Please help spread the word!
Please share this email with your friends and colleagues. We offer a 20% discount for referrals! This discount is valid toward your 1st month of service and will be automatically applied to your invoice.

Last week the West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs hosted a program ‘SUCCESSion‘. Since the event it made me re-evaluate some of the processes I have in my business, as well as, the processes I do for my clients.

Being self-employed it is so easy to overlook the value of what you have created. For me the stage I am in for succession planning is to build my work environment on systems. During the program the panelists shared a tip with us to start out with something as simple as taking something that you do repeatedly and create it into a template, by doing this you are creating a process.  Well, since the program I have created about a dozen templates and I am on a roll.

Succession planning for me right now is a mindset. The mindset for putting processes and systems in place so I can take a look forward a few years in my vision for my business. It is not about the when, where and who may buy the business.  Make sense?  It might not to you but to me it does and I have three extraordinary women to thank for that, the panelists on the ‘SUCCESSion‘ program:  Sue Reardon, The Growth Coach; Catherine Riddick, XPonent Group, Ltd., and Nancy Fallon-Houle, Nancy Fallon-Houle, P.C.

With this recent happening it made me revisit with a book I bought when I first went into business for myself. This book is very informative and an integral part in building a succession plan.

1. Green up your commute. Since your workday begins when you arrive, let’s start with how you get there. The best-case scenario is to telecommute by working from home (Like me!). Today’s technology–e.g., video conferencing (Skype), instant messaging (FB and others) and online interactions (JoinMe)–has made this a reality. However, if your office can’t be home based and walking or biking is not an option; consider carpooling with two to three other like-minded people or using public transportation. Other alternatives are purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle or switching from an eight-hour workday, five days a week to a 10-hour workday, four days a week. This will cut your daily commute time by at least 20 percent and give you longer weekends (doesn’t hurt to ask your boss, because happy employees are productive employees).
2. Go digital. The greenest paper is no paper, and one of the most effective ways to be more eco-friendly in your office is to reduce paper waste. Switch from a fax machine to a fax modem (AccessLine) to send and receive paperless documents. Use electronic forms whenever possible, and e-mail letters and documents to be read online rather than printed out. Have staff members take their laptops or tablets to team meetings so they aren’t printing reams of reports. An added bonus: Storing files on your computer saves time, money and space. Just become organized with saving files to folders and using your email system to the fullest. Just don’t forget to backup, preferably to an off-site data system.
3. Read the green print. When printing is unavoidable, use the draft mode on your printer and make double-sided printing your default. The same rules apply to your copier as well. You should also use 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper.
4. Green your PC. Since we’re talking about using computers to their maximum potential, we also need to discuss how to make them more efficient and environmentally friendly. Start by putting computers on “standby” or in “hibernation” mode when they haven’t been accessed for more than 10 minutes; turn them completely off when you’re finished working for the day. When upgrading, take advantage of take-back programs for people who want to recycle their old computers.
5. Can you see the light? Daylight is the best natural resource (for me it gives me a burst of energy). However, natural lighting is not always adequate, and energy-efficient light bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs should replace incandescent lighting for cost and energy savings. Just be sure to turn off the lights when leaving the room.
6. Get real. Plants that is. A silk tree may be easier to take care of, but a real one adds natural beauty to your surroundings while improving the quality of indoor air. This can be especially important if you work in a newer building that is tightly sealed to conserve energy.
7. Take a break. And when you do, toss the plastic wear and foam cups. Encourage your employees to bring lunch from home in reusable containers or frequent restaurants that have green carryout initiatives. Provide washable utensils in your lunchroom, or encourage staffers to bring their own. This would also be an excellent time to get some coffee mugs with your company logo on them for visitors and employees to use.
8. Perk up. Speaking of coffee, use fair-trade certified, shade-grown coffee in reusable coffee filters. Not only is organic coffee better for you, but the shade-grown beans helps to protect biodiversity of the fragile ecosystems in the countries that grow it, while the reusable filters cut down on waste.
9. Use green marketing tools. Promote your eco-friendly habits in your marketing materials, both internally and externally. Let your customers, suppliers, and employees know that you are taking active steps to protect and preserve the environment. This can be done in a number of ways, but one of the simplest is to add a green tag line to e-mails that [says] something like: “Please think green before printing this e-mail.”

Courtesy of: The Whole Brain Group

Need specific information about current or prospective clients? With a little research performed by a Virtual Assistant you can collect all the data you need, including phone numbers, email addresses, social media links, etc. They can then enter the collected data into spreadsheets, documents, address books… whatever is most useful to you.

Interested in support from a Virtual Assistant?
Call or email me today! Remember that we work as a team, so don’t worry if this is not your area of expertise.

Please help spread the word!
Please share this email with your friends and colleagues. We offer a 20% discount for referrals! This discount is valid toward your 1st month of service and will be automatically applied to your invoice.

Keep Your Job Search And Work Separate: Never search for jobs using your company’s computer, and never use your work email to touch base with potential employers.

Be Very Careful Who You Tell: Entrust your search only to those you know will keep your search quiet.

Schedule Interviews Strategically: Schedule interviews before or after work or during lunchtime. If your interviewer isn’t flexible, use vacation or personal days for interviews.

Be Wary Of Your Wardrobe: Interview dress is crucial to landing a job. To avoid suspicion, quick changes in public bathrooms may be in order.

Your Boss May See “Giving Notice” As a Threat: Be very careful when giving notice. Some employers may see your friendly heads up as a threat.

Be Honest With Potential Employers: If asked if your current employer knows about your job search, be honest and tell him, “No.”

Don’t Forget About Your Current Job: You owe it to your employer to remain a productive employee for the time you have left.

You Don’t Have The Job Yet: Don’t submit your letter of resignation to your boss until you have an offer in writing.

Job searching while employed is rough. After all, who wants to do more work after work? But the process has its benefits, too. Employed job searchers are in a better position to negotiate salary and won’t be tempted to accept the first offer that comes along.