Magic Satchel, Inc. » bottom line

But I Don’t Have Time For (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn…)

Kim — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:12:40 +0000

One of the most interesting and valuable-to-me blogs I read is The Fluent Self. Authored by a woman named Havi and her promiscuous duck, this blog provides great intellectual and business insights in such a way that it feels like your best friend is gently but honestly nudging you in the right direction.

This particular post on what happens when you dismiss social networking is an excellent read. When you’re using social media to network, there are always people who chime in and knock your efforts. But anyone who has met their favorite client or landed a great project that way isn’t usually so skeptical. The fact remains that much of our networking and social business efforts have moved, for better or worse, to cyberspace.

Havi breaks down the efficiency of working social media into your marketing and networking strategy, and even details some distinctions a newbie might not pick up on, such as the near impossibility of keeping a Facebook profile business-worthy. (Unless you plan on denying friend requests from classmates and relatives, it’s probably best to file Facebook under “just mainly for fun.”) Also addressed is the seemingly universal phenomenon of “I’m on LinkedIn, now what?” with the caveat of knowing someone who uses it a lot. Lastly, it’s a great post to re-read when you feel like you’re having too much fun with social media.

Sayeth Havi:

Let’s see then. So as far as I can tell your other options are:

Spend half an hour a day leaving smart, insightful comments on other people’s blogs. No, wait. That actually takes longer.

Spend three hours a week crafting careful, deliberate, strategic letters to other bloggers trying to convince them to let you guest post there. And then another few hours writing said guest posts. No, wait. That actually takes longer.

Go to two live networking events each week. Let’s see, each thing is probably at least two hours, plus another hour to get there and find parking.
Plus another hour to shower and decide what the hell you’re going to wear. Plus another hour to transfer the contact information from people’s business cards into your [whatever you use for that]. Hmmmm. 8-10 hours a week. I’m going to go out on a limb and say: that actually takes longer.

And there’s no guarantee that any of those people you meet will end up reading your blog or leaving comments or buying stuff from you, so it’s not only a large investment of your time and energy, it’s also a huge risk.

But I get it. Not everyone has five minutes to hang out and goof off online.

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Virtual Assistants: Everything but the coffee

Kim — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:12:53 +0000

And with a VA, you’ll have more time to nip out to Starbucks. This article, via the Examiner, goes through some more basics of finding and using a VA.

My favorite points from the article, quoted below, address the versatility of a Virtual Assistant versus having on-site staff.

I will admit that previously visions of Sci-Fi men and women danced through my head at such a statement only months previously. So how does it work? A virtual assistant is more than just outsourced administrative help. Many assistants offer services to include; hiring, recruiting and marketing. What this means for a sole proprietor or small business is the opportunity to outsource your entire human resource or marketing department in a cost-effective manner. This person acts as an independent contractor thus avoiding payroll costs. Additionally, most virtual assistants will let you know ahead of time how much a project will cost and work with you to stay within budget. In difficult economic times, predictable expenditures and the ability to offload non-revenue producing activities is not just necessary-it’s critical for survival.

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Taking your ops virtual: now’s the time

Kim — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:43:15 +0000

It’s a scary time right now for everyone- starter-uppers, employees, employers. But another great article on using the current economic climate as a springboard for your dream career comes via Smarterware.org- an interesting case for making the leap now.

Leaving your full-time job in the midst of a recession is either a really stupid or really smart decision. Since I just made the move myself, I’m going to make the case for smart.

If you can swing it, a recession is an ideal time to stop being an employee and start doing your own thing. Your plans to go freelance, start your own business, or take a sabbatical shouldn’t be on hold right now because of the economy. While the fear mongers might be saying you should be grateful just to have a job at all, I challenge you to expand your vision.

Now’s a fine time to take a risk because there’s just not much to lose.

via Why Now’s a Great Time to Stop Being an Employee (If You Can*) | Smarterware.

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Welcome to the age of Gigonomics

Kim — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:14:43 +0000

Interesting piece on Web Worker Daily on how smart talent is adapting hard and fast to the changing economy and career trajectory they inevitably face. This post dubs the phenomenon “Giganomics.”

Most of the web workers I know tend to be college educated people with reasonably good incomes, and I suspect that most of the people described in the group above are web workers. Many web workers, and I include myself in this group, would never have become freelancers or otherwise left traditional jobs to telecommute from home without the rise of ubiquitous online technology. Fifteen years ago, many of the careers that web workers now enjoy didn’t even exist or would not have been possible given the technology available prior to the early to mid-1990s. While some early versions of the technologies we now take for granted existed back then, the adoption was still very low. Many companies weren’t online at all, and email was used by some people, but not everyone.

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Via Twitter, why being a WAHM is bad

Kim — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:19:29 +0000

I see this a lot, in real life and online. There’s a local hair salon with a ridiculous name. I won’t mention it for obvious reasons, but every time I pass it, I think about how silly the name is. That, and their “Grand Opening” sign was misspelled and displayed for months.

While I was skimming the local paper last week, I came across the salon’s half page ad. Half of the half page ad was devoted to explaining the business name- I’m guessing they get that question a lot. Valuable ad space-paid for ad space- that could be talking up the business was instead devoted to something completely unrelated to what the business will do for you. Customers don’t care about your business name, your kids, or much outside the value and service you being to them. Which brings me to this video.

Virtual Assistants are, in my unscientific observations, largely female. Many proudly boast of being work-at-home moms, or WAHMs. Being able to juggle a life and a successful business is noteworthy, but not to your clients. If anything, it communicates to them that your priority may not be their business. And that is bad, bad, bad.

So before you go tagging and boxing yourself, take a look at this clip and really think about your message. Is it relevant to the service or product you offer? I’m really, really into the guacamole from Chipotle. I could eat it daily, on almost everything savory I eat. However, nowhere in my marketing materials do I mention guacamole.

Scott Stratten on Why Being a WAHM is Bad for Business from Jessica Knows on Vimeo.

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The Essential Mobile Office

Kim — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:13:18 +0000

From Laptop Hobo, a list of basics to do business any time, anywhere. Just in case you were feeling your office was underequipped.

Hardware:

Laptop (preferably “ultra-portable”)

Back-up medium (external drive or disks)

Power-surge protector

Mobile/cell (tri-band) phone w/Bluetooth

Bluetooth, Wlan capabilities

External mouse or trackball

Headset (for telephony access)

Carrying case (preferably a hard-shell case)

Non-Hardware:

Dial-up access (Access the Internet via standard telephone line or mobile phone.)

Telephony account (Computer to computer/land-line service, such as Skype.)

Hi-speed Internet access (Know where the cyber cafes are, or order it for your flat.)

Your laptop’s original back-up program disks.

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Telecommuting trumps temping

Kim — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:04:31 +0000

I’m still amazed corporations aren’t luring top talent like this in droves- staffing firms can serve a purpose, but focused virtual workers and virtual assistants are infinitely more economical for big and small companies in this economic flux period. And, as the writer below keenly observes, perhaps when the dust settles we’ll all be left with more efficient employment options.

If you haven’t sourced a good Virtual Assistant yet, now is a great time to find someone who truly can service the needs of your business.

It all makes me wonder: As the recession continues, might we see more telecommuters? These are talented, hard-working people flocking to temp agencies. It woudn’t be surprising to see many of them decide to go into business for themselves, and to set up their home offices. Many might turn themselves into freelancers, hiring themselves out for consultants for businesses that have already slashed their payrolls of full-time employees.

And when the recession ends, these workers might decide that they like the life of a work-at-home telecommuter. They might realize that going into a traditional office every weekday is a drag.

I certainly hope so. The more employers who understand the benefits of telecommuting and employees who work from home, the better.

via Chicago Telecommuting Examiner: Temp jobs on the rise. Will we see more telecommuters, too?.

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“…in bad times you have to move forward; you can’t save your way to success.”

Kim — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:58:20 +0000

Most of the article centers on pharmaceuticals, science and such, but the idea itself is interesting and a great outlook in this economy. For better or worse, forward thinking employers and employees seem to be thinking this is a real bend-or-break time for everyone.

It may seem counterintuitive that in the midst of this global economic crisis a substantial number of entrepreneurs, investors and venture capital financiers are interested in starting a company.

via Entrepreneurial Edge – As Some Businesses Dig In, the Venturesome Set Out – NYTimes.com.

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An efficiency that’s not possible in most physical offices…

Kim — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:01:08 +0000

“I had an admin assistant that wasn’t doing a very good job and wasn’t working fast enough,” Lee recalls. “To take on other projects, I needed to find other resources.”

So she started e-mailing out work for the GlobeTask team to do – PowerPoint presentations, online research requests, weekly reports on Web traffic, and a laundry list of various tasks she used to rely on her in-office administrative assistant to perform. She was soon able to offer her employee to someone else in the department and rely on GlobeTask for her daily workflow.

“Pretty much anything that could be done online or via e-mail, I farmed out to them,” Lee recalls. “There’s an efficiency that’s not possible in most physical offices.”

I read so many articles selling the concept of Virtual Assisting as a career path. What stuns me is that more articles don’t focus on the potential benefits for existing business owners who need a VA.

I’ve had the unpleasant experience of working for employers who couldn’t afford the staff they have, and would cut and rehire staff as funds fluctuate. The costs in retaining and retraining staff are high, and I empathize with employers who struggle to make payroll each week. Musical Office Chairs is no fun for anyone, and it kills morale.

A virtual assistant is a better option because not only are they generally more experienced, all you pay for is the work we do for you. Not benefits, not breaks, not staffing bounties. And when business is slow, we can help you pick it up or be waiting when you need us again.

via Firms using “virtual” office assistants worldwide to get the job done

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Virtual Assistants: Write Them Off!

Kim — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:57:56 +0000

Via Lifehacker, this handy post on making the most of your indie business expenses lists several tax tips to boost your yearly net. Don’t forget to write off your Virtual Assistant! (Via Lifehacker.)

Virtual assistants and other freelancers

You’ll want an invoice from whoever you work with, as well as a record of when you paid the invoice.

Subcontracting part of a project to another freelancer or hiring a virtual assistant can be an easy way for a freelancer to take on more work and make more money – and the expense to do so is tax deductible. You’ll want to document any such transactions carefully so that you can prove that your use of freelancers and virtual assistants is purely a contract arrangement, rather than employment – which you would have to pay extra taxes for. You’ll want an invoice from whoever you work with, as well as a record of when you paid the invoice.

10 Tax Deductions Freelancers Can Make – FreelanceS

witch – The Freelance Blog.

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