Business Planning, Virtual Assistant

Time To Grow

Leave a comment

January has whizzed past already and that’s all thanks to the 12-14 hour days I have been working so far.

This month, I have promised myself to take time out every day to recuperate and realign myself. I must, must, must, remember to do Yoga every morning or evening. Or at least do 10 minutes of mindfulness exercises. Probably better to do them at night when my daughter is fast asleep! Where the chances of her wanting me are slim…

That’s it, I am adding it to my diary right now!

silhouette of man at daytime

As someone who is responsible for making the lives of others run smoothly, I think I forget that I am only one person and can only take on so much.

Which is why I am seriously considering taking on a freelancer to do some of the work. I will wait and see how the first quarter goes and if things are as busy as they have been, I will definitely be looking at taking on an extra pair of hands. I know some of my customers prefer I do certain tasks myself so I will continue to do those. Just because I absolutely enjoy doing them! 🙂

It’s a tough decision and I wish I could do it all! Sadly, that wouldn’t be very logical.

I just have to accept it when it’s time to grow my business and put new plans in motion.

person writing on white book

I have come across some amazing virtual assistants that I would really like to work with. They have the right level of patience, knowledge, versatility and drive I look for in colleagues.

It’s early days but I feel I am ready to take the next big step!

Business Advice, Virtual Assistant

Is Your Business Ready For Winter?

Leave a comment

The upcoming winter months can be a cause for concern to many business owners. When severely bad weather strikes, it leads to travel disruptions and childcare issues. This means individuals may struggle to get into the office. Whether you and your staff take the public transport or drive to work, snow laden roads can make travel quite dangerous. Individuals with children may struggle to find childcare due to school or nursery closures. If staff are unable to get to work, how will you continue to operate your business?

As a nation with unpredictable winter months, we really should be prepared for anything.

bare tree covered with snow

Which brings me to a very important question. Do you have a Winter Risk Management Plan in place? A back up plan to keep your business moving no matter what the weather is outside? If you’ve said no, it really is a good idea to have one in place. It doesn’t have to be a hundred pages long. A short and simple plan should suffice for most businesses.

Here are a few things to consider when creating your plan:

  • Prepare for snow and ice removal – we don’t want anyone getting hurt because they slipped on some ice. Safety first!
  • Backup generator – if there’s a blackout, a back up generator should keep things going for a while.
  • Prepare your staff – communicate potential weather emergencies with your staff. If they know it’s going to snow heavily for the next couple of days, they can plan ahead.
  • Have emergency contacts in place – an Office or HR Manager usually make a good emergency contact to report staff absence.
  • Offer the option to work from home – if staff can access their computers remotely, that’s great! If not, at least make sure they have access to emails.
  • Create an online meeting room for your team – Skype, appear.in and Zoom are great ways to hold online meetings without breaking the bank.
  • Telephone redirection – set up a divert on your office line. Most telecom companies now offer this as an option. You should be able to contact them and set up a manual divert or do it online, depending on your provider.
  • Most importantly, have emergency support in place, such as a virtual assistant or casual workers through a recruitment agency.

Winter is coming… so be prepared!

 

Virtual Assistant

A Few Simple Ways A Virtual Assistant Can Make Your Life Easier

  1. No more unread emails in your mailbox. A Virtual Assistant can help you sort through your emails and highlight the important ones for you to action.
  2. Carry out research, so you don’t have to spend hours in front of the computer.
  3. You’ll never forget a special occasion again! It’s your mother in law’s birthday and you completely forgot to buy her a card. Fear not, your Virtual Assistant can not just arrange birthday and anniversary cards, they can also arrange flowers and gifts!
  4. Keep your customers happy. A Virtual Assistant can contact your customers and book appointments on your behalf, arrange Christmas presents and be their first point of contact for any queries.
  5. Make you look good! It’s true, having an assistant makes you look good in front of customers and suppliers. A Virtual Assistant will deal with all your admin, so you can focus on taking your business to the next level.
  6. Give you a much-needed break. Running around doing all that you need to for your business can be exhausting. A Virtual Assistant can find your next holiday, so you can take some time to relax and unwind.
  7. Organise your files. You wouldn’t be the first person to save your files all over the place in a rush. A Virtual Assistant can help you rearrange your filing system using Google Drive or Drop Box, so you know exactly where to find that contract you’ve been looking for.
  8. Prepare your next presentation. With just a phone call, a good Virtual Assistant can put together all the information you give them into a slideshow for your next board meeting.
  9. Blogging! We know the importance of blogging and SEO. Your Virtual Assistant could take your notes and put them into a weekly blog post. Doesn’t that sound like the ultimate marketing support for your business?
  10. Transcribing your notes. Do you have audio notes that really should be written up? No problem. A Virtual Assistant can transcribe your audio or video notes into easy to read text.