Mistakes Coaches Make When Setting Up A Website – Part 1

May 13, 2010 By 1 Comment

When starting your coaching practice you know one of the first things you need to to is set up your presence on the web a place to start getting your name out there. It is an important piece of the puzzle so make sure you take the time to think it through.

The All-In-One Website for Coaches

Actually, I almost have a hard time calling this one a mistake. This is a great concept and can be a very inexpensive way to get started. It will have all the features and tools you need, all under one roof.

  • Website
  • Blog
  • Shopping Cart
  • Newsletter
  • Sometimes even a membership site

And the best part? One login! Nice – that is probably my favorite part :)

But here is the bad part… as your business grows, as you expand your products and services – 9 times out of 10 this type of set up will not grow with you.  You will be limited by template options, number of pages, tool, features and bandwidth. You can always upgrade to get a bit more of what you need but by that time you are probably paying an arm and  a leg.

So next you start looking for new options for your website… here comes the ugly part.

All of a sudden you now need to go get hosting, shopping cart, newsletter service and set up a membership site. Oh but wait now you need to move all of your content over, but what about ALL your blog posts? Sorry their blog software is not compatible with WordPress, Blogger or Typepad. So either your lose all the content or start moving over each post one by one. Now you are hearing and feeling the big ouch!

So what should you do? Ask your colleagues, check on the coaching forums you visit, ask on Twitter! Find out what is working for your fellow coaches, what they like, what they don’t like, what they wish they had done different or features they find helpful. The feedback you receive will give you a starting point in your research.

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind:

  1. Scalable - will the site grow with you?
  2. Adaptable – will the site allow you to install new features and allow you to show video, podcasts, social media updates?
  3. Manageable – can you go in and change that word or sentence that is driving you nuts without waiting for your web designer or virtual assistant?
  4. Customizable – will it allow you to add color, styles, design options that fit you, your brand and speak to your target audience?

My personal bias is WordPress – scalable, adaptable, manageable and customizable.

Start with what you need:

WordPress – Free

Theme / Design – There are tons of free and low cost options available.

Hosting – You can easily can find something for under $10.00 per month.

Domain – Usually $10-15 per year.

Newsletter Service – From Free to under $25 per month, lots of options to consider.

When you are ready… you can easily add a shopping cart, membership site, forum, social network… your options are wide open.

Are you a DIYer? Check out my resource pages for recommendations and options. I’m adding more as I find tools that may help you, feel free to check back often.

Not so much a DIYer? Not to worry, feel free to contact me and we can set up a time to go over your options and figure out what will work best for you.

What questions do you have about setting up your coaching website?

Filed Under: Blog Design, Blogging, The Blue Jeans VA Tagged With: , , , , ,

WordPress Wednesday – Pretty Permalinks

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Not only will setting up your permalinks help in your SEO efforts but it also gives your blog posts and website a more professional look and feel.

Here is the information from WordPress on different style of permalinks you can use:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks

Filed Under: The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants, Wordpress Tutorials Tagged With: , , ,

WordPress Wednesday – Favorite Plugins List

May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The beauty of WordPress is that there are so many different options out there that add a tremendous amount of functionality to your site. Plugins are fun! Here is a quick list of some of my favorites:

  1. Akismet – Control the spam comments that bloggers get attacked with. Akismet works great for my sites.
  2. Audio Player – Great option for adding a simple player for your MP3 files to a post or page.
  3. Exclude Pages from Navigation – Simple way for you to manage which pages do and do not show up in your navigation bar.
  4. My Page Order – If you want a simple drag and drop way to organize your navigation bar, this is a great tool to have on hand.
  5. Sociable – Make it easy for your subscribers and visitors to share your blog post on social networking sites.
  6. Subscribe to Comments – Allow your visitors to get updates when you reply to a comment or a new comment is started. Great way to keep the conversation going.
  7. TweetMeme – Super duper easy way to retweet your blog post, probably one of the more recognizable features on a blog these days.
  8. Twitter Tools - Sorry to say but this has been mostly replaced by TweetMeme and Sociable but still a great option to connect your Twitter account and keep it updated as new posts are published.
  9. What Would Seth Godin Do? – Love the name… offer an easy way for your visitors to subscribe to your RSS feed.
  10. WordPress Automatic Upgrade – Keep your WordPress up-to-date with a simple upgrade option.
  11. WordPress Database Backup – Keep your content safe and set up a weekly back up of your site.

There are so many different plugins to choose from. These work great for me but your site and needs may be different and most likely there is someone somewhere with the same needs who has created a great solution. Check out the plugins directory here.

Filed Under: Blog Design, Blogging, The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: ,

How to choose a WordPress Theme

May 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Choosing  a theme for your site is hard, at least it is for me. I get caught up in looking at alllllll the options and the possibilities. If you were sitting next to me you probably would hear a lot of, “Oh that looks cool”, “Oh yeah those colors work”, “Oh neat feature, how could I use that?” and on and on….

Like most I have waded through my share of the free themes on WordPress.org looking for just the perfect theme. In time I learned a few things…

1) I really like working with WordPress and that in order to do the things I wanted to I was going to need to get some training. Which I did and became even more hooked!

2) Many of the free themes were incredibly frustrating to adapt to what I needed and had little to no support… usually no.

3) The code many times was sloppy and not well organized – making a simple change to even the font size could be a messy business.

It didn’t take me long to get the clue that the Premium Themes were with the moolah. I could find a layout I liked and could use and adapt it with my colors, logos, styles etc. It was a dream! At that point I could concentrate on setting up and customizing the code and not spend half my time wading through code that would make little to no sense.

That is when I discovered Brian Gardner and some of his earlier Free themes – on the recommendation of one of my blog training courses.  This opened up a whole new world. That soon led me to purchasing a Premium Theme package from Brian Gardner’s Studio Press. Then I was sold! Since then, I have looked back and refer to them often. In working with my clients I have also used iThemes with great results, features and support.

This is definitely a case of you get what you pay for.

So what should you look for in a WordPress Theme?

1) As with any theme – layout is important.

2) What page options do you have? Full, 1 Column, 2 Column, Blog etc.

3) Reputation of the designer – do an Internet search on the designer’s name or the business name, you will get a clue fairly quick on their reputation.

4) Is their an active support system. Do they have a help desk? Do they have forums – active forums? This will also give you a good idea on the responsiveness of their support and a chance to find answers to your questions… usually with solutions or new ideas.

5) Most importantly…. do you like the designs offered?

There are TONS of premium themes out there, which is good, a lot of options for you. Just make sure to take the time to research the options first and feel free to ask!

Filed Under: Blog Design, Blogging, The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: , , ,

Your Virtual Assistant Partner

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This is an interesting concept… one that has different connotations for different people.

Last night I was researching and surfing the net for ideas and ran across this article from Karyn Greenstreet with tips and ideas on finding and working with a virtual assistant. In this article she talks about the idea of the Virtual Assistant as a partner, it made me stop and think.

“Some VAs are taught that they should be a “partner” with you in your business. On the surface, this sounds great. However, I have heard too many horror stories about VAs who did things without asking permission, from modifying website text to changing established class titles”

When I am talking with clients, both perspective and current, are we clearly defining that role together?

Personally I consider myself to be a partner in the success of my clients business. But! I think that the term partner needs to be defined.

I like this definition of partner from Wikipedia:

“A friend who shares a common interest or participates in achieving a common goal.”

And this one from Dictionary.com:

“A person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor; sharer; associate.”

Each of these definitions include the word share and that is a key part of my own personal definition. As a virtual assistant my role is to support you, my client, using my skills and expertise. For some clients that means an occasional project here and there and for others it means stepping up to a bigger role of working in their business on a daily basis.

Being a partner also means getting to know your business and being able to say, “Here is what I can do for you” and not just asking, “How can I help?”. There is a difference.

As a virtual assistant who works closely with a client you see and understand the dreams, the goals and the overall big picture. When you commit time and resources to that big picture you have a vested interest in helping them succeed.

You understand their vision, you see what needs to happen and can create a suggested plan of action to get them there. As a VA, this is an exciting place to be.

It does not mean the VA takes over and makes the decisions,  it does mean we tap into our education and knowledge to share with you tips and strategies that we see would make a positive impact on bringing that vision to life. Together we decide if this is a course of action that will work.

The word partner is a collaborative word, not an independent word.

How do you define the word partner?

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, How To Find & Hire A Virtual Assistant, The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: , , ,

How to find & hire a VA – Tip #2

February 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

What type of virtual assistant do I need?

This is a question that surprises many people, what do you mean by type? Yes there are types! Not only are there different specialties but there are types and each have their place. It is a question you need to ask in order to find the best fit for you.

1) Task-Oriented: This type of virtual assistant you can send a whole big huge list (okay maybe not a WHOLE big list but you get the idea) of tasks that you need done. The VA will then tackle that list, mark them as done, send you feedback on what they found and you are off to the next round.

What could be on this list?

  • Keyword research
  • Internet search for resources of just the right gift for your client
  • Assemble a list of article marketing sites
  • Update a database…. I could go on but I won’t ;)

2) Big Picture Thinker: This type of VA, is in it with you for the long haul. They get to know you and your business, they share your vision and are dedicated to its mission. You have shared values, work ethics and views on customer service.

They can become a strategic partner:

  • Helping you develop strategy
  • Keeping track of the pieces of the puzzle to launch your next project, website or eBook
  • They know your likes, dislikes and can tailor their work to meet your preferences
  • They can become an integral part of your team.

So which is right for you? In the end only you can answer that question. Remember to think long term, what are your goals in the next 6, 12, 18 months or 5 years? Are there projects you will need help with that you really don’t want to have to learn from the ground up? Is there a specific skill set you are looking for or level of experience and expertise?

If you don’t know… please ask! As a virtual assistant it is just as important to me that we are a good fit as it is too you.

It is possible to find out in the end, that you need 1 of each! It is not always necessary to pay your $40/hour VA to look up gift websites when a $15 or $20/hour VA could do it just as well – not that they couldn’t mind you! There are times when the convenience of working with one VA or VA firm is worth the extra expense, you will have to weigh the cost of convenience against your budget.

What type of VA do you think you need?

Filed Under: How To Find & Hire A Virtual Assistant, The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: , ,

How to find & hire a VA – Tip #1

January 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Brain dump! Make a List.

You know you need help, you know it is time to start looking for a VA or specialist to outsource. But where to start, what to outsource?

Here is your first tip – make a list of everything!

Administrative:

  • What tasks do you do during your day
  • What takes you longer then it should
  • What do you really not like doing
  • What do you not know how to do

Projects:

  • What has been on your to-do list forever
  • What is on your project wish list

Marketing:

  • Are you being able keep up
  • Is there more you could be doing on Twitter but need help
  • Have you started your Facebook Fan page yet
  • Do you have articles that need to be submitted

Website/Blog:

  • Are your blog posts getting published
  • Do you need to upgrade your WordPress
  • Need to add a new special report optin to you site

Shopping Cart:

  • Do you need to clean up your database
  • Do you need new autoresponders set up

Keep track during your day of what you do, how long it takes and if you like to do it or not.

This is the foundation of your search for a virtual assistant. You need to know first what you need help with before you can decide what type of va you need.


Filed Under: How To Find & Hire A Virtual Assistant, The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: ,

How to leverage your boundaries

January 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You can start exercising that boundaries muscle and by taking time off but there are times that no matter how important it is you just can’t seem to get there. Or you get there but you work literally the entire day before to get ready to take time off and extra hours the day after to catch up.

That is what has happened to me, more than once! That is when I realized, that this virtual assistant, needed a virtual assistant! Yep even VA’s need VA’s. One of the best decisions I made was to start outsourcing and get a bookkeeper, oh yeah, that was fun! The next team member I brought on was someone to help with newsletters, both for my clients and for me. Oh yeah, that was even more fun!

Consider it this way, outsourcing to a virtual assistant is really all about exercising that boundaries muscle. You are leveraging your boundaries. You betcha, you can leverage a boundary.

How to leverage a boundary:

1) Outsource what you are not good at: Put a boundary on what you do not know how to do or have time to learn and get your focus back on your strengths. By biz coach, Justin over at LukasCoaching.com and I talk about this quite a bit. Your day to day activities should be 80% in your strengths, the other 10% working on the weak areas.

2) Outsource what is not revenue generating for you: If it is not one of your strengths or it does not generate revenue for you, it is actually costing you time and money. Neither one is good and together a bad combo to deal with.

3) Outsource what has been on the back burner for too long: If you are like most entrepreneurs your project list and wish list is a mile long and you can’t seem to get to it. Even though you know it would help your business and move it forward. Getting it off the back burner and front and center for your VA is leveraging a boundary and putting plans into action.

Learning to leverage your boundaries is another area that will take some practice. Outsourcing is not easy at first, it is hard to relinquish control – good ole’ entrepreneuritis (I have to do it all myself syndrome).

But guess what… relinquishing control and outsourcing, empowers your team to get the job done, leverages your boundaries and moves your business forward while still are taking time off, not bad!

Filed Under: Outsourcing, The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: , , , , ,

WordPress, Blogger or Typepad? Oh My!

July 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Why a blog?

A blog is one of the perfect places to start your social media marketing campaign. In fact I have heard it suggested more than once that it is the cornerstone.

A blog allows you the opportunity to produce fresh content which the search engines love and your followers will enjoy.

So now you know a little about the why, lets take a look at the what.

What is the best blogging platform for me?

The big names you have probably heard before, WordPress, Blogger and Typepad. But what is the difference?

Hosted Blog – Blogger.com, Typepad.com & WordPress.com
A hosted blog is where your blog, your content, is stored on their servers.

Self Hosted Blog – WordPress.org
A self-hosted blog means that it is installed and hosted on your server.

Which one do I choose?

There is a lot of talk about which one is best and there can be heated discussions regarding the pros and cons. When asked I will always say that a self-hosted blog is the way to go. However, the truth of the matter is, that it is a personal decision, features that might be very important to me, may not be as important for you. I do think that you need to do your research and see what others say and what the advantages are of each option. I have listed a few points below to get you started.

Some Pros of a hosted blog

  1. You can literally be up in running in minutes
  2. Very easy to use for the complete beginner
  3. No need to sign up for a web hosting service – WordPress.com & Blogger.com are free – Typepad does have a low monthly charge.

Some Cons of a hosted Blog

  1. There is always a danger of your blog being deleted or access blocked by the hosting service (I have heard horror stories!)
  2. The web address to your blog will always advertise their service, it will always read: mydomain.blogspot.com or mydomain.wordpress.com etc.
  3. On some there are links at the top that will take you to the next blog that the service hosts. You have no control over what pops up next. Their content could be family friendly or not, it could mirror your opinion or have the exact opposite.

Some Pros of a self-hosted blog

  1. Your domain will not advertise someone else’s service
  2. Full customization, it can look exactly like your site (This site is a perfect example – I have used the WordPress.org blogging platform as my site – full integration between website and blog)
  3. An incredible array of plugins to choose from. Plugins will extend the capability of what your blog can do.

Some Cons of a self-hosted blog

  1. Not necessarily a d-i-y project, it certainly can be, but it will require time, research and trial and error
  2. It does take longer to set up and customize
  3. You will need to pay for web hosting

What it all boils down to is what you are looking for in a blog. Take some time and write out the purpose of your blog, where does it fit in your marketing campaign. Make a list of the different features your blog should have.

I have seen amazing examples of highly successful blogs on both hosted and self-hosted sites as well as terrible ones.

Personally I believe that in the end, the time and effort you put into a self hosted blog is worth it.

  • You control the hosting
  • You control the customization
  • You control what and who you are advertising

What platform do you use right now? What other pros and cons can you think of?

Filed Under: Blog Design, Blogging, The Blue Jeans VA Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why do I need a VA?

July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
  • I need help!
  • I can’t keep up!
  • I can’t do this on my own!?
  • I don’t know how to do this?
  • I’ll never make that deadline.
  • My to do list grows no matter what I do

Any of these sound familiar? They do to me~ Not only do I hear this from my clients and colleagues, I hear it also from me. Yes, even VA’s need VA’s. The plain ole’ big truth of the matter is, none of us, no matter how hard we try, can do it on our own.

Sure we try and for awhile it looks as though we can do it. Then you get sick and things pile up. You miss your daughter’s soccer game or taking your Mom to a measly 1 hour appointment to see the doc seems like an insurmountable fete.

That is when the little voice inside your head starts asking:

    • Why am I doing this?
    • Is it worth it?
    • Am I crazy to think I can do this?
    • I’m too exhausted to think.
    • I just don’t know what to do.

We have all been there! Some of are still there….

As entrepreneurs it is hard to ask for help, let alone admit we need it.

We are the lone gunman, the swaggering John Wayne, the tough guy (or gal!) who is ready to take on the world and make it better. The thought of asking for help, getting it and then being brave enough to accept it…. can be a scary prospect.

You must be ready to ask for help and you have to be open to accepting it. You may come into it kicking and screaming but with just a little change of attitude and direction, finding the right help can be easier than you think and more liberating than you ever realized.

Once you find help, take the time to share your goals, show your vision of where you are headed. A good assistant or team member will walk along side you believe in you and your business and join you on this amazing journey.

So, why do I need a VA? I need help, I need to take my biz to the next level, to its next evolution and I can’t get there on my own!

Want to listen rather than read?

Filed Under: The Blue Jeans VA, Virtual Assistants Tagged With: , , ,
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