Mind Your Business

We're back from retreat!

It's been an amazing few weeks! Planning, planning and more planning was all it took to pull off the MMP event of the year! There.. I said it! The Make Mine Pink "getting Down To Business" Retreat was fabulous and while some of the members might subscribe to "what happens in Williamsburg stays in Williamsburg," I do not!

We pulled up to the Lodge early Friday afternoon where we were met by the MMP early crew! Ok.. well the photographer was not there yet so we only have a picture of the building. We couldn't have ordered more perfect weather though. It was sunny, breezy and in the 70s which is unheard of for early fall in Virginia.

This is a picture of the Colonial Williamsburg Lodge where our conference was held.

Pink enough? Not only were the swag bags pink, they were filled with terrific loot! We'll be auctioning 2 swag bags off soon. Stay tuned!

After visiting for a few hours in the Hospitality Suite, we headed down stairs to the terrace for our meet and greet reception. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious and the company delightful. It may take me weeks to share all the wonderful pics taken.

From left to right: Janet, Gail, Dianne, Inka and Patty.

Some of the gang enjoying chatting with MMP sisters.

If you'd like to see more pics of the Meet and Greet, please visit the photo gallery on the retreat website!

Photos by Alan Thompson
diakonia@verizon.net

The impact of a Virtual Assitant on small business.

Whoops! Did one of your hats just slip?

Somehow, many of us have picked up the notion that if we want something done right, we have to do it ourselves. And we've carried that idea into our small businesses too.

We're marketers, writers, designers, salespeople, production managers - most of us try to do it all without any help. But there comes a point where there are just too many hats to juggle, and something slips.

Have you ever considered the impact of a VA on small business? Maybe it's time to give up one of those hats and accept some help that can grow your business.

It's a common misconception that VAs are an unnecessary luxury for small business owners. But many business owners who use VAs find that their VA actually helps them make more money, and develop in ways they could never do on their own.

Hiring a VA can free up your time so you can spend more time on creating and developing your business. 

Not only can they handle tasks you don't like or don't have time for, but a VA can help you work out new ideas and come up with ways you can work more efficiently.

If you still think you can't afford to hire your own VA, look for one who caters to small or home business owners. Some of these VAs will keep their fees low because they know their clients can't afford high-priced help.

A lot of VAs offer retainer packages, and will charge you less per hour, the more work you give them.

They also specialize in the same areas you need help with, so they can get the job done in a lot less time than you can do on your own.

What impact could a VA have on your small business? Imagine for a minute....

What is the one business task you don't like doing? That niggling thing that needs to be done, but you put off as often as you can. Or maybe you can't avoid it (like checking your e-mail), but you always feel a little resentful of the time it takes away from creating or developing other parts of your business.

Now, think about how many hours you spend on that task every week. Not just the time you spend doing it, but the time you spend thinking about, the minutes you spend preparing for it, rechecking it after it's done, and wondering if you missed anything.

That's how much time you're losing each week doing something a VA could do for you. And time you could be spending creating or developing other areas of your business.

If you're still not sure you're ready for a VA of your own, try giving up just that one task you thought of earlier. Even if it's one hour a month, that's 12 extra hours a year you can spend on developing your business - and keeping a firmer grip on the rest of your hats.

Photo©iStockphoto.com/Steven Kratochwill