Holistic Business

This free teleseminar is being sponsored by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce.

As usual, it’s going to be great, enlightening, and more than definitely worth your cost of time.

Our guest expert this month is Jim Logan, Marketing Consultant.

Several things we’ll discuss:

• The three things your prospective clients consciously or subconsciously think about when deciding whether or not to purchase your services;
• The most important thing to highlight when describing your service;
• Why the least valuable thing you have to offer your customer is your time;
• How to increase your hourly rate without billing by the hour;
• How to differentiate your service from your competition and attract your ideal client

This seminar is being sponsored by the VACOC, but is not only open to Virtual Assistants - it’s for any independent service provider.

For more information or to register: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/teleclass-registration.htm

So, sign up and give your holistic business a shot in the arm - hope to “see” you there!

Namaste ~ ~ ~

Technorati Tags: Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, Jim Logan, Virtual Assistants, holistic business

Where is that folder???

Do you have a lot of folders in “My Documents” and find yourself using a few of them quite often? Maybe you have to scroll for them because they are down a ways in the alphabetical chain? But you like to keep a tidy desktop and don’t like to create shortcuts for everything?

I’ve got a great solution for you.

Go into “My Documents” or wherever you have all these folders. Find one that you always have to scroll for. Click it once, wait a sec, then click it again. DON’T DOUBLE CLICK! Or you will open the folder!

The second click should highlight the folder name in a little box. Put the cursor in front of the first character and click - this should unhighlight the entire name.

Now - insert a space (hit the space bar) so that the first “character” is a space. You are renaming the file with the same name, just a space in front of it for those of you familiar with the process in renaming a file.

Click away from the folder to save the change - and WA-LA! The folder should now be showing first in the list!

Cool - huh?

Just don’t blame me if you do this with forty folders and still have to scroll!

This way, you can put a shortcut on your desktop just for “My Documents” or wherever you keep your most used folders and only have one shortcut and still save yourself a lot of time.

Clean computer desktop and a saved step - can’t beat that!

Oh, BTW - this works on PCs and Macs. I use a Mac myself for the most part and love to find tips that can be shared across the board.

~ ~ ~

Just a little side note: if you are a Holistic Business owner interested in networking - check out Holistic Business Networking. I’ll be sharing tips there too and be keeping my eyes out for specific questions about time saving computing tips. Believe me, being a Virtual Assistant has me always on the prowl for timesaving tips for myself and my clients!

Namaste ~ ~ ~

Technorati Tags: Holistic Business, Holistic Business Networking, Virtual Assistant

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO A CAPITAL SOLUTION!!!

5 years today! Whoop-EEEE!!!

I’m finally feeling the transformation from the larval stage. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Thanks to a great group of Virtual Assistants over at the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce and especially Danielle Keister I have a much different business than I did 5 years ago (heck, even 1 year ago). Danielle really was instrumental in pointing out better, smarter, and wiser business practices! Thanks Danielle - I could not have asked for a better mentor and friend (geez, I’m getting choked up, now I know how why actors blubber on stage when accepting awards!).

Oh, and of course, if it wasn’t for the support of my husband I never would have had the courage or finances to plunge right from full-time employment to full-time business owner.

So, all in all, I am one grateful gal!

OK, I was talking about transformations.

Take a caterpillar for example. You can’t point at it and call it a butterfly. Under the right conditions someday it will be, but the universe throws curve balls. It needs to evade predators (in the VA world there are people who prey upon new VAs), have the right weather conditions (good vs. bad business decisions), and a little bit of luck (good friends, family, and mentors).

I am so happy to have entered into this new stage of my business (my wings are almost dry) and am thrilled with my decision to work within the Holistic Business community.

One of the things I’m most excited about is the launching of the Holistic Business Networking forum. My vision is to provide a warm and comfy spot for like-minded business people to share, grow, make new friends, and prosper.

Here’s to the next year - Cheers!

Technorati Tags: Virtual Assistant, Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, Danielle Keister, Holistic Business, Holistic Business Networking

This is a bit of a rant.

Customer service in retail establishments has withered away to where it is almost non-existant. Or at least where I live it has.

I’m not even talking about the large mega-stores. I’m noticing it at the small local gas station and liquor store. I was out running errands the other day and realized that I, as the customer, was the one saying “Thank You” after being handed my change and receipt.

This is just wrong. I have even been pretty sure that times this has happened it’s been the owner.

It really hit home when I received a handwritten thank you note in the mail from another Virtual Assistant, Vickie Turley. I had spent some time on the phone with Vickie as we were comparing notes and likes and dislikes with various auto-responders and shopping cart software we work with. I consider Vickie a friend (I know the feeling is mutual!) - and she sent me a thank you! Now - that’s class!

I know it’s not worth getting myself all stressed over, but I might try saying “You’re Welcome” instead and see how THAT goes over.

Technorati Tags: Customer service, Thank You, Virtual Assistant, auto-responders, shopping cart

This month’s offering from the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce:

with Alicia M. Forest of Client Abundance

DATE: Thursday, March 15, 2007
TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
LENGTH: 60 minutes (please call in 10 min. early)
COST: FREE!

Are you a Virtual Assistant or other solo professional who’s frustrated and discouraged by your lack of clients, money and time?

What if you could work with only a handful of your Ideal Clients AND still make more money than if you were working with 10+ private clients?

What if you could sell your knowledge and expertise as information products to make more money while you sleep?

And what if you could take that information and share it with your clients, adding a huge benefit to them for working with you?

Join me to discover how you can enjoy the peace of mind, joy and freedom that comes from having an abundance of clients, money and time to truly enjoy your life. On this call, you’ll learn the 6 simple steps to turn your business into an online profit-producer, from scratch and on a shoestring, while gaining more time and freedom in your life, faster and easier than you can imagine.

A few of the concepts we’ll cover include:

• How creating a “Marketing & Product Funnel” gives you a roadmap to more clients and more money;
• 6 simple steps to creating passive income streams, quickly and effectively; and
• How serving instead of selling helps to build your business with integrity.

And much more!

Register Now!

Technorati Tags: Alicia M. Forest, Virtual Assistant, solo professional, Marketing & Product Funnel, passive income streams