Virtual Zen

Reflections and Resolutions

Happy New Year!

This time last year, I entered the new year ready to take on a number of new challenges and opportunities. I kicked off 2007 by having my tonsils out (yes, I'm one of those lucky people who decided to have my tonsils out as an adult).  I then went on to start my own company, train with AssistU, amass an amazing amount of new skills and knowledge, make some terrific new friends (both personally and virtually), and partner with fabulous new clients.  Some things I did very well - others I could have done better. Everything was an opportunity to learn and grow.

Now as I begin 2008, it's time to make a few adjustments, a few improvements, and move in to the new year with a renewed enthusiasm and energy.

Like many people this time of year, I  have also taken a hard look at my health.  I definitely have let things slip a bit and have let my health take a back seat to my career objectives.  This will change this year!  Most people vow to lose weight, but that's not my intention (though losing a few pounds certainly couldn't hurt). For me it's more a matter of making healthy lifestyle changes to improve my overall physical and emotional health.  Only I can make this happen for me; so with me the changes have to begin. This resolution is at the very top of my list.

The balance of my New Year's Resolutions revolve around my professional goals.

 
In 2008, I resolve to ...

• Respect and uphold my own boundaries and standards (I'm my own worst offender, and if I don't respect my own boundaries, no one else will).
• Work only with Ideal Clients (and gently let go those who don't fit my profile).
• Not live to work (and remember that my work is only a supplement to a good life and not it's sole source).
• Remember that I am a business owner (and no one's employee).
• Grow my business while growing as a person.
• Take time out for me.
• Never stop learning.
• Have fun!

Best wishes to everyone facing challenges and new opportunities in the new year!  Remember to just be the best You that You can be -  that's really all one can ask of oneself. :-)

Battling Blogger's Block

I subscribe to a number of blogs with topics ranging from Virtual Assistance, to Blog Writing, to living a slightly Greener life.  I enjoy all of these and am amazed with the frequency of the posts.  This is something I struggle with.  Though I love to write, and in my head I have a lot to say, actually composing worthwhile blog posts isn't coming easily to me lately. While some of these blogs do have multiple authors which does help, I think my issue has more to do with just finding the time and energy to write. Working from home, I try to maximize my hours during the day for client work when the house is quiet and my kids aren't around.  By the time I step away from my computer and switch back into "Mom mode" I just don't have the energy to compose.  I'd like to change this and I'm open to tips from anyone with tips to give.

I think I'll try going back to writing in my traditional paper journal for a while (something that's been gathering dust for a couple of months), and see if maybe that sparks my imagination. Maybe just start listing possible topics and see where that goes.  I don't know.

For now, I think I'll just shut down my computer for a couple of days, enjoy Christmas with my family and relax.

And for those of you celebrating Christmas this week - enjoy, refresh, and stay safe and well!

What kinds of business services can you get for no cost? Great ones!

When you start your own business, keeping expenses low is critical. Still, you need good services and tools to run your business effectively; there's just no way around it.  The good news is that there are actually a lot of exceptional services available that won't cost you a penny. That's right, they're free! And better yet, they're great!  While there are a lot of options out there if you look for them, the three I want to talk about today, are three that I actually use for fax service, conference calls and virtual meetings.

When I installed the business phone line for my VA practice I looked into the costs for an additional line for fax service.  While I can receive faxes on my land line, my fax machine doesn't automatically pick up because of my voice mail service and it needs to be switched manually.  I don't know about you but I have better things to do than wait for faxes to come in.  I wasn't sure if the cost for a dedicated fax line was warranted since I don't do a lot of faxing; most of my correspondence is through email.  Still, there are times when a faxed copy of a document (such as to obtain a signature) is needed.  Enter eFax. At the no-cost level, I'm able to have a dedicated phone number for faxes (they even tried to give me one similar to my business number). I receive my faxes as email attachments; I just print them out.  Sure there are higher levels of eFax with lots of bells and whistles, but for basic fax service with NO added expense, the free service is perfect for me.

The next great service I use is FreeConferenceCall.com.  I actually use this service almost daily with my clients.  For no cost, I registered for an account with a dedicated conference call number that can be used at any time of day. It's always available - callers just call in and enter the pass code I provide.  Plus, invitations to the calls with the call-in information are easy to email through the service to the call participants. There's no limit to the number of calls you can hold and each can have up to 96 callers.   Like eFax, they also have upgraded levels, but the basic plan is very effective (my clients love it!). It even includes a recording feature where calls can be recorded for review at a later date.  The only catch is that you have to renew your account every 120 days and get a new call-in number (this helps them make sure they only reserve lines for those people actually using them.

Finally, what about online meetings? When I was studying at AssistU, we researched a lot of online collaboration and virtual meeting tools.  There are some excellent services out there, but since virtual meetings aren't something I usually conduct, the monthly fees for these services are a bit out of my reach at this point. Then a fellow VA turned me on to  Vyew. It's  a free, anytime, collaboration and live conferencing service that  features many of the same functions as expensive services.  It's completely web-based and cross-platform (which is important to me as a Mac user who works primarily with PC users).  This comprehensive service provides  a call-in number for the teleconference portion of the meetings, and includes a URL for your own private workspace where you can view and edit presentations and documents in real time, simultaneously with numerous people in numerous locations.  The sessions can even be saved for review at a later date.  The downside of the free version is that participants in the virtual meetings may be subjected to advertisements while in the sessions, but I think it's a small price to pay for occasional on-line meetings at no cost. 

So you see, you can run your small business like a pro without killing your budget.  All of the services mentioned above do offer upgraded, paid options in addition to their free services, so you just need to review the features of each package and pick the one that best fits your requirements.  For me, right now I'm loving the free stuff!