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For more info click here!
"I wish I'd had this book when starting my business! I have read
many books on the topic of starting a Virtual Assistant business
over the years and can honestly say "Failure Is Not An Option" is
the most comprehensive handbook I've seen. Patty walks you through
every aspect of setting up and starting your VA business, including
examples and templates of important forms and documents. Throughout
the book, concrete examples make it easier to adapt the advice to
your own situation. If you set up your business as you work through
the book, you will have a solid business model and a jump-start on
landing your first client by the end. If you're serious about
starting a Virtual Assistant business, you need to get this book!
It's an investment you won't regret."
Cindy Opong President, Creative Assistants, President-Elect
2009-2010 IVAA, www.ivaa.org,
www.CreativeAssistants.com
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Organize Your Desktop - Computer Desktop That Is!
By Patty Benton
In my years as a teacher, organization
was something that was lost on me. I was the teacher with stacks
of papers on her desk, boxes of papers behind her desk (fondly called
the “Fire Hazard”), and stuff piled on the tables around. Since
leaving that profession, and entering the world of business, I have
learned that organization is my friend. Piles drive me nuts and
boxes with papers are no longer around because I discovered why filing
cabinets are there- and to my amazement, it is not decoration. One
important place that many people don’t think about having organized is
their computer desktop.
Have you ever needed to quickly pull up
that file on your computer, but it takes you forever to find it because
of the millions of files cluttering your desktop (computer desktop that
is)? My husband is a neat freak. He can’t stand the kitchen to be a
mess, clothes to be on the floor, and my daughter’s toys that are over
running our house is driving him crazy. Yet it completely amazes me that
his computer desktop is full of files. His desktop drives ME crazy! I
have gotten the art of organizing my desktop down, and now I would like
to share my strategy with you for getting your desktop organized so that
next time a client calls, you know exactly where their file is!
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Have as few folders on your desktop as
possible. Break them into
main categories. I use my computer for personal and business, so I
have 5 folder’s on my desktop. “Patty’s” all my personal files go in
there. “Patty’s Backup” for my husband to know what I want him to back
up each week. “Patty’s Quicken” you guessed it-for my bookkeeping
files. “Julie’s Shortcut” a client’s folder that I want quick access to
as I am currently working on a project for her. “VA” my most important
folder-my business folder. The rest of the tips will be how to break
up your main category folders.
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Put all the files on your desktop into
one of your main categories-there
should be NO FILES ON YOUR DESKTOP!!! Only folders.
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Inside your desktop folders, break the
items into categories, and create a folder for each category.
Examples-Clients, Paperwork, Projects, Advertisement, Subcontractors-to
name a few.
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Then go through your main folder and
put each file into the category they best fit.
-
Now, open up those category folders-do
you still see a ton of files? Break them into subfolders. For
example-Clients- Make a folder for each client so their information is
easily accessible.
-
Still need to break it down-Take
each clients folders, and create subfolders-paperwork, projects,
invoices, etc.
Continue with this process until every
file belongs to a folder, and every folder is easy to navigate. The goal
is when you open a folder-you know immediately what is in it. You will
find that it is much easer to get to work because you are not distracted
by all the items on your desktop, and when that client calls, you do not
spend 5 minutes hunting for the file you need to answer his/her
question. Take time to get one of the most important pieces of equipment
in your office organized so that your office runs even more efficiently.
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