Dependability

Dependability is a VERY important word!  Always keep in mind that if you make an appointment with someone or give a deadline for a project that you should always produce what you promise.  Don't get me wrong, things happen.  If you can not keep the time you gave be considerate and let the other person know.  Just not showing up or not completeing a tasks can and will put your name in a bad place. 

I have said this to say always be considerate of others time and business!!

Do I Have A Back Office?

A lot of businesses think that they can do it all by themselves.  Some have told me that they do not have a "back office". 


(definition: back office - any department or office, as a private office or a department of record keeping, that is not usually seen by outsiders).


Based in the definition everyone that has a business has a back office.  Any/All tasks that has to be done to keep in touch with your Clients, make appointments, follow-up with Clients & potential Clients.  Keep in mind what ever you do, don't forget about those small things that is a part of your business and being a success.

Keep It Simple

Not sure how you should organize your desk, files, and/or office.  Remember to "KEEP IT SIMPLE".  It is not necessary to have a lot of folders or files to run your business.  You can keep your files organized on your computer.  You do not need to print everything.

Utilize your technology!!!

Just because you are meeting with a Client (depends on the meeting) use your Tablet/iPad.  You can send your files electronically via Bluetooth or Wireless to your device.  If you have the right app on your phone you can do the same.

Having a lot of folders with labels stacked on your desk does not mean this makes you more organized.  It leaves a pile of files.

KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!!

Keep most of your files/documents electronic and print only when necessary.  You can show a picture or document on your device.

http://www.assistantsandbeyond.com/

melissa@assistantsandbeyond.com

281-736-4089



Ask For Help!!!!!

Just can't understand why you can not get organized.  Why you can not make time to get it all done in a day?

Understand that you are 1 person and asking for help is ok.  Invite friends, business partner, and/or family over for pizza or just to hang out.  In the midst of hanging out everyone can pitch in to help you get organized.  By doing this you can get organized and be able to dedicate more time to your Clients.  As we all know having more Clients means a successful business.

If you have any questions or want tips on getting organized send an email to melissa@assistantsandbeyond.com.

HAPPY ORGANIZING!!!!

The 5 Key Steps to an Efficient and Organized Office: For the Successful Solopreneurs

As many of you know running a successful small business as a soloprenuer that the task of staying organized can sometimes become overwhelming, yet being organized is a vital part of the overall success of your business. Well don’t worry, Assistants & Beyond has researched this topic thoroughly and listed 5 steps that will keep you organized, efficient and productive. 

Happy Organizing ~Assistants & Beyond Virtual Assistants and Event Planning

Step #1 Create an Easy Maintenance Filing System:Invest in a two or three draw filing cabinet and set up tabbed file folders separating one draw for clients and one draw for the business. Once you have set up your physical filing cabinet, set up folders on your pc in a similar system with client and business folders with sub folders as needed.

Step #2 Winning the Paper Fight:Winning the battle of a million loss papers is pretty easy. Sort through the paper and make the firm decision to either keep and file it or toss and shred it, it’s that simple. The determining factor in whether or not you should keep or toss it is the action that the paper requires. If the action is 100% completed after review of the paper, complete action and then toss and if action required will take several steps, complete first action of paper then file it.

Step #3 Use a 2-Tray Letter Storage Compartment for Your Desk: Purchase a desk-size  two part letter storage system that allows you to place current and active letters in the  first storage compartment and then store magazines, books, flyers, etc… in second storage compartment. Anything that is not of the current week should be appropriately filed in your filing cabinet

Step #4 Stay on Top of Your ‘To Do’ List:Create a daily task list each night before your next work day via a “To Do” list notebook or your pc. Keep this list in an easy to find place on your desk and make sure to check off each task as completed, incomplete or in progress. Task list of 10 or less items usually have a higher rate of success and are more realistic to complete.

Step #5 Create a Schedule for Reoccurring Task:Schedule regular task jobs in your appointment book and calendars (both written & online) such as newsletters, weeklyblog/social media post, events calendar etc…. Make sure that you schedule appropriate time for these tasks; ex: 2 hours for your newsletter. When you schedule these task and stick to the time-line, it improves your overall time efficiency.

Organize Button

If you had a button to push would you?  You have just walked into your office and things are everywhere.  You know you had the notes to that project that is due next week.  You say to yourself "I think I remember".  How are you going to "wing it"?  

Ok........you have pushed the button "ORGANIZE ACTIVATE" & nothing happen.  Now what are you going to do?  You have finally realized that you need a Virtual Assistant.

Assistants & Beyond is available to help you get organized and assist with your back office duties.  Now you can concentrate more on your Client and get referrals.

CONTACT ASSISTANTS & BEYOND TODAY!!!

We can be reach via phone or email.

melissa@assistantsandbeyond.com

Phone:  281-736-4089

Toll Free:  855-655-0329

Call and say "Organize" to get 10% off a project fee or 20% of monthly retainer fee.

With this promotion Consultations are FREE!!

Delegate To A Virtual Assistant (VA)

The toughest issues Small Business Owners face is doing everything themselves.  If you are doing all of the work how can you grow? 

DELEGATE!!

Who should you delegate to?  Why should you try to do it all by yourself or worry about the expense of hiring an employee.

Virtual Assistants (VA) are entrepreneurs who can provide a variety of services.  A VA work on a contractual basis.  This will give you the freedom to grow your business.  You can pay more attention to your clients and provide the service you are in business to do.

What can a VA do for me?

• What do you have on your desk that you do not have time to do?
• What administrative tasks you do not want to do?
• How many presentations do you need to complete and don’t have the time?
• Hiring a VA to do these tasks will give you more time for meetings, networking, and providing dependable service to your client.

What if I do not have a lot of administrative things to do?

A VA experience is more than filing or answering phones.  A VA can send out company emails, create spreadsheets, presentations, etc…..

The list of what a VA can do is not limited.

How do I know what VA is a right for me?

You should consult with a VA to find out what services they can provide.  You can ask for information about their services before the consult.  This will help you with any questions before the consult.  If you are comfortable with the consult, but still unsure about hiring them give them a small project.  Once this project is completed to your satisfaction then you will have gained that trust.

Surrounded by

How can your business survive if all of your Administrative tasks suffer?  You started a business because you had a PASSION for something.  That PASSION is not sitting in your office doing administrative duties.  You started your business because ___________________ (you fill in the blank).  You ask yourself "How can I concentrate more on my Clients, but still have my back office organized?"

Hire a Virtual Assistant!  I know you are a small business and you can not afford to hire an Assistant.  A Virtual Assistant (VA) does not have to be on your payroll.  A VA can be hired per project or as little as 5 hours a month.  Your business can suffer because your back office is not organized.  This is the extra support you need to do your day-to-day task (YOUR BUSINESS).

If you still are not sure call Assistants & Beyond today for a consultation.

Melissa Ambers

281-736-4089

melissa@assistantsandbeyond.com

www.assistantsandbeyond.com

Assistants & Beyond Services

Give Your Presentations Some Excitement!!

Want a presentation that is not boring?

Want something that will peak interest?

I have all the information, but not sure how to put the presentation together.  What do I do?  I want it to stay simple, but some movement.  Check out the presentation below!!!

GIVE ASSISTANTS & BEYOND A CALL TO SCHEDULE YOUR CONSULTATION!!!

Go to www.assistantsandbeyond.com

How Can Technology Help Me Stay Organized?

Everyone ask the question on how can technology help me stay organized?  There have been many of time I have gone to the same office everyone uses "Starbucks" and I have seen people with big briefcases and a bag.  Why carry all of this STUFF?

All of you files can be scanned and kept electronic, iPad/Tablets are being used today for taking notes (you can record, type, or use a stylus to write.  All of these options and more are available for every small business to make life easy.  There are tons of websites and devices t use.  I am bias.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Samsung Epic phone.  I use it for my calendar (Google), take notes, taking payments, email, etc...  I also have a tablet so if I am meeting with a Client I need my laptop, but do not want to carry it.  I can send any file to my Galaxy Tablet (via bluetooth, email, or plug into my laptop).  I event have folders set up on my tablet so I can find files quickly.  When I am talking to my Clients it takes me no time to bring up a file and show a slide show.

Now ask yourself the question:

 "How Can Technology Help Me?"

How can I store my Files?

Everyone uses a computer now, but we never back up our files like we should.  There are so many storage devices on the market.

What do I use?
How do I know this is for me?
How often should I back up?

These are the questions that you are asking yourself and sometimes others.  The best way to figure this out is look at what you do.  Do you have a lot of basic files, graphics, both, etc....?  Once you figure this out you can determine your storage space.  For some a Flash Drive is perfect for some and there are also the portable hard drives that are thin enough to put in a purse or computer bag.

If you want to be able to get to your files at any time regardless if you have your laptop or your storage device.  There are a lot of on-line services that are also avaialble.  I use "DropBox".  This is online and you can get to your files at any time any where.  Just log on to your account and you will see all of your files.

Events & Beyond: The Remixed Flower

Flowers make beautiful presentations at weddings, anniversary parties, cocktail soirees, fashion shows and a host of other events. While these fresh flower centerpieces are a joy to see, they are often an expense that can range anywhere from 3k-40k+. So what happens to flowers after the event? Often times they are simply thrown away, not the best economic use for these gorgeous arrangements. With this being said, we decided to give you a few helpful tips to giving your flowers an extra mile:

     Offer flowers to host of event, for a beautiful memory. Often host will gladly take flowers but usually forgets to take them. Go the extra mile as a planner have flowers packed and ready for host as they leave event

     Share centerpieces not take by event host with members of your event team who have worked extra hard on the event, they will greatly appreciate them.

     If event host are having a smaller post event, take flowers and make small pretty table-scapes to add an extra level of panache to the post event. This will give the post event the same style and polish as the main event without the extra cost to the host.

     Take extra flowers to your event office or studio for an added touch to your normal décor.

Remember flowers take a great event to an extraordinary event and can be used in multiple ways. Please purchase fresh~ Assistants & Beyond

Putting A Few Stylish Steps In Your Home Office:

Organizing your filing system doesn’t have been to be boring or design less. You can keep your filing system and organizing tools fun and stylish with these various styling tips.  

• Look for artist designed journals and planners to give you that extra oomph!

• Check out  the latest innovative yet functional tools such as staplers, paper clips,supply boxes,  etc…. to give you a sleek polished look.

                                                                                               

• Invest in great printer that scans faxes and copies but blends in with your other office equipment. Remember bigger doesn’t mean better so try and get a reasonable sized printer that saves space

• Search your office for an older piece of furniture such as desk or chair that you can up-cycle or recycle with paint and a few touch ups.  You just made a new piece of furniture & you’ve done your part in being eco-friendly.

·       Check out these fabulous sites for great products and cool idea:

 1.   1.  http://www.paper-source.com
 2.  http://www.thecreativeoffice.com  

 3.  http://www.quincyshop.com

Assistants & Beyond Services

FEMALE POWER

We all have power to do what we want to do.  If you can not figure it out "Make Stuff Up (M.S.U.)".  One person said that they was not sure what they needed to do after retirement or could do and Network Queen Louise said to make it up (M.S.U.).  It is so true that a lot of successful women created their business because no one else did it.  If someone else did the same business they decided to do it better.  Again make it up.

FEAR.........HHHMMMMM!!  This all makes us scared to make the step.  Sometimes we step with the left, but have trouble bringing the right with it.  Now we are stuck or we turn around and go the other way.  Take the "FEAR" you have and run with it.  Let this be your motivation to keep going and don't stop.

There was so many things that was shared at this event and the atmosphere was WOW!  This has given me more motivation to keep doing what I am doing and to also help others along the way.

Kimberly & DL Hughley breakdown the art of the side hustle on CNN

Kimberly & DL Hughley breakdown the art of the side hustle on CNN

Contest!!!!! $30 Gift Card & 4GB Jump Drive

Describe your most efficient and creative system of managing your document files on your PC.

What is your preferred tool to back up and save your PC files?

A. Jump Drive
B. Hard Drive
C. External Hard Drive
D. On-Line

Requirements: Email your description in 175 words or less and sign up for your newsletter at contest@assistantsandbeyond.com and follow my Blog. 

Contest will run from January 27, 2011-February 2, 2011.