Entrepreneurial Characteristics | Virtual Assistance University

Entrepreneurs… Remember to Breathe!

Oct 132009

Take a deep breath…

Being an entrepreneur is not easy. It is rewarding, it is exciting, it is occasionally exhausting and tears inducing, but what it is not, is easy. Today, many people live in stress mode all the time and entrepreneurs, particularly women entrepreneurs, tend to top that list. By learning to identify your “stressors” you can decide to face them, change them and move towards calm.

Overloading your “to-do” list

This is a huge one. Even if you do self identify as “super woman”, “super man”, or “super entrepreneur”, and you have the focus and energy to be super, the real question is: Is your schedule so packed that one small hiccup throws you into a snit both physically and emotionally? The sad truth is that our days are filled with countless interruptions and unforeseen dilemmas. Stamping out fires is the norm most days.

What to do?

Consider categorizing your daily schedule and grouping certain types of activities that can be done in a logical and linear fashion. Depending on your personality and work style you can start with the easy items that will take just a few minutes, work through them and get them off of your list, or tackle priorities first thing in the morning when you are refreshed and rested.

Identify what tasks are predictable, recurring and time-consuming. From this list determine where you really need help and can outsource tasks. Is your housework falling behind and the clutter beginning to impinge on your consciousness? Consider hiring a cleaning service once or twice a month to really deep clean your home. Do you need to get very serious about your social media marketing but just don’t have the time or the knowledge to do it properly? Consider hiring a social media marketing expert to help you build your online presence and expand your brand.

Create a schedule that will keep you on track with all the chores and tasks that you need to accomplish on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, but be certain to build some flexibility into it to allow for the glitches that will invariably run into.

Tend to yourself

Yes, I know, as Virtual Assistants and online service providers we work from our beautifully appointment home offices. But…. do you look in the mirror and see your hair pulled back for convenience, little or no makeup, clothing that is functional and comfortable but hardly professional? Go to your bathroom mirror and take a good long look at the “entrepreneur” in the mirror. The truth is that there is a strong correlation between how you present yourself to the world and how the world reacts to you. When you present a strong, confident aura even if it is just over the phone or in your online interactions with other people, you will get positive responses.

What to do?

I strongly recommend a good fitness regime! If you can get to a gym first thing in the morning or are disciplined enough to work out at home you will find that your day is fueled from natural energy rather than a pot of coffee.

Remember to eat healthy snack in-between meals. By forgetting to eat your body goes into craving mode and you will find yourself irritable, headachy and tired. Keep fruits, fresh vegetables and nuts handy for that quick energy boost. And drink plenty of water!

Invest in a good haircut, create a “5 minute face” makeup routine and ditch the sweat pants. I am not advocating that you dress as if you were working in somebody else’s office, but do make sure that when you sit down at your desk that you could also run out the door to meet with a client or a friend for lunch without having a full blow panic attack.

Do you have some great time management and stress managment tips for the online entrepreneur? I would love to hear them!

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Denise Griffitts found on this Website as long as Denise Griffitt’s name and contact information is included. Denise Griffitts, Virtual Assistance Industry Expert, http://virtualassistanceuniversity.com, info @ virtualassistantindustry.com, 888-719-6711.

Streamline Your Life, Streamline Your Business

Oct 102009

Professional organizers will tell you that a good old fashioned clutter purge can save you time and money. This should also apply to your business. By arranging your environment for success and organizing your processes you will be more efficient in your time expenditures, save time and ultimately save money.

Streamline Bill Paying

Do you pay some of your bills online and some the old fashioned way? This can get confusing if you are not keeping a calendar that reminds you when it is time to get out the checkbook and write that check. Consider setting up a separate email account that is used only for banking and bills. Gmail is a great tool for this. Then schedule a twice-monthly bill paying session in your calendar to check that email account. By doing this you don’t miss deadlines and wind up paying those truly awful late fees. You will save money and maintain good credit.

Clean Up Your Email Client

By setting up an effective way to process and organize your email you will gain more control over your day, improve your response time, and keep track with critical actions and due dates.

Create an effective reference system by organizing what information to store where and what to keep and what to delete. Sounds daunting doesn’t it? According to Microsoft, you have the opportunity to save almost an hour a day by having a good system in place! Read more here and here about how to set up these systems for Microsoft Outlook. You can also upload big attachments to a free online storage like Windows Live SkyDrive.

Tidy Up Your Computer

Is your computer desktop a maze of shortcut icons? By keeping only active files and shortcuts (in files) visible you will feel less cluttered and jumbled. Can you even see your wallpaper anymore? If not, it is definitely time to get organized. Think of the computer desktop as a real desktop. The pens and pencils go in a certain corner, while files that you regularly access will be in another section. It is the same idea with your computer desktop. Start by creating a series of folders. Do this by right-clicking any blank area on your desktop. I typically use 4-5 folders:

Actions

Put items in this folder that requires action that takes more than just a few minutes to complete. This could be anything from files to upload to large applications to install and set up. Be sure to schedule these action items in your calendar so they don’t get overlooked.

Incubate

This is your ideas folder. These are items or links that you need to go back and look at when you are fleshing out potential projects, or where you can keep articles or information about further education for yourself and your business such as online classes or certification courses. I suggest going through this folder weekly to determine if you are ready to act on any of these ideas. This is the time to delete or archive items in this folder.

Current Projects

Files pertaining to active projects go here. Create sub-folders for each project and client so you are not continually searching for a phrase or key word shown on your project schedule.

Archive

Once you have completed a project move it to this folder. Again, don’t be afraid to use sub-folders. Schedule a time each month to visit this folder and edit, prune or delete items that you don’t think you will ever need again. Backup your archive to DVD or external hard drive just in case you do need them again down the road.

Start Filing!

Even working virtually as so many of us do these days, we still handle paper and files. Invest in a small filing cabinet that can be tucked away in a closet or corner of your home office, or even consider a furniture quality lateral filing cabinet that can be used as additional table top space for your printer, scanner or other office equipment.

Make it a point to file papers and documents as soon as you are through with them. Don’t get into the habit of piling them up and thinking that you will get to them later. There are few things more frustrating than having to rummage around piles of papers on your desk to locate the one you need. By making it a practice to handle a piece of paper one time and then put it where it belongs you eliminate that distraction and boost your efficiency.

Scan Letters and Documents

If storage in your home office is a problem, consider scanning documents such as retainer agreements, client documents that don’t require original signatures, etc.

Buy a Shredder!

I can’t stress this enough! As a Virtual Assistant, you need to protect your client’s information with the same ferocity that you protect your own personal information. We all know about identify theft, but did you know that your waste material is sorted and recycled? Worse yet, your garbage is public domain and is available to anyone to reclaim.

As Virtual Assistants we have a legal obligation to protect our client’s privacy. If you are not filing paper or phone notes that you took while chatting with a client, shred them! Shred discarded or outdated material that belongs to your client. When and if you stop working for a client shred EVERYTHING and let the client know that you did it.

Do you have great organizing tips that you would like to share? We would appreciate hearing from you!

The Top 10 Leadership Qualities

Entrepreneurial Characteristics, Virtual Assistance Industry No Responses »

Jul 172009

I read this recently on Theodore Henderson’s blog and felt that it needed to be shared.

The Top 10 Leadership Qualities, By David Hakala on March 19, 2008

Leadership can be defined as one’s ability to get others to willingly follow. Every organization needs leaders at every level. Leaders can be found and nurtured if you look for the following character traits.

A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.

A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.

Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.

Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in integrity will be more approachable by followers.

Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great.

Magnanimity means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership.

Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a “follower-centric” leadership role.

Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to others’ ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.

Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask is, “What if … ?” Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, “I know this is a dumb question … “

Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.

Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.

Many leaders have difficulty striking the right amount of assertiveness, according to a study in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the APA (American Psychological Association). It seems that being underassertive or overassertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring leaders.

A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie.

Intrinsic traits such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership traits.