Who's in Your Team "Hoorah?"

Have you ever set lofty goals? I hope you have and even more so, I hope you exceeded them. So, how did you do it? Was you drive and determination enough or did you need to access others strengths to get where you wanted to be?

Now that you have experienced the cycle of goal setting and reaching the goal, were you able to assess what you experienced and what you did? If you have an entrepreneurial spirit you will undoubtedly wonder how you will do it better in the next round. We all try (some better than others) to do it all ourselves. What would success look like if you leveraged the strengths of others? Depending on what you value, it could look like this:

1. You could reach your goal with a sane mind and enough energy to celebrate; although a little less in the bank account once you factor in support services.
   
   
2. You can have a huge bank account and one last "hoorah, I made it" just before you pass out of exhaustion or illness...all on your own.

I am biased as you know. We are in business doing something we love and believe in. So what happens when it becomes distorted and almost unrecognizable as we strain and stretch? It's not so pretty anymore and we begin to avoid the work we felt we could move mountains with.

Even if there is one task you wish someone else would do for you; concentrate for a few moments everyday that a person with exceptional skills in that area will come to you. Think about how you would like the work done, how it will improve your operations including what it will cost. Don't be surprised if someone does come along for the price or barter you were looking for.

Two things will happen. First, you will have someone else to consider when you are providing the service/product you do. This will expand your thinking for your business. It will also make you accountable to this person on a smaller scale; but laying ground work for others. Secondly, you will be so impressed you manifested this person it will motivate you to manifest more...and you'll have time and energy for this since you no longer have to grudgingly consider the task anymore. Your energy is no longer being drained from you.

Creating a team does not have to mean new departments and office suites. A small change can make a big difference. In this world of contract work and increasing micro business, keeping an attitude of abundance and sharing the pie will not only give you a growing company but flexibility to meet some extraordinary people with exceptional talents.

Who's on your team? Time for a group HOORAH!

Nimbly,
JCM

No Ho-Hums at Home only Drive and Passion

How many of you have experienced this: "You work at home, how nice for you to do what you want?"

When will the myth of "work and play whenever you want to" wear off and the truth be known to those who don't work from home?

Let me clarify for intrapreneurs (whom aren't the target for this blog so feel free to share it outside of the small business circle).

• Working at home does mean I can do whatever I want; just as much as it can be reality for you too. It does not mean that I can wait for any service or product longer than others (like in a bank line, or doctor's office).
  
  
• Working at home is handy. Yes indeed it cuts back on greenhouse gases from my car, can be a handy tax right off, and reduces the need to make a healthy lunch before the start of the work day. It also means, I have to walk by my desk any other time I'm not behind it and see what's waiting for my return. Included in this availability is the possibility of customers dropping in because they figured I'd be at home (read: the need to have things tidy at all times).
  

Entrepreneurship is not for sissies. It takes mental focus, determination and commitment to a balanced life beyond what is happening at a desk. Not just a little work here, and a little work there. To keep this positive, here are the advantages in my perspective:

1. Ability to move quickly: Be Nimble without the need for approvals, departmental meetings etc. They happen, it's just easier to make a decision with only one person (albeit with split personalities some days) or a team of remote staff.
   
   
2. Get the work done and then play...guilt free. If there isn't enough play; it's your own fault! If there isn't enough work to warrant the play, then maybe you're in the wrong business. If there is too much work to play then you need to delegate and then play! Simple.
   
   
3. Networking as a entrepreneur is different. One can't help but want to network and talk shop and learn how you can do business with others or do things better. Sometimes, as an intrapreneur, your passion while networking might not match who you are networking for.
   
   
4. Access to the entire universe of talent! You get to choose who works with you and whom you work with! Barring the mailman, you get to hand-pick your support team.
   
   
5. Leveraging technology has to be the most significant advantage in today's business world compared to 10 years ago. Think of the progress we have made in the method and speed we can do business. This point delivers the previous ones for without technology none of this would be possible for many of us (VA's in particular).

In closing I suggest instead of "oh, how nice that you can work from home" people give us a little praise for accomplishing all we do. After all, it's not just being able to get the kids off the bus and provide healthy meals to the family. (I wonder if that would actually happen if I worked for someone else!) Ask what drives us to do the business we do; you may just be surprised how passionate our answer is!

Nimbly,
JCM

Motivated Monday

I am seriously motivated today.

Not only have I completed a few paying pieces of work, I'm energized by feedback from complete strangers and they are affirming for me what my passion is: assisting.

@GaryVee's address to the web2.0 conference (thanks to post from Perry Belcher) is amazing. Find your passion and quit whining. Just do it.



As I learn about Social Media so too am I discovering that some things just don't change. Treat people as you want to be treated, live truthfully, transparently...and HUSTLE just as Gary put it.

Here's another way to look at your work week. Scott tweeted this last week and well, here we are on Monday. So if you're slumpy, grumpy or frumpy today, listen to this:





What's your passion? If you don't have one, you better hang with people who do...you'll catch up!

As for me, how can I assist YOU?

What You Can Expect from The Nimble Assistant

I was inspired by this blog post at http://tinyurl.com/5nhgkc (by @jer979 referred by @ChrisBrogan) for today's post. Read it after mine!

Here's what you can expect from me, dear social media pals:

1. I enjoy relationships & love helping people.
   
   
   
2. I adore a sense of humour.
   
   
   
3. I admire respectful behaviour.
   
   
   
4. I appreciate good systems.
   
   
   
5. I celebrate with others.
   

So here it is: Don't be afraid to ask for help. The right people may very well be right under your nose! For those of you coming from Facebook, you may be confused by some of my updates because they arrive in Twitter Language. Point #4 is in motion here.

It has been very rewarding for me to learn and interact within both Facebook and Twitter. Twitter has been the easiest and quickest though and I appreciate all that I've been able to accomplish there. Thought I would share a few results in the quotes above.

All in all, I assist. It's what I do and Twitter is a great place to build social media relationships in a very open and congruent way that I do business. Now, who would like all of my attention for 5 hours a week, a month at a time?

Thanks to all of my followers!

Nimbly,
JCM

Opportunity Networks

"May I assist? It's what I do."

If I could bill $5 for every time I say that I would have a nice vacation planned for next week. Truth is, it's a nice way of showing, actually doing, what I do for other people. Most times, when in a social setting or networking event, I take every chance I get to speak up, step forward and get involved in what is happening around me.

People usually chuckle, some groan since it's so direct to what I do. Regardless, I see the opportunity and take it. Sometimes it's simply helping a presenter handout materials or holding a door. Regardless, the comment is noted and recognized. Direct association with me and jumping in to get a job done which is what I'm about. If people are lighthearted and enjoy the scene unfolding then all the better for all of us.

I'm learning how true to my core helping, assisting, contributing to other people's lives is to me. It's even happening online now that I'm using Twitter (@nimbleassistant). I'm noticing what people are requesting and if I can add something positive, even it it's a referral to someone I'm following or being followed by, I can't help but pass it on! I'm really there to learn from others, share with others and develop the best resources for those within the Nimble Neighbourhood.

I am learning a lot indeed. It really doesn't take long before you can sort out the people who are there for #1 and not the collective. They won't be around for long. I'm glad I can unfollow people and block others. It's all about creating the network and attracting people who can support you in your goals.

Sometimes, it's the simple stuff that makes the biggest difference. May I assist? It's what I do.

Nimbly,
JCM

What Alexandra K. Brown Has to Say about VA's

Thank you to Alexandria K. Brown (CEO of Alexandria Brown International Inc., a company devoted to empowering women around the world with the tools to live the freedom-based lives of their dreams) for sharing her experience with VA's. See her article below....


"Why Are You Doing Everything Yourself?"
By Alexandria Brown

One problem I often see with solo entrepreneurs 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 six VAs -- Liz, who lives in Boston, Julie, who lives in Iowa, and a few others scattered all over the country. 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. My VAs 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 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 AssistU. Another resource is the International Virtual Assistants Association.

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!

If you'd like some guidance in getting started, I also highly recommend my friend Melanie Benson Strick's Virtual Team Building Secrets program.

© 2003-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning 'Highlights on Marketing & Success' weekly ezine with 30,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AlexandriaBrown.com

Sweet Summertime Delegation

There is no better time to delegate than the summer time. We all let our minds drift to the beach, cottage, golf course or garden during fairer times. Why not share your work load when there is something fun to do? Most people delegate out of panic. Being freaked out about a deadline and rushed into getting help isn't ideal for more than one reason.

1. You are focussed on the task at hand; not the details backing up the process. For entrepreneurs covering all departments, how realistic is expecting someone new (and aware of the looming deadline) to figure out when your delivery man comes or what time your printer needs the information for rush jobs.
   
2. You will end up frustrated with yourself for not relaying all the information and the person helping you will be frustrated as well for not asking enough questions. We all work well under pressure but I'm not sure how well mind-reading excels under the heat lamp.
3. The help, by nature, wants you to succeed. If you succeed, she succeeds. Everyone is happy as long as there is a healthy amount of respect and appreciation. It doesn't take very long for resentment to ice the layered crisis cake and that's a dessert no one likes to have to eat.
   

Take on some help when times are a little more relaxed. Take the time to open your doors and train someone on the subtleties of your business. How else can you grow with adding another arm, leg or head to your already growing business. Wouldn't you like to work on your bottom line or maybe your golf swing?

Nimbly,
JCM