Various companies I trade with publish “magazines” for their customers, and when they arrive, they go straight into my recycling container.  All except for the one Costco distributes. I’m not a die-hard Costco shopper, but I think “Costco Connection” rocks.

The May 2009 issue has some terrific business articles that I gobbled up with my morning coffee today and just had to share:

“Surviving the downturn” by Rich Sloan, co founder of StartupNation.com (If you have the print edition, this article is on page 13 and is accompanied by an article called “Put your business on “hold” and another called “Finding the best biz book.”)

The small business section features these two pieces:

“Body talk: Actions often do speak louder than words,” by Harvey Meyer

“Overcoming the economic storm: Changing times create opportunities,” by Jeffrey Gitomer

Finally, the May cover story, for all you Bill Gates fans, a piece on Bill’s dad, Bill Gates, Sr.: “All in the family: for the Gates family, success started at home.”

This issue also includes articles on kayaking, health, travel, and investing. Yes, it’s all wrapped in ads for things Costco sells that are related to these articles. However, by paging through those ads, you never know when you might discover a service offering that you may miss completely if you visited the store for groceries and office supplies.

For instance, climbing out of bed to refill my coffee cup after my DH left for work, the magazine slipped to the floor beneath my bare foot. Lifting my foot tore off a page, underneath which was an ad for 50% off Major League Baseball tickets (and for concerts, live theater and other events. (go to Costco.com ——>Services——>Event Tickets) Note, this service takes you out of Costco and onto a third party vendor site.

This weekend we bought a new car and after all negotiations were finalized, and we’d reached the price we wanted to pay, we finally mentioned our Costco membership. Off came another $500.

Maybe I’m the last to know about that benefit, but how did I find out about it? In the “Costco Connection,” of course!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tweet This Post

Marketing and growing my VA practice has allowed me the opportunity to build relationships with entrepreneurs in all walks of life, and in many varied industries. Ethics has been the thread that binds me to other successful business owners, and helps to spread the word on how to maintain and encourage good business practices.

One of the biggest obstacles that many of my VA peers face is the use of sub-contractors. As with any industry, there are those that take pride in their abilities and prefer to be totally honest in dealing with clients (and other VA’s looking for assistance), and those who do not.

We sometimes forget that we should also be responsible for building a good working relationship with our sub-contractors. We should provide clear and concise instructions, as we would an employee, and give them all the necessary information to understand our business philosophy, our mission, and the relationship we maintain with our clients. As a sub-contractor, we should handle this business with the same professionalism as we would any other client. How we complete their project will have an impact on whether or not they’ll use us in the future, as it is with any client.

Take the time to find out about your sub-contractor and be sure they’re a good fit for you and the project you need assistance with. Be sure you have a good Sub-Contractor Agreement and that it’s signed before you forward any work to be completed. Be clear about deadlines. Give yourself an extra day or two so that you can check their work to be sure it is what your client has come to expect from your organization, and that your sub-contractor can realistically complete their end of the project on time.

I can’t tell you how many horror stories I’ve heard from VA’s whose sub-contractors don’t complete projects on time, or as instructed. It’s probably their number one complaint and what may prevent them from accepting a project that will require additional help.

I know I enjoy being a sub-contractor, and do everything in my power to make sure that the work product maintains the impeccable standards I set for myself with my own clients, and that the VA I’m working with has a good sub-contractor experience. I keep in touch with the VA client to let them know if I’m having any difficulty or need clarification on their instructions. It can certainly be a win-win for both of us. It allows them to provide good quality and on-time services, and brings me a little extra business that I would not have obtained if not for a good, ethical relationship with another successful VA.

If you have an ethical dilemma with a sub-contractor, please share it with me and we’ll find solutions that will help strengthen your relationship as a VA and a sub-contractor.

Wishing you continued success and the wisdom to consider ethical options.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tweet This Post

Showing off my newest toy

Learn more about the
Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device.

Resources:
My Written Review
Amazon Kindle Link
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tweet This Post

Ever since Facebook announced the changes they made to how Facebook Business Pages work there have been plenty of articles out there giving us the lowdown on how we can use these new features to our advantage in our businesses and client’s businesses.

In the spirit of this blog, I would like to share those resource links with all of you. They have really helped me to gain a better grasp of it all, so I’m hoping they’ll help you as well.

Click Newz

TechCrunch

Mari Smith

All Facebook

Mashable

All Facebook (more)

Advertising Age

All Facebook (even more)

A Virtual Business Solution

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tweet This Post