Top 10 Women Bloggers to Follow

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Some are cheeky. Some are all business. One is off the charts (and not for the kids!). All are awesome, interesting women who have built a following for their businesses through great writing and building community. We’ve talked about a few a lot and some are probably brand new to our TVLAI readers. They are all great role models in the online business world. Enjoy!

1. Pam Slim. Pam has been highly touted here on TVLAI.com. She is an entrepreneur’s coach and a successful author. Here is one of my favorite posts about selling yourself.

2. Penelope Trunk. If you are a 30-something pursuing a career or entrepreneurial startup, it is hard to beat Penelope and her Brazen Careerist site. Here is a great sample of her advice and work.

3. Danielle LaPorte. Danielle and her “White Hot Truth” have become incredibly popular. She is also a business, entrepreneur coach and so popular that when she announced her “firestarter sessions” were going from $300/hr to $500/hr in 2010, she booked at the $300/hr rate for the rest of the year! Check out this awesome post.

4. Naomi Dunford. Naomi writes for all folks who run an “itty biz”, a really small niche business. With information on search engine optimization and general online marketing, she has superior content and e-courses available on her blog. She was also selected as one of the Top 30 Bloggers to Watch in 2010 by ProBlogger.

5. Carolyn Elefant (along with Susan Cartier Liebel) are the two cheerleaders for solo practicing lawyers. Carolyn writes killer content on her blog at MyShingle.com.

6. Lea Woodward. Lea, along with her husband, started Location Independent, a blog and site for virtual workers who travel the world. Highly motivating content if you want to break free and live a much more mobile, independent lifestyle.

7. Gina Trapini. Gina was the founding editor of the incredibly popular Lifehacker.com and wrote Upgrade Your Life . She has since spun out on her own and mostly writes about tech issues (impressions of the just announced iPad here).

8. Gwen Bell is really popular in the social media world, especially on Twitter. She writes on using this type of media in business effectively, is a yoga guru and excellent blogger. She is currently working on a media campaign for HP.

9. Arianna Huffington. Yes, this liberal powerhouse still writes for The Huffington Post which has grown huger than huge and is usually in the top 3-5 blogs most read blogs in Technorati’s Top 100. Interestingly enough, she’s been writing about sleep as well. You can read one of her posts about what she says should be the next feminist issue.  

10. The Bloggess. Oh ladies. She is handful but she says all of those things we wish we could. This one is for fun and to give you a laugh out loud break in your day. If you’ve ever ever been ready to kill at the movies, this post is for you. (It is NOT G-rated). She also writes a parenting column for a major paper.

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Top 10 Business Blogs to Follow

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Readers, we scoured the Internet for you, investigating what big wigs like Forbes and Inc.com consider the best business blogs (particularly small business) in cyberspace and tossing in one or two of our personal choices. Here is TVLAI.com’s definitive list!

1. Chris Brogan. Chris is one of the leading experts in social media so if you want to get the low-down on how to use it and how it’s changing, this is the blog to read.

2. UnMarketing. Scott Stratten is a leading proponent of relationship marketing, clearly following in the footsteps of Seth Godin. Learn how marketing is done these days through this entertaining and informative blog.

3. The Entrepreneurial Mind. Dr. Jeff Cornwall’s in-depth, ongoing study of all things “entrepreneur”.

4. AllBusiness Bloggers (owned by Dunn and Bradstreet) is a clearing house of nothing but business bloggers, breaking them down into sub-categories like human resources, home-based business and women in business bloggers. GREAT resource!

5. Mashable. Mashable bills itself as “The Social Media Guide” but it has really turned into a news repository for all things online, including small business, mobile apps, money and finance and more. Follow the whole Google versus China story here.

6. TechCrunch. For all things technology and technology news, this is your place.

7. CalculatedRISK. A fast mover on Technorati, CalculatedRISK covers finance, the economy and housing markets. 

8. Small Business Trends. Pretty much what it says!

9. Small Business Brief is a news aggregating service for all things “small business”. The site gathers news and categorizes under topics like entrepreneurship, finance and legal and marketing.

10. Tied for 10th place are some of our favorites: IttyBiz, Escape from Cubicle Nation, Career Renegade and Copyblogger.

 

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10 Worthwhile Charities to Donate To

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Its a new year and we are all planning our personal and business strategies for 2010. Let’s not forget those organizations and people who are striving to pursue missions greater than our own. Here are our Top Ten picks for worthwhile charities to consider getting involved in.

1. Doctors Without Borders. This organizations mission is built around doctors and nurses assisting “people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.”  Founded in 1971, it cares for individuals across racial, political and religious borders.

2. Skip1.org. I love this concept! You sign up and skip something (morning coffee, magazine, lunch, shoes?) and donate the amount to this organization. You can set your account up to routinely skip or you can do it spontaneously. The tie in makes it feel better somehow, don’t you think?

3. Heifer International. Hard to imagine that the purchase of a cow, goat or a few chickens can save a family’s life in another country, but it can. Through the sale of milk or eggs to other families, it can sustain them both financially and nutritionally. Heifer International has built their cause around caring for one family at a time.

4. Kiva. See how microcredit lending charities are helping in developing countries in this great article.

5. Make it Right NOLA is the charity supported by Brad Pitt in building sustainable, hurricane-resistant, stylish housing in damaged parts of New Orleans.

6. The One Campaign. Fighting global poverty and AIDS, with Bono as their spokesperson, this is one of the most visible, well-promoted charities. Working with artists to create unique t-shirt designs as fund raisers as well as famous musicians and actors, this organization strives to hold world leaders accountable to commitments and make them aware of needs around the world.

7. Women for Women International. Thanks Oprah for pointing out this powerful sister supported charity!

Animal Society and Sanctuary.

9. Leave No Veterans Behind helps war veterans with their education debt. Featured on Oprah, it is a way to support and reward those who have served in the US Armed Forces.

10. Global Colors is both an educational and support charity for global concerns. Founded by an amazing man, Barton Brooks, Global Colors is a guerilla aid movement. The photo above is of Barton via Word To Your Mother.

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Top 10 Trends for 2010

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1. Everything goes mobile. Video will be the way most information is conveyed via mobile phones because it is easier to view. And mobile internet will completely change the game because of the number of mobile phones in use. (Do thumb through a few of the slides on the Morgan Stanley link we’ve provided).

2. Education continues to evolve. Online learning is becoming increasingly accepted and professional. MIT offers almost all of its course syllabus and materials online now for FREE. Fast Company is offering its online 30-second MBA series. College graduates continue to wonder why they went into so much debt for a piece of paper that doesn’t ensure, well, anything.  DIY “Edupunk” is the new wave.

3. Entrepreneurship increases. Previously downsized workers who are discouraged by the current job market and lack of security in corporate emmployment are creating their own businesses at a record pace. Ready to help them are sites like Escape from Cubicle Nation and Career Renegade.

4. And thus, Outsourcing increases. Because there will be so many downsized workers converting to running their own consulting, coaching, teaching, designing businesses but will not have the administrative and other types of support, you will see continued growth in the need for Virtual Assistants/Professionals.  

5. Cloud computing. We will dowload fewer and fewer programs, but will, instead, use them from “the cloud”.

6. Sites, news and blogs will become “hyper-local“. Instead of turning to CNN or NBC for our news, we will consult more sites for hyper-local information about our communities.  

7. Stories (and thus, advertising) will be told in a variety of media (video, real print, online text, events, IM, audio, ebooks, etc.) Books will include codes for short films online. Films online will have tie-in ebooks, etc.

8. Lean and mean. Everything will get smaller and leaner (from businesses to our homes and cars) and we will continue to befuddle designers and engineers with loving things that are ‘good enough’ in quality so long as we can get them where we are and fast.

9. Augmented reality. Point your iPhone at an actual restaturant and watch reviews from Yelp pop up on your screen. Point it at a constellation and it will overlay a picture of the part of the sky you are blocking with your phone and give you details about what you are seeing. There are many examples of augmented reality online.

10. Real time (aka “nowism“). Google Wave allows you to collaborate in real time. Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook allow you to stay up to date on what your contacts are doing right now.

Have a Happy (and safe) New Year everyone!  We look forward to working with you in 2010!

Photo via Creative Commons by Wonderlane.

 

 

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TVLAI’s 2009 Top 10 Admired People

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Don’t you love end of year lists? Of course, we’ve started doing lists weekly again, but here is a tip of the hat to some people I, and my TVLAI colleagues, really admire.

Oprah Winfrey. I’m not sure I can say more than has been said already. I’m sad her show will be ending, but I am anxious to see what she’s up to next. She’s an inspiration to every person who has been born into poverty, particularly women.

Pamela Slim. Her book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, mentioned here, has been selected as one  of the best business books of 2009. She’s a warm spring of kindness and smarts.

Richard Branson. Sir Branson probably made many people’s lists of admired people this and many years. I don’t care. He’s an example of daredevil thinking and living.

Barack Obama. A paradigm shifter. A Nobel Peace Prize winner (look! He didn’t ask to be nominated). A stunning human being. I’m proud he’s my President.

Michelle Obama. I suspect she’ll be a first lady who makes a significant impact in the years her husband is in office. A Harvard Law graduate herself, she is funny, smart and stylish.

Bill Gates. From college drop out to one of the richest men in the world, revered and reviled. Doesn’t matter. There is a really good chance one of the products his company developed is in your home.

Angelina Jolie. I certainly admire her film work and beauty, but mostly her humanitarian work. While filming Tomb Raider, she saw people suffering and reached out to say “what can I do?”. The Mia Farrow of her generation, Angelina (and now Brad) are saving children, one at a time. (He’s doing some pretty important work as well, in New Orleans).

Tyler Perry. From living homeless in his car to building one of the biggest African-American entertainment empires ever (perhaps THE biggest by now), he’s proven you can do anything you believe with a lot of drive and kindness. Plus he’s cute!

Melanie Gaskin-Benjamin. What can I say? She’s my confidante, friend and the best baby sister ever! Nothing gets past her. This year she’s literally been my rock. I adore and admire her!

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Ten GREAT Songs About Work

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Sometimes we need to commiserate about hard work and these 10 classics are great to rock out to when you have just put in your 50th hour on what was supposed to be a short week! Check out iTunes if you want a single download on any of these:

1. She Works Hard for the Money: Donna Summer. Ain’t it the truth?

2. 9 to 5: Dolly Parton. All the more reason to WORK FOR YOURSELF!

3. Working for the Weekend: Loverboy. Unless you are self-employed, in which case you work on the weekends too probably.

4. Working Class Hero: John Lennon (recent cover by Green Day).

5. Paperback Writer: The Beatles. Tried to come up with at least one about working for yourself.

6. Takin’ Care of Business: BTO. Yeah! Are YOU taking care of YOUR business? Do you need help? Call TVLAI!

7. Bright Future in Sales: Fountains of Wayne. Love this line “I had a line on a brand new account, but now I can’t seem to find where I wrote that number down.”

8. Luxury: The Rolling Stones. Ah, the man’s lament about keeping his love in luxury.

9. Workin’ for a Living: Huey Lewis and The News. “I’m taking what their giving cause I’m workin’ for a living.”

10. Business Woman: The Church. “Look at that business woman. She’s got a head on her shoulders.”

Any ideas you want to submit? We’d love to hear them!

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Top 10 Business Books for Entrepreneurs

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Welcome to this week’s newly reinstated Top 10! This list is targeted to entrepreneurs, freelancers and solo practitioners and are ones that either I’ve read and have helped me tremendously or have come highly recommended by colleagues or clients. Please feel free to submit your favorites in the comment section below!

1. The Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Purple Cow is all about finding your niche customer group. In fact, it is the definitive guide to doing this and one of my personal favorites. Like all of Seth’s books this is a very fast read and well-worth your time.

2. The Dip by Seth Godin. Have trouble figuring out when to stay the course and when to jump ship? Seth reminds us that getting over “the dip” is what differentiates the successful from the wannabes.

3. Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields. You will refer to this book repeatedly. Talk about leveraging content…Jonathan not only makes suggestions on how to expand your business, with success stories along the way, but he offers a huge list of resources and real guides on how to do things like start podcasting.

4. Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pam Slim. Pam has built an entire business on helping cheer cube farm dwellers on to self-employment. Her book encompasses some of that cheering AND the nuts and bolts of how to do it.

5. Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port. Recommended for anyone starting out on their own. A primer and motivator on building a business serving only those clients you want to serve-and how to find them.

6. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Yes. Most US-based virtual assistants take exception with Tim’s encouragement to use foreign virtual assistants (and many folks who read the book had disastrous results using some of the companies he recommended. However, the book still has incredibly useful information on time management, pursuing dreams, and building passive income. He lost me for awhile in the middle but the beginning and end are all very good.

7. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. The best book, ever, for recharging your faith in any of your dreams. The first 4 chapters alone are worth the cost of the book. I dare you to not be inspired!

8. Changing the Channel by Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby. If you want to learn all there is to know about online, direct-response marketing, this should be your first purchase. A basic education in pay per click, search engine optimization, direct mail, newsletters and more.

9. Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. PowerPoint continues to reign supreme for presentation software. This highly rated guide helps you reduce boredom in your presentations and offers alternatives to the slide show.

10. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Originally written in 1936, this classic offers timely advice on connecting with others and building real relationships. It doesn’t matter if your business involves sales (don’t they all?) or not. Everyone, entrepreneur or stay-at-home mom, should read this book.

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Top Ten Free Web Apps for Small Business

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As we all know by now, “apps” are the wave of the internet (and mobile phone) future. Which are the best for a small business owner or solo practitioner? Here’s what we recommend:

1. For all things “office” (spreadsheets, documents, presentations and more) Google Docs reigns supreme.

2. Hootsuite to manage Twitter for work or play.

3. Mint for managing money and not paying for Quicken (who, by the way, now owns Mint).

4. Mindomo for creating mindmaps to creatively solve and type of problem!

5. Google Reader for staying on top of all of those business blogs you read and other cutting edge information.

6. Pandora because everyone wants to rock out to their tailor-made FREE radio stations! Makes the worst days somehow bearable.

7. Box . Store your files offline! Keep them safe, secure and out of your home so that when, not if, that hard drive of yours crashes, you are not in panic mode.

8. PrimoPDF. I discussed this free version of .pdf writer here.

9. Skype (sorta free). Skype is fantastic for free person-to-person calling but even if you use it for paid calling, it is super cheap and crisp!

10. WordPress . The best blog/website software out there and it is free!

Of course, no application can beat the WOW! experience (and relief) of having your own virtual professional or assistant. Check out our ever expanding range of services!

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Top 10 Ways to Ensure Client Loyalty

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Whether you serve retail customers or provide service to clients, you want them to stick with you and hopefully send new business or customers your way. What can you do to increase the chance that this will happen?

1. Appreciate them. Let them know, by phone, card or even an in-person visit, that you appreciate their loyalty.

2. Offer them referral gifts. If they send a new client your way, reward them with a gift, either hours or something tangible.

3. Acknowledge mistakes. Customers are actually more loyal to companies who make mistakes and acknowledge, then repair them, than they do companies who don’t make the mistake to begin with. As humans, we really seem to appreciate an “I’m sorry”.

4. Be accessible. Give customers several ways to reach you and let them know the best times and ways to do that.

5. Be patient. It can be very easy to get frustrated with your clients. Remember they have personal lives and private struggles too. Give them your empathy and patience.

6. Provide loads of value. From free reports to blog posts to instructional videos, provide as much free value as you can to your customers.

7. Be pleasant and warm. Sounds obvious, right? It isn’t. If you are frustrated, short or even flat, you are less likely to retain your clients than someone who is warm and engaging.

8. Accomodate them when possible. Yes, they can be needy and demanding. You shouldn’t accomodate every whim but, when possible and within reason, do try to accomodate occassional “above and beyond” requests.

9. Let them know about specials or discounts first. If you are offering a new service, a discounted rate or price, contact existing customers first and give them advanced notice. Let them know they’re special.

10. Get to know them. Keep track of their family member’s names, their birthdate, hobbies and special events and acknowledge them. Let them know you care.

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Top 10 Best Reasons to Become a VA!

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I LOVE MY WORK! I want you to love yours too! In this spirit, I will be offering upcoming seminars on getting your own Virtual Assistant, or Virtual Professional, business off the ground. The Virtual Legal Assistant has seen amazing growth since I started the company a few years back. So, why be a VA?

1. You get to own your own destiny. No more dependence on corporations who have their shareholders’ interests at heart, who downsize while rewarding failing CEO’s.

2. You get to work from home. If you have little ones, or you just like the quiet and lack of office politics, it can be the best way.

3. You get to work from your local coffee house or assorted other places. Free WiFi is virtually everywhere now (if not, there are tools to help with this). Much of a virtual professional’s work can be done anywhere.

4. You get to work with people you really like and believe in! YOU choose your clients, you have your red velvet rope policy and hand choose who you will support.

5. You can start off small. Keep that day job and support an entrepreneur or two while you build your reputation and collecting testimonials from those happy clients.

6. There is little financial investment. A website, some business cards, accounts on all the social media sites and you are pretty much good to go. Yes, you need a decent phone, headset, and computer but you may already have these.

7. You can niche and work within markets that intrigue or excite you. Love sports? Pursue agents and sports professionals. Love art? Seek out gallery owners, artists and collectors. There is a market for everything. Pursue what you love!

8. You can say no. Bad client? You have the power to let them go or not take them on to begin with.

9. You can set your own hours (within reason). Set expectations up front but if you do your best word processing at 200am, you can.

10. The world is yours. You can grow your business internationally because of the reach of social media. You can grow your business to huge proportions and employ others, or you can keep it small and part-time.

Keep an eye out on the blog for more information about upcoming seminars!

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