There's a new website in town and it's going to clear your desk forever. Catalog Choice is a free website that helps you to remove yourself from paper catalog mailing lists. If you're like me, this seems to be the perfect month to declutter the office, file away those piles of paper, and generally clean up to start a new year. After the onslaught …
What Should You Pay For Help?
A colleague recently asked me what she should expect to pay a Virtual Assistant. Another colleague asked me the going rate for a Website Designer. Someone asked me if they could get a Copywriter for less than $10 an hour. As your business grows it become apparent that you can't do it alone. Finding skilled consultants and assistants greatly …
The Green Office: Library Books
When was the last time you visited your local library? Remember that feeling of being surrounded by thousands of books and knowing you could take any one of them home with you? I rediscovered my local library when we moved to the countryside two years ago. Sure, I can order business books through Amazon, but the nearest bookstore to us is 25 …
What’s Your Most Important Business Skill?
I was pondering this question over the weekend: Out of all the business skills I have, which one has served me best, been the most practical, and had a direct bearing on my success? I did not choose the skills I learned while attending college for a business degree. By and large, they were geared towards a career as an employee in a corporation, …
The Green Office: Other Tips
A few months ago, in my blog entry The Green Home Office: Duplex Printing, I talked about how you can save paper by printing double-sided (duplex) and how printing to a PDF file, instead of paper, can save you reams of paper each year. I've got a few more "green home office" tips for you: Whether you work in an office or from home, consider …
Hotel Alert: Have You Heard of “Guest Gouging?”
I've stayed in many a hotel room while traveling on business, and I'm here to witness to the growing trend of "guest gouging" -- charging you for every little thing in order to make a few extra dollars. I mean, is it really necessary to charge $3.95 per day for high-speed internet access? Can that $3.95 truly have that much effect on your bottom …