Last week we talked about getting a friend to keep us accountable; making sure we stay positive about achieving our goal, and to make it public to keep us on track. We close out this week with our final two strategies to realize our goals.   Chart your goal’s progress.   I’ve already shared with [...]

I recently watched the plight of newly hatched sea turtles, slowly and methodically making their way to the ocean. They faced all sorts of outside forces that turned hundreds of hatchlings into a mere 30-40 living specimens who actually made it to the ocean. Once there, they quickly learn how to manage life around their sea-based [...]

Last time we discussed the top five mistakes to avoid when marketing your business, here are the final five!  6.   Your message isn’t clear. Always test it out on current clients, peers, or family/friends to be sure it’s not confusing or misses the point you’re trying to make. 7.     Untimely message. If you’re looking to build some [...]

Without marketing your business could stagnate, or even worse, close. Identifying and correcting some basic marketing mistakes will help you to promote and grow your business.   Here are my Top Ten Marketing Mistakes   1.     Your message is too general. While some of you may think that EVERYONE could use your product or service, if you [...]

 Are You On Track To Grow Your Business in 2011? When I started my VA practice in 1998, the only experience I had in running a business was managing someone else’s. The company I had been working for was not the most ethical company around, and as a salesperson you were provided with quarterly goals to [...]

Few social networks sum up public discourse more effectively than Twitter. Thanks to its short-form nature and enormous audience, a single topic of discussion can often evolve into a completely natural case study for marketers. Be it immense disapproval or the immense success of a single principle, Twitter offers a unique look into conversation. But [...]

I met Louise Crooks the Keys to Clarity Coach on Twitter and it turned into a wonderful and fun interview (podcast) about how coaches can find the right Virtual Assistant. Enjoy! http://bit.ly/b2Fa2v      

Both my husband and daughter struggle with this one. They are both very stubborn and when their mind is set they refuse to let go. Having your own business does allow you to be the one and only decision-maker, however, you do have to interact with clients, prospects and peers, all of whom have different opinions, personalities, [...]

This to me is HUGE. So many of the VAs I work with who don’t stay in business, or whose business stagnates, are those with low self-esteem, or negative attitudes. Remember earlier when we discussed surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people? You have to be positive and supportive, too. When I started, I didn’t have extremely low [...]

This is a biggie! The definition of entrepreneur is: “One who organizes and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise.” – and the buck stops there. You are totally responsible for every facet of your business. It’s all on your shoulders. Any mistakes that are made – your mistakes. Any successes or achievement, yours. But having a true entrepreneur’s mindset is [...]