"Sorry, we decided to go with the other candidate"

So I'm finally back. It seems like forever since I had a chance to post. Since my last post a lot has gone on; we closed on our house (with more drama and angst than I wanted but anyway), we (the PTA) are wrapping up the Fall fundraiser, the Fall festival is Saturday, and the whole potential 9-5 thing have had me all over the place (I know it seems like I only post when I'm stressed, but keep reading this post takes a surprising twist).

Yeah you read right, a potential 9-5. I was presented with an opportunity by an Exec I had lunch with a few weeks back. She knew of a Senior Admin position and asked if I was interested. Of course my initial response was "no, I own my own virtual admin support business". Then I got a call a few weeks later making sure I wasn't interested in the position before they offered it to the other candidate. The pay was great, the benefits were great and not to mention we just bought a new house the steady income would relieve a lot of stress. So I decided to give it a shot.

I knew and accepted the reality that just because I interview for the position doesn't mean I'm a shoe in. I was fortunate enough to have my name bumped to the top of the list but I still have to prove I can do the job. (I know what you're thinking, "how can you just walk away from your business?" I thought that maybe the steady hours and the steady pay would balance things out.)

So I dusted off my resume, spiffied it up a little, and sent it over for review.
They called back and we set up the interview.
I did the whole briefcase, suit and nylon thing. I was going in there to get this job, I was going to win. But something happen mid way through the interview..I realized how bored I would be. I knew I would be busy but the excitement and energy just wouldn't be there. But again the idea of being able to afford (and get the time off for) the family vacation to Disney World my kids have been dreaming of sure make the boredom seem more attractive.

The next day I get a call giving me the "bad news", they decided to go with the other candidate. Now I hate to lose, so it was like a kick to the gut hearing those words "we decided to go with the other candidate", but when I thought about all that I almost gave up for the corporate worlds promise of stability, I could not be happier with their decision.

I love helping my clients make their ideas happen; The sound of relief that washes over them at the end of our planning meetings, just knowing they don't have to do it all I there to help. Not to mention being able to continue to make time to participate in things that are important to me and my family.

I love what I do! I love the way it makes me feel! I would have been crazy to give that up for immediate financial gratification. So thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for "going with the other candidate"

(See I told you it wouldn't be just a rant, it is a reflective post that expressed gratitude and appreciation..J2 Virtual Assistant ROCKS!!!)

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Article of the Week

Be sure to follow the link below, it'll take you to the full article at mindtools.com. You'll be taken through the step be step process of evaluation you delegation skills as well as give you some tips on how to improve them.

How Well Do You Delegate?
Discover ways to achieve more

Business organizations and teams exist for one reason only: to do jobs that are too large, too complex or too fast-changing for any one individual to do on his or her own. So why do so many managers within these organizations still try to do everything themselves?

Assigning work to others is an integral part of getting things done efficiently, however many people feel uncomfortable with delegating.

Do you ever say things like these to yourself?

"I'll do the best job here, so I'll do it myself."

"He'll resent being asked, thinking I should do the work myself."

"It’s a boring job, so I'll 'lead by example' and do it myself."

"It'll be quicker if I do the job myself."

These are all common reactions to thinking about delegation. However, when you don't delegate you risk ending up with too much work, not enough time, and lots of undue stress. The belief that you can do it better and faster with fewer mistakes leads to a vicious cycle of too little time and too much to do…

But on the other hand, when you delegate, you risk not having the job done properly…

So where do you instinctively find the balance? Do you choose not to delegate, and end up stressed-out and exhausted, or do you delegate, and risk errors and some frustration as a way of getting out of the not-enough-time-to do-anything-properly slump?

Take this short quiz to explore how well you currently delegate. Your answers will show you if you need to improve. If you do, we’ll direct you to some great resources that will help you.

How Good is Your Delegation?

Use our online test by clicking here,

Hi I'm Najah, and I'm an email addict

I have been trying to work on my time management so I started logging how much time I spend on each task. Wednesday I spent a total of 2.5 hours check email!! I couldn't believe it, that is absolutely ridiculous...I only work 6 hours a day (ideally anyway, I always go over, but I'm working on it).

I find myself being worried that I might miss something. Whether it's a consultation request, a response to an email, or a really good article; I want to get it as soon as it gets to my inbox. Like I'm afraid it'll be deleted if I don't get there soon enough.
Needless to say that is the first activity that I'm going to address. That's 12.5 hours a week, I could pick up another client!

I completely understand the importance of staying in contact with clients but I think I've gone a little overboard. So I'm try this batching technique. I am setting a time limit and specific times through out the day to check my email. A half hour first thing in the morning, another one after lunch and one more time before closing.

Today was my first day. I actually got few more tasks checked off my to do list than usual. But I thought my head was going to explode because the amount of effort it took NOT to check my email every time I thought about it (I guess it's called withdrawal), hopefully tomorrow will be easier.

OMG I think I need an EA meeting!

Be Comfortable Being Yourself

When I was researching the Virtual Assistant industry I came across tons of site telling me what task I could and could not do to be considered a true VA. While I understand wanting to create consistency especially in a field as new as ours new but some were restrictive and judgmental. "If you offer services that are not strictly administrative in nature you are not a true virtual assistant. Do I call myself a business consultant because I enjoy helping business owners create and implement plans to help their business grow, or a Web Designer since I like building websites. What it boils down to is I enjoy virtually assisting businesses reach their goals, so I am a virtual assistant. In this article, "Finding the Authentic You", Rob Wallard takes you through his journey of being himself verses what he thought people were looking for. Just be yourself and they will come.

Finding the Authentic You

When I began teaching yoga, I was determined to succeed. I thought part of success was acting and looking like a yoga instructor. While teaching, I would speak in an odd voice that I thought sounded yogic and authoritative. I imitated phrasing and anecdotes from successful teachers and passed them off as my own. I began to dress like a yoga teacher (imagine Kane from Kung-Fu!). I abandoned my old buddies and only hung out with yoga teachers. I listened to yoga music (yawn!). I attempted to transform myself into what others thought a yoga teacher should be.

Everything looked yogic on the surface. But man, was I drained! I spent tons of energy trying to be someone I was not—what I refer to as, “Image Management.”

The unhappiness and stress of trying to live disingenuously eventually forced me to revisit my assumptions and choices - and it holds valuable lessons as you try to figure out your life plan. Soon, I let go of who I thought I should be and returned to being much more of who I really am. I developed my own authentic teaching style and lifestyle based on what I valued—of course, in the process, I rediscovered my loves for punk rock, German beer and people from all walks of life!

Sure, it feels safer to mold your image so you fit in. But in personal relationships and in business, others don’t want imitations—they want the real thing. I’m not advocating that you tone back your ambition to grow, to achieve, or to have material things. On the contrary, I believe it’s perfectly healthy to want nice things, like a beautiful home or fun car. The point is to evaluate your desires carefully and be certain of what you truly value. It’s only when materialism is motivated by unhealthy or false motives that it begins to undermine your personal happiness and potentially your business success.

The Authentic You

When you’re operating from a more authentic space, great things begin to happen:

• People will trust you more and put you in positions of trust.
• Business relationships will be more fruitful and honest.
• You will cultivate a “down to earth” climate in all your interactions - which is infectious and healthy.
• With more straight shooters in your life you will save time, money, and avoid hassles.

You will find that by embracing who you really are, rather than trying to project an image, you will feel a new sense of ease and confidence. Things will flow more naturally for you. And you’ll spend your precious time and energy working towards substantive - instead of hollow - goals. Getting clear on what you really value may take some serious introspection and honesty, but as youre thinking about your own life plan it’s well worth it.

Rob Woollard teaches yoga full-time. He provides mind-body-soul coaching and shares smiles, humor and epiphanies every chance he gets.

Spoon Fed Entrepreneurship

I alway have try to read the books on the "suggested reading" list for entrepreneurs, I start reading the books , get all inspired, put the book down, and despite my all of my best intentions hardly every complete the book. I even tried to schedule some time just for reading..that lasted all of a week and a half. So far audio books have worked the best for me. Well I the other day I came across an offer in one of my newsletters to have daily installments of "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill sent to my inbox daily. How cool is that?! Instead having to make time to find a quite place (which is a feat in itself with a husband, an 8 year old and a 3 year old) and read, all I have to do is check my inbox.

Today's chapter was on desire. I picked a couple of gems that really spoke to me. Enjoy!

This poem had no title or author but it tied in perfectly with the topic of desire fueling the creation of wealth.

"I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store. .
.
 "For Life is a.just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
.
 "I worked for a menial's hire,
 Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid."


The method by which DESIRE for riches can be transmuted into its financial
equivalent, consists of six definite, practical steps, viz:

First. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not
sufficient merely to say "I want plenty of money." Be definite as to the
amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be
described in a subsequent chapter).

Second. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money
you desire. (There is no such reality as "something for nothing.)

Third. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you
desire.

Fourth. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at
once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.

Fifth. Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you
intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you
intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan
through which you intend to accumulate it.

Sixth. Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before
retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. AS YOU READ --  SEE
AND FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.
It is important that you follow the instructions described in these six
steps. It is especially important that you observe, and follow the
instructions in the sixth paragraph. You may complain that it is impossible
for you to "see yourself in possession of money" before you actually have
it. Here is where a BURNING DESIRE will come to your aid. If you truly
DESIRE money so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no
difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. The object is to
want money, and to become so determined to have it that you CONVINCE
yourself you will have it.

Here is great blog post by Kim Babjack. Be sure to check out the video. If you have the time take a look at a few of the other segments, they are really informative and kind of inspiring.

“Bite Me Charlotte!” Overcoming your Nay-Sayers…

Imagine yourself on the CNBC show “The Big Idea” with host Donny Deutsch saying “Bite Me Charlotte” to millions of his viewers.

Donny then fires the question, “Kim, how did you overcome your nay-sayer Charlotte to achieve great success?”

The answer starts when my family experienced a financial hardship and I needed to seek employment to get us through a rough patch. Without a formal education, I was forced to seek anything that had a paycheck.

That job came in the form of being the French fry girl at my local Mc Donald’s. After graduating up to the prestigious cashier position, my nay-sayer appeared one day. Her name was Charlotte, an old grade school mate of mine.
In school, Charlotte was the nerdy girl who wore glasses and braces. I was the cheerleader who was deemed most likely to succeed.

There I was smiling ear to ear, toting my MD visor, and armed with a shaker of salt, “Hi, I am Kim, welcome to Mc Donalds, how can I help you?” Charlotte recognized me immediately and nestled her hands on her hips, cocked her head back, and snarled to me “I thought you would be the successful one, not flipping burgers for the rest of your life.” Chuckling as she walked away.

WOW! I stumbled around for something cleaver and sophisticated to say to her, but all I could do was shrug my shoulders and lower my head in humiliation. Was I really such a looser that all I was worth was flipping burgers?

Now, let me tell you, that is not me. I am very strong and opinionated. I am a confident, overly sassy sister who was brought down to my knees by a few insensitive words.

It was not that Charlotte said anything that knocked the wind out of my lungs; it was what she did say that made me doubt my worthiness. I rationalized that she must be right; I must have not amounted to much because who is standing behind this counter serving fries.

I felt small and ashamed of whom I was; and that geeky girl made me feel worthless.

I did not realize it then, but I was about to embark on a life changing decision to start my own business. I did not ever want to encounter that humiliating feeling again.

To add insult to injury, later that day my supervisor proceeded to pinch me in the arm so hard that she lift a big black bruise and all because I was talking too long to a customer. Boy, a double whammy in one day! It was too much for me to take. I knew then and there that I deserved more out of life than what I was getting.

Looking back now, I was the problem, not Charlotte. I allowed someone to make me question my own worthiness. In retrospect, Charlotte did me a huge favor that day. She made me realize that I was put on this earth for greater things.

Charlotte put that flame under me to seek out my true potential and not settle for a paycheck for serving fries. So, for this I thank my Charlotte, and so should you thank the ‘Charlottes’ in your life. Be grateful that your fire is now ignited.

Who is your Charlotte?

Have you experienced someone telling you that you cannot start and run a business successfully? Or the product idea you want to bring to market, will never amount to much?

Let me tell you, those words can stun someone right into a daze and make them retreat from taking themselves serious. My story of overcoming and beating my Charlotte is not unique, nor unbelievable. It happens all the time and you must learn to tune your negative influences out.

You must find the strength, courage and relationships that will support you and help you move forward.

The roughest part of dealing with negative influences in your aspirations of becoming self sufficient, emotionally and financially, usually come from within your own family or inner-circle of friends.

You know your mother or best friend that tells you that your idea is silly and that you cannot make a product that people will buy. Most of time your close allies do not even know they are being nay-sayers, for in their minds they are only trying to protect you and shield you from any kind of failure.

These nay-sayers should be dealt with diplomatically, lovingly but firmly.

They need to understand your dreams and that you need their support, not negativity. Tell them you love them very much, but your passionate about your idea and will do whatever it takes to achieve success.

After a while, you will most likely change their way of thinking by showing consistency in your convictions and determination.

Then there are the Charlottes! These are the people that really do not want you to succeed. They feel some sense of superiority over you, and they are threatened by the prospect that you would try and could accomplish your dreams.

They will try and interfere, at any cost. They are the ones most likely to end a long term frienship with you because of their own insecurities.

To those nay-sayers, it is OK to say “Bite Me”….. Charlotte!

Always DREAM BIG!

Kim B.

Insane Summer

So far, this summer has been crazy! I have so many great things going on; I have been really getting out and networking, spending lots of time with my family, find our first home (and hope the bank accepts our offer), working and getting ready for an interesting year as the PTA President, I am completely exhausted. Which is kind of ironic, seeing as last week at my Coffee and Contacts meeting I gave a really good (if I do say so myself) presentation on time management.

Now I finally have a week or two of down time. Well not really down time, time to get myself back together. I have all of these great new branding ideas that I am finally ready to put out there. I have some new content for my site (Thanks Ina!), a new feel for my website and a new logo, now it's time to put it all together.

BTW check out my most recent work:
www.get-refreshed.net

Creating a Plan to Geting Your Business Out There

As I continue building my brand I have been reading every PR and Marketing article, blog, and newsletter I can get my hands on to get MY plan of action just right. So one of my favorite sources Startup Nation has a series of great articles to walk you through their "7 Steps to Successful Public Relation". From creating an action plan to getting the word out these articles are great resources! Below is the first article in the series "Step 1: Create an Action Plan"

Step 1: Create an Action Plan

To start, review your overall business and branding goals. As we suggest in Step 9 of 10 Steps to Open for Business, it’s important to be in tune with your benefits and unique qualities and how you’d like media members to perceive them. This will help you decide which public relations activities to pursue to achieve success.

With a clear concept of your brand in mind, it’s time to get organized with a PR Plan. This action plan will include all of the activities you need conduct to meet your public relations goals. Your PR Plan will contain information unique to your business, but here are some ingredients you’ll want to include:

Media Venues

Just because you’re a small business it doesn’t mean you should think small. List the top media venues you’d like to pursue for a story or quote. If you’ve always dreamed of being on the cover of Fortune Small Business Magazine, a guest on The Today Show or mentioned in The Wall Street Journal, write it down. As a small business owner, you actually have a good chance of being mentioned in top media venues if you follow our step-by-step prescription.

Along with the “big thinking” we recommend, also identify smaller and local media you should target. Often times, local media will cover a story in a different way than national media, offering you additional channels to connect with readers, viewers and listeners.

Business Messaging

Take all the information researched earlier, and write down the top concepts about your business that you want publicized. This way, you can stay focused and know the most important story angles and ideas to pitch when you reach out to the media.

Newsworthy Items

Before you contact the media or post a press release, ask yourself if your story is newsworthy. It must have an “angle” in order to get media attention.

Get into the mind of reporters you’re targeting by familiarizing yourself with stories they’ve done in the past. By studying the angles of stories they’ve previously covered, you can be smart about customizing your story to appeal to them. Ingredients of a compelling story angle include things like specific, special benefits of your product or service, groundbreaking innovations, current industry trends that you’re leading or following, special aspects of your personal background and/or triumphs in your business life, novel business practices, and other attention-getting variations. Developing your angle can be challenging, but it can mean the difference between front-page news and the trash bin, so don’t skimp here. One note, an “angle” is typically not directly self-serving. Reporters don’t like doing “commercials” – they like stories with editorial integrity. So be diplomatic!

Event Opportunities

By participating in various events, you can meet potential customers while increasing your chances of being mentioned in the press. Look for charitable functions, industry-specific organization meetings, or other activities where your target audience will be present. Also consider giving presentations and creating your own events. Your leadership may gain you the curiosity of the media and draw in new customers.

Awards Entries

Look for various industry, technology, service, and Web awards you and team members can enter. By receiving recognition for an award, you can build credibility and increase company awareness.

Potential Partners

Think of pertinent organizations, businesses and groups that may by interested in partnering with you on various events, marketing campaigns, charitable functions, and other activities. By working with a larger, established business and their marketing team, you’ll be able to build media awareness faster and more cost-effectively.

Content

Make a list of various reports, tips sheets, articles, blogs, newsletters, and more that you can offer to the media and your target market. By providing valuable information on a regular basis, you can establish your expertise in a particular field, increase credibility, build your customer base, and create new media relationships.

Timeline

After you have all of your ideas in place, get organized. Develop a schedule and timeline for each of the activities in your publicity plan by day, week, month, and year. And be sure to include some kind of method to track your success. At monthly or quarterly intervals, you’ll want to review your publicity activities and results. This way, you can monitor your success and make appropriate changes for the future.

By writing down your action steps with specific deadlines, you will be more likely to save time and money and achieve your media goals faster.

What is a SMNR?

This morning I found an interesting article in my inbox about Social Media News Releases (SMNR). To be quite honest I really had no clue what a SMNR was until I read Social Media Newsrooms: The Ultimate Web 2.0 Tool for Your Business by Deltina Hay. Once I finished reading this I had an idea of what a SMNR was but I still needed more. What was the difference between this and a press release? Then I came across this extremely comprehensive article about Social Media News Releases and how they stack up to the traditional press release, Digging Deeper: The Social Press Release: Multimedia, Two-Way, Direct to the Public by Mark Glaser.

After reading these articles and visiting the resources linked throughout them, there is no doubt that I will be using this tool once my brand overhaul is complete.

Me - The Brand

Today was a great day, a long hard day but great none the less. I spent most of my day working on a website, which is pretty common but today I had an uncommon distraction ,my 8 year old son home on school vacation, and he doesn't quite grasp the concept of me being unavailable when I'm at home. Anyway I digress...

Today I started my crash course in branding. I had come to the realization that maybe if I added a little more of me to my business client would be more inclined to work with me. So if you remember my networking experience from a couple of post ago you may remember how I went on and on about the great people I met, well one of them, Jessica Sabatini - Life reDirection Expert, told me about a teleclass she was going to be a special guest on with Mary van de Wiel - The Brand Storyteller.

To cut a long story short I called in and it was EXACTLY what I needed! They talked about your visibility factor, the fear of judgment and criticism and how effective really expressing you personality in you marketing materials can attract the type of client you're looking for and that are looking for you.

Everything made perfect sense! Just tell the world how fabulous I am AND I offer a variety of amazing creative and support services, business is bound to pick up.

ASBL: SBA Will Start Damage Control

Here is an article By Chris Crum that I found very interesting..

ASBL: SBA Will Start Damage Control

May try to get away with "computer glitches"...

Recently, he American Small Business League (ASBL) won its fourth federal lawsuit against the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and it is making sure that everyone knows about it.

The ASBL is trying to call the SBA's moves before they make them, which should make it interesting to see if they happen as the ASBL paints them.

The ASBL believes that the SBA will initiate a "damage control" campaign, to draw media attention away from potentially incriminating documents that the ASBL believes will reveal that billions of dollars in contracts were awarded to Fortune 500 firms and their subsidiaries rather than small businesses, which should have received them.

The SBA was ordered to comply with the ASBL's Freedom of Information Act request within 2 weeks from May 19th, and this request asks specifically for all of the names of firms that received federal small business contracts in 2005 and 2006.

"This information will be very damaging to the credibility of SBA Administrator Steven Preston and the Bush Administration," says Lloyd Chapman, President of the ASBL. "Why else would they have gone to federal court to withhold what should be harmless figures? I believe this data will prove that the Bush Administration has lied to Congress and the public since 2001 and intentionally diverted billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 corporations."

"I think they are going to use every trick in the book to withhold this data and divert media attention from the damaging nature of this information," added Chapman. "I wouldn't be surprised if they appealed the case to the Ninth Circuit Court."

Strong words from the ASBL. Not that the bitterness between the two organizations is anything new. For earlier stories on their conflicts, go here.

The ASBL says that since 2002, the SBA has been blaming "computer glitches" and "miscoding" for inflated numbers involving federal contracts and Fortune 500 firms. They suspect that they will edit the numbers in the forthcoming documents to reduce their guilty appearance, and if busted, chalk it up to "computer glitches" yet again.

I'm back

It seems like it's been forever since I have posted, well it's only been 2 weeks. During that time a lot has gone on in my personal life, I've turned 30, I've become the new President of the PTA at my sons school, and entertained out of town visitors for 5 days. Needless to day I just haven't had time to sit down and write a post. Well I 'm back!

Networking the old fashion way

I seem to have forgotten the importance of face to face networking. With all of the business articles and seminars out there focused on web based social networking that I almost forgot about the importance and effectiveness of networking the old fashion way, actual human interaction. I decided that it was time to break away from the computer and venture out in the the world and actually meet some professional in my area.

I was surprised how rewarding it was. In addition to meeting some talented professionals I met some really cool people that I was able to connect on a personal level. Although we may not need each others services right now I felt more inclined to refer a friend to the individuals that I actually met and had a conversation with rather than a name an picture who had some great post on my favorite social networking site and a cool website.

In addition to meeting people you are able to sell yourself. If you are offering a service you know how important it is that you and your clients personalities are compatible. If you are a people person use it to your advantage.

Make sure you take your time to find a networking group that is comfortable for you. There are group out there everyone, some are geared towards nurturing you as an entrepreneur, some a strictly elevator spiels and business card, some require hundreds of dollars in membership dues and some are absolutely free.

I say all of this to say get up from your desk and go mingle with the professional in your area. you may find more than just a contact. For more info on networking events in you are a check out you cities visitor and newcomer site, BNI, and Meetup.

Independent Contractors vs. W-2 Contractors

I was reading one of the many newsletters I an I cam across an article about W-2 contractors. I don't know about you I have never heard of this before. As far as I knew you were either a contractor on an employee, there was nothing in between. Well apparently was wrong...kind of.

W-2 contractors are independent contractors who have their client pay the taxes on their earnings for them but don't receive any of the benefits of being an employee. Besides making sure the government gets their cut off the top, I don't really see the benefit of being (or hiring for that matter) a W-2 contractor versus a traditional independent contractor.

Take a look a this article and decide for yourself.

Succeeding In Your Business: Dealing With The "W-2 Contractor"

Cliff Ennico

"My husband and I have a small business, and there are several people who work with us on a fixed schedule. We are the only company they work with. From previous columns you've written, it's clear that if we are someone's only client and he works almost 1,500 to 1,800 hours for us every year, we should convert them to 'employee' or W-2 status, and start withholding and paying employment taxes. The problem is . . . these people don't want to become employees, because as independent contractors they get to take business expenses as tax write-offs.

"These days I'm hearing a lot about so-called 'W2-Contractors.' As I understand it, these people are still basically independent contractors who get paid depending on the number of hours that they work multiplied by their hourly rate, but the company withholds and pays all federal and state income and employment taxes on their income. They get a W-2 at the end of the year, not a 1099, but they don't get any benefits in the company. Is that a better or less risky way to go than treating them as independent contractors for tax purposes?"

There are few more difficult decisions for a small business owner than determining whether someone who works regularly for you part time is an "employee" or "independent contractor" for tax and legal purposes. Generally, someone cannot be both an independent contractor (or "1099," because that's the IRS form you send contractors at the end of the year) and an employee (or "W-2," because that's the IRS form you send employees at the end of the year) at the same time.

The IRS complicates matters by allowing you -- on a strictly voluntary basis -- to withhold from an independent contractor's paycheck all federal and state income and employment (FICA, FUTA and Medicare) taxes. A number of small businesses have viewed this as a "loophole" in the tax laws allowing them to treat their contractors as "employees" for tax purposes and "contractors" for all other purposes. Hence the name "W2-Contractor" to describe such folks.

But . . . by doing so you don't avoid having to make the fundamental decision of whether a person is your employee or independent contractor. Even if you withhold taxes from a contractor's paycheck, you are still required to treat him or her as a contractor and send out Form 1099 at the end of the year, not Form W-2.

"Wait a minute!," I can hear some of you saying. "If you're withholding taxes from their paychecks, then the government is getting their tax money on time, and in the right amounts. There's no risk that the contractor will play games on their taxes, or fail to make quarterly estimated payments of taxes. Isn't this a case of 'no harm, no foul' where everybody, including the IRS, benefits?"

The short answer is . . . maybe.

Here are two problems with the "W2-Contractor" arrangement that I can think of (there probably are more):

(1) If you and your husband have any sort of pension or retirement plan (such as a 401K plan) for your small business, giving your contractors W-2 forms at the end of the year but not allowing them to participate in your plan may violate the prohibition against discriminatory or "top heavy" plans in the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"). I'm not an ERISA lawyer and cannot tell you for certain if a "W2-Contractor" arrangement will put your plan in jeopardy, but you should check with one before putting this arrangement in place.

(2) Under the labor laws of many states, you are required to provide a certain minimum level of benefits to your employees that contractors don't qualify for. For example:

-- in most states you are required to provide worker's compensation insurance coverage for employees;

-- in many states you are required to make payments to a state unemployment insurance fund for employees;

-- in a few states you are required to give your employees X days of paid sick or medical emergency leave;

-- in California, you may prohibit an independent contractor from working for a competitor after the contract relationship is ended, but you cannot prohibit an ex-employee from working for a competitor.

Even though a "W2-Contractor" arrangement may technically comply with the IRS rules governing employment taxes, there are lots of other rules out there that require you to distinguish between employees and independent contractors. You will have to speak to an employment or labor attorney in your state to get the full picture.

"W2-Contractor" is a contradiction in terms. Even if you are satisfied that your state does not absolutely prohibit treating your people this way, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if a disgruntled ex-"contractor" complains that you did not give him required benefits and your state attorney general's office wants to bring a "test case" against your business. Just imagine all the unwanted publicity in your local newspapers . . .

Cliff Ennico (cennico@legalcareer.com) is a syndicated columnist, author and former host of the PBS television series "Money Hunt." This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state.

Copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc.

Social Network Marketing

As a small business owner operating on a shoe string budget I am always looking for new inexpensive ways to market my business. Everywhere I turn there are blogs, forum postings, newsletters and local small business resource seminars dedicated to teaching people like me how to benefit from the networking sites. Since my marketing budget is almost none existent I have put in a lot of time to do it myself. If you're like me here is an article that may help:

Social Media Marketing for Small Business

Are there really opportunities for small business to succeed using social media?

Absolutely, if one factors the strengths and weaknesses of the media with the strengths, weaknesses, and goals of the company.

The reality of the matter is that various social media have different strengths and weaknesses. While it is true the most obvious benefit of social media is branding and traffic, the truth is that social media can also:

• generate lots of good, quality, relevant links, which we all know can help a site perform better in the search results
• help to forge relationships. Not necessarily relationships with potential clients, but with those who help to influence potential client decisions i.e. indirect sales
• generate direct sales
• build a company's authority in an industry

In order for a small business to utilize social media to its fullest, and to determine which social media it should be using as part of its effort, it must understand the trade-offs it faces. Without being able to commit time or money to social media, many small businesses will seriously need to question their commitment to winning in their space in the foreseeable future.

What are the variables to consider:
a. available client time vs. available client $
b. complexity of client product/service information
c. client goals (direct sales, improved positioning, authority building, etc.)

As is the case with search, those social media sites offering the most potential for traffic, also contain the most competition. The more competition there is, the more thought and effort must go into being successful in that medium.

Does that mean that small business should avoid search? Not at all. Same with social media. It just means that small business must assess their desire and means, and find reasonable opportunities where competition is not too intense for their means. Precisely as with search ... though rather than looking for keyword opportunities, you're looking for content and medium opportunities!

For example, would you ever suggest to an SME client that you would try to rank for a generic, ultra-competitive, one-word term such as "weight loss"? Never. Though you may consider "weight loss san diego," right? Precisely!

That said, here are the strengths and weaknesses of several major social media sites, as they relate to small to medium sized businesses:

1. Yahoo Answers:
Yahoo Answers will not require much money to engage in, making it an attractive option for small business. Since in most cases, SMMs (Social Media Marketers) won't/can't play a large role in Yahoo Answers, as they're not experts in the space, it will require client time and expertise.

Yahoo Answers is a great tool for generating direct sales, rather than links or even indirect sales ... an anomaly amongst social media sites.

* Some SMMs may offer Yahoo Answers training solutions, designed to get SMEs up to speed quickly, and teach a few inside tricks. It will also be important to make the system as efficient as possible, so senior-level involvement is not necessary in identifying and answering each question. Instead, relevant questions should first be identified (and answered where a simple answer will suffice) by a junior-level person, then handed to more senior-level people as the questions become more in-depth and technical.

2. Wikipedia:
Wikipedia is another great solution for companies with more time than money. This is often a do-it-yourself solution for companies, though a good SMM can greatly aid with training, planning, and implementation, and can save companies a great deal of time. Securing a presence on relevant pages on Wikipedia isn't necessarily intuitive.

As Wikipedia doesn't like companies adding information about themselves (as it's likely biased), having information added by an experienced SMM with a solid reputation is worth its weight in gold.

Wikipedia is great for generating links (not direct as they are nofollow, but indirect through copied text), but is not exceptional at generating either indirect sales via forged relationships or direct sales.

3. Digg:
Having a submission go hot on Digg is equivalent to ranking on an ultra-competitive keyword on Google, in terms of the number of links generated. Digg is, in reality, the Google of the social media world in terms of those looking to build links, which means Digg itself has had to become very cautious and difficult as a result of being gamed so frequently.

As Digg's algorithm favors larger, more trusted sites, SMEs cannot expect to do well on Digg routinely without a substantial investment of either time and/or money in the effort. The cost of doing so is therefore beyond the means or commitment of many small to medium sized companies.

Beyond its biggest benefit (links), Digg can also be utilized to forge strategic relationships with key influencers such as reporters, DJs, and the like.

4. Reddit:
Reddit is capable of generating significant volumes of links, although somewhat less than Digg. It is like Digg, except on a lesser scale. Though it generates fewer links, the results are greater, given the lesser level of effort required compared to Digg. That said, Reddit still requires a significant time and/or money investment from the client. It still involves a commitment to win!

5. Propeller:
Propeller (formerly Netscape.com) is also like Digg and Reddit, though generating fewer links again. This is in essence what makes it so attractive though ... it's the MSN of the social world. Most companies focus so heavily on Digg, that Propeller is often overlooked. Accordingly, small business can still win on Propeller with reasonable effort.

Time needs be invested in Propeller to determine how the system works, identify the types of posts that are successful, and to forge the necessary friendships to seed posts properly on the Propeller network. SMM Training solutions can again expedite the process, and engaging the services of an experienced quality SMM will trade money for time where time is very limited.

6. Delicious:
Delicious is a good option for small businesses, though it does require a commitment. SMEs need to spend time creating resource, research, and/or instruction type blog posts. These posts take time, often 8-10+ hours of research per post. Special insight into topics that might be successful on Delicious will absolutely be aided by the guidance of an experienced SMM. Otherwise, much time and effort can be spent creating content that really has no chance of being successful.

Posts that do well on Delicious typically attract a good many links, albeit typically less than those on Digg or Reddit, and more than Propeller.

7. StumbleUpon:
StumbleUpon is capable of driving large volumes of traffic (more than Reddit and less than Digg) to a site, given the right content. For whatever reason though, it generates substantially fewer links than either Digg or Reddit on average.

For companies with brand new, innovative products and services, StumbleUpon is a great way to gain exposure and build awareness. It is not however, good at generating direct sales unless the item is an impulse type item.

8. YouTube:
YouTube is unlike any of the other social media mentioned above. While video itself has the ability to generate substantial quantities of links via other social channels, the YouTube medium essentially attracts all links for its own purposes, leaving the video creator with virtually no additional link power.

What YouTube can do when great content is created is attract additional quality search traffic via the search results (YouTube videos are often included in the search results of major engines), and can help to forge relationships with key influencers.

Summary:
In the end, success with any of the above social media sites is still largely based on the quality and creativity of the content. For companies without the time to dedicate to creating such content, it will require a financial investment. In this situation, hiring experienced SMMs skilled in the art of choosing topics is very important, as they can likely aid real quality content be successful on numerous platforms.

This is why I say it takes a commitment to winning. It's going to require either time and/or money from the small business perspective, but success is absolutely achievable, given appropriate amounts of either, and proper selection of media.

Posted by Jeff Quipp at April 29, 2008 10:54 AM

Great Stock Image Resources

So I'm working on a website for a client and I needed some images. I have a few sites that I go to regularly but you know after search through a site so many time I just need something different; A different layout, a different color schemes, and most of all different images. So I decided to check out some graphic design blogs and see what others are using.
Well I found exactly what I was looking for, Powstock and BlueVertigo.
Both of these sites are directory of sites offering free or cheap stock images and much more.

Cool Email Marketing sites

Please note that any site or resources that you see here on my blog are here because I think they are great resources. I am not affiliated with any of the businesses or products found here.

No matter what business you are in email marketing is a great way to get the word out about your business, events, and an even better way to find out what your clients think about your business. There are 2 really good products out there you should check out:

Constant Contact - They offer everything you need to run a clean spam free email campaign and online surveys. They offer a full access free 60 day trail.

Spongecell - This is an event marketing software. They offer widgets and add to calendars. It's free to enroll but there is a small fee for email mailers.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Today on Startup Nation (my new favorite small business community) I came across this article
Clarity of Vision - The Difference Between the Status Quo and Achieving Success
It's an inspirational article that discusses how clarity and focus translate to opportunities, strategies, people and ideas that can help us meet our goals. It's a great article check it out!

Here is another cool site for entrepreneurs, The Personal MBA, DIY Business Education: Mastering Business Without B-School

Do-It-Yourself SEO: A Beginner's Checklist

If you have your own internet business (or plan to start one in the near future) you know how important SEO is to driving traffic to your site. I came across this article by John Metzler outlining 4 very basic , but amazingly effective do-it-yourself SEO tips . Thanks John!

Do-It-Yourself SEO: A Beginner's Checklist

There have always been do-it-yourselfers succeeding at web promotion and search engine optimization. In fact, many of the established businesses offering web services today came from humble beginnings, perhaps nothing more than a college student with a laptop, an internet connection, and too much free time. The Web evolves as the result of the innovation and experimentation of individuals. The sharing of knowledge. The do-it-yourself attitude.

As text link brokers and mass link networking decrease in value and use in social media increases, it becomes more important for companies to have an internal approach and awareness of search engine marketing. Don't get me wrong; outsourcing to SEO firms is still a smart option. That said, making the most out of Web 2.0 usually requires some level of cooperation between SEO firm and site owner. You don't need to be an expert to know the basics of good SEO practices, and that added knowledge will be a great advantage whether you're working along side an SEO team, or promoting your own site in your spare time.

So if you're on a "need to know" basis with SEO, the following points should illustrate what an overall plan should include:

1. Create Search Engine-Friendly Content

Unique web content is your most valuable asset, and ensuring search engines can read it is crucial. Text embedded in images or Flash cannot be read, so make sure you use important keywords, headings, and hyperlinks in plain text form. Instead of using images as navigation links, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) makes it easy to format those links to look more like 'buttons', thus creating powerful anchor text as well as making it visually appealing. Use heading tags properly and don't try to hide keywords or text by making it the same color as the page background or shrinking it so it can't be seen. Make sure the keywords you wish to rank high for are used frequently in the page copy but within reason.

Now that you've created good content, is it actually being crawled? Copy and paste a page's URL into a search engine to see if it has been indexed. If you've just created the page, it may take a few days to show up. Aside from age, many factors can lead to web pages not being indexed by search engines, such as duplicate content (ie. a printer-friendly version of a page might be indexed and the normal version not, or vice versa); links generated by JavaScript instead of HTML; poor site architecture (ie. using too many sub-directories); lengthy, dynamically generated URLs using special characters; and orphaned pages.


2. Choose Your Keywords Wisely

One of the first steps of SEO, this one needs to be done properly the first time or all your future efforts and promotion could end up being wasted. Start by writing down general terms that describe your products, services or web content. Use keyword research services to investigate word and phrase variations. Wordtracker, KeywordDiscovery, and the Google AdWords suggestion tool are good starting points. The goal is to find those niche phrases that your target market uses to find sites just like yours and optimize your site for them. If the phrases do not get enough use by searchers, your profits from ranking for them will be low. At the same time, stay away from general terms that are tougher to rank for (ie. like "art", "computers", "business", etc.) as a great portion of the traffic will be irrelevant and you'll break the bank attaining such competitive phrases.


3. Get Others to Link to Your Site

In theory there are countless ways, some traditional and some quite innovative, to get other web sites to link to yours. In practice, it can be easier said than done. Google defines a link as it pertains to rankings and SEO as a "vote" from one site to another. The more quality votes your site receives, the greater chance you have of rankings well. If a well established site links to yours, that link carries more weight than one would from a mom & pop shop or less reputable page.

If your site has useful content and is doing something unique, you're already ahead of much of the competition. People need a reason to link to your site, as very few will do it out of the goodness of their heart. Trading links can work, but link exchange networks have decreased in value and won't be of much use in competitive fields. Buying links, if you haven't heard, is a big Google no-no. While entire articles could be written on this topic, here are a few popular methods of acquiring incoming links:

- issuing company press releases with a link back to your site
- submitting to reputable business directories such as Yahoo! and Business.com
- be active on related blogs by commenting and exchanging ideas
- if you have clients with web sites, ask if they would mind adding your link in a "partners" section
- participate in relevant forums and discussion boards with a link in your signature
- write and submit original articles to web publications in your field with a link in your bio
- get involved in social media and bookmarking


4. Join the Social Media Revolution

The collaboration between Internet users and the development of online communities is at an all-time high. Social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Furl, Reddit, and Technorati offer users a way to store their favorite pages and media online, and share it with others. These services also provide a way to promote your own content or create a buzz over a product or service. Creating a Myspace page or Squidoo "lens" is also a way to network and share information.

However, if your goal is to generate sales then you must offer something without the promotional hype. The reality of social media is that popularity is based almost entirely on public interest. If your information or media isn't unique or of interest to anyone, you cannot force success using social media communities.

The key to using social media and bookmarking sites to your advantage is to not be shy. Getting your entries and content to the popular pages on these sites requires some hard work. Network with other users, bookmark and share useful content, create eye-catching titles for your entries, and tell your friends and co-workers about the content you have on these sites. However, don't force your employees to vote your entries up - this is social media fraud. If you have great content and simply share it with as many people as you can, it will see success naturally.


These four points are a general guideline to follow for SEO. Search engine optimization experts and firms are a good outsourcing option in competitive markets, while the DIY attitude can yield great results for web site owners with smaller marketing budgets. If you're in the latter group, hopefully this helps get you started.

The Benefits to Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses to Outsource to a Virtual Office or Assistant

This article by Melissa Vokoun tells clients all they need to know about VA's and the benefits of hiring one.

The Benefits to Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses to Outsource to a Virtual Office or Assistant

Today more entrepreneurs, small businesses, and home-office professionals need the support of highly-trained personnel to efficiently handle administrative, marketing, clerical, concierge, and financial tasks.

The majority of corporate employee cutbacks directly affect the ability to accomplish these critical assignments without draining time resources from mission-critical professionals.

The emergence of the Virtual Assistant – Virtual Office support professional can fill that gap. The Virtual Assistant takes the role of office temp and elevates it to the status of entrepreneur. Because the Virtual Assistant is self-employed, bills the client only the hours worked or assignment completed, and is dependent on steady workflow from existing clients and referrals, this is the perfect solution for the busy professional.

The Virtual Office Ensemble – Virtual Assistant offers several advantages over a paid employee. When you hire a virtual assistant, you get all the benefits of outsourcing – no burden with employee taxes, insurance, retirement plans, vacations, or sick pay. This savings in financial resources is coupled with the loyalty and steadiness of a company employee because your trust and work is vital to the success of their company.

Hiring office temps often does not work out for several reasons. They are a transient solution and are very expensive with the associated fees of the hiring agency which they are employed through. A temp can be more costly than their worth with the cost of training and supervision added into the equation. Also, most temps are looking for full-time employment and even if you find a person who seems to exactly fit your needs, they are not always available when YOU need their services or they have been hired full-time elsewhere!

Paid employees or temps come with a host of related expenses. You must provide a desk, computer, phone and necessary facilities. Most agencies WILL NOT allow temps to work in your home due to insurance restrictions. A Virtual Assistant – an entrepreneur – not only has a virtual office with computer, phone, printer, fax, and client-specific essentials, but is more than willing to meet and work with you in home-office or small-office environments.

Industry estimates the cost of most support employees is nearly triple their annual salary when all factors are considered.

Statistics provided by the United States Bureau of Labor determined the “true cost” for an experienced in-house administrative employee is currently $45.54 per hour.

This does NOT include the expenses related to office space and equipment required for them to perform their job.

On average, the Virtual Assistant industry estimates the starting rate for a Virtual Assistant is $40.00 per hour. This professional entrepreneur is responsible for taxes, benefits, space and equipment.

5-hours of in-house administrative labor will cost a company $212.70 versus $175.00 for retaining an Independent Virtual Assistant for the same time period.

A reputable Virtual Office or Assistant has the expertise and tenure to handle administrative, marketing, basic financial and concierge support services.