It is often said that certain events, celebrity deaths in particular, come in threes, and today I’m going to confirm that by sharing three pieces of good news with you. The first two are admittedly shameless self-promotion, but do read on, because the third one is good news for YOU!

First of all, my post Landing the Big Fish, or the most unusual way I’ve found a client, was awarded the Virtual Assistant Forums Monthly Blogging Challenge for May. I won a copy of Social Media Marketing an Hour a Day, and look forward to reading it soon.

Do you have a Google alert set up on your name? (If not, you should!) I do, and that’s how I learned that I made the list of Best Virtual Assistant Services on David Jackson’s Free Marketing Tips Blog. This isn’t a list of 50 or 100, mind you, but only FIVE carefully selected VAs. I owe a big thank you to my clients who not only took the time to write testimonials for me, but also responded to David’s email follow-up earlier this year.

And now as promised, the good news for you! I realize that I blog a lot, and it may be hard for readers to keep up at times, so I’ve streamlined a few things. All new posts that are published either here or on my other blog, Your Organizing Business, now appear on the Organized Assistant page on Facebook. Just click on the “Like” button to become a fan, if you’re not one already. Prefer email? No problem! You can now join my mailing list and receive an email every Friday that includes all my posts for the week. From time to time I may send out special mailings, so be sure to indicate if you’re interested in Southern Ontario Events and/or Resources for Professional Organizers.

That’s my good news for the week! What’s going on with you?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Good News Comes in Threes!.

Have you noticed lately that conversations at business networking events often seem to gravitate towards the topic of social media? When that happens, do you jump in with your success stories, or do you quietly listen and wonder what the fuss is all about? Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore!

By popular request, I am going to be holding a live workshop on Social Media Strategies for Small Business to answer your most pressing questions, such as:

What are the most important social networks for me to join?

How am I supposed to find the time for online networking?

Can my business really benefit from social media?

The workshop will be offered on Thursday, June 10, and again on Wednesday, June 16, so you can choose the session that best suits your schedule. Both workshops will take place at 2-45 Frid Street, Hamilton, Ontario, and will run from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

Every participant will have access to a computer, making it ideal for hands-on learners. (But if you’d rather just sit back and take notes, that’s okay too!)

The cost to register for this long-awaited event is only $40.00 + GST, and members of People in Connection and the Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group pay only $25.00 + GST!

Be sure to sign up soon, as seats are limited.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Social Media Strategies for Small Business Workshop in Hamilton.

I know I promised that my next post would describe the WordPress plug-ins I learned about at WordCamp Toronto, but a couple of other things have come up and I’m too excited to save the news until next week!

Several months ago, I answered a few questions for someone who was writing an e-book about becoming a virtual assistant, and with so much else going on, it had slipped my mind. It therefore came as a wonderful surprise this week to learn that several of my comments were used in the brand new FabJob Guide to Become a Virtual Assistant!

I was also happy to receive a copy of the guide as a token of appreciation for my contributions. At 268 pages, it is packed with information and I know I’ll benefit from it, even though my VA business has been established for several years. It covers a wide range of essential topics, including:

• Communicating effectively with your clients
• Skills required, and different ways to acquire them
• Legal and taxation issues
• Marketing and networking
• Setting fees and collecting payment
• Working with strategic partners
• Time management and productivity
• Choosing your business name, niche market, and much more

I would definitely recommend the FabJob Guide to Become a Virtual Assistant to anyone considering this profession, even if my name wasn’t in it!

If you’re more likely to need a VA than to become one, be sure to swing by Deb Lee’s blog and read my guest post on The Benefits of Working with a Virtual Assistant.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Interested in Becoming a Virtual Assistant – or Hiring One?.

It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.

When Burt Bacharach penned the above lyrics, he was, of course, referring to “love sweet love,” but I can think of a few other things that could fit into that category… take time, for example. There aren’t very many people who have never said they couldn’t use a few extra hours in the day, or even an extra day in the week, but no matter what we do, we can’t create more time – we can only learn to make better use of the time we have.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has perfected the art and science of time management, feel free to move on to another blog. On the other hand, if you’re like the rest of us who are always looking for new ways to manage time effectively, I know you’ll be as excited as I am about my special guest for next week.

Rodger Constandse, the owner of GoalsToAction.com and principal developer of the Achieve Planner software system, will be visiting my blog every day from March 15 to 19 to share some of his best time management strategies. What’s even better is that he’s planning to give away one of his products every day during his visit! Some of the available prizes will include Rodger’s Psychology of Procrastination course, his Effective Time Management course, and a copy of his Achieve Planner software.

In case you think I’m going to be slacking off all week, I should let you know that I’ve been assigned the task of picking the prize winners by determining who has made the most valuable comment each day – so come prepared to share your own timely tips, successful strategies, or perplexing problems. Prizes will be awarded every day that five or more comments are made, so be sure to tell others about this great contest.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on A Chance to Win Free Time (or the next best thing).

What an awesome party! The celebration was made even greater by seeing Canada break the world’s record for Olympic gold medals. Woo hoo!

Thanks to everyone who dropped in, especially those of you who took time to participate in the Trivia Challenge.

Here’s a recap of the questions, along with the correct answers:

1. What is the name of the networking group I run for local virtual assistants?

Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group – mentioned in A Few More Minutes of Fame and Glory and Happy New Year 2009

2. When did I last attend a POC Conference?

2006 – mentioned in FoVA 2009 in Review

3. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, what is my personality type?

ISTJ – mentioned in Is it Time to Revise YOUR Work Schedule? and How I Became a Virtual Assistant

In the spirit of the Olympics, I’ve decided to award not just one prize, but three.

The gold medal goes to Jacki Hollywood Brown, the first person to answer all the questions correctly. Jacki is eligible to receive a prize of her choice from my Products page. Congratulations, Jacki!

The silver medal goes to Julie Bestry, who also got all the correct answers. Julie is eligible to receive a prize of her choice from my Products page, with a maximum value of $24.95.

The bronze medal goes to Ross Dodwell, who got two out of three answers correct. Ross is eligible to receive a prize of his choice from my Products page, with a maximum value of $9.99.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks again to everyone else who played along.

I’m having another special event here later this month, with even more prizes. Make sure that you get all the details by following me on Twitter, subscribing to my blog by email, or adding it to your RSS reader!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on After the Party.

As a virtual assistant, I support a number of wonderful clients, some on an ongoing basis, and others on specific projects. Today I’d like to turn the spotlight on one of my regular clients.

This month marks my three-year anniversary of working with Sharon Graham, president and principal consultant at Graham Management Group, founder and executive director of Career Professionals of Canada, and author of Best Canadian Resumes. Sharon’s reputation for excellence and innovation, as well as ethics and integrity in the Canadian labour market, has made her a leader in the careers industry, and it truly is a privilege to be a member of her team.

I am especially proud to announce that Sharon has been named as a recipient of the 2010 Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Counselling and Career Development. The Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) presents this award each year to individuals nominated by their peers for leadership contributions to the field, and it was no surprise to me that Sharon was chosen for this honour.

Here is just one example of the type of initiative for which Sharon has developed a reputation.

Most entrepreneurs recognize the importance of gaining a thorough understanding of their target market, and Sharon being no exception, is currently conducting an online survey for six-figure Canadians. However, instead of using the information for her own purposes, she will be making the data she collects available to every qualified person who completes the survey, to help them learn about the most effective ways for six-figure professionals to find jobs, along with current information about six-figure compensation strategies.

If you know Sharon, please join me in congratulating her on this exciting achievement! If you don’t, and you’re part of the Canadian careers industry or a six-figure professional, I highly recommend that you get to know her by reading her blog or following her on Twitter.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Spotlight on Canada's Career Strategist.

This time of year it’s traditional to reflect on our achievements over the past year, while setting the wheels in motion to accomplish even bigger and better things in the new year.

I have to admit that I did not achieve everything I hoped to in my personal life, mainly because I didn’t make it a priority. I realized this while I was reading Alex Fayle’s e-book, I’ll Get Around to It Someday, and the message was reinforced by Kathy Stinson’s blog post, The PIRDY Plan, in which she outlines how she’s going to fit leisure activities into her busy schedule. I haven’t yet figured out which interests I’ll focus on, or when I’ll pursue them, but I am absolutely going to give it more effort than I have in the past. After all,

No one on their deathbed ever says
they wish they had spent more time at the office.

Source Unknown

Professionally, although things didn’t go quite the way I pictured them, I am extremely pleased with the way that things came together. The following seemingly separate events have proven to be not quite as random as they seemed at the time:

1. I used Google to find an answer to a technical issue I was experiencing, which led to my being invited to participate in a blogging course. You can read more about that in The Mysteries of Technology.
2. To complete the course work, I needed to create a specific type of blog. Worried that my current readers might not like me to make major changes, I decided to start a new one. You can read about that in Introducing “Your Organizing Business”.
   
3. Through Twitter and my new blog, I found myself connecting with more and more professional organizers, and closer to my dream of becoming known as THE virtual assistant to successful professional organizers.
4. I created an increasing number of client sites in WordPress, including static websites, blogs, and websites with a built-in blog. You can read about that in Introducing Maestro Quality, A Web Makeover, Introducing More Than Admin, Introducing Great Organizing Books.
5. As I saw the benefits of the combined website and blog and the power of premium WordPress themes, I was starting to feel like a barefooted shoemaker.

Do you see where this is going? If not, take a look at the Organized Assistant website!

I enjoy working with the Flexx Blog Theme so much that I was tempted to use it for this project, but I really wanted a custom design combining features from the old site as well as the original theme for Your Organizing Business. In the past I’ve used a blank open source theme for my custom designs, but I wanted something even more flexible. I’d heard a lot about Thesis and Headway, and after doing a little research, I chose Headway because it allows you to create unique sidebars for different pages of your site. With a brand new logo (thanks to Trudezign Graphics and Marketing) and updated content that reflects our current focus on Internet marketing, I am just beside myself!

What’s next? Hopefully, lots more work with WordPress and Headway, and more clients from the organizing industry.

Aside from that, watch for exciting new changes on this site too!

What does 2010 look like for you? Can I help you make it happen?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Looking Back, Looking Forward.

I know, your social calendar for December is already full, and you have so much else to do! That’s okay. For this party, you don’t have to dress up, and you don’t even have to leave your house! (That means you can eat or drink as much, or as little, as you want, and no one will say a word!)

Krista Colvin, one of my professional organizer buddies, has asked me to let my readers know that this Wednesday from 6-8 PM PST (that’s 9-11 PM EST) Organize.com is holding a Holiday Twitter Party. This is a whole new concept to me, and maybe to you too, so I’m going to explain how it works.

First, you’ll need to sign up for Twitter, if you don’t already have an account. Next, you need to RSVP/register. This is an Open House, so you can do this any time, even once the party has started. The party itself will take place on TweetGrid.

Since this particular party is hosted by Organize.com, you can be sure that a lot of the conversation will be about organization, so if you’ve got questions, this is a great chance to ask the experts. If you happen to be an organizing expert, it’s a good opportunity to share your knowledge. To make things even better, exciting prizes will be given out throughout the evening.

Sound like fun? Get your invitation at http://www.organize.com/twitter-party-invitation.html.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on It's a Party – and You're Invited!.

If you’ve had a website for several years, you know that after numerous updates, changes, and additions, inconsistencies in design, format, and even content can occasionally appear on your site. Even a carefully maintained site can begin to look tired over time. When Daisy Wright of The Wright Career Solution contacted me, her website looked like this:

Building upon Daisy’s existing brand, I created a fresh new look, using WordPress, so she could easily update it herself. The end result is here:

Her original blog used a fairly basic Blogger template, which was not unattractive, but lacked pizzazz, as you can see here:

What also concerned me was the presence of the Blogger Toolbar, which allows readers to easily click through to other random blogs. Of course, most bloggers like to link to other blogs, but we should be able to choose the recipients of our link love!

Although we could have imported Daisy’s blog into her new website, she preferred to keep it separate, but wanted to capitalize on the functionality and flexibility of WordPress. Here is the end product:

I don’t like to brag, but I think I’ve done a very nice job on both sites! Please check them out, and if you know someone who is in the market for a new job or career, have them give Daisy a call. She has earned several certifications, has recently been named Outstanding Canadian Career Leader by CPC for the second time, and is the author of No Canadian Experience, Eh?

Take a good look at your own website. Is the information current? Does it reflect the professional image you wish to convey? If it’s time for a makeover, contact me for a no cost, no obligation consultation.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on A Web Makeover.

It really shouldn’t surprise me, because it happens every year, but there is just no comparison between life before and after Labour Day. I’ve just had one of the busiest weeks I can remember in a very long time.

It started with my presentation Monday night at the POC Toronto Chapter meeting on Maximizing Your Internet Marketing. That was an amazing experience which combined the thrill of speaking about a topic that excites me; reconnecting with Karen Shinn, with whom I had my first meal at my first Conference back in 2002, and Lisa Rosen, one of my early website clients, among others; meeting some of the organizers I network with online face to face for the first time; and, of course, making some new contacts. Being in Toronto also gave me an opportunity to enjoy a meal with my dad and his friend, and to drive in areas of the city I’d heard of all my life but never seen. (I didn’t learn to drive until I’d moved out of town, so most of my travelling was done by subway.)

Thursday night was the Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group Special Evening Event, and the days leading up to it were filled with last minute registrations and cancellations, keeping track of the various door prizes that had been offered and received, and other related activities. It was definitely worth all the effort when I saw and heard that room full of VAs and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. The staff and the food at Paradiso were outstanding, and our speaker, Canada’s Diamond Coach Adele Alfano, was as sparkling as ever.

In the meantime, we were also facing the deadline for exhibitors registering for Face to Face in order to be included in the event guide, and with Scott and I both working on the project this year, it seemed the phone would never stop ringing! Our hard work has paid off once again, as nearly every available spot has been booked, and we discovered that Face to Face has been nominated as Best Employment Service in the Hamilton Spectator’s Readers Choice Awards. Voting takes place on their site until midnight on September 25, if you would like to support us.

If that wasn’t enough, I also learned that I’ve been nominated for best organizing website and blog for the LA Organizing Awards! I don’t know too much about that yet, but will share more information when I do.

While all this exciting stuff was going on, it seems that when the kids went back to school, all the small business owners went back to work! All of a sudden clients I hadn’t heard from during most of the  summer were ready to have me get started on new projects, and I’ve been contacted by at least four potential new clients. Two were people I’ve worked with, and one was a referral from someone I know quite well, confirming the value of traditional networking. The fourth was a bit more of a surprise. When I answered the phone, the voice on the other end said, “You retweeted something I said this week, so I went to your profile and saw that you are a virtual assistant, and I’d like to try your services.” Just like that. So social networking works too!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Event-full Days.