22/09/2007 by alex.

Yes I know I have been very quiet on the blog front.  Can I excuse myself by saying that I have been Just Too Busy?  Well it’s true.  And I am still just too busy but with some changes afoot in the JTB camp.

The monthly newsletter has gone fortnightly, and is now based on the Have You Ever Wondered  How To…? premise.  You can sign up to the newsletter by going to http://www.justtoobusy.co.uk and when you do sign up you will receive a free report on The Secrets to Successful Article Writing.

I am also in the process of redefining my business plan and services.  My background is media, journalism and marketing and it seems that is what most of my clients are turning to me for.  In fact, my greatest pleasure is creative writing and I’m told I’m not bad at it either!  I also have on board one of the most fantastic and intuitive designers I have had the pleasure to work with and together we have created some great new brands for our clients.  So that said, although Just Too Busy will still offer traditional VA services, we are now also incorporating a whole other range of services that will help you build your business: including marketing, promotion, publicity, writing etc etc.

There will be a new website and JTB brand coming soon  so watch this space and check it out soon.  If you have or are thinking of starting your own business, then the JTB team of Business Builders is just what you need.

http://www.justtoobusy.co.uk

More soon……

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22/09/2007 by alex.

I have just seen the FOTC show recorded in New York last year, after having seen a few adverts on UK tv about them and wondering what the hell they were all about, and now I know! These guys are pure musical and comedy genius (or should that be genii? - whatever!).

Anyway - they combine great rhythms and guitar riffs, with superb and very funny lyrics, and create a highly amusing yet foot tapping experience (yes I love my double descriptives). I have just seen this one show but am definitely a convert. Check them out soon! Official site is http://www.conchords.co.nz/.

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11/04/2007 by alex.

Well, who would have though it - I did the presentation I mentioned in my last blog and I LOVED it!! WOW - I know - after all the whinging I did about how I fall apart - and I actually LOVED it! After going through the root of my fears with one of my coaches and developing a presentation with my other coach I found myself actually starting to look forward to the event.

And on the night? A little nervous, with the excited flutter my VA coach told me was fine and should be enjoyed as part of the anticipation, but basically looking forward to cracking it. And crack it I did! OK a small audience of just 9 people (but remember I have fallen apart in front of 4 people!) but I started the presentation, felt my face start to go red and I stuttered a little, but after I had finished telling them how frightened I was of public speaking, I promptly proceeded to show myself to be a liar. Not only did I just totally get into what I was saying but I could see, and really see, that my audience was into it too - they REALLY wanted to hear what I had to say and thought that it was something they needed to hear.

To say that it was a rush would be an understatement. There I was giving this presentation about how a VA can help you, as a small business owner, grow your business, and there they were listening intently - if I hadn’t have been so in the zone, I might have gone a little light-headed with all the excitement! Before I knew it I had been speaking for nearly 45 minutes (previously this would have seemed an eternity) and I could have carried on.

Well rapping this post up, because I am still so excited about how well I did, that I will just keep banging on about it, I want to say that although public speaking is one of the most feared activities a person can contemplate doing, I now feel that it is something I want to do again and again and again - and I am GOOD at it - people like to listen to me, to what I have to say, they like my passion! Or so they said afterwards!

AND… I got three new clients from the one 45 minute presentation and a couple more in the pipeline - not bad huh?!! Until next time! Ta-da!!!!

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18/02/2007 by alex.

If you know me, you wouldn’t believe that I am absolutely terrified of public speaking. That’s right, plonk me in a group of hundreds of people and as long as I am sitting down and part of the group, no problem. The minute I am the speaker, at the front of the room, standing up, then in front of as little as three or four people, I can go to pieces.

Shaking, stuttering, face goes red, my legs sometimes give way, I start to hyperventilate…..rididulous isn’t it? Well, when the opportunity to do SOMETHING about it ‘presented’ itself to me I thought, might as well DO something about it. I want to be able to present and public speak, if only to prove to myself that I can. Not to mention the benefits it could have for my business.

Well I took part in the Present with Confidence course with Carmen Macdougall of cma coaching and Jeremy Lazarus of The Lazarus Group. And it was great! The course consisted of two preparatory teleclasses and one full day workshop, at the end of which each participant had to make a 7-10 miunute presentation to the rest of the group. And after a very shaky start, I did it and actually enjoyed it (in the end!).

Based on the principles of nuero-linguistic programming (NLP), the workshop was chock full of insightful and illuminating information, presented in an effortless and inspiring fashion by Jeremy, and at the end of it, although I wasn’t the super-smooth and super-cool presenter I wanted to be, my attitude towards public speaking had changed. No longer is it something merely to be terrified of, it is now something I WANT to do, because I know I CAN.

I am about to schedule my Present with Confidence follow-up call with Carmen, and I have just been asked to give a presentation to a women’s networking group in April, so the timing couldn’t be better! I’ll let you know how I get on…

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27/01/2007 by alex.

Just got back from playing a great game of netball in the Bracknell & District League. I did belong to a team (1st division) but left as I wasn’t happy with them so I have been umpiring evey other Saturday down at the league and today decided to put myself about as a pool player. I immediately got asked to play by a 3rd div team and had a great game against the division leaders. We didn’t expect to win but we did - by about 8 goals!! I had a great time and they have asked me to join for the rest of the season, something I am more than happy to do. They are a lovely team - with some good potential - but more than that they really ARE a team. Everyone gets on, they all pull together on court and have fun whilst playing their hardest.

As I said at the start, they told me they didn’t expect to win the game and that kind of justgot my competitve spirit all riled up! Don’t get me wrong, I love playing netball, don’t really care too much about results but more about the way the game is played and I always play in the spirit of good sports(wo)manship, applauding the other team when they score a good goal or make an impressive interception. It’s this, coupled with my, how can I say it, rather loud and enthusiastic commentary/coaching that throws people and they can’t quite work me out.

I play my hardest, try my best, fight for every ball and am what you can only describe as gobby - but at the same time if I make a mistake or contact another player or the ball goes out of court off me - I am the first to admit that mistake, move away from the contact or own up to the ball out of court. Nothing ruins a game of netball or any competitive sport played at local level, than over competiveness in the form of ‘do whatever you have to, to win’.

There really is no need at this level to try to trip someone up so they can’t get to a pass, to contact them unnecessarily or put your foot in the way of theirs so that if they try to move even a little they might fall over. Let’s face it, weekend sports for most people are a fun pastime and we really don’t want to have to try to get to work or look after the little one with a broken ankle or wrist!

So a gobby yet cheerful and sportswomanlike attitude is the way I approach a game of Saturday netball, with a large helping of good spirited competitiveness thrown in! Have to say though I am quite knackered now as I haven’t played in a while and I have just commited to TWO games next week - one of which will involve a LOT of running around! WHY? WHY? WHY?

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25/01/2007 by alex.

I could NOT believe it when I heard the news item about putting sponges and dishcloths in microwaves to sterilise them! Apparently a good idea on the face of it but a few fires and gassed out kitchens later - perhaps not. I have to say though this professor from the University of Florida has benefited from a huge amount of low cost marketing with this report.

Ok the report itself may have taken two years and lots of money! - I’m guessing. But the actual marketing of it - genius or pure luck - who cares at this point? Not only did the BBC run the news of the report in the first place, but it also got on to the front pages of our national papers, then it was back on the BBC due to the fires and accidents it caused and it was being discussed even further on the radio today. Practically the whole country is discussing the putting of sponges and dishcloths in the microwaves!

Now what other ideas could have the whole country talking? Something so simple, that it affects anyone who owns a basic household item or appliance and because of its nature has the national media covering it, even before the burns and scalds and noxious gasses made an appearance!! That’s one thought that got me thinking last night.

The other thought is - what about common sense? Putting anything dry in a heating device will just make it drier, no? Or what about pouring boiling water over a bowl with your sponges and dishcloths in? Or, perhaps not the most money conscious option, but what about buying a new one every week or so?

My whole life and career as a single mum is based on common sense - not the luxury of it, not the mere existence of it but the actual, blatant necessity of it. Career mums (single or not) will hear me now… Common sense is my modus operandi, my mantra, my guiding light - without it - I would not get through one day.

Common sense in my daily life a single mum means that I don’t put dry or slightly damp sponges in the microwave (even if a professor does tell me that it’s safe!); it means that I don’t give my daughter sweets before bed time (or EVER actually!); it means that if the petrol gauge on my car is low - I put more in. Ok these are simple examples, but how many of us actually use common sense in our businesses?

A strange question to ask any business owner perhaps as, to keep everything organised and running smoothly, it would seem at least a modicum of common sense would be needed. However, it surprising the amount of times that our normally common sense-laden heads go all ‘kaplooey’ (that’s a technical term that is!) when faced with our business and the work we have to do in it.

For example, many small business owners (myself included) work far too many hours - thinking that it just has to be done, they have to keep going etc etc - you know the drill!

But what about working too hard or so hard that at some undefined point we just burn out? It happened to me this weekend just gone. There I was innocently suffering with what I would class as a little sniffly cold and before I knew it I was laid up in bed with the flu, head spinning, cold sweats and runny nose. Only just REALLY back on my feet today, a little cold, that common sense should have told me to rest up from just for half or one whole day, laid me up for nearly a week! That’s good for business isn’t it?!!

So I suppose what I am saying is we can be as cool and collected, using full amounts of common sense with our ‘normal’ lives, as we like, but when it comes to our business, (the source of our income, our pride, our sense of purpose, our yin…), then we can lose perspective and start behaving like the energiser bunny! or just a very stupid animal caught in the headlights of must do…must do…must do…!

My business coach (a wonderful lady called Lorraine Cohen of http://www.powerfull-living.biz) tells me off when I start to lose my perspective (i.e. working at 11pm and checking emails!) and become bunny-like - she reminds me that if I don’t look after myself (Self-care is her term) then I won’t be able to look after others OR my business. It’s common sense you might say, but it’s strange how many times I need to have that bit of common sense waved in front of my face.

I suppose you could think of it as our brains being the sponges and our businesses the microwaves - leave your sponge in for too long and it will melt!!

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16/01/2007 by alex.

Do you know what I realised today?  So many people are advocating online marketing as a way of increasing traffic to your website.  It’s a great idea - no doubt about it - but doesn’t it seem as though it has become a bit of a mercenary exercise?  You know, knock out a few articles, submit them to websites, hopefully increase your ranking (because of the back links) and ergo more traffic.

I realised this morning that this kind of article writing is fair enough but that I really seem to live my articles - it’s more than write what you know - in my case it’s write what you do.  Take my Time Management article (available for download from the JTB website!).  I practice what I preach.  Every morning I ‘go to work’ (ok a short trip down the stairs to the kettle!) and I write my list for the day.  As I go through the day I monitor how I am doing on each task and give myself a great big tick when I complete it!

By doing this I can fit more into my day, ensure that my clients’ needs are taken care of to the best of my ability and I finish the day with a real sense of accomplishment, ready and eager to start the next day - knowing what I want to get done.

Ok, ok, I’m definitely NOT perfect and there are days that don’t start this way!  But when they do - life is so much easier and organised.  In fact, I get such a kick out of it, that I love it when I can help my clients feel less stressed and more organised!

Anyway, getting back to the writing articles thing.  Even when I write articles on behalf of clients, I love to help, I take on board their business as much as I can, I do the relevant research, and by the time I finish the article it is usually something I find extremely interesting and believe in to the full - often incorporating any learned knowledge into my business and/or personal life.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that although it can be done, I don’t like to ‘churn’ out articles - who would really want to read those?  Writing is a passion and I try to put everything into it - and if that increases my web traffic then great - if not, then at least I have shared some knowledge that I have a belief in or that can help someone else in some positive way.

More soon…… Alex

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10/01/2007 by alex.

Hi everyone, this is my first blog posting on the new Just Too Busy blog.  There is lots of new stuff happening at the moment for me and Just Too Busy.

I have just finished redesigning the new website (there are a couple of bits left to do!) and I am about to send out the first ever JTB newsletter.

In the newsletter I am launching the new referral system for existing clients.  I only have a certain number spaces on my client roster in order to provide you all with the level of service you have come to expect but there are still a couple of spaces left and I can always take on ad hoc as I am developing a networking of trusted VA partners.

That’s probably enough for news at the moment.  I would like to invite you to post on this blog.  It is intended to be not only a resource but also a meeting place/forum for all JTB interested people and anyone else who might find this of interest.

I look forward to blogging wih you soon.

Alex Greer

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