Social Media – preparing for 2016 Have you started preparing for 2016? It is that time of the year when everything, except Christmas shopping (which incidentally I haven’t really started yet!) stops. You can’t get appointments with your solicitor or bank manager as they’ve finished for the holidays. No one will make an appointment to…
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What is Rapportive? In an earlier blog, I talked about how I manage my contacts and referred to a tool which I use which links to my Gmail and gives me access to the contact’s social media profiles. This wonderful little tool is called Rapportive. Rapportive is a Google Chrome Extension which shows you a…
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15 sales tips to grow your business In the early days of starting my business, I attended a business sales course with Monkey’s Paw, based in Exeter. Although I have a background in sales, having been a Mortgage Consultant for part of my career, I found it very useful to attend this course to refresh…
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Essential smartphone apps for busy people Like many of you, I have utilised the flexibility and functionality of my SmartPhone to ensure that I have to hand everything that I need to make my life easier. I am a massive fan of the apps available to help me do this, and as a Virtual Assistant…
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How to manage your contacts – tips from a Virtual Assistant How to manage your contacts I have generally found that after attending networking meetings, I often come home with arms full of business cards. What to do with them is the next question? Do you keep them all in a little box, beautifully organised…
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How much do you know about Digital Marketing and how things are changing? Tips from the Optix Solutions Digital Marketing Conference In November I attended a great Digital Marketing workshop run by a local Digital Marketing firm, Optix Solutions. The event covered digital marketing trends and how things are likely to change in the…
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Why volunteering matters You may not know that I have been an active member of the Scouting movement in Exeter for around twenty years. Over this time I have held a number of roles, beginning as a pack helper with the 6th Exeter (St Thomas) Cub Pack, and soon then achieving my Warrant and…
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30 Day Blogging Challenge It appears that everything has to be done in 30 days when you have a new business! I started my research into launching my Virtual Assistant business by following a book called The 30 Day VA Challenge. I’ve given myself 30 days to try different business networks to see what suits me…
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The story of my PA-EA-VA career The role of a Personal Assistant or Executive Assistant is a hugely rewarding and varied role. Long gone are the days of when the role was purely a secretarial one, the modern PA/EA is a strategic partner in any business. Yes, we undertake traditional tasks such as minute taking,…
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Information Overload One of the most difficult things that I am finding as a new business owner is the mass of information out there, and the vast number of tools available! You’d think this would be a positive thing but it can be quite overwhelming! Don’t get me wrong, the internet is a wonderful thing, you…
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