Lori D. Hurley
518.772.3556
info AT AmericasVA dot net
Frugal Friday: Discounts on Virtual Services
Do you want to outsource to a qualified Virtual Assistant, but you want to work on a small project first to test the waters? Frugal Friday is the answer! Every Friday, you'll get a discount on a specific Virtual Service offered by America's Virtual Assistant.
This week's Frugal Friday Coupon (expires on Thursday, March 11, 2010):
Contact America's Virtual Assistant, Lori D. Hurley, today at 518.772.3556, to take advantage of this week's Frugal Friday discount!
The Dish
Tools of the Trade
We all have our favorite go-to tools, and here are some of mine. Quite simply, I cannot live without these Tools of the Trade! As always, contact me at 518.772.3556 if you have any questions prior to purchase.
What Is This?
This is the website of Lori D. Hurley, professional and full-time Virtual Assistant. I'm so glad you're here!
Here are some words and phrases I use to describe myself:
Professional Virtual Assistant, Admin Queen, blogger, Coach for Virtual Assistants, small business owner, boss lady, risk taker, homeowner, Pisces, Disco music lover, Virtual Trainer, wife, sister, aunt, granddaughter, friend to the end, Mentor, dreamer, Patriotic American, Midwestern Babe, teller of truth, Business Pain Reliever, wannabe drummer, Texas Hold 'em addict, entrepreneur, U.S. Army Veteran, solopreneur, Capitalist Pig, one who despises thieves, motorcycle lover, 4WD owner, candle maker, and 30-second commuter! I worked in Corporate America for over 15 years and while I enjoyed my work and my colleagues, at the end of the day I was miserable. I prefer to choose my own path, my working hours and most important, my clients. None of that was possible in a traditional 9-to-5 job. Now I'm living my business dream, and I love being The Big Kahuna.
I want to hear about your business dream and what you do to bring home the bacon! Call me at 518.772.3556 and let's talk.
Even after more than 11 years in business, I still have those “I’m quitting” days. While I can’t think of the last time I woke up in a sour mood, I can recall vividly the last time I wanted to take down the virtual business shingle and chuck it all into the ocean. The remedy? Remembering all my successes and why I’m The Big Kahuna.
It can be a real downer when a “quit” day invades me mentally, but only if I allow it to be. I know I’m allowing my mental funk to go too far when I stomp around the house and throw things at the walls in my office; the former scares our animals, and the latter has resulted in numerous repaints. Neither, obviously, are good. So what do I do when I’m having a bad day? A few things:
Get Out of the House. Not so easily accomplished during the winter season, but a necessity when my husband witnesses my funk firsthand and tells me to go away! For those of us who work from home, we (sometimes) have a tendency to remain safe in our little cocoons. I think know the lack of adult interaction can cause my mental funk to escalate. When it’s time to get out of the house, it’s time, and nothing stands in my way. I’ll call a girlfriend and go out to lunch, take the truck out on the open road, or take a walk.
Review My “I Am So Cool!” Folder. I’ve got an Outlook folder which holds little nuggets of thanks and kudos from clients. I can’t be spot on all the time, and when I’m not I reread these messages. When someone says “thank you” or “job well done,” I’m always lifted into a better mood! Plus, reviewing these messages takes me back to a different place and time in my business, and serves as a reminder if I need to reconnect with a former client.
Don’t Dwell on the Mistakes I’ve Made. This is a tough one for me, as my brain turns and churns with the inevitable “Lori, stop being a dork” mental commentary. Mind you, I am getting better at letting go of the bad stuff; admittedly, this aspect of my world is a work in progress and I thank my business coach for giving me some fantastic tools in this area. In all of this, I want to learn from my mistakes and put in place whatever is necessary to ensure the mistakes are never repeated.
What do you do when “I want to quit” invades your brain? Give me a call at 518.772.3556, or contact the Virtual Assistant and let me know if any part of this post strikes a chord.
Yesterday’s rains are gone, the sun is shining, and it’s time to rock out! YouTube shows a date of 1977 for this video, and that sounds about right. The hair and those outfits are driving me crazy! What I’m really into are the pounding beats and Ann Wilson’s heaven-sent voice. Her voice was built for rock ‘n roll, and this video is a perfect example.
This song takes me back to when I lived in San Francisco and I had the good fortune of taking drumming lessons from Dawn Richardson of 4 Non Blondes. A great lady, superb talent, and a patient and firm teacher. I remember sitting outside her studio waiting for my first lesson to begin, and being completely and utterly blown away by her sound. I still get goose bumps after all these years! Thanks to Dawn’s teaching, and my own practice sessions at home, Barracuda was the first song I taught myself to play on the drums. I was really proud of myself. Thank you, thank you … no applause necessary.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this special announcement:
I realize that if you don’t live in a “snow state” you won’t share my giddiness at this news, and I’m fine with that. For those of you who live in the mountains like I do, here’s today’s news flash: I was actually able to listen to my favorite music CDs in my truck while I was running errands earlier today. Do you know (care) what that means? Do you know what that means! It means the outside temperature has remained above 22 degrees (F) for at least 24-hours! It quite possibly means the severe snows are over for the season! It means I might see gorgeous green trees and blooming flowers soon! It means that, hopefully very soon, I’ll be able to open all the windows in my home and let some awesome fresh air inside! I am over the moon with excitement and I’m not lying when I say I’m about to cry! (sniff sniff) Winters are wicked harsh where I live and the end of the season signals a spectacular Spring is just around the corner. Man, I do so love where I live …
We return you to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.
Blogging is an important component of the day for most business owners, and it’s also one of the components which your Virtual Assistant can handle for you. You want to keep your audience engaged and intrigued, and of course have them contact you, but sometimes you fall behind in posting. There’s a solution for that …
Instead of having your audience grow tired and bored by not seeing regular blog updates, outsource the blogging to your Virtual Assistant. Not only will your VA handle the back-end for you, she’ll also proofread your posts and add hyperlinks, as well as act as a sounding-board when you’re low on blog posting ideas. (In my humble opinion, proofreading is very important. Your audience despises typographical errors almost as much as I do! If you’re not the best speller, it’s time to outsource your blogging.) No matter the system, be it WordPress, TypePad, Blogger, Drupal or others, most Virtual Assistants have experience in the blogging platform you’re using. All of this means you’re able to offload yet one more project to your Virtual Assistant, thereby giving you more time to truly focus on your business.
If you’re weeks or months behind in your blog postings, I want to talk with you today. Pick up the telephone and call me at 518.772.3556, or connect with this Virtual Assistant via the web. There is a better way to handle your blogging, and to make your business life less stressful!
I need a song to go along with the torrential rain which is currently pounding the feet-deep snow outside my home. I need something to warm my soul, and I’ve found it! I bought the record, Raising Sand, and was quickly blown away by the collaboration of Plant and Krauss and producer T Bone Burnett. “Gone, Gone, Gone” is an Everly Brothers cover, the video of which is not embeddable. Bummer. You’ll have to YouTube it for yourself and check it out. Also, congratulations to Mr. Burnett on his Academy Award win!
Morning Drive: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Gone, Gone, Gone”
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