Everyone have a Happy New Year! It just know 2010 will be the best year ever!

What are five great things about you?

Alan Klayman from my local Chamber of Commerce posed that question recently on LinkedIn.  It really got me to thinking, especially since I attended a seminar last week on creating your business plan and all of the things that you need to think about while preparing your business plan – like how you want your clients or customers to see you.

List five great things about yourself – five things that YOU think are great about you.  Then ask the same question of  your family and friends.  Compare the list and choose the five that you would want your clients / customers to know about you.  What are you doing to let them know those things about you?

Today people still want to transact business with people they feel they know and can trust.  There is a lot being said about community – Mike Henry, Sr., of the Lead Change Group has spoken much about that and will be releasing an article about it on his newsletter shortly.  Wouldn’t you rather work with someone or purchase something from someone you feel you know and can trust?    Of course you would!

With our communities becoming more and more virtual, there are two things happening:  (1) the world is becoming a much smaller place, and (2) we are transacting more and more business with people we have never met.  No longer are you able to drive down to the store who sold you something when you’re dissatisfied.   On the flip side, word of mouth is much larger in the virtual world.

How do you get to “know” people you will probably never meet?  It all goes back to community – you need to build one.  The people who are on Twitter who don’t bother to build that community and just advertise (spam) their messages, just don’t get it – and will never build good community.

Back to the great things about you:  Let people know about your great things! Worried  about bragging?  Well, you may just need a Virtual Assistant to help you write the perfect press release, marketing materials or publicity campaign.  Just sayin’ …

I almost lost my daughter last Friday.  No, I’m not kidding and no, I don’t mean in the relationship sense.  My daughters and I are best friends.

I mean drowning – in the ocean – in Jamaica.

It was really weird, because from the moment she told me she was going to Jamaica with friends, I felt unease.  That is really not like me – normally I would say Wow!  Great!  Have a fantastic time!  But something was just nagging at me …

Fortunately for me, she told me the story after she came home, knowing that would be the best way for me.

It all started with a trip to the beach.

She and one of the girls had been out on the catamaran on Thursday and had the most beautiful experience, that when they went back to the beach on Friday, they cajoled  their third friend into accompanying them, even though she was fairly adamant that she didn’t want to go.  The sky was sunny and clear, except for a little darkness far away towards the other side of the island.

About 5 minutes into the trip, the wind started kicking up and the guide attempted to turn the catamaran back to shore  – without success.  He then had the bright idea for all of them to go to one side of the thing to give him the leverage to turn.  As the waves were kicking up, a good-size wave came up under the catamaran and dumped them all into the ocean.  Nicole and Amy were freaking out at first, trying to swim toward the boat.  The guide yelled for them to stay away from the boat, and in an instant they found out why – it violently righted inself and took off like a shot.  There they were – out in the ocean – not even able to see land.

As the boat took off, Nicole and Amy became instantly calm, knowing that there was nothing good that would come from being hysterical.  After all, they both are moms of three and have seen hysterical up close and personal.  Now, in case you’re wondering why I’m not mentioning friend #3, she was hysterical the entire time and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

The guide at this point didn’t seem very worried and told them to all hold hands – that he was sure someone would have seen the boat flip and would send a rescue boat for them.

It was at that point the guide, whose name was Patrick, started to peer down into the water, looking around.  When Nicole asked him what he was looking for, he told her his face was getting dried out from the salt water and he was just getting it wet.  Kindly of weird since by now they were in the middle of a full-fledged thunder, lightening, pouring rain and violent waves type of storm.

So there they bobbed, getting dunked constantly by the waves, being force-fed salt water by the ocean and trying to remain calm.  About what seemed like 15 minutes or so into the ordeal when they didn’t see any boats, Patrick wasn’t looking very assured at all.  He wasn’t hysterical, but I believe the phrase “he looked scared shitless” may have been used.

After Amy and Nicole tried to sing for awhile (Row, row, row, your boat – where the hell are the boats?), they realized that they were being pulled farther and farther out to sea.  If they caught a good wave and were lifted up, they could see land – not their beach, but what looked like a small island in the distance.  Nicole and Amy decided to swim toward the island, even though they knew they would not be able to make it.  Patrick was telling them – no!  stay here!  But at that point they didn’t think bobbing in the middle of the ocean was the best plan either.  They started swimming in the direction of the island, with friend #3 in tow, and Patrick following.

You’re probably wondering about the boats.  Well, they did see the boats and tried to yell for them, realizing they were just wasting their strength because the boats looked like little dots and of course couldn’t hear them.  And there was a lifeguard on the beach that did see the boat flip over and immediately ran for a wave runner.  Another wave runner and two other boats followed and were looking for them the whole time.  It’s a very big ocean, however …

Long story short(er), a guy on one of the boats noticed “birds” flapping in the distance and wondered what the heck they were doing in the middle of a storm.  Yep!  That was them!  When Amy and Nicole were finally deposited into one of the boats, it ran out of gas at which point Nicole yelled “Are you kidding?  You rescued us in a boat that didn’t have gas?”

No, I’m not kidding – you just can’t make this stuff up!  So they were told to jump into the other boat as the boats were violently being smacked together, and they made the 20-minute boat ride back to shore.

Patrick finally confessed to looking in the water for man-o-wars which can wrap around your legs, causing painful stinging, numbness in the limb and respiratory distress.  Nice.  I would have been thinking sharks, but  what do I know?

I can’t possibly tell this story as humorously as Nicole can (because I’m still trying to find the humor in it), but I did manage to laugh while she was telling it – she has an amazing sense of humor (husband and 3 kids – I guess she has to).

Talk about seeing what’s truly important in your life.  I always try not to sweat the small stuff – and I think I’m very good at it.  But this was not small stuff …

I hope I never ever have to go through what millions of mothers have gone through – because this close call was as close as I ever want to get.

To tweet, or not to tweet?

I have been on Twitter now for months now, and I GET IT!  When I first started tweeting, I really didn’t get it.  At all.  So I reached out to a couple of people on Twitter – one I knew, and one I didn’t (thanks @provirtual and @styleprdiva).  I got the same basic answer from both of them:  keep watching, keep making contact with people and build your Twitter community.

I have met and spoken with some of the most interesting people on Twitter from all over the world.  I’ve actually met someone who lives 20k from the town my mother grew up in Belgium (hi @noelbellen).  I’ve met someone from Germany –  we discuss movies mostly but I find his tweets interesting (hi @damir).  I’ve met very inspiring people (@johnlusher @esm4 @iconic88 @whatswithinu), as well as fantastic fellow VA’s (@aceconcierge @marsva @mondaymorningva).  I’ve met current clients, team members  that I am lucky to have met, and the most helpful people – just put a question out there and someone will answer you.  (I could mention many others that have touched my life, but this blog would go on forever.)

So what’s so important about Twitter and marketing . . .

When you go to a networking event to market yourself, you are limited to everyone in the room – everyone in the room if you have the time to meet everyone.  And you’re limited to usually 1-1/2 hours.  If you’re good at networking, you’ll follow-up with those people for awhile.  On Twitter there are millions of people on Twitter – the possibilities are endless to meet people and interact with them.  Have conversations.  Get to know them.  Get them to you know.  Talk to them about what you do and how you help your clients.  You are marketing.

And talk about fast news?  I can be sitting here working and take a 5-minute break by pulling up Tweetdeck, and there it is – breaking news being tweeted by my tweeps!  When the plane went down in the Hudson, I’m betting I knew about it before anyone else (not on Twitter).  One of the tweeples I follow lived right on the Hudson and was watching it unfold – before the media even got there!  They say that’s what was going on with the Mumbai tragedy as well (although I wasn’t on Twitter yet at that time).

People I generally meet face-to-face at networking functions or just here and there (I’m a serial conversationalist) do not know about Twitter.  Oh, they’ve heard about it on the news (PLEASE don’t listen to those people – they don’t know what they’re talking about so can’t tell you what Twitter is REALLY about), and most of them think it’s ridiculous.   Some ask me if that makes me a twit.  (Since I’m a Monty Python fan, that is no insult - right, @JohnCleese?  He put out a very funny short video on Twitter – view it here.)

If you look, there are hundreds of articles about Twitter – how to use it, how not to use it, rules of Twitter, etc., etc.  Even how it raises your intelligence!  I’m not going to bore you with all of that – yet.  I’m just here to say try it, be patient – you’ll like it!  Pretend you’re at a cocktail party.  You’re mingling, listening to conversations, meeting new people and chatting.  That’s what Twitter is like.  Don’t say anything rude, don’t butt in and for goodness sake – don’t try to sell yourself without talking to people and getting to know them first!  There are a ton of people on Twitter who don’t seem to have a personality at all!  Everything they say is – hi, follow my link for my free ebook, or I can help you manage “X,” or need help with your website SEO? I can help you!

AND PLEASE – NO AUTO DM’S!!

Not too long ago

I was asked to give my opinion on how women are portrayed in media.  Perfect question for me since I have very strong opinions on the subject.  My current opinions are how I’ve always felt, by the way, even as a teenager.  Don’t think I thought about it at all before then, or maybe it’s because commercials weren’t as sexual when I was growing up.

Being a mature woman now, well into my 40’s, some people are likely to put it down to my age – I’m prudish or whatever (which is enough to make me wet myself laughing!).  No, it’s like Andy Rooney was supposed to have said about women in their 40’s – we have come to love ourselves and have complete confidence in what we do and say. (He didn’t actually write “In Praise of Older Women,” btw)

I’ve heard all too often that women who don’t appreciate the “sex” approach to women in commercials weren’t attractive girls nor sexual in their lives, or at least aren’t any more.  Maybe I’ve always been a little “different,” shall we say (no details today, folks).  I believe I was fairly attractive throughout my life – I was never jealous of those women with the way-too-sprayed hair and caked-on makeup.  I just always wondered why women wouldn’t want to be showing more of their  intelligent side in commercials and thus showing the world of men that we are intelligent.  Will that not sell product to other intelligent women?

I thought that maybe these girls “weren’t so smart”

so they got stuck having to show off their bodies like that on TV/print ads for every perv to stare at.  I didn’t feel jealousy – I felt pity and empathy for them.  And also a little bit of anger for them allowing people (I mean mostly men here) to think of women as just what they were portraying.

I remember once being at a conference

where we had a booth on a new device which was along the lines of a coulter counter (which counts the particle size of blood). Our booth was about a particle size analysis device from Japan which we were trying sell.  It used Stokes’ Law as the principle of suspending particles in a certain medium, depending upon the material, and then measuring the particles as gravity (or the centrifuge) pulled them down.  ANYWAY, there I stood, dressed as a businesswoman did in the early 80’s with a conservative skirt and blouse.  Do you know how many men came on to me?  Asked me if I was the eye candy to bring in the people?  But I kept my cool, smiling and then trying to explain the way our device worked.  It was rather amusing to  see their faces change as they realized – hey!  this chick’s got a brain!  But to their defense, there WERE a lot of booths that had “eye candy” to bring the men in.  (What does that say about the men, I wonder?)

My point:

I don’t think women who have allowed themselves to be portrayed as mere sex objects or “silly” women on TV/print ads have done us any favors – women in business, that is.  As I pointed out in the article, it seems to me the “real” women are seen more often in ED commercials for Levitra or Viagra.

Huh.

Like Susan Boyle, for example.

By now there are hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs and articles and discussions about this 47-year-old woman on Britain’s Got Talent.  I personally have watched this video over and over day after day since I first saw it posted on Twitter, over a week ago.  The YouTube videos have been viewed millions – yes millions – of times.

If you live on another planet and haven’t heard about this yet, please take the time to watch this video.  Unless you have a heart of stone, I guarantee you’ll be happy you did.

I really don’t need to say anything more.  I just wanted to make sure that everyone that I can reach with this blog will take the time to watch this most important video.  Important, you ask?  Yes.  As human beings trying to live harmoniously together, this is one of the most important instructional videos you’ll ever watch. 

I hope you learn a lot about yourself from this.  I certainly did.

I’ve been living that saying pretty much since

my daughter was born 26 years ago with congenital gastroschisis followed by unbelievable events during my “interesting” life.  (Boy am I strong, but that’s a story for another time.)  Today I want to talk about the strength of a friend of mine.

Your Life Can Change in an Instant

I remember saying to her one time how amazed I am at how your life can drastically change in an instant.  And you can say that to anyone, but until someone has had a life-altering experience, they just politely agree, not REALLY knowing what you mean.

I had dinner with my friend last week. We had lost touch for a bit, so it was nice to get together and catch up with the latest happenings in our lives. I knew that Sharon had been in an accident and was still recovering, having seen her briefly around 8 months ago. She walked in on crutches – still – after 9 months! But even prior to her accident, there were challenges for Sharon to overcome.

It was the coolest art gallery,

In March of 2007, Sharon had to close her business of 10 years – really great art gallery which, unfortunately, was located in an area where the town decided to do major road construction that lasted forever. No one could get to her studio easily, and her business took a nose dive once the construction began. Her business was her life and this was a devastating experience for her to overcome. She then lost her home and was forced to move in with her boyfriend of 3 years – not a good thing.  Finding work was becoming increasingly difficult. Her big break came in February of 2008 when she found a good paying job doing something she really enjoyed. Unfortunately, the company was fairly new and began to struggle. On July 1^st (Sharon’s birthday) of 2008, she was laid off. Just prior to being laid off, she purchased her first motorcycle. She had always wanted a motorcycle and was so excited about riding. After some practice in parking lots, her boyfriend encouraged her to venture out on the back roads. Although she was very nervous about venturing out so soon, she agreed to the ride. This decision was life altering.

A broken leg; a broken life

Sharon broke the femur of her right leg in an accident on July 10^th. She spent 10 days in the hospital and many months of dealing with the aftermath. Her relationship with her boyfriend ended after she got out of the hospital (nice guy, huh?), and she has been living with friends for the past 8 months while trying to get back on her feet, physically, financially and emotionally.

With all of the obstacles in her life, Sharon continues to be positive about her future. She is determined to get her life back together and her outlook remains positive. She realizes that there are many people that love her and care about her. “This is only temporary!” she says. “This will make me better than ever!”

Life is a challenge

We can never be fully prepared for all of the obstacles thrown in our paths, but we do need to learn from our experiences and let them form us into who we need to be. I know that Sharon has been doing a lot of soul searching – which is never a bad thing. She is thankful for her family and friends and to be alive. She is continuing to heal.

Never ever give up

If you are experiencing a difficult time in your life – for whatever reason – please don’t give up.  I promise you tomorrow will be better; it’s just that sometimes tomorrow takes longer to come than we’d like. Someone once told me to take one day at a time.  I can’t repeat what I told that person at the time, but I now see the wisdom in those words.  Sometimes that’s all you can do. 

Nickey Hollenbach

Personal Touch Concierge Service, LLC

www.ptconciergeservice.com

Follow me on Twitter

Ah, the proverbial question.  What is it for you?  Be honest – you’re only talking to yourself, right?

I am definitely a half full person.

And I’m really glad I am.  I think it definitely takes that type of person to be a good entrepreneur, don’t ya’ think?  If you’re always thinking about the bad things that can happen and not looking at the bright side of things when not-so-good things do happen, how are you enjoying life?  And I know people that are half-empty people (boy, do I!) and I just don’t get it.  I know someone who actually can find the bad side of ANY scenario – and does.  It can make you just shake your head and wonder why anyone would WANT to think like that!  (Excepting attorneys, that is – they can always effectively argue either side of the coin.)

For example,

You have your own business and you’re working so hard at it, you don’t have time for the simple things in life any more.  And you’ve talked youself into the fact that you don’t miss those things – you’ve got everything under control and you can do it all.  You are king!!  (or queen!)  After all, if you get help it will:

• Take you longer to train someone to do it than you could do it yourself
• Give you one more thing to worry about because the task is in someone else’s hands
• Be an added expense you don’t need right now

 Or, you could look at it this way:

• The time you take to train someone is time well spent because now you have someone else that can do it for you
• You have one less thing to worry about because now someone else is freeing up your time to do other things
• The money spent on getting someone to help gives you more time to grow your business and, therefore, bring in more money

 Of course I’m talking specifically about the benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant to help you with your business. 

Will every VA be able to help me?

Of course not.  Just like hiring someone “live” to sit there next to you, not everyone will work out.  But if you’re patient and keep looking until you find that right fit, you won’t regret it! 

 But do yourself a favor – TRY to see the bright spot in everything you do or that happens to you!  It’s a proven fact you’ll live longer.  It’s also a proven fact more people will want to be around you.  Here’s a great place to start:  http://www.the-benefits-of-positive-thinking.com/

Now Go Be Happy!!

Jack of all trades; master at none.

That’s the saying I’ve heard my parents say all my life.  Now that I’ve started my own business, all I hear is “find your niche.”  I understand how people can say that in some instances.  For example, if you’re a fantastic website designer and website design fulfills you and you have plenty of business, why expand into other fields you may not be as well versed in.

So I tried to look at my niche.

I made a list of all the tasks I’ve done at my past jobs.  Backing up a bit, I’ve worked full time in two general practice law offices for the past 20+ years before starting my business.  Talk about Jack of all Trades.  But that was never really enough for me, or maybe I just needed something completely different to do (besides raising two beautiful daughters by myself – another story for another time). 

So I taught piano for years.  Then I was a vet-tech for 3 years.  And I did pet-sitting in people’s homes for 8 years.  And for a little while took care of a nursing home’s animal residents.  This in addition to my full-time jobs, of course and, as you can see, these jobs overlapped.

Both of my daughters danced – and I mean lived at the dance studio.  I was very fortunate to have retired parents that live close and could share in the taxi service needed to the dance studio daily.  Incidentally, one of my daughters now teaches part-time at the same dance studio, teaches for a compay that goes into pre-school classes and teaches little kids, as well as being the dance team instructor for a middle school.  And she’s a full-time college student.  (Takes after mom, I guess).  So add taxi service and dance mom.  (sort of like a soccer mom)

Hmmmmm

Okay, I thought.  Let’s just stick to tasks at my full-time jobs, then.

• Transcribing dictation
• Proofreading/Editing legal documents
• Opening and distributing mail, sometimes just answering incoming correspondence
• Drafting pleadings
• Drafting discovery
• Answering discovery
• Writing copy
• Research
• Telephone calls to and from clients all day long – lots of hand-holding
• Scheduling depositions, client meetings, political meetings
• Organizing fundraising events – political and non-profit
• Managing emails all day for myself and my boss
• Booking travel itineraries – business and personal
• Organizing social events, holiday parties for clients, special events
• Scheduling sporting event itineraries and accompanying travel arrangements and entertainment

I’m sure I must be missing something in that list, but you get the picture.

So what did I do best?

Why, everything!   There are just some people whose niche is multi-tasking – because they are wired to multi-task and they’re good at it.  Should I just stick to transcribing dictation?  (be serious)  Or shall I just stick to scheduling or email management?  I think not.  Not because it’s beneath me!!  Because it’s NOT ME.  I need to multi-task and that’s where my experience and expertise lies.

But shall I take on more?

I have wonderful clients and I truly am grateful and love them all.  They are a joy to work with and we have a wonderful partnership.  But then I got to thinking . . . I couldn’t give them everything they may need.  My expertise falls flat as far as bookkeeping.  I don’t know html code well enough to design a website. 

So I had a choice . . .

Limit my business to what I know and am an expert, or get help.  I got help.  I welcome to my multi-VA firm a website designer and three levels of bookkeeping.  And a team of Virtual Assistants with their own special niches.  And I’m not stopping there.  I’m not stopping until a client can come to me and have every business need fulfilled – by our Jack of All Trades team.

Jack of All Trades, Master of All.

And did I mention networking and social media?  I could go on and on.  Another time, then.

Oh, and I revamped my website.  New look, new content.  Took awhile to finish it.   Because I didn’t know how?  OF COURSE NOT!  Because my clients always come first.  Take a look.

Outsourcing to another country?  Of course not!  For every company that outsources whole departments, such as phone companies who farm out their customer service, jobs are lost here in our country. 

The following article gives some great statistics – and of course another thing the Bush Administration got wrong.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/91921

Not to go too far on a rant, lest the conservative right wing gets their panties in a bunch, and they are a mean, nasty bunch (for being such good Christians),

BUT 

When I was unhappy when W was declared the winner of an election where he really wasn’t elected – but gave him a chance until he invaded Iraq without cause or permission – and then was VERY depressed and upsent when he got re-elected, people told me “it’s only another 4 years – what could he possibly do in 4 years?”  Well, we saw how well that worked out, didn’t we.

Question

As part of the “stimulus” package (still outraged at the $1,500,000 to rehab prostitutes in Dayton, OH, with no jobs created – among others), why didn’t we give companies a huge tax cut if they retained employees here in this country?  Make it so they actually lose money if they outsource whole departments to another country!  

I’m no economy expert, but it just seems to me that there are so many things that could be done – or not done – that are just common sense.  When did most politicians lose their common sense and turn into the stubborn idiots we have now for the most part?  (I do know a few decent ones)  Was it always like this and I just didn’t realize it, or is it more in the last decade or so?   When will they vote and make decisions based on their constituencies’ wishes and needs instead of paying back the people who gave them the most contributions?

Don’t even try to tell me

that’s that not how it’s done.  I had a job in another life, not so very long ago, where my “boss” was a politician.  What’s the saying?  “. . . and it’s all local politics.”  I saw up close and personal how things are really done – and it’s not right – not even a little bit.  Makes you REALLY hope there is a hell.  Day after day I saw the greediness and the just “wrong” that goes on.  All you need to be a politician is power – and that power doesn’t come from being a good person, it comes from getting people with money to back you – and those people only give money because they expect to be repaid in other ways.  And believe me – they care about no one other than themselves.   I’ve seen decent politicians and aspiring politicians get stomped on like they were ants.  It’s very sad to see.

Is there anything we can do as regular people?

Make sure you vote; make sure you know who you’re voting for and what they stand for.  You probably won’t find anyone who is everything you’re looking for, but you can get pretty close.  AND THEN follow-up with them.  Tell them what you want them to do.   Who knows – maybe if enough of us speak up and tell them our minds, they’ll listen.  We sure made history with the last election – let’s hope he listens now that he’s there. 

Help spread the word

We need our jobs back here in this country.