My Virtual Assistant just loves promoting awesome businesses!  Here's a great one for you:

Have you ever wanted to learn how to write a book or find out how to get published?

Author and publisher, Jill Marshall has some fantastic writing courses coming up in April.  

Don't miss out - click here to read more or sign up today for an online course.

If you work from home, here are a few things you might like to do, to help make your office a more comfortable and enjoyable to space to work in:

An office needs to be well lit, and preferably with plenty of natural lighting. Many home offices are in basements or tucked away in corners where there is not much natural lighting. It can also help to have multiple options for lighting, like a desk lamp, as well as overhead lighting.

Avoid having a desk that is full of crumbs left over from your lunch or other things that keep it messy. Maintaining a clean office doesn’t require much more than just straightening up at the end of each day.

In addition to just keeping it clean, it’s equally important to have an organised office. If your surroundings are unorganised it is likely that you’ll feel like your thoughts are unorganised and this can create stress.  Also, try to keep computer wires hidden away.

Once you have organised your office you should be able to identify some things that you really don’t need. Get rid of all of any excess clutter and you'll give yourself a more peaceful working environment with fewer distractions.

With a home office it can be very tempting to make it a home office/storage space or to use it for some other purpose. If you’re spending a considerable amount of time in the office it is best to use that space only for work. Having a clear separation of work and personal space is helpful for a healthy work-life balance, plus having a dedicated office will allow you to set it up in a way that makes it most comfortable for your working hours.

Part of making a home office comfortable involves decorating it in a way that inspires you and encourages creativity. Wall art and decorations are a great way to improve your home office.

A plant or two can create a natural and inviting environment.  Plants can be bought inexpensively and there are all kinds of plants available for various amounts of natural light.

Trying to work in a space that is too hot or too cold is not a good idea. Being comfortable with the temperature will help you stay awake, be productive and help with creativity.

My Virtual Assistant is three years old on 13 March! Wow! I can't believe it's been three years already!

Now, as I head into my fourth year of working very happily in my 'virtual world', I am extremely proud to say that all my business comes from referrals I've been given from existing clients, from my fab networking groups and from my website.

On that note, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful clients, family and friends for all your support. Thank you!

2.  Brand early, not often
An early investment in business branding is no different than taking the time and money to set up an operating agreement or purchase efficient machinery that won’t break down.

3.   Motivate your employees with workplace flexibity
Organisations that provide a healthy and robust work/life flexibility will win the talent war when it comes to finding and keeping good staff.   For example, try asking your employees for their opinion - it's likely you will find they aren’t actually asking for much.

4.  Hire your staff for their spirit, not just their skills
A leader can be coached on how to become more influential and engage their team to achieve great results; an employee can be trained for technical skills. But spirit is the set of 'soft' skills that can’t be trained effectively. People with the right spirit can be difficult to find, but they are necessary in order for a company to excel.

5.  Make small changes often
We often try to focus on the 'Big Picture' or our 'Goal', and that's good, but the best way to reach your target is by making little adjustments along the way.  Regularly making small changes is a lot easier to stick to than trying to make a big change immediately.

6. Do what you say you are going to do
Accountability is very important. If you say you are going to call, then call.  If you promise to send someone information, send it.  Finish a job when you promised you would - or earlier - with quality work.  Let people know as soon as you can when you are running late for an appointment.  If you say 'Let's get together sometime', make a note on your calendar in the near future to set something up - or don't say it at all.

Of course, being able to work from home is truly a luxury and something I never thought I would be in a position to do.

However, in creating my own work-from-home business, I have discovered a few things about myself.

For example, I thought that if  I was ever able to 'work' from home, I could happily spend my time watching television, having coffee with friends or going shopping, mainly because I would have all this 'free time' to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  After all, isn't that the whole point of working from home?

Well, it's not like that at all.

I've discovered I'm a bit of a workaholic and that I'm also extremely disciplined.  So, when it's a stunningly sunny day, I could easily wander outside, gaze at my beautiful sea view and sunbathe for a few hours.  But I don't.  In fact it's quite the opposite.  My office faces the road, not the view, and regardless of the weather, it's the room in our house where I spend most of my time and I actually like being in there.

I have discovered a kind of 'inner drive' about myself that compels me to want to be in my office, getting on with my work and helping my clients.  I actually don't want to be outside working on my tan! 

When I worked in the 'real world' I always enjoyed my jobs and found my work extremley rewarding, but it's absolutley nothing like owning your own business and nothing beats the feeling of having a happy client and a job well done.

Now, if I could just get the hang of not going to work in my PJ's and slippers...!  ;o)

Well, the 2011 Rugby World Cup may be over for the next four years, but for me, wonderful memories of it will linger on for many years to come.

I was lucky enough to be on a lovely launch right in the middle of Auckland Harbour to watch the opening ceremony fireworks and we couldn't have picked a better spot if we'd tried.

I watched most of the Pool games sitting in a mini grandstand, in an open-air marquee with a cocktail in my hand, whilst on a very relaxing holiday in Rarotonga and I managed to attend two awesome semi-final games.  The first of these was the Australia v Ireland game, which was a huge amount of fun, to the extent that I lost my voice for a little while from all the cheering and singing!  The second was the nailbiting and very worrying (for a while) game between New Zealand and Argentina.  Both games were so incredibly different and thoroughly enjoyable.

We watched the other games from the comfort of our couch - each game with various family and/or friends and each game being pure excitiment in it's own right.

My partner and I enjoyed a fantastic day wandering around Downtown Auckland the day before the Rugby World Cup final, if for no other reason than to be part of the crowd and soak up the electrifying atmosphere.  The Viaduct and Wynyard Quadrant were full of families and happy diners all chatting and laughing, whiile the Cloud and Fan Zone (which were dwarfed by two large cruise ships) and the whole of Downtown Auckland was full of smiling faces - people of all ages, from locals to international visitors - the whole place was buzzing!  Every second person was dressed in black and the experience was truly magical and incredibily exciting.

We watched the New Zealand v France final with friends and neighbours and couldn't believe it when the All Blacks won by just ONE POINT!  Nerve wracking, exciting and riveting right until the last minute!  The relief when it was all over was undeniable and a great 'excuse' for us to break open the champagne (French! of course!) and party until 3.00am.  Thankully the next day was a public holiday in New Zealand!

We thought about attending the All Black's parade in Queen Street, Auckland, but that's as far as it went.  Instead we rounded off the whole exiciting event of the 2011 Rugby World Cup with a lovely day spent sitting in the warm Auckland sunshine on our deck at home, surrounded by our lovely friends and neighbours.  And it felt like everything was right with the world..!

It truly was fantastic to be involved in such an international event and we are thrilled to have been given this opportunity, and of course, huge, huge, congratulations to our gracious champions, the New Zealand All Blacks!

The last word, from All Blacks Captain, Riche McCaw - "Everyone's part of the All Blacks.  We're just the ones that go out and play."

Huge, huge congratulations to my wonderful client, Author and Publisher, Jill Marshall, for winning the Arts and Culture category at NEXT New Zealand Woman of the Year Awards 2011, on  Thursday 6th October.

Click here to visit Jill's website

My Virtual Assistant is proud to have worked with Jill to create the website for Curly from Shirley:
www.curlyfromshirley.com

Displaying comments from happy customers on your website is one of the best ways to build your credibility and show potential customers that you are trustworthy, reliable and an expert in your field.

1. Don't be shy
If you don't have any or many testimonials on your website, then get them!  Simply email your customers and ask for their feedback on your business and/or service.  If you've done a good job, provided a good service or your product is useful, you will find that most customers will be more than happy to give you a recommendation.

2. Talk about the benefits
A comment like, "This product is great!" is nice to hear, but it doesn't tell readers what your product can actually do for them.  The benefits of what  you offer should be the highlight of every testimonial.  Look for recommendations like these:  "This product doubled our profits in a month!" or "This product made the pain in my back disappear completely - and did it fast!" or "We've never seen any product that could get the rust off our car without damaging the paint - until now."

3. Substantiate your claims
If you say your product can do something, your testimonials should back up your promises, complete with actual facts and figures. How much money did your customers save by using your product? How much time did they save by using your service? How did it solve their problems or improve their lives?

4. Something to relate to
You want your readers to see that your product/service helped someone just like them. Make sure your testimonials come from someone with whom your target market can identify.  If you sell primarily to seniors, for example, ask your customers if you can include their age along with the testimonial.  If you're selling to Mums with children, ask if you can mention how many kids they have or include a photo of their family.

5.  Credibility
Accompany each testimonial with the first name, last name and hometown of each testimonial-giver to show that your endorsements come from real people.  Always try to include a photo as well.  And if you can, take it to the next level by including audio or video testimonials for maximum effect.  Do anything you can to help your readers connect with your testimonial-givers on a personal level.

When people read testimonials they gain confidence in your products and services and are far more likely to buy from you.  Think about your own experiences - are you more likely to hire a plumber or a builder when you read their brochure or when a friend recommends them?