VA Secrets Revealed! The Blog

Four Ways to Manage Holiday Stress When You Work from Home

I look forward to the holidays -- spending time with family, giving gifts, watching my kids' infectious excitement, listening to holiday music. I'm not going to lie, though; holidays also stress me out! How can we possibly manage all of the seasonal to-do's and constant distractions that are common during this time of year when we work from home?

Prioritize and Just Say "No"

If you work from home, you have probably mastered the art of multitasking...

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Secret #13: Yoga, Anyone?

I, personally, am not into yoga. But I do love to exercise. And you're thinking: "Good for you. What does this have to do with me and my business?" Well, I'll tell you. I am firm believer that everyone needs take care of both mind and body, especially those of us that work from home. Sometimes the convenience of having food at our fingertips and the option of staying in our PJs all day lends itself to creating some bad habits. And we have to work extra hard at maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

I'll be the first to admit, I can't always cram a full workout into my schedule, but I try to do some kind of exercise every day (and having two toddlers certainly helps with that!). But even if you're not into exercise, ten minutes a day doing something that relaxes you can do wonders for your outlook and energy level.

Unsure what to do? Here are some ideas for a quick break during your day:

• Read a couple of chapters in your favorite book
• Do 100 crunches or pushups
• Work on a craft project
• Have a cup of green tea
• Go for a walk
• Get down on the floor and play with your kids
• Run up and down the stairs a few times
• Stretch (Click here for some suggestions from the Mayo Clinic.)
• Meditate or pray
• Watch some of that new show waiting on your DVR
• Call a friend
• Color a page in a coloring book (Don't laugh! This is one of my favorites!)
• Jump rope
• Do a crossword puzzle
• Schedule a "me" day

Now, tell me! What's your favorite thing to do when you need a break?

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This post is expanded from Chapter 6: My Top 20 Secrets to Success in the book, VA Secrets Revealed! An Insider's Guide to Being a Successful Virtual Assistant. Grab a copy and follow along as I blog!

Blogging to Promote a Book

Blogs are used in so many ways -- as a personal journal, to share information, to provide advice, to promote products and services, and even as a collaboration tool. A good blog can help identify you as an expert in your field, generate interest and create a following. That is why a blog is a perfect way to promote a book.

Read more about using a blog to promote a book.

Thanks to Grant Griffiths for the invitation to write this post for Blog for Profit as a guest blogger.  If you are interested in learning about how you can use your blog to generate profit, Blog for Profit should be your next stop.

Technology Primer: Social Media 101

What's all the hype about and do you really need to know the difference between Digg and Twitter, a blog and a wiki, or Friendfeed and Friendster? If you want to use the Internet to network successfully, the answer is: YES.

Social media is big. Really big. And some of the leading users are people who work from home: consultants, coaches, virtual assistants, professional bloggers, writers, designers, and Realtors©. If you work from home and don't take advantage of everything that social media has to offer, you are missing out on a huge market, vast potential for collaboration, and a heck of a lot of fun!

So...what is social media?

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What's Your Passion?

A key step in planning your virtual assistant business is identifying the specific services you will offer. One way to do this is to complete a personal inventory of things you do well and have experience doing. When completing your personal inventory, give special consideration to the things you really enjoy doing. Do you enjoy data entry while others may consider it boring and tedious? Are you a phone person who enjoys spending time fielding calls? Do you have a knack for creating high-impact sales presentations?

All of the things you are passionate about won't necessarily translate into service offerings, but it doesn't make sense to offer services you really don't enjoy providing, even if you’re good at them. Your personal inventory will become your point of reference as you develop your business and consider adding new services over time.

A complete Virtual Assistant Personal Inventory Worksheet will be available for registered readers of the book next week in the Reader's Area, but here are some sample questions to give you a look at the process:

• What are your top five personal strengths?
• What are your favorite pastimes/hobbies?
• What tasks did you enjoy most at your last (or current) job?
• What parts of your day make you happiest?
• What do you do to relax?
• Would you considered yourself stressed and, if so, what stresses you the most in life?

Don't forget to check the Reader’s Area next week to download the complete worksheet!

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This post is expanded from Chapter 3: Taking the Plunge in the book, VA Secrets Revealed! An Insider's Guide to Being a Successful Virtual Assistant. Grab a copy and follow along as I blog!

Selling Your Handmade Crafts for a Profit

Crafting is a wonderful hobby and can be a good source of stress relief. Maybe your outlet is scrapbooking, making jewelry, or creating hair clips for your daughter and her friends. But is it possible to turn your hobby into a money-making business?

There are many factors to consider when deciding if a crafting business is a good move for you. Here are some questions you should ask yourself...

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Secret #2: Get Branded

Your business needs a brand, and consistency in the look, feel and message you are putting out there. Your brand is more than just your business name or your logo; it’s your identity.

What is a Brand?

A brand is a set of elements -- symbols, words, colors -- that characterize your company or product. The goal of a brand is to create an association with your company when a client or prospective client sees these images. Your business name, logo, and the colors that you select all play a part in developing your brand. This is why it is vital that these same branding characteristics carry over to your website and any marketing materials that you use. As your business becomes established, your brand can signify all of the positive attributes of your business, i.e., quality, loyalty and trust.

Do Virtual Assistants Need a Brand?

Short answer: YES! Just like any other small business, virtual assistants should develop a brand for their business in order to inspire trust among clients and prospective clients, create a following and support business longevity.

How Do You Create a Brand?

Creating a brand is an ongoing process that involves analyzing your business, product/service offerings, and target audience. Here are few articles that may be helpful to you:

• How To Create a Great Business Name, About.com Entrepreneurs
• Make Your Brand Pop, BusinessWeek
• Follow These Five Guidelines to Create Indelible Brand, Sacramento Business Journal

And here are a few great books to get you inspired as you build your brand:

• Accidental Branding: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Brands, by David Vinjamuri
• The Brand Bubble: The Looming Crisis in Brand Value and How to Avoid It, by John Gerzema and Edward Lebar
• BrandSimple: How the Best Brands Keep it Simple and Succeed, by Allen P. Adamson

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This post is expanded from Chapter 6: My Top 20 Secrets to Success in the book, VA Secrets Revealed! An Insider's Guide to Being a Successful Virtual Assistant. Grab a copy and follow along as I blog!

Challenges of Working from Home: Finding Work-Life Balance

One of the most common issues faced when you work from home is struggling to create boundaries and keep work and your personal life separate...or at least create specific times of focus for each facet of your life. It is very easy for work time and personal time to meld together, especially when you find yourself working late at night, on the weekends, and in between family and home responsibilities.

A recent post on my blog and an issue I touch on in my book focuses on some ways to manage your time when you work from home, especially when you have children. And those ideas can certainly help to increase your productivity and help you find ways to get more done with all the distractions. But what happens if you are already doing those things? Maybe you have created a very productive and efficient environment for managing work and family, but you're stressed and seem to have lost all sense of personal life. Here are some ways to create a work/life balance.

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