Happy New Year!

I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year and cheers to new goals, new accomplishments and new connections in 2009.

While 2008 was the year I was married, which was the happiest day of my life, it was also a year of ups and downs. It started off with my husband (then fiance) and I getting extremely ill with a horrible stomach flu, my grandma passed away from lieukemia, I left a very stable job for a new job, quit that job and started my own business. What a busy year!

I’m happy the year is coming to an end and have decided to devote this next year to personal and professional development. Something I have been putting on the back burner, is really taking the time to think about my life and how I can improve myself and become a better person not only for selfish reasons but for the people around me. I was extremely unhappy working ‘for the man’ and have found a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment working for myself.

I hope everyone reading this can achieve their goals in 2009 and wish you all nothing but health, happiness and success for the new year.

Cheers!

CP

Negative people in your life? How to stay motivated and focused

I just returned from celebrating Christmas with my family. I had a great visit and ate too much!

Unfortunately eating too much wasn’t all that left me feeling tired and lethargic. Since I quit the Corporate world to pursue my dream and ultimate goal of becoming an entrepreneur, I have been met with concern and criticism from immediate family members. I no longer have the regular pay cheque and benefits as I did before, but I am so much happier  and am fortunate to have the love and support from my husband to continue with my dreams (which is most important).

The holidays can be stressful as is, throw in having to defend your small business and career goals, and you have the perfect recipe for decreased motivation and increased stress for the new year. How do you stay motivated when you have negative people in your life? Here is how I decided to handle it:

1. Unfortunately I’ve decided to stop discussing my business with those who don’t show their support.

I noticed myself having to defend my business and my choices. This just exhausted me! When I’m around people who are supportive and excited for me, my energy increases and I become motivated to get back to work as soon as possible.

2. I’m going to keep researching and learning.

I’m going to surround myself with inspirational quotes and read information that will benefit myself personally and professionally. Personal development will become an important part of my life in 2009.

3. I’ll celebrate achievements big and small

Whether I gain a new client, make a new contact or successfully finish a long term project, I’m going to celebrate. Every achievement big or small should be acknowledged.

4. I’m going to get help and professional suggestions.

I have decided to seek the assistance of an expert in the new year. This means signing up for a career and small business coach.

Being back home, I can already feel my motivation returning, however I need an action plan for the future. Hopefully my focus will not waver and I will continue with my success. I know negative energy can be hard to leave behind but it’s a necessary component to living a healthy and successful life.

How We Can Help You Over the Holidays

It’s hard to believe but Christmas is next week! Like it does every year, the biggest holiday has crept up on me as I’m sure it has for many people.

If you are a small business owner, I hope you have sent out your cards and gifts to clients by now. The post office tends to be backed up this time of year and the earlier you get your cards and gifts out, the better.

How can we help you over the holidays?

We can purchase and send out cards and gifts on your behalf

• We can at least compile a list of recipients for you and coordinate mailing lists.

We can help coordinate your holiday party

• We have event planning experience and definitely know what it takes to throw a good party for 5 – 300 people. Yes we are now entrepeneurs but we have worked for large Corporations before! I have worked in the PR and Marketing departments for organizations big and small and can help plan your event regardless of your budget.

We can help with travel arrangements

• Perhaps you need to travel over the holidays. Even if you are traveling for circumstances unrelated to work, we can still help. We’re sure you have a lot of work to do before the New Year and arranging your travel will only pile more tasks on your plate. Don’t worry about it and leave that to us!

Take time off and leave your to-do list with us

• Enjoy time off and spend it with friends and family. Any work you need to complete before the New Year can be outsourced to us! Let us respond to general inquiries and be your answer service while you relax and enjoy!

How Do You Separate The Office from Home When you Work from Home?

Before I started working at home, I would often bring the emotions and gossip I learned from the office home with me. My husband would tell me to relax and separate the office life from home life. Great advice but I found it so hard to do. Part of the reason I found it hard to do was because I was bombarded with extremely stressful and non supportive management..but that’s besides the point! When I quit the office life, I was determined to be a successful business woman from my home.

Being successful without having to step outside my front door is possible and I can see that more and more every day, however now I am faced with the task of separating my work at home from my personal life at home! Two weekends in a row now I have opened the computer when my husband was in the shower and I found myself catching up on projects for the remainder of the afternoon. Sorry babe:(

As I’m getting the hang of this home office time management thing, I am learning informative ways to separate my work life from my home life and I would like to share them with you!

Move Away from the Living Room
Set up your home office away from the television and away from areas where most traffic tend to congregate. This most of the time means staying away from the living room area. Set up your own space where you can have a desk and all necessary equipment. This can be a corner of a room or a different room altogether. Sitting on your couch in your pajamas is ok only sometimes, the rest of the time you need your space! That way you can leave your space and not feel like you are constantly at the office.

Set Deadlines For Yourself

When you work from home, you must be diligent and self sufficient. There is no boss hanging over your shoulder telling you to get your work done (this reason alone makes me breath a sigh of relief every day), but hold that thought, there ARE clients who expect you to get your work done and done on time! Just because you work at home, does not mean people don’t rely on you. Prioritize your work and set up a schedule that works for you and your personal life.

Turn Off the TV

You will be working on the weekends if you find yourself getting involved with all of the day time talk shows! Turn off the television, shut off your MSN Messenger, click off the Facebook and shut down your email if you have to. Working from home still means working after all. Ok I will admit, I was a fan of checking my Facebook and Messenger at previous jobs, but I was completely unsatisfied and needed to escape from my current situation, if only just for a few minutes. Now I’m the boss of my domain and business and the need isn’t there quite as much. What a feeling!

Get Out of the House

Set time aside every day to get out of the house and do something other than work. I used to follow this rule when I worked in an office. My lunch hour was extremely important to me. If I didn’t get out during the day, I would be extremely grumpy. Now I find myself working straight some days for 10 – 12 hours! After feeling a little depressed and frustrated with work recently, I decided to take breaks and see friends for lunch, go for a walk or go to the gym. This has helped me tremendously to stay positive and stay focused on how I want my business to run. Don’t be a hermit or you will go a little crazy!

All I’m asking in this post is to remember why you chose to work from home in the first place. Perhaps you wanted freedom to choose your own hours, freedom to complete tasks on your own schedule, freedom from a long commute and freedom to wear what you wish during the day. Well these reasons still apply, just remember to enjoy the freedom of having extra time to yourself and spending more time with those you love. I am more relaxed now than ever and while I’m still overcoming the hurdles of separating home office from home life (hey I’m only human), I’m learning every day to enjoy the important things in life:)

Booked Solid by Michael Port

If you haven’t come across this book yet, and you are a small business owner, I recommend you go out and purchase it now!

A fellow VA recommended Booked Solid to me and after going out to Indigo to purchase it, I couldn’t put it down! With the book comes a worksheet so you can actually learn hands on as you read along. This was important to me as I am a visual learner. Working through the book helped me realize the direction I wanted to take my business in, who my target market will be and a number of proven methods to market myself.

The author shares his experience and tips for gaining new clients by following seven self promotion strategies. This book is well written, easy to read (no industry jargon, show-off words etc) and provides a new way of looking at an old, often hated, part of opening a business. He provides you with many solutions to your problems, not just one and I think this is important to cater to a vast audience.

If you are a service provider, looking to go out on your own, or are already working independently, I strongly suggest picking this up! Read and enjoy:)

Gift Giving Solutions – What to Give Who?

Tis the season for client gift giving! Now that the Holiday Season is officially upon us, the malls are filled with busy shoppers, eager to find the perfect gift for everyone in their lives. As a business owner, you also may be among those shoppers, desperately trying to find the perfect gift for your clientele.

Deciding what gifts to give and to who is already a tedious task. Throw in finding acceptable gifts for the right clients  and you may be dealing with quite the headache! A business gift is different than a gift you would give to a close friend or family member.

Here are five solutions to finding the right gift for your clients:

The New Client

The new client is someone you may not yet know very well, making gift giving difficult. Gift baskets are excellent ways to show your appreciation. Mix different teas and coffees, as well as chocolate and other ‘goodies’ to create a treat basket. It will be appreciated and enjoyed by your client’ family and friends, possibly creating leads for new potential clients! Or consider providing a new client with a gift certificate for your services. This will generate new interest in your business and a reason to use your services the next time your client requires them.

The Complainer

The complainer never seems satisfied, so purchasing a gift for him or her will seem extremely difficult! Consider taking this client out for lunch or dinner. By providing a meal and a setting for a one on one discussion, your client will have the opportunity to express himself or herself and will be provided with an appreciative gift at the same time.

The Slacker

The slacker client has no interest in how you are getting the work done, he or she just wants it done. The slacker client is difficult to communicate with and rarely offers information without getting asked first. What gift do you give the slacker client? Try purchasing items that will assist them with their daily appointments. Excellent gifts include a journal for marking down appointments, or an insightful and motivational book such as Booked Solid by Michael Port or The Secret by Rhonda Brynes (two of my favourites).

The Paranoid

The paranoid client is constantly worried about the work you are doing and the deadlines you must meet. Give a bouquet of flowers, a gift certificate, or a bottle of wine. If you purchase anything too ‘out of the ordinary’ this client will wonder what he or she did wrong!

Every client is different and giving gifts suited to each client’s individual ‘quarks’ will help you stand out among competition as someone who is attentive and listens well to your client individual tastes and needs.

Make Outsourcing Work For Your Business

As a small business owner, you may already be one of the types who feel you can do it all on your own. I know this because I am one of those people. Give me a project and good luck getting any materials out of my hands. I’m a little bit of a control freak when it comes to my work.

The truth is though, that when the projects, presentations, reports etc etc are piling up, you simply cannot do it all on your own. And as I mentioned in my last post, the economy isn’t in the best place right now to allow you to start hiring on staff!

Here are some tips to effectively outsource your work so you can get on with your business!

• Outsource tasks that are ‘extras’ such as administrative and marketing work. Anything that is necessary to the success of your business but is just wasted time when the professional (YOU!) should be focusing on core projects.
• Ask for work samples. A professional Virtual Assistant should have no problems showing previous work done.
• Be up front about the work. Keep communication open by going over the details of the project required.
• You get what you pay for. Don’t just judge a VA by the price. Quality and value are more important to your business than the price tag.
• Go over contracts in fine detail and don’t commit to a long term relationship if you don’t already have a working relationship.