There comes a time in every business when what has been working well is no longer enough. In fact, if you your business is changing…growing…evolving, it’s pretty much a given that you are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ways to keep it alive and thriving.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. It can seem a little scary, and even risky, to try something you’ve never tried before; but it can be exciting and fun too. I’m not advocating acting irrationally. On the contrary, think it through–consider the pros and cons–try to imagine the worst case and best case scenario. The worst case scenario should be something you can live with if it comes to that. But, don’t be afraid to venture out and experiment.

Start small if that feels more comfortable. There is still the risk it might not work, but at least if it fails, it will be a smaller setback, and a lesson learned. The important thing is, try something! If you sit back and do nothing to affect change, guess what’s likely to happen–NOTHING!

Do you have balance in your business? What doea that mean? To explain that, I’d like to put it in a slightly different context. In order to have balance in your business, you need to have balance in your life.

We’re all hearing more and more about mind, body, spirit balance. If you meditate regularly, you know what this means. You realize how it all comes together. For example, when you are out of balance your body reacts to stress and tension, your mind is cluttered with so many thoughts you can’t begin to sort them all out. You’re having headaches, back pain, or possibly more serious health conditions. You’ve totally lost touch with your Higher Power. Getting back to daily meditation can right all of these things in a short amount of time, almost instantly sometimes.

It’s the same with your business. To be the most productive, you need to  balance all the parts of your business. Perhaps you’re the best with customer service. Your customers all love you and enjoy interacting with you, but your finances are in trouble because you haven’t paid attention to them. Or you don’t have new products to sell because you’re focus has been on customer service.

What I’ve found to be true in my own life is that when I am balanced personally, in mind, body and spirit, it makes it much easier to balance other areas of my life. It all starts with ME.

If you are well balanced personally, and continue to exercise control over that, but still can’t get a handle on all the parts of your business, that’s not all bad. It probably means that business is booming, and maybe you need someone to help you manage it all. That’s where people like myself, and Online Business Manager (OBM), or a Virtual Assistant (VA) or two can help you get and keep it under control. Anyone in an OBM role will also help you brainstorm ways to work more efficiently, effectively and productively.

Most importantly, get your personal selff balanced. Everything else hinges on that. Then, decide what your next steps should be.

When developing your business plan for next year, think about such things as:

• What projects to I want to start or complete?
• What are my due dates?
• What is my budget for each project?
• What is the scope of work for each project?
• What new procedures do I want to implement?
• Should I hire someone to help manage my business?
• What is my budget for hiring help?

Putting together a plan is not an easy process. It takes a considerable amount of thought and planning. But if you take the time, I think you’ll find yourself having a more successful business. If you already have a business manager, brainstorming with them is helpful. Set realistic goals, but ones that will ultimately move your business in a forward direction.

When I left Corporate America and started my virtual assistant business, I found out that time management in a virtual world is different than in an office environment.  I needed to learn how to restructure my day to be the most productive. 

Back in the old days, time management meant using shorthand to take notes and carbon paper to create duplicates.  The personal computer changed all that.  It’s only gotten better and better from there.  Today, administrative professionals have technological tools to help them organize their work day.

Some of the time management techniques I used when I worked in an office environment included things like: making sure that when I got up from my desk, I ran all of the errands I needed to while I was already up and about; sorting the mail into stacks before I opened or distributed it; converting as many paper documents to electronic documents as I possibly could.  I’ve always enjoyed looking for ways to streamline a process.  I came up with some pretty crazy ideas; but I was usually lucky enough to have bosses that allowed me the rope to try out my ideas, and they always worked.

When I started working from home, literally all of my work was done on the computer.  This meant that many of my time management tactics no longer applied.  It was very frustrating for me, since I had been always very good at organization and time management.  I just couldn’t seem to get a handle on it.  I finally decided I needed to take a couple of days over a long weekend to just work on getting things organized and develop a routine. 

• First – my computer:  Up to this point, it had only been for personal use.  Now, it was my primary work tool.  I set out to organize my desktop, documents, files, etc, to help me to work more efficiently.  I deleted files and uninstalled programs I didn’t even remember saving or installing, which freed up space I didn’t even know I had.  I ran my computer maintenance regimen.  Whew, that was a lot, but soooo worth while!  My computer now runs faster and smoother than ever before.
• Next – my calendar, task list and email:  I had things here, there and everywhere.  I consolidated everything into Microsoft Outlook and organized folders, lists and daily schedules.
• Software:  After that, I took inventory of the software applications I was using, and what I would need to add in order to be productive in my virtual environment.  I was now responsible for all that, instead of the company I worked for, as it had always been in the past.  I researched what I could use that was free of charge, and added the higher quality applications as I was able to afford them.
• Backup system: Finally, I had to devise a backup system for my computer.  I never really worried much about it before.  But I couldn’t risk losing valuable work, as it was now my livelihood.  OK; that’s one less thing I have to worry about.

After all that, I was ready to go to work.  But, even though my work day went more smoothly after having done these things, I found I still had some work to do.  I was still not making the most of my time; I had to look for additional ways to improve my system.  After experimenting with different things, I have finally narrowed it down to some things that work very well for me.

• Big one – email: I organize my mail, just as I did when I worked in an office, only now it’s all on the computer.  I flag high priority mail for follow up or handle it then and there, file it, print it, forward it, or delete it.  If it requires adding something to my calendar, I do it right away so I’m sure not to forget to schedule it in later.  Good, that’s out of the way!  I do this first thing in the morning, and then usually check it a couple of times throughout the day.
• Have a schedule: Having a schedule of my day laid out first thing in the morning is important for me.  I know what I need to get done and have a pretty good idea of how long it might take me, so it’s not that difficult to schedule my day.  I use my Outlook calendar and set a pop up reminder so I’m sure not to miss or forget anything.
• Don’t forget family: It took some time get my family used to the fact that, just because I’m home, doesn’t necessarily mean I’m readily accessible.  I still have a job do to, and a timeframe in which to complete certain tasks.  Once I made it clear that my work time is “do not disturb” time, they completely understood, and my work day now has far less interruptions.
• Oh yeah – interruptions: that’s another thing I had to get under control.  Although it was hard to do, I got in the habit of turning off my cell phone, closing my email, putting my desk phone on ‘do not disturb’, holding off on doing the laundry, etc.  For me, an important factor of time management is giving my full focus to what I am working on.

It continues to be a work-in-progress.  By nature, I’m always looking for better and more efficient ways of doing things.  I don’t imagine that will ever change.  But, it works much better now than it did before.  I have actually time to take on new clients!

Here’s to your success in your business.  I hope you have found some useful tips here.

If you are a business owner who is not using social networking to brand your business, you’re missing out on a great marketing opportunity. But it can be overwhelming figuring out which social networks to use. It’s a jungle out there; there are literally thousands of sites, with new ones coming online every day!

Here are a few tips to help you determine where and how to begin. Some of the social networks are so popular that they are household names. Now, some of these might be great for your business, but don’t jump right in just because they are the most popular. They may not be the best ones for your business. Before deciding, consider the following tips:

1. Identify your niche market and where they might hang out. For example, if you sell children’s clothes, you probably want to target moms.
2. Spend some time doing research. Find networks that consist of your target market. How big is the network is and how does it rank in the search engines. There’s no point in joining network that doesn’t get any action. 
3. Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to develop a plan. Choose three or four networks you think will be of most benefit to your business.
4. Create a great profile on each one. When you meet someone in person, your first impression is usually a lasting one. In a virtual world, people’s first impression of you is your profile. It should be complete, informative and professional. Although, it’s fine to add a personal touch; it doesn’t have to be all business.
5. Whew-now you’re set. Make sure you participate in the discussions regularly. Daily maintenance doesn’t really take much time out of your day once you’ve got everything in place, but it is important.

Here are a couple of other things to remember: First and foremost, never try to sell your products or market your services in your social networks. This is a complete turn off to people, and you will undermine your efforts by doing this. Instead, your discussions should consist of content that is of interest to the reader. In this way, you are building a reputation as an expert in your industry. This is what will ultimately attract people to your website.

Secondly, keep your social networks to a manageable number. It’s better to manage a few networks well, rather than have so many that you don’t have time to keep up with them all. That’s why it’s important to do the initial research and planning. Of course, you can always hire a specialist to research and manage them for you, but it’s still best to keep it to a manageable number.

I hope you find these tips helpful. Happy networking; I wish you all the best of luck in your business!

We always hear about having balance in our life—you know, mind, body & spirit. But, do you have balance in your business? If you are an entrepreneur, you probably focus on one or two primary things in your business. To have the greatest success, don’t forget to look at the whole, big picture.

Of course, your main goal is to make money. So you put all of your energy into getting more clients or customers. Or you put all of your energy into producing new products. Or you put all of your energy into networking. That’s all well and good, but what about:

• Customer service—do you have procedures in place to handle customer inquiries? What about keeping in regular contact with your customer base?
• Maintaining financial records—not necessarily the most enjoyable part of business for me, but necessary.
• Tracking your statistics – do you know where your business comes from and what does or doesn’t work?
• Building relationships—do you network and connect with potential JV partners or business associates that can help you grow your business?
• Manage people resources—do you really know all that your contractors or employees are doing and how they’re doing it?
• Managing projects—do you wonder why projects you start sometimes fail? Perhaps they are not being properly coordinated and managed.
• Marketing—a huge part of a successful business; it deserves a fair proportion of your time.

Now you’re beginning to see what I mean by having a balanced business. If you handle all areas of your business proficiently, your income will increase that much faster. If you don’t have the knack for a particular area, or you just don’t have the time to juggle it all, hire help. It’ll be worth it in the long run.

I encourage you to take a step back and look at your business from a distance. Make a list of all of the aspects necessary to run your business successfully, and then determine which areas are lacking. Brainstorm what you can do to improve in those areas.

I wish you great success in your business!