Posted by Marie on March 3, 2009
Money Ning has an article today titled “19 Ways Laziness is Costing You Money.” If you take a look, you’ll see how disorganization and procrastination can really reduce your income and affect your savings.
Unnecessary expenditures, such as late fees, can really hurt a business’s bottom line these days. A healthy cash flow is even more important since credit remains tough to come by.
For those who keep letting money seep away from them despite the best of intentions, there are a number of ways that a personal assistant or business assistant can help.
Perhaps all you need is one email reminder each week about what’s due and what’s coming up. For the truly sidetracked, outsourcing all accounts payable functions may actually prove cost-effective.
Of course, tasking someone else to stay on hold with the cable or credit card company is an easy one to make. Let your assistant get you a changed rate or another tier of service. Paying a monthly fee for something you don’t use is like paying a full-time employee to surf the internet.
Times are tough. Make sure each cent you spend is out there working hard for you.
Posted by Marie on January 11, 2009
As we all get deeper into this new year, don’t forget that organizing your time uses the exact same process as organizing your spaces. To be organized, you cannot treat time as if it is intangible.
Time provides the containers and compartments into which your actions and events must go. For example, you only have so much space on your desk. If you want to put another lamp on it, you’ll have to take something away to make room. The same principle applies to your time. We only have so many hours in our day, and we have to organize accordingly.
Being organized means more than knowing where your possessions are. It also means that you are not late, you are not double-booked, and you are not behind on your responsibilities.
Could you use some help with developing a simplified and and workable system for your life? Why not give Detour Services a call?
Posted by Marie on January 4, 2009
Are you ready to face the next twelve months? Detour Services is ready to help. Just let us know if you need to get your finances in order. Or perhaps you want a filing system that actually works. Are you tired of losing your items?
Drop me a note today!
Posted by Marie on December 12, 2008
Are your business receipts in a great big pile right now? Do you need them reconciled against your credit card statements?
Detour Services can help you prepare for your upcoming appointment with the tax accountant.
The organization of your expenses is a task that is easily outsourced and assigned. A personal assistant will save you hours of sorting and organizing.
The end of the year is hectic for small businesses and for small business owners. There’s a fiscal year to close out and a plan of attack to be made for the next.
Call us today to get this responsibility off your list and off your mind.
Posted by Marie on December 7, 2008
Conferences. Meetings. Networking events. Holiday parties.
If you run a small business, you give out and receive business cards all the time. They go in your pocket. They go in your folder. They end up in a messy pile on your desk.
Here’s a quick and effective way to keep track of them all. When someone hands you a business card, write down the event on it. Do it while this contact is speaking to you. You can even tell him or her what you are doing. This action demonstrates that you are taking their information seriously and that you are interested in working with them in the future. Most likely, they will be impressed.
As you put them in your filing system, whether it be in a rolodex, a card file, or something else entirely, you’ll have a much better chance of remembering this meeting. When you need help in the future, a quick flip through your cards will help you brainstorm. (Note: This is one of the reasons I’m still an advocate for keeping certain types of information in hardcopy format.)
Every so often, as your files get larger, give these business cards to your personal assistant. Ask him or her to go through and take out the cards that are no longer current. Usually, a quick internet search is all that’s needed. New information may be written over the old. No-longer-useful cards can be removed entirely.
This is one of the ways that I deal with all my cards. Do you have any tips for me?
