Dear <$firstname$>,
Welcome to today's issue, brought to you once again by the author of Start Up 101, the unique ecourse designed for new business owners.
"Thank you for the Start Up 101. Reading these lessons reinforced the path I am on. Thank you so much." C K - El Cajon, CA
Contents
Starting out
Tips for your business
Article
Recommendations
Thoughts - personal and from the gurus
Starting out
Hello and welcome once again, especially to our new readers, who just keep on joining......... :-)
I hope you had a good Bank Holiday weekend and a nice break with the extra day off. Isn't it great to have all the long weekends close together at this time of year! It really feels like we are running into summer now so I am looking forward to some afternoons in the sun (which I can allow myself as I don't work for anyone else! - the benefits of having your own business!)
This week is all about doing things better - some tips on "Thinking Time", an article about not doing everything yourself, and a new solution for start up businesses.
Don't forget to let me know about any thoughts or ideas you have, and your recommendations.
Tips for your Business
Phone calls to make, e-mails to answers, quotations to get out, outstanding invoices to chase etc etc!! This is the life of a small business owner. Your day is typically filled with all this 'routine' and mundane stuff.
Where is the time to think of new ideas or creative ways of tackling your problems? And yet the benefits of coming up with new ideas or ways of solving problems are numerous, it's just a case of finding the time. I am a great believer in scheduling some 'thinking time' into your day. Here's what to do.
During the day, on a 'thinking time' pad, write down some issues or questions you need to find answers to. Don't attempt to find solutions now, just park the question and carry on with your work. Take your diary or mentally decide what time you are going to start, and mark out 15 to 20 minutes. You may find you are better first thing in the morning, or you may prefer the afternoon when you find things quieter. It doesn't matter when as along as you commit yourself.
When the allotted time comes, take the phone off the hook and tell everyone you don't wish to be disturbed. Once you are relaxed let your mind wander and capture all the great ideas and solutions which will flood your mind. Write your thoughts down as a mindmap, using lots of different colours to really stimulate your brain!
When you get into the habit of taking some thinking time you'll be am^zed at not only the number of new ideas and solutions to problems you'll come up with, but also how relaxed you'll feel afterwards.
Go on, don't just think about it, do it!
Thanks to Rob Warlow, Small Business Success, http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz
************************************************
Discover how to start your business so that you get it right first time.
You can now have your own step by step plan and strategy to put you in the 20% that survive and not the 80% that don't!
•Are you a busy manager looking to leave corporate life and become an entrepreneur?
•Do you want to start up a business to fit in with your lifestyle and family responsibilities?
• Is it all just a bit daunting....?
•Wouldn't you like to know how to set up your new business to become a sensational success from the start!
"Sums me up, would love to work for myself, but don't know what to do....." D Sayce - Birmingham
Now you can get hold of a brand new ebook to walk you through everything you need to do......
"As a result of following the course I have put together a blue print for starting my first business. From being a vague dream, to be achieved "at some time in the future" my business has become something tangible with a step by step action plan. Yes, there are a lot of steps, and yes it will take me some months - but I know what I need to do and each step looks feasible." Janice Small www.weight-loss-motivation-program.com
>> read more.....
************************************************
"Thank you so much for helping me as much as you have. Please keep the ezines coming - they are great!"
- Jacky Morgan, Bristol
Article
Why Are You Doing Everything Yourself?
By Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen"
One problem I often see with solo professionals is that their businesses aren't growing because they're simply not making enough time to do it!
It's not that they don't understand the value of those efforts, or they don't WANT to make the time. It's that they're simply trying to do too much by themselves. They're so busy running their business that they're not working ON their business.
Are You Spending All Your Time on the Little Stuff?
Owning your own business requires wearing a lot of hats. But it seems that when many people leave their jobs to "go solo," they think they must work completely solo as well. They insist on doing everything themselves -- even tasks they know darn well they're not good at.
They try in vain to design their own Web sites and brochures, write their own sales copy, process their own orders, manage their own mailing list, personally respond to every customer call and e-mail, ship their own products, and more. Pretty soon they're running around like that proverbial headless chicken.
What eventually happens is their love for their work -- the reason they started their own business in the first place -- drowns in a flood of administrative trivia. Suddenly one morning they wake up feeling burnt out and without that positive, creative energy they used to have.
When this happened to me a few years ago, I was lucky to learn about virtual assistants (VAs). VAs are freelancers who take care of all that "busy work" for entrepreneurs like us. Because VAs are independent themselves, they work on an as-needed basis from their own homes or offices, saving you the cost and hassle of hiring a regular office assistant.
I now have two VAs -- Liz, who lives in Boston, and Julie, who lives in Iowa. And I can't live without them!
What Could YOU Delegate to a VA?
During next week, keep a log of all your activities. Then sit down and review it. Decide which activities are truly ones that only you can do and which you can delegate.
For example, here are some of the tasks I delegate to my VAs:
• Responding to customer e-mails and phone calls
• Scheduling business and personal appointments and interviews
• Bookkeeping: invoicing clients, receiving and paying bills, reconciling bank statements, tracking expenses and tax records, working with my accountant (This was my favorite to delegate!)
• Internet research and fact checking
• Planning my travel for speaking engagements and seminars
• Maintaining my e-zine and customer mailing lists
• Managing my e-zine ad sales
• Handling registrations for my teleclasses/workshops
• Maintaining my Web site (copy edits, additions)
• Creating sales reports
• Shipping customer orders and shipping products to anywhere I'm speaking.
• Submitting my articles to other publishers and article sites
• Placing ads in publications and at Web sites.
• Formatting e-books, creating PDF files, and sending out for printing.
• Designing PowerPoint presentations
And I don't stop there. Liz and Julie have also been happy to help me with personal stuff like researching vacations, shopping around for car insurance, and reminding me of birthdays and other important dates. Thanks to these two amazing gals, I save my time and energy only for my "genius work."
Worried You Don't Have the Budget?
The good news is you're not hiring your VA full time. A VA only charges you for the hours she actually works. Although VA rates may be more than you'd pay an administrative employee (usually $30-50 per hour), you don't have the added expenses of employee benefits, office space, and equipment. You're also getting someone who has years of experience, who loves what she does, who already has her own desk, chair, computer, software, fax, phone, stapler, and pens, and who's ready to leap in and start work as soon as you are.
Keep in mind that having a VA will IMMENSELY free up your time to focus on the stuff that matters: marketing and growing your business, developing bold new product ideas and income streams, and servicing your larger clients. You'll think much bigger and will have much more creative energy. I guarantee it!
Look for a VA That Matches Your Needs
If you're looking for a long-term partner who is committed to helping you succeed (and I was), look for someone who's graduated from a VA training program such as ( www.AssistU.com). That's where I found both Liz and Julie, and I highly recommend it. Another resource is the International Virtual Assistants Association. ( www.ivaa.org)
Don't wait until it's too late! Most people put off hiring a VA until they "hit the wall." Things like overdue bills, a messy office, late projects, and unreturned phone calls add up until their business almost collapses.
Take action NOW and at least learn more about getting some help. It will be a big relief, I promise!
© 2003-2005 Alexandria K. Brown. Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is creator of the award-winning 'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine' system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE audio class, visit www.EzineQueen.com
**********************
Thanks to all of you who have passed this ezine on.
That is how we grow so please pass on to any friends or colleagues who might be interested and ask them to sign up for their own copy.
Subscribe here
If you refer 5 people you can claim your free copy of the Ebook "52 Reasons Why Some People Are Much, Much More Successful In Businesss Than Others" Just email me the names of the 5 people and make sure that they have signed up.
**********************
Recommendations
Many thanks to Jon Day for this weeks recommendation. It is a new product for start up businesses called The BusinessBox.
As you will know, starting a business is a big step – but get it right and the rewards can be huge! Becoming your own b*ss, however, it can be difficult, so it’s vital to plan properly and obtain the right advice.
Whilst there are numerous agencies and institutions offering help to get you started, none of them have been able to provide all the answers.
The BusinessBox delivers a comprehensive professional solution that will not only help get you started, but continue to provide support and guidance until you find your feet! And it comes in one simple package!
This is a really comprehensive solution and combines practical support for things like your website and adcounts, with advice and consultancy to help you on your way.
Find out more at www.thebusinessbox.co.uk
In this section I aim to bring you useful resources, websites, people, books and anything else which might be helpful to you.
Do you have anything, or anyone , that has inspired you or made you sit up and think? If you have anything you would like to recommend please
email me . Especially something (or someone)that really inspired you in your business.
**********************************
New Breakthrough Research Uncovers the 12 Secrets of Millionaire Entrepreneurs
I have discovered an outstanding training programme, Millionaire MBA™ based on the success-methods of the UK's top-achievers…
The training uses 25 award-winning entrepreneurs including 5 winners of "Entrepreneur of the Year", making it the most impressive collection of business talent ever assembled.
The structured 8 week, 24-part audio CD course (with workbook) also features case studies and live interviews with these remarkable individuals. Essential for anyone serious about starting or growing a business.
To get more information: www.millionairemba.biz/startupright
**********************************
Thoughts
Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." - John F. Kennedy
Until next time
Regards
Julia
PS: At this time of year, I have a few coching slots available. Why not try out a KickStart introductory coaching session with my compliments?
A full face to face Kickstart Review would cost you £500, now you can get an action plan to KickStart your business with just one phonecall!
Just
email me whenever you are ready
"My pen is on my paper writing to you with a big THANK YOU!! For all your continuing support for getting my business where I wish it to go." T Meredith - Bristol
Please pass this on to one more person to help me grow my reader numbers - thank you
Visit the website -
Subscribe -
Refer-a-friend -
Email me
About the author
Julia McDaid is a small business advisor, coach and author who is spending an increasing amount of time focussing on helping new businesses to set up and grow effectively. In 2001 she was voted CIMA Member In Practice of the year. Her biggest resource to date is the ecourse Start Up 101.
A wealth of experience in both large and small companies combined with a sound accountancy background makes Julia well placed to facilitate programmes with the new or aspiring business owner.
Further information
www.startupright.co.uk
You may copy or distribute this ezine provided full credit is given and copyright information is included.
Copyright Notice
Author : Julia McDaid -
- www.startupright.co.uk
"The only way to predict the future is to create it"
