CMJ Office Blog

VACOC Monthly Guest Expert Teleseminar Series:

How to Not Undersell Yourself in a Down Economy

Presented by: Mikelann Valterra, Women’s Earning Institute

DATE: Thursday, November 20, 2008

TIME: 5 p.m. PST/6 p.m. MST/7 p.m. CST/8 p.m. EST

DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat)

COST: FREE

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? This class is open to all Virtual Assistants, small/boutique business owners, solo professionals, solopreneurs and independent professionals. Invite your business buddies! If you know some folks who would like to attend, feel free to copy and paste the contents on this page and post invitations on the forums and groups you participate in.

Has the economy got you down? Do you worry you won’t earn enough, but you find yourself giving away free time and discounting your services in other ways? Author Mikelann Valterra, director of the Women’s Earning Institute, focuses on empowering women to earn their worth—even in a down economy.

In this powerful teleclass, Mikelann explores the psychology of why even successful business women undersell themselves and what to do about it. Women who “under earn” deal with complex emotional issues around making money. Mikelann will look at the emotional and financial cost of discounting yourself and your services, and the message you convey when you suppress your fees. She will talk about how to protect your time as well as what people really want to buy from you. She will also explore the hard notion that not everyone should be able to afford you and how this translates when the economy is down. Lastly, she’ll discuss ways to feel great charging your full fee.

Be sure to register today to reserve your spot and get your burning questions answered!

Mikelann Valterra is the founder and director of the Women’s Earning Institute and the author of the book, “Why Women Earn Less: How to Make What You’re Really Worth”, and the workbook, “How to Set and Raise Your Rates”. As a specialist in earning issues, she speaks and consults widely on how to overcome self-sabotaging beliefs about money. From KOMO News 4 to the Washington Post, she talks about transforming one’s relationship to money and how women can earn at their potential. To subscribe to the free monthly “Earn Your Worth” e-newsletter, go to http://www.womenearning.com.

Colleen M. Johnson, CMJ Office

I think it’s safe to say that the American economy has some issues.

So, how can a small business owner gain expertise and get some much needed relief?

That’s easy. Look into working with a Virtual Assistant.

There are many out there that claim to be virtual assistants nowadays. However, one fact should be prevalent. A virtual assistant is administrative. Anything else is something else.

If you are looking for administrative support, check out a virtual assistant. If you need a bookkeeper, accountant, computer programmer, or graphic designer; then you will need to search within those fields.

Yes, some virtual assistants specialize within certain fields but one person cannot provide you with everything and remain an expert.

Get the support you need. Don’t compromise your standards.

A great resource for highly skilled virtual assistants can be found within the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce Directory. This virtual assistant community has established themselves as skilled, experienced, and ethical business owners with outstanding administrative backgrounds. You will not and cannot go wrong when working with a virtual assistant from the VACOC.

If you are unsure about your administrative needs or how to work with a virtual assistant, please check out the Client Guide established by the VACOC. It is a valuable resource for all business owners searching for virtual assistance.

Colleen M. Johnson, CMJ Office

CMJ Office is a certified and licensed virtual administrative business supporting business owners, bloggers, genealogy and history authors, speakers and researchers.

Ghost blogging is a new service that I’m providing to business owners.

What is ghost blogging?

Simply put, it is when a writer blogs to market a business to their audience.

How can someone write personal thoughts for an unknown individual/company? Well, I don’t do that.

I realize that most people use their blogs as a journal. However, I am not one of those individuals. I use a blog as a key for business owners trying to reach their public or niche market.

If you don’t have the time to blog about the following, consider using a ghost blogger:

• to get in front of your clients
• to make your presence known on the web
• to establish your business credibility
• to maintain your industry knowledge and experience

Keeping you in front of your market is a task that I can handle with ease.

How does one accomplish all of the above?

There are many ways of accomplishing these tasks. Blog postings can contain industry articles that relate to your business, your company stats, business testimonials or letters of recommendation, or important news and industry tips for your clients.

If you’d like to get your business blog started, contact CMJ Office today.

Colleen M. Johnson, CMJ Office

CMJ Office is a certified and licensed virtual administrative business supporting business owners, genealogy and history authors, speakers and researchers.

I love to fiddle around with blog design. I should start focusing on my own blog’s design. Lately, I’ve been a tad busy getting a few clients into the blog world. It’s been fun for me. My latest adventure is still in the beginning stages of design. It’s barely hit the web. My client is foregoing her own domain name presently. The company is in the process of reinventing themselves. They will be rebranding and renaming come January after being in business for over 30 years. Check the Omniserve Exhaust Blog out and say, “Hi”. It will most likely be in a constant state of change until January but the company wanted to get started blogging. What better way to get your name out there on the web as an expert?

I’m usually working late in the evening on these sort of tasks. There are less interruptions and distractions from the world and home when the moon is shining bright. Wordpress templates make the task more enjoyable. It’s amazing to view a blog in different templates. The layout changes and so does your view.

Even though I do have fun setting up a blog, my true joy comes from writing whether it’s through ghost, guest or authored writing. There is something beautiful about expressing thoughts and moods into a blog posting.

My next task in the blogosphere is to start commenting more on other blog postings. I tend to read and leave. I’ve often heard, “If you don’t have something constructive to say, don’t.”

Well, I don’t buy into that phrase anymore. I don’t mind if all I get is, “I enjoyed reading your post.” Why would any writer mind that?

Wouldn’t that put a smile on your face?

It sure puts a smile on mine. So, to heck with those that say only constructive comments apply. I’m going out into the blogosphere to spread smiles. If I read your blog and enjoy it, you will hear from me.

Colleen M. Johnson, CMJ Office

CMJ Office is a certified and licensed virtual administrative business supporting business owners, genealogy and history authors, speakers and researchers.

I have been lurking in the shadows for awhile now. Elizabeth over at Little Bytes of Life finally caught me. I’ve been tagged!

Thanks Elizabeth. LOL

So, here’s my info for the tag.

10 Years Ago, I was…..

1. Pregnant with my first child.
   
2. Working for Air Traffic in Massachusetts.
   
3. Living on an Air Force Base.
   
4. Still driving a cute sports car (sob). I still miss my Toyota Celica.
   
5. Still in my twenties! LOL
   

5 Things on Today’s To-Do List……

1. Prepare snacks and lunches for son’s First Communion Class. It’s my turn.
   
2. Drop all 3 kids off at CCD (Church School).
   
3. Write an article for the Gritty Business Buzz.
   
4. Continue with my Irish Genealogy Homework and blog about it.
   
5. RELAX!!!  What’s that?
   

5 Snacks I Enjoy……

1. Anything chocolate
   
2. Sunflower seeds
   
3. Pumpkin seeds
   
4. Doritos
   
5. Yogurt coated raisins
   

5 Places I have Lived….

1. Warwick, RI
   
2. Bedford, MA
   
3. Sommersworth, NH
   
4. Minot AFB, ND
   
5. Ruther Glen, VA
   

5 Jobs I have had…..

1. McDonald’s employee
   
2. Assistant to the New England Air Traffic Manager
   
3. Office Manager at the University of New Hampshire
   
4. Figure Skating Coach
   
5. Certified Virtual Assistant
   

3 Genea-Bloggers I’m Tagging Along with 2 VA Bloggers….

1. Linda in Lancaster over at Lititz2Lancaster
   
2. Kathy over at kbbgenblog
   
3. Lidian over at The Virtual Dime Museum
   
4. Cheryl over at CH Enterprises
   
5. Denise over at A Day in the Life
   

I’m throwing this tag over into the virtual administrative blog world due to the fact that I’m out of genealogy bloggers for the tag.

Thanks for including me in the tagging fun.

Colleen M. Johnson, CMJ Office