Posts Tagged ‘home office’
Tech Support is Vital to Small Biz Owners
Who is your Tech Support Department?
I recently did a presentation to the IAAP Halifax Dartmouth Chapter (International Association of Administrative Professionals) on Working Virtually with Clients. Essentially I was giving traditional Admin Professionals a view on what you need to start your own Virtual Assistant Business and how you can work virtually with people.
The essence of the talk is that as a Virtual Assistant (VA) you are a small business owner and now responsible for all things related to your business: operations, sales, marketing, accounting, as well as the main business services you offer and then of course, technical support.
Technical support as a small business owner is not something to be taken lightly. Especially for a business like a Virtual Assistant. Everything we do is on our computers – client files, info are stored here and almost all of our business is done via our computer. Without our computers we could hardly carry on any business. Yet, it is an area that many people take lightly and tend not to weigh as important as it should be.
In my talk to the IAAP, I recall using these exact words when it came to technical support:
You now own your own business and are solely responsible fro Technical Support – there is no longer a helpful person on call when needed to help fix your computer issues or help you when your computer screen goes blank for no reason. There is also no mysterious backup system in place that backs up all your files overnight while you are home sleeping.
You will need reliable tech support and I do NOT mean your friend’s 14 year old son who is “good with computers” .
A friend who owns her own business recently took the plunge and got a computer; prior to this all paperwork had been done by hand or in a spreadsheet: client records, orders, inventory… everything. They have moved into the computer generated world, which is a good step. I learned of this upgrade when I drove my son home from school last week – he mentioned his friend will not be going to Scouts that night because he was going to be setting up his mom’s laptop and computer for her business. His age?? 14. 
Her computer will help run the business in an easier more efficient way and allow clients to make online orders via email from away… a good step forward. Her choice of tech support professional however, is not one I would recommend.
As a business owner you need to make certain you have reliable technical support. Get a professional to help you determine the needs for your computer system, recommendations for firewalls and anti-virus systems and the most important part, your backup system. You need to make certain if your computer crashes that you can be up and running as soon as possible. If you have lost all your files, records, and programs you can be sure that it may take days or even weeks to restore everything you need.
Think about this… and think about what system you have in place. Don’t let a poor choice of support for your business be the cause of days and weeks of lost work and revenue and worst of all – your client’s confidence in your services and abilities.
Work at Home? How’s your Support System
Distractions at Work – Staying Productive
Kathy's family at the Beach
This week, I returned from two weeks away on vacation. We had a fabulous time in New England at Old Orchard Beach and I was able to check some emails and do a bit of needed work, but my preparations before I left and my team support while gone really made it easy to be away from the office.
Of course we returned at a very busy time – not only is it the end of the month (books and billing due), but the kids are still home and needed a few more things before starting school on Sept 2nd AND add to this one of the worst heat waves I have ever experienced in Nova Scotia.
Today the temps got up near 34 C (about 88 F) and with our lovely maritime humidity it felt like 41 C (104 F). I am not very good with high temperatures like this – not at all. So my productivity this week has been less than my norm and that only adds to the cranky-i-ness.
We are all human and have issues at times. Today mine was the heat. Oh, the horrible heat of the last few days. Earlier this summer I told my husband (during another mini heat wave) that I had had enough and was going to buy a portable air conditioner for my office. Of course, it was a hard sell, that type of purchase, when in all honesty I might only need it a few weeks (even days) every year. Yet the arguments against it were coming from someone who works day in and out in a nicely air conditioned office building. So we decided it was not something we would pursue.
Yesterday, however, was my breaking point. We all have them, and mine was when I started sweating in places I did not know that it was possible to do. The kids were all cranky and hot, I was cranky and hot and nothing (not even a quick trip down the road to the neighbourhood beach) could keep my mind off the uncomfortableness of it all. Needless to say I was not very productive at all. I even tried working late at night, but the heat just wouldn’t go away.
As a small business owner, my work is the business and if I cannot work then not too much gets done. And this heat wave is to continue until Friday night when we will probably get hit by Hurricane Earl.
This morning when I got up at 7 and the day was already stifling, I made my executive decision. Right after walking the dog, and checking some online availability, I headed out – telling the kids I would be back in while.
I went right to my local Canadian Tire store (think Lowe’s, but even better) and found what I was after – the tool to make me a productivity machine! I also got the extra materials I needed to rig up something to make it work properly and back home I went to spend the next 3 hours on setup. (Or should I say sweat up)
The end result was absolutely what I needed. Sometimes you just have to go for it and take the steps needed to make everything work properly. And that is exactly what I did. I took a picture and emailed it to my husband at his work. His response?
“You look happier in this picture than you did on our wedding day.” (Absolutely not true, but I was pretty happy).
You can see for yourself my level of happiness!
The lesson for other Work at Home and Small Business Owners – Staying productive is Key. Always be looking to implement systems or use tools that will help run your business efficiently and keep you productive. And, these tools/systems may not always be standard to everyone.
PS. Hubby was quite okay in the end with my purchase – partly because by the time he made it home from work, the humidex was setting records all over the province and neighbouring ones as well. My task for tomorrow? Figuring out how to keep everyone from crowding in my office to stay cool! 
Learning to Say NO
After being a work-at-home entrepreneur for over 2 years, I can say that the toughest item on this list for me, personally, is learning to say no to potential clients or customers. It’s a scary thought isn’t it? Saying no to new business.
When you work for yourself – especially in the early days – you’re not always sure where that next pay cheque is coming from. Even when the customer roster is full this month, you can’t be positive the same will be true next month or the month after, this creates the habit of taking on more work than you can comfortably perform. After all, isn’t a few nights of burning the midnight oil well worth the benefit of having a little more padding in the bank account?
The problem is, working too much to stay ahead causes us stress and job burnout – and it also makes spouses and families a tad angry! So you just exchange one stress point (finances) for another (overwork and family pressure). There is a solution, although you’re not going to like it. Set a limit and stick to it. I learned this well from a colleague, Yvonne Weld
I know, I know, this is easier said than done – trust me I have been working hard to achieve the balance with my Virtual Assistant business. But I can honestly say that I’ve never had a customer or client disappear into thin air when I told him or her they had to wait a few weeks or months to work with me. In fact, it often shows that you’re in demand and that you can pick and choose who you work with, and when. That’s a valuable trait.
How do you make your limits?
Set a plan for all types of work; decide how many products you’re going to release, how many interviews you’re going to do, how many coaching clients you’re going to work with, how many articles you’ll write, or how many hours you’re going to work per week for clients, and then stop. That’s it – no more. (Of course, keeping in mind your most valuable clients are your present ones and they deserve top notch service – but you can still maintain your boundaries with them). All the parties must be made aware of the boundaries as well in order to be fair and for it to work.
One of the best ways to keep your work commitments at a tolerable level is to make a commitment to your family. You can start with committing to attending every hockey game, every football game, and every piano recital. You can promise dinner each evening, or read out of a chapter book every night to your children. This will make you accountable to your own scheduled work day. You may feel a momentary pang of regret or anxiety when you tell a potential client “no” or “wait.” I’m willing to bet it will soon fade when you realize how much less stressed you are on a day-to-day basis, and how much happier your home life is!
You are the boss of your time. Does your family know that? There you are sitting at your desk in your home office, available to everyone – kids, spouse, neighbors, friends – at a moments notice. You wanted to work at home so you COULD be available to your family, but you will need limits to make it work.
What kind of limits work for you? Feel free to comment and share as this is always an area where new ideas can help everyone else out!
The Email Inbox Monster
I was inspired for this blog post when talking to a friend of mine the other day. She is starting a bookkeeping business and will be working from home. She made a point of saying how she will have to start managing her mornings better; she has found herself having to take a computer break around 10 or 11 to have a shower and get dressed. (Yes, office folks, that is something we work at home people can do – work in pajamas or sweats if we choose)
What my friend has found happening is she is getting lost in emails and work before she has even gotten ready to start her day. She wakes up before the kids and hubby and goes to check her emails. She starts acting on some of the emails and soon has to rush to get the kids off to school and then sits back down at the computer to finish what she started. When she finally looks up it is mid morning and she now needs to get showered and dressed. She also made the comment – “and it seems like I have been working all morning yet nothing was getting done”.
She’s falling into the email trap and it is so easy to do.
Time Management experts will tell you to plan out your day and schedule in time for checking emails. Your inbox can be the biggest time-suck in any workday – whether at home or in an office setting. The best piece of advice they recommend is to NOT check your emails first thing in the morning but to attend to tasks that need completion first. Accomplish and finish one or two main tasks and then check your emails. The best process I have seen so far is:
First, have a to-do list or schedule set for the day. Take the time to write it out the night before – or once for the entire week with adjustments during the day and things change – then have a revolving system that goes as follows:
- Tackle one or two main tasks first thing. Get them done!
- Then make time to check emails. Process the emails as recommended in another blog post here – DANG my Inbox Looks Great! * VIP!!! remember that you do not have to followup on each email immediately.
- Move onto the next items in your daily schedule and later go back to check your inbox again.
Ideally you should be able to check your emails 3-4 times per day, depending upon your type of business and how work is assigned/processed. The main point is to have a plan around your daily tasks, larger projects and your inbox. Letting them all run wild will result in you thinking statements as my friend did and you will find yourself being less productive, getting more and more disorganized and wasting time.
What tips do you have for keeping the inbox monster at bay?? Please share them here.
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