Closing dates
By admin | December 13, 2008
Just wanted to remind our clients that we will be closed from December 22nd 2008 to January 4th 2009.
Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a great New Year. Thanks again for all the support you have given.
Topics: Client Relations | No Comments »
Are you working yourself out of business?
By admin | December 3, 2008
Came across this article and felt like sharing. I recently posted something here on being a recovering workaholic myself, I figured I should pass this along too.
I’m a recovering workaholic/perfectionist, not to mention having delusions of superhero syndrome. I know I’ll never be cured. But I can at least work on controlling it. I also know I’m not alone. Plenty of entrepreneurs and small business owners suffer from this same condition. (In fact, it’s so prevalent I’m thinking about starting a recovery group for this.) Do you suffer from workaholic/perfectionism/superhero syndrome? Take this short quiz to find out.
- You think working all the time, including nights and weekends, is a sign of:
- Success
- Insanity
- Just one of the sacrifices you have to make when you own your own business.
- Your to-do list resembles:
- War and Peace (actually, War and Peace might be shorter)
- No more then 5 tasks per day
- It’s pretty long, but that’s okay. You know if you buckle down and REALLY focus, you can get everything done. (Of course, you never have, but that’s beside the point.)
- The last time you took a vacation was:
- Vacation? Who needs a vacation? Vacations are for wussies.
- A couple of months ago and it was fabulous.
- You’re too afraid to be gone for more then a couple of days, especially if you don’t have your laptop and can check in every day. What if something happens? A new client calls? You could lose the business. Or some crisis might come up and there wouldn’t be anyone to take care of it. It’s just too risky to leave, better to stick around.
- You believe:
- People who don’t work very hard yet still are making money are pretty lucky (and also pretty lazy).
- Being successful also means having a life (and having time to enjoy it).
- The only way to be successful is to work longer and harder then anyone else. (After all, when you’re not working you’re not making money. So how can you be successful if you’re not working?)
- Taking time for yourself is:
- A luxury for only rich (or lazy) people.
- Something you make a priority each and every day.
- Nice in theory but unrealistic in practice. After all, your clients have to come first. They’re the ones paying the bills.
Scoring: Well, let’s just say you know who you are.
As entrepreneurs and small business owners, I think one of our biggest challenges is balance. How much time to spend on our business? With our families? Ourselves? And how do we fit it all into the only 24 hours we have?
For me, this has been one of the most challenging lessons. I grew up in Wisconsin, the heart of workaholic-ism. That Midwest work ethic can put people into the ground faster than anything else out there, I think.
I grew up equating hard work with success — if you wanted to be successful, you’d better be prepared to work your tail off. So when I started my business, I immediately put that ethic into play. If I could get all my work done during the week, there must be something wrong. I must not have enough clients. And I must not be successful enough.
But when you combined my workaholic nature with my perfectionism, that’s when things started to get out of control. There was ALWAYS something I should be doing for my business. Therefore, it was difficult to justify taking ANY time off for myself. Worse yet, I had a little voice in the back of my mind that would say things like if I wasn’t working, then I’m being lazy or procrastinating or something.
And since my husband grew up in the same state with the same work ethic, he supported my need to be working all the time. Plus, he worked equally as hard himself.
So what was the outcome of all this? I burned out. My burnout took place in 2003. After I recovered, I realized I had to start doing things differently or I would end up right back where I was again (burned out and unable to help anyone, much less myself). And since I still wanted to help people and I was still passionate about marketing and copywriting, I realized I would have to learn how to run my business differently if I was going to stay in business.
That was really the catalyst for me to change both myself and my business. I had to change a lot of things, including my mindset. It also has made me realize I have to value taking time off for me. If I don’t value it, it won’t happen.
Basically it comes down to this — as entrepreneurs and small business owners, we are our business. Even if we have a team to support us (which I sincerely hope all of you do), how far we can grow and take our business ultimately rests on our shoulders. And if those shoulders are slumped over, exhausted from overwork and poor health and lack of sleep and loss of passion for what we do, then that’s going to ultimately affect how far our businesses will grow. It’s that simple.
Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting, marketing communications and creativity agency. She helps people become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.michelepw.com Copyright 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek
Topics: Productivity tips | No Comments »
BlackBerry Addict?
By admin | November 23, 2008
Who says I’m addicted?
I love BlackBerry. I love the functionality and the convenience. I’m actually on my 5th BlackBerry now. Gotta keep up with the latest. It is definitely a must have for me in my line of business.
Lately, my fiance has been trying to gradually wean me off the device. He says that he will not share me with a handset. I keep trying to tell him the BlackBerry is not a handset. It is an extraordinary device. Handsets are just boring and ordinary. The BlackBerry is not.
Personally, for a long time I’ve always felt he exaggerated my so-called ’addiction’. Ok, so I sleep with on my bed and if in the odd instance I forget it at home and I am on my way out, I’ll drive miles back for it. A special attachment, yes. Addiction, no. I just can’t help but have a special attachment to the device but addiction is a strong word. He, my fiance, says he will hide the phone from me for a day to show me how addicted I am and force me to function without it for a day as part of the weaning process. I keep telling him the BlackBerry is way more than a phone. It is the perfect way to be in the know when I’m not in my office. Still, my fiance insists that I have an unhealthy attachment to the device.
Recently, we were out and I kept checking my email and replying to queries. He got so upset that he took it and hid it away until the night was over. Needless to say, I did not enjoy the night to the fullest, particularly since I would have to wait for the night to be over to learn if the new prospect I had been communicating with would sign. Still, I refused to see this as an addiction. My argument.. ….I am a consumate professional, always trying to be one step ahead.
So yesterday I go to the store to get the newest and latest BlackBerry on the island. I’m excited. I believe that the fact that I got the last one on the island from my provider is a good sign. I spend a few hours ensuring that all my email addresses are on, my ring tones and folders are in order and go to sleep feeling really good.
Off to Church I go this morning. My BlackBerry, which I forgot to turn off is disturbing the service. I quickly take it off and continue to fellowship with the saints. After Church, I turn my BlackBerry back on and guess what? My beautiful LCD screen is all blurred. I’m about to pass out, right there in the Church. Seriously. Was God trying to tell me something? I mean, not even 24 hours in my ownership and the LCD screen is gone! I did not squeeze it or sit on it, as a matter of fact, I kept it in the case, handled it like a baby, which is how I handle all my new BlackBerry devices until the newness and novelty has worn off. Then I don’t pamper them so much. What a pickle I’m in! I’ve just given away my old BlackBerry Curve, I basically do not have a new phone since the LCD screen in the Bold no longer works which makes the BlackBerry nothing more than a phone to me now. I don’t want to ask for my old one back, lest I appear like an Indian-giver and I’m hear on the verge of tearing my hair out as I’m faced with the task on checking my numerous email accounts online (so retro) to see what’s new. I feel like crying each time I hear an alert indicating that I have email and don’t know which account to check, and I’m not excited about the fact that my provider does not have any other BlackBerry Bolds on the island since I got the last one. I’m going slightly crazy and hubby says I’m being paranoid and over-reacting.
Oh yeah, I’m definitely an addict.
Topics: Productivity tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Who said you could not afford a Virtual Assistant?
By admin | November 22, 2008
It’s a fact that small business owners, whether they work from home or not, tend to lack the time needed to accomplish all their daily tasks and grow their business. Many professionals, no matter their field of business, tend to believe that obtaining support that is affordable is almost impossible. The truth in fact is quite contrary; hiring a Virtual Assistant can actually help save your business money and provide you with the time to spend on generating new business. A Virtual Assistant can actually help you by taking some of your work load off you, so that you can concentrate on the actual income-generating aspect of your company.
Consider the following example. Let’s say that in a 40 hour work week you spend about 15 hours on the actual revenue-generating aspect of your company. The remaining 25 hours you spend on filing, customer service, bookkeeping, answering emails and other important, yet time-consuming activities. If you were to pass some of the tasks that do not make up the core of your business to a Virtual Assistant, you can use the extra free time gained to focus on revenue-generating tasks.
Another great benefit of working with a Virtual Assistant is that you don’t have to deal with them every day as you would with an employee. Virtual Assistants work from their own office and utilize their own equipment to support you, so you save on office rental, equipment as well as on costs associated with having in-house support. You pay only for actual time spent working on your behalf, thus increasing your profits.
Now that you’ve got all this information, you may be asking, ‘Where can I find a good Virtual Assistant?’ You can do so via the web, ask friends, family and business associates and business partners for recommendations, and you can also check some Virtual Assistant directories.
So enjoy your new-found freedom and enjoy profit increase. After all, isn’t that what business is all about?
Topics: virtual assistance | No Comments »
Ciboney Virtual Christmas Promotions
By admin | November 20, 2008
Christmas is fast approaching and you’re probably wondering how you are going to manage shopping for the kids and family, make time to find that perfect tree, wrapping up those last minute projects for the boss and just ensuring, ordering supplies and paying bills on time so that you can start the new year fresh and with your to do list from 2008 all clear!
Good news! You don’t need to try to do it all. We can help! What’s even better, we’ll help you save a buck or two in the process!
Contact us today so we can help lighten your load this holiday season. Visit us on http://ciboneyvirtual.com to see how we can help.
PS - Just for the season, our administrative services are $30.00 an hour as well as our internet marketing services, a savings of $5 to $10 off our hourly rate!
Topics: virtual assistance | No Comments »
When firing a client isn’t a bad idea
By admin | November 18, 2008
Sure, the customer is king but let’s face it, some of them are just irrational, difficult and downright horrible. Fortunately, they don’t make up the majority. So, what do you do when you’re faced with the client from Hades that you’d rather throttle than serve? Put the following steps [...] Continue Reading…
Topics: customer service | No Comments »
5 great reasons to hire a virtual assistant
By admin | November 16, 2008
A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is an independent contractor specializing in the provision of administrative and business support and solution services. Virtual Assistants support their clients in a continuous, collaborative and professional relationship. They work from remote locations, utilizing current technology such as email, online communication, telephone and fax, [...] Continue Reading…
Topics: virtual assistance | No Comments »
Client retention tips.
By admin | November 14, 2008
These days, with the economy being unstable and all the uncertainties faced by businesses small and large, it pays to focus on client retention.
One of the best ways to keep clients is to show them your appreciation. Clients like to feel appreciated, so it’s important to take advantage of [...] Continue Reading…
Topics: customer service | 1 Comment »
How To Set Yourself Apart From the Competition – 5 Tips for Small Businesses
By admin | November 12, 2008
This post is not fresh. In fact, I took it from my personal blog but did not see the harm in sharing it here. Please notes that these 5 tips are written from a customer service standpoint.
To stand out to your clients and leave your competitors in the [...] Continue Reading…
Topics: customer service | No Comments »
8 Tips for Professional Email Communication
By admin | November 10, 2008
I didn’t realize how hot of a topic this was to me. Within the last 2 months I did a blog post and article on this and it was not until I went to my personal blog this weekend I noticed that I’d blogged about this in January of this year [...] Continue Reading…
Topics: customer service | No Comments »
« Previous Entries
