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Virtual Insider July 15, 2004 Issue 7 by JERPAT
Patty Benton,
Editor © 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
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by Patty Benton jerpatvas@comcast.net *********************************************** Dear Readers, I hope everyone had great month and for our US subscribers a great July 4th. Ours was very exciting, as my 12 year old stepson arrived on the 4th AND it was my husband’s birthday. So, we had a great time! I would first like to start with the news that we have switched to ezezine to manage the newsletter. I have been doing this myself, but with the rapid growth of the newsletter I am no longer able to keep up with our subscribers (no complaints here!). The bad news is that for now, I can not get the software to send out 2 versions of the newsletter. This means that HTML Subscribers will be receiving Plain Text newsletters from here on out. This month we are talking about taking care of yourself. This is hard for anyone running a business, harder for someone running a business out of their home (in my opinion), and extremely hard for those running their businss AND taking care of a family. This is close to my heart, as I have recently discovered the need for taking care of myself since I am not only running my business and taking care of my family (including a 22 month old) and am pregnant. With the pregnancy, it forced me to take a look at my schedule and what was I doing for me. Enjoy the articles and I hope they give you ideas in finding that time for yourself and the balance we are all seeking and wish someone would magically bottle! I am enjoying the feedback from readers and one reader inspired us to write an “extra” article on transcription (see Readers Corner). Please continue to send your thoughts, ideas, and questions to us and we will do our best to answer all of them. Also, check out our new advertisement contest to get FREE advertisement (this is a fun one)! Read “Virtual Insider’s Feature” for additional details. God bless, Patty
Please send newsletter questions, comments, and ideas to "Questions, Comments, and Ideas" at newsletter@jerpat.org.
*******************
JERPAT Virtual Assistants Owned and Operated by Patty Benton www.moretime4u.org and www.virtualvacoach.com No news this month.
Legaltypist Owned and Operated by Andrea Cannavina I am the Featured VA for the month of July for the IVAA (I am telling people that I am Miss July)!! The write up is on the last page of this month's newsletter which can be accessed here: http://www.ivaa.org/ivaacast01.html. I also happen to be the Featured VA for the IVAA website - and that can be found at http://www.ivaa.org/ivaa_featured_va.htm
ePro Virtual Services, Inc. Owned and Operated by Vivi Gonzalez No news this month.
Ennen's Computer Services Owned and Operated by Diana Ennen No news this month.
How to Say "No" by Saying "Yes" by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE ************************************************************* In business, your time is as valuable as your contacts. Have you ever said "yes" when you really wanted to say "no"? It may have seemed the most efficient, popular or expedient thing to do at the moment, but you regretted it afterward. Please realize you don't need to make any excuses for refusing a business proposal or social invitation. "No, thank you for asking, but I already have plans." What you don't have to explain is that your plans are with yourself. And fortunately there's a way to say "no" and "yes" at the same time: Refuse the request, but offer an alternative that works for you and benefits the petitioner as well. It has always been part of my overall marketing strategy to be well known in my community. Business contacts and worthy causes often ask me to volunteer my time. Here's how I handle it. An organization asked me to run a luncheon once a month for their volunteers. I said, "No, because I'm frequently out of town. Here's what I CAN do. Once a year I'll give a free talk to rev up your volunteers. I'll be donating a talent that most of your other members don't have." I was saying "yes" and "no" at the same time: "no" to the original request, but "yes" to supporting the organization. Debbi Steele, when she was a sales manager for several small hotels, told me how she handled the frequent requests to "have lunch so I can learn what it is like to be in hotel sales." She said "no" to lunch and offered two alternatives. Either they could talk while jogging at 6:30 a.m., or the inquirer could spend an afternoon in Debbi's office, doing odd jobs while observing. Often I receive thirty to forty calls a month from people who want to take me to lunch so they can ask me questions about the speaking industry. I reply, "No, I can't have lunch with you, but I'll give you five minutes right now. If we were at lunch, what would you ask me?" Many can't think of a question! If you are interest, check out the 100's of FREE articles my website. Look especially in the area of "For Speakers." Before you say "Yes," ask yourself:
- Do
I really want to do what I've been asked to do? If you don't have the right answers to these questions, teach yourself to say, "No, thank you, I already have plans." Or to say "yes" by saying "no." 516 Words
Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com
by Patty Benton jerpatvas@comcast.net ************************************************ Me Time Recently I was talking with a Christian women’s business coach, Kimberly Chastain, and she asked me what I did for myself. I laughed. When do I have time to do anything for myself. Between my toddler, husband, house, and business, there is no room for me. I think I lost myself and became my family and business. I forgot who Patty was, and what she liked to do. When Kimberly asked me this question, it was a wake up call. I have now found in my HECTIC schedule, a little “me time.” Here are some tips on how you can make some “me time” and then some ideas of what you can do to make time for yourself. 1. Spend 1 week writing down everything you do. You can break it into sections, such as work, house cleaning, playing with kids, other (not what other is). Track the amount of time you do each thing. 2. Look over your schedule. Is there some wasted time? 3. During wasted time, schedule once a week or once a month at lease one hour for you. Put it in your schedule and make a commitment. Get your family on board and tell them is YOUR TIME. If you have to arrange the babysitter or husband to come over, do it!!! 4. Now pick your activity! Here are some suggested activities. They are by no means the only activities, or even a huge list. They are just to get your brain going. 1. Get a massage. 2. Get a manicure and pedicure. 3. Draw a hot bubble bath, put on some soft music, and LOCK the door! 4. Go out to dinner with friend(s). Schedule this once a month and kick back. 5. If you’re a shopper, go to the mall and walk around (no kids or spouse allowed). 6. Go to bed an hour early and read a book. No matter what you decide to do or how often you choose to do it, the important thing is to do something for yourself! No husband, no kids, JUST YOU!!!! Make sure that there is no business or shopping for kids, etc. involved. This time MUST be to rejuvenate you! I will testify that I got the manicure and pedicure with my partner, Mary, and then we went to dinner. We didn’t talk shop, intead we rejuvenated ourselves. It was definitely a much needed time. I am now researching getting a massage done.
Patty Benton is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and JERPAT Web Design, www.moretime4u.org, which provides affordable administrative and web design support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations, and realtors. Additionally, Patty is a coach for new entrepreneurs 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. If you would like to receive Patty's articles and other tips in your mailbox every month, you can sign up at www.mortime4u.org/home.html. © 2005 JERPAT Virtual Assistants 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.
************************* The Accuracy Report, a monthly publication of Virtual Accuracy, is a free informational resource beneficial not to just the Virtual Assistance industry, but to business owners as a whole. The Accuracy Report focuses on the topics of Marketing, Technology and many more of the issues you face on a daily basis. To subscribe, please visit www.VirtualAccuracy.com. Please feel free to browse our archives at http://www.VirtualAccuracy.com/newsltr/archives.html.
by Diana Ennen DeeEnnen@aol.com ******************************************** Important Tips to Taking Care Of YOU! Do you know what is the most vital aspect of your business? Sure that fancy new computer with the latest software and extras you only dreamed about years ago is nice. And that awesome new digital thingy you just got, which will REVOLUTIONIZE your office once you figure it out is fabulous! But none of these would matter one bit if the person running the show were to get sick and not be able to work. Even for a month or two if you were disabled, can you imagine the consequences? So what’s the most valuable aspect of your business? RIGHT—YOU ARE!!! At any stage of your business, whether you just opened shop, or have a full client base established, it’s so important to remember this. You need to keep yourself in good physical health in order to have enough energy to run a successful business and home life. But how? There’s so much to do, and so little time to do it. Here are a few tips that you might find beneficial: Ø Get enough sleep! Forget the all-nighters. It’s crazy to think you can do a good job on no sleep. Instead, set realistic time frames for completion of work to be returned. Ø Have a schedule to follow and stick to your schedule as much as possible. Avoid unnecessary interruptions, including constant e-mail checking. I will admit -- I’m the worst at this. But you lose focus on the job at hand when you do this too often. Try instead to schedule regular intervals throughout the day to read your e-mails and devote only so much time to them. Ø Create boundaries, both work-related and personal boundaries. If you have a friend that “needs you desperately” everyday and this puts you behind schedule, you need to analyze the situation and attempt to make some changes. The stress this creates can be overwhelming, both professionally and personally. Ø Exercise. Not again you’re saying! But it’s so true how much better you will feel and how much more energy you will have. How about just a small walk in between projects? It clears your mind and you can go right onto the next project feeling so refreshed. After work before you turn into your MOM mode, try to take a walk with your kids or a bike ride. This is such a great way to change pace for the day. Ø STRESS!! Another biggie for me. I still want to DO IT ALL! I just thrive on doing five things at once. I had to learn to slow down a bit to four, then three, etc. Running a business is stressful. To me it’s the greatest thing in the world! But it can be stressful. If I want to do it for the next 20 years I have to learn to say NO sometimes and to learn to stop and slow down. And to learn that that’s okay to do. And remember it’s a learning process. No one’s perfect. One of the greatest gifts I did learn was to no longer beat myself up so much! So what if I didn’t do it all today. So what if my house will never pass a white glove test. I Really Enjoy Life Today -- I Enjoy My Business --- And I Really Enjoy My Family Too! So Quoting My College Son -- “IT’S ALL GOOD!” See you next month!
Diana Ennen is the co-author of Up Close and Virtual: A Practical Guide to Starting Your Own Virtual Assistant Business and Words From Home: How To Start and Operate a Home-Based Word Processing Business. She also operates the Virtual Word Publishing website (www.virtualwordpublishing.com), which is geared toward helping others start their own VA business by providing the necessary tips, articles, links, a directory, etc. She is the president of Ennen's Computer Services and can be reached at DeeEnnen@aol.com. In order to use this article in other publications you MUST include this text box.
by Andrea Cannavina Andrea@Legaltypist.com ******************************************************** My Top Ten List for Taking Care of Yourself: 1. Make your annual doctor appointment. Even if you are not due for a few more months – call and get an appointment and put it on your calendar. 2. Get a book to read for fun – no manuals, how to’s, or self help books allowed. 3. Get a manicure or pedicure and use a trendy “in” color just for fun. 4. Check your boobs. Monthly self exams are really the best method for early detection of any problems. 5. Go out to dinner with just the girls. I can honestly tell you that when I am feeling overworked and under-appreciated just the thought that I will be with my friends on the second Tuesday of each month, eating great food, with no husband/kids and no dishes – it just changes my whole attitude! 6. Drink more water. 7. Rethink your workspace in terms of ergonomics. Put a phone book under your monitor to raise it up; add a gel wrist guard; splurge on a comfy chair. 8. Clean out your makeup and throw anything out which hasn’t been used in a year. 9. Rent a new exercise video or take a half hour walk each night; and 10. Buy yourself something just because it makes you feel good. Virtually yours, Andrea
Andrea Cannavina is the President of Legaltypist, Inc., www.legaltypist.com, a company which provides secretarial outsourcing and off site transcription to sole practitioners and small-mid sized law firms located throughout North America. Andrea is the Coordinator of the AskAPro section of the Virtual Business Group (www.virtualbizgroup.com), and serves on the By Laws Committee of the International Virtual Assistants Association (www.ivaa.org). To contact Andrea directly, please e-mail her at Andrea@Legaltypist.com, or visit her website at www.legaltypist.com. In order to use this article in other publications you MUST include this text box.
*********************** submitted by Kathie Thomas on OffsiteProfessionals Yahoo Groups
Success Moments ********************* Upon request from a subscriber, Andrea Cannavina wrote an article about Digital Transcription. Please keep the questions coming, and we will do our best to answer them!
Digital Dictation by Andrea Cannavina Andrea@Legaltypist.com ******************************************************** If you would like to accept digital dictation files for transcription, you will need to have software available to hear and control the audio files you receive. Audio files are the electronic equivalent to tapes and is what is created when an author uses dictation software or a portable recorder. These audio files are generally received as an attachment to an e-mail and will need to be downloaded to your computer and loaded into the transcription software for playback. One popular transcription program is NCH’s Express Scribe (can be downloaded from my site - http://www.legaltypist.com/NCHdownloadExpressScribe.htm). This nifty little program is free to use and allows you to hear, control and transcribe files created using NCH’s Express Dictate, as well as audio files created using most Olympus and Panasonic portable recorders. Once a file is loaded, the software can be controlled either through a foot pedal attached to your computer by a USB or serial port or with a combination of hot keys, such as Ctrl+P for Play. NCH (like most other transcription software) has default hot key settings which can be modified to suit your particular preferences. Please keep in mind that each product creates its own type of audio file, some of which can be set to create very large (i.e., .wav files), so you will need to be able to accept large e-mail attachments through your hosting company or run the risk of having your client’s e-mail bounce. Also, you should become familiar with the dictation software/equipment used by your clients, so you can assist them with the set up and thereby automate much of the transfer process.
Andrea Cannavina is the President of Legaltypist, Inc., www.legaltypist.com, a company which provides secretarial outsourcing and off site transcription to sole practitioners and small-mid sized law firms located throughout North America. Andrea is the Coordinator of the AskAPro section of the Virtual Business Group (www.virtualbizgroup.com), and serves on the By Laws Committee of the International Virtual Assistants Association (www.ivaa.org). To contact Andrea directly, please e-mail her at Andrea@Legaltypist.com, or visit her website at www.legaltypist.com. In order to use this article in other publications you MUST include this text box.
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 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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