I was Skypin’ the other day with a friend of mine and she said, “I want to hire you – hire you to do my email and just give me the stuff that is important.”

The conversation went a little like this:

Me:  What is wrong with your email?  I mean, why does it bother you so much?

Friend:  I open it and get sucked in…responding to the new emails and putting out mini-fires.  Next thing I know half my day is gone and I haven’t even gotten to my projects.

Me:  Well, why do you open it?

Friend:  Because I keep the stuff I need to get done right there in my Inbox.

Me:  Why do you have to open the new stuff?  Why can’t you just go straight to the stuff that needs to be done?

Friend:  Because I’m curious and don’t want people to think I’m not taking care of them.

Me:  You’d be taking care of them eventually, right?

Friend:  Well, sure!  I can’t have new mail sitting there though because I want to know what it is.

Me:  So, what if it wasn’t new?  I mean, what if when you opened it there wasn’t new mail there – just your stuff to do.

Friend:  Yeah, that’s why I want you!

I love friends!  They just know I’m a Virtual Assistant and that I fix stuff, so they want me to fix stuff for them.  That is easy work, right?  I don’t like to just fix stuff up and give it back.  If there is a way I can help fix something long-term then I’d much rather do that.

To me this email problem seemed like a no-brainer.  When you are stuck you can only see the obstacle though.  It is hard to see the no-brainer someone else can easily see from the outside.

I could tell there were two things bothering my friend: the bold number in parenthesis next to the word Inbox and she didn’t want to let anyone down.

I suggested she set up a new folder like Incoming or something that made sense to her.  Then, set up a rule to mark any incoming email as read and transfer it to her new folder.  That way, when she opened her email at the beginning of her day she wouldn’t have 10 things to do and 35 new emails to look at…the only emails to be seen were the 10 things to do!

This really only solved one of the issues.  She needed to feel like she took care of those folk who were reaching out to her.  I suggested she pick a time that was comfortable for her depending on what time she normally started her day, commit to herself she wasn’t going to look at her new “Inbox” until that time and set a reminder to keep her on track.

Her time of choice was noon and she thought most people wouldn’t be freaking out if they didn’t hear from her by then anyway.  In addition she set reminders at four and eight to keep her in the right mindset the entire day.  My friend also decided she would start managing expectations with new clients regarding how quickly she would respond to them.

That Skype conversation was on Tuesday.  When I checked in on Friday she was on course and happy with the way things were going.  Yah for my friend!

Let’s talk about your obstacle.  What can I help you with that is a long-term fix?  If I can’t make a good suggestion then I bet I know someone who can or one of the readers could have an amazing idea for you.  You’ll never know if you don’t share your trouble!

Nibbling away -

Sundi

I *finally* finished 9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back…and the TRUTH That Will Set It Free by Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford.  I’ve already decided to read it again.  I read it with my book club and it has taken us months to get through.  If I read as we go along I miss the big picture.  If I read ahead I only vaguely recall some details.  So, I’ve decided to read everything twice.

“That is absolutely silly!” you say.  It may seem like it to someone who has never been in a book club like ours!  We are all in the same industry so the discussions get pretty deep when it comes to the hows, whys and ways to make something work for each of us.

Chapter 9, which I finished on New Year’s Day, is titled I Am a Victim of Circumstance and it proves the case that we make the circumstance we are a victim of regardless of it being good or bad.  The section which really hit home for me was Time Management is Ownership – maybe it was because I was reading it on New Year’s Day, which is naturally a time to reflect on ways to do things better.  The author suggests using two of four motivational quotes to enact positive change on the ownership of your time.

Call me a dud but I picked only one.  It speaks so strongly to me and it is something I struggle with regularly.  There are things I want to do and I don’t – which makes me the victim.  Knowing this – acknowledging it – makes me crazy.  I can’t stand the victim mentality and I intentionally avoid people who have it.  So, wait a second.  I want to share the quote:

“You never ‘find’ time for anything, if you want time you must make it.” 
-Charles Buxton

That stack of books I want to read.
Those ten blog posts I have on my list.
The training I want to attend.
A local networking event I want to check out.
The newsletter that was at the top of my list last year.

All those things I want to do and I never find the time to actually DO them.  Gee, now I think I get it.  Nobody can do them but me.  What good does it do me to have someone else read the books or attend training for me?  I might have the titles written down yet those posts are still in my head.  Is there someone out there who can market my company at an event better than me?  Now the newsletter……..

Here are the other three quotes:

“Start by doing what is necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”  -St. Francis of Assisi

“Learn to use ten minutes intelligently. It will pay you huge dividends.”  -William A. Irwin

“You have more to do than you can possibly do. You just need to feel good about your choices.” 
-David Allen

If you were to choose one to start your New Year out right which one would it be and why?

Nibbling away -

Sundi

Keyboard short cuts save me tons of time and I love to learn new ones.  Here’s one for you to try!

The icons that are listed in your Quick Launch toolbar or Task bar can be launched by holding down the Windows button and pressing the numerical position the program icon is located.  Use 1 for the icon located closest to Start, two for the next and so on.

Nibbling away -

Sundi

If you missed part 1 then take a second to get caught up!

We’re talking about how to get through a slow spot in your business…it works if there is a lag in the economy and it works if you took a one month leave!

Here are the last 5 ideas for you.  Try them for a week and let me know how it goes!

6 – Work on your skills.  Invest in yourself for the biggest return on investment.  The best part is you have total control over the return.  Make a half-hearted attempt and you get not so much return.  Apply yourself and the sky is the limit!

7 – Give to get.  Work for your network and let your network work for you.

8 – Use your raving fans.  Not only will it help to talk with a person knows, likes and trusts you but they are a great source of future raving fans.

9 – Count the cards.  Now at the casino this will get you bounced but in your business you ARE the house.  Keeping track of your success will only make you feel better about your efforts.  If you know what your numbers are and set your vision to better results your positive attitude will carry you there.

10 – On to plan G.  There isn’t a single successful person out there who hit the big time on plan A – it just doesn’t happen.  If you’ve succeeded before you hit plan Z you DID IT!

You know you have something to add!  What you have to say may be just what I need to hear so spill it would you?

Nibbling away -

Sundi

I’ve got a freebie idea for you iPhone app designers.

When I meet someone at a networking event and I want to meet them at a neutral half-way point we have the hardest time coming up with the best spot.  Normally someone ends up driving a majority of the distance to the other person.  Sometimes people are familiar with their local area and the parts of town in between are pretty hazy.  Other times, one or both parties aren’t in a familiar area because they have a meeting somewhere out of their local area so they are already starting in unfamiliar ground.  Numerous times I found myself in this situation and if it isn’t me then I over-hear two people having a conversation very similar to this.

In steps a handy iPhone app!

Two address fields pop up where the addresses or areas of town each individual will be coming from can be entered.  Starting with the closest point in the middle and going out in each direction the app could list appropriate places the two parties could meet in the middle.  For another cool functional the app could have a field to enter the time of day or what the parties would like to meet over.  Coffee? Lunch?  Cocktails?  Adding this functionality allows the app even more flexibility!

Wouldn’t it be great to know you weren’t going to end up in a shady area of town for your next face-to-face meeting?

Since I’m not an iPhone owner could you make it web-based too?  Great! Thanks a lot.

If you’ve got this covered here is the perfect opportunity for you to pimp your stuff!

Nibbling away –

Sundi

People you wouldn’t even imagine struggle through low sales times especially during a lean economy.  If you want to find yourself back on top then don’t sit there an take it…take action instead!

1 – Return to the basics.  The basics are the sales steps you took in the beginning.  The ones that got you where you’ve ended up now but those you might have abandoned while times were good.

2 – Act now.  Don’t wait for economic times to get better.  Don’t join the crowds of people who are saying that times will get better soon.  Make them better – now!

3 – Reach out. There are other people out there who want to get the ball rolling.  Find them.  There are some you probably know of who have already started rolling.  Ask for their mentoring and learn from their successful spirit.

4 – Change is good.  If the market is changing then consumers are changing too and so are their needs.  Adjust your basics to reflect those changes.

5 – Think outside the box.  Although change is good it can also force you outside your comfort zone.  Don’t fight it.  Roll with it.  If you aren’t uncomfortable then you aren’t growing.

Try these 5 things for a week and come back for some more to try next week!

Nibbling away -

Sundi

Move along to part 2!

I’m in the middle of a book with a group of Virtual Assistants I have phone chats with semi-weekly…9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back…And The Truth That Will Set It Free by Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford is our current read.

I just finished up Chapter 6 and it contains a section which cracks me up!  Chandler and Beckford found a small business article that rubbed them so far the wrong way they disputed it right there in the book.  Granted there was no give away of the authors or the newspaper it ran in and the details were tactfully written.  This section still made me wonder…would I have followed the advice in the article?

5 Ideas You Should NOT Follow

#1  Keep costs and spending down.  Businesses fail because they have too much overhead.  Truth:  This is negative and reactive.  You can’t save your way to a successful business.

#2  Take the time to create a business plan.  A marketing study, the competition, costs and prices.  Truth:  Don’t let the marketer and competition dictate your vision.  Let the market and the competition respond to you!

#3  Theory is valuable but you have to adapt it.  Truth:  Find a theory of business proven to work and then use as directed!

#4  Persevere and talk to other business owners.  Truth:  If you persevere in the wrong direction you are still, um, going in the wrong direction!  And, when 4 out of 5 business fail what are the chances you’ll get good advice from people who are also starting their business?

#5  Keep believing.  Truth:  Be willing to drop your beliefs.  What you really need is a plan!

My thoughts on the Truths…

1) I’ll admit it.  I bootstrapped my business.  I’m a Virtual Assistant, not a manufacturer.  I don’t think this particular tip is directed at me.  I gradually put into place the things I knew I needed and was underway in less than 3 months.  I think I did just fine.

2) Yes, I have a business plan.  It is more full of hopes and dreams rather than marketing studies.  You’ll definitely find some research on competition in there because I did that to set my pricing.  You’ll even find some expense planning because I needed a new laptop.

3) Well, I guess I’m still working on this one.  I’ve found theories that don’t work and stopped using them.  Do I think I’ve found the perfect one for me?  Not yet.  I’m I disappointed?  No.  There are plenty out there to try and when I get the right one I will know it.  (See more on #5.)

4) I definitely talked to other business owners.  I was picky about who I talked to though.  I didn’t want people who painted a rosy picture.  I wanted raw, thought-provoking answers and honest feedback.  The business owners I talked to were established in the Virtual Assistant industry, not people who had launched in the last three years.

5)  This is a fuzzy one for me.  When I read it I think of the Little Engine that could and how if he had sat at the station during the entire story chanting, “I think I can, I think I can!” then he certainly wouldn’t have.  Do I sit around praying to the new business gods that my biz will suddenly take off.  Uh, no.  Do I believe in myself and the services I offer?  Most definitely!

So, where are you in all this?  If you are launching your coaching, training  or speaking business do you fall entirely on the Truth side of the list?  Would you have believed this article as it was originally printed?

Nibbling away -

Sundi

I connected with her through the IttyBiz SpeakEasy group and I thought E. (@geeksdreamgirl) was a real sweetie!  When I found out she was doing a Great Dates in 50 States blog series I knew there was something I could do to help!  I live in Kansas City so I could cover TWO states for her…Missouri and Kansas.  (I haven’t been single for how long?)  It didn’t take long for the bigger picture to set in and I realized I could do more than write a blog post!

If I connected her with someone who could write the blog posts for Missouri and Kansas, gaining exposure for their business, plus that person could potentially generate more business for E. then it would definitely be a WIN-WIN.  I suddenly went from wanting to help E. write a blog post to being on a mission.

Now, here is where I should probably say I’ve been married 15 years and I’ve never used a relationship coach or a dating service or a match maker.  Back when I was single we did things the old fashioned way…we hit the bar!

So, I started putting out feelers. I mentioned it at my Social Media Club of Kansas City meeting, DMed a couple folks who might know on twitter and finally tweeted I needed to make a connection so I was looking for a relationship coach.  THAT is how I got connected with Natalie Vick at Cynergy Match.  In turn I connected E. and Natalie in an email introduction.  Success!

Looking back I really can’t tell you who suggested Natalie for the connection I was trying to make.  I could kick myself for that now…

Fast forward three months…

I’m at Principal Connections KC sitting with Dean Long of Coach-to-Success.  When I tell Dean, who is a coach, that I’m a Virtual Assistant he says we should get together soon.  One week later we are sitting on the Plaza drinking joe and he tells me he is working on a workshop project and thinks he and the person he is teaming with would be interested in using my services to produce their templates, presentation and handouts.  Dean has a meeting with her in the next couple of days so he’ll let me know.

A couple weeks later Dean wants his partner and I to have a chance to meet.  We schedule more joe on the Plaza.

As the three of us launch into the usual “getting to know you” exchange Dean’s partner starts connecting my dots.  (You know where this is going, right?)

Across from me sits Natalie Vick of Cynergy Match.  She already knew how I rolled – I was into connecting people.

Is this a Twitter success story?  Is this proof that networking works?  Hell, I don’t know if it is either of those…but I can say making connections built my reputation before I even met someone!

Got a great connector or connectee story to share?  After all, it is about you and all the connections we make.

Nibbling away -

Sundi

graphic by nooegoch on Flickr

No, Punctuation isn’t one of my strongest suits so I went looking for some good resources today.  Here are some of the things I found:

Tidewater Community College

Library Online

WikiHow

The next time I hear a soccer coach yell, “Mark up!” during a game I just know I’m going to giggle!

Nibbling away –

Sundi

Can you live without the average pointless corporate meetings?
Do you embrace technology?
Can you make sure home is still home?
Do you like to work completely independently?

Before you go out and purchase your URL…

Almost everyone can live without the average pointless corporate meetings.  That was actually a gimme.  (The the fact the meetings are average and pointless is a direct reflection on how the meetings are run.  Not the actual content discussed.)

If technology makes you want to run the other way you may have trouble finding a job.  Owning your own business is exactly the opposite extreme.

Using social media and technology to market your business is the quickest way to consistently and successfully promote your business.  There are plenty of ways to do it that are expensive and inconsistent so figure out what they are and stay away from them.  Trust me on this.  Technology must be your friend.

Home is where you live.  Chances are pretty good someone else lives there with you.  Even if your home becomes your office they probably still leave for work every day.  If you are a two business household then you are up for even more challenges.  Come to an agreement about what hours are work hours and what areas are work areas.  Stick to them.

Now, be flexible.  Home is where you go to recharge, reinvent and reinvest in yourself.  Make sure you set time aside to do those things regularly – which means you have to shut the office door or the laptop!

“Completely independently” means you are giving up regular face-to-face interactions with peers.  If you work better in a room full of people motivated by the same project then maybe you could do it but you’ll need to find ways to meet that need for interaction. 

Look for work hubs in your area.  These pop up frequently at coffee shops, book stores and libraries.  You’ll be set where ever two or more people gather who want to use each other for a sounding board.  Sometimes it doesn’t even matter if they do what you do.  What matters most is that they are logical thinkers and/or want to play the devil’s advocate when it comes to problem solving with you.  If you get the technology bit you’ll know I use the word “gather” pretty darn loosely!

I’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of things to consider.  I remember many sleepless nights when I was deciding to launch my Virtual Assistant business.  I think it is normal and health so keep a notebook and pen by your bed for these soon-to-begin late-night jam sessions.

Nibbling away -

Sundi