TED Talks

OCTOBER 4, 2018

We're taught to believe that hard work and dedication will lead to success, but that's not always the case. Gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation are among the many factors that affect our chances, says writer and advocate Melinda Epler, and it's up to each of us to be allies for those who face discrimination. In this actionable talk, Epler shares three ways to support people who are underrepresented in the workplace.

UPS

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Being an Administrative or Executive Assistant is not always a walk in the park. There is always a fire to be put out, there is the juggling of 9,000 different tasks, and sometimes you are an assistant to more than one executive or manager. Simply put, not everyone can handle the position of Administrative or Executive Assistant. With that said, there are tips and tricks out there that are being used by assistants to make life a little less hectic.

Stress

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 16, 2018

McKinsey's  The overlooked essentials of employee well-being focuses on how companies can improve the well-being of their employees. But it also explains why the self-employed - and especially those that work in coworking spaces - report higher levels of wellness and work satisfaction than traditional employees do. It covers two critical factors - job control and social support - that foster physical and mental well-being.

Health

Eat Your Career

OCTOBER 30, 2018

I’ve encountered a number of counterproductive attitudes in the workplace, but one in particular really bothers me. Too many people out there think they deserve career advancement for all the wrong reasons. For example, they believe they’re entitled to it because they’ve worked at the company for a certain number of years. Or, they think it’s justified because someone else just got promoted…and it’s only fair that they should as well.

Promotion

Speaker: Chester Santos

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

Skills

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 29, 2018

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness can be described as a way of being and living rather than a tactic or strategy for life. When practised on a continuous basis, mindfulness improves mental health and functioning by helping decrease stress and psychological distress. It can support lasting change in behaviour, as through practice, you can increase emotion […].

Stress

Tips From T. Marie

OCTOBER 18, 2018

When I first started out my blog reading list was populated by the likes of Gary V , Mike Michalawicz, Chris Brogan and Seth Godin. While they give some great business advice, as time has marched on and my business has gone from a struggling startup to a well-established one-woman show, I’m finding myself drawn to business blogs that better reflect both myself and my business more closely.

AT&T

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 29, 2018

Welcome to Halloween week. Halloween is such an interesting holiday and is becoming almost as popular as the other major holidays. The stores, boutique shops, and online businesses sell everything to decorate your home, prepare for parties, and offer all kinds of paraphernalia. For decades October has been the month of scary movies and costumes. People love to decorate their yard like graveyards and display spooky creatures and goblins.

Monster

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Brookings and the Walton Family Foundation teamed up to produce The State of the Heartland. It's a detailed study of the U.S. Heartland using 26 socioeconomic variables to assess how the region's economy has been performing since the Great Recession.

UPS

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 27, 2018

The way I work is to get things off my plate as soon as possible and move on to the next task. The problem is it is now filed in the back burner of my mind. It is still hovering in the background somewhere, but I've completed the work, done whatever I had to do with it and diarized whatever needed to be diarized and moved on until I need to know it again.

Filing

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 1, 2018

Enjoy today’s interview with Shelley Trask, EA at Slack which is full of Executive Assistant Tips and Tricks. What are the main aspects of your role? I support our CTO & Co-founder, Cal Henderson and VP of Engineering, Michael Lopp, both of whom manage one of the largest teams at Slack. My job is to act […].

Interviewing

Speaker: Victor C. Barnes, CPA, MBA

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.

Finance

Stephanie LH Calahan

OCTOBER 25, 2018

I've been thinking a lot lately about how we we often treat people we see as strong (physical or emotional strength) like Teflon and why we may want to stop that. How Strong People are Like Teflon. Teflon is a non-stick coating that is used on a lot of cookware. It is supposed to make the food slide off the pan and require less effort to clean. Yet, many people don't take care of their pans.

Copyright

TED Talks

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Looking to get ahead in your career? Start by being nice to your coworkers, says leadership researcher Christine Porath. In this science-backed talk, she shares surprising insights about the costs of rudeness and shows how little acts of respect can boost your professional success -- and your company's bottom line. Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward?

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 20, 2018

Whenever you write something—a report, proposal, or sensitive email—you naturally don a writer’s hat. But don’t stop there. You’re not finished! It’s time to scrutinize and then fine-tune what you’ve crafted. Start with this question: Does every word contribute to conveying your intended message? To answer it, be sure to reread your piece (three times or more) as if you’ve never seen it before.

Administrative Professionals

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 9, 2018

How To Be A Rock Star In The Elite Expert Segment Of The Gig Economy is an interesting white paper from The Luxury Institute, which claims to be "the world's most trusted luxury and premium goods and services consulting firm." The Luxury Institute is an expert network firm. These firms provide clients access to industry experts, most of which are independent consultants.  The Luxury Institute calls their expert network GLEN (Global Luxury Expert Network) and say they have hundr

Retirement

Speaker: Kim Beynon, CPA, CGMA, PMP

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.

Finance

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 13, 2018

I finally launched my new website and am open for business. Well sort of. The website is awaiting a small final touch, but if you want to take a peek here is my URL address Boomerangvirtualassistants.com It's very exciting, even at this stage. Sometimes you just have to do it and quit trying to figure everything out. My esthetician, who opened her own shop about a year ago, said she is learning the business side as she goes.

Dropbox

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 4, 2018

We’ve all been there. Draft a well thought out, concise and articulate email with a clear call to action. Check the email over and hit send. Then nothing. No reply. Nothing. So you send a follow-up email, that usually starts with ‘per my last email…’ and then nothing. Ahhhh! The thing is, how many emails […].

Email

Tips From T. Marie

OCTOBER 26, 2018

Everyone loves quotes. Little tidbits of wisdom shared by historical figures, celebrities, authors; just about anyone really. As part of my job, I often find myself searching for quotes on various topics and turning them into shareable memes for some of my clients. In my searches, I come across quotes that are profound, funny, touching, honest and sometimes applicable to my role as a business owner.

AT&T

TED Talks

OCTOBER 29, 2018

What do Tourette syndrome, heroin addiction and social media obsession all have in common? They converge in an area of the brain called the striatum, says neuroscientist Rachel Wurzman -- and this critical discovery could reshape our understanding of the opioid crisis. Sharing insights from her research, Wurzman shows how social isolation contributes to relapse and overdose rates and reveals how meaningful human connection could offer a potentially powerful source of recovery.

Social Media

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

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.

Confidence

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 18, 2018

I have several tips I can offer on this subject, but here are the top 5. If you make any one of these a habit, you will see an increase in your productivity. FOCUS! This is the most important of all 5. In a world where people think multitasking is a valued skill, it isn’t. Research proves being focused will move you faster than any other habit. Next is to focus on your “A” priority items.

Management

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 29, 2018

We first reported on bleisure travel , which is the the blending of business and leisure travel, back in 2015.  A According to the folks at the expense reporting and management firm, SAP Concur, it continues to gain popularity.  Key quote from their blog post  Do You Bleisure? The Word We Love to Hate is Gaining Popularity Across the Globe : according to new SAP Concur travel and expense data gathered between January 2017 and December 2017.

Travel

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 8, 2018

Recently, my sister (a long-time assistant) retired. We were doing some work together and because she knew how busy I was at work, she immediately took over and started to do the small tasks she knew I didn't have time to do. I appreciated all over again how nice it can be to have an assistant, and not only just an assistant, but a very experienced one.

Confidence

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 9, 2018

You know those meetings that go on and on forever with no agenda, no purpose and no end? Yup, we’ve all been there, and we all know how much of a waste of time these meetings can be. Often, they can be a phone call or an email, and they never require everyone in the […].

Agenda

Speaker: Frank Taliano

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.

2025

Eco-Office Gals

OCTOBER 15, 2018

An eco-friendly attitude doesn’t have to end with your opinion. You can show your support for environmental conservation in the way you dress, drive, eat and shop. You can make it part of your home and even part of your workspace with a little effort and the right direction. Substituting conventional products for green alternatives is easy — and most of the time, it’s also affordable!

Carbon Footprint

TED Talks

OCTOBER 31, 2018

Have you ever actually read the terms and conditions for the apps you use? Finn Myrstad and his team at the Norwegian Consumer Council have, and it took them nearly a day and a half to read the terms of all the apps on an average phone. In a talk about the alarming ways tech companies deceive their users, Myrstad shares insights about the personal information you've agreed to let companies collect -- and how they use your data at a scale you could never imagine.

UPS

Office Dynamics

OCTOBER 9, 2018

I have been hosting the Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence for 25 years. I also host a high-end training program for executive assistants and administrative assistants called World Class Assistant , in Las Vegas. I have observed hundreds of assistants travel and heard numerous stories about their travel experiences both while in transit to Las Vegas and during their stay in Las Vegas.

Travel

Small Business Labs

OCTOBER 8, 2018

We've long found in our research that having work flexibility, autonomy and control are key reasons people become and like being independent workers (freelancers, contractors, self-employed, etc.).  But there's been much debate around whether or not companies - and particularly the online platform marketplaces like Uber and Lyft - could shift their workers to traditional employment and still provide the same levels of work flexibility.

Legal

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

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.

Payroll

Clutter Coach

OCTOBER 19, 2018

by Subscribe: iTunes ? Stitcher ? Soundcloud ? YouTube ? Google Play. You can leave a review here! This is podcast 104 and it’s about busy people. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “if you want something done, ask a busy person.” Busy people get more done. Let’s amend that to busy productive people, since we know that it’s quite possible to be busy about nothing.

AT&T

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 3, 2018

Did you know that business travel is a $1.3 trillion dollar market? And that in most companies, travel spend is often the second largest expenditure after salaries? Business travel spend in general is massive, but it doesn’t stop there; the amount of time spent organising business travel is substantial too. We all know just how […].

Travel

Eco-Office Gals

OCTOBER 12, 2018

“All our dreams can come true- if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney. The ultimate goal of every business is to achieve success, and success is nothing but financial benefits and positive public perception. What some people don’t realise that the latter can be exploited to ensure the former. Due to the increasing population, the renewable, as well as non-renewable resources, are getting consumed at an alarming rate.

Carbon Footprint

TED Talks

OCTOBER 22, 2018

In a talk that's equal parts funny and urgent, consultant Vinay Shandal shares stories of the world's top activist investors, showing how individuals and institutions can take a page from their playbook and put pressure on companies to drive positive change. "It's your right to have your money managed in line with your values," Shandal says. "Use your voice, and trust that it matters.

UPS

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.

Equipment