Posts Tagged ‘Own Business’

The Three Key Factors of Using a Virtual Assistant

Aug 14, 2010 Bakery Pies

You may have heard some of your colleagues speak of hiring a “VA” or Virtual Assistant and you may have wondered how this works and how you can benefit from it. The key factors of hiring a VA over an employee or just doing the work yourself are: time, money and expertise. These factors are of course very important to all businesses. They always need to be improved upon continuously so that your company can run smoothly, efficiently and profitably. You may think you can do it all yourself, that you can’t afford to hire anyone, or that hiring an “employee” is safer and easier. Let’s look at the three factors in depth.

First, let’s look at time. If you’re doing everything on your own, you are probably often thinking, “I really need to be working on marketing strategies,” or “I really need to be increasing my billable time,” or whatever it is that you do best and what your business is really about! Yet, there you are, doing data entry, research or tweeting and facebooking throughout the day. As a company owner or entrepreneur you need to spend your time wisely to get a jump on the competition. Can you do it all? If you work 12 to 18 hours a day – probably. But is that why you decided to own your own business or be self-employed? Probably not.

You may wonder how you can save money by hiring a VA. If we think about what it takes to hire an employee, we can easily add up the savings. When you hire an employee, you pay them salary or on an hourly basis – sometimes just to sit and wait for the phone to ring. You pay them for every bathroom break, personal phone call or co-worker chat that they have. When you hire a Virtual Assistant you pay only for the work that is actually performed, down to the minute. Sometimes you pay a flat rate for a project to be completed; regardless of the time it takes for them to complete it. Of course you also save money on all the extras that go along with hiring an employee, rather than a VA. When you hire a VA there is no Worker’s Compensation or disability insurance to purchase; no lengthy tax paper work to keep track of. No Social Security Tax to pay – and of course no paid benefits like sick days or vacation time!

What is YOUR expertise in? Probably not document formatting or creating calculations in spreadsheets, social networking for your business or updating your website. Your expertise likely lies in what your business is all about. As an entrepreneur or business owner, you may be familiar with Michael Gerber’s book, “The E-Myth Revisited”. Gerber talks about the baker who opens a bakery, but not only has to make the pies and other baked goods that they specialize in, but who also has to market the business, wait on customers, keep the books, clean the shop and just about everything else. The baker’s business is just starting and they feel they can’t afford to hire anyone to help.  But do you think the business will make it? Is the baker really happy owning their own business, when they are working long hours and having to rush through what they love to do and what they do best – baking? The whole idea is lost in the logistics of it all. A Virtual Assistant has the expertise to do the things that need to be done to keep your business running, while you do what you are passionate about and what your business is all about!

Hiring a VA will save you time by getting things done quickly and efficiently; giving you your life back. Hiring a VA will save you money by getting paid only for the work actually accomplished and not for “dead air” time, as well as saving on benefits. And lastly, the expertise of a VA will allow you to do what you got into business to do – your passion, your business, and your expertise! Oh, and somewhere in there, you get to have a life outside of work too!


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Format Your Own Business Card

May 31, 2010 Bakery Birthday Cakes

A business card is one of the cost-effective methods to promote the business of the organization among the clients. A well-designed professional card encapsulates all those contents that reflect the personality of the company. These textual contents play a crucial role in promoting the organization. The presentation of a professional card has a vital role to play in leaving an everlasting impression on the mind of a viewer. Computer technology has introduced several types of tools which even the non-expert can use to create professional cards.      
A person can create a rectangular shape of a professional card. It is a commonly used format for the professional cards. You can use simple font types and simple design in this kind of format. A person can even get a card created in a square shape. However, in this format the contents have to be squeezed to accommodate all the contents within the available space. You can also give any other shape of a card. For instance, a person runs a business of bakery and one can introduce this business by giving a funky shape to the card. You can give a birthday cake shape to the card. Attractive designing of the card also reflects your business. There are many business card templates as well as software available to guide you with suitable design elements for your professional card. These are the tools or computer programs that provide a user with an ability to choose from different colors. A person is provided with different types of designs and layout to project professionalism in your business through the card. A neat and attractive layout makes a card appear visually appealing. You can also customize the layout of a professional card. It is vital to study the potential customers. This helps you in deciding the content of the professional card. In other words, a person is able to select those shades, designs and patterns. A person can even color the background of the card. The colored background appears attractive and conveys a creative spirit of the company. You can also use a logo of the company for identification and brand recognition. All these factors help a person in formatting an attractive professional card.


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How to Profit during double digit unemployment

May 30, 2010 Delivered Birthday Cakes

In today’s economy with the jobless rate being so high, people have to take it upon themselves to be profitable. One way to make money quickly is to start your own business. There are many options to this but everyone must find what works for them. Why fight with 200-300 others for 1-2 available job openings?  Finding a niche that is needed and filling that niche can mean not only surviving, but thriving instead. It means taking some risks, but the rewards can be great. Not having to depend on others to tell you whether you can work or not is a reward in itself.

To some, starting a babysitting service can be the way to go. With daycare being more and more expensive, starting a home daycare business can be a way to fight unemployment. With relatively low start up costs, this is a business that work at home moms or displaced workers that love children can do. Daycare’s often charge $100-150 per week per child! With 5 children to watch, that is $750/week and you don’t have to leave your home! 

Another option can be a delivery service. There are many elderly people or people that need others to run errands or pick up and deliver items for them. These items can be groceries, dry cleaning, papers, mail, etc. Taxi companies are now also doing deliveries to supplement income. By deciding on a price point for your services depending on the needs of your customers and your location, you can have a daily set of duties to fill for clients that will help you not only bridge the unemployment gap but have a healthy income coming in weekly.

Teens are always starting yard work businesses or snow shoveling businesses, so why not parents? There is always a need for landscaping or shoveling or general yard services. You can do this with residential or commercial properties. You can go out and solicit business by visiting local businesses or homes or dropping off fliers advertising your business. Word of mouth is also a good source of business. Once you secure a number of properties to service, you will have a steady income coming in and you can set your own hours to service the properties.

Cleaning businesses are another often overlooked option. There are many homes and commercial businesses that need cleaning services. Advertising or doing telemarketing yourself is a great way to build business. Passing out fliers to local businesses or to homes in your neighborhood can help you increase business opportunities. Daycares are a great place to start. They are always in need of a quality cleaning service. You can service these businesses in the evenings after hours and still have days available for another business or time to spend with family.

Cooking and or catering is another option that you can do out of your home. Whether it is making meals for someone or catering parties or events, there are many ways to use cooking to make money. You can hold bake sales, bake birthday cakes, event cakes, cater office parties and many other options. Finding something you love or are passionate about is the key to the success of your own business.

Home mechanics, carpenters, laborers, medical transcription, billing, book keeping, or being a personal trainer are just a few options that have been successful home businesses. Whether it is designing websites, doing telemarketing from home, Avon sales, finding a franchise business to start, etc. the key to surviving unemployment in a recession is being creative.

With the web becoming more and more popular, designing websites, typing businesses, research business and many others are opening up every day. Deciding if this is an option for you and attacking how this can best work with your abilities is the best place to start. Then determine the market you want to go after and start setting up your business. Seeking out small business groups and getting advice from the Small Business Administration are ways that you can get more information on setting up your business from home.


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