Heather Speaks... http://www.valleyva.net/blog Straight Talk on Marketing Know How and Virtual Assistant Awareness... Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:44:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 en Ringing in the New Year in Orlando http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/28/ringing-in-the-new-year-in-orlando/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/28/ringing-in-the-new-year-in-orlando/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 07:00:01 +0000 Heather On a personal note... http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/04/ringing-in-the-new-year-in-orlando/ I actually took time off this holiday season. It’s rare for me. While I did visit my parents a few days before Christmas, I also worked some as well. Nothing major, bust checking in to make sure that everything was running smoothly.

However, today I embark on a 5 day journey with 20 other people (13 of them teenagers) as we head to SetApart07 in Orlando, Fl.

And I? Am not working.

In fact, I’m really not writing this today. I wrote it weeks ago and then handed it off to my VA to set up and post.

Because I’m ringing in the new year relaxed and rested.

Ok, I take that back. I’m with 13 teenagers amongst hundreds and thousand of other teenagers.

I’m ringing in the new year with a break…because I worked hard in 2007 and I’m going to hit the ground running on Tuesday when I return.

How about you? Did you celebrate your 2007 successes?

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/28/ringing-in-the-new-year-in-orlando/feed/ Tracking the Fat Man in a Red Suit http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/24/tracking-the-fat-man-in-a-red-suit/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/24/tracking-the-fat-man-in-a-red-suit/#comments Mon, 24 Dec 2007 07:00:09 +0000 Heather On a personal note... http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/24/tracking-the-fat-man-in-a-red-suit/ It’s Christmas Eve. Get off the computer and enjoy your family.

Better yet?

Spend the day tracking Santa!

http://www.noradsanta.org

We spend all day tracking Santa and then call my mom and update her. The kids love it and yes, I do use it to get them in bed in the evening. As soon as Santa hits Greenland, they know that they have to be in bed or they risk him flying right over our house!

Have a very Merry Christmas…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/24/tracking-the-fat-man-in-a-red-suit/feed/ Why My Parents Keep Getting Smarter and Smarter http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/21/why-my-parents-keep-getting-smarter-and-smarter/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/21/why-my-parents-keep-getting-smarter-and-smarter/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:00:06 +0000 Heather On a personal note... http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/04/why-my-parents-keep-getting-smarter-and-smarter/ I’m home for the holidays. Although, it’s not really home. You see, my parents moved from my “childhood home” 4 years ago and bought their dream home on top of a mountain in Tennessee. It’s gorgeous. It’s bigger than any home they’ve ever owned and I’ve always wondered why that is… why do people get bigger homes when their slave labor leaves the nest? But even more thought will tell you that if there are no kids, it probably doesn’t get that messy.

It’s been nice to get away from our home back in SW Virginia for a few days and spend time with family. My children can’t get enough of the spoiling they receive from Nana, Papaw, and Mamaw and they love to torment the cats, JJ and Major.

And presents? Oh goodness there are presents!

My parents swore they would never “spoil” my kids and would always ask me before purchasing them certain items or buying them things. That lasted until my oldest was about three months old.

I’m grateful that my parents can spoil them, but they can only do that because of what they did to achieve their goals. Other wise, they wouldn’t have their dream home and they wouldn’t be able to do all the things that they do.

Growing up, my dad was frugal. No, I take that back. He was downright cheap. We didn’t get a lot of the bells and whistles, but we had what we needed. It was a great childhood and I wasn’t spoiled, but I was well loved.

What I didn’t know then, was that my dad had goals. He had plans. He was insistent on making them happen.

One of his goals was to retire early. He did that when he was 45. (Although he can’t be retired, he now does freelance consulting and mom works just to get out of the house). My point is… they don’t have to work another day in their lives if they don’t want to.

Another goal was to be debt free. He did that when he was 45 as well.

They wanted to travel. They do so every year… a spring tour that takes them to warmer climates and a summer tour in which they take my kids and go for six weeks… and my kids have seen a lot of the country.

None of this would’ve happened had my dad not had goals or if he didn’t work hard at achieving those goals.

2008 is just over a week away. Have you started looking at your goals for the new year? What about 5 years from now?

Where do you want to be and how are you going to get there?

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/21/why-my-parents-keep-getting-smarter-and-smarter/feed/ Politically Correct Santa http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/19/politically-correct-santa/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/19/politically-correct-santa/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:00:14 +0000 Heather On a personal note... http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/19/politically-correct-santa/ ‘Twas the night before Christmas and Santa’s a wreck…
How to live in a world that’s politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to “Elves,”
“Vertically Challenged” they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the north pole
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A.
And people had started to call for the cops
When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened.
His fur-trimmed red suit was called “Unenlightened.”
And to show you the strangeness of life’s ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose
And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation,
Demanding millions in over-due compensation.
So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife,
Who suddenly said she’d enough of this life,
Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz,
Demanding from now on her title was Ms.
And as for the gifts, why, he’d ne’er had a notion
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her.
Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot.
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls. Or just for the boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that’s war-like or non-pacific.
No candy or sweets…they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.
And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden.
For they raised the hackles of those psychological
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.
No baseball, no football…someone could get hurt;
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe;
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled, perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.
He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
But you’ve got to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable was to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might
Give to all without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion;
Every ethnicity, every hue,
Everyone, everywhere…even you.
So here is that gift, its price beyond worth…
“May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on earth.”
(c) Harvey Ehrlich, 1992

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/19/politically-correct-santa/feed/ To BCC or not to BCC… http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/17/to-bcc-or-not-to-bcc/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/17/to-bcc-or-not-to-bcc/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:00:13 +0000 Heather On a personal note... Email http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/04/to-bcc-or-not-to-bcc/ To BCC or Not to BCC

I know what everyone says… you should always use the blind carbon copy (BCC) option when sending out mass emails for two reasons… (1) no one is tempted to hit reply to all and (2) so that you don’t reveal others email addresses.

But I? I’m a jokester. I like to make people laugh and so that BCC function kills me. I can’t make the masses laugh if I don’t know who the masses are.

Additionally, I’m not super duper organized with my contacts, so when I need someone’s email address, I can typically find it in the list of others that it was sent to.

But there’s one more reason that I hate the BCC function. You know how your mother forwards you all these funny emails? (Ok, so maybe your mom doesn’t, but my mom does.) I like to see who else she sent it to so that on the rare occasion that I actually forward it on, I’m not sending it to the same people she sent it to.

However, I know that I should use the BCC function and I really do try to, even though it totally doesn’t work with me. :)

What are your thoughts on the BCC function?

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/17/to-bcc-or-not-to-bcc/feed/ What is Revolutionary? http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/13/what-is-revolutionary/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/13/what-is-revolutionary/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:07:01 +0000 Heather On a personal note... business http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/13/what-is-revolutionary/ Today my good buddy, Yvonne, posed the question, “What is Revolutionary?”

It made me stop and think.

While, she spoke highly of the Virtual Assistant Revolution and how it’s helped her business, I had to reflect on what it truly means. This was difficult for a few reasons but the biggest being, as a co-founder of the Revolution, am I revolutionary?

Defined by dictionary.com:

1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.
2. radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc.: a revolutionary discovery.
3. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the American Revolution or to the period contemporaneous with it in U.S. history: Revolutionary heroes; Revolutionary weapons.

Take out #3. I’m not going to war.

Let’s focus on the “sudden, complete, or marked change” and “radically new or innovative”…

Am I doing what everyone else is doing and capitalizing on it? Or am I setting new standards and raising the bar?

Yvonne talked about a minor set back in her business. We all have them, whether they are because we were at fault or because that’s just what happens. But it’s how we overcome them that sets us apart from the crowd.

I had a similar set back a little over a year ago. It was one that set me back pretty far. While it had nothing to do with my business, it affected my business in a major way.

Several times over the course of the year, I tried desperately to make a “come back”. I was trying to force something that wasn’t there.

My business went on auto-pilot and thanks to many great VAs and friends, I survived.

And then one day it clicked. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was putzing around on the computer and an idea hit me. I ran with it and had it fleshed out and implemented that day. It felt great.

Over the next few weeks, more ideas came and I was on a roll. My business partner and I were again brainstorming and making a million bucks in our heads. We jokingly told her hubby that we were back.

The problem was, the ideas never made it past our heads. Yes, I put out Expand Your Business…One Subscriber at a Time. Yes, I started updating the blog again. But there are many more ideas that I’m sitting on because I haven’t figured out how to perfect them.

Perfection is holding me up.

Perfection is stopping me from being Revolutionary.

The ideas are Revolutionary. The implementation is not.

I know what you’re thinking…

And yes, I strive to put out quality products and services. That’s not what I mean by perfect.

By perfect, I’m talking about from idea to the public needs to be fleshed out completely and work flawlessly both now and two years from now, in my mind. When I don’t have the answers, I stop.

A great example is an affiliate program. One of my goals for this month was to set up an affiliate program and really focus on my affiliates. Recruiting and training. However, I want a one stop shop for my affiliates with a long list of requirements. There are TONS of them out there, however none of them meet all of my requirements, at least none that I’ve found. So I stopped. The content and tools are all done, but I’ve done nothing with them.

How can I get affiliates and help them sell my products better if their tools are tucked away on my computer?

Revolutionary thinking? Nope. I’m not thinking outside the box and I need to be.

So, I’ll be making it my goal to figure out something by the end of the year and letting perfection slide just a little bit.

So Revolutionary to me? Thinking outside the box…not letting the little things stop you…and setting the world on fire…

Right now, I’m not there.. but watch out…

it’s gonna get hot in here… and soon!

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/13/what-is-revolutionary/feed/ How Do You Know It’s Time To Call It Quits for the Day? http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-call-it-quits-for-the-day/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-call-it-quits-for-the-day/#comments Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:00:38 +0000 Heather On a personal note... Articles Working from Home http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-call-it-quits-for-the-day/

A Sign From Above

There are days that I sit here and I’m so engrossed in what I’m doing that I lose all track of time.

Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. I love the drive that I have when I’m “in the zone” but along with that drive comes the difficulty to stop working.

There was a time that I saw the internet going down as a curse. It added pressure. How was I possibly going to get my work done? Who had emailed me? How could I blog?

And then? One day I did see it as a blessing.

Because on that day, there was no choice but to go outside and play. While I was waiting for the kids to get home, I played with the dog. We played fetch, or rather, I played fetch. I have the only labrador retriever who doesn’t retrieve. She likes for me to throw the ball and then she’ll run and get it and drop it making me go and get it.

It was a great day and I wouldn’t have taken the time to enjoy it had my internet not gone down.

So how about you?

What do you do when the internet goes down?

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/12/10/how-do-you-know-its-time-to-call-it-quits-for-the-day/feed/ Letters… we get Letters http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/30/letters-we-get-letters/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/30/letters-we-get-letters/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:46:31 +0000 Heather On a personal note... Marketing Internet Marketing business http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/30/letters-we-get-letters/ Ok, so it wasn’t really a letter, but it was words…

So for a moment, I’d like to pause and do a little shameless self promotion… but it’s my blog, so I can do that, right?

As you may or may not know, a few weeks ago I released a new book called Expand Your Business…One Subscriber at a Time as part of my $7 Business Builders Line.

I was pretty proud of it. It’s not majorly long, just 32 pages, but it’s packed full of information, it’s only $7 and it comes with a kick-butt affiliate program.

Last night, I got a testimonial from someone who had read the book and I thought I would share…

I had the privilege of working with Heather before this book was written when I was looking to start my own newsletter. I had a lot of fears and concerns at starting a newsletter, but Heather provided me with the support and information I needed to realize that the task is not as overwhelming as I had feared. I am so glad that Heather has written this book to give others the wealth of knowledge I was able to take from Heather and at such a great price!! When I read Heather’s book, I was surprised to learn some tips that I hadn’t even thought of even though I have been providing a newsletter for sometime now. With the information provided in this book I am excited about how I can take my newsletter and make it even better for my subscribers. This book is a must have for not only those thinking of starting a newsletter, but those that are already utilizing newsletters in their business. The best part is her awesome “affiliate” program. Where else can you buy a book and have the potential to earn every last cent you paid. It’s like getting “free” information!! — Yvonne Weld, Thriving Business…the Series

Thanks Yvonne!

If you haven’t picked it up yet, what’s stopping you? Seriously… it’s $7 and worth every penny (especially if you become an affiliate!)

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/30/letters-we-get-letters/feed/ So… it’s been awhile http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/27/so-its-been-awhile/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/27/so-its-been-awhile/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:50:40 +0000 Heather On a personal note... http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/27/so-its-been-awhile/ I’m embarrassed and ashamed that I’ve let my bloggy home sit dormant.

Excuses?

I have none. Well, not any viable ones. It was one of those balls that I was juggling and I let fall by the wayside.

Wrong of me?

Absolutely.

How does it look to those that might stumble upon it? Like I’m no longer in business or that I simply don’t care.

Neither are true but that’s the impression that’s given.

I’ve been busy the past few months, with my business. Fun times, let me tell you. I’ve accomplished alot and there are are still many more things on the horizon. And I’m sure that you’ll hear about them soon enough.

For the time being, let me recap what I’ve been working on.

You’ll find new issues of Marketing Made Simple…

And you’ll find a new book… check it out, because purchasers of this book make 100% commission, paid instantly!

Things are hopping over at the Revolution…

Plus there are other things that I’ve been tweaking here and there.

But I’m going to be around now. Or at least try to be. Things are hopping! And we’re getting ready for 2008… :)

I, personally, can’t wait! It’s going to be the best year yet!

Until next time…

Heather

]]> http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/11/27/so-its-been-awhile/feed/ Free…for a limited time… :) http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/02/12/freefor-a-limited-time/ http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/02/12/freefor-a-limited-time/#comments Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:11:42 +0000 Heather On a personal note... Valley Virtual Assistants http://www.valleyva.net/blog/2007/02/12/freefor-a-limited-time/ I sound like a sales pitch, but I’m not…well, I guess I kinda am….

The Secret has been talked about and talked about and now you can watch it for free… (but just for a limited time)

Enjoy…. :)

Until next time…

Heather

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