DSA Business Services
Small Business Management Solutions
BOOKKEEPING : : ADMINISTRATIVE / OFFICE PROCESSES : : WEBSITE DESIGN
Small Business Management Solutions
BOOKKEEPING : : ADMINISTRATIVE / OFFICE PROCESSES : : WEBSITE DESIGN
Norma Guerin - Member
When I am not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.
Contact Information:
email: norma@dsava.com
phone:
(503) 319-1476
fax:
(503) 556-2679
email: norma@dsava.com
phone:
(503) 319-1476
fax:
(503) 556-2679
http://vainformation.wordpress.com/ is the name of my new blog in WordPress - check it out for more informative lists and posts
Volunteer!!!
Mon, 16th November, 2009
When I held a full time job as a employee and went to school full time, I donated to charities, but never felt I had the time to donate as well in my Oh, So Busy LIFE!! Well, now that I am running my own company, I am the person who schedules my time, and I have been volunteering. I volunteer with the Rotary Club and with other community involved things. I have worked with the Rotary Club with a volunteer clean up crew for a senior citizen's very overgrown yard. I also worked with them at another senior's house painting. I volunteered for a local arborist to "Rake The Town" - once again helping seniors get all the fall leaves cleaned up. I even had my daughter volunteer with me on the Rotary's Casino Night, where we were blackjack dealers.
Volunteer work is not just for senior citizens - I have also volunteered to use my skills and create a flyer for my networking group. I am also creating a website for a chamber of commerce in my area.
I am applying to be a member on the board of directors of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and I hope to make a difference there by getting the word out to our community and to raise money for them.
I am not telling you all this so that I can say how proud of myself I am (although I am proud of myself), but to tell you to get out and volunteer in your community. There is more to volunteering than working in soup kitchens or creating a 5K run for a worthy cause. I am not saying anything against either of those, but they are the two most stereotyped ways to volunteer.
Talk to your local community centers, talk to the chamber of commerce in your area, find the Elk, Moose and Eagle Lodges and ask them if they need volunteers. Talk to hospitals, soup kitchens and food banks. They all need volunteers. We can volunteer money easily, but to volunteer your time is so much more rewarding.
GO - Get out there - MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the life of someone and make a difference in YOUR life.
Volunteer work is not just for senior citizens - I have also volunteered to use my skills and create a flyer for my networking group. I am also creating a website for a chamber of commerce in my area.
I am applying to be a member on the board of directors of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and I hope to make a difference there by getting the word out to our community and to raise money for them.
I am not telling you all this so that I can say how proud of myself I am (although I am proud of myself), but to tell you to get out and volunteer in your community. There is more to volunteering than working in soup kitchens or creating a 5K run for a worthy cause. I am not saying anything against either of those, but they are the two most stereotyped ways to volunteer.
Talk to your local community centers, talk to the chamber of commerce in your area, find the Elk, Moose and Eagle Lodges and ask them if they need volunteers. Talk to hospitals, soup kitchens and food banks. They all need volunteers. We can volunteer money easily, but to volunteer your time is so much more rewarding.
GO - Get out there - MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the life of someone and make a difference in YOUR life.
Email Etiquette
Fri, 30th October, 2009
We all communicate by email, most of us every day. In order to have emails that are effective and efficient, we need to observe some email etiquette rules to cut down on confusion and misunderstandings that could hurt us on the job or in friendships. Here are some rules that I have found helpful in my email writing.
Email Address. Always verify the email address of the recipient. Making sure your email goes to the correct person the first time ensures you look professional and competent. Nobody wants to be known as that person who cannot even address an email correctly. If you cannot even do such a simple task, others will wonder what else you have problems with.
Subject Line. Make sure it is suitable and meaningful. An address line of “Hi” could be spam, or to a friend. In business, the subject line should be short and to the point. You have the body of the email to expand on your point. While you want to be short, you also want to be specific in your subject line. A subject like “Safety Meeting on Monday” is always better than just “Meeting”, or on the flip side, better than “We are having a meeting on Monday re: Safety”.
Message Greetings. Email should always have a personal greeting. Depending on your relationship with the recipient, it may be just the first name or the full Mr., Mrs.. If you are sending to someone in an official position, look up forms of address for them and use them.
Body of the Message. Keep the body of the email as short as you can. Be respectful of other’s time. Unless you are in a technical field, keep the technical jargon down to a minimum. It is always better to refer to an attachment that can be downloaded or printed in proper form than to put too much unformatted information into the body.
Use an active voice rather than a passive one. For example, “The team set dates for deadlines” sounds better than “Deadline dates were set by the team.”
Unless talking about a specific person, keep your language gender neutral. “Salesperson” instead of “Salesman”
Be Polite. Use “Please” and “Thank You”. Do NOT USE ALL CAPS – that is considered screaming in email etiquette. Never put anything into an email that you would be embarrassed to have attributed to you.
Sign off professionally. Sincerely, Thank You for Your Time, etc. Use your name and if appropriate, use your title and include your phone number and fax if needed.
Proofread. Use Spellchecker and then reread it one more time – out loud if you can. Spellchecker does not catch the difference between “form” and “from”.
Respect confidentiality. Do not mindlessly forward emails. Not all information is for everyone, and not only is it unprofessional, it could get you fired.
Email Address. Always verify the email address of the recipient. Making sure your email goes to the correct person the first time ensures you look professional and competent. Nobody wants to be known as that person who cannot even address an email correctly. If you cannot even do such a simple task, others will wonder what else you have problems with.
Subject Line. Make sure it is suitable and meaningful. An address line of “Hi” could be spam, or to a friend. In business, the subject line should be short and to the point. You have the body of the email to expand on your point. While you want to be short, you also want to be specific in your subject line. A subject like “Safety Meeting on Monday” is always better than just “Meeting”, or on the flip side, better than “We are having a meeting on Monday re: Safety”.
Message Greetings. Email should always have a personal greeting. Depending on your relationship with the recipient, it may be just the first name or the full Mr., Mrs.. If you are sending to someone in an official position, look up forms of address for them and use them.
Body of the Message. Keep the body of the email as short as you can. Be respectful of other’s time. Unless you are in a technical field, keep the technical jargon down to a minimum. It is always better to refer to an attachment that can be downloaded or printed in proper form than to put too much unformatted information into the body.
Use an active voice rather than a passive one. For example, “The team set dates for deadlines” sounds better than “Deadline dates were set by the team.”
Unless talking about a specific person, keep your language gender neutral. “Salesperson” instead of “Salesman”
Be Polite. Use “Please” and “Thank You”. Do NOT USE ALL CAPS – that is considered screaming in email etiquette. Never put anything into an email that you would be embarrassed to have attributed to you.
Sign off professionally. Sincerely, Thank You for Your Time, etc. Use your name and if appropriate, use your title and include your phone number and fax if needed.
Proofread. Use Spellchecker and then reread it one more time – out loud if you can. Spellchecker does not catch the difference between “form” and “from”.
Respect confidentiality. Do not mindlessly forward emails. Not all information is for everyone, and not only is it unprofessional, it could get you fired.
New Virtual Assistant Information Blog
Wed, 30th September, 2009
Check out my new blog at http://vainformation.wordpress.com/ for all sorts of lists and posts!!
SCORE's Top Office Management Tips
Wed, 30th September, 2009
SCORE (Service Corps Of Retired Executives) is a great business resource for startups and ongoing business concerns.
Here are their top five office management tips:
Use a paper-based, electronic or computerized list to keep track of your tasks, instead of relying on your memory. A list will give you a clear idea of what you need to accomplish.
Which tasks could you handle another day? If you would face no consequences by moving a task forward, move it ahead another day or another week.
Know the difference between important and urgent. Important means a task needs to be done while urgent means it must be done immediately. Knowing the difference between the two will make prioritizing easier.
Realize that you can't do everything. This will help you to realistically prioritize your tasks.
Determine if postponing the task would affect other projects you are working on. Tasks and projects can have a domino effect. If you do one task, yet fail to do another, you may have wasted effort on the first task.
Here are their top five office management tips:
Use a paper-based, electronic or computerized list to keep track of your tasks, instead of relying on your memory. A list will give you a clear idea of what you need to accomplish.
Which tasks could you handle another day? If you would face no consequences by moving a task forward, move it ahead another day or another week.
Know the difference between important and urgent. Important means a task needs to be done while urgent means it must be done immediately. Knowing the difference between the two will make prioritizing easier.
Realize that you can't do everything. This will help you to realistically prioritize your tasks.
Determine if postponing the task would affect other projects you are working on. Tasks and projects can have a domino effect. If you do one task, yet fail to do another, you may have wasted effort on the first task.
Get Ready for Fall
Wed, 30th September, 2009
It is time to prepare your finances for fall. Here's 10 tips to get your finances in shape:
1. File your taxes. What? Didn't we do that back in April? Not so if you got an extension. Your return is due on Wednesday, October 15. If you are self employed there's still time to save on taxes.
. 2. Use remaining flexible spending account money. Spend it now instead of waiting until the end of the year. It's one less thing you'll need to do around the holiday
3. Increase retirement contributions. We are all seeing our retirements take a dip. Why not add some more money while the market is on sale? Increase your savings rate by 1% and it will help offset some of the losses.
4. Dump loser stocks. Make your losses count. As long as the market is down, you might as well lock in some losses for your tax return. You might want to double-check your asset allocation too, after the recent turn in the market.
5. Make your gift giving list. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping. Watch for items on sale.
6. Make a budget for the holidays. Enjoy a simple Christmas with a well planned budget. You'll save yourself money and stress.
7. Winterize your motors. Take care of any motors that won't be used… boats, cycles, etc. Look into insurance savings options if the vehicle will not be driven and placed in storage for the winter.
8. Enjoy frugal activities for fall. Leaf peeping, apple orchards, and pumpkin farms are fun, frugal, fall activities for the family.
9. Hit the lawn sales. Not actual yard sales, but end of season sales on stuff for your yard: lawn equipment, patio furniture, pool toys, and other summer merchandise on deep discount.
10. Plan ahead for the new year. Will you be one of millions to sign up for a gym membership or weight-loss plan in January? See if you can get a cheaper price to sign up now. In addition, the exercise will help you with holiday stress.
1. File your taxes. What? Didn't we do that back in April? Not so if you got an extension. Your return is due on Wednesday, October 15. If you are self employed there's still time to save on taxes.
. 2. Use remaining flexible spending account money. Spend it now instead of waiting until the end of the year. It's one less thing you'll need to do around the holiday
3. Increase retirement contributions. We are all seeing our retirements take a dip. Why not add some more money while the market is on sale? Increase your savings rate by 1% and it will help offset some of the losses.
4. Dump loser stocks. Make your losses count. As long as the market is down, you might as well lock in some losses for your tax return. You might want to double-check your asset allocation too, after the recent turn in the market.
5. Make your gift giving list. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping. Watch for items on sale.
6. Make a budget for the holidays. Enjoy a simple Christmas with a well planned budget. You'll save yourself money and stress.
7. Winterize your motors. Take care of any motors that won't be used… boats, cycles, etc. Look into insurance savings options if the vehicle will not be driven and placed in storage for the winter.
8. Enjoy frugal activities for fall. Leaf peeping, apple orchards, and pumpkin farms are fun, frugal, fall activities for the family.
9. Hit the lawn sales. Not actual yard sales, but end of season sales on stuff for your yard: lawn equipment, patio furniture, pool toys, and other summer merchandise on deep discount.
10. Plan ahead for the new year. Will you be one of millions to sign up for a gym membership or weight-loss plan in January? See if you can get a cheaper price to sign up now. In addition, the exercise will help you with holiday stress.