Tag Archives: Small Business Owner

Should a Virtual Assistant Have Insurance?

One nitty gritty detail about working as a virtual assistant is insurance. But how do you know which you need when there are so many choices? Errors and omissions insurance? Business owner’s policy insurance?

There are a plethora of options. There’s insurance most people get through their companies, like health insurance. There’s insurance common for people who work from home, like business interruption insurance. And there’s insurance for every scenario and disaster under the sun.

With so many options out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. (Or even talked into insurance you really don’t need!) But, you can be fine with minimal insurance (unless you’re running your own company). Below are the basic insurance options most likely to benefit virtual assistants.

Business Personal Property Insurance

You can’t work as a virtual assistant without your tools. Your computer, phone, and desk are some of the invaluable resources you use to get things done. But, what happens if these are stolen or damaged in a natural disaster?

Unfortunately, most home insurance policies do not cover your home business office. It’s worth a check of course (hey, maybe you’ll luck out), but odds are you’ll need to buy this separately. You can add coverage of business related property as a rider to your home insurance policy.

In most cases, this is a worthwhile investment. You can skip this one if your equipment isn’t worth much or the odds of theft or natural disaster are low.

Business Interruption Insurance

This insurance protects you if your business premises and equipment are temporarily unusable (like after a fire). You’ll get compensated for your loss of income and your operating expenses. Sometimes, the insurance covers expenses for temporarily re-locating to a new location.

This insurance is added to a property insurance policy or is included in a package policy.

You’re fine skipping this option if it’d be easy for you to work from somewhere else or get replacement equipment (like temporarily borrowing someone else’s computer). But for those who would be stuck if anything happened to their office or equipment, you’ll want to be sure to make this investment.

Disability Insurance

Accidents happen. A car wreck, illness, or other outstanding circumstance can hit you out of nowhere, and leave you unable to work.

That’s where disability insurance comes into play. Disability insurance helps you when you can’t work due to illness, injury, or accident. Hopefully, of course, those scenarios never happen! But if they do, you’ll get income replacement checks so you’re not temporarily out of a source of income.

Disability insurance is especially important for virtual assistants. You can’t rely on vacation days or sick leave to buy you time while you heal like you could in a traditional job.

If you’re in the early stages of being a virtual assistant (and making minimal income), then you can hold off investing for a bit. But, you’ll want to buy disability insurance once you start relying on your virtual assistant income. It’s one crucial step toward preparing for the unexpected in your work life.

You’ve got a few choices in choosing a disability insurance provider. If you’re married, you may be able to buy a policy through your spouse’s carrier. Also, you can get insurance from an individual provider or the Freelancers Union.

Health Insurance

Your health should be a priority in your life. Being able to afford treatment, doctor’s visits, and medications is a crucial part of that. Even if you’re a young and healthy person, these costs out of pocket add up fast. Since you’re not able to get health insurance through an employer, you’ll need to get this one on your own.

Fortunately, you have several options. If you’re married, check out your spouse’s policy. You can join the Freelancer Unions’ National Benefits Platform. You can go through a faith based health care sharing service. Check out your state’s health insurance marketplace. Look into an individual private insurance company.

When choosing a plan, keep in mind what medical services you need and what prescriptions you need covered.

At the end of the day, the insurance you need depends on where you’re at. Brand new virtual assistants can wait longer. Once you start taking in more clients and income, consider getting coverage. Insurance is a tedious topic, but it is important to know what your best options are. It’s just one of the many pieces to get into place during your virtual assistant career journey!

Maintaining Your Sanity While Working From Home

Working from home as a virtual assistant is a massive blessing. But sometimes, bad habits can sneak up and make it a curse. Suddenly, we’re frazzled workaholics with a glaze over our eyes. Suddenly, it’s 3pm and we haven’t left our bed or showered. Suddenly, we’re never fully present with our families and are always glancing at our emails.

The work from home life can be whatever you make it (that’s part of the appeal, right?) But sometimes we make it into an exhausting and draining experience- when it doesn’t need to be!

Maintaining your work-life balance while working from home takes some proactivity. Ironically, we need to set boundaries to enjoy the freedom of this lifestyle. Below are some action steps you can take to proactively make your life as a virtual assistant working from home as stellar as it should be.

Create a Regular Schedule

You’re probably thinking, Jessica that’s exactly why I don’t want to work a 9-5! I want to set my own hours and be a free soul working when I please.

And that’s great. In theory.

What actually happens when we fail to structure our day isn’t the balanced relaxed utopia we imagine. It’s a day where work sticks its tentacles where it doesn’t belong. We don’t disconnect from work, and it dominates our thoughts during dinner, during playtime with your kids, during your resting time. Before you know it, you’ve slid into workaholic habits never being able to turn off your work brain.

Creating a regular schedule isn’t about setting rigid 9-5 work hours. It’s about being intentional about separating your work time from your life time. It ensures you stay productive while working…and then leave it at work when you’re finished. When there’s no set lines between work and life, usually work takes over.

You don’t need to set 9-5 regular hours. Maybe you work in the mornings and late evenings when you’re most productive, and schedule a workout or social lunch during your afternoon energy lull. You can plan your day so it works best for you. And each day does not need to be the same. Maybe on Playdate Tuesdays you work from 8 to 10, then 12 to 6. That’s fine! The important thing is clear boundaries of your time.

And please, please, please schedule a cut off time for work! Whether it’s 5 or 8, you must have a designated “no more thinking about work” time. It’s amazing how quickly you will get drained when you lack an end working time for the day.

Designate a Work Area

Just like you need boundaries with your time, you need boundaries with your space. Find a place in your house that’s just for work. Ideally, it will be a separate room. But, if you don’t have the space for a full office, that’s okay. Maybe you can set a desk in your bedroom or the living room. What’s important is you have somewhere to go with minimal distractions.

When you’re setting up your work area, treat it like a real office. Fill it with supplies. Use a desktop calendar. Hang up photos of your family and decorate it. If it feels like a sterile box, you won’t want to work there. Showcase your personality to make it more inviting.

Designate a No Work Area

There are places in your home you shouldn’t work, like the dining room where the family gathers for dinner. Make sure there are clear areas where no work (or thoughts of work) are allowed so you can be fully present during family and relaxation time.

Take Regular Breaks

Sometimes, we get so into our flow we don’t realize we’ve been working for hours straight. The best way to fight stress and burnout is proactively, so it’s important to avoid this work grind. Schedule breaks into your day. Maybe it’s 10 minutes every hour with a half hour lunch break. Maybe it’s the Pomodoro method, where you work for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break. Play around with different strategies and find what works best for you.

Leave Your House

When you work from home, there’s a weird resistance about leaving. Maybe it’s the effort of gussying up to go out in public. Maybe it’s the drive time that could be spent working or resting. Maybe it’s Newton’s third law: an awesome virtual assistant at home will stay comfortably at home unless acted upon by an outside force.

Make sure you don’t become a hermit! You can meet up with your traditional office worker friends for lunch. Grab a happy hour with friends. Enroll in a weekly yoga class. Do something to make sure you leave your house at least three times a week.

Establish Boundaries with Your Family

This isn’t about becoming one of those scary “don’t you dare interrupt me while I’m working” work witches.

It’s about protecting the time you work and protecting the time you’re with family to make sure you’re fully present in each one.

Talk with your family members about what your work from home arrangement needs to look like. Go over when it is, and isn’t, appropriate to interrupt you at work. Go over when it is, and isn’t, appropriate for you to leave family time to go work. Make sure every family member feels heard, and is comfortable and clear with the conclusion you agree to.

Dress Like You’re Going to Work

But Jessica, isn’t one of the best parts of being a virtual assistant being able to work in PJs and sweats? Comfort for the win!

Some people (very few mind you) can work in grunge clothes without it affecting their work. Good for them!

But most of us experience a little phenomenon called “when we wear lounge around clothes, we tend to work in a lazier mindset”

Dressing for work helps shift your brain from relaxed mode into work mode. You can still rock a comfortable outfit, but try a step above the old ripped PJs.

Of course, if you’re work isn’t affected by what you wear then wear those PJs with pride!

 

13 + Free Stock Image Websites for Startups and those on a Budget!

There are many costs and concerns to consider when starting a new business, but one that you may not think of is quality images. When building your website, writing a blog, or doing social posts for your business, you will want to add photos to jazz up the look. Imagery is a great way to add imagination and creativity to your website, blog, and social media, but, you need to make sure you are not using copyrighted material. Finding high-quality images  can take some time, but it is worth the time to present your business in a good light. (You can also hire a virtual assistant to take the time to find good images and present you with a few to choose from.)

As important as quality stock photos are for any business, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get them. There are many sites that offer quality imagery that does not cost a thing. They may not always be exactly what you imagined, but you can often find something that will cover your needs at no-cost for your business.

Listed here are several sites that offer images with no charge and no issues with copy right. You can use these images for whatever you would like. Your online business manager may have others you can use as well.

Pixabay-logo.svg

Pixabay is a great tool for all your stock image needs. All images and videos on Pixabay are released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty-free for anything you like, even in commercial applications.

Stock Photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

Morgue File contains free high-resolution digital stock photographs and reference images for corporate or public use. This site allows you to search for specific photos and has a very large archive. Be aware, there are links to other photos that you would have to pay for.

Stock Photos| Alpine Small Business Solutions

Unsplash is a great resource for high-resolutions photos. You must  subscribe to the site, but after you sign up, you get 10 new photos every 10 days.

gratisography

Gratisogroahy is a free high-resolution pictures you can use on your personal and commercial projects.

Stock photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

Picjumbo is an easy-to-use site full of different categories of photos that are completely free for personal or commercial use.

Startup Stock Photos is an easy site that you can use all the photos from however you choose. It has an archive that you can browse through. The photos are high-quality but the site is relatively new so the archive is somewhat small still.

Freeimages

FreeImages is a free membership to resources for designers’ backgrounds, images, and photo collections.

Stock Photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

Little Visuals is a subscription site. You get seven high-resolution images sent in a zipped file to you every seven days.

Stock Photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

Life of Pix another site that allows you to use the photos however you choose with no copyright restrictions. They have a fairly large gallery that you can browse through different categories of photos.

kaboompics

Kabookpics is a Great place to get breathtaking Free Pictures for business or personal projects.

Stock Photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

Death to the Stock Photo site is large and full of many different categories of photos. They send photos to you every month, but it does have an option to buy a subscription for premium options.

mmt

MMT Stock images are a free for commercial use photos by Jeffrey Betts.

sw-brandstack_dark_265x265

Snapwire connects mobile photographers with businesses and brands that need creative imagery. Authentic, Royalty-Free photos created just for you

 

Stock Photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

SplitShire site is run by a photographer who was sick of trying to find quality images that didn’t cost a fortune. It has a premium option that sends all the photos right to your Drop Box, but the site is large and full of categorized photos all for free.

Stock Photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

New Old Stock has many photos that are popular or fairly well known. This site works under “no known copyright restrictions.” This basically means that the copy rights have expired or aren’t likely to be enforced, but they take no liability for their use.

Stock photos | Alpine Small Business Solutions

RGBstock site requires registration, but is very large and full of photos that are categorized and have a search option available. The only restriction they have on the photos is that you can’t use them for anything in a resale form. In other words, you can’t print and sell their photos.

freepik1

Freepik offers users, high quality graphic designs: exclusive illustrations and graphic resources carefully selected by our design team in order to provide our users with great content that can be used in both personal and commercial projects.

Bonus site… because we all like surprises

all the free

AllTheFreeStock is the one place to find all the FREE Stock Images Stock VideosSound EffectsIcons & more.. Get all the Free Stock Images, Videos, Music and Icons in one location. All of the sites under [ Free Stock Photos ] offers images listed under the Creative Commons Zero license, so you are free to use these images in commercial projects. [ Free Stock Videos ], [ Free Sound Effects ] & [ Free Icons ] offer different licenses.

I am sure there are many more great sites out there that have quality images free of charge that can be used in your small business, however, your creative heart desires. Share your favorites with us in the comments below.

Business to Business Facebook Likes Don’t Count

NO! Say it isn’t true!!!Social Media

Yes, it is sad but true. B2B Facebook likes are not added to your business page’s like count. Facebook is set up with a complex algorithm that isn’t very business friendly. This algorithm determines many aspects of how Facebook works and what is seen by your followers.

If not getting all the likes you could isn’t depressing enough, actually only a fraction of your followers can see your status updates at any given time because of how Facebook’s algorithm works. This leaves small business owners in the hard spot of having to work hard to get every like they can and pushing consistent, quality content to get people to like and engage on their page. The more engagement you can get the more Facebook allows your content to be seen.

So should I still like their pages?

YES! Still like business pages with your business account, but also do it with your personal account. Engage with content that is relevant to you with your business account—like, share, and comment all you want, the page owner will greatly appreciate it. Just make sure you also like the page with your personal account so the business is getting credit for your like. As important as likes are in the Facebook world, engagement will take you page to a whole new level, so make sure you are posting quality content and talking with others in your field.

Is there anything I can do?

Yes! But you are going to have to pay for it or work for it. Facebook has ads and ways to promote you page to get a larger audience. There are also many organic tactics that a virtual assistant can help you set up to try to grow your page, but it is always an ongoing process. You have to work for those likes and engagement through persistence and content.

It is so unfair!

Yes, it does seem a little unfair to businesses out there trying to grow their page, but the truth is that is exactly what Facebook is trying to do as well. Facebook is like any other business, and they are trying to make money by having businesses promote their page to get followers and have their information be seen.

Small Business work togetherFrom small business owner to small business owner, help one another out. We all are trying to grow and get our word out there. Engage, comment, like, and share as much as you can, not only will it help the other business but it will be helping yours grow as well. Go team!

 

 

3 Features Google+ offers for Businesses

3 Features Google+ offers for Businesses

Google Plus was launched in June 2011 as a social network operated by Google. The service was first introduced as “invitation only” but after such high demand, Google+ was opened to anyone over the age of 18, and later to the public. It has been suggested that G+ is Google’s greatest attempt to compete with Facebook.

Google identifies G+ as a “social layer” that encompasses its many other online services. The social network integrates features including Google Profiles, Maps, Circles, Hangouts and more. Businesses already depend on several of Google’s services and social media marketing, so why not take advantage of all the benefits at once.

Google is considered the preferred search engine with over 75% of search users worldwide. This aspect alone makes Google+ valuable for businesses and brand promotion. Businesses who utilize Google+ pages will not only experience an increase in visibility for local searches but will also benefit in rankings as it is indexed by Google. As one of the newest social networks, many businesses have yet to discover and take advantage of all Google+ has to offer.

Google+ can help current and potential customers find your business page easier. Google provides the benefit of linking your G+ Business page with your G+ Local Page through the use of Google Maps. Users are able to interact with your business by posting reviews about your service and their experience. Google+ offers three main features for businesses: share, promote and measure.

Google+ pages help businesses form relationships with their customers by communicating through sharing posts, photos, videos and links. You can make your page private and offer promotions exclusively to your followers or you can make posts public and users can find you by simply searching online. Google+ also allows users to manage circles. You are able to target specific information to certain groups of followers based on their interests, location or demographics. It is important to interact with your followers by responding to their comments, questions and complaints. Google also provides the ability to communicate with customers or fellow employees face-to-face by video through the use of “Google Hangouts.”

The second main feature Google+ offers to business users is the ability to promote their page with the G+ badge. Similar to Facebook, viewers are able to promote your website and Google+ page through the “+1” button. “+1” buttons are automatically added to brand pages encouraging viewers to “follow” your Google+ page. Searchers are able to make personal recommendations to their “circles” of friends and family by clicking the “+1” button.

Most importantly, Google+ lets you measure your results. Businesses are able to see what users are saying about their brand, the number of “+1’s” their pages receive and how this affects their online traffic. Gaining an understanding of what people are saying about your business lets you reward your fans with a gift or address an issue you may not have known existed. You are also able to learn who is sharing your posts and use that knowledge to recognize their interests. Google Analytics’ Social Plug-in provides social reports to help you measure how “+1s” influence your site’s engagement and what pages of your site interests viewers the most.

Many businesses’ think the best thing about Google+ is its connection to the Google search engine. Google, which has long been the holy grail of SEO, is using information and statistics obtained from Google+ to affect search results. So using the platform to the fullest advantage will absolutely benefit your SEO campaign. Conclusion being, if you have a business, you NEED Google+!

 

 

And as always, if this stuff makes you dizzy and you just don’t want to take the time to learn all the ins and out of Google+,  Remember that Alpine Small Business Solutions, is your one stop shop for all your social media, Virtual Assistant,  Online Business Manager and business building need.   We got your back, so give us a jingle or shoot over an email anytime we’re here to help.

Thank you for visiting  our blog.  We hope you enjoyed it.  As a friendly reminder don’t forget to share this blog on your social networks and please comment, we love hearing from you!

This blog is brought to you by Alpine Small Business Solutions, Your Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager Solution.  Delegate. Grow. Prosper

What is Blog Bookmarking & the 20 Sites You Should Be Posting Your Blog to…for Free

In most cases the whole reason you have gotten into blogging is to share information about your dog, your business, your mandolin picking progression, your health and weight loss or the experiences that have shaped and shifted your life.  You have also likely learned that blogging will help you gain visibility and traffic to your website and is a necessary step in increasing your SEO. That is all well and fine, but how are you going to achieve the traffic and visibility to your content.  Unless you are a SEO ninja or have a super sweet SEO team backing you, you likely have to take things into your own hands and learn the ropes. The question most people want to know is HOW? 

The answer is easy! Harness the power of Social Media & Social Bookmarking.  With a few strokes of the keys and clicks of the mouse YOU, my friend, can make some serious magic happen! Within minutes of submitting your blog to various social media outlets, social bookmarking and directory sites you are instantaneously and automatically connected to thousands of other like minded folks all over the world. Which means that traffic and visibility to your blog and website is happening all the time even when you are sleeping, showering or shaving! How flipping cool is that, right?

If you want to brush up and learn more about social bookmarking check out the wiki page.

There are hundreds of social media and social bookmarking sites out there.  Some fail, some suck, but the bottom line is that there are way too many for me to list here.  I have been doing this for a long time and with endless hours of trial and error, I have finally come up with a dream list of 20 Social sites that you SHOULD be posting all your blogs to.  The best part is they are all FREE to submit to.

If you have a site that you post to and love and don’t see it in my list below, feel free to hook me up with the details. Post in the comment string below or send me an email. I would love to check it out.

Don’t have time? Does all this info makes you dizzy?  No problem, we got ya covered.  Contact us, today and let Alpine Small Business Solutions take care of all your social media and social blog bookmarking for you.

Public Service Announcement:  Hey you, sit up straight, shoulders back, your posture is important.

Click the icon to be taken directly to their website for more information and register for your own account.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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No Brainer Places to Post

 

How a Virtual Assistant can Help you Achieve Life Balance

Once upon a time….You know the story, right? The complicated story of your life. You are juggling too many things and finding time for yourself is next to impossible, with work, kids, friends and family. You go to bed after a long day of working on your life, that you only find yourself waking up to conquer the new day and the laundry list of things to complete and start all over again and again and again. Oh and don’t get me started on fitting in some exercise time so your love handles don’t turn into something not to love. Not to mention finding the time to eat healthy so you still feel attractive when you put on your favorite pair of jeans. No thank you, I will not take a side of muffin top with my jeans!

Is this you? You’re a professional who is building a business. You’re a parent trying to juggle everyone’s schedule. You’re a partner who is trying to keep things happy and loving by being attentive and passionate. You’re trying to keep friends and family happy by being “available” to EVERYONE to offer support, some good ol’ fashion gossip time or that friendly happy hour you keep promising people you’ll show up at. BIG SIGH, who in the world with your life has time to relax, rejuvenate or just screw off and play for the day? To take a few hours for you and go for a walk on your favorite hiking trail, play a round of golf, take a hula hooping fitness class, schedule a body love massage and spa day, or how about that much needed weekend of fun and adventure you keep talking with your lover about? Ha!

Does any part of this scenario resonates with you?

Have you ever hit that rut in your life that you feel you have to let go of one thing to be able to achieve and meet other goals you have in your life?

All too often as working professionals we have a hard time finding balance in our lives. We seek that perfect balance of;
Success. Family. Love. Health. and FUN.

It is shown that we often let two or three of these slide in conquest of perfecting and achieving the others. I mean, look at people who are focused on their career, they may neglect their partner and/or children, but find time to work out all the time.  Look at people that are seeking love so badly that they get in a new relationship and completely lose themselves in their new found love, that they neglect work and their fitness goals. How about that professional that is so busy building their business, that they can’t justify taking off enough time to go on that fun and exciting adventure they keep talking about with their friends and family.

We can play with any of these scenarios and make it match our life. So let me ask you,  What is your life balance challenge?

So, why am I writing this, I am reaching out to those that seek life balance, especially those small business owners facing the never ending battle of finding time to fit balance in their life. I know it is a lot of work to build a business; it takes time, passion, time, passion, time, time, time… This is time that is taken away from your family, your friends, your lover and your body! You are so mentally focused and  invested that you forget there is a big world that still needs you to be present. You need to find that perfect balance of success, family, love, health and fun, so you can enjoy everything else in your life that is beautiful and positive.

I am sure you are thinking, “where in the heck do I even start to try and find this balance”. Well, start small, move forward with your end goal in sight. It won’t happen over night, it takes effort and time. One of the best ways to get you there is to start with just one simple thing,  and that thing is DELEGATION. Delegate to someone like Alpine Small Business Solutions, a Virtual Assistant solution, that understands your struggles and that is always eagerly standing by to help you. To take that laundry list of to-do’s surrounding your business and tackle them and help give you more time to focus on your life balance. To help get you back to all the other super important life enhancing things that make YOU, a happier YOU!

I know it is hard to hand over anything with your business, as you know it best, but take baby steps, back away slowly from certain parts of your business, delegate those tasks that you feel comfortable with, build a trust with your Virtual Assistant. Start with some marketing help, or social media help, or maybe it is as simple as your website updates, or some data entry. Maybe you are ready to hand over the tasks that are associated with the next big event you are putting on, or maybe it is getting your Quickbooks set up and functional. No matter, what it is, you just have to be open to allowing yourself to delegate and not feel guilty or be a worry wart. Just think how happy your lover, your family, your friends and your body will be that you have freed up that extra time to focus on them.

Take time back for YOU, you work hard, you deserve it, you deserve to find that perfect balance of success, family, love, health and fun.

What is your life balance challenge? Share with me me at jessica@alpinesbsolutions.com or on facebook.