It seems today that the terms ‘going green' and ‘eco-friendly' are buzz words and are widely used in many industries. Virtual Assistants have long been living up to these terms long before they were the latest hot topic. If you are interested in ‘going green' or already live an environmentally responsible lifestyle you can learn why working with a virtual assistant can help incorporate your values in your day to day business dealings.

• Virtual assistants do not commute to an actual business office, thus there is one less car on the road on a daily basis, cutting down on gasoline consumption and vehicle exhaust pollution.
• Because virtual assistants conduct business ‘virtually', they tend to typically use less paper than a traditional employee in-house. Because such a large amount of our work is done through the computer via the Internet and much of our work files are transferred and stored electronically. Clients can view this data and decide at that point if this is something that needs a paper document created or can remain stored electronically.
• Utility consumption is many times cut in half by using the services of a virtual assistant. Clients save both time and money as a virtual assistant can complete work in half the time as a traditional on site employee. This reduces the need for the client to furnish an actual physical location for the work, as the assistant does this at their own office. This factor right there eliminates electricity, heating and other utility bills.

These are just a few ways that using the services of a virtual assistant can not only save a client money but also help the environment. Every little step counts, whether you recycle, plant a tree or use our services!

Looking for a new way to market your business that is simple and cost effective? Consider electronic or emailed newsletters. They are a great way to increase customer loyalty, enhance your customer branding, and also attract new customers.

To get the most out of a newsletter, it is a good idea to keep it simple. People receive a lot of email and they don't have the time to read over alot of text. Short and to the point articles with relevant and enticing photos work well! Newsletters must be current and timely.

What information makes a newsletter valuable to your readers?

· Work-related news and activities.

· Prices and sales-don't forget the coupons!

· New products, services and opportunities

· Personal interests and hobbies

There are many low cost and easy to use newsletter creation services available. You can upload or enter your mailing list and it will store it for you. Not creative? Not to worry they all have numerous templates that are easy to use. You can customize by using your logo, picture or any other image. There are many services out there to choose from, so do your research as to which one would work best for your product or service. Constant Contact and iContact are easy to use programs that we recommend.

Most programs also come with a free form for your website that allows visitors to subscribe to the newsletter, all they do is enter their website and it automatically stores that information within the contact database. In addition most will offer statistics after a mass mailing with such information as, how many emails were bounced back, how many opened, how many forwarded and who unsubscribed? This information can be helpful in analyzing which campaigns work the best.

Remember however that you can only send emails to those that request the newsletter or people you have done business with before. For more information, visit the FCC's Can Spam website

We have experience is setting up, creating and maintaining newsletters to your clients and potential customers. Whether you are interested in monthly, quarterly, or just for special events or seasonal promotions we can take care of it all. Take advantage of this effective and proven return on investment marketing tool!

Have you ever looked at your clock only to see that it is the end of the day, but panic because you still have a ton of work to do? Do you feel the need to be more organized and/or more productive? Do you find it hard to fit all the tasks you need to do into your day? If so you may need some help with your time management skills, especially if you run a small business. As a small business owner you probably find yourself doing many different jobs throughout the day. By having good time management skills, you can increase your productivity and save your sanity!

First step: evaulate where you you're wasting time. This may not be as easy as it sounds, but look at what is the most time consuming task. It may be constant interuptions, or having to put out fires all day, perhaps it is emails or adminstrative work that is taking your productivity.

Set specific goals. Once you have determinded what is wasting your time, set a goal to correct it. Just do one at a time, for example: one week delegate someone to handle pressing issues if not just for a few hours so you can have some quiet work time.

Take advantage of time management tools. There are many free tools out there that can help. It can be as simple as using a day timer or a web based time management program.

Delegate and/or outsource. While for some people this may be difficult at first, in the long run the time you save is enormous. You may have reservations, you may think ‘only I can do this task correctly' or ‘it will take to long to explain, it will be easier to do it myself' but by outsourcing you will find that when you have more time to spend on growing the business, your billable hours go up, and of course you can come up for air!

Time management is not learned overnight, it takes time to find a rhythum that works for you. If you do decide you need assistance, let us help! We can work with you and help carry your load. If you are successfull, so are we.

With the economy the way it is now you may be considering turning your physical office into a virtual one. Whether you are considering this option for financial reasons or even for convenience, many people consider the pros and cons of moving to a completely virtual office setup but aren't sure whether it is right for them. You have questions, we have answers!

What is a virtual office?
A virtual office is simply a business that is run from a location different from the traditional rented or owned office space with traditional employees. A virtual office can be a home office or several offices across the country or even the world! A virtual office can give your business a large scale presence for a fraction of the cost of a traditional office.

How a virtual office can work for you?
There are many reasons why using a virtual office service can be a huge benefit to you and your business. Virtual office services are useful to a range of businesses. Be it a new venture, or a temporary expansion of office resources, there are many situations where your business could benefit from our virtual office services.

• Reduced costs. With a virtual office you don't need to worry about rent, utilities and all the overhead associated with traditional office space and employee costs like taxes and insurance and holiday pay
• Having every call answered professionally leaving you to concentrate on your business
• Your business will benefit from the latest technology without you ever spending a penny on new equipment or software
• Never having to worry about staff members that call in sick, quit or miss deadlines

There are several services that we offer that can take your business to the next level. Using a virtual assistant to run your virtual office is not just a buzz word or trend, it is smart and makes financial sense. Let us help you make the transition today!