Yoohoo! We’re back up and running again! For some unknown reason this site seems to have the big X that marks the spot, the bright red flag that catches everyone’s attention, the shiny bright juicy apple of the bunch.  I should be feeling honored.. right?

One of my last post I was able to share with you were the troubles we have been having lately for becoming an attack site, and just when I thought things were fixed an egg that somehow was hidden deep inside the site hatched and the site was once again pulled down by Google. No worries though we are live once again, and this time for good.. I hope!

A ginormous hug goes out to my favorite website exterminator, Kim Castleberry for spraying us down with the strongest bug repellent anyone has to offer and getting us back up and running in a jiffy!

I’ll be the first to admit that after the first time of getting pulled down, fixing the solution, then getting pulled down again was very frustrating and quite frankly something that I didn’t want to deal with. I began to get even more flustered, exhausted, and feeling a little lost at sea when the developer that I turned to basically told me that my best bet was to start all over and hopefully that would fix the challenge. Let me tell you, I’ve spent days building this website and the last thing I wanted to hear was tearing VAsolutionsNOW down and rebuilding from scratch was my best solution.

I’m sure at one point we’ve all came to a breaking point, and this was mine. I could have easily listened, tore down the site and had a fresh start all over again.. but why? I knew there had to be an easier way and being a VA what did I do, I outsourced! I have plenty of skills when it comes to building websites, but cleaning them with a miracle scrubby brush unfortunately is not one of my passions or something that I personally offer as a service. So I sought a second opinion from the lovely Kim Castleberry and she gave me that piece of mind that I needed.

What is on your list of frustrations that you don’t want to deal with? What tasks do you have to do that you might not enjoy doing or feel as if you are not 100% qualified and know in your hearts that there could be someone out there that can give you the assistance that you need?

Realize that you do not have to feel lost at sea like I did for that split second! Know that somewhere out there lies the solution to your headache!

What you feed grows and what you starve dies. Not only should this knowledge be applied to things that are alive and breathing, but also your business. Think about it, the more you put into it- the more you will receive.

Take a moment to ask yourself if you are giving your business the attention that it really needs to grow and maintain success. Do you find that there are too many tasks to complete in a day to where you cannot devote 100% of your focus to completing assignments? Are you regularly forgetting or missing key points in your presentations because you are feeling rushed?

Relax!

Realizing the importance of covering every area possible to make sure that your business has the ability to expand or stay afloat is extremely important. We all have the same 24 hours to cater to all of our priorities daily, and can relate by saying that it IS difficult to handle everything that requires immediate attention. If you feel that you have a challenge dedicating the necessary time to help produce better results there is a answer at hand. Hiring a virtual assistant that specializes in tasks that may need to be delegated is always an option.

Always be rest assured that where ever there lies a problem there is always a solution.

If you are on Twitter you will realize there is an over abundance of direct messages, usually all or most of them being automated. Today I did a poll asking followers if they prefer a direct message at all, whether or not it’s automated. With over 100 responses, the majority of answers expressing that they would rather no direct messages.

“I hate auto DMs, I find them annoying. DMs that are not auto are ok, but I prefer @ replies.” -@JacksonCJ1

“When I joined I thought the DM’s were nice, but then I realized they were generic, and I stopped checking my messages!” -@Mary_Fenton

“When I did this poll with my followers a while back – it was “no” to the auto DM. They wanted personalized” – @Lacouvee

“No DM since automated responses show little consideration for the person following and in my mind is a form of SPAM.” – @SterlingMineral

The basis for me being on twitter is connection I would rather an authentic DM or none at all. the real deal, please. – @GirlZoo

Use your 140 characters to properly welcome your new followers by listening to what experienced tweeters want and do not like.

When maintaining a presence on Social Networking Sites it’s important that you remember these tips. Your reputation is crucial to your business and knowing too little or being careless can possibly destroy  everything you have busted your hump for. Be sure you are doing everything to protect your name, brand, and character when networking over the web, you can NEVER be too careful!

• Keep in mind that Social Networking requires you to engage more then frequently with your audience. If you update your status once in a blue moon you will not keep your “followers” attention; rather then if you connect with others on a daily basis, engaging in a conversation and they will be more likely to remember who you are and the message you are trying to put out.

• Never spread yourself too thin! Too many people have their attention scattered with multiple social networking sites. Try staying focused on 3 or 4 top networking sites: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are todays current hits. When you are trying to leverage multiple profiles you might be missing out on where your audience needs you the most. Try linking each social networking profile together so you are not posting the same update on 20 different profiles. Time management is crucial to your business, and to your day.

• Be selective and strategic about inviting “friends”. Make sure you are speaking to the right crowd by doing a little research on who you are trying to connect with. Same rule applies when accepting requests that are sent to you.

• Keep away from all aggressive marketing tactics, this includes spam! Try a different approach such as consistently adding value to other experts in your niche. Add great content, share your thoughts, write recommendations and participate in online discussions and forums. Once people begin to see you as an expert in your niche you will be sure to have their attention.

• Last but not least, be professional and personable. Not too personal. Never post things on the internet that you wouldn’t want to get out in public. For example, divorce, certain pictures, personal notes, comparing your boss to Hitler, etc. There have been several reported cases of supervisors getting a hold of content and firing that employee for lack of care about what they post.

“The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words- I did not have any time”–Franklin Field

7 Major Signs You Need A Virtual Assistant (VA)

1. You are letting the small things fall through the cracks- Bill paying / mailing, picking up the kids from school, forgetting to purchase milk, researching the best software for your computer, etc.
2. Your work is taking time away from family and friends- If you not working, your resting, and if your not resting, your worrying that you’ve forgot to do something.
3. You are working 12+ hour days – Your body is surviving off of energy drinks and coffee to try and stay alert
4. You cant remember when was the last time you ate, or what you ate- Details out of order, misplacing objects, memory loss.
5. You are loosing money because of poor follow up and organization- emails piling up, not following up with contacts, phone messages are not getting the call back which is making your clients believe you are not serious about gaining / keeping their business.
6. You simply just don’t have any more time in the day to take on another task- With everything on your plate already, who has the time to even think of taking a vacation?
7. Not getting the rest that your body needs- Working till 3am on projects that continue to pile up, tossing and turning wondering if you are missing that one detail that can either make or break tomorrows presentation. Find yourself saying 8 hours of rest is overrated

Living the life of an entrepreneur can be extremely stressful! If any of these signs apply to you, consider  hiring a Virtual Assistant that specializes in the tasks that you need assistance with. Delegating your tasks to a Virtual Assistant will free up your time leaving you the ability to pay attention to the things that are most important to you, rather then putting things on the “back burner”.

Take a deep breath and realize there is no reason for you to have to do anything alone, we’re here to help!

Having family problems? Children acting up? Too much homework? Work assignments piling up? Laundry isn’t finished? So many of us carry a lot of stress on our shoulders on a day to day basis and don’t have the time or knowledge to think, learn, or apply some basic steps to level yourself back to sanity. Next time you are feeling a bit too tense try a few of these simple tips to help calm your nerves.

1. Breathe deeply - count to a 6 second inhale and release for 6 seconds. Picture your tension melting away. Meditation also works very well.

2. Laugh - Its been proven that laughing and smiling will help you feel better and more calm. Try watching a movie, socializing with positive people, or read a humorous book.

3. Get a massage - every now and again its OKAY to spoil yourself and this would be the perfect investment.

4. Write out your feelings - Get it out rather then bottling your emotions. If you are not into writing, try screaming into a pillow rather then AT someone.

5. Exercise - Try going on a walk around your neighborhood or somewhere quite and preferably with a good scenic view. Look around a appreciate our mother nature.

6. Listen to music - Music is always being played in elevators, dental offices, while your on hold or waiting to be transfered for distraction. Why not use it to distract and keep your mind off whats bothering you?

7. Think positive - remarkably it does work! Keep your chin up, don’t let the tiny things get you down. In light of everything else going on in the world, your situation can always be much, much worse.

8. Delegate your tasks - No matter how small or large your business do not try to do everything yourself, but rather, seek help from others. Hire a virtual assistant to reduce your work load. We understand that there’s only so much a person can do in a day and would be more then happy to take a monkey or two off your back and give you the piece of mind you deserve.