We are proud to announce that our good friend Lesley Spencer Pyle founder and of HomeBasedWorkingMoms.com has become a regular columnist for the new

Lesley will be talking about being a Home Based Entrepreneur. Congratulations Lesley!

Here is her first article and if you want to keep up-to-date on Lesley’s column just bookmark this url: http://www.womenentrepreneur.com/archive/columnist/64.html

Is a Home Business Good for Your Marriage?

There are many things to consider when starting a home business. What type of home business will you start? What equipment, inventory or supplies will you need? Who will your potential customers and clients be? Who will be your primary competition? However, one question few women tend to think about is: Will my home business be good for our marriage?

The answer depends on you and your approach to home business. You can count on your business changing your life to some extent. It’ll add duties to your day, leave you with less time for yourself and your family, and may change your priorities. But does that mean it’ll be negative for your marriage? We asked some seasoned home-based working moms and got some surprising answers.

“My home business has had a very positive effect on my marriage,” says Diana Ennen, owner of VirtualWordPublishing.com. “When my husband arrives home from work, I can’t wait to share some of the successes of the day. Also, I can contribute so much more to the family income. That takes an enormous pressure off us.”

Laurie Hurley, owner of HomeTutoringBusiness.com adds, “We’re more in tune with each other now that I work from home. It’s been very good for our marriage.”

Another home based business owner shared that working at home has actually brought her and her husband closer as a family. “We bounce business ideas off each other, and everyone–including our three children–feels like it’s their business as well,” says Julie Held, who runs a Stuff A Friend business.
However, along with the positive, there are some negative ways a home business can impact your marriage. A very common mistake many people make is putting their marriage on autopilot. The truth is, no matter the stage, marriages need nurturing, affection and attention.

“I allowed my business to take over my life, and I neglected my family and my home,” says Darlene Hull, owner of Mom-Defrazzler.com. “My husband was very patient through it all, and that made me really wake up. Now I make sure I’m connecting in a meaningful way to my husband and kids every day.”

Some women even credit their home businesses for saving their marriages. Take Janna Dawson, owner of HighDesertBandB.com, for instance. She says, “We were on divorce road when I started my home business. Now we’re conscious of where we need to improve because of things we’ve learned through my business self-development programs. I think we’re happier now than when we first married.”

So how can you ensure a happy marriage and a successful home business? Take some tips from home based businesswomen who are making it work:

* Have the same goals for your family, your marriage and your future together. And never let your spouse feel second to the business.
* Set specific work hours, and be diligent about keeping those boundaries intact.
* Prioritize family time and coordinate activities with your spouse on a family calendar.
* Outsource when needed. Hire a house cleaner, nanny or an assistant.
* Talk about everything and discuss your options.
* When you’re with your spouse or kids, be 100 percent with them. When you’re working, focus 100 percent on your work.

Regardless of what stage your home business is in, sit down with your spouse to discuss these topics. It could help you avoid significant conflicts in the future. And maybe your home business will help make your marriage even stronger.

Lesley Spencer Pyle is the founder and president of HomeBasedWorkingMoms.com and has been working from home for more than 12 years.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen L. Reddick, MVA
Tel: (720) 870-6435
E-mail: Karen@VandEServices.com
Website: http://www.vandeservices.com

CENTENNIAL, CO Six years ago if anyone had told Karen Reddick that the growing industry she has been working hard to promote would finally receive its day in the limelight with a segment on the NBC Today Show, she wouldn’t have believed it. It’s a dream come true to see the industry she is passionate about get national attention. Reddick is a Virtual Assistant (VA) who helps small businesses successfully run their businesses virtually from her home office. When an NBC correspondent got wind that there was such a business, they became intrigued and decided to pursue the story. NBC flew to Reddick’s home office in Centennial to film a typical day at the office. They also set up a crew at one of Reddick’s client’s office 850 miles away in the St. Louis area to show how easy and efficient working with a VA can be. The piece is scheduled to air in April.

Reddick, owner of V-And-E Services, is a former executive assistant and originally conceived the idea for her business in October 2001 immediately following 9/11. Starting her new career was her way to put family first and be home for her then pre-teenage daughter. Reddick helps clients by working remotely and uses the latest technology to deliver creative administrative support and technical business services to busy professionals. Projects are often handled over the phone, by fax, e-mail and instant messaging.

Most attractive to her clients is perhaps the fact that Virtual Assistants are responsible for their own taxes, training, healthcare, insurance, and overhead costs that make hiring an in-house employee expensive. Reddick states, “My clients pay only for the time actually spent working on their projects. They don’t pay for my coffee breaks, visits to colleagues or other things that happen in a normal office environment. This is a great benefit for them to pay on an as-needed basis.”

Reddick is also the author of The A-Z Guide: The Best Ways to Work With a Virtual Assistant, which shows businesses exactly what a VA can do for them. In her A-Z Guide, Reddick starts with the letter A and highlights typical services such as administrative assistance, ad campaigns, appointment setting, auto responders; B–bookkeeping, branding, brochures, bulk mailings; C–concierge services, copywriting, contact list management and so on. It clearly helps businesses and virtual assistants see exactly what a VA can do for them and highlights tasks they might not have even considered.

“I think this industry will just continue to grow,” Reddick adds. “This used to seem like a radical concept; and now hopefully with this national recognition it will allow other business owners to realize how using a Virtual Assistant can streamline their administrative tasks and save them time and money.”

As proof that the industry is growing, Diana Ennen of http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com recently landed an interview in Reader’s Digest, where she was able to spread the news of the Virtual Assistant Industry. The article talks about making money while working at home, stating “If you possess word processing, transcription, bookkeeping, public relations, or website design skills, you may want to try employment as a virtual assistant. Ennen is quoted as saying, “There is so much work for VAs that the field is thriving. It is absolutely booming.” And Ennen believes this with all her heart.

Look for this segment airing on NBC sometime in April. Stop by Reddick’s site at: http://www.vandeservices.com for additional information on the VA industry and her services.

About V-And-E-Services: V-And-E-Services specializes in “taking the administrative weight off the shoulders” of the small business owner and/or entrepreneur so they can concentrate on making their business grow. Visit http://www.vandeservices.com for more information. Reddick also offers a weekly newsletter entitled Grammar Tips From The Red Editor, a division of V-And-E-Services. http://www.theredpeneditor.com

Diana Ennen was recently featured in Smart Money and gives advice on balancing work and life. As we all know, it’s vital we find balance between work and life so that we can take care of ourselves both mentally and physically. You can read the whole story at Smart Money.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Diana Ennen
http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com
diana@virtualwordpublishing.com
(954) 971-4025

Reader’s Digest Explores the Thriving Virtual Assistant Industry

Margate, FL (April 2007) Diana Ennen knows how to make a business successful in today’s marketplace. Working from home since 1985, the entrepreneur has been highly successful in helping others reach their business goals for over two decades. Ennen’s most recent accomplishment was landing an interview in Reader’s Digest, where she was able to spread the news of the Virtual Assistant Industry, which she is so passionate about. The article talks about making money while working at home, stating “If you possess word processing, transcription, bookkeeping, public relations, or website design skills, you may want to try employment as a virtual assistant. Ennen is quoted as saying, “There is so much work for VAs that the field is thriving. It is absolutely booming.” And Ennen believes this with all her heart.

The article focuses on work that can be done on a part-time basis. Ennen contends that while most start their businesses on a full-time basis, many have been very successful working part-time, before growing their business into successful enterprises. According to Ennen, “The important thing is to use your own skills and expertise to build your business. Starting a virtual assistant business isn’t a get rich quick scheme. It takes time and talent, but those who succeed can’t imagine doing anything else. And clients today are grateful to have talented and highly skilled personal assistance for all their business needs. A VA business is not one that can be started overnight, but it is a business that has tremendous potential.”

Ennen has been helping entrepreneurs start their businesses since writing her first book back in 1996, Words From Home: Start, Run and Profit from a Home-based Word Processing Business, which she updates on a regular basis. Also, Ennen and co-author Kelly Poelker have recently completed the Virtual Assistant-The Series: Workbook Edition that accompanies their main book Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, which is considered the Bible of the VA Industry. With these books, aspiring readers are provided with priceless tools on everything from choosing the right VA business and specialty, to advertising and promoting your business, to daily operational procedures. Other books by Ennen include the WordPerfect OfficeReady Virtual Assistant Solution Pack, which comes complete with a 81 page ebook and over 70 templates on starting a VA business.

And speaking of deserving Virtual Assistants, another well-known Virtual Assistant, Karen Reddick of V-And-E-Services, http://www.vandeservices.com has also captured national attention with a segment that will be airing soon on NBC News. NBC was so impressed with the VA Industry, that not only did they film Reddick’s office, but a client’s office as well some 850 miles away.

Stop by http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com for additional information on starting a virtual assistant business, to visit our online bookstore, or receive our free information on business startups. And don’t forget to look for the May issue of Reader’s Digest http://www.rd.com/content/best-quick-cash/1/ to learn more about starting your own virtual assistant business.

We all realize how Virtual Assistants have revolutionized the way we work today. Most businesses now count on their Virtual Assistant the same as they used to count on their secretaries, only so much more. VAs are a prized and respected part of their client’s team, and unlike secretaries, who often were taken for granted, Virtual Assistants are praised for their professionalism and skills. Most businesses today can’t imagine where they would be without their VA. And as the potential for success in a virtual assistant business continues to explode, so does the need for good Virtual Assistants.

Today’s Virtual Assistants need to take pride in their business and also to learn as much as they can about their niche, which is the specialty they have chosen to specialize in. One niche that I highly recommend is to offer publicity and marketing services to clients. This is an area that is growing in leaps and bounds as more and more authors, businesses, and other professionals realize the need to market their business to get good publicity. A business can expand tremendously when hiring a Virtual Assistant to help them spread the word about their products or services. Also, authors today aren’t aware that once they write a book, that’s when the real work begins. They need to get the word out about their book in order for it to be successful. That’s where a good Publicity VA comes in.

Publicity and marketing is thrilling to say the least. There’s such a great rush when your client gets recognized in national magazines, or a TV station wants to do a segment on them and you helped them achieve this success. Or better yet, when your efforts start resulting in substantial increased sales for them. Clients will not only keep using your services, but also tell others about this new positive addition they have to their business. And best yet, you too get to feel that satisfaction as you are helping them achieve their goals.

One of my most successful tips is learning how to effectively use any publicity that a client receives. When clients get national attention in a magazine, newspaper, or TV Segment, or even on a popular website, it’s important to make sure that everyone is aware of this. A press release should immediately go out to announce their accomplishment. This release should be added to their website and also should go to all their local papers, radio stations, and TV networks. Media loves to highlight a success story of their locals, so make sure you get this out there as soon as you can. And you don’t have to wait for the publicity to happen. If your client lands a major TV segment, you can start sending this press out beforehand in order to get more media for when the event happens. You just want to make sure that the client is fairly confident the segment will air. Also, don’t worry if the segment gets bumped back, that often happens as breaking news takes priority. This can almost be a blessing, as then you get to do more publicity before the airdate.

It’s also important to follow-up with the reporters and let them know how much you appreciate the acceptance of your quotes for an article. When you go the extra step to show them your appreciation, they remember you when the next article comes up and they need help with more expert advice. Many reporters work for multiple magazines so one good ally can lead to lots of media exposure. Always keep your PR hat on. Learn to take any situation and turn it into good press for your clients and your business as well. Stay on top of current events and see if you have anything to offer. Whenever a story hits the press that any of my clients would have a connection to, I’ll send it right away. Having press releases already prepared for clients on their business is always a great help. How do you know about these events? Sign up for Google Alerts under the topics of interest and then whenever a story is written, you can follow-up with your press release or article to the reporter. It works! I also use ProfNet from PRNewswire, which allows me to get daily leads from major news outlets. You can also consider PRLeads.

It’s also important to learn how to write a good press release and article and also where to send those. Make sure that your press releases and articles are newsworthy and also something that interests the readers. When I write a release, I always think would I read this release? Would it interest me? If not, I doubt your target audience would be reading it either. Plus, be careful to sound too promotional. You can easily get your message across without sounding like an ad.

Publicity is a great niche for VAs. I hope you have found these tips beneficial.
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Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant - The Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook; Corel Word Perfect Office Ready, Virtual Assistant Solution Pack, and Words From Home, Start, Run and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business. She specializes in publicity and book marketing and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and http://www.virtualassistantstartups.com