Who holds the fort while you take a break? None of us can or should work constantly without proper breaks. Not stepping away is damaging for you as an individual, as a leader and for your company. Time away allows you to step back and enjoy the clarity that comes from being outside of the business rather than within it. You also get chance to reboot and fortify yourself for what is to come. [...]

How I’m bringing stability to small law firms during Covid-19 The past few months have been filled with changes that no small law firms could have predicted. Change is never easy, and these have not been the best of circumstances. With that in mind, many have embraced new working arrangements and changes in the economy, not to mention unique client issues head-on. As a uniquely qualified Virtual Assistant, I have been working with small [...]

Helping you to achieve your new normal Like a lot of people I feel conflicted. I’d really like to get back to ‘normal’ as quickly as possible but I’m also anxious about the potential repercussions. That said, we don’t need to sit on our hands in terms of preparing for the future. Whether you manage a small law firm or any other type of business, consider these points when trying to work out what [...]

Supporting each other through strange times When setting your business goals at the beginning of the year I’m guessing that ‘dealing with a global pandemic’ didn’t hit your list? While the current situation is far from ideal and one that we will likely be dealing with for some time, it is important to continue working on your business. Despite how it may currently feel, lockdown and restrictions won’t last forever. We need to prioritise [...]

Remaining cheerful when working from home When I decided to use my skills in a self-employed capacity, I had time to think about how it would work and to organise the logistics. Given the recent work from home recommendations put in place by the Government, this week has seen many people thrust into a completely new way of working. To ease the transition a little and help you stay on top of things, here [...]

Plan for a fantastic New Financial Year For most people, New Year starts on the 1st January. This is the time to review the previous year, to plan and set SMART goals for the next twelve months. Business owners, freelancers and anyone self-employed in any other capacity are greedy – we have two New Year dates! For businesses the beginning of a new financial year, April 6th each year offers an additional chance to [...]

Top tips for getting organised in 2020 It’s hard to believe that we have not only come to the end of 2019, but that we are now breaking in a new decade. For me, 2019 was a great year and business-wise, it was phenomenal. This Business Owl has been kept very busy providing virtual assistance to a wide variety of businesses and individuals! I help with all sorts of business tasks and offer support [...]

Love Your Deadlines Have a look around social media and you are unlikely to see anything positive about impending deadlines. There are some very cleverly produced memes around - screaming and crying your way through the last few days of a project, desperate to meet a fast-approaching deadline. While these make great Instagram fodder, they don’t really paint an accurate picture of the benefits of having an end date. No, really! Deadlines are brilliant! [...]

Productivity Tools for Prolific Jugglers As a Virtual Assistant, I am responsible for supporting numerous businesses and individuals at any one time. Some may hear this and picture me wildly juggling diaries and paperwork, a mobile phone and various other items with a panicked look on my face. Seeing as I’m a terrible juggler, I tend to avoid these types of scenarios. Instead, I employ numerous tools, tricks and a healthy dose of time [...]

Debunking VA Myths Do you have a fuzzy perception of what a Virtual Assistant does? Have you heard wild rumours or contradictory information about the pros and cons of working with a professional VA? Debunking VA myths is something I find myself doing regularly. Sometimes people simply don’t know what a VA is or what a Virtual Assistant does. I meet others who have “heard” about working with a VA from someone who doesn’t [...]