In Your Shoes - Pam Angus

Monday Planning

I never suffer from Monday morning blues! I like to attack a Monday morning with vigour and major planning for the week ahead, due to my hectic schedule.

Be ORGANISED

Be CONSISTENT

Stay FOCUSED

As much as I have a ‘love of shoes’, I also have a love of ‘to-do lists’ and buy these note pads in bulk! Nothing is more satisfying than ‘ticking a box’ when you have completed a task! Being a Virtual Service, I manage personal (and clients) digital to-do lists, but you can’t beat an old-fashioned physical to do list that ensures nothing is missed. I have also fallen in love with Google's new updated version of ‘Google Keep’ which helps me keep my tasks on track! It’s a fantastic little app where you can take notes, make lists, with options to colour co-ordinate and allocate tick boxes - right up my street!

I believe if you make a good start to the week and plan ahead, you have much more chance of completing those more pressing tasks!

Videos and Running

I start the day with a super early run, I find running is not just good for fitness, it’s good for brainstorming! I come up with my best business ideas when I am surrounded by trees, clouds, sky and often rain! It encourages positive thoughts, and I am always more productive straight after a good run on the old knees!

Today I am pulling together a short and informative video promotion for a client, that I will post out on social media. This is something I really enjoy doing, it’s amazing the impact visuals have, in comparison to lots of script and text. I really enjoy the Digital Marketing side of our work at TVA, helping people get their ‘Brand/Name’ recognised.

Did you know the average person only watches a video for 30 seconds? You need to make a quick impact in business to get noticed these days! I always like to be at the forefront of any new software or technology that could help promote my clients’ brand.

Fountain of Knowledge

Reading is knowledge and good VA’s are a fountain of knowledge. I constantly read articles on everything I can get my hands on. Knowledge is power and the more you can learn, the more your business can succeed, which is why I always take the time to learn inside out the businesses I am working with, that way I can help them to the best of my ability. I was reading something today that may be of interest “Did you know that as of 1st July 2018 google will penalise websites that don’t have a SSL Certificate”? Certainly something to start thinking about!

Technology is constantly changing and I firmly believe in the future that many businesses will use Virtual Services as their preference. VA’s are self-motivated, often business owners themselves and driven to succeed.

Part of what makes Tayside Virtual Assistant even more unique is that we strongly believe in meeting our clients for that first initial consultation, even though we are a ‘Virtual Service’. This is a very important factor to us gaining new business, allowing the client to get a feel for how motivated and driven we are to help them with their business. In this industry, VA’s often refuse to meet anyone in person, but we feel this gives us the edge over our competitors further afield across the UK

Green Means Go

Sad that I am missing a property network meeting this evening, but I have an appointment in Glasgow today with a client.

I need to get through my morning emails and ensure everything is up to date prior to leaving. I have various email accounts all streaming into one collective email account. Because I am a lover of Gmail, I can co-ordinate the priority of everything by giving it a coloured star! Red means it requires urgent attention; Green means I have dealt with it and it’s all ‘go’; Blue is a calming colour and I use this for items I need to go back and look at later. What systems do you have in place to keep you organised?

I also get an email from a new potential client today, I follow this up quickly, as in every business, the time that you take to get back to someone is crucial in gaining new business. It’s the same with sales leads and follow-up calls in all businesses. Your first impression could be your only one!

Wordpress Buzz and Coffee

I always have to start the day with a lovely clear clutter free desk, once those telephone calls and emails start, before you know it, you lose track of time, 3 hours have passed, and you have 25 post-it notes stuck to your cold coffee mug…….and your writing has turned into Egyptian hieroglyphics!

I find that running an organised desk can be one of your greatest assets. If you have lots of clutter it’s a constant distraction and you will lose valuable time hunting for things ‘Time is our greatest asset’. TVA help businesses manage their time better and smarter!

A client got in touch to ask me to build a new beauty website today in Wordpress. The products the lady sells are fantastic, she has successfully built her business in a very short space of time on Amazon, finding a specific product niche to the point where she also needs a website. I just love getting stuck into the initial graphics and designs of a website!

The Valleys and a Relaxing Book

Today it’s an early start, and off to Carron Valley, just outside Denny. I am holding an open viewing session for a property company on a fantastic 2-bedroom property that’s set in the secluded countryside with the most beautiful of views! My love of property is definitely third on the list after shoes and to-do lists…….!

Based on a recommendation from a friend, I ordered myself a new book, life has been very busy the last few years and I do find it hard to switch off, so I am taking up reading again. My new book arrived from Amazon today - ‘The 4-hour Work Week’! I think this book will be very inspiring - after all who wouldn’t love a 4-hour working week right?

DIY and Cakes!

I know it’s not natural, but yes, I love working, it’s what keeps me going, and Sunday is no exception! There is always something to be done, even if it’s scheduling in social media posts for the week ahead.

With some early DIY in the morning to start me off, then it’s my baking hat on - a cake for my parents Golden Anniversary - just another ‘slice’ of a quiet week in the world of Virtual Assistance!