The Devil's in the Details

 The Bible states a little wisdom of Solomon worth taking note of:  

Song of Solomon 

2:15 Catch the foxes for us,

the little foxes

that spoil the vineyards,

for our vineyards are in blossom."

It is a must for small business owners to take this to heart. I have been dealing with some of the most unprofessional businesses lately, little things like not having a proper website, not answering their phones with their business name, and in a professional manner. Quite a few of those businesses use Gmail and other free email services; how cheap and tacky is that?

When you're starting a business, you can't get it right all the time. But you can make a conscious effort to evaluate and reassess what you're doing. Have some mentor or other trusted friend give you a review and get some outside eye's on all the little details of your venture.

I know it's your baby, your small enterprise, but you need to brush your ego aside. So it's that sometimes you can miss things and overlook some critical details. 

Beware the little foxes!

When you don't know

I was taken aback by a project that I began when I thought I had understood all the details and steps I was supposed to do. Then I got into it and realized how much I didn't know about the project that I was undertaking.

I am calling this the law of "you don't know what you don't know until you find out you don't know it" I think it probably has been a long-standing postulate and probably attributed to great thinkers like Socrates, Mark Twain, or Yogi Berra. 

I remember going on job interviews and being asked, "do you have any questions" and I couldn't think of any. That was until I got in my car on the way home, then suddenly I had a million questions. 

When I was a kid in the '50s, we didn't have access to the information that we do today. Since elders and authorities didn't incline to answer inquisitive kids when you ask a question, you usually answer, "what do I look like the public library?"

Our parents grew up with the frame of mind that you should take the initiative and find out the answers on your own. Sometimes this is effective; other times, it is just a misuse of time. Like in the famous short essay, SOURCE WIKIPEDIA - A Message to Garcia is a widely distributed essay written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899, expressing the value of individual initiative and conscientiousness in work. As its primary example, the essay uses a dramatized version of a daring escapade performed by an American soldier, 1st Lt. Andrew S. Rowan, just prior to the Spanish–American War. The essay describes Rowan carrying a message from President William McKinley to "Gen. Calixto García, a leader of the Cuban insurgents somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba—no one knew where". The essay contrasts Rowan's self-driven effort against "the imbecility of the average man—the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it".[1]: 17–18 

The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?" By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing- "Carry a message to Garcia!"

Well, in my humble opinion, the art of asking questions is certainly undervalued. 

Online credibility

 How can one acquire any degree of credibility in the digital space? There is so much noise and chatter online that it's hard to discern who is telling the truth. It's hard enough to read folks when you are face to face. 

I am involved in many online networking meetings, and they are getting to the point when I am tuning out because of all the claims and counterclaims folks have about their products and services. However, in physical meetings, sometimes it's more straightforward to spot the hucksters and liars.  Looking into someone's eyes with a ring light reflection in their eyes throws you off. 

In online meetings, it's next to impossible to read body language because of the physical restraints of sitting in front of a camera. As a result, you miss many clues that you can pick up or sense when you are physically in front of the person.

So until we can figure out a way to digitally discern, we will be even more prone to credibility issues. 

Why you need Your Office SOS

 Do you have a lot of work to do, but not enough time to get it all done?

No matter where your business is right now, it seems that everyone is racing to grow their businesses as quickly as they can. And for some, this means outsourcing tasks that don't directly contribute to revenue growth or building an online business empire. If that sounds like you then read on!

You’re busy. We get it! That’s why we created VA Services for Business Owners. Our Virtual Assistants will help you save time and money so that your business can grow without eating into your profit margin. Hire a Virtual Assistant and achieve more – so you can focus on what matters most.

First time with VAs? Need help expanding your existing office? We’ll show you how to use VA services to grow your business without sacrificing quality service or increasing overhead expenses.

Less tasks = freeing up time = increase in production level = higher revenue.

It's really that simple!

Desire: It’s simple – when you hire a VA from us, they become part of your team. They know how to manage the tasks that take up too much of your valuable time so that you can focus on what matters most – growing your business! With our services, you don’t have to worry about hiring an employee or outsourcing again because we handle everything for you. All at a fraction of the cost compared with hiring in-house staff or using other outsourced companies. Plus, our VAs are available whenever you need them for any emergency requests that may come up during off-hours or weekends! So, whether it’s making sure invoices go out on time every month or managing social media accounts while traveling abroad…we got this covered! No more worrying about keeping track of multiple projects and deadlines anymore - let us be the ones who keep track for you instead!

Virtual assistants can help with time-consuming tasks, chores, work, duties, activities. For example, they can make appointments for you or order products online. Great tasks for virtual assistants are repetitive tasks that happen on a regular basis.

Business owner, Megan Brown, told us that she found hours each day by allowing her VA to help to manage and organize her email inbox.

"I get hundreds of emails each day, for various things. My VA can help to read and filter those emails for me so that I don't have to spend the time doing that. She will forward all of my receipts and other transactions to my bookkeeper. If someone wants to book a meeting, she will check my calendar, coordinate it, and send reminder emails."

If you're interested in expanding your business but don't have the time, hiring a virtual social media assistant is an excellent option! They'll help you create engaging content for all of your platforms. Additionally, they can also assist with other tasks such as answering messages and responding to comments.

A VA can focus on the tasks that you might forget to do, like following up on emails. Although a virtual assistant can't replace you, they can help you stay organized. You can use them to keep track of your tasks and they have more focus, so they are better at remembering those follow-ups. They're also great at keeping up with correspondence. Megan told us that she loves to have her VAs do follow-ups.

"I frequently have to follow up with my clients regularly to get them to complete our action items. Instead of me trying to remember to follow up with them each week, and marking down what I still need from them, I have my VA do it for me."

If you’re looking for a way to free up your time so that you can focus on revenue-generating activities, an assistant might be the answer. We have lots of experience hiring and managing assistants who are highly trained in all sorts of administrative tasks. Get started by calling us today for a consultation!

Is your business stealing from you?

You may be a solopreneur and the only one running your business, yet your business could still be stealing from you. How, you might ask? That can't happen since I am the only one in charge. 

Well, here's how. If your business is stealing time from your spouse, children, and even your personal life, your business is stealing from you. 

Your business is taking from the people and things you love; it may be stealing from you. One definition  Merriam Webster uses for stealing is: to appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share: make oneself the focus of....

If you can't spend time with your spouse because of your business demands, the business is sealing from your spouse. Likewise, when your business takes time from your self-care or your children, the business is taking what doesn't belong to it.

You say you are only borrowing those things, and they can be paid back when your business takes off. That is disingenuous. No one knows what the future holds. Time is not to be bargained with. 

Our business model is designed to give you time. We are the security guard in loss prevention. We keep your business from stealing from you.

Interactive blog post

Have we achieved national "doublethink"? You know the Orwellian concept that the totalitarian state mechanisms get you to hold two contradicting options in your thinking process and see them both as correct or valid. 

I see this everywhere today. It might be because I'm actively looking for it. So I am asking the question, "where do you see doublethink?" Would you please provide some examples?