What Can You Do To Improve Your Business in 2009?

I love this time of year!  Most of my clients are off on vacation and my usually hectic work schedule settles down allowing me time to get caught up.  I’ve been reflecting a lot the last couple of weeks on things that went well in my business and things that need improvement.

I have decided that I really need to dig deep and put more structure in place in my business and find the right resources to allow me to continue to grow my virtual assistance business as well as make time to learn new things, all while still having tons of time for fun and relaxation.  I seriously burned the candle at both ends this year and know that I can’t continue to do things the same way this year.

Here are some of the changes I’m making in my business this year to make sure that 2009 is even more successful and productive than 2008.

• I’m hiring a housekeeper. Seriously, I can think of a million things I’d rather do than scrub toilets, dust, vacuum, and – well you get the idea.  I’m committed to hiring it out and taking on another client to fill that time or at the very least I’ll just make sure that I’m using that time to do something that will help to grow revenue.
• I’m going to be more strict about the use of my time. I can get so sidetracked with all the social networking sites – I mean I can log into Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter and before I know it half the day is gone! I feel that social networking is important but I have to get smarter about it and really put my time into developing relationships without getting sucked into going off to explore a gazillion links, articles and sales letters.
• My billing will be done on time every month! I am going ahead and blocking out the time on my calendar RIGHT NOW to work on my client billing each month.  I think having a set appointment time each month to do that will help me stay on track rather than just doing it when I can squeeze it in between doing client work. I need to keep a closer eye on cash flow this year.
• Scheduling time for Web site updates and blog posts. I’m also building time for these activities into my calendar and plan to write several blog posts at once and then schedule them to post when I want them to show up. That way I am regularly working on updating all my content and it won’t seem so overwhelming.
• I’m stepping up efforts to find the right people to help me with my business.  I’m going to get pretty serious this year about delegating more work and finding the right people to add to my team.  Even if I have to try out 50 people, it will be worth it if I get that 1 good team member. Besides, I’m limited to how many clients I can serve myself and by leveraging the talent of others I can offer additional services.

I have a much longer list, but I’ve picked out the items above as starting points since I feel they will have a big impact on my business. I’d love to hear what changes you plan to make to your business to make 2009 your best year ever!  I look forward to hearing from you – Happy New Year!

Lessons learned about goals and success from Brian Tracy

As I said in a previous post, I had the pleasure to hear some great speakers this year at some live events and I still feel that this information is as valuable now as it was when I first heard it.  With the New Year right around the corner and the inevitable resolutions that will accompany it, I’m taking some time to reflect on the goals I’d like to achieve in 2009.

Thinking about this has reminded me of a presentation I heard from Brian Tracy who was a guest speaker at a Derek Gehl event earlier this year that I attended through my membership in Derek’s Internet Entrepreneur Club.

I had never heard Brian Tracy speak before so I didn’t know what to expect and I thought he was amazing. It’s no wonder the shelves at the local bookstore are filled with his books.  One thing that he said really struck me and that was “If you do what other successful people do and master it you will also have success.  By learning from the experts you will save yourself years of work.”  I really took that to heart and spent much of the last part of this year working with a mentor on Derek’s team in his Advanced Mentoring Program.  By working with the best of the best in Internet Marketing I was able to launch my new virtual assistant training site to teach aspiring virtual assistants how to become a virtual assistant.

Brian also explained to us how important it is to have goals and to break them down into steps so they don’t seem so overwhelming.  Here are some key steps that he outlined for us:

1. Decide exactly what you want & be very specific – you need a clear command
2. Write it down (as if you already did it and be positive) Example:  I added 2 new team members to my business by March 1, 2009
3. Set a deadline for completion
4. Make a list of all the steps required to achieve the goal
5. Organize your list by sequence and priority
6. Take action on the goal immediately – don’t wait to take that first step
7. Do something every day on your goal

The last question that he asked us really can make a huge difference in your business.  His question was this:

What one skill if you were excellent at it would help you the most to double your income?

He told us that our weakest skill is the one that you need to work on until you master it.  When you have mastered your weakest skill then ask yourself that same question again.  Imagine where you will be if you do that exercise consistently! My weakest skill is public speaking.  What’s yours?

I’m looking forward to mastering some of my weakest skills in the New Year and hope you will do the same! Wishing you much success in 2009!

Happy Holidays!!