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		We have been updating our site and therefore ask that if you find any broken links in this newsletter or any others, please report them to jerpatvas@comcast.net so we can ensure you and all our visitors get the most out of our site! *Virtual Insider* December 15, 2005 Issue 14 by JERPAT Patty Benton, Editor www.moretime4u.org www.virtualvacoach.com © 2005 JERPAT All statements made in this newsletter are not legal advisement or endorsement of a product. All information provided in this newsletter is strictly opinions and suggestions of the Virtual Insider writers. JERPAT Virtual Assistants and the writers for Virtual Insider cannot be held liable. Missed one of our past issue? Click here to view our archive. This Issues Contents: Letter from the Editor Virtual Insider Sponsors - Faithfully Yours, The Busy Woman, JVA Invoicing System Outlook Tips by Andrea Kalli ~ Product Review by Patty ~ Tek-Tips Writer's News ~ Find out what is happening with VI's Featured Writers! Feature Articles: Virtual Business ~ Setting Your Goals to Work! (Adapted from "Failure is NOT an Option" by Patty Benton, scheduled release date January 1, 2006) Letters from Legaltypist ~ Season's Greetings Guest Columnist ~ by Matt McWilliams "Home-Based Business Owners, You Need Insurance Coverage" Letter from the Editor by Patty Benton jerpatvas@comcast.net Dear Readers, I hope everyone had as relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving as I did! My mom came out to stay with us, so we went and did the mad dash shopping on Friday. I think I will go every year as I got some FABULOUS deals! Christmas is going to be a relaxed time with just us and the kids. I may even go a day without working, what a novel idea! Before I go any further, I just have to share that as I sit here on my laptop, in the living room, putting this newsletter together, my baby took her first step. How blessed am I that I was not sitting in an office, writing this newsletter, so that I missed this monumental moment in my child's life! Sometimes running your business gets frustrating, and you may even feel the urge to go back and work a "9-5" job, but just remember all the rewards running your own business can bring, no matter what the reason was you started your business! Well, as we do every year, we analyze the past year, and look forward to next year. We make "resolutions" and set new goals for our business. In the spirit of this, I am including an excerpt from my not yet released e-book, on setting very specific goals. I first learned of this method by doing a series on the Success Principles with Cheryl Callighan of The Entrepreneurs' Toolbox www.TheEntrepreneursToolbox.com. Since going through this with Cheryl, I have far exceeded all my goals. I encourage all of you to follow the steps I provide in the Virtual Business column this month, and check out my e-book (more on this coming in the future) when it is released January 1, 2006 for more great ideas and tips on building your business. Also, check out our new area on Outlook Tips. Andrea Kalli of Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC has graciously offered to provide monthly tips on making Outlook work for your business. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and I will "see" you in 2006! God bless, Patty P.S. Please send newsletter questions, comments and ideas to newsletter@jerpat.org. Virtual Insider Sponsors If you are interested in being a sponsor for the Virtual Insider, please contact us at jerpatvas@comcast.net for details on our affordable sponsorship. Please support the growth of our newsletter by visiting our sponsors! Thank you! ~Virtual Insider Faithfully Yours ~ At this time of the year we sometimes get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, and we sometimes forget the meaning behind Christmas. Though I know this is not a Christian newsletter, and I welcome those of all faiths to benefit from our newsletter and to have their own opinions, the meaning for me with Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was enchanted with the idea that Dawn of Faithfully Yours presented me with. I know that so many people are avid scrapbookers, but have you ever thought of scrapbooking your faith? Check out the add below, and I hope that you will benefit and find a new way to take your memories of Christmas and integrate them with your faith, whatever it may be. ~Patty "We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord." Psalm 78:4. Faithfully Yours is your favorite resource site for faithbooking (scrappin your faith)! Check out the gallery for ideas and inspiration, the forum to fellowship with others, a resource page full of articles, a concordance and more and don't forget the wonderful Christian scrapbook products found in the store! Come by for a visit today! http://www.FaithfullyYours.net The Busy Woman ~ With the holidays coming up, I know I am going to be feeling overwhelmed and wonder where I will find the time to finish everything! Visit The Busy Woman with me, and check out how they can get you more organized and make life easier (isn't that what we all want?). ~Patty Are you scrambling to find the time and energy to fit housework and family fun into your hectic day? Learn to organize your schedule, so you have fun while still having time for the essentials. At http://www.thebusywoman.com, they can help you plan a schedule that's right for YOU! The Busy Woman's Daily Planner® was made with YOU in mind! Their unique personality based time management™ system and useful planner pages have worked for thousands of women since 1993 in helping them learn to schedule productively and prioritize. Their Car & Home Organizers, Finders Key Purse™ Key Finders, & Memory Books work in the other areas of your life! Go to http://www.thebusywoman.com and get organized because an organized woman is UNstoppable! *JVA Invoicing System* ~ I have been using this product since it was originally created in 2003. This is the first time it has been on the market. It has recently been updated and a lot of amazing features have been added to it! This is an amazing database custom built for small business owners. ~Patty Benton Make your invoicing easier and more efficient. Send questions to jva@jerpat.org. The JVA Invoicing System will allow you to create invoices easily with automatic invoice numbers, email quotes, invoices, and receipts. It allows you to easily search for invoices to edit or print, your logos can be incorporated, automatically add due dates on invoices, enter dates with a built-in calendar, and move old invoices to archive for future reference, among many other features. http://www.jerpat.org/jva.htm. Outlook Tips by Andrea Kalli by Andrea Kalli akalli@virtualassist.net Tip #1 Want a quick way to include an email you received from a client to their contact record? Open the contact record, go up to the Insert menu >> Item. Outlook will automatically access your inbox, locate and select the email, make sure it will insert as Attachment (mine is default, yours might be too), click OK. If you receive faxes via your inbox, this feature becomes twice as powerful. Now might be a great time for you to try one of the many internet fax services for incoming and outgoing faxes. If your client faxes you contracts, job items, etc. and you receive them in your inbox, you can very easily tie them to the contact record. This method is handy if you are going to attach several items to a contact. However, if you want the same results for a lot of attachments over a long period of time, you may want to use Journal items. See the next tip... Tip #2 Here's how: from your contact record go up to Actions >> New Journal entry for contact >> make sure you change the entry type on the journal to what it's supposed to be (email, fax, etc.), on the Journal form use Insert >> Item and follow the same process as above to create the attachment (multiple attachments can also be done in the same Journal item, perhaps a way to centralize all items related to a particular project), click Save and Close. To view this journal item simply go to the Activities tab. Not seeing all the information you want on the Activities tab? Customize it! On the Activities tab, right click on the field headers (ask me to clarify further if needed), select Field Chooser >> change the drop down to All Journal Fields, then drag and drop the fields you want, such as Entry Type, to the field header area taking note of the red arrows for placement. Once you have a field like Entry Type available you can sort on the field or group on the field, etc. for better organization. Grouping on the fly is a fantastic way to see your data the way you want it whenever you want. Want to group by a field? Here's how: right click on the field headers >> select Group By Box, notice the new area above the fields, drag and drop the desired field (such as Entry Type) and voila! You can now see all Phone calls in a group, Faxes in a group, Emails in a group, Documents in a group, etc. Play around with this feature to suit your business needs. If you are going to use Actions >> Link >> Items directly from the contact record instead, you have to remember that these are only links and when you delete the emails from your inbox and deleted items folder they will no longer be associated with your contact. I know it's a lot of information, but take your time and explore how this feature can help you in your everyday work. The Convenience of Virtual Training and Assistance Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC provides remote, interactive Outlook 2003 training for small groups and one-on-one sessions, as well as online support services for all versions of Outlook, all at the comfort of your own desk or home PC. We offer Outlook usability support for you or for all your employees. It's like having an in-house Outlook expert! Empower your employees to use the powerful collaboration features of Outlook with Exchange Server. We focus on training users to get the most out of Outlook in the business world. Onsite group Outlook training is available for the Denver metro area of Colorado. Think about the immediate benefits to virtual training...no more time spent driving, using valuable gas, and looking or paying for parking. All this at a cost that is lower than most traditional training classes. To learn more about this unique way of learning please visit www.virtualassist.net Product Review by Patty These products are recommended by Patty Benton, editor, coach and owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and Web Designs. Products reviewed in this section have been personally tried and tested by Patty. Please send any questions or comments about the product reviewed to jerpatvas@comcast.net and we will include them in future issues. To view more products recommended by Patty visit http://www.moretime4u.org/resources.htm. Do you wish you had a technical wizard at your fingertips? Visit www.tek-tips.com, it's free! No matter what our level of experience is, we can all come to a point in the project where we struggle or get stuck! Jerome has been using this site forever and I think if he had to name his favorite site, it would be this. Every time we get stuck, we go to their message boards, and within a few hours to a few days, someone has helped us resolve it. Jerome builds Access Databases and uses their site primarily for this. I use the Microsoft Forum for if I need to figure out how to do something "tricky." The people on there are all wonderful and supportive! This site works based on members helping members, so try to offer your expertise from time to time! Their site description "Microsoft: Office 9x/2000/XP technical support forum and mutual help system for computer professionals. Selling and recruiting forbidden." Writer's News JERPAT Owned and Operated by Patty and Jerome Benton www.moretime4u.org (Virtual Assistance and Web Design Services) www.virtualvacoach.com (Virtual Assistance Coaching) We are now accepting coaching students for JERPAT VA Coaching's program that starts the week of January 9, 2005. Visit us at www.virtualvacoach.com for more information. Hurry, as spots are filling quickly! Legaltypist Owned and Operated by Andrea Cannavina www.legaltypist.com Company News: Getting all the ducks in a row for January launch of revamped newsletter. Sign up here to get *Law Firm Solutions* delivered directly to your inbox every month. ePro Virtual Services, Inc. Owned and Operated by Vivi Gonzalez www.eproservices.com No additional company news this month. Virtual Business Setting Your Goals to Work! (Adapted from "Failure is NOT an Option" by Patty Benton, scheduled release date January 1, 2006) by Patty Benton jerpatvas@comcast.net I was very fortunate to be included in the Success Principles Workshop with Cheryl Callighan http://www.theentrepreneurstoolbox.com/. Though I don't go into nearly as much detail and all the steps Cheryl does, I have adapted some of the methods to work for me (you can contact her and/or get the Success Principles by Jack Canfield to expand upon his). I started in May, and have reached some goals that I had set for a few years ago. Before I start with the steps to writing your goals, I want to first strongly encourage you to write your goals down and then keep them posted where you will see them daily. Read through them at least once a day, if not 3 or 4 times during the day. This will keep them fresh in your mind and aware of where you are headed! First set 2-4 goals for each of the following areas. If you would like to do more, that is fine. Be realistic, though, in what you want to achieve. Note that in the example goals, I am very specific. I set monetary values, numbers or anything else pertinent to know exactly what I want to achieve with the specific goal. Financial- What would you like to achieve financially with your business? Some people just want extra spending money, while others need a set amount to quit their job. Here is an example goal I set for myself: $125.00 for Anjonae’s preschool. Career- Where would you like to go with your career? Do you want to quit your job? Do you want to eventually not be working at all and retire? Here is an example goal I set: Start coaching 4 students/week (at this time I was just establishing my coaching program). Personal Goals- What would you like to achieve for yourself? This has nothing to do with your business, but everything to do with keeping yourself healthy and happy (please note: These are not just health goals, but any goals you want to accomplish in your personal life). Here is an example goal I set: Lose 50 lbs. Now that you have your goals set, determine when you will achieve them by. Be realistic. Don’t say that by next week you will be making $500 unless you are already working on a perspective client. Below are the same goals I listed above with their specific achievement dates. Just for your knowledge in seeing the time frame, these goals were set approximately May 2, 2005. Financial- $125.00 for Anjonae’s preschool by 8-31-05 Career- Start coaching 4 students per week by 8-31-05 (I achieved this 6-13-05, so I added to this goal that by 8-31-05 I would have 8 coaching students. By 8-31-05, I had 13 coaching students.) Personal Goals- Lose 50 lbs by 12-31-05. Community Service or Contribution- Donate services to church for business book by 11-15-05 (I set this so far out because at that point, I knew I had a lot going on during the summer and would not have time to get this project moving.) Now that you have established your goals and when you want to achieve them by, you need a plan of action. Take each goal and decide the steps you need to take to achieve them. Include any monetary expenses that will be involved, as you need to ensure that you have the money to achieve that goal. If you do not, then go back and change your achievement date to one that will allow you the time to earn the necessary money. Here are example plans of action. I did not include all of them, as I know you want to finish this book in a relatively reasonable time frame. Financial- $125.00 for Anjonae’s preschool by 8-31-05 Send out 100 postcards/month $40 on http://www.expresscopy.com (This total includes printing, addressing with a list you provide, stamps, and mailed.) Make 20 follow-up calls (or 1 hour’s worth) per week, starting one week after postcards are mailed. Personal Goals- Lose 50 lbs by 12-31-05 (as of 6-31-05 I had lost 5 lbs-looking at that weight loss amount I will be adjusting my goal to 3-31-06) Eat smaller portions and eat slower. Eat breakfast (I never did this before). Eat 1-2 small snacks during the day-no more than that! Do not eat 2 ½ hours to 3 hours before bed. Drink healthy drinks. No-sugar-added Kool-Aid and Diet A & W Root beer are my drinks of choice. Congratulations! You now have your goals established. You will keep adding and adjusting your goals as you go. If you need to adjust your goals that are already set, go right ahead. It is very possible that you will come across hitches that will limit you from reaching your goal so you will need to make adjustments. Do not consider this failure, consider this life! You won't fail unless you don't try! Sometimes it takes us longer than we plan or want to reach a goal, and that is okay. As long as you continue to work toward that goal, and adjust them as needed. One other thing I did was to put a picture of a house with mountains in the background and horses in the front on my goals. My ultimate goal (which was not listed above as I have many goals I need to reach to achieve my ultimate goal) is to be able to custom build a house with at least five acres of land. Since I live in Colorado near the mountains and absolutely love my mountains, I want to be sure no matter where I build my house, it is near the mountains and I can have horses! The date I have set for this to be done is 12-12-12. Make sure to have the big goals listed to! It is important to know where you will end up, and what all the other goals are working towards. Everyone has dreams of things they want to accomplish, so set your goals to help you achieve your dreams! Patty Benton is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants, JERPAT Web Designs, and JERPAT Hosting, www.moretime4u.org, which provides affordable administrative, web design, and hosting support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations, and realtors. Additionally, Patty is a coach for new entreprenauers interested in venturing into the virtual assistance industry. She has developed a program that is affordable for all. Visit her coaching site at www.virtualvacoach.com for program details and great business resources. © 2005 JERPAT `You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in` `print, as long as the text and byline remain unedited. A courtesy` `copy of your publication would be appreciated.` Letters from Legaltypist Top Ten Technologies For this Virtual Assistant! by Andrea Cannavina Andrea@Legaltypist.com Andrea would like to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. She looks forward to seeing you in 2006! Andrea Cannavina is the CEO of LegalTypist, Inc., www.legaltypist.com, a secretarial outsourcing and off site digital transcription service located in New York. To contact Andrea directly, please e-mail Andrea@Legaltypist.com, call toll free: 866-848-2195 x101 or visit her website at www.legaltypist.com. Guest Columnist Home-Based Business Owners, You Need Insurance Coverage by Matt McWilliams When you start a home-based business, buying insurance may not be your first priority, but you cannot afford to ignore it either. When the unexpected happens -- and it will -- having insurance coverage may mean the difference between the success and failure of your home-based business. You may not require all types of insurance listed here, but taking some time now to consider your insurance needs can save you money and headaches in the future. Ultimately, after reading this article, the best way to determine your complete needs is to consult with your insurance agent. Explain to them the details of your home-based business and he or she should be able to determine the best insurance coverage for you (and any employees). Health Insurance Health insurance should be the first consideration for yourself and any employees you may have. If you have just left your current job to start your own business, you may be eligible for COBRA, which will provide temporary interim coverage. This will keep you covered while you search for the best health insurance policy. Disability Insurance Disability insurance will guarantee that you have some income should you suddenly become unable to work because of injury or illness. Having this extra peace of mind is almost always well worth the extra money you pay. Life Insurance Life insurance will help ensure that your family has the money it needs should you meet with an untimely death. Some lenders require that you have life insurance before they'll issue a loan; this guarantees that the loan will be repaid if you meet with an untimely end. Business Property Insurance Business property insurance helps protect you against loss of inventory or equipment. If your business equipment or inventory is damaged in a flood, fire, or other disaster, this type of insurance will allow you to recoup your losses. General Liability Insurance Comprehensive general liability insurance is necessary for your home-based business if you plan on having clients or customers visit your home. Whether you plan to hold meetings, allow customers to pick up merchandise, or have members of the public enter your home for any other reason, this insurance will protect you if someone is injured while on your property. This insurance will typically pay for your legal defense should you face a lawsuit as the result of a fall or other damage that occurs on your property. Business Interruption Insurance Business interruption insurance will help your business recover from natural disasters. It will cover you for income lost during the disaster, and will pay for operating expenses that continue to accrue, even though your business isn't up and running. Workers' Compensation Insurance Workers' compensation insurance is an absolute necessity if you plan on having employees working out of your home. Without workers' comp, you'll be responsible for any medical expenses arising from injuries employees sustain while working for you. Many home-based business owners mistakenly believe that this type of insurance is only required by businesses that have a retail or separate location, but that's not the case. Another mistake is assuming that only ‘dangerous’ employers (such as construction or movers) need this type of insurance. But what if your employee slips on the stairs or their chair breaks? While those are both unlikely, they are possible and the less risky your business, the cheaper the insurance will be. These insurance plans can help ensure that you are prepared to face any eventuality that might occur while you are running your own business. Disasters, accidents, and crises can strike at any time. By preparing now, you may be saving you and your company significant financial loss, wasted time, and difficulty. Additional Newsletter Information If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, please visit us at www.moretime4u.org/home.html. All statements made in this newsletter are not legal advisement or endorsement of a product. All information provided in this newsletter is strictly opinions and suggestions of the Virtual Insider writers. JERPAT Virtual Assistants and the writers for Virtual Insider cannot be held liable. JERPAT Virtual Assistants always welcomes article suggestions from our readers, although we cannot promise to print everything submitted. Because of our publishing schedule, we are not able to announce time-sensitive events; however, if there is an upcoming conference or newsworthy event please be sure to submit it, and we will do our best to validate and publish the event WHEN POSSIBLE. While we often mention commercial products, publications, and web sites, JERPAT Virtual Assistants and affiliates does not accept or reprint unsolicited advertising copy. Send your article suggestions to the editor at jerpatvas@comcast.net. Contact: Patty Benton jerpatvas@comcast.net www.moretime4u.org www.virtualvacoach.com 303.766.3051 9 am-5 pm MST Monday-Friday © 2005 JERPAT No part of this newsletter may be reproduced unless specified in the authors byline. Please respect all guidelines provided by our writers. If there are no guidelines provided for a section of this newsletter you would like to reproduce, please send print request to jerpatvas@comcast.net.
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