Linda's O2S2 Blog

Coaching For Life

2007-01-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

I want to take a few lines to thank my coach, Christina Sestan, of Citrus Coaching Solutions. She is Coach Extraordinaire, and Queen of the Metaphor.

In addition to giving me important insight into my inner red-wearing tall poppy so I can go out and promote my business, Christina helped me to transition my former inner Girl Scout, Miss Suzy Q (who tended to be rather critical, conservative, and judgemental), into my own personal cheerleader, Betty Boop. ("Rah Rah, Sis-Boom-Bah...") This was the key to my understanding and overcoming my procrastination so I could get my Business Plan written.

Christina has also helped me to perceive my Freedom Tree and with her help, I found the path to reach it - this is how I decided that O2S2 will become much less database management and much more creativity.

She encouraged me to post photographs so I can revisit and be reminded of my motivation often, and with careful attention.

These insights have given me so much more confidence to handle all the responsibilities and challenges of running O2S2, but also in handling the responsibilities and challenges of living my life.

Tall Poppies and Me

2007-01-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

I'm tall. I have always been the tallest for my age, tallest in the class, tallest at the dance.

I certainly didn't want to be. Being tall meant I didn't quite fit. Being tall meant that I was always noticed, and, if you read my earlier blog on networking, you may remember I'm on the shy side - when I was a child I was way far over on that shy side.

So, the fact is I'm tall. I'm noticed. I stand out from the crowd. Oh, yes, and I'm also a substantial person. Nothing willowy or wispy about me. Two ways to impress the world I grew up wishing wouldn't notice me.

Over the years, I guess I've gotten used to it. It's not like I could go get a couple of inches sheared off. I stopped living life in flat heeled shoes, started wearing colour (Hooray for RED!!!), and...

TA DAH!

Somewhere along the line I became a red-wearing tall poppy.

Tall Poppy: It's a term I've only just learned from my coach, Christina Sestan, of Citrus Coaching Solutions.

It seems that there's a syndrome about tall poppies. Apparently it's well known in Australia that tall poppies don't last. In a field of poppies, the ones that lose their heads are the ones that grew too tall, and stick out for the wind and whatever to lop off. The trick to survival for poppies is to not exceed the height standard. What that means is, don't excel... don't stand out... don't attract attention... above all, don't call attention to yourself. Don't toot your own horn.

Well if I got used to being noticed, maybe I can get used to tooting my own horn.

I must practice tooting my own horn, proclaiming my value, loudly. It is the way for me to promote my services, to build my business, to gain new clients. I must state aloud, often, "I am very good at what I do. My skills have value."

Surprisingly enough, I've been doing just that at all these networking events. And guess what! I still have my head. Apparently, I'm too darned substantial for anyone to threaten me.

So maybe my shyness was a hindrance when I was a child, but I'm all grown up now. It's not holding me back anymore - I guess I'm a LATE BLOOMING TALL POPPY.

Pyrus et Mellis: Subject: Stanley Park / Prospect Point Post Wind Storm

2007-01-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Pyrus et Mellis: Subject: Stanley Park / Prospect Point Post Wind Storm

The Stanley Park Disaster

2007-01-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

Oh, Wow. I knew it would be bad. The News did say, after all, "thousands of trees" had fallen. I just didn't understand what "thousands of trees" means.

We drove into Stanley Park today, just to have a look. A branch fallen here, a tree there, oh dear. But as we approached Prospect Point we were absolutely shocked by the destruction.

They're just trees, you say. Oh, no. To see them toppled, splintered, and strewn like so many "Pick Up Stix" is devastating. It grips the heart, boggles the mind.

While it's easy enough to say that natural disasters like fires and storms are part of Mother Nature's way, what Mother Nature did to Stanley Park in December is almost beyond forgivable.

(I'm sorry I can't give you better pictures. I wish I'd had my "real" camera with me, but all I had was my digital phone, with photo-taking function that leaves a little too much to be desired.)

This is the parking lot at Prospect Point. With the piles of logs awaiting transport to the lumber mills, it looks like a logging camp.

It was so strange - many parts of the park were perfectly fine, and many others showed some evidence of that a storm had passed by leaving one or two trees uprooted, certainly shocking enough, but Prospect Point is truly a disaster area.

This picture was taken near Second Beach. Like many others, this tree had been ripped out of the ground, roots and all, and dropped on it side. I don't know the lady who stood next to it to pose for her husband but I was more than a little offended. She didn't seem to understand that she was standing in the middle of a tragedy. ("Look, Honey, isn't it HUGE?")

Ah, well. She probably didn't ride her bike past these points with her sister, play hookey and spend an entire sunny Wednesday in the park flirting with a new boy.

Yes, she probably thought I was a bit of a nut, with tears streaming as I took a picture of her standing next to what had once and for many years been a magnificent guardian of the most spectacular park in the world.

My Motivation...

2007-01-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

I found this image and it defines my motivation. I see myself, one day, thriving in my home on the beach where I will look out over the ocean because...

the ocean is my soul,
the sound of the waves restores me,
the constancy of the tides is my comfort,
the sunshine glistening on the surface
reflects my joy,
and the pathway of the moonlight
leads me to my destiny.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing what happens with a New Years Resolution ... well for those of us who make them, anyway.

Last year, one of mine was to launch my own Virtual Assistance business. Lo and Behold! This year, one of mine is to make this Virtual Assistance business a success.

So January 2nd, I went out and began working with a little extra oomph to make sure it happened.

And January 3rd, I had two new clients, and a new strategic partner.

Just a little impetus, and... TA DAH!!!

Resolve. See what happens for you.

How I know I'm doing the right thing

2006-12-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

Any new entrepreneur goes through frequent highs and lows. Doubts are part of the process. But today is one of the NO-DOUBT days.

At the lunch meeting on that two-networking-event-day a couple of weeks ago, I met Eden, an actress, acting coach and workshop leader. She's a creative person, very intelligent, and very talented, but she does not have a great deal of experience with computers. She was not feeling particularly confident about using her computer to manage the administration of her business, so she asked me to help her migrate her business from a paper-based system to electronic files.

We spent a couple of hours together this morning creating a customized system so Eden can stay in touch with her students, track their workshop activities and homework, and manage her books.

In the first hour, we built her contact database - very simply, in Excel, so it would be useful on its own, or as a data repository to be used in concert with Word for merged letters, or in concert with Outlook for email correspondence.

In the second hour, we built the accounting workbook, again in Excel. In the first worksheet, we created a list of standard accounts as suggested by SimplyAccounting for a business like Eden's (exported directly, and then customized for Eden). Then we created one Worksheet to track her expenses and another to track her revenues. We labeled each of the worksheets and formatted the cells, and then explored the various functions like hiding columns, freezing panes, summing, sorting, and filtering.

By the time I left, Eden had not only a workable accounting system and contacts database, but also a very good understanding of a handful of Excel's best features and exactly how they benefited her in managing her business.

Eden thanked me, wrote me a cheque, and sent me on my way. But as I closed the door and turned to walk down the hall, I could hear her squealing with delight. (I'm pretty sure she said "YIPPEE!" Too cute! But I was saying exactly the same thing - in my head!)

The thanks was nice and the cheque was really nice, but that squeal will stay with me forever!

Hey! I didn't sign on to become a collection agent!

2006-12-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

It's becoming clear that I'm going to have to change my business model. I've been invoicing my clients, and then monitoring the mailbox. And checking the mailbox. And checking the mailbox. And sending reminders. And re-reminders... And now I have to make collection calls?!?!

Today, I have less than a dollar in my wallet, and sitting out there somewhere is about $1500 in receivables that are overdue by 2 and 3 months, from clients who have the money - I know, because I've been doing their books!

The only client who's paid me this month is the lady who opened the doors to her business two weeks ago. Here's a plug for Sam, proprietor of Cabbages and Kings, children's consignment and other interesting goodies - art, jewellery, handmade toys and furniture - on Dunbar at 17th. Great lady, Great stuff, Great store.

(Update Dec 14: I finally picked up a cheque from another client today. Whew! What a relief!)

After a Two-Networking-Event Day

2006-12-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

Networking is, for O2S2, a very important aspect of marketing. Virtual Assistance is a highly personal business, and face-to-face chemistry is key even for a virtual working relationship.

For me, however, networking is quite difficult. I'm a deeply shy person. Over the years, I have developed a certain skill level in meeting new people, but I still haven't managed to develop any level of comfort.

Another challenge is the fact that so many of these networking events are scheduled very early in the day so business people can participate without taking too large a chunk out of their business hours. I'm not very good at mornings. Once I'm up and have some coffee in me, I'm mostly functional, but the humour has some cobwebby stuff it needs to shake off and, truth be told, I'm probably not looking all that spiffy.

Today was a two network event day. The first was a Bitron Rewards early breakfast meeting at the Sylvia Hotel. The second was a BNI lunch meeting at The Rugby Club. Two great organizations, two great venues.

That infernal alarm went off at 6:00 but I didn't even hear it until 6:17, and I was supposed to be on the road by 6:45, for a 7:00 meeting. (Or that's what I thought.) Okay - up, into the shower, into some clothes, slap on some makeup, and fly out the door. The clothes matched. The shoes matched. The purse didn't. The makeup was mostly in the right places. I got a great parking spot.

As it turns out, I was the first to arrive and so I sat all by myself for 20 minutes enjoying daybreak over English Bay. 20 minutes. That would have given me time to finish that dream, whatever it was... On the other hand, English Bay was navy blue at 7:05 this morning. Navy Blue. My very favorite colour.

And I met several new, very interesting people, and reconnected with several old contacts, and resurrected an opportunity that's been hanging out there for a few months now. Maybe one day it'll actually blossom into a healthy sized contract.

Next was the lunch meeting. Got there on time, found a bunch of people I'd already met, and a bunch of others who have something or other that I may need. It was nice to see some who were already O2S2 customers and another who is planning to become an O2S2 customer, and a handful of others who really needed to know about O2S2. And wasn't it nice when some of my current customers recommended me to some of the prospects, right there and then. Cool. I love this networking stuff. And besides, lunch was great.

But now I'm too pooped to pop.

Tomorrow is going to be a quiet morning in my home office. No makeup. My outfit probably won't match, and shoes won't get anywhere near my feet. I'll be on the phone, working on building my business, building my relationships with all these new people, and getting their work done.

Yee haw... yawn.

Well, so far, the BP's successful

2006-12-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

I'm very proud to announce that my anguish-causing, months-in-the-works opus, the O2S2 Business Plan, was accepted with high praise by its reviewers. I can pat myself on the back, and hold it up and admire it.

Or I can make it work. Because a plan is just a plan. It's not success yet.

In fact, the Actual sales figure for Month 1 was a dismal disappointment when compared to the ambitious O2S2 Plan. All that really means is that the plan was unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky, and now it's time to start making adjustments. Actually, O2S2 had a great month, despite a ton of external issues. I found some new business and made some new friends (Hi, FINCAD; Hi, Karona; Hi, Sam!), reconnected with some old friends and past clients (Hi, Rondi; Hi, Grace; Hi, Hans!)

So, this is a buckle down and make it happen month for O2S2. I want to make the plan a reality.

What Gets In The Way of Big Business, or Small...

2006-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

Mom's hip replacement surgery was a week ago last Thursday, preceded by a day's review appointments on Wednesday, so she and Dad arrived at Tsawwassen for me to fetch on the 22nd. (Gawd - that's two weeks ago!) From that point until Sunday at 3:00, my life was all about them. They needed my help, so they got it, but whoa, this has been a huge two weeks. For all of us, I suppose. The surgery went well, I'm happy to report. Unfortunately, the rest didn't go so well.

Last week on Thursday afternoon, the transfer ambulance that was supposed to take Mom and Dad home to their mountain eyrie on Salt Spring Island picked them up 5 hours late, while I sat (literally cooling my heels, and assorted other bits) waiting to meet them in Lane 35 at the ferry terminal.

By the time we got to Salt Spring Island all the slush that had melted during the course of the day had refrozen and become black ice for the entire winding road - on which I had to keep up with that speed-demon ambulance driver - all the way into the lovely town of Ganges, which we shouldn't have reached, as the aforesaid mountain eyrie is about a mile BEFORE the lovely town of Ganges. It turned out the ambulance could manage the winding road of black ice, but couldn't make it up the hill, so they tried to deliver Mom to the local hospital. Surprise! And another surprise - there was no room there. They'd already populated all the beds in the wards as well as in the Emergency Room.

So we all slid and slud all the way back through the lovely town of Ganges to the not-exactly-home, but mercifully convenient and well-equipped (they actually had a toilet seat riser - mandatory for hip-replacement patients) Seabreeze Inne. [The Seabreeze Inne is a nice, moderately priced roadside inn with very kind and helpful staff, and I am happy to recommend the Seabreeze anytime to anyone.]

The next day, the chains I ordered in the morning were in fact there for me to pick up at 2:30, and so, even with my new manicure, I (picture it!) installed chains on my car all by myself, and drove on up the hill to suss out the situation while my parents visited with the friendly village GP. When I got to the top, I found the snowplow had plowed snow into a 4 foot ridge in front of my Dad's driveway, and then two trees - one on each side! - had dropped massive branches into that same 4 foot ridge. And the concierge, who had promised to arrange for a couple of high school brutes to clear all this snow by 3:00, had apparently forgotten her promise.

So, wearing my favorite little ankle boots and kid leather gloves, I (picture it!) shoveled an opening through the snowplow's generous, and very dirty, deposit - just wide enough for my now chain-equipped Golf to scrape, literally, between the fallen tree branches, and then I shoveled a path just wide enough for my Mom to toddle the twenty feet, with her walker, from the car to the front door of the house. But toddle she did, and so did Dad, and now they're home, happy, and back to their life.

And now I'm so stiff I can barely raise my arms, and my back, my stomach, and my butt are still sore. What do the stomach and butt have to do with shoveling? I ask you! But I’m home, happy, and back to my life.

Oh, It's a Thing of Beauty

2006-11-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

After all that noise and worry and procrastination, the famous O2S2 Business Plan is DONE.

It is written, proofread, formatted in O2S2's blue and white, indexed, printed (I managed to squeeze just a few drops more out of my Cyan cartridge), and had just enough paper, hole-punched and bound with pretty blue and white tabs, coversheet, and spine.

And my classmates think I'm nuts, compulsive, an over-achiever, a teacher's pet. Hah... but it's done. It's in. I'm on my way now. Go, O2S2!

(Oh... I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.)

The Dog & Pony Part's Done, Anyway

2006-10-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hi, there - Well, I'm pleased to be able to say the first half of my BP is done. I pulled off the presentation, complete with PowerPoint slides containing pictures of my Office-In-A-Box:

Presto... Change-o...

... and screen shots of the way my Opportunities work in Salesforce.com, and a positive bottom line - which is, by far, the most important feature!

A few more hours of writing (Financial Assumptions), printing, and "production" (printing the plan and the appendices, three hole punching everything, printing tabs, cover pages, etc.) Aarrgghh. But it's so close to the end.

The best part is that, having done a thorough job of the Financial Plan portion, I can now see that this really is a viable enterprise. In fact, it's so viable, I'll almost double my income within four years. It's just so fantastic to know, and have proof, that I really can do this.

At the same time I'm working on my plan, I'm enjoying watching my classmates as they pull their plans together. We all seem to be at the same point - the "this really is going to happen!"

I feel so honored to be a member of such a talented bunch. I feel like I've gathered a whole bunch of new friends, and it's going to be so satisfying watching their businesses thrive too.

Hey, out there! Anyone wishing to become self-employed, LISTEN UP! Go for it. And when you do, make sure to get into the Westcoast Community Enterprise SEP.

Okay - It's Hitting the Fan, In a Good Way!

2006-10-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

So, despite spending the entire day in a seminar, I'm way ahead on my famous Business Plan.

"Why?", you ask.

Well, let me tell you: If you can find a way to spend a day connecting with a high-energy group, in a session that is led by a high-energy personality, you come out energized.

I spent the day in the SendOutCards.com "Treat 'Em Right" seminar, led by charismatic CEO, Koby Bateman, and my life is changed. He tossed me a ball, and I'm going to run with it, pass it along, share it with everyone I know, and hope that they share it too! If you're curious, visit SendOutCards.com/12095, or better yet, drop me a line and I'll show you what I'm taking about.

After listening to Koby's story, and enjoying his energy, I'll be up all night tonight, but in a good way. I'll be pouring all I gathered today into the most dynamic, dynamite Business Plan ever. And then, when things are running smoothly with my O2S2, I'll be building up a SendOutCards downline that'll blow the doors off!

Working on my Business Plan - Made some headway...

2006-10-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

What a slog!

This is my dream job on the line. It's the key to my future, so I really don't know why it should be so difficult, but it's turned into an awful slog anyway.

Maybe it's because I'm putting my plans for the remainder of my life down on paper for review and approval or rejection by a body of persons I don't know, and am unlikely to ever meet.

Well, I must be ready to present this plan on Monday or Tuesday, and the written plan is due, complete, and viable, by Wednesday. I guess I'd better get at it.

Wish me luck!

Already Reaching the End!

2006-10-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

With the SEP being an 8 week intensive program, there's so much going on that I haven't had enough time to post to my blog. How awful! How wonderful!

So tonight I'm supposed to be finalizing my draft (yes, that's what I said, and I'm fully aware of the conceptual tangle!) Business Plan - due next week. And that's why I finally returned to my long-neglected blog.

Yes. I'm a procrastinator. It's an awful handicap. And somehow the SEP didn't teach me how to overcome it!

On the other hand, it did teach me some wonderful concepts, skills, techniques, perceptions.

How to effectively present myself and my business in 60 seconds or less
What my mission and vision are
Who my target audiences are
How to reach my target audiences
How to monitor the financial health of my business
How to monitor the operational health of my business, and
How to grow my business

It helped me to formalize my systems and operations, to plan my marketing strategy, to choose my service providers, ...

Oh, boy, did I learn a lot. I believe that what I've gained in these past 8 weeks will set me up to learn all I need to know as time goes on, and I'm confident that my business will thrive all the while! And although I will continue to procrastinate until I find a class to teach me how to overcome that particular handicap, at least I'll understand that the business requires certain action at certain opportunities!

Open Letter to Miss Suzy Q

2006-10-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

October 5, 2006

Dear Suzy Q –

After all these years that you and I have been together, my friend and coach, Christina, suggested that it would be a good idea for us to get together for get reacquainted chat, and I couldn’t agree more.

Over the years, you’ve been working behind the scenes as my protector, shielding me from the criticism of others. Most of the time, you’ve done this so quietly that I’ve been all but unaware of you. Still, I want to acknowledge your effort and devotion, Suzy Q. You’ve always been a loyal and caring friend. Suzy Q, recently Christina pointed out that Protection may be holding me back from achieving some of my dreams, so I’ve decided to restructure my organization, and do away with the position of Protector.

Don’t distress, though, Suzy Q. You’ve been with me a long time, I do appreciate all you’ve done for me in the past, and I have no intention of letting you go entirely. Christina suggested, and I agree, that we have an opportunity to restructure the way we work together, to give us both the freedom and encouragement to spread our wings and take flight, to give us the chance to develop into very happy, energetic, appreciated entities working in partnership.

Please consider the idea of stepping out of your role as Protector, and moving on to a new, more appropriate, and more valuable role as Head Cheerleader and Creative Consultant. This role comes with a great deal of responsibility, which I know you can handle, and is much more important to me now that I’ve grown up. I know that your encouragement and creativity will help me to succeed, flourish, thrive both in my business and in my life.

Let’s get together in a couple of weeks time, once you’ve had a chance to work on these ideas, and put a plan in place. If you have any questions in the meantime, you know where to reach me.

I’m looking forward to talking with you,

Much love,
Linda

It's a Wild World Out There!

2006-09-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

Oh, wow. Today was a biggie.

First, it was the second day of school. Marketing concepts today. What's my Industry (actually, there are many that apply to me!), Who's my Competition, What's my Market, Who's my Audience, ... Lots to learn, lots to do, lots to look forward to.

And as if all those lots weren't quite enough, I spent the evening at a networking event.

For a shy person who must find a way to build business, for whom Sales is an incredibly frightening concept, Networking is a miracle. It's cheap, targeted, incredibly effective advertising. I'm going to be the busiest person on earth for at least the next eight weeks - I suddenly have a half dozen more really hot prospects, and they are asking me to call them. I'm not cold calling. They're waiting by the phone! Apparently, that's my audience. I've been working hard tonight to update my salesforce.com data.

Not only am I building my clientele, but I'm also lining up some great services: A web guru will redesign my website, host it, fix it, build it, at a reduced price... And I'll be doing some proofreading work for him too. I've also lined up an award winning photographer to create some head shots for me. I know I can count on him to come up with something that actually makes me look good.

But there's more! I'm also helping my clients! I brought one of my clients to this event, and she could see all kinds of benefits to participating in the group - she'll be able to connect her clients to the resources and opportunities she's learning about. WIN WIN WIN.

Oh, man, I'm beat. It's been a doozy of a day, and I'm done.

G'night!

Day One Done

2006-09-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

It was a great day!

Fourteen radically different people, with radically different backgrounds and radically different dreams gathered, and shared, and began to plan for our success together. Within the first few minutes, we'd already begun to form alliances.

Tomorrow, seven teams of two will present our first assignment. Each team was assigned a pair of businesses to analyze and present to the group - we'll be doing SWOT analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and then we'll decide whether these pairs are in direct competition, or not.

Dave and I are ready, sort of. Well, we're going to have a great time anyway!

I'll let you know how it goes.

It All Starts Tomorrow

2006-09-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

The first day of school. No, really. That's exactly how it feels! I have this urge to go out and buy a whole new back-to-school wardrobe and fully kitted out book bag.

The Self-Employment Program at Westcoast Community Enterprise. Day 1 of Week 1 of 10 weeks of classwork which will lead to a complete and viable business plan and a complete and viable marketing plan, and everything else I need to set my business up for success.

I don't know what that means as far as how each day will be spent, what kind of classwork, what kind of homework... I wish I knew what to expect. I have met most of my classmates, and I have met the two main instructors, but otherwise, it's all a very big adventure. I'm so excited.

I'll be reporting in tomorrow as soon as I get home from school.

Sistahs Met Yesterday

2006-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mary, Teya and I had lunch together yesterday. We met up at the Red Onion, as planned, and had a fine lunch, and a fine time. We laughed, we shared. My two lunch companions were very forthcoming with advice and suggestions and resources. Not only did I have a great time with them, but I learned so much.

What a great situation I've found myself in. There are only a few Virtual Assistants in BC (maybe 50 or so?), and there's such a broad market out there, we don't have to fight over customers as if we were rabid dogs. Instead we share, collaborate...

Here's a great illustration: I met with a prospect last week, and she has such a huge project and such a tight deadline that I was worried that I would not be able to do the job without working for a week straight, and I mean without sleep. Now, having talked the situation over with Mary and Teya, I know that the job can be broken into manageable projects and divvied up among several VAs, and all will end up happy - most importantly, the client. So, should that job come my way in the end, that's just what I will do.

I have another client with a technical question - merging/synch-ing his contacts database, on three units, on an ongoing basis - that I wasn't quite ready to answer. I wanted to run some ideas past Mary and Teya first. Having talked it over, we came to a workable solution for my client, and I'll be talking with him about that today.

Questions about desktop sharing were tossed around, security, ease of use, client comfort... Now I am ready to propose solutions to my clients with complete confidence.

I'm looking forward to doing that again, soon. The more, the merrier!

Customer Service Update: Finally...

2006-09-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

After five months of nagging, I have a shiny, new bathroom vanity.

This morning, my hero the Handyman took a crowbar to the disgusting, disintegrating one with the 50's swirly, smudgy-pink, delaminating laminate countertop. In its place, he installed a new white one.
Instead of a rotted box with splintered door slides suspended over a hidey-hole for dust bunnies, I have a real cabinet, complete with drawers!

The sink is lovely and new, and its fixture is lovely and new. And the plumbing connections are clean and new. No slow leak there!

Maybe it took a couple of days, and it's not quite level, but I'm thrilled to bits.

The Handyman has a wonderful sense of customer service. If it weren't for the fact that we'd lose him, I'd recommend him for the position of Senior Property Manager. He understands.

Poof-feeding - They’re snow substitute

2006-09-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Or… Don’t Trust Your Reputation to Spelling Checkers!

The following are actual Freudian Typos from my usually trusty little fingers.

Cover letter: Attached for your reverence please find our proposal for services...
Proposal: We have 450 stiff members available and at your service...
Acceptance letter: We hope your confidence in us will be well-funded.
Monthly invoice: This will be our final monthly progress bilking.

Email Sign-off: Egads, Kubda

(Translation: Missed the "r"s in Regards, and I'm touch typing, but the fingers of my right hand are off by one key.)

… and in all of that, the only error my spelling checker finds is Kubda. At least they won't know who to point at!

This last one I won’t claim as my own. Rumour has it this was the last line of a scathing memo sent to senior management and buyers throughout Eatons, wayyy back in the seventies: The anus is on you. (I couldn’t agree more.)

Poof-feeding - They’re snow substitute.

How to Proof-Read:
Read it
Out loud
One
Word
At
A
Time
First forwards
Then backwards.

Why I Chose Virtual Assistance

2006-09-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

With all the advancements in technology (most households have at least one computer, most households use internet), combined with the changes in the workforce (layoffs, restructuring), more and more people are opting to work from their homes in entrepreneurial or consultative situations. I'm one of them.

While most of my fellow small-office/home-office entrepreneurs are capable of performing those administrative tasks that are required to maintain the infrastructure of their businesses (letter writing, contact management, bookkeeping), few of them are able to afford the time required, recognizing that their time is better spent generating revenue. They don't need, or want to invest in, full-time help - salary, benefits, WCB, hardware, software, desk space - but they do need top-notch executive assistance. That's where I come in.

Having worked as an executive assistant at a rather senior level for more than 15 years, and in a broad range of industries, I am uniquely qualified to provide the kind of administrative assistance these entrepreneurs need, on call, on line, from my home, using my hardware, my software, and my skills, experience and education.

While my hourly rates may seem high at first glance, when you take into account the savings elsewhere - my clients aren't paying for "watercooler time", lunch breaks, coffee breaks, sick days, vacation days, pension plans, medical/dental.... They're not paying for real estate to accommodate me, or furniture, or computers or IT support. They're paying me for the time I work on their projects. That's all. And because I'm doing the work on their projects, they're freed up to build their businesses, make money, feed their families.

And I get to do the work I love. I'm good at it, it's fun, and it's so satisfying to know I've made a difference in my clients' lives.

Customer Service Rant Update

2006-09-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

Amazing! The Handyman called me ***this morning*** to schedule the replacement of my disintegrating bathroom vanity! Hooray and Yippee! I'll let you know how it goes.

What Happened to the Notion of Customer Service?

2006-08-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I have been thinking a lot about customer service, as I'm struggling to get through to the company that manages the apartment building where I've lived for 15 years.

The Freelancers
There's the Handyman, who doesn't work for the company. He's great. He does a good job, and then he's gone. There's a lady who comes in and vacuums the common hallways once each week. She's reliable and efficient. She does a good job, and then she's gone. There are two groundskeepers who come once per week, mow the grass for 15 minutes and go. They're reliable and efficient. They do a good job, and then they're gone. They're freelancers like me. Freelancers understand how important it is to keep our customers satisfied!

The Employees
And now we come to the employees. That's where all goes wrong.

There's the Caretaker, who takes care of next to nothing, and certainly not this building. He seems to have only two purposes - showing vacant apartments to potential renters and painting the suite, badly, the morning they're trying to move their stuff in. His voicemail says "I'm sorry this phone is never answered in person. Leave a message." Why bother? He doesn't call back.

There's the Property Manager. I've met him once - that was April 1, five months ago, the evening he knocked on my door to deliver my notice of rent increase personally. While he was here, I decided to show him a couple of problems I have in the suite. I figured if I was going to pay more rent, I wanted these things to be fixed. (I don't know where I got the idea they'd fix anything, but, well, I tried.)

Here is a picture of my disintegrating bathroom vanity with the doors that fall off. The darn thing is rotten, through and through. This is what I showed the Property Manager the night he visited me, four months ago. At that time, I requested it be repaired.

Anyway, I have followed up with the property management company on this problem with my bathroom vanity very gently but quite diligently for five months - first with monthly inquiries, then with weekly inquiries, and now with bi-daily inquiries. It turns out the Property Manager never answers his phone either, so I've been leaving messages on his voicemail. Unfortunately, he seems to have taken customer service lessons from the Caretaker.

The Management
Yesterday, I phoned the company, and spoke to the receptionist, to ask for the name of the person senior to the Property Manager, and she pumped me until I finally told her the story. She was very understanding and sympathetic, and she promised to pass the message along to both the Office Manager and the Senior Property Manager, and that one of them would call me back before the end of the day. Nuh-uhn. Nuthin!

So today, I phoned the Office Manager, again reaching an answering machine, and again explaining that this has drawn on, and I just need someone to call me back and provide me with a status report. Nuthin again. Why am I surprised? I got her name and number from the company's website, where I read all about how well they take care of their customers - the apartment owners. Not the apartment renters. Apparently, I'm not their customer.

Take my advice - never, NEVER rent anything managed by MacDonald Commercial Realty. It's excrutiating.

Sistahs!

2006-08-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing how small a world this is!

Last evening I attended a meeting of my fellow SendOutCards.com folks, and of the dozen or so people who attended, three of us were Virtual Assistants!

Teya is a Bookkeeper and Personal Assistant. She and I had met before at my very first SOHO Roundtable breakfast, but at the time we met, I wasn't quite ready to start forming alliances. Mary is a Business Angel, and it turns out she participated in the Self Employment program 3 years ago. She was very enthused about the program, by the way.

The thing that surprises others is that, when VAs meet, instead of raising hackles and marking territory, they bond and form teams to share information, resources, secrets...

Teya, Mary and I will meet next week at the Red Onion for a "Getting To Know You" lunch and information sharing session. I can't wait!

Anticipation!

2006-08-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm painfully conscious of the SE Program's requirement that new applicants be launching NEW businesses (meaning they must never have received money in those businesses), so while I have a lot of "friends" that I've been "doing favours" for for the past few months, while I await the start of the program, I cannot invoice anyone for my work until the program is underway.

I'm so looking forward to the point - and it's coming soon! - where I can begin to replenish my bank account, pay my bills, invest in the technology and services I need to support my endeavours, get my hair done, and maybe even order in pizza.

Here's a bit of advice to those who come behind: Make sure you have a bit of the ready put aside. That rainy day would be so much easier to get through if you're not counting pennies to pay for the necessities, and maybe even a little more!

Greetings

2006-08-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings, hello, and welcome to my blog.

I'm Linda Olsen, and I'm President, CEO, and General Factotum of O2S2 - Olsen Office Support Services.

This is a new business for me, launched after another "restructuring" made it possible to finally pursue my dream of being my own boss, making a successful living using my skills gathered over the years. With 18 years experience providing executive assistance to senior executives in engineering, real estate development and construction, and non-profit, I have gathered quite a range of skills, particularly when added to the 17 years I spent with Eatons, where I learned about customer service and sales.

Before I jump in to this business with both feet, though, I will learn to be a successful entrepreneur, spending the next 10 weeks in classes, followed by 38 weeks mentored support. I'm so excited to have been accepted into the Self-Employment Program at Westcoast Community Enterprise, one of nine in the lower mainland sponsored by the HRDC.

The SE Program has proven to be extremely beneficial - typical success rates for new entrepreneurs is about 30%, but with this program, that success rate jumps up to better than 95%.

With this program, I am confident that I can make a success of my dream. (But I need you to wish me luck anyway!)