The importance of individuality

2016 has been a sad year for the world of entertainment, with the loss of many well-known and well-loved celebrities – individuals of exceptional talent and ‘larger than life’ personalities, like David Bowie, Ronnie Corbett, Victoria Wood and Prince. As the news passes, I have found myself pausing and reflecting on how I have been influenced by these incredible men and women, and how I could continue to learn from their example.

When I think of David Bowie and Prince, the first thought that springs to mind is their integrity as individuals.  Despite popular trends and cultural ‘movements’, both the Goblin King and Prince remained fiercely individual and loyal to their own sense of ‘self’.  As a result, they remained almost ‘ageless’ – existing outside of passing trends and fads, remaining unique and ‘other’ in the predominantly mainstream, ‘middle of the road’ world of popular music.  This broadened their appeal, allowing their music to touch the hearts and minds of a far wider variety of people than many of their contemporaries.  It is this honesty and individuality that I have tried to emulate in my own life, though without embracing the off-the-wall make-up of Ziggy Stardust or adopting a symbol as my name…

I have embraced individuality as a cornerstone of my business, and I’ll explain why: in this digital world where more and more people are taking the leap and becoming ‘remote workers’ (including Virtual Assistants), we all need a Unique Selling Point to make us stand out from the competition – why not let your USP be yourself? When you focus on your strengths, are honest and maintain your personal integrity by not taking an ‘easy option’ if it interferes with your moral interpretation of what is acceptable or ‘right’, then you should already be standing out from the crowd; the likelihood is that your customers, colleagues and suppliers will already have been spreading positive testimonials about your abilities and positive work ethic, without you even having to ask! In addition, if you let your personality shine through your work – for example, highlighting your sense of humour in the odd, irreverent social media post – then you will also stand out from the crowd, as an amusing voice in a sea of bland and sales-y content.

But don’t just take my word for it – Richard Branson is also a firm believer in the power and value of individuality:

“To me, business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials”

Individuality doesn’t have to mean that you turn up to customer meetings dressed as a chicken, or carry out telephone conversations entirely in Klingon – all you have to do is lift yourself out of a faceless crowd and make a potential customer or supplier remember you, so that you are the first person to spring to mind when they think of your product or service.  As a result, this week, if I’m faced with a decision that I’m not sure about, I’m going to try asking myself ‘What would David Bowie do?’ before I make a decision.  I’ll probably still follow my head and decide what is most appropriate for me in any given situation, but at least I’ll have a moment to think of the often-bizarre, always-genius David Bowie and his eccentric costumes in what can often be seen as the grey world of corporate Britain!

Thank you for reading!

September – Is this your new year too?

Brrr, can someone put the kettle on a make me a hot drink please?!! Where has the summer gone? As soon as September arrived it seemed as though the sun did a runner, leaving us with the autumn chill.

Well, summer now over, the academic year has begun and what I see as the new year. I’ve always seen September as the time of year to start something new. I began a 12-month round the world trip in September 2005, relocated to London in September 2008 and moved house in 2014 maybe this is down to my academic background or maybe it’s because it’s my birth month, yay (I like to think it’s the latter).  From recent conversations, it seems that I am not alone in thinking this way. This month, for most, also marks the start of a new beginning, a chance to get organised, set things up before the year is out and to reminisce about the summer. It’s also the perfect time to hire a VA!

I have a question to ask – How many advertising emails did you actually take note of, let alone read over the summer before pressing delete? If, like many, you had an inbox full of junk or spent a considerable amount of time of your holiday selecting masses of emails to delete, then it’s definitely time for a declutter and an inbox detox.

We all meet new people and experience new things over the summer and this is where we can come up with a lot of new ideas for blogs or articles. But now you’re back at work when will you find the time to research? Do not let your great ideas go to waste, you know  that feeling when you had a perfect idea only to come across something similar a couple of weeks later because you didn’t do anything? Working with a VA can ensure that doesn’t happen, I can help you stay ahead of the game by doing your research for you.

There’s a lot to be said for scheduling and how the busyness of September creeps upon us. One of my good friends who is an IT trainer annually complains of how after the quiet summer period, the time to reorganise and get back on the road to different sites seems to be sparse. In next to no time she’s yet again chasing her tail with a full diary, hundreds of unread emails and no time to relax over lunch as that is time utilised to sort things out. This is common for many, not just trainers on the go. It’s about time you had a proper lunch break right?

There are only 15 weeks left of 2015. In January what did you want to achieve this year and how much were you unable to do because you were bogged down with admin? Delegation is key! No one enjoys having a long to-do list which is mainly filled with unenjoyable tasks. Having a VA means you can have a calmer autumn, more time to prepare for the winter holidays, giving you a much better work-life balance.

How many hot drinks will you be making to avoid your to-do list?

#tubestrike

Whenever the unions who represent the London Underground employees of Transport for London (TfL) announce a tube strike you can clearly hear the moans and groans from Zones 1 to 9 and the surrounding areas. The second tube strike within a month hit London last week, luckily quite a few Londoners were off on their jollies, so although disruptive it didn’t have as much of an impact as the July strike.

Reasons for the strike were based on the new night service TfL are planning to introduce on 12 September (my birthday, yippee!). Yep, London still does not have a night service, our tubes stop service a little before 1am. Whilst in New York they have been running 24/7 since 1904, in Copenhagen since 2002 and in places like Berlin, Vienna and Stockholm where they run throughout the weekend. We still have to rely on night buses or taxis.

Our London Underground network carries 1.3million passengers per day. During the tube strike I wonder how many realised that it was easier to walk or cycle to work and have continued to do so. Or have considered if they even have to commute, meaning if they worked just as effectively from home? It is estimated that the strikes will costs of the economy somewhere between £50m and £300m. This is a huge loss for businesses, especially small businesses.

Navigating the tube during the rush hour is sometimes quite unpleasant. Being 5’1” I was often the recipient of a newspaper being rested on my head or of a gentleman’s freshly deodorised armpit or if it was during the evening… well I don’t have to go into those details, bleugh! These memories make me pleased that I currently do not have to relive them. This is the luxury of being a VA and of having a VA to hand.  The work we do is totally unaffected by strikes, road traffic, leaves on the track and the wrong kind of snow (yes, this is a thing!). Maybe we produce work in the comfort of our homes sat in our pyjama’s at 11am or whilst being served a cuppa in our new favourite hangout or whilst sharing a desk at a business hub with a fellow entrepreneur. The fact of the matter is, we are pretty smug happy that we do not have to commute in the first place. Being virtual and mobile is just one of the pleasures of being a VA. I can send out your business tweets and retweet interesting articles whilst I’m making my morning tea and toast, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s done, right?

The mental and physical freedom of not having to navigate the tube or any sort of transport system is priceless. Compared to the average commuter I have an additional 10 hours in my working week which I can dedicate to my clients. I have a more relaxed mind-set and I can remain focussed as I do not get interrupted by office gossip or the chocolate tin (the latter being more relevant for me!).

Here are more advantages of hiring me, as your Virtual Assistant:

Cost-saving

• If you are self-employed VA’s are tax-deductible as I am not an employee
• I can help keep your business running 24/7
• You do not need to provide me with a desk
• You only pay for the work completed – you don’t have to pay for equipment or benefits

Time-savings

• Need help polishing a PowerPoint presentation, let me do that for you
• I can undertake extensive research on your behalf, saving you time
• Is it time to take a break? I can help plan and book your next holiday.
• As your VA I can generate new business for you by contacting potential buyers and sellers

I’ve found a role where I can show off my organisation skills

Yesterday marked the start of my second week as a Virtual Assistant. The first seven days flew by, but what an exciting seven days they were!!

It began with figuring out a business name, yes I know it’s not the most important aspect of setting up a business, but for me I needed to give it its own identity from the start. I floated around a name sounding ‘virtual’ and ‘timely’, it took a lot of umming and ahing until settling upon Hourglass Virtual Assistant.

Next task – What can I offer?? I drafted a list of skills after reading a number of VA blogs and forums. I soon remembered that I was capable of doing much more. I mean, how could I forget the skills used and challenges faced when organising big birthday parties for friends or hen do’s, I’ve done eight of these kinds of events over the past five years!

Setting up a domain and website was pretty straightforward. I used GoDaddy.com , I found them and their services easy, helpful and hassle free. The website builder gave me the opportunity to design the website quickly but thoughtfully. Initially I wasn’t too sure about including a blog but then thought why not?! This is the first time I have been self-employed, what better way to document my experience.

One thing I didn’t foresee is the amount of paperwork involved, the client documents, my own documents and then there was setting up of a variety of online accounts, Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, Skype etcetera.  I gave HourglassVA the full online presence it requires.

I enjoy working from home, it gives me the freedom and flexibility to work wherever I wish. Being London based, the (average) one-hour commute can become tiresome, although a valuable time to catch up on a book I feel more at ease doing this in my local park in the East Village.

Over the week I’ve spoken to friends and family about this venture and I have bored Mr HVA with inane details of fonts numerous times but I have found all the feedback received to be invaluable. Ending the week with a weekend away in York, the trip gave me a chance to reflect on my achievements over the seven days, an opportunity to think of ways to make myself attractive to potential clients and to relax!

After a week of non-stop excitement, late nights and early mornings, the venture so far seems to be worth it. With two clients in sight, a website that I’m happy with, a new office chair (thanks Mr HVA!) and a plethora of ideas to start the new week, week two is going to be great!!