Blog - The Pink Briefcase

Put Your Office Management Skills to Work as a VA

June 8, 2023
expert, freelancing, gig work, remote work, virtual work
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by Stephanie Dee

If you currently – or in the past – have worked as an office manager in a physical location, you can quickly turn those skills into working remotely as a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant often performs secretarial work for business owners at a distance using technology. A VA can really work for almost any type of business owner if the tasks they do can be done virtually.

To succeed as a VA for small businesses, you’ll want to create a package of services instead of offering yourself hourly because it’ll help you control your time better plus help you avoid scope creep. Any business that used to have a secretary or receptionist or needs one is a good place for you to consider offering your services.

For each of the ideas below, think about the things that they need completed that they don’t have time to do, and then create a package for the things you are skilled at doing. To get your first client, set up your website, social media platforms, and a system for capturing leads. Let everyone you know in on your secret so that they can tell the people they know. Then every single day demonstrate to the public via your own website and social platforms what you’re capable of doing for them.

Some specialties for virtual assistants to consider:

Real Estate VA (REVA) – Real estate agents need someone to help them list properties, promote them on social media, and other office-type work such as checking email, writing letters, and so forth. While you don’t need special licensing to become a real estate VA, you might want to consider getting your real estate license in order to be more competitive or investing in a REVA certification.

Legal or Paralegal VA – If you have legal secretary or paralegal experience, transitioning to a virtual assistant will not be hard. Most of the work you do here doesn’t need to be in the office or in a location, although you may need access to specific databases and other information via your clients to do this job properly.

Research VA – Many people, including scientists, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and others, need people to conduct research for them. If you are good at research, understand how to find scholarly works to back up ideas, this can really be a fun opportunity for you. You’d do it from your computer and just need a good internet connection.

Coach and Speaker VA – Many coaches and speakers need an assistant to help find speaking gigs, answer customer service emails, create their marketing materials, and keep them organized and ready for their clients and speaking gigs. Sometimes you might even get to travel if you work with speakers, if that’s something you want to do. It’s not required as you can do it fully, 100 percent, virtually.

Author Assistant VA – Many authors who work with publishing houses or on their own need help with all the things authors have to do today, from editing to marketing. If you have experience in publishing, you can help organize your authors with packages from websites, to social media, and more.

Local Small Business VA – Many small businesses in your area have plenty of administrative things that need to be done, but often they either don’t do them, or they burn the candle at both ends because they don’t realize they can hire a VA part-time to help them. You can work for daycare centers, restaurants, beauty shops, and more.

You get the idea. It’s a good idea to specialize so that you can command higher rates. Plus, when you specialize in what you do, you set the tasks that you will do for them, as well as the rates, so you automatically know what you’ll be doing for them each day throughout the year instead of waiting for them to tell you what to do.

The Power of Doodling

June 8, 2023
creativity
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by Stephanie Dee

One of the simplest and easiest ways to make yourself more creative is also one of the oldest human “art” forms: doodling. It is not just a way to stay awake in yet another boring meeting!

Doodling is free drawing. This just means drawing without a plan to create anything in particular. You draw without paying much, if any, attention to the outcome. Doodling helps you to be more creative in multiple ways. And no, you do not need to be able to draw well to doodle.

It allows your conscious mind to “switch off”

Or at least to attend to other issues (like those boring meetings). Your conscious mind is not engaged at all in the process of doodling. It is your unconscious mind doing all the work. This means that it is free to process information, come up with new ideas, refine ideas you have already had, and form connections through free association.

Most creative ideas start in the subconscious and anything that allows it free rein helps this process along. Doodling is just one of the best ways to do that.

It uses different circuits in the Brain

Every action we take and every thought we have utilizes different sets of circuits in our brains. Some of these circuits are used repeatedly throughout every day, while others are only used occasionally.

MRIs have shown that doodling uses a seldom-used circuit that is related to creativity, comprehension, and problem-solving. This means that doodling improves your thinking ability and your creativity!

Doodling improves both your mood and your focus

Just spending a few minutes doodling has a powerful effect on your mood that is at least the equivalent of eating chocolate. It also improves your ability to focus for a few hours. (Hence why it is used so often by people in meetings.)

These two effects combine to temporarily improve your creative faculties. If you doodle on a regular basis, some of the effects can become permanent.

How do you doodle? Grab a pen or pencil and a blank sheet of paper and just draw. Do not think about it or try to draw well. Focus your attention elsewhere or just zone out. Play some music if you like. Draw whatever comes to mind.

Your doodles can be works of art if you are good at drawing or they might be unrecognizable. It does not matter. Squiggly lines and wiggly shapes are perfectly acceptable.

Eight Things You Need to Become a Successful Content Creator

January 6, 2023
Uncategorized
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by Stephanie Dee

8 Tips on becoming a successful content creator

As a content creator, there are certain things you need to do to be successful. While some people may think that success is all about talent. The truth regarding talent is that it takes more to succeed than being good at your job. In fact, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. To make more money, you need to possess specific skills and characteristics, and put those skills to work.

Here are eight things you need to become a successful content creator:

A Strong Work Ethic

Creating quality content takes time and effort. If you’re unwilling to put in the time, you won’t be successful. A strong work ethic is important because it shows that you’re dedicated to your craft. Your work ethic makes a big impression on potential clients, who are more likely to hire someone they believe is committed to their work.

It also means you’re more likely to produce high-quality content. This is important because clients are often willing to pay more for well-written and informative content. Finally, a strong work ethic can help you build a reputation as a reliable content creator. Again, this is important because clients are more likely to recommend someone they know is reliable and trustworthy.

Marketing Skills

Great content is just a tiny part of the process – you also need to know how to market it. If people don’t know your content exists, they won’t be able to enjoy it. Do you talk about your content? Do you let people know you’re in the business? Are you active on social media? Being great at creating content isn’t going to get you noticed. Being out there, in people’s faces and in people’s spaces, is what is going to get your content noticed, and land you clients or help you make a sale.

High-Quality Content

This one is self-explanatory. Creating content that people want to consume is part of what will make it feel like high-quality content to the consumer. It’s okay to create something fast and easy, once in a while. But quality content takes time dedicated to design, creativity, proofreading, revision, and finally, putting it out there. If you struggle to find ideas, this is a great area where done-for-you content, or PLR (private label rights) content can jumpstart your creativity.

A Strong Personal Brand

Your target audience will engage with content from someone they feel like they know and trust. So if you can build a strong personal brand, you’ll be more successful as a content creator. Strong brands are also about finding the right audiences. The Pink Briefcase is a pretty specific brand, aimed primarily at female owned entrepreneurs. It’s not that I don’t like men. I LOVE men! Particularly my husband. But I don’t think a woman should have to act or look like a man in order to get paid like one. So all my content is feminine themed, and uses feminine energy to make my points. What’s your brand? And are you consistent across all your content?

A Willingness to Learn

The world of content creation is constantly changing. Therefore, you need to be willing to keep up with the latest trends and technologies if you want to succeed. I learned how to use Photoshop this past year and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! Canva is great, and I continue to use Canva to deliver my done-for-your templates to people so they can edit and revise colors and graphics to find their personal brand. But Photoshop is awesome at creating layered graphics and customizing fonts.

Persistence

Becoming a money-making content creator is not a get-out-of-work-card; creating content takes time and effort. You won’t achieve overnight success – it takes hard work and dedication to make it in this field. Malcom Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours of work to be an overnight success. I personally have spent years learning how to be the best writer I can be, learning SEO, learning how marketing works, etc. It’s not hard to learn. But it takes time. Keep going!

A Passion for What You Do

If you’re not passionate about the content you create, it will be difficult to find success. On the other hand, people can tell when someone is genuinely passionate about their work, and they’re more likely to engage with that content. It’s important to create content that is aligned with your mission, vision, and values. If not, you’re selling your soul short, and the customer is going to notice. Alignment is critical to business success, so find out what makes your heart sing and do more of that.

An Understanding of Your Audience

Knowing your target audience and what they want to see is essential to content creation. If you can understand what your audience wants, you’ll be more likely to create content that resonates with them. For example, the Pink Briefcase creates content mostly for female entrepreneurs and our audience knows that. It wouldn’t help to start posting content that talks about golf, fishing, cars, or football. Not that women can’t or don’t enjoy those things. It’s just not our primary focus when we’re working on our businesses. That’s why you’ll see articles about communication, work/life balance, unexplainable fatigue, goal setting using vision boards, etc.

To recap, there are several things you need to become a successful content creator. While some are obvious, others are often overlooked. But, if you can focus on creating high-quality content and promoting it effectively, you’ll be well on your way to content creation success. Just remember achieving success means you must progress toward your goals by doing the work needed. There’s no shortcut to becoming an overnight sensation. But, put in the work, and you’ll eventually see the payoff.

Business Planning Is Fun Again!

September 30, 2022
goal setting, Habits, productivity, Uncategorized
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by Stephanie Dee

When you think of a business plan, you probably think of pages of text and graphs and boring stats and numbers. You know, the kind of thing you’d nervously push across the desk to a bank officer in hopes of securing a loan.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything I like less than to have to piece together that kind of stiff, formal business plan. Luckily, I have better tools—and so do you!

The Business Plan That Isn’t

What if you could plan your business with fun, colorful photos and inspirational quotes and phrases instead? What would that do for your daily motivation?

Well that’s exactly what a vision board will do for you. By collecting images that represent your dreams and aspirations, you’ll have a constant reminder of where it is you’re going, and even why you started your business in the first place. Maybe you want to spend more time with your kids as they’re growing up, or have enough money to finally take that vacation to Europe. What about that house in the country you’ve always dreamed of owning, or the sporty little red car that’s been calling your name.

None of these things will find a place in a traditional business plan, but they’re perfect for your vision board. More importantly, they’re critical to your long-term success. Without your dreams, it’s nearly impossible to remain focused and on track when it comes to business growth, but with these reminders, it’s easy!

Why Vision Boards Work

Does all this feel pretty airy-fairy to you? You’re not alone. Lots of us were raised to believe that business had to be all about numbers and stats, and that there was no room for fun when it comes to making money.

I completely disagree!

In fact, some of the most successful people in the world routinely use vision boards to help clarify their dreams and keep their goals front of mind. And that’s precisely why vision boards work so well. They allow you to easily see exactly what it is you’re working toward, whether it’s a shiny new car or a big, beautiful home, or an exotic vacation.

By keeping visual reminders within sight, you’re constantly aware of your “why,” and that’s a powerful motivator, no matter what you’re working on.

Of course, no banker is going to accept your vision board as proof of viability and give you a loan based on it. But when it comes to clarifying your dreams, pinpointing your real goals, and getting excited about your business again, you just can’t beat a personal, colorful vision board. Give it a try. You might just surprise yourself!

Beyond Smart: Goal Setting for the Dreamers!

October 9, 2021
goal setting, Habits
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by Stephanie Dee

Excessive burnout or insomnia — Are SMART goals holding you back?

If there’s one thing we know about goals, they have to be SMART, right?

After all, that’s what we’ve been told for years. The only thing that matters is that your goals are specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timely.

While that looks great on paper—and clearly it’s easy to remember—it doesn’t go far enough for those who want to achieve big things.

Think about it. Do you want to be stuck with “attainable” and “realistic” goals when what you really dream about is a 3-day workweek, frequent international travel, and enough money to fund a mission trip (or three). Seems pretty clear that those safe, smart goals aren’t going to get you there.

In fact, they might even do worse than simply “not get you there.” They may actively hold you back.

Are Your Goals Holding You Back?

Consider what happens when you set an “attainable” goal of earning 10% more than you did last year. You might work 10% more. You might spend 10% more on ads or product creation. You might even reach out to 10% more potential clients.

And you’ll likely earn about 10% more.

“Not bad!” you say. After all, that was your goal.

But did that 10% goal inspire you to work harder? Or did it create a subconscious ceiling on your earning potential that you’re unable to break through?

Rather than focusing on goals that are attainable and realistic, savvy entrepreneurs know that the key to incredible success lies in creating lofty goals that feel out of reach—maybe even UN-attainable.

Dream Big

They don’t strive to earn 10% more than last year. They want 50% or even 100% more. They stretch themselves. They find new—and better—ways to do things, so they don’t have to work twice as hard, but they remain open to the possibility of doing so—at least in the short term—when it’s necessary.

Of course, you cannot simply declare crazy goals and expect the universe to hand them to you. And that’s exactly why putting aside those smart goals is so…smart. When you shun the attainable in favor of the “holy cow, how will I ever do THAT?” goal, you push yourself beyond those self-imposed limits and reach for the stars.

Sure, you might not double your income, but you’re almost guaranteed to do better than a mere 10% increase. So push your boundaries. Set big, audacious goals. Even if you fail, you’ll be much further ahead than those smart goals would leave you.