As small business owners we wear a lot of hats. We are the bookkeeper, the marketing manager (unless of course you have a VA) and the ‘boss’ among others. We start our business with passion, enthusiasm and energy but as time goes by how do you remain enthusiastic about your business? How do you keep ahead of the competition in your industry?

You do all this by continuing to learn and grow as a business owner and as an individual, ie personal development. It’s important to recognise that we all don’t know everything there is to know about being a business owner and this is where training, research, further education can assist.

Making a commitment to your personal development is not hard. Decide that growing and learning is important to you and then make it a priority. Attend tele-seminars, conferences, training courses, listen to podcasts or read about a particular topic pertinent to your industry and to your business. The idea is to learn something new about integrating technology into your business practices. Undertake coaching. Whatever it is you decide to do, make a decision and then stick to it. You won’t regret it, you may get extra work out of it and your customers/clients may even thank you.

So what’s your plan for your personal development for 2008 and what does it include? Mine includes studying at TAFE for certification in Website design (to reinforce and show what I already know) and attending the Business Mums Conference in July and the OVIAC in May.

One of the great things about working from home is the flexibility you have in your daily schedule, work schedule and of course clothing LOL. Now that I have an assistant, I have to get dressed in the morning but for me, celebrating ‘Doing Business in your Bathrobe’ month is about celebrating the flexibility of working from home.

If I was to count the hours spent marketing my business, networking with other business owners, doing my own Admin (although Beckie is doing a lot more of this for me these days) AND hours spent doing client work, I work about 40 hours a week. Beckie averages about 15 hours a week and is about to go to 25 hours a week. If I was in a JOB it would simply be impossible. I have three small children and I know that I wouldn’t cope working outside the home – been there and done that!

My biggest fan (my 7 year old son) said to me “mum, I’m so glad you’re here with me after school and that you don’t have to go out to work like dad”. How can I not celebrate working from home with a fan club of 3?

“Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Month” is an initiative of the Business Mums Network www.businessmums.com.au to support entrepreneurs everywhere who are taking their work and pay cheques into their own hands. Visit the Business Mums Network website today and participate in the Scavenger Hunt – there are some great prizes on offer!

When Kylie Short started Tilda Virtual Services (TVS) less than two years ago, she never dreamt she’d soon be faced with the choice of building a team or turning away clients clamoring for her services. Many business owners dream of the day they will add associates or employees and begin to make money by delegating work to a trusted team. “I started my business to provide a job for myself and its gone so much further then that now”, says Short. “I don’t like to turn anyone away so I decided to learn more about becoming a Multi-VA practice and started a search for highly qualified associates to join my business and my team.” Clients of Tilda Virtual Services know they can count on Short and her team. Each VA is selected due to their skills, specialty and chosen niche for their own business. The goal was to build a formidable team providing exceptional administrative support to TVS clients. “I’m not happy unless my client’s are happy and to do that I needed to bring in people who have additional skills to those of my own. As a team, we provide a holistic approach to all our client’s administrative needs.”

Lincoln Short, Kylie’s husband works full-time at another job, yet part-time at TVS because he was inspired by the growth of the business and wanted to take part. Together they strategize and plan future development. Lincoln serves as a programmer providing technical support for Tilda Hosting Services as well as Web site assistance for TVS clients. Other additions to team TVS include Daniel Morris of Planet Chopstick who provides Web design assistance and programming assistance. Laurie Dart of Writing Wisely specializes in writing Web site content, articles, press releases, eBooks and other materials. Angela Carpenter of On Task Solutions serves as graphic designer and Lisa Callsen of Limelight Consulting and Training provides general administrative services such as uploading products to client’s website/estore. Deirdre Shockley of Deirdre’s Virtual Office takes care of travel arrangements, dynamic PowerPoint presentations, reports, word processing, e-zines and databases.

To facilitate collaboration and communication, Short and her team use Web applications such as Basecamp and VoIP on a regular basis, making time zones and distance a thing of the past. “Every single member of my team is located interstate or internationally to me. We’d be lost without a way to project manage client work”, says Short. Clients of TVS are already recognizing the benefits of the new team. “Tilda Virtual Services is an essential part of my business. I simply would not be able to offer the same great range of services without their support.” says Angela den Hollander of Communic8 Design.

For more information about Tilda Virtual Services and individual team members, visit the Web site at http://www.tildavirtual.com.au/.

Through wooing a potential client this week, the subject of rates came up in our discussion as it often does. But the difference with this potential client is that he questioned my rates and why aren’t I cheaper?

To start with it really ‘threw me’ off balance. I’ve never had to justify my rates to anyone before because the majority of my clients come through referrals these days. It made me question myself and how I do business.

But it was a good question. Why am I Kylie Short, owner of Tilda Virtual Services worth the hourly rate that I charge?

I’m going to tell the truth here because we’re all friends right? I charge the rate that I charge because I’m darn good at what I do. I’m an expert in all things Administrative and I have the qualifications and experience to back it all up. I’m a perfectionist with a mean research streak and I love to learn. In fact I can’t help it. I NEED to learn.

Just because I’m virtual doesn’t mean I’m worth any less per hour then the business down the street with a shop front. Unlike most business owners I’ve calculated my break even point. I’ve calculated a budget for the rest of this financial year (in Australia the financial year runs from July to June) and I know what profit I want to make per hour so I can afford new technology, software and training for my team, which ultimately benefits YOU. I have ongoing expenses because I am a professional business owner with REAL overheads and REAL payroll to cover each week.

It may seem like I am ranting but surprisingly I’m not. Quite frankly questioning my rates because I’m virtual does not surprise me at all. I’ve been told that the ’4 Hour Work Week’ by Tim Ferris is a great read and that yes he does mention Virtual Assistants on two pages. Two whole pages where he discusses outsourcing your business and personal life to Virtual Assistants in India. Two questions I’m going to leave you with is:

1. Is your Virtual Assistant a professional, qualified business owner dedicated to getting to know you and your business?
2. Does their rate reflect the cost of living for their country/region?

If you can answer yes to both these questions and your VA is charging less then I do then good for you. Otherwise cough up because I don’t negotiate. My rate is my rate. Take it or leave it.

The beauty of the Internet means that you are no longer limited to using resources and suppliers in your region, state or country. Web applications such as Basecamp and similar allow you to keep in touch with your clients in other timezones without clogging up your in-box. The world has become flat and accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

My personal philosophy of business relies on collaboration between all stakeholders in a project. But what is collaboration and how can it be used in today’s online society?

Collaboration quite simply is the process of  working together with another person to accomplish goals and/or objectives. What this means to my business is that opinions, experience and insights from the client, myself, my suppliers and my associates are all weighed in when attempting to achieve the project objectives.

The key to true collaboration although is in your willingness to listen and learn from others. Managing a team be it virtual or actual is something that doesn’t come easily for all of us.

What strategies do you use for collaboration within your team? Are your team members responsive to this way of management? How do you deal with micromanagers and their need to control every aspect of a project?

When I began my business, it was easy to be productive and to maintain contact with my clients. Reaching deadlines was never a problem and everyone was happy. Since then, I had another baby and my business has grown very quickly.

In the face of it all, it would be easy to lose productivity and get caught up in answering emails, returning phone calls, marketing and networking but I still need to get these things done. I still need to market my business and build my brand even though I am just about full.

So what should I do?

For me, the increase in stress levels just about did me in. I don’t like to turn anyone away, especially if they have a need and so I found myself taking on work and promising to have it done quickly. For me, I’ve always tried to under promise and over deliver, but when you are doing this for EVERYONE, something has to give. That something for me was sleep which of course caused stress.

To maintain my productivity I’ve implemented a couple of strategies that I will share with you now.

Firstly, I’ve hired myself an in-house assistant and her name is Beckie. I’ve only had her for 3 days but gosh can she work. She shows initative, completes work quickly and at a high level of quality and the best thing is, she’s completed tasks that I’ve had on my to-do list since the start. Things like creating and sending a client feedback form or tidying up my contacts. Beckie is an absolute star and I can already see big things for her. I have big plans for Beckie and together we will be tackling some huge projects that are near and dear to me.

Secondly, I’ve added three Virtual Assistants to my team. Laurie Dart, Lisa Callsen and Deirdre Shockley are all highly qualified administrative professionals and each have their own niche or speciality. I decided to become a multi-VA business simply because I don’t like to turn anyone away and although I may act like a ‘know it all’ at times, I DON’T know it all. Between the four of us WE DO!

Tilda Virtual Services can now provide a holistic approach to each client’s needs. This has been a goal for me since the beginning of my business and now after 18 months it has come to fruition.

Remaining productive is something we all need to address at various stages of the business life cycle. Whether you are in the startup phase or in the business growth phase like I am, how you deal with it and plan for productivity can often mean the difference between keeping those great clients and losing them. I plan to keep ALL my clients and growing the number of Virtual Assistants I call Associates. I want to connect clients to solutions and I can now do this without stress and without leaving anyone behind.

I’ve also begun using Basecamp again. I started using it a few months ago and none of my clients seemed to get into it. That has all changed now! My team are based in the States and to access important information about each client we needed a collaborative space in which to do it. Basecamp helps us to do this while reducing the number of emails I get daily. So how do you remain productive? Can you outsource your administration too? I have to say that being on the ‘other side of the fence’ is definitely an eye opener and I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner!

I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You receive an email or a phone call inquiring about your business and how you can help them. They’re excited to have found you and in most cases have already read your website. They know the benefits of using a (please circle) Virtual Assistant/Freelancer/Website Designer/Graphic Designer and they are ready to talk to you about how you can help them realise their dreams and goals. They are ready to sign the dotted line.

Just like courting a new lover you answer phone calls and emails straight away because you’re just so excited to be working with this new client. You want to build a relationship quickly but steadily and so you make yourself more available then you would tend to normally.

After a while, you start to ease back on the gas. You are still enjoying every moment of working together but the rest of your clients are feeling left out and perhaps even jealous.

You start to feel torn between your new client and your existing clients. You definitely have enough time to go around but how do you make them all feel just as equally important as each other? How do you keep that new relationship “glow”?

C’mon, I know I’m not the only one to have done it. And this is where I’m going to get a little preachy with you. You need to continue making each client feel like they are the most important one you have. To do this you need what I call a “Communications Plan”.

A Communications Plan is simply having a system in which you maintain contact with your clients, especially the ones you aren’t working with on a daily basis. If you don’t maintain contact and communicate with your clients, how will you know when they need you? How will you know they are satisfied with their current level of service? How will you know if you are seeing the ‘real’ them and they are seeing the ‘real’ you? And finally, how will you know if your working relationship is a good fit for both parties?

Your Communications Plan can be made up of various strategies including:

• Weekly emails
• Weekly/Fortnightly or Monthly teleconference or online meetings
• Monthly “Clients Only” newsletters
• Handwritten notes or cards
• The possibilities are endless…..

The key here is to being regular and consistent. Your client may be extremely busy and is still learning how to use a Virtual Assistant. If you don’t keep in regular contact, how will you know when that client is finally ready to hand over some of their to do list to you?

I for one will be working on my Communications Plan as I’ve been a bit lax these last few weeks. Having a Communications Plan is how I plan to make each of my clients feel as important as each other.

Do you have a Communications Plan in place already and if so, have you recorded it somewhere to remind you? What system do you use to keep in touch with your client base and why have you chosen to use it? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Working from home comes with its own hazards. Friends dropping by, toddlers under the table, spouse not being supportive…..

The main hazard in working from home is the good ole ‘time stealer’. Time stealers can come in a variety of forms but typically look like your closest friend/sister/mother-in-law dropping by for a cuppa because ‘oh but you’re at home now’. It can also look like the washing waiting to be hung out to dry. It can also be you procrastinating by surfing the internet instead of doing client work.

How you deal with these time stealers will help to define you as a professional.

Begin with defining your boundaries to family and friends. Tell them you are working at to come back at 4pm. Once you do this a couple of times, not only is it liberating but they will start to understand. AND you’ll start to feel better and perhaps see yourself in a different light.
Remove all distractions. You’d be surprised at how much you can get done without that basket sitting there looking at you. If removing a distraction includes outsourcing certain things around the house, then do it.

Be mindful of the time you waste doing non-billing activities. If its to build your business or if its for educational/research purposes, then so be it. But if you are just flat out wasting time then you need to look a bit deeper and see why you are procrastinating. There is a stack of open source software out there on the internet that can log every stroke you make to enable you to analyse where you are spending your time. You might be unpleasantly surprised to just see where you time is going.

So share with us your time wasters. What are they and what do you do to prevent them from stealing your time?

I find it interesting the number of people who seem to think that just because I’ve had a baby (three in fact) I don’t have a brain anymore, that I obviously left it in the delivery room. I don’t understand why anyone would think that entrepreneurs who happen to work from home work any less harder then those working in a cubicle.

Kathie Thomas has written an excellent book called “Worth more than Rubies” which I feel more then sums up why I choose to own my own home based business.

She recently asked me my opinion and experiences of working when pregnant. My response to her was:

I started my Virtual Assistant (VA) business 34 weeks pregnant with my third child. Yes some people would see this as crazy and illogical but for me it was the best decision for me and my family.

Having been in the position of starting a new job and then finding out I was pregnant with my second child, I found it very difficult to hide my pregnancy due to severe morning sickness. Ultimately after 4 short months I was ‘let go’ and even though I felt it was due to my pregnancy I could never prove it. The changes your body go through are something to be celebrated, we are creating life and yet some women still feel the need to hide their pregnancies from their employer. All just to save their jobs. Working from home ensured that I wouldn’t have to disclose my pregnancy to anyone unless I wanted to.

With my third pregnancy I was diagnosed with Polyhydraminos which basically means there was too much amniotic fluid around my daughter Matilda. So instead of having the usual litre of fluid, I had THREE. I was so large and the stress on my body was unbearable with the stress beginning at 24 weeks. I looked full term at 24 weeks and I was unable to drive my Magna (with the seat all the way back). I had to beg my darling mother in law to come and help me just get through the day and to help me get my boys to school each morning. The one place I didn’t experience difficulties was my home office. Why? Because I set it up ergonomically correct and with my pregnancy in mind when we built the house a few months beforehand.

Being a home based business meant that on my ‘off’ days I controlled when I worked and for how long. I can also tell you it came as a surprise to my clients when I announced my maternity leave. “What!! You’re pregnant??? How did this happen??” Erm, in the usual way the last time I checked, thanks!

Being able to select who I announced my pregnancy to was a definite bonus as not all clients appreciated that I could still complete the work to the same high level of quality. I didn’t leave my brain in the labour ward with my first baby and so I choose to work and own my VA business. Being invisible meant I could share my pregnancy with those who mattered – my family, friends and valued clients.

So share with me how you deal with people judging you for having a home based business. Have you found it more difficult to obtain funding for your business or perhaps suppliers were less eager to come on board? How do you choose to deal with this type of situation? Do you proudly wear your work at home status or do you hide it?

A member of one of my forums brought this article to our attention. Not only does it explain what VoIP is but it goes on to explain how you can implement it in your home or corporate office.

Have a read and let me know what you think. Personally I feel VoIP is a great business asset for any small business, particularly a home based business.