Smaller Bathrooms on Planes, Adding Seats

Say it isn’t so!  I have flown quite a bit and at 5’9″ and 140 pounds I am almost uncomfortable during a flight because my knees are about 1/4″ from the seat back in front of me which basically impedes my ability to make even the slightest shift.  Now, airlines are going to add an extra row of seats by taking space from the lavatory?  Have you seen the size of an airline loo?  Ever tried changing a baby’s diaper in an airplane bathroom?  I have which was an almost impossible feat to squeeze me, my son and the diaper bag in that tiny space.  Luckily he’s 5 now so he will be able to fit in the newly re-sized lavs.  Even with shifting the walls around as indicated in the Wall Street Journal blog article (link below), they will still have to garner more space from the coach seating area.  What’s next? Charging for luggage? No wait, they already do :)

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2013/03/29/airlines-lavs-shrink-to-fit-in-more-seats/

I’ve read that Samoa Airlines is considering charging passengers by the pound/weight!  That would work for me and my son’s tickets would definitely be cheaper or maybe not.  I realize the airlines need to make money but, seriously, how much tighter can the seats get?    I hate to rant about problems with no solutions  hence you won’t see many political posts from me, LOL.   Anyone have any ideas to solve the problem?  I know I have some airline folks who read my posts.

Happy traveling,
Jan

Choosing Clients That Are The Right Fit For You

I received a referral from a client yesterday who had given my contact information to a friend.   This particular client has known me for about 30 years (since I was a teen) and knows my extensive and diverse background.  Not sure of what this potential new client might need, she suggested to call me.

After speaking with the potential client and finding out she wanted me to help her with sales – calls and in person – I told her it didn’t appear to be a good fit for me/my business at this time.  She told me about her/their project and the item they would be selling and it sparked my interest.  I think her/their idea is fabulous.  We decided to meet later today to discuss it and view the rough draft of the item which is going to print later today.

I thought more about it through the morning and decided to rescind our meeting and my assisting with this sales project.  However, if she needed assistance with social media marketing, creating effective marketing pieces, or building a web presence, this IS what I do as a virtual assistant.  It felt GREAT to say “no” to a project that doesn’t fit my business.

It may have seemed indecisive because while I really want to help people achieve their goals and ease their anxiety/stress, I had to stay true to what my goals and desires are for my business.

I just read an article by Donna Toothaker (love her!) on being passionate about your own business and how saying “yes” to a project that you really don’t want to do isn’t fair to you or your client.  True!

Best to you,
Jan

Cell Phone Contact List

I bet you never think about how many people you connect with in a year.  New potential clients, new subcontractors, other virtual assistants, people you meet at networking groups, other parents at school, someone in your church group, babysitters, etc.  I am known for grabbing my cell, plugging in their name and number and that’s it… done, right?  Great plan if you always have your cell and it operates perfectly.  Mine did or at least I thought so until just after the new year when all of my contacts vanished.  Now what was my babysitter’s number?  Her mom’s number?  My other babysitter’s number?  Hope I don’t have a date next week … LOL!

This post is to remind you to take a little time to either download or jot down all of the contact information that currently resides in your cell phone.   The start of the new year is probably a good time to complete this task – akin to changing the batteries in the smoke detector ;-)

Just my suggestion!
Best to you,
Jan

How Did You Begin 2013?

Unlike some, I spent much of today (January 1,2013) working.  Yes, I know the saying, “All work and no play…”  however, I felt driven to work and to get some things in place to begin the year with a more inspiring work area.

After fielding a morning call from a client, I decided to spend several hours on projects for another client – fun, creative stuff – yay!  That was plenty of time on the clock especially with my son home from school today.

Next, was creating a better work space.  A space where things wouldn’t linger as my plan is to have a home for everything.  I mean everything!  Nothing is to be without a proper home.  Over my 8 1/2 years of working as a virtual assistant from my own home office, this has been easy to manage and maintain, but by the end of this year in particular, things seemed to get stacked albeit in an organized fashion, but still “homeless”.

My revamp started when I pitched my beautifully photographed 2012 wall calendar which freed up a bright white space on the wall and I have no desire to fill it.  I like the white, open, uncluttered appearance of this new space.  New pretty pens were recently purchased (I love jotting notes, appointments, and more in fun colors), my 2013 desk calendar which I use daily vs. any online version, new file folders for clients as necessary to house current project info, notes, etc.  A clean work slate, new desk plant, and some of my tried-and-true check point systems in place, I feel that 2013 is going to be a fabulous year.

Plus, I took time to try out a new yoga stretch.  My plan is to try a new stretch, yoga move, or exercise each week/every week.  This week it is yoga move Warrior 3 – woo hoo.  I think my gluteus maximus will feel this tomorrow!

Happy 2013!  I am big on goals (if you’ve read this blog you know that), not so big on New Year’s resolutions and I’m okay with that! :)

Alrighty, I have got to get my son’s favorite dinner made … easy beef stroganoff, plus tonight’s dessert is homemade easy blackberry cobbler.  Yum!

Tell me about any projects you completed to kick your new year off on the right foot!

Best to you!
Jan

Whistle While I Work

Well, not really whistling, but my work day is so much more pleasant when I have good tunes playing in the background.  Granted there are some jobs (like searching code for errors) when I have to turn the music off.  Decided to stick with holiday tunes for a while today.  Plus, I can sing along without any of my clients or subs hearing!  I love being a virtual assistant and working from home!

Merry Christmas to you and whistle or sing while you work today :)
Best to you,Jan

Why I love being a Virtual Assistant

I guess one of the best aspects of owning my own virtual assistance business is the fact that I get to choose the clients I partner with and, luckily, have made some really, really good choices! : )

I work with individuals in varied industries (from science to those in real estate) and I get to work on exceptional and uncommon projects.  Yay!

Loving my diverse day today…thanks to my clients!

Hope yours is a good day, too!

THANK YOU!
Jan

 

Social Media Networking

Personally, I prefer using Facebook for my business, LinkedIn and Twitter – in that order.  I have other accounts but do not use them the way I initially intended when I signed up. 

Also, I’m not a huge proponent of blasting the exact same post/info across all networks and think that it may be/become annoying on some level to those who follow you on more than 1 social media network (which I’ve said in the past).

Do you have a preferred social media network for your business?  If you use one and not others, why?  What are your thoughts/comments?

Goals – July

Hey there,

For those following the GOALS, this is just a friendly reminder that 2012 is half-gone.  We can’t get those first six months back or rewrite the time we didn’t use to focus on y/our goals.

Are you on track – right now – with your goals?  If not, can you identify where things strayed?

What tools do you use to stay on track and achieve your goals?

Best to you,
Jan

Monthly Checklist

As a busy business owner, homeowner, and mom of an active 4 year old, I have quite a bit on my plate.  In reality, the flow doesn’t always flow as planned and although I hate to admit it, things that I *should* do, don’t always get done.

I think it was 2009 when I implemented a little monthly checklist.  Don’t know about you, but I am a visual person (maybe that’s why I like doing graphic design projects).  While super simple, this little checklist serves as an accountability system on my being productive.

Here’s what works for me – on the page for the entire month at-a-glance (I use a Weekly/Monthly Planner), I prepare my super simple list for the month with little empty boxes to the left beckoning their check mark:  post to business blog; daily earning goal (and an area to note how many days I achieved that goal); monthly marketing quota; act of kindness; and a few related to personal goals (e.g.  monthly home improvement project, post to my personal blog, money to savings, etc.)

While it may seems silly, like I said the accountability side is that driving factor when the end of the month is looming.

HTH – Best to you,
Jan

 

Find It Faster

Sometimes I forget the things I know :)  I go through my day using techniques and short cuts that are automatic/inherent.  The example that inspired this post was while online with a client, we were doing a little research together.  Of course, we received a staggering amount of seemingly pertinent information within seconds from our Google search.  When she chose a document from the search, we had to wait while the huge pdf file loaded only to find that it was a 459 page document.  I laughed when we saw the size of the document and sounding a bit overwhelmed she said, “It is going to take forever to find” her sought after key phrase.  Not!

When I took a few seconds to walk her through the process of  how to “find” her key phrase (using Ctrl+F) and she found the exact information she sought in a millisecond, she was amazed!  I love it when I can dazzle a client and empower them with tools to make their life easier.

Best to you,
Jan