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Friday, 17 April 2009

Busy, busy!

Paperwork paperwork paperwork!!! It seems like it never ends, right? Thankfully I have amazing staff to help me, but we've been so busy with rebranding (asklilach.co.uk is already up and running, now we're working on virtualpatraining.co.uk!) and preparing for the Times Crème event (national event for PAs and secretaries) where we're exhibiting. In the mean time I still have to keep up on stuff for my accountant, continue on with improving training packets, and so on. I love running a business, but could someone please wave a wand and shorten the "to do" list?

Labels: busy, VA Company, virtual assistant training, Virtual Assistant. PA, virtual pa, work

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Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Big News…

Happy Easter or Pesach! I’ve been really enjoying the spring time and all the flowers in bloom – and the weather’s been nice enough to enjoy them (okay, except this weekend…)! Well I’ve got some very exciting news – this week we moved into new offices! It’s exciting for so many reasons – they’re really nice and new, there’s a Costa right across the hall from us, and most importantly, it means we’re growing! Since we’re growing so much and had to move into a business park, AskLilach is now one of the very few Virtual Assistant companies in the entire country to work out of offices and not a home office! As you can imagine, this is very encouraging for any entrepreneur – what would you say has been the most encouraging thing for you lately?

Labels: News, Spring, VA Company, virtual assistant training, Virtual Assistant. PA, virtual pa

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Monday, 16 March 2009

I’m on YouTube! What do you think of my video?

I am so pleased – and proud – that my video has gone on YouTube – check it out here! you can see me delivering a few minutes from my virtual assistant training course: How to Win Clients and Sky Rocket Your profits. I love doing my training sessions and am really pleased to have this professional exert which gives those of you thinking about becoming a virtual assistant and real glimpse of the one-day workshop. What do you think of the video?

Labels: virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Friday, 13 March 2009

More power to Twitter – are you making the most of this phenomenon?

I am really enjoying using Twitter (and OK, I may spend too much time on it too!) I have found it to be a great way of keeping in touch with friends and colleagues and for business use. My number of followers is increasing daily (well over 1900 at the time of writing this blog) and I can use it to promote my services, show videos and pictures – but because it is very restrictive on number of characters (140 which includes spaces, punctuation etc!) all the information is short and punchy – and can be lots of fun (with clever uses of abbreviations too, its not all text speak). Have you signed up yet? Come and follow me at twitter.com/asklilach.

Labels: business, followers, pa training, training, Twitter, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual office assistant, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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More power to Twitter – are you making the most of this phenomenon?

I am really enjoying using Twitter (and OK, I may spend too much time on it too!) I have found it to be a great way of keeping in touch with friends and colleagues and for business use. My number of followers is increasing daily (well over 1900 at the time of writing this blog) and I can use it to promote my services, show videos and pictures – but because it is very restrictive on number of characters (140 which includes spaces, punctuation etc!) all the information is short and punchy – and can be lots of fun (with clever uses of abbreviations too, its not all text speak). Have you signed up yet? Come and follow me at twitter.com/asklilach.

Labels: business, followers, pa training, training, Twitter, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual office assistant, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Tuesday, 10 March 2009

It’s already March 2009, where is the year going? Do you have enough hours in the day?

As I have previously blogged, I am really very busy at the moment with both businesses going very well and expanding. I have new clients for my virtual assistant company and the training side has just hosted a well-attended and positive workshop. My problem is that I am almost too busy; I don’t seem to have the opportunity to sit back and review the direction my company is taking and steer it way the way I want to go, which is an important process and one that I really believe in. I need to recruit some more staff, but time for that seems impossible to find – and its already March! I shouldn’t complain really – but hey oh, that’s human nature too. Do you have enough hours in the day?

Labels: business, busy, expanding, growing, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

1 Comments:

Dean said...: I am much the same as you, very little time so much to do and now i have really gone and done it by getting involved with an affiliate brand to further promote the businesses for more exposure!

168 hours is not enough when you include time to sleep, take kids to school and the other routine jobs that need doing; 10 March 2009 14:15

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Monday, 9 March 2009

Climb every Comic Relief mountain – Are you doing something funny for money?

Comic Relief will shortly be upon us (Friday 13 March – a great comic date!) And already nine celebrities, including Gary Barlow and Alesha Dixon are making the effort to climb Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa’s highest mountain - to raise £1 million (check out the official website for more details, including blogs http://www.rednoseday.com/climb). I do enjoy Red Nose Day, and my daughter is does too, we’ve got the red noses for ourselves and for the car; we’ll be off to buy the oh-so-trendy tee-shirts soon and support the school’s fundraising initiatives. Comic Relief does fantastic things to support long-term projects in UK and Africa. I just wondered what you were planning to do for this year’s Red Nose Day?

Labels: celebrities, comic relief, rednose day, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Tuesday, 3 March 2009

As RBS announces huge losses – Are we paying for the former CE’s pension?

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) recently announced the largest annual loss in UK corporate history, with total losses of £24.1 billion (yes that’s right billion!). RBS, a 282-year-old bank, had to be bailed out by the government last year and is now under criticism as its former chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, is already drawing a pension of £650,000 a year, despite only being 50. He was given a £16m pension pot which he can claim from for life, when he took early retirement in October, as part of the government's rescue of the faltering bank. It looks as this former employee has been handsomely rewarded for huge failings of a major financial institution. Is this fair criticism, are we (the tax-payer) really paying for this man’s extortionate pension?

Labels: banks, pension, RBS, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

1 Comments:

Cashmere Lashkari said...: Hey Lilach,
Love the concept of your services. Hope to hear more from you on twitter.; 09 March 2009 01:01

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Thursday, 26 February 2009

Unemployed: Can job centres benefit from the private sector experience?

With the recent news that unemployment has reached nearly 2 million, it has been revealed that Job Centres cannot cope with the quantity and quality of workers coming through their doors. They are being criticised for not providing an adequate service for highly skilled, white collar professionals and the Government has announced that private companies will work alongside traditional job centres to redress this issue during the recession. I’m not sure we could expect local Job Centres, who are perhaps more used to placing lower skilled workers, to rise to the challenge of understanding the needs and markets of the more accomplished employees. Perhaps those white collar workers should look to retraining to find a suitable job. Do you think its right that recruitment agencies are being asked to work with the job centres?

Labels: job centre, jobs, recruitment, retaining, unemployment, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Tuesday, 24 February 2009

The Oscars, what a joy – but do you agree with the results?

The Oscar news is great; the Brits did really well, with Kate Winslet finally winning her golden statue after 5 previous nominations and ‘Slumdog’ with a huge haul of eight Oscars including best director and best picture. My favourite dress of the night was Ms Winslet (again!) in her beautiful two-tone Yves Saint Laurent dress; she looked so elegant – with not a tear in sight. I haven’t seen all the films that were nominated (sometimes its difficult to find time to get to the cinema), but I am pleased that the British representatives did so well. Do you agree with the winners? And what about the fashion; not much ‘bling’ in evidence this year, presumably due to the recession? What are your thoughts on this year’s Oscars?

Labels: bling, entertainment, films, Hollywood, Oscars, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Monday, 23 February 2009

Panorama: Are banks doing enough to support small businesses?

I don’t work for the BBC, but I saw this and thought it could be worth watching and worth telling my blog readers about it too. It’s a Panorama programme looking at small businesses like ours. More than 100 small businesses are shutting up shop each day, according to the Federation of Small Businesses, which predicts some 30,000 firms will have gone bust by the end of this year. In an attempt to turn the tide, the government has come up with proposals including the £1.3bn Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme to throw small businesses a lifeline. Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis, examines whether the banks are doing enough to support small businesses.

Watch it tonight: Monday 23 February BBC One 8.30pm: Panorama: Credit Where It's Due

Labels: BBC, Panorama, small business, training, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, work

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Tuesday, 10 February 2009

St Valentine’s Day – What do you think?

So here we are, a few days from St Valentine’s day. The gift shops are stuffed to the gutters with heart shaped offerings, and the card shops the same - a bit gruesome, if Wikipedia’s explanation is to be believed! There are all sorts of Valentine-themed events, whether its dances and balls or singles nights at the local supermarket. Probably the only worthwhile things are the charity events, such as the Kiss for Bliss. The special care baby charity are organising a World Record attempt to form the longest kiss chain in London. But what do you think of Valentines Day? Great as a focus for consumer businesses in their post-New Year promotions; or blatant commercialisation of tradition.

Labels: charity event, commercialism, hearts, promotion, Valentine, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Monday, 9 February 2009

Move to cap top US executives pay – will it catch on here?

The new US president is about to impose a ceiling on the executive pay of companies who have received a US taxpayer bail-out. The ceiling will be $500,000 (around £350,000) - or $100,000 more than President Obama receives! This seems to be a measure to placate the American public, outraged that these executives still received their huge payouts after the State rescue. However, the move is an initial step in a wider attempt to overhaul executive pay practices. This is something that has been much discussed in the UK; what do you think, should executives from ‘rescued’ companies still receive bonuses and exalted pay?

Labels: America, employees, executives, Obama, pay, state rescue, usa, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Snow stops play! Did it affect your business?

So it snowed in Britain this week; schools were closed (much to the kids’ delight), motorways shut; thousands of people didn’t make it into their place of work –allegedly costing businesses millions of pounds. I am very fortunate, as I do not have far to travel to get to work, and so was at my desk at 8.30am as usual on Monday morning. I am thankful that I didn’t have to go into London, as it appears there were no buses or taxis available either! Have the severe weather conditions affected your business?

Labels: buses, millions, schools., snow, travel taxi, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training, weather

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Friday, 30 January 2009

Can you recommend a decent read?

Can you recommend a decent read?When I get the chance, I do like a good book - and I mean to really read, not just grace the shelves of my bookcase or enhance my coffee table. This maybe a bit of fun 'chicklit' on holiday, an inspiring biography at the weekend or even a decent cookery book. I also like to catch up with some business books, and I have recommended some in the past (check out my website links page ). What books have your enjoyed that you'd like to pass onto the rest of us. Something that has inspired you, helped you or just plain entertained you. Can you recommend a decent read?

Labels: books, read, recommend, relax, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...: I don't know you so I'll just through a few random suggestions out:

Right now I'm reading "Speak Memory" by Vladimir Nabakov (yes, of "Lolita" fame) - really good.

You may also enjoy "This is Not Chick Lit" a collection of short stories by various authors

http://www.amazon.com/This-Not-Chick-Lit-Original/dp/0812975677/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233338783&sr=8-1; 30 January 2009 18:06
Anonymous said...: I heartily recommend any Terry Pratchett books. If at all possible, try to start with his first book, "The Colour of Magic", and work your way through, chronologically, so you'll recognise the characters as they reappear, however, any of his novels are a stand-alone hoot!

Terry is an intelligent writer, hilariously funny observer of human nature, a slightly sarcastic philosopher whose gentle irony does not scrape its claws on the blackboard of your soul, and yet he leaves you thinking... and wanting more.

Sometimes he is so funny I have to make sure there is no-one else in the room (apart from my partner or daughter, both of whom are used to the odd mwaaaah! coming from my direction, when I am reading one of his Discworld novels).

Read and enjoy!; 03 February 2009 17:17

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Thursday, 29 January 2009

Are you taking advantage of the quality people available?

Its tough out there. Some companies are struggling; some are rationalising and having to let people go. I’ve mentioned before that I believe that this is a good time to start a new business or try a new venture. If you have a business, with good prospects and plans then it’s also a great time to employ quality staff. As the unemployment figure grows, think of it as an opportunity to get those people that you need to grow your business, whether it’s experience, enthusiasm or energy that you are looking for, or all three! What are you doing, are you taking your pick of applicants?

Labels: virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

1 Comments:

Gareth said...: Interesting thought.

I quite agree. Now is the time for movers and shackers.; 03 February 2009 10:34

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Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Business Software: is it any good?

I have just bought into a new software program that will help develop my company and provides email sequencing for enquiries to my training business. I have nearly 2000 on my mailing list and I want to ensure that potential clients receive all the information they need. However the set-up procedure is time consuming itself. It seems to me that software, or any tools of your trade are only as good as the time you can devote to them: preparation, preparation, preparation! I'm in danger of spending more time setting the thing up as it meant to save me! Have you had similar experiences?

Labels: business software, mailing list, time consuming, time saving, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

2 Comments:

Jeff Ogden said...: Time is the most precious commodity one has today. Software needs to be simplified. Look at the iPhone and iPod. Macs are selling. What do they have in common? Elegance and simplicity.; 27 January 2009 14:48
Gareth said...: What software did you get. I simply takes time to learn how to use it. If it is desingend well, the setup is simple and figuring out how to effectivly use it should be logical to some degree.; 03 February 2009 10:39

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Friday, 23 January 2009

Have you kept your January resolution?

Here we are, near the end of the first month of the year and I want to ask you about your resolutions! Did you put any in place? Personal or Business? And the BIG question…have you actually kept those resolutions? One of mine was to make more contributions to Blackstar on ecademy. But with my work becoming ever-more busy and a trip to hospital, this has slipped behind. I am hopefully making up for it now, with regular blogging and I am planning more developments for my clubs (with apologies to my club members!). So, what were your resolutions and have you kept them?

Labels: January, planning, promises, resolutions, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Wednesday, 21 January 2009

Now is the time of Obama

There were some pretty amazing scenes at this week's inauguration, where over one million people saw Barak Obama become the 44th president of the United States of America. It was full of 'pride, pomp and circumstance' as befitting such a monumental event, with parades of past presidents and speeches. Whatever the colour of your politics, or your thoughts of America, it was a fabulous spectacle, and one that we can tell our children about. Now is the time for change, as Mr Obama favoured saying during his electioneering. It's good to hear on the news that he has already making an impact to the foreign policy and his plans to revive the economy. Do you think now is the time of Obama?

Labels: America, Obama, president, usa, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa, virtual pa training

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Holidays – What have you planned for 2009

It’s very tempting, when you run your own business, not to take time off, to think that your input is too valuable for you to be absent for holidays. The truth is that you need to take some time off, to recharge your batteries. You may even think of a brilliant money-making, time-saving, or business-altering idea whilst you are sunning yourself on the beach or skiing down the piste. You could take a mobile/laptop with you, if you feel that insecure, but limit yourself to one call into the office every few days, or number of minutes on email. You should, of course, have managed your business prior to your departure: advise your clients; use a call handling service, such as mine; or if you employ staff or a virtual assistant, trust them to do a good job. This will then allow you the luxury, or rather the necessity, of a well-earned break, comfortable in the knowledge that the business is being taken care of. So start now, plan those trips and holidays in, whether they around the kids holidays, or your slower time (or hopefully a combination of the two, if you have both to consider!). Planning is the key to ensuring that this works successfully. I’m off to plan mine now, what holidays have you got to look forward to?

Labels: become a virtual assistant, holidays, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa

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Monday, 19 January 2009

Train travel - can it really be THIS bad?

I had to go into London recently (a regular but not daily trip, lucky for me) to a client meeting. I was appalled at my awful experience of travelling by train: not only at the expense, but also the service; the over-crowded carriages; and the lack of communication about the problem. On the trip in, no trains were stopping at my local station, so I had to drive to a further away, mainline station. The trip home (in the early evening) was even worse; we had to push our way onto the trains, and then were told to get off! It took so long, I was even worried that I would not make it home at all. The experience left me feeling exhausted and disgusted. I believe the problems stemmed from the awful incidents earlier in the week (the plane crash, the overheat power cables and/or the car in the level crossing.). However, they were all things that had occurred on previous days and surely could have been planned, organised, or at the very least communicated to the passengers. Has it really got this bad? Does anyone have a solution?

Labels: become a virtual assistant, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Thank You Lilach,
i had read your blog and it is bad that london train travel is awful experience of travelling by train, this was happend with me on last london travel.
Palace on wheels
Tags : indian luxury trains,Palace on Wheel Tour; 02 February 2009 05:55

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Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Growing pains, growing gains

One of the benefits of working for a large company is that the HR or training department often provides a whole range of self-development courses that you can try out when the mood takes you. This just isn’t the case for a small company when you are your own boss or one a very few employees. But ongoing training is important – just as it’s essential for a lawyer to do continuing professional development (CPD) or for a doctor to learn about the latest medical answers, it’s crucial for us to take the occasional day off work to improve our skills and knowledge. It might be a pain but it’s better for us and our clients.

Labels: virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa

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Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Is my future being demolished by demographics?

With the UK population experiencing a shift in demographic profile, by 2020 we will see the over-65s outnumbering the under-16s. This is a harsh reality for those of us who are half-way through our working careers. I am feeling the need for a proper review of my financial planning to make sure my Golden Years are everything I hope they will be. As a small business owner, how are you planning for your retirement?

Labels: secretarial services, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa courses

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Tuesday, 8 July 2008

The internet – could you do business without it?

It’s amazing to think how the world of business has changed with the internet. If you are reading this then the chances are that the internet has a role to play in your business and its success. How do you split your on and off line activities and the way in which each contributes to you business? Do you know what the split is and can you measure your activities to gauge their impact.

I do wonder how I would work if the internet disappeared overnight – would you cope and how?

Labels: internet, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa training

1 Comments:

Truly Ace said...: I wouldn't cope is the simple answer, my business is entirely supported and based around the Internet.

I think quite a lot of businesses are now - and why not embrace the technology that allows this.

Is the Internet going anywhere? I hope not! :); 15 July 2008 21:44

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Tuesday, 1 July 2008

How do you get your message across at a networking event?

I do quite a lot of networking. I enjoy the experience because I view it differently now to when I started. For me, it’s about building relationships not getting business. One issue I’m very conscious of is how to set myself apart and make myself memorable. Think about the networking events you have been to in the last six months. How much do you remember from what people have said to you. I’m pretty sure you will struggle to remember much. So, if you can’t remember the majority of what people have told you, how do you expect to be remembered yourself and what are you doing to change that?

Labels: networking, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa training

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Thursday, 10 April 2008

Networking – what do you ask?

What’s the first question you ask when you meet someone at a networking event? Or, are you the one answering the questions? Does it vary and does that mean you don’t have a networking strategy? Networking is a first step in building a trusted business relationship but still, in this day and age, people treat it like a glorified raffle – a bit of random selection and hope for the best. I’ve lost count of the number of times I chat to people about a networking event and they say how disappointed they were not to come away with any business. Would you really consider giving someone business when you’ve only just met them and maybe only spent a total of about ten minutes talking to them. I wouldn’t. It’s all about quality not quantity and how you follow-up on that initial meeting, isn’t it?

Labels: networking, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa training

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Wednesday, 2 April 2008

Gordon’s Nightmares – Cooking or Marketing?

Gordon Ramsey’ Kitchen Nightmares – is that about cooking, good business sense or marketing or all combined? It’s interesting that despite the programme being highly predictable it’s not only entertaining, of a sort, but a lesson in marketing. In fact, it’s probably one of the best examples to demonstrate how understanding what a local population wants, and then giving it to them, is really what business is about. Of course, there are may other lessons which are repeated – doing your research, finding your niche and keeping things simple but they are linked to marketing and good business sense. So, is Gordon a fabulous chef or an expert businessman?

Labels: Gordon Ramsey, marketing, virtual assistant, virtual assistant training, virtual pa training

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