by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jan 2, 2014 | Entrepreneur, Goals, Small Business
Change up the experiment if you want different results. Old news but so true. You can’t expect something to change if you are doing the same old tired routines day in and day out. No matter what it is, personal or professional, it is up to you to be accountable and design the success you want.
It is when you push the boundaries of your comfort zone that challenge and change become inevitable. This is your place for growth. Don’t buck change. Embrace it. When you become shaky, nervous, maybe even a little queasy, you will know that you just took that needed leap toward greater things. Congratulate yourself. Rewards are on their way to you.
Be Encouraged! There is growth and life outside of your comfort zone! Chery Gegelman
No one else will deliver your dessert. Use the finest ingredients if you want a tasty rich slice of cake.
Anyone can simply rip open a box and add water. Toss the boxed mix, tin foil pan and plastic spoon.
Use the highest grade, unrefined flour. Raw sugar. Real cocoa. You get the idea. Nothing processed or prepackaged.
Dump the status quo and acceptance of being average to craft the pinnacle torte with chocolate ganache for full-bodied ecstasy on your tongue that makes your taste buds burst with excitement.
Can you taste it? What does it look like to you? What will it take to build this mouthwatering dessert?
No matter what your goals may be, it takes planning, commitment and time.
- Envision your dessert and build it.
- Set attainable goals.
- Implement the tools you WILL use: whatever works best for you.
- Create your plan with action steps and a timeline.
- Be accountable.
- Taste the ingredients. Modify if necessary.
- Know that a redirect is sometimes required.
- Challenge old assumptions.
- Oven temperatures vary.
- Don’t burn the chocolate.
- Find a sous chef or two. Delegating helps you scale.
- If your cake falls in, make another one. Failure is a success point.
Is it difficult or frustrating to instigate change? Hell yes. You have all been there. That is what life is about. You must take risks and get uncomfortable if you want to taste the reward of success. These outer limits that you test, show you who you are, what you are made of, your real strength and resolve and that you CAN do accomplish anything you dream about. The biggest risk, is not risking anything at all.
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did. H. Jackson Browne, Jr.
It can be a scary place but strap on the mindset and turn on that mixer.
Be BOLD with your goals.
This is 2014 and time for change.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Oct 23, 2013 | Goals, Life Thoughts
Success and innovation require a proactive approach with goals and action steps to clear your path toward accomplishment. On the road of life, you are bound to encounter obstacles and roadblocks, but these aren’t meant to stop you. They are presented as challenges to overcome.
Jumping the hurdles isn’t always easy and may seem like huge setbacks, but use each as an opportunity, as a learning tool for growth and changes for the next round. Don’t sit back and stagnate or simply wish things were different.
- MAKE an effort to evolve
- Brainstorm changes
- Visualize your goals
- Design a vision board
Mastering or overcoming these challenges is what creates a great sense of accomplishment and joy in your life. Sure, it may be easier just to give up or retreat at times, but what will you have to show for it? What opportunities or people will you have discounted?
You will have to begin once again. This time with a new plan. There is no need to continually start over. Refine your path. Your tools. Your knowledge, but don’t quit. Every time you walk away from a situation or a goal, you will be left with unfinished business and who knows how close you were to succeeding. Get to the finish line no matter how difficult you think it is.
Challenges can make life much more interesting and meaningful. Remember the road less traveled?
If you recoil at any small change or difficulty that does not fit into your scheme of things, take a step back and ask yourself why? What are you afraid of? What don’t you want to face? How will it affect you five years from now? Does it really matter?
If you are dealing with another individual or a group, seek to listen, understand and communicate WITH, not AT them. Don’t make assumptions based upon your perception of the situation as that can only exacerbate the issues.
Assess the concerns and disputes after everyone has had a fair and open opportunity to speak.
Keep an open mind.
Accept responsibility for your part in creating any problems or discrepancies.
Seek to make changes as well as plans to offset any future worries.
Life doesn’t have to be so difficult. It is what you make it. It is what you want it to be. It will be as you perceive it, but ensure accuracy.
Face your hurdles head on! Don’t retract – you are meant to achieve and master your life – your business.
“Don’t take the casual approach to life. Casualness leads to casualties.” — Jim Rohn
What a powerful quotation. Whether in your business or personal life, a blasé sense of indifference gets you nowhere. If you want something, you must go after it.
Benchwarmers do not get to score.
Now let’s get ready to cheer on the Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series!! #fearthebeard
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 19, 2013 | Time Management
Time management is always a hot topic as we seem to think we have so little time to effectively manage our days and have some semblance of work life balance. You too want to get more things accomplished while the clock keeps ticking and more tasks seem to pile up.
What can you do? Get a handle on your time, your interruptions and your distractions. Thanks to technology and the digital world, we are always connected and being bombarded with data overload. Crush the chaos. It can take all of the discipline you can muster to tune out the influx of information coming at you. Time can be an elusive mystery when you are in a constant struggle to find more of it, so it is up to you to invest in your time, in your life, in your business. The best thing you can do is learn to manage yourself to better manage your time. “Choice management.”
Determine where you want to be and who you want to be when you grow up and then, start planning.
4 Steps to Effective Time Management
Step One
Release your tie to your inbox.
It seems so simple, yet as soon as a notification pops up, off we go. Let’s see what came in. Every email does not need to create a sense of urgency. By continually monitoring your Smartphone and inbox, you generate a stop/start cycle in your work. It distracts you from your most current focus. You can let it go. Schedule specific times during the day to read emails. You can create an autoresponder letting your senders know the times you will be checking your email. You can also apply this to your phone, text messages and other IMs. Each time you stop to read a new message, you not only interrupt your work flow and concentration, but you tack on more time to complete a project, thereby decreasing your efficiency and productivity.
You must manage your Blackberry; do not let it manage you. Many executives check their smartphones throughout meetings and during off-hours. This is not good for concentration, and has a negative impact on decision making. Use it only in bursts: check emails for an hour or so and then put it away so you can focus on the task at hand. Richard Branson
Step Two
Have a plan!! A blueprint for success
Your outline or goal sheet will help to give you a roadmap to accomplish your objectives. When you don’t create a plan or at least a daily To Do list at minimum, your days are spent “willy nilly,” putting out fires, managing what you can remember, they daily influx of projects or the To Dos that are most current. You need a clear direction and plan, outlining your short term and long term goals for success enabling you to prioritize your tasks, projects and desired outcomes. You don’t want to wander aimlessly and miss an important oasis.
Prioritizing is the root of all small business evil. You must take the time to sit down and prioritize your day. Ideally before you leave the office, have a list written for the next day. Once you have a priority of daily tasks being organized becomes easy. Steve Freeman
Step Three
Tomorrow never comes! Tackle it now.
Procrastination is a killer of all things; don’t be fooled by putting something off until you feel like it or think there is a better time to finish up. The time is now, not later. Does your procrastination resemble a little fun on Pinterest, trolling Facebook profiles and your news feed or other types of busy work? Well, just stop right now and realize what you aren’t accomplishing. You are setting yourself up for doom and gloom because when you take the time to review your completed list, nothing got done or was only half managed. Set a To Do timer and commit to it. Forget the non-essentials, your time robbers and FOCUS!! Know what is important and why. Make your list with action steps and stick to it. Create task reminders. Use whatever system works for you, but use a system.
Step Four
Organize!
Organization enhances your time management and productivity. If you have to consistently search for documents,you are wasting your valuable time. File documents, emails, bookmark websites, make lists of your logins and remember everything has a place so keep it there. The more time you spend searching for things, the more time you lose.
You can learn to be more efficient in your time management which will in turn fire up your productivity.
What steps will you institute today?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 3, 2013 | Entrepreneur, Productivity, Small Business
I was listening to a podcast this weekend about sales and service. There is always room for work and personal development when you own your own business. It never stops. Personally, I am always on and eager to learn more for both you and me.
Back to the podcast: You want the best service and products and we want to deliver. That goes without saying but being the best customer goes beyond signing an agreement or clicking pay now.
This post isn’t about creating your buyer personas and identifying the ideal customer. It is about BEING the best customer to ensure complete satisfaction and deliverables.
As the vendor, your vested partner, we have a job to do and most of us strive to be the pinnacle of providers. Our business depends on it because if we don’t, there is someone else who will. Your needs are to be met, better yet, exceeded. But we need YOU to do your part as well.
In your mind’s eye, what characteristics represent your own best client? The kind you love to work with? The one that is so productive, enriching and fun, making your job so much easier?
Sure, there can be daily challenges or differences of opinion, but those can be easily seen as strengths to develop a strong working relationship. It takes two to make it work, efficiently and effectively.
The 4 Cs of being the ideal client:
Cultivation:
Doesn’t it feel wonderful when you establish a new relationship, feeling the vibrancy and synergy? You know it is going to work out. You are excited to move forward. Don’t lose this feeling because of the daily grind and pressures of running your business. A successful partnership, like any connection, requires effort and mutuality. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or schedule strategy calls if you have new ideas or ventures you want to discuss. We welcome that interaction and want to serve you.
“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.” Lewis Carol
Communication:
It goes beyond just telling us about your plans and visions, which of course are vital to our success ratio, but we also need open communications, transparency and feedback. Creating the initial foundation after the sale, especially when in the service industry, is paramount to our long-term partnership. Clear and succinct details and desired outcomes are important to us. Feedback is necessary on our deliverables.
There are many times we also require more information from you, enabling us to do our best and meet your expectations, but if we as service providers are met with an untimely response or lack thereof, we are unable to give you the service you want and deserve.
- Keep the communication lines open.
- Respond in a timely fashion.
- Provide honest feedback.
Collaboration:
Our partnership requires collaboration, a give and take for us to achieve your goals. In the Virtual Assistant industry, you have contracted with us to assist you with your business management and operations. We need to work closely together, using tools and clear communication to achieve your desired objectives. You may have given us project to complete and to create a sturdy foundation for success, we need to collaborate and discuss the details. We will use a variety of tools to streamline the process, and while you have delegated to us, you are still considered a facet of the job, when and if, we need additional information or approval. When we are able to work together, bounce ideas, outline criteria, and act as mutual associates, the outcomes far exceed expectations. As your vested partner, we drive AND thrive to do our best for you. But again, it takes two.
Let’s work together to master your operations and scale your business to the next level.
“LOVE the WE because as I said before we are a team! :)” Recent quote from an ideal client.
We are a team.
Commitment:
You possibly chose your vendor based upon interviews, recommendations, online brand reputation and research. You selected the best company or person for the job. In doing so, you trust them to provide you with remarkable products and service. You made a commitment to the partnership. Commitment is a big word, reflecting on your trust and value in the service provider. If you have made this pledge, why not be the best you can be, so we can be the best for you?
No one likes to be disappointed or to have to repeat the process to find a replacement. Invest in this partnership in order to see your desired results.
Commitment is also the catchall for:
- Cultivation
- Communication
- Collaboration
This post is NOT to put the onus on you. It is about US!
In your quest for the best, you found a provider who exemplifies each of the characteristics above and is fully accountable for their half of the equation. As entrepreneurs, we opened our doors to provide and serve. To be unsurpassed and please you with our goods and services.
“For us, our most important stakeholder is not our stockholders, it is our customers. We’re in business to serve the needs and desires of our core customer base.” John Mackey
Let’s do this together. Are you ready?
What character traits make you the best client?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | May 16, 2013 | Goals, Guest Blogger
I am now the proud parent of a college graduate and in listening to the variety of speakers, many of the words deeply resonated with me as they represented all of the life lessons we try to instill in our children as they grow up, mature and enter the world. In several heart to hearts with my daughter after graduation and a few replies of “I know mom,” it wasn’t just advice for her, but also for everyone in life and in business.
We can’t wait for opportunity to knock as sitting on the sidelines does not create success. You need to go out and make life happen for yourself. Create the opportunities within your network, peers, colleagues and even the coffee shop. Without the dialog, daily efforts, diligence and hard work, life will keep whirring by you as you just continue to sit and wait for your golden opportunity to fall in your lap. It doesn’t happen. You must plant the seeds from your aspirations, your plan for success.
The doors are there but sitting on the bench watching, hoping and waiting only ensures time passes. If you truly want something extraordinary, then set the wheels in motion. Spin it like a web.
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” Bruce Lee
- Target your opportunity for success.
- Never give up.
- Have faith in yourself and your abilities.
- Make it happen and fulfill your dreams.
- Network.
- Create a plan and work it.
- Make a vision board
- Manifest your dreams
- Work it!!
- Work it!!
