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One of the most common complaints I hear has to do with something that is so fundamentally a part of the modern workplace, it’s almost impossible to avoid. Yes, I’m talking about the dreaded interruption. We all have to deal with it, though admittedly, some have it worse than others. A client of mine recently shared her very frustrating situation. You see, due to the office layout, her desk was out in the open, right by the front door, making her a sitting duck.
Being consistent in your business is one of the critical factors for ensuring long-term growth, and one of the ways to ensure consistency is to create systems. Everything you do in your business, from responding to emails to working with clients, needs to be systemized and documented, so that it’s very easy to create a repeatable process in your business.
I recently had the opportunity to try out the Zerowater system. Zerowater is a water filtration pitcher, with a twist. It comes with a tester for your water – called s TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) tester. The TDS meter helps put a number on what your taste buds already tell you about what’s in water. The higher the reading on the water, the more things dissolved in water.
Forgetfulness is costing you time, money, and a ton of missed opportunities. In the age of automation, it’s easy to underestimate the power of a well-trained human mind. But memory isn’t just a parlor trick, it's a strategic edge. Human memory is one of the most underrated business skills. Whether you’re managing people, leading sessions, or having high-stakes conversations, remembering names, details, and concepts can be transformative in building trust, absorbing knowledge, and driving perform
A recent article of mine covered most people’s lack of efficacy in practicing their elevator pitches at job search networking meetings. I wanted to follow up on that and prove my tenets, so I brainstormed with a group of trusted associates—all of whom are in transition—and we came up with some “best practices.” Following are [.].
OK, you may be thinking that I've lost my mind in telling you that paper holds emotion. Maybe I have! However, I also know that when I'm working with my clients, letting go is extremely hard for most. So why is it so hard? There is emotion to it! As you are looking to simplify and move your business to the next level, be prepared to face a sense of loss as you let go of certain possessions.
Lot's of recent news about the continued growth of the contingent workforce, which is the term the corporate world uses for what we call the independent workforce - freelancers, contractors, independent consultants, temps, etc. Recent articles on this topic from the corporate point of view include: 1. Aberdeen Research reports that 26% of the average company’s workforce is contingent. This is up from the 24% they found in last year's study. Both studies focuse
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Lot's of recent news about the continued growth of the contingent workforce, which is the term the corporate world uses for what we call the independent workforce - freelancers, contractors, independent consultants, temps, etc. Recent articles on this topic from the corporate point of view include: 1. Aberdeen Research reports that 26% of the average company’s workforce is contingent. This is up from the 24% they found in last year's study. Both studies focuse
by Donna Toothaker. When it comes right down to it, our most valuable business resource is our time. If you’re like me, you have created systems and outsourced certain tasks so you can make the most of the time you have doing the most important things (like building and marketing your business). This has allowed you to ultimately work less for more, and spend more time with your loved ones, and doing things you love.
Preemptive Multitasking is a term in computing used to describe the operating system’s behavior of permitting “preemption of tasks” in distributing the computer processor resources. To make the idea clearer, we’ll let Mr. Wikipedia define the concept to us: “ Preemptive multitasking involves the use of an interrupt mechanism which suspends the currently executing process and invokes a scheduler to determine which process should execute next.
Continuing on from yesterday, we are busting myths about bootstrapping and sharing tips from the professionals. Here are the rest of our 10 business owners sharing information on how they bootstrap their business, how to get free stuff and what the challenges are (these are in no particular order): 6.
Think what the interview is all about. Sorry, but it’s not about you. It’s about the interviewer’s perception regarding your fit into the organization’s culture combined with your ability to perform the job very well. No interviewer is looking for Mr. Average. So, what does the word perception include here? Primarily two issues: the image [.].
In the climb from contributor to leader, the rules quietly change. If you’re aiming for the summit, the air gets thinner—and what got you here won’t be enough to get you to the top (a concept first popularized by Marshall Goldsmith in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There ). What made you successful early in your finance career—technical accuracy, sharp analysis, flawless execution—won’t be what carries you to the next level.
I was talking with a small business owner earlier this week and sharing a bit about what I do. He instantly told me that he could use our services, but did not have time to put anything new in place. He shared that he feels overwhelmed performing daily tasks and he does not have time to engage his prospects or maintain a strong connection with his current customers or even assign tasks to his staff.
Welcome to the Who Took My Pen. Again? Annual Blog-a-thon for Administrative Professionals. If you are just tuning in, here's the scoop! We are holding the 4th Annual Blog-a-thon for the Administrative Profession. We hold this blog-a-thon each April and the goal is to make assistants aware of the resources available to them and build a community of administrative assistant and executive assistants who want to learn and grow and flourish in their career of choice!
I recently held a virtual workshop where I talked about the three biggest mistakes I see many business owners making in their business, which leaves them feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and basically stuck. One of those mistakes I shared was having the right systems in place, but in the wrong order. Let me explain a bit more…. Over the 10 years I have been in business, I have become aware that there is a very specific order in which to build your business, and if you do any of this out of order
A sure way to lighten your workload and instantly boost your productivity is by way of delegation. Or there is another option to that. If you cannot delegate, automate. This is how it usually works. You delegate or automate the least important stuff on your To-Do list to pave way for more space, and thereby time, that you will put back to your main work pool.
The most overlooked, yet most critical, element of transformation is preparing people for change. Automation and AI aren't just technical upgrades, they’re cultural shifts which can challenge identities. That’s why change management isn’t a side project—it’s the foundation. In finance, where precision and process rule, navigating change can feel especially disruptive.
Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. If you found the tax deadline to be very stressful, it is likely that you are doing something wrong throughout the year.
I frequent job search networking groups where people stand up and recite what’s called the elevator pitch. Ideally, people are supposed to be able to concisely sum up unique professional aspects about themselves in a way that intrigues and excites listeners so that the listeners will want to connect later—for mutual benefit—with the one giving [.].
Do you strive for a green lifestyle? It can sometimes be a struggle to keep with the latest green trends as you live your busy life. However, you might be surprised to learn how changing small facets of your everyday life can add up to big changes for preserving the planet. Making Your House a Green House. Thinking about ways to save the planet can sure keep you up at night.
You know the old adage that two brains are better than one? Well, think of this in terms of partnering with your leader. We can definitely do great things individually but when we join forces with our leader we can be extraordinary! This excerpt from Who Took My Pen…Again proves a great point: Support. Partner with Your Leader. Do you partner with your leader?
Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.
Two good articles from Bloomberg Business Week highlighting a huge issue that is not getting enough attention - the lack of men getting college educations. The chart below is from Men are Becoming the Undereducated Gender and shows the long-standing college education gap between women and men. Even more alarming, the gap is forecast to grow with 60% of all college students being women in 2019 (up from 57% in 2011). Why this is a huge problem is covere
On a recent free coaching call , I heard from a loyal blog reader who was feeling distraught. In a nutshell, her situation was this: After interviewing for almost six months, she thought it as a “sure thing” that she’d be offered a new position in her department. Then, as if from nowhere, an external candidate was selected for the role. After all the time and energy she had committed to this, she was left feeling frustrated, demotivated and betrayed.
Top 5 Tips posts from the SME Blog are always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners. 1. Make sure that you set achievable goals for your team to give them something to work together for. 2.
As a career coach, I am at times asked for such advice as whether I believe a person is a good fit for the person’s current profession or some future one. Usually, I refer such a case to my business partner, who is a well-qualified and experienced career counselor who meets with clients several times [.].
Documents are the backbone of enterprise operations, but they are also a common source of inefficiency. From buried insights to manual handoffs, document-based workflows can quietly stall decision-making and drain resources. For large, complex organizations, legacy systems and siloed processes create friction that AI is uniquely positioned to resolve.
When there’s a wished-for client or a client you work with that you've put time and energy into, hearing that s/he's decided to go in a different direction is disappointing. Disappointment is a completely understandable response to the situation, too. ?. What’s not reasonable or smart is to think that a client saying no to working with you is saying something’s wrong with you.
“It’s not what you know but who you know that makes the difference.” Have you heard that line before? It’s true in the sense that the person who actively creates a reputable brand for themselves with genuine relationships will see more opportunity simply because there is a broader network of people in the world who know who they are, what they are capable of and know this is a genuine person they feel they can trust.
GigaOm's Women make up the majority of online freelancers, study says covers research from Zinnov showing that women comprise 55% of the workers on online talent sites like Elance and oDesk. This is consistent with our research on U.S. independent workers. We found that women comprise 53% of this group. I haven't been able to get a copy of the Zinnov study, but both the GigaOm article and an article on the study in Venture Beat quote Zinnov as saying w
Suzanne Evans shared so much valuable and wonderful information during her 3-day event … attendees walked away with a huge binder-full of information. So I thought I’d share with you my top five take-aways from the event. 1. The way you do anything is the way you do everything. Recognize how you show up in your life and your business, and how it plays out for you.
Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.
It must be Easter soon, or some other major holiday, because I’m thinking (or more dreaming in my case) about travelling and quite possible not coming back. You know what I mean, the sort of ‘ I’m going now and I maybe a while…’ holiday.
Several years ago, when I started my current job, I had a conflict with another employee. By strict interpretation of our policies, I was right in my actions, but I managed it very poorly. Shortly after that, the other employee resigned. It was a lack of experience on my part. I was more interested in being right than resolving conflict. One of the harsh lessons you learn early in life, conflict happens.
A new one here at VMoxie… a Pick Anastacia’s Brain question from a client! Henry wrote: I’m so confused. I don’t really know whether to work with one of those VA companies in India, a VA in the US who has her own business and works alone, or a woman I met at a conference who has a team working under her. I’m a consultant, and I need general admin help, help with my social media, some design help (I need a new logo), and help with my web copy and SEO-and that’s just to start.
Welcome to the Who Took My Pen. Again? Annual Blog-a-thon for Administrative Professionals. If you are just tuning in, here's the scoop! We are holding 4th Annual Blog-a-thon for the Administrative Profession. We hold this blog-a-thon each April and the goal is to make assistants aware of the resources available to them and build a community of administrative assistant and executive assistants who want to learn and grow and flourish in their career of choice!
Technical degrees might open doors—but it’s the soft skills that keep them open. In the face of disruption, evolving workplace dynamics, and rising expectations of leadership, soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and presence have become core business essentials—not nice-to-haves. Inspired by stories from her father coupled with her own career journey, seasoned executive Chandra McCormack breaks down how to lead with impact, connect with purpose, and cultivate a workplace cult
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