I don’t deal well with change, I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m a creature of habit.
For example, I attend a meeting locally every Saturday morning. When I arrive all of the chairs are around a table and the materials are all laid out on the table and I sit down and joke with the other attendees and the meeting begins at precisely 10:30 and ends right at 11:30.
This morning I walked in and there was no table! It’s the first thing I exclaimed before saying hello to the other members. There was no table. The materials were all on the floor in the middle of the circle of chairs. How could we ever have a meeting with no table?
When speaking with someone about the fact that it was changed, he said to me “I don’t understand. You’re always changing stuff and you don’t seem to have a problem with it. Like when you just packed up your stuff and headed to Richmond, not knowing a soul. You loved it! You loved the change and it didn’t set you back like the lack of the table is today.”
Hmmm….
Let me restate my initial comment about change: I don’t like change that I don’t initiate.
I’m getting better in time with my change phobia. It’s something that I work on and if I don’t know why the change was implemented, I ask. I asked where the table was. “They needed it down the hall for the church bake sale they are having tomorrow.” Didn’t make me love the fact that we had no table, but I was able to accept WHY we had no table.
Change is good. Getting others to see the benefit in change is even better in accepting them to see that change is good. It’s like getting a new computer system or program and telling those that aren’t computer literate that they’re getting a new one. It took them so long to learn the old one, that the thought of a new one scares them. Telling them why the new system is coming and the benefits of the new system might help ease their fears.
Where am I going with all of this? There’s going to be some changes with Valley Virtual Assistants! (I initiated them, so I’m okay with them. However, let me share with you why I’m making these changes so you won’t panic that it’s different…lol)
The first change is a new website. We’re still located at www.valleyva.net, but the look and content is all different. I hope to have that site launched in just a few days. The little things are all being fixed now and I need the CEO (Chief Editing Officer) to look over it just one more time.
Next on the list will be the blog. It’s actually moving! You’ll be able to find it at www.valleyva.net as well, but not just yet. I’ll let you know when it’s time to re book mark the site.
I’m also adding a new specialized service to my list and I’m quite excited about that! Adding the service was a result of my coaching with Dale and Becki at VA Training and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results I’ve seen in myself and my business thus far!
Most of these changes are a result of wanting to make my business better and offer more; to be more valuable to those that I serve. Those that I serve may be my peers, my clients, my mentors, and random people who pop on in when they find me while surfing the net.
I’ll let you know when all these changes happen, but I must tell you I’m very excited about them and I’m anxious to share them with you!
Until next time…
Heather
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1 Overlooked Key To Small Business Success
by: Amy Andrews
Is this you?
You dreamed of owning your own business, doing what you love and enjoying unlimited earning potential. You researched. You planned. You prepared. Finally, you launched.
Your dream was realized…and then your business started to grow! Could it get any better? Well, yes, but if you’re like many others, you may have encountered one unexpected challenge along the way: Are you drowning in the day-to-day administrative tasks necessary to make your business run smoothly?
Managing emails. Bookkeeping. Writing articles or newsletters. Processing invoices. Answering phone calls. Scheduling appointments. Marketing. Customer Service. Travel Planning. They all take time. Unfortunately, time is in short supply when business is booming.
The work needs to be done, but you don’t want to do it yourself and you don’t want the cost or the hassle of hiring an employee, right?
So what’s the key? A virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants provide a wide range of administrative services to small businesses and individuals. They are independent contractors who work from home, use their own equipment, occupy their own space and pay their own taxes and benefits. Best of all, they charge you only for time spent on your particular project(s). They typically have years of administrative experience under their belt and most are amazingly budget-conscious.
As an emerging industry, virtual assistance is quickly becoming a valuable asset to individual business owners and a must-have in the small business community at large. Handing off administrative tasks to someone with the tools and know-how to complete them quickly and efficiently is saving many businesses untold amounts of time and money. A virtual assistant is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment.
BONUS: 4 Tips for Working with a Virtual Assistant:
* Start small. Don’t be afraid to “test the waters” by giving your new virtual assistant a small project without a huge budget. It may take time to find a virtual assistant with whom you work well.
* Be specific. Virtual assistants like to know exactly what’s expected of them. Provide as much detail about your project and your needs as possible.
* Forge a relationship. Establishing a strong, lasting connection with a virtual assistant will benefit you enormously in the long run. You will be surprised how much you come to rely on his/her knowledge and expertise.
* Remember, your virtual assistant is not your employee; they are small business owners themselves, partnering with you to achieve success. This is a win-win situation because when you succeed, they succeed.
Find a virtual assistant quickly, easily and for fr.ee at SimplyComplete.com. Search the VA Directory or post your project in minutes. Visit Find a Virtual Assistant to get your to-dos done!
I had the priveledge to have breakfast with the Mayor, City Manager, and a Council Member this morning along with other business owners in the Roanoke Valley. I was amazed to learn about what the city was doing as far as marketing Roanoke to outsiders, to get them here and get them to stay here.
I’m a transplant. I was born in York, Pennsylvania. I moved here the first time in 1988 from Watertown, New York, the second time in 1994 from Philadelphia, the third time in 1997 also from Philadelphia, and the last time in 2004 from Richmond, Virginia. Yes, I’ve moved to and from Roanoke four times. All of my high school friends moved away and have never returned.
When I moved to Roanoke in 1988, there really was very little to do here. We lived on the outskirts of town and the closest grocery store was 15 minutes away. We went “in town” once a week so save on gas.
In 1994 when I returned many businesses have moved into the area and a grocery store was built a little closer to the house.
I’ve noticed though over the past year or so since I’ve been back the new logo, the new marketing materials, the website…all things to promote our wonderful city.
What struck me most this morning was the lapel pin that they gave us attached to a little card
explaining the elements of the logo and why they were important.
“The Roanoke logo visually expresses the soaring spirit of optimism that defines the city. The colors are a balance between urban sophistication and friendly charm.
The mountain, made up of three individual and unique shapes, illustrates the balance and stability of the city. The grey portion represents the dynamic urban culture while the green is reminiscent of the charming neighborhoods and surrounding natural beauty. The cap of blue symbolizes the Blue Ridge Mountains that can be seen from almost every street in the city.
The center star is derived from the well-loved icon atop Mill Mountain. The star embodies the heritage and spirit of the city. The dynamic rays of light illustrate the energy of exciting new ideas and the ability to make things happen.”
After reading that this morning, a smile came to my face. Roanoke is where my heart is and has been all this time I just didn’t realize it. I’m proud to be a citizen of Roanoke, Virginia, and I just joined their “marketing team” by telling every one else what a wonderful community I live in.
Now if we could just get a Starbucks…lol
Until next time…
Heather
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When I tell people that I specialize in marketing and business development, I’m often asked “what’s the difference?” For the longest time I’ve struggled with a layman’s term to differentiate between the two. That was…until today!
Simply put, marketing is paper, business development is people. You can’t have one with out the other. The marketers need someone to push thier paper, and the business developers need paper to push!
Some are better at one or the other and then there are those that can act in each role.
I’m hoping that simple definition clears it up for you if you, too, were wondering the difference between them!
Until next time…
Heather
Permalink 7 CommentsThis is kind of off topic, but something I needed to express and gain some insight on…
As a former TV account executive, I pushed sponsorship on everyone. It was such an effective marketing tool, it showed the client as the king of whatever it was that they were sponsoring among other things. I still feel this way, and often suggest to people who want to ad contests and such to their site, that they get a sponsor and have the sponsor donate the prize, etc.
So, as you may or may not know, I’m a HUGE Kenny Chesney fan. His concert was the first concert I had gone to that had a sponsor. Last year when I went, I thought, “interesting. What way to better advertise yourself than to latch on to one of the hottest country music artists?” Not only that, but if you know anything about Kenny Chesney, you know that he doesn’t live in the south. Well, he does, but it’s one of those Caribbean Islands in the south! His music is moving in the direction of Jimmy Buffet, and I know this because at the concert I just went to last weekend, I was amazed at the amount of people who donned a cowboy hat and flip flops. First country concert I’ve ever been at where the majority of the people had on flip flops instead of cowboy boots.
Where am I going with this? Well, I’ll tell you. My kids and I are big music buffs. We listen to everything from country to disco, but mostly country and disco. We dance, we sign, and we enjoy the music. It’s a part of us.
Kenny’s sponsor is Cruzan Rum. It’s Caribbean, it’s sexy, it’s the epitome of Kenny Chesney at this stage in his career. There couldn’t be a better match.
I really hadn’t listened to his latest album until last weekend. When I did, there’s a song called “Old Blue Chair” and one of the lines goes…”That chair was my bed one New Year’s night When I passed out from too much Cruzan and diet.” I can tell you on his last album that song went “too much Malibu and diet”. Ok, so he changed the words from Malibu, a direct competitor of Cruzan, to Cruzan, his sponsor. I don’t think I have an issue with that.
Today, while listening to the album, my new fun song, Key Lime Pie, came on. In it he sings of how he loves his “Cruzan and key lime pie”. Talk about product placement!
While discussing this with a colleague, I came to the realization that my kids are singing about Cruzan. Sure, they don’t know anything about it now, but what happens 8 years from now when they’re with some “friends” and those “friends” have a bottle of Cruzan? Do the lyrics from Kenny’s song pop in their head and they think, “Kenny’s awesome, mom loves Kenny, we love Kenny, Cruzan must be awesome?”
Just a few weeks ago, my kids and I kareoked to “When the Sun Goes Down” a song all about how all the fun happens when the sun goes down and how they “slept all day to go back for more” and the more I think about it, a lot of the newer songs have many references to alcohol or drinking in them.
I have to tell you that as a marketing geek and a parent I’m torn. I do know that it’s my responsibility and not Kenny Chesney’s to teach them about the effects of alcohol. However, I was also a kid once. I know what it’s like to have idols and peer pressure.
It’s one of those things that’s out of my control. I do like his music, and so do my kids. He’s not talking about killing cops or something like that. (Although, apparently my ex husband listens to different music than we do because I caught my daughter singing “Don’t you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?” but that’s part of my point!)
I think at this point in time, we’ll keep grooving like we have been. I don’t want to shelter from my kids. Life is life, and they’ve got to learn about it some time. (Please don’t think I throw it all on them at once.)
Sorry for the ramble about nothing in particular. Just kinda hit me that my 8 and 6 year old are singing about rum….
Your thoughts on this are welcome…
Until next time…
Heather
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