I use statcounter.com to track visits to my websites and my blogs - whilst each domain also has webstats attached to the web server, I find it useful having all of it in one place so I can do instant visual comparisons and see how each one is going. I started with a free account but soon invested in a paid account, because the information was worthwhile to me. Periodically I see links from emails or discussion forums that lead people to my websites or blogs. That doesn't mean I can see or read … [Read more...]
Help! Get Me Off the Roundabout!
I've been challenged recently to think about what I'm bringing with me from 2006 that I don't want to have in 2007. Interesting thought. Things like challenging clients, work you don't enjoy doing, debts that are outstanding, something we keep doing over and over again but know we shouldn't (bad habits) and so on. Sometimes life feels like a roundabout - we keep going through the same challenges and struggles in life and we wonder when we're going to learn the right lesson, so we can get off … [Read more...]
Back to Work or Work at Home?
At this time of year many are thinking about having to return to a job after a brief holiday break but would rather remain home. So they do searches online and in the Yellow Pages for ideas on what they can do. Some get an idea and then look to see if others are already doing it, others just search and search, trying to match their existing skills for what might be out there. But the biggest problem is determining what is real and what might be a scam? I know that often people are advised to … [Read more...]
Appreciating the Quiet Times
Christmas seems to come and go so quickly. We really start hearing about it September each year, decorations and wrappings on display in the shops, advertising material enticing you to buy everything under the sun as a gift for someone, and life seems to go into full speed as everyone tries to complete impossible projects before the brief Christmas break. It's almost like things HAVE to be done before Christmas and then suddenly, it's quiet. The quiet times used to unnerve me - being new in … [Read more...]
Frazzled or Rested?
Are things as crazy for you as they have been for me this year? This particular week used to be fairly quiet but it seems that people are working right up to the Christmas weekend and not taking any time off. I noticed this afternoon high school kids in uniform walking in a group - probably from seeing a movie for their Christmas break-up or something - and heading back to school. There was a time when school was already closed by this time of the year. I've elected to go off duty between … [Read more...]
Keeping Good Company
Whenever you have a plan to do something, it is always good practice to hang around with those who have already succeeded in what you're planning to do. Something is bound to rub off - you will pick up good habits, successful practices, and positive thinking. There are several Proverbs that touch on this and one of my favourites says: "If you are in the company of those who are wise, you will gain wisdom." You will find this principle being taught in many of the direct marketing businesses, … [Read more...]
C’mon, it’s really easy, isn’t it?
Working from home as a VA that is. Periodically I get people coming up to me at an event saying they've been meaning to speak to me. They're looking for options to increase their income, or to replace income that is no longer there. They have a computer at home, used to be a secretary 20 or so years ago, and how hard can it be? They've heard I manage a team of virtual assistants and they want to join my team - can do they so? Quick questioning often reveals that they don't as yet have the … [Read more...]
Not For Publication…
... my home address that is. I've just had a phone call on my home number (which is separate from my business number these days) with a guy asking for me by name and asking if I had a business here. I told him yes, but I haven't used that number for about 3 years. He then proceeded to ask if he could check my details for a new business directory website being developed. New - but they have been given old information? No, that wasn't the case. Turned out they had only my personal name, my … [Read more...]
What’s on your Screensaver?
I was having a chat with a client yesterday and mentioned I'd recently won an Executive Portrait Package. I'd been planning to get a new photo done for sometime and now something was going to be done about it! But she was concerned it might be one of those promotions that draw you in to spend lots of money and that the photos might not be exactly what I had intended. I was able to assure her all was well but then related a story of photos I'd had taken for my first anniversary (gift of paper) … [Read more...]
