It’s December 31, 2019 … the last day of this decade, my last blog post of this decade. Do you remember what you were doing on December 31, 1999? Do you remember the Y2K bug? Did you heed all the warnings?
In hindsight, we know that not only did all the computers continue to work, but they, and technology in general, have thrived. So many things that we take for granted today were not around (to the general public) twenty years ago. Continue reading
As I write this blog post, I’m on yet another road trip. I’m traveling to Tennessee for a romantic getaway with my husband prior to a business training meeting. I love tacking on a couple days either before or after a business trip for some personal time away.
So far, this year has been full of travel for me, and I love it ? I love the fact that I control my schedule. I decide what goes on my calendar and when. One of my favorite perks of owning my own business, is the freedom to choose when I work and when I don’t … I don’t need to request time off from a boss … I am the boss!
Sorry for getting off topic, can you say SQUIRREL ? Continue reading
For some reason, I’ve been feeling kind of nostalgic this week. I’ve been looking through old photo albums and reading stuff from my old journals and day planners. I’ve found that reminiscing can be a double edged sword; you get the happy with the sad. Continue reading
Are you traveling for the holidays? Do you need a ride to or from the airport? Maybe you need a ride to and from a doctor’s appointment or hospital for an out-patient procedure. Many people choose to take care of medical appointments at the end of the year to take advantage of flex spending account balances and paid deductibles. Continue reading
It is mid August, summer is winding down … and that means it’s Back to School time 🙂
The stores are full of school supplies and backpacks/book bags. BTW, Tracy Helps You would be happy to do your Back-to-School shopping for you 🙂
Going back to school is not just for the young … more and more, adults are taking classes too. Some are finishing a degree they starting working on … some are changing careers … some are updating their skills with continuing education.
I will soon be joining the ranks of mature (part-time) students 🙂 I have an appointment scheduled with an adviser at a local college to discuss classes I should take to offer services as a Virtual Assistant. I’m also looking into training programs offered as online courses, tutorials, and webinars.
In the future, I plan to offer some Virtual Assistant services such as, Social Media Management, Online Research, Customer Service, and Email Management. These will be in addition to the Clerical / Business services that I currently offer.
Of course, this is all in the planning stages right now, but it is my hope that I will soon be able to offer some VA services 🙂
In the past, I’ve blogged about various ways to get your household paperwork organized. I’ve suggested ways to get a better handle on managing those piles of paper clutter that seem to accumulate so easily. I’ve even shared the filing system that I personally use. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction helping people get their personal household offices more organized.
Since joining the Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce, I’ve started helping other small business owners with some of their clerical / administrative and general office type tasks in their businesses.
Here are some of the ways I have been able to “help” them:
For one client, I am helping him to digitalize his filing system. He has supplied me with a scanner and laptop so I can work from my home office. He gives me batches of loose papers and files for me to scan & save into the appropriate computer files on the laptop. It’s an ongoing, long-term project.
For another client, I stuff information packets (catalogs, order forms, hostess incentives, etc.) she passes out to guests who attend her home party direct marketing business. Again, I work in my home and we meet as needed to exchange finished packets for more supplies.
Another client is a financial advisor who has me send out hand written thank you cards to all the leads he has met at meetings each week. He emails me their names / contact info and I get the cards into the mail for him. This is a portable type of task, so I can do the work anywhere (while waiting for my oil change or at the doctor’s office, etc.) … or at home in my own office 🙂
These are ongoing projects, but I also do one time types of tasks. I’ve had several different clients that have hired me to send out their annual Holiday cards to their customers. I have also filled in as an office assistant/receptionist to cover for vacations and/or sick days.
There are many different ways Tracy Helps You can “help” you with your clerical type tasks! As always, just ask … we are always happy to customize our services to meet your needs.
Do you have your own business? Could you use some office help? There is an incredible amount of time consuming work involved with keeping your business records organized. Even though so many things can now be digitalized on your computer, you still have to spend time “filing” your documents and reports into electronic files. You need to have an easy system in place to be able to locate those documents at a moments notice. Of course, there are still paper copies of things to file away for future purposes as well. As a personal assistant, I’d be happy to help you … I can take over some of the more mundane tasks of running an efficient office for you 🙂
Last year around this time, Tracy Helps You was just an idea that I was tossing around. I was entering into a new “season” of my life. I had finished homeschooling my children. After graduating high school, my children were too old to participate in the theater group that kept us so busy (all parents were assigned to a volunteer committee each production) during their teen years. I was starting to feel a little of the empty nest syndrome … my oldest was preparing to move into his first apartment and my youngest was hardly ever home.
I went from super busy … to … now what do I do? I had a lot of free time. I worked part-time for a while, but after being a stay at home / homeschooling mom for so long, I was quite accustomed to making and managing my own schedule. I wasn’t so used to being told what to do, how to & when to do it 🙂 So I decided to “get in touch with my inner entrepreneur” and start my own business.
March 21, 2013 … the day it became official! It’s hard to believe that it is coming up on a year already; the time has really flown by. I have spent so much time (tons) learning about owning and running your own small business. I’ve read dozens of books, researching and learning about creating and managing a website. I’ve attended numerous seminars and webinars about blogging, SEO and social media marketing. I’ve learned so much in a short time … but there is so much more to learn. Things in the cyber world are constantly changing and evolving.
I’ve enjoyed meeting so many new people ~ some who have become regular repeat clients. I really, truly like being able to offer my services to help people. I feel my first year in business has been quite successful and look forward to helping people for many years to come 🙂
It’s New Years Eve … a day to reflect on the passing year and to think about new beginnings.
Many people make New Years Resolutions … I do too, but I like to call them Goals for the New Year. Resolution has an all or nothing feel to it … you either accomplished it or you didn’t. I tended to think in black and white (which I’m in the process of changing – one of my ongoing goals is to be more encouraging and positive), so you would think I would be in favor of resolutions. Sadly, I found myself feeling like a failure sometime around February or March.
I have learned, however, that life is lived one day at a time … and that there are lots of “gray” areas, so I’ve decided that I prefer the term Goals. With goals, you can have steps toward achievement. Improvement counts toward achieving the goal … it’s not necessarily all or nothing – pass or fail.
The planner / organizer in me loves making lists … so I make a yearly To-Do List 🙂 I actually break it down into a few lists … Business, Personal, Home and Relationships. I usually list a few areas I need improvement in with a couple of ideas to start working on them. I don’t put them in any particular order … with asterics, not numbered … no specific importance rating. I try to break things down into doable bite-sized tasks. My goal for the end of the year is to have worked on these improvements consistently enough throughout the year that they have become habits.
I like to reflect back on my goals for the past year and see improvements, whether large or small, they are steps in the right direction 🙂 Sometimes I need to roll-over items to next year’s list, but I choose to believe that I am a work in progress (positive and encouraging), not a failure.
2014 is a clean slate, a new beginning … we have to let go of the past and look forward to the future. Forgive ourselves, let it go, and work toward improvement in the new year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR and BLESSINGS on your 2014 GOALS !!
November 30 ~ Today is SHOP SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY … Today I am thankful to be a small business owner. I am still in my first year of business but have learned so much. When I think back to the beginning of 2013, I am amazed at all I have learned about owning and running my own small business.
I have been blessed with support and encouragement from my husband, family and friends.
I have been blessed to receive great advice and guidance from many business professionals. Their experience and expertise has been invaluable to me, I couldn’t have learned so much, so quickly without them.
I have been blessed with customers … some of them repeat customers, which is a milestone I use to measure success with 🙂
Gift Certificates are available … Give the gift of time !
♥ Today I am thankful to be a small business owner ♥