MANY OLDER WORKERS ARE BEING FORCED OUT OF A JOB. If you're a full time employee in your 50's or now entering the Golden Age, know that more than half of all workers age 50 and older lost their long-held jobs because they were laid off or otherwise forced to leave involuntarily, a new study says. The research suggests that many older workers will encounter unexpected financial setbacks during the period when saving and planning for retirement is most important. “Unfortunately, age discrimination seems to be the one form of bias that is still acceptable,” says Susan Weinstock, vice president of Financial Resilience Programming for AARP. “But employers who push out their experienced workers do so to their detriment. Research shows that these employees are loyal, productive, motivated and possess the very ‘soft skills,’ like calm under pressure and ability to solve problems, that employers say they need.” AARP is working to educate employers about the value of older workers through its Employer Pledge Program, Weinstock says.
0 Comments
Part 2 - In an earlier post, we talked about how Pinterest can leverage your business visibility and increase your sales and online presence. Here are some basic tips to get you started. First off, choose an account name that promotes your business or brand. If you'd like help with branding, click here and complete this brief questionnaire. It's a good place to start. A good relevant account name will help those who use Pinterest to have an idea who you are and what you're about. If you're good with photo editing or graphic design, you can start working on effective pictures/designs to best showcase your work and what you're selling/promoting, or hire a trained VA to do it for you. Create "boards" based on various topics of your choosing that relate to each other and are consistent with your brand and message. You can see what your pins are doing and how your profile/brand fits in with others by using the Analytics page. Pinterest Analytics allows you to gauge interest and see which pins are truly useful to your business. These tips will help you utilize Pinterest in a way that will help you build interest and possibilities in your brand or product. In what way do you thing Pinterest can help your business thrive? Follow us for more tips, news and free resources 3/15/2019 0 Comments Twitter For BusinessWhy is Twitter great for your business? It's very simple! Twitter prides itself on being able to share bite sized chunks of content/valuable information, meaning that you don't lose customers/readers due to super long content. It works well with the lessening attention spans of many people. You are able to interact with others in the business world to learn from them and follow other businesses that are in your industry and gain connections that may push your business to more profit. Another benefit is the ability to show your worth to those who would be interested in hiring you. For example, potential clients will be able to see what you're capable of and will know what to expect from your skill set. This positions you as a source of knowledge and allows clients more in depth examples of your ability to benefit them as a person and as a business. You can establish yourself as an industry leader and since the lifetime of tweets are almost indefinite, you can be found by using relevant hashtags and through the search feature. Using hashtags is a very useful ability Twitter has made and can make your business just that much more relatable to others searching for what you provide. Yes, Twitter is worth it and you can and will create a name for yourself by learning strategies for your business that will position it to become more well known and popular. Follow us: 3/13/2019 0 Comments The Right Tools For The Right JobWhen you first begin, it's easy to get by with "that's good enough for now" gear: an old PC or scratch pad, a corner of the dining room table. Try not to do that! These tools don't enable you to be dynamic and to expand. As you get busier with an ever increasing number of customers, your string and bubblegum set up will crumble like the walls of Jericho. Having the correct tools will make you increasingly more proficient, more productive and, believe it or not, happier. Hardware and software are not very expensive nowadays – so get everything you need set up right from the start. Among the tools you'll need are a good reliable PC, time tracking software, a project management system, a printer, scanner, email, calendar, anti-virus software, a password manager, video conferencing software, and a tool for screen sharing. Furthermore, those are just a few tools needed to maintain your own business. To assist your customers with running theirs, you'll also need a PDF editor, MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), and a graphics editor, along with the occasional custom tool for regular and important customers. (Guru tip: Keep close track of any tools that have month to month membership fees. It's easy to stop utilizing these when a project ends and unknowingly continue paying for several additional months!) Follow us; Brand New ebook Design Tool Is A Total Game Changer - Create an eBook, free report, whitepaper & more. It doesn't get any easier than this. Crank out eBooks for in just seconds from now. Check it out, before the price goes up! Click here or on this image to find out more. Pinterest has been popular for quite some time and you may be wondering how you can use it to scale your own business and create income by using a source you already use on a daily if not weekly basis. Fear not, because this is definitely something you can (and should) do! Pinterest allows you to share photos or graphics that are attached to a website or business that allows you to at times buy items, learn how to make things, or learn more about a topic that interests you. Why not utilize these aspects in your own business? For example, you can attach a photo of your latest soaps or candles, create a link to your business or store, and then customers who see the photo and want your products, will buy them straight through the link and bingo! You get visits and even purchases without a lot of extra work on your part. Better yet, these pins stay around forever, so you could end up seeing the benefits for longer than you'd expect. Even established bloggers use pins to bring traffic to their blog or to create referral revenue from affiliate marketing. Having a VA help you with your Pinterest reach could be a huge benefit to your business as well. Check back soon for tips on how to leverage Pinterest to build your business! What do you think? In what way do you think Pinterest can help your business thrive? Follow us for tips, news and free resources A Virtual Assistant Can Do So Much More For You Than Just Type! A Virtual Assistant can offer so many skills to a partnership with any business owner that many are often overlooked. Many entrepreneurs understand how Virtual Assistants can assist with basic secretarial jobs such as word processing, editing, proofreading and formatting of documents, but don’t realize that there are so many other things a Virtual Assistant can assist them with. When the time comes to grow your business, partnering with a virtual assistant can be one of the most beneficial, life changing steps that you can take on the path to your entrepreneurial success. A well-matched virtual assistant should be like a business partner who is invested in the success of your business. Investing in the proper systems and making time for the on-boarding process can be the key to accomplishing your business goals. When you prepare and invest in the partnership with your virtual assistant, it can be like joining forces, increasing your productivity by more than 50%. When done properly, this can quickly launch your business to the next level. To get started leveling up in your business, read on for my 5 steps to preparing for a successful virtual assistant partnership. 1. Create a List of Tasks to Delegate During your initial consultation, you’ve probably already discussed your needs with your virtual assistant but it’s important to keep the task list up-to-date for easy reference for both of you as you begin to assign tasks. Even if you’re only beginning with one or two tasks, it’s helpful to provide your virtual assistant with an idea of what else may be coming down the pipeline later. A good virtual assistant will keep this list of tasks organized in a project management system so nothing falls through the cracks. Still not sure what tasks you can outsource? Get my free list "30 Tasks to Delegate to a VA To Grow Your Business" 2. Organize your Systems and Workflow Before kicking off work with your first virtual assistant, make note of your repetitious tasks, or the projects where you know you’re falling short, and document the “how to” steps so that your virtual assistant can take over those tasks for you. When making your list, ask yourself these questions. Can most of the tasks be assigned on a recurring daily, weekly, or monthly basis? How often will you require reporting and updates on these tasks? What other tasks can you take off your to-do list immediately? 3. Create Clear Instructions When you plan to walk through the assignments, whether by telephone, Skype or email, setting out clear instructions will ensure that your virtual assistant knows exactly what you are looking for. The less that your virtual assistant has to read between the lines, the more that they’ll be able to hit the ground running. The more detail that you can provide, the less room there will be for error and confusion. Once my clients have explained a task or project to me, I like to follow up with an email outline of our call to verify that I understood exactly what they were looking for. 4. Set Expectations Clarify deadlines, urgency, and priorities so that your virtual assistant can start to see the big picture and learn to share your vision for your business. If you require quick turn around time, or expect your assistant to be able to return emails or take phone calls on short notice, verbalize those expectations so that everyone is on the same page. A good virtual assistant wants to be available to meet your needs when you need them the most. Establish your preferred form of communication; email is a critical tool when it comes to virtual work, but if you have other communication preferences, particularly for urgent matters, your virtual assistant will want to know the best way to reach you and vice versa. Some clients like the phone, some like to use apps like Slack, and some people prefer text message or emails. Every person is different, as a virtual assistant I find it essential to communicate with my clients in whatever mode works best for them. 5. Provide Feedback At the beginning of your partnership, it will be important to check-in with your virtual assistant to give them feedback about the work that they’ve produced. Constructive feedback of what you’d like adjusted and confirmation of what’s exactly on track is extremely helpful to your virtual assistant as they start to learn the ropes of your business practices and culture. Delegating projects to a virtual assistant you can trust is a key step in freeing up your time and growing your business. Preparation is the key to kicking of that relationship; it will take a bit of time for your virtual assistant to acquire the knowledge that you hold in your head and in your habits. When you and your virtual assistant follow this partnership structure, you’re sure to have a smooth on-boarding process and a successful partnership that will take you and your business to the next level of success. 11/25/2018 0 Comments New eBook Design Tool!This brand new ebook design tool is a total game changer! Have you ever tried to create an eBook, free report, whitepaper and thought, “there MUST be an easier way to do all this?” Me too, and I spent YEARS searching for it, without any joy. Today, that all changes. Here’s a brand-new tool that allows you to crank out eBooks (or any type of PDF) for business or pleasure, in just seconds from now. Yep, we’re talking everything: — Instant content — Instant design — Instant formatting — Tons of flexibility and customization All for the price of a few nasty coffees. Check it out, before the price goes up! Grab Sqribble, this year’s hottest eBook design tool. Create your own ebooks in minutes and save weeks of frustration. Great for customer downloads to grow your email list, courses and more. Learn more about Sqribble here. 11/6/2018 0 Comments 3 Top Tips For Font PairingGreat font pairings are essential to great design. But picking great fonts can seem like a dark art. Choosing one font is simple enough, yet finding another font to complement it can be a journey to Helvetica and back. But it doesn’t need to be a nightmare. Here are 3 top tips for font pairing. 1. Stick to two fonts In the world of design, simplicity is best, and this is especially true when dealing with fonts. Too many fonts can look messy, so keep it simple by just using two. Give each font a specific role in your design – for instance, one font for headings, and another for the body copy. 2. What does your font say? Keep it legible. If you want to get your message across, ensure your typeface is a suitable size and is fit for purpose – playful fonts might be suitable for a heading, but not for body text. And keep in mind that every font has its own personality – playful, formal, modern, traditional… so ensure you use fonts that will support the message of your text. 3. Opposites attract If there’s one foolproof font pairing that we’ll always stand by, it’s this: a sans serif font with a serif font. You can use opposites when playing around with script and feature fonts too, by pairing them with a more restrained font. ***Awesome, you read the entire post! Hope you liked it. Why not share this Informative and valuable content? Much appreciated. Thank you. **** Step Out Of The Box.. Don't fall into a trap. With a little outside-the-box thinking and some prioritizing, you can develop an enviable list of contacts. From pinpointing networking opportunities in your corner of the world to jumping on internet forums and groups, these ideas will help you build strong, worthwhile business relationships. Here are 5 Creative Networking Ideas To Build Connections. Work Your Current Network Think you don’t have any business connections? You’re probably wrong. Friends, family, former colleagues, the owner of your favorite coffee shop or the parent of your kid’s bestie are all potential contacts. So, talk business with your circle to make sure the people you see and interact with the most actually know what you do. And when an opportunity presents itself, offer help. Remember: The world is a whole lot smaller than it seems. Aunt Josie might have no need for a website, but her best friend or co-worker’s daughter may be launching a boutique and very interested in working with you. Get Involved in Networks and Social Media Groups Perfect for people with limited time and minimal access to in-person options, industry-specific forums and social media groups are networking gold mines. Start searching through LinkedIn and Facebook for groups related to your work and those geared toward entrepreneurs. Forums and portfolio sites also offer loads of opportunities. Bonus: Branching out, away from social media, expands your pool of potential connections. Joining loads of groups and forums at once makes it difficult to actively participate in conversations, so start small. Join one group and dedicate a daily coffee break to perusing comments and dipping your toe in conversations. Offer value with every comment, joke around, support other members and watch your list of contacts grow. Find or Create A Local Networking Group Platforms like Meetup aren’t just for finding people to take a cooking class with or enjoy a lazy float down the river on a Sunday afternoon. They’re also perfect for putting together a casual meeting or more in-depth group discussion with other small-business owners and entrepreneurs in your area. If there aren’t any existing groups nearby that pique your interest, consider starting your own. Chances are there are plenty of people toiling away at home or burning the midnight oil in your area who’d love to have a supportive, mentally stimulating get-together. Check Out Co working Groups or Collaboration Platforms Physical co-working spaces and collaboration platforms like Slack give you the opportunity to work alongside people across industries and make valuable connections with like-minded, passionate individuals. Co-working spaces charge a relatively small daily, weekly or monthly fee to set up your office amongst entrepreneurs and creatives from various backgrounds. Whether you want to settle in to an open work space, secure a private office or put together a team, the ability to see potential contacts daily makes developing relationships easier. A quick Google search will let you know what’s available near you. Or, check out sites like Coworker or Liquid Space for options. If there's aren't any co-working spaces in your area or you're partial to the quiet of working from home, consider joining a collaboration platform. As you build your network and work with others on projects, use the platform to stay connected during slow times or when you need a fresh set of eyes. Check out these tips for other suggestions. Get Involved In Your Community Even if most of your business is online, you can still find worthwhile people to connect with right in your own town. Make it a point to reach out to and talk with new and established business owners. Keys To Successful Networking Now that you know where to look for networking opportunities, how do you build lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships? Be supportive, listen closely and prioritize managing the relationships you develop. Work active networking into your schedule just like you do every other business task. Block off a set amount of time once a week to make friendly check-in calls or send out a catch-up email. And, make sure you respond to messages and calls with a similar level of urgency as you would a client or customer. Time conversations and events so they coincide with when you’re most energetic and engaged. Avoid scheduling midweek evening meetups if you’re typically exhausted and ready to meld with the couch at that hour. And don’t try to fit phone calls in first thing in the morning if you’re the type who needs a cup (or six) of coffee to form coherent sentences. **Ask questions, listen intently and provide value. **The back-and-forth opportunities that networking provide are invaluable, especially for self-starters. But remember to open your ears and close your mouth. People will be more apt to help you if they feel heard and encouraged. **Be yourself, not the business version of yourself. **If you attend a meetup, set up shop in a co-working space or dive into an online community with “always be selling!” in your head, you’ll gain minimal traction. Friendliness earns you more insight, referrals and ideas than playing the role of salesperson. ***** If you found this content informative and valuable, please comment & share. Thank you ****** |
CategoriesAll Business Topics Did You Know That? Google & SEO Inspiration & Motivation Quotes Quote Of The Day Social Media What Do You Think Francine A. AuthorWelcome to my Blog. Disclaimer: I am not an expert on the subjects posted on this blog and is merely sharing from either personal experience, articles or other networking sources. Content is intended only as useful tips and resources for business owners and all who visit this blog. Subjects will vary from time to time. NOTE: Some posts may contain affiliate links to products I really love and recommend, which means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I will use the earnings to maintain this blog and business. Archives
March 2023
|
© PRESTO VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES
Privacy Policy