Take 5 (or 10)

As business owners it's easy for us to get and stay in the zone. We are passionate about our business and want to make sure it's running on all four cylinders. Often times we grab a quick cup of coffee in the morning and call it breakfast or throw a frozen box meal in the microwave for lunch and scarf it down while we're busy checking emails. It seems there's always something that needs to be done and not enough hours in the day to do it all.

But when was the last time you just stopped to breathe? When was the last time you took an hour out of your day to go for a walk, watch a favorite t.v. show or read a chapter of that novel that's been sitting on your nightstand for six months?

We make more than enough time for our businesses and give whatever we have left at the end of the day to our families but we are neglecting to take care of the one thing that keeps all of those things going, ourselves!

Being passionate and driven is fabulous and they are characteristics every entrepreneur should have. Being dedicated to your family is also a wonderful trait. But you are no good to your family or your business if you are exhausted, burned out or your health is suffering because you're not eating right, exercising or taking the time you need to recharge your batteries.

If you're thinking, "I have no time to stop during the day" then think again. Maybe you need to re-prioritize your day, plan ahead more or batch like tasks together so you're not backtracking throughout the day. You can make the time you need, you just have to take a look at how you are spending your time.

Take a few days or a week to track your time and see where the hours are going. Are you really spending all that time on important work and billable hours? Or are you taking just a little too long to check your email or network online? Maybe you have a friend or colleague that calls you every day and takes up valuable time on the phone. After spending several days tracking how you spend your time you'll be able to see where you can rearrange things and find those blocks of time you claim do not exist. It might be a matter of spending your time more wisely or perhaps you should consider delegating some of the things that take up your time but aren't moving you forward.

Now that you've found a little free time in your day, what will you do with it? The answer is up to you! Make a list of the things you enjoy doing or have been wanting to do and do them! Here are just a few ideas:

-Call a friend you haven't talked to in awhile and invite him or her to lunch to catch up.
-Go on a date with your spouse or significant other
-Read a book
-Write a book
-Work on a hobby
-Take a walk
-Watch a movie
-Take a nap
-Plan a vacation
-Alphabetize your CD collection
-Take the kids to the park
-Go for a drive

The possibilities are endless. The point is to spend a little time each day doing something you enjoy that is not work related. If you build a little playtime into each day you'll come back to work feeling energized, focused and ready for anything. Not only will you feel better, but your business will be better for it and your family will also appreciate you taking time for yourself and for them.

So, what are you going to do for fun this week?

Just Call Me Sybil

You remember "Sybil" that film back in the 70's based on a true story about a woman who had multiple personalities. Well, that's kind of what it's like being a Virtual Assistant. Let me give you an example of my many titles and roles:

Copy Editor: Client emails me with rough draft of newsletter and asks me to go over it with a fine toothed comb and check for spelling or grammatical errors before she sends it out. Done! Check that off the list and switch gears to....

Website Manager: Log into client's website and upload new content, make sure all information is up to date and change out necessary graphics. Also implement SEO strategies and make sure client's website is submitted regularly to search engines. Done! Next......

Social Media Strategist: Develop social media marketing plan for client who knows it is necessary but is unsure of how to proceed. After reviewing detailed plan, client agrees but decides it is best left in my hands to execute so I become.....

Social Media Manager: Execute social media marketing plan designed for client to include setting up and updating profiles on various social networks and platforms. Also managing contacts and friend requests. Keeping client visible in the social mediasphere. Switching gears once again......

Communications Manager: Act as liason between client and client's colleagues, subcontractors, and business associates. Sending emails upon client's request, fielding questions, requesting information and setting appointments. Moving right along.....

Graphic Designer: Client decides he wants all marketing materials to be consistent so requests that I design materials that tie his brand together including a new website banner, blog design and ezine design. Then it's on to....

Ezine Manager: Collect content from client and upload into ezine template. Layout ezine and make sure formatted properly. Send test to client for approval. Schedule delivery in accordance with client's needs/objectives. Manage opt-in message and make sure all subscribers are properly in system. Schedule autoresponders. Set up e-course in system for client.

These are just a few of the "personalities" I assume during any given week and that's just for my clients. We haven't even mentioned the internal business personalities....

• Bookkeeper
• Copywriter
• Blogger/Guest Blogger
  
• Marketing Director
• Receptionist
• Researcher
• Writer
• Radio Guest
• Mail Room Clerk
• IT Department
• Ezine Editor
• PR
• Contact Manager
• Miracle Worker

In the midst of it all, I manage to maintain my two favorite roles of wife and mother.

So go ahead, call me Sybil, or a juggling act or even Super Woman but above all, call me happy because there's nothing I'd rather be doing than wearing each and every one of these hats every day as a Virtual Assistant. I love what I do and who I do it for and wouldn't trade it for anything!

Tweeple Who Need Tweeple....

Are the Luckiest Tweeple in the World! Some of you are reading this thinking, wow, she must be hitting the sauce what is she talking about? Others know exactly what I mean. I'm talking about Twitter. What is a Tweeple you ask? It's just a silly Twitter word for people. If you're a Twitterholic like I am you understand that just about anything can be "Twitter-ized" by adding a TW in front of it. Seriously though I want to discuss this week about the value of Twitter and how it has impacted both me personally and my business.

What is Twitter?
Twitter is considered a micro-blogging tool where the idea is to simply answer the question: "what are you doing?" in 140 characters or less. Although it started off as a way for family, friends and coworkers to keep track of each other and find out what everyone else is doing it has taken on a life of its own and become a powerful tool for networking and building your business.

While some may consider Twitter a waste of time, they are fooled by its simplicity and wonder "why does anyone care what I'm doing and how in the world could this be beneficial to my business?" The answer is as simple as the idea of Twitter itself. People DO care what you are doing and it can be a huge benefit to your business. If used correctly, the people that follow you get a glimpse into your life and your work. They learn about what you do, how you do it and how you interact with others. They learn about your likes, dislikes and a lot about your character. It is all of those things people consciously or subconsciously run through their head when deciding to do business with you. With online businesses popping up everywhere you look, people are becoming less inclined to go into a physical storefront to buy what they need. Why should they when they can shop in their pajama's in front of the t.v.? That means they want what you have, but when it comes down to choosing who to purchase from they are more likely to buy from someone they have a rapport with or know a little bit about before Joe Blow Widgets who they've never heard of.

Let's take a closer look at a day in the life of an average Twitter user (or Tweeter)- ME

Anyone who knows me or follows me on Twitter knows I tweet quite a bit throughout the day. Here's why and how I do it...

Problem Solving
I try to solve problems on Twitter by looking for people who need help. Not necessarily for my services but maybe I know something that could help or provide a link or refer the person to someone that can help them. I take time to quickly browse the latest tweets and see what's going on and how I can take action and help someone get what they need, whether its information or a product or whatever. If I don't know the answer I've been known to Google to find the answer and quickly send them a link that can help them.

Encouragement/Motivation
There may be times when I notice someone is having a really bad day. That's when I send them a message, either a public tweet or a private message (or DM-Direct Message) to lift their spirits. There may also be a time when someone is doubting their abilities or afraid to take the next step in their journey. I try to encourage them or offer words of wisdom from my own experience or perhaps a favorite quote I think they might like.

Tooting Someone Else's Horn
I love to promote others on Twitter. If someone says something I think will benefit the people that follow me I will "Retweet" it meaning sending out the exact same tweet with the person's name or Twitter ID who originally said it in front of it. I also enjoy tweeting about other people's upcoming conferences, radio programs, teleseminars, etc.... if I think they are relevant to what my followers are looking for or something they should check out. Also if I've tried a product or service from one of the people I follow and liked it I will tell everyone about it along with a link to a website where someone else can try it too.

Tooting My Own Horn (Kind Of)
I try not to do a lot of self promotion on Twitter. In my opinion there are other more suitable places to do that. However I do tweet when I have a new blog post, have added a new service to my repertoire or most recently when I launched my brand new ezine this week (speaking of which you can subscribe by heading to my website or my Facebook page. You can also subscribe on my blog page) Ok, shameless plug out of the way, back to Twitter. The point is, I try not to sell when I'm on Twitter. Twitter (and social networking in general) is about building relationships. Twitter is about making connections, getting to know people and letting them get to know you. Sure I conversationally will talk about what I'm doing like "working on updating a client's website" or "working on client's database". Guess what? Without saying "HEY LOOK AT ME THIS IS WHAT I DO AND YOU SHOULD USE MY SERVICES" I was able to let people know the kind of work I do without hitting them over the head with it. Someone may read it and say, OH she updates websites, that's what I need! I should check out her website and see what else she can do.

I tweeted the other day that I love what I do and the fabulous clients I do it for. After reading that, people have the sense that I love my work. I'm happy doing it and I love the people I do it for which means I have the utmost respect and admiration for my clients. This means that anyone that might be thinking of hiring a VA knows that this is how I view my clients and my work. Wouldn't they want to be one of them knowing that? I would hope so.

Jackie's Top 5 Tweeps
A few weeks ago during a teleclass about Twitter I named my top five "tweeps" to follow for various reasons. I think now would be a good opportunity to name them again. (their Twitter ID's are in parenthesis after their name)

1. Mari Smith (@MariSmith) - Mari and I met where else, on Twitter! We struck up a bit of a rapport and I was fortunate enough to meet her in person in October when she invited me to a marketing conference called JV Alert Live. She's been dubbed by Fast Company Magazine as "the Pied Piper of Facebook" and it's true. Mari knows anything and everything about using Facebook to build your business in a big way. Mari not only tweets about Facebook, she also tweets Twitter tips, marketing tips, interesting people to follow and lots of great information in general that every business owner should know. One taste of her friendly and bubbly personality and savvy marketing wisdom and you'll be a fan for life.
   
   
2. Carrie Wilkerson (@barefoot_exec) - Carrie Wilkerson (a.k.a. The Barefoot Executive) is a woman who has been there & done that. She has four kids, four businesses and has figured out how to balance it all and be extremely successful doing it. She now teaches others how to do the same. She's got a phenomenal story and exudes positivity wherever she is whether it's a live event or online. I had the pleasure of meeting Carrie in person at the same event where I met Mari and she is the real deal. I've learned so much from Carrie about being a business woman, a mom and a wife and making it all work. She's incredible and I'm honored to know her.
   
   
3. Felicia Slattery (@FeliciaSlattery) - Has such an amazing story. She was hours away from death while giving birth to her 2nd child just four years ago due to a pregnancy related life threatening illness. Felicia and her daughter are both fine now but the event altered the way Felicia approaches life. She celebrates every day and is such a positive influence to everyone who meets her. Felicia is a Communication Consultant, Speaker and Coach. She teaches others how to build credibility and grow their business through public speaking. I also had the joy of meeting Felicia at JV Alert Live in October and even had dinner with her. She's a brilliant woman with an amazing soul. I'm so lucky to know her as well.
   
   
4. Stephanie Bell (@SpiritCoach) is a walking example of a purely positive life. She is such a joy to follow because her words are always uplifting and encouraging. No matter how bad of a day you're having, you will instantly feel better after a tweet from Stephanie. She coaches others on how to be "passionately positive" in their life and work and how to find the joy that so many of us seem to have lost track of. I met Stephanie at JV Alert Live as well (do you see a pattern here?) and I'm so glad I did. She also lives here in Vegas and we are planning on getting together soon.
   
   
5. Grant Griffiths (@GrantGriffiths) - last but certainly not least is Grant Griffiths. Grant started blogging in 2005 in an effort to promote his family law practice. He soon found blogging to be so powerful as a marketing tool that he cofounded G2WebMedia and now teaches others how to profit from blogging. I know you're thinking I met Grant at JV Alert Live right? Wrong! I met Grant on Twitter and although we've yet to meet in person I have learned so much about using blogging as a marketing tool and business in general by following Grant. If you want to know anything about anything, ask Grant. Chances are he's got an answer for you. If you want to know anything about blogging, again, follow Grant. He is THE go-to person in my opinion for all things blogging. Grant has been gracious enough to ask me to be a guest blogger on one of his blogs called "Blog For Profit" which I am honored to do. We are also working on putting a teleseminar together so watch for details on that.

Why am I asking you to follow these people? Well, because they have all impacted my life in one form or another and they are all brilliant at what they do. By following them you'll learn everything from marketing to social networking to speaking and blogging and even finding your passion while doing it. All very important components of a successful business.

I hope I've enlightened you a little bit about the power of Twitter and what it can do for you. In the coming weeks I'll be posting more about Twitter and will also be offering tips in my monthly ezine. I'm always here to answer any questions you might have about using Twitter and how to get started so feel free to contact me.

Before I forget, if you're not following me on Twitter, please do! You can find me at http://www.twitter.com/JackieNees. I hope to be tweeting with you soon!

Have a wonderful week!
Jackie

Your Goals: Write Em' Down, Break Em' Down

Everyone always starts off the new year with a list of things they want to accomplish in the next 365 days. Lose weight, become richer, travel, whatever it is, it always seems we start off with a bang then slowly fizzle within a few short months or even weeks. Why does this happen year after year? The answer? No Plan!

The List is Not Enough
First of all, look at the example list above. Lose weight, be richer, travel.... these goals are much too broad! How are you going to lose weight? How are you going to become richer? Where would you like to travel and how will you get the money to do it? This seems to be the first thing people overlook when writing down their goals. They need to be specific! It's not enough to say I want to lose weight. How many pounds do you want to lose? By what date? What means are you going to use to get there? You've got to write it all down.

Create Action Steps
Once you have your specific goal, you need to create specific steps to get you there. If you can't think of what they are, start at the end result and work backwards at what each previous step should be before the next. Sometimes it's easier to figure out what you need to do by starting at the end. Number your steps, even add a sub list (a, b, c) under each step for more specific smaller steps.

Categorize Your Plan
For instance, I made a list of my professional goals for the year recently. I also created detailed action steps for each one. Then I broke it down even further. I categorized various areas of my daily business life (Marketing (along with a sub category for each type of marketing - i.e. website, blogging, social networking, etc..), Organization & Productivity, & Writing. I also created a category for Income, declaring what I wanted to make this year and what that will entail. By creating categories, you get an overview of each area of your business and what you would like to accomplish in each area or what might be missing that you need to work on.

Schedule Your Action Steps
Now that you've got a plan, you need to schedule it into your daily routine so you are consistently taking steps toward achieving your goals. This may require breaking down your steps even further into weekly and daily actions. Don't just write them down, set reminders in your Outlook or Google calendar so that even if you get busy doing something else, your computer will give you a gentle reminder of what you should be doing to stay on track.

Keep Your Goals Visible
Make copies of your goals and action steps. Keep one copy posted by your computer, another in your car, maybe another in your briefcase or day planner. By constantly being reminded of what you set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year you are more likely to achieve those goals.

Track Your Progress
Do a quick weekly and monthly check to look at what you've accomplished. Check off the goals as you accomplish them. This can be hugely motivating and also allows you to revisit your goals, make sure they are still what you want to accomplish or tweak action steps if something isn't working.

Wishing you much success this year in accomplishing your dreams!

Jackie