This is the season… for European wasps and bed bugs

It’s that time of year again.

The sun is shining and the weather is warming, and if you haven’t seen them already, it won’t be long before you’re swatting flies, running from wasps, screaming at cockroaches and spiders, and hearing the familiar scratching of possums (or mice) in the roof.

Husband and wife team Jenny Jordan and Bob Waters, who have run A1 Pest Control Canberra for the past five years, understand what it’s like. They’ve seen every creepy crawly in the book, and their phones ring off the hook in the spring and summer months.

“At this time of year you’ll want to be on the lookout for mice, cockroaches and European wasps,” says Jenny. “European wasps are a growing concern in Canberra. They build their nests underground or in trees, at the entrances to houses and even inside walls. And when they sting you, they don’t die. They go back and tell the nest they’re under attack and then come after you. They’ve evolved, so traditional methods of hitting them with boiling water or a can of bug spray doesn’t really help. Off-the-shelf just isn’t strong enough. Stay right away and call a licensed pest control specialist.”

Another pest to be wary of this season is bed bugs. Jenny warns that when you head out on holidays or stay in a hotel, bed bugs can ride on your luggage all the way home and then infest your house.

“Once they’re inside your house,” she says, “they’re really hard to get rid of. They hide in the cracks of walls, in the ceiling, on curtains and in your mattress. They anaesthetise the area where they will bite, so you don’t feel them biting you. The only way you might know they are there is the tell-tale spots of blood on the sheets or raised bites on your body. Eradicating them requires more than treating one room – they just move to another room. You have to treat the whole house.”

Bed bugs and European wasps are just two types of creepy crawlies that Jenny and Bob have been treating for years.

They started A1 Pest Control Canberra together after Bob, an ex-security guard, had a terrible motorbike accident in 2009. He came into contact with a car and spent six months in hospital recovering. Once back at home, unable to return to his security job and sick of watching Days of Our Lives, Bob took stock of his life and decided to embark on a new challenge.

Jenny’s brother, a successful pest control expert for over 35 years, suggested that Jenny and Bob could do very well with a pest control business in Canberra. He was right, and after beginning the accreditation process and registering A1 Pest Control Canberra, Jenny (who has a marketing background) was already fielding new client calls.

“I attribute much of our fast-tracked success to the insights we were able to glean from my brother. He had amazing tips and tricks to share that essentially helped us become fantastic pest controllers in a very short amount of time.”

Bob is now fully accredited, licensed and insured, and has come to love the pest control business. “There is never a dull moment,” he says. “Every property is different, and clients are often astounded by what I find lurking in the walls, under the house and in the roof cavities. It’s always very diverse, and I love helping people feel comfortable and safe in their own homes. I guess that stems from my background in security.”

Their clients include a long list of happy (pest free) home owners, new home buyers, renters, property investors, builders, real estate agents, schools and government agencies.

Jenny and Bob pride themselves on using family, pet and environmentally friendly chemicals, and have recently introduced thermal imaging technology to help with their initial pest investigations.

“Thermal imaging is amazing,” says Jenny. “It basically allows us to see through the whole house with the click of a button. Traditionally you would walk through the house and look for signs of infestation, tap walls and rely on your senses and experience. Now we have science to confirm everything.

Thermal imaging allows us to detect the body heat, movement and moisture of pests like termites anywhere in the house. And while we’re at it we often pick up issues with plumbing or maintenance and alert the owner. It’s very efficient.”

The company is now fully accredited for thermal imaging, and is also an approved Termidor treatment provider.

If you’re keen to have someone look behind the walls and in the ceiling of your home, or you need termite inspections, termite barriers, or European wasps, mice, cockroaches, ants, bed bugs or any other creepy crawly taken care of, call A1 Pest Control Canberra.

You can contact Bob on 0407 065 413 or visit A1 Pest Control Canberra.

7 Hot Tips for Summer Pests in Canberra

Cover up: Wear shoes and gloves while gardening. Funnelweb, red back and white tail spiders love tunneling in dirt.

Seal food: Cockroaches vomit and excrete into unsealed food in pantries, which once eaten can make you very sick.

Keep it clean: Rats, mice and cockroaches love open food. Try not to leave dishes out overnight or food crumbs on the floor. They’ll smell it and find any way to get in.

Cut grass: Fleas love long grass. Keep grass short to avoid infestations in the house.

Prune trees: Possums and rats climb from tree branches onto roofs. Keep trees cut back.

Rake fruit: Fallen fruit from fruit trees is enticing for pests. Rake it up regularly.

Get regular inspections: Did you know most home insurance policies don’t cover termite damage? Avoid tens of thousands in possible damages by making sure these pests aren’t silently ruining your home.

Source: Bed Bugs

Drink Heaps of Water on Cruise For Singles

Without sounding like an old fuddy duddy you really need to look at the fluids that you are taking in when you are on your cruise. And no the mudslide cocktail and or the beer are not going to hydrate you one bit.

When its holiday time you will be doing strange things one of things I found strange is that you would start by sitting in the sun listening to the music and then thinking if its too early to have a cocktail or 2.

You would not have this problem if you were still working but now you are relaxed and you think why not, or you may have gone away in a group and the group are all started to drink and you think what the hell – when in Rome do what the Romans do.

Ok the day is hot the wind in your hair and you think I am going for another. Well you could but you will start to feel the effects of the next glass differently and definitely more quickly.

It’s a combination of letting your hair down, influence of the group or what the hell attitude that you now have. What maybe suggested is that you do one alcoholic drink one glass of water. Or better still keep the alcohol for the evening when you have not got the sun beating down on you.

Keep an eye on the drinks too never leave the drink unattended nor be careful of those that are all too eager to buy you free drinks. Keep to your rule or really my real for a better time, no headache in the am by alternate your alcohol drinking with a mock tail (fruit based drink) or a good ol water.

Never let your cruise card out of your sight as sometimes accidents do happen and you could find yourself paying for another persons rounds of drinks without knowing it.

Many ships have the option of viewing your account on the TV in your cabin I got into the habit of checking the account every night and if something is not on there even coffee is dehydrating you! Not trying to be a killjoy but talking through experience of where I had to go to my cabin to my cabin for a little lay down and it was only 2pm!

Hope these tips have helped you or at least made you aware of what the hot sun will do to you when accompanied with alcoholic drinks. Also you will not faint when you get your account at the end of cruise!

Source: Cruise Card

Drink Heaps of Water on Cruise For Singles

Without sounding like an old fuddy duddy you really need to look at the fluids that you are taking in when you are on your cruise. And no the mudslide cocktail and or the beer are not going to hydrate you one bit.

When its holiday time you will be doing strange things one of things I found strange is that you would start by sitting in the sun listening to the music and then thinking if its too early to have a cocktail or 2.

You would not have this problem if you were still working but now you are relaxed and you think why not, or you may have gone away in a group and the group are all started to drink and you think what the hell – when in Rome do what the Romans do.

Ok the day is hot the wind in your hair and you think I am going for another. Well you could but you will start to feel the effects of the next glass differently and definitely more quickly.

It’s a combination of letting your hair down, influence of the group or what the hell attitude that you now have. What maybe suggested is that you do one alcoholic drink one glass of water. Or better still keep the alcohol for the evening when you have not got the sun beating down on you.

Keep an eye on the drinks too never leave the drink unattended nor be careful of those that are all too eager to buy you free drinks. Keep to your rule or really my real for a better time, no headache in the am by alternate your alcohol drinking with a mock tail (fruit based drink) or a good ol water.

Never let your cruise card out of your sight as sometimes accidents do happen and you could find yourself paying for another persons rounds of drinks without knowing it.

Many ships have the option of viewing your account on the TV in your cabin I got into the habit of checking the account every night and if something is not on there even coffee is dehydrating you! Not trying to be a killjoy but talking through experience of where I had to go to my cabin to my cabin for a little lay down and it was only 2pm!

Hope these tips have helped you or at least made you aware of what the hot sun will do to you when accompanied with alcoholic drinks. Also you will not faint when you get your account at the end of cruise!

Source: Cruise Cards

TERMITE TREATMENTS–DON’T PAY TOO MUCH

Termite Treatments – Don’t Pay Too Much
http://a1pestcontrolcanberra.com.au
 
As a business of course we will charge you for our services but there is a BIG difference to paying for one of our services and paying through the nose.

Only last week we called out to quote on a termite barrier and another pest company do a quote on bait stations before I tell you the cost I need for you to know the difference between the two treatments.

BAIT STATIONS Vs TERMITE BARRIERS

BAIT STATIONS
Bait stations is when the pest control manager places the barriers in the ground with wood in the barriers to attract the termites and then check the barriers every 12 weeks to see if there are any termites that have been attracted to the stations.

TERMITE BARRIERS
Termite Barriers are when we dig a trench and dig 200 mm out from the footings and 70mm wide x 100mm deep if there are concrete paths we drill holes 12mm holes 200 apart and then add Termidor.
This protects the whole property and we give 8 years 2 million assurance against termites coming back in that time which I think gives anyone peace of mind.

Back to my story, Bob attended a property in Ainslie a suburb of Canberra and found live termites in both the fence line and they had built mud tracks into the home eating away at a new bathroom and we prepared a report that had our plan of treating the termites and laying down the barrier.

The homeowner was given our quotation and he nearly fell over as our quote was $6,000 less than the quote for given for the bait stations! That is a huge difference in the cost, needless to say we got the job.

*It is in our opinion that bait stations that we have seen that are installed are rarely get checked leaving your property unprotected and giving you a false sense of security as you can see the bait stations, whereas the termite barriers is more cost effective using quality chemicals and giving the property owner 8 year 2 million dollar assurance gives the home owner peace of mind and is a more cost effective method in dealing with termites.

Source: Pest Termite Control

How to Conquer Online Distractions at Work

This might surprise you, but even multi-millionaire businessmen have struggled with distractions at work. For example, the worst time-suckers were Facebook, Skype and email.

We know how tempting it is to check your messages, browse through your friends’ photos and catch up on email notifications while you’re really supposed to be doing something else. The problem is, however, it’s not just a few minutes you lose; it might be 15 minutes in an hour and if you compute it, it totals to several hours in the week.

Believe me; once you let yourself waste time with distractions, you’ll never put into effect the kind of growth you want to achieve in your small business.

Here’s How to Deal with Distractions Online

You have to go right to the source of your distractions and cut yourself off. For example, you can have your Facebook password changed by your assistant so you can’t even get in unless you ask her specifically for the new code. I don’t think that anyone wants to admit to their assistant that they desperately need to access Facebook 20 minutes after changing the password. Now, thanks to that unusual solution, you might find that you don’t log in as much anymore.

The next problem was Skype. Usually, staff members are connected to their various departments and teams via Skype so you can imagine how many times it beeps all day long. Fighting the urge to follow each conversation and issue is just about impossible. So, what you can do is to start turning Skype off.

Wasting Time Won’t Get You Anywhere

A stunning 89 percent of employees surveyed by Salary.com in 2014 admitted to wasting time at work. At 62 percent, the majority of time wasters lose 30 minutes to an hour each day, while 2 percent say they waste 5 hours or more! Of course, so much can be achieved in 5 hours.

If you’re serious about setting up your own small business and creating financial freedom for yourself, time wastage like that will lead you into debt really quickly. All of us need to take some time for ourselves just to browse the internet and check our social networks.

Here’s a suggestion: Take 30 minutes a day for social media and other non-work-related online browsing. You can even spread it out over the course of the day if you like. Thirty minutes is a good solid chunk of time that feels satisfying yet doesn’t heavily harm your schedule.

Manage Your Time Effectively So You Have Time to Waste

Nobody’s asking you to work 12 hours a day—or at least rationally, he or she shouldn’t be. You should make a business plan and tackle important tasks each day and your business should be in good shape. Time management is a huge part of entrepreneurial success, so if you have a scattered schedule, think it’s about time to get organized.

Getting distracted just doesn’t cut it during a workday. It is better to put off signing into Gmail or checking Skype (or asking your assistant for your Facebook password) until you have finished the main tasks of the day. Then, rest assured you can do whatever you want.

Jackson Brown, Jr. said, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

If you let your online distractions get to you throughout the day, they’ll just be massive time suckers—and you’re the one who’s going to end up paying for it.

Source: Internet Marketing

Want to Grow Your Business-Then Outsource

http://needava.com

When you need leads there are many things that you need to do getting traffic is not the problem its to be able to engage, woo, and connect with your ideal client before they do any business with you.

For the brick and mortar business that has been nurtured and in cases grown but without having the advantage of having an online presence there is no way that the business can grow.

Just look at what it takes to be seen online its no longer enough to be able to put a few FB posts and have people beat a path to your door.

You may have been part of the good old days when you were able to buy a place on page one of Google using purchased links.

Here is what it takes:
– Branding
– Website
– Funnel
– SEO (on page off page)
– Customer Service
– Team
– Social Media
– Marketing
– Email/YouTube marketing
– Traffic
– Admin/accounts

If your trying to grow a little business on the side your thinking too small. No one person can do all of this and still have the time to think of new strategies to improve their business and still try to have a life.

Quote: Steve Jobs wrote that not one person builds a business it takes a team of people!
Steve was an expert at what he did, but smart enough to employ people that knew more than him that then permitted him to excel what he is good at.

Really, everyone is good at one thing no one is good at everything. When you want no stress, to grow your business along with streamlining it – you need to outsource.

Contact our team at http://needava.com or email us at info@needava.com TODAY.

Source: Need a Virtual Assistant

Tis The Season For European Wasps and Bed Bugs

It’s that time of year again.

The sun is shining and the weather is warming, and if you haven’t seen them already, it won’t be long before you’re swatting flies, running from wasps, screaming at cockroaches and spiders, and hearing the familiar scratching of possums (or mice) in the roof.

Husband and wife team Jenny Jordan and Bob Waters, who have run A1 Pest Control Canberra for the past five years, understand what it’s like. They’ve seen every creepy crawly in the book, and their phones ring off the hook in the spring and summer months.

“At this time of year you’ll want to be on the lookout for mice, cockroaches and European wasps,” says Jenny. “European wasps are a growing concern in Canberra. They build their nests underground or in trees, at the entrances to houses and even inside walls. And when they sting you, they don’t die. They go back and tell the nest they’re under attack and then come after you. They’ve evolved, so traditional methods of hitting them with boiling water or a can of bug spray doesn’t really help. Off-the-shelf just isn’t strong enough. Stay right away and call a licensed pest control specialist.”

Another pest to be wary of this season is bed bugs. Jenny warns that when you head out on holidays or stay in a hotel, bed bugs can ride on your luggage all the way home and then infest your house.

“Once they’re inside your house,” she says, “they’re really hard to get rid of. They hide in the cracks of walls, in the ceiling, on curtains and in your mattress. They anaesthetise the area where they will bite, so you don’t feel them biting you. The only way you might know they are there is the tell-tale spots of blood on the sheets or raised bites on your body. Eradicating them requires more than treating one room – they just move to another room. You have to treat the whole house.”

Bed bugs and European wasps are just two types of creepy crawlies that Jenny and Bob have been treating for years.

They started A1 Pest Control Canberra together after Bob, an ex-security guard, had a terrible motorbike accident in 2009. He came into contact with a car and spent six months in hospital recovering. Once back at home, unable to return to his security job and sick of watching Days of Our Lives, Bob took stock of his life and decided to embark on a new challenge.

Jenny’s brother, a successful pest control expert for over 35 years, suggested that Jenny and Bob could do very well with a pest control business in Canberra. He was right, and after beginning the accreditation process and registering A1 Pest Control Canberra, Jenny (who has a marketing background) was already fielding new client calls.

“I attribute much of our fast-tracked success to the insights we were able to glean from my brother. He had amazing tips and tricks to share that essentially helped us become fantastic pest controllers in a very short amount of time.”

Bob is now fully accredited, licensed and insured, and has come to love the pest control business. “There is never a dull moment,” he says. “Every property is different, and clients are often astounded by what I find lurking in the walls, under the house and in the roof cavities. It’s always very diverse, and I love helping people feel comfortable and safe in their own homes. I guess that stems from my background in security.”

Their clients include a long list of happy (pest free) home owners, new home buyers, renters, property investors, builders, real estate agents, schools and government agencies.

Jenny and Bob pride themselves on using family, pet and environmentally friendly chemicals, and have recently introduced thermal imaging technology to help with their initial pest investigations.

“Thermal imaging is amazing,” says Jenny. “It basically allows us to see through the whole house with the click of a button. Traditionally you would walk through the house and look for signs of infestation, tap walls and rely on your senses and experience. Now we have science to confirm everything.

Thermal imaging allows us to detect the body heat, movement and moisture of pests like termites anywhere in the house. And while we’re at it we often pick up issues with plumbing or maintenance and alert the owner. It’s very efficient.”

The company is now fully accredited for thermal imaging, and is also an approved Termidor treatment provider.

If you’re keen to have someone look behind the walls and in the ceiling of your home, or you need termite inspections, termite barriers, or European wasps, mice, cockroaches, ants, bed bugs or any other creepy crawly taken care of, call A1 Pest Control Canberra.

You can contact Bob on 0407 065 413 or visit A1 Pest Control Canberra.

7 Hot Tips for Summer Pests in Canberra

Cover up: Wear shoes and gloves while gardening. Funnelweb, red back and white tail spiders love tunneling in dirt.

Seal food: Cockroaches vomit and excrete into unsealed food in pantries, which once eaten can make you very sick.

Keep it clean: Rats, mice and cockroaches love open food. Try not to leave dishes out overnight or food crumbs on the floor. They’ll smell it and find any way to get in.

Cut grass: Fleas love long grass. Keep grass short to avoid infestations in the house.

Prune trees: Possums and rats climb from tree branches onto roofs. Keep trees cut back.

Rake fruit: Fallen fruit from fruit trees is enticing for pests. Rake it up regularly.

Get regular inspections: Did you know most home insurance policies don’t cover termite damage? Avoid tens of thousands in possible damages by making sure these pests aren’t silently ruining your home.

Source: Bed Bugs

Cruises for Singles – Girl to Girl Advice

There is a lot to be delighted about when going on cruise ships for singles whether you are going on it alone. It is encouraging to do just what you want and when you wish to do it. It feels good to be the girl doing a little bit of recovery from a damaged connection or if you simply wish to chill out a bit while getting a little bit of YOU time factored in.
Or you could be disappearing with a group of your besties and preparing for a wild time without sleep, a lot of laughing, alcoholic drinks galore in addition to dancing. Don’t forget to include a lot of chatting!
Truthfully, you will certainly have the moment of your life onboard. I have seen lots of groups of female travelling with each other, some even wore the same branding t-shirts that recognized their company, or just doing the hen’s night having the last preference of liberty.
I, for one, have actually done all of the above experiences but also have been on cruises where I simply intended to loosen up with a book to spend some time with while being able to recharge.

Social media site is fantastic to meet before you cruise off

Just what I enjoy regarding social media, is that it makes it simpler for you to reach out to those that will likewise be cruising on the exact same cruise ship with you in order to get to know them first by examining shipping discussion forums. This way, it’s a terrific ice breaker before you hop on board.

It will also permit you to look on various other social media sites platforms that they get on so you can see if they have various other rate of interests that you might want to take down for different other conversations at a later day.

Girl to Girl Guidance– Security in Figures

It’s so simple once you leap aboard cruise ships for singles to leave your worries behind as well as switch on the party mode. However, you need to remember to be careful as well as care for each other.

I understand that it sounds like a Mother thing but I remember few years back where a young woman was just recently divorced and also went with a close friend on board a cruise ship to leave her middle class ways behind after a lot of years of being married. She was actually primed to let loose on this brand-new experience of being recently “solitary” and had actually currently decided prior leaving the dock in Sydney that this was going to be the start of a new beginning and that she was going to embrace brand-new experiences.

Now on board the cruise ship, she was settling right into the party setting with her friend, when they met a group of 2-3 guys that were also up for a good time. So, the lady and her close friend consumed beverages for a great part of the evening and at some point, the former was introduced to a party drug that numbed her, letting her lose every one of her inhibitions that made her act in such a way that was contrary to her personality.

Her buddy asked her if she was okay and answered that she was, so she kissed her friend good night and told her she will see her in the morning.

Unfortunately, this was the last time she saw her buddy alive. It appears that her friend was coaxed back to the men’s cabin where they all shared and had done sex acts, including taking photos of her while unconscious and nude. She was found dead on the cabin floor the next morning.

Simply want you to have a blast

Have lots of fun and do little or as much as you desire if heading out at night just to be secure and don’t ever leave your good friends on their own with unfamiliar people. It’s something you would not do at home so be sure to look after each other.

At the end of the day, all I want is for you to have the cruise ship experience that you have actually wanted and also to meet as many people that have the very same or comparable passions that you have, thus making cruise ships for singles a journey that you will wish to return on time and time again.

Source: Travel for Singles

A1 Pest Control Canberra – Advanced Termite Inspections

A1 Pest Control Canberra is a family owned business that was founded by Jenny Jordan and Bob Waters in November 2011. Pest Control is in their veins as Jenny’s brother Bruce Gow has worked in the business for over 35 years! 

Since the beginning Bob has used his background in customer service that has surpassed his client’s expectations with being able to book an appointment at the time the client wants but also has his staff deliver education on how to prevent insects and pest from returning to how to get the most out of your treatments.

Jenny and Bob started humbly and the staff were and still are family members “until recently due to the expansion of the company we ran out of family members” says Bob!

Luckily also Jenny Jordan has a marketing background and is the person how promotes the company.

Bob saw the need for more thorough Termite Inspection instead of using the usual visual methods of tapping and evidence of termite activity which really is not inclusive since access may not be possible due to weather conditions or the size of the entry area which would prevent inspection. Bob seeing the benefit of thermal imagining invested heavily in education and accreditation of Thermal Imaging.

Bob states that using the imaging technology gives him the edge over his competitors as it picks up not only body heat from the termites it also picks up moisture and maintenance problems for the home owner long before that it is seen by visual means. This saves the home owner thousands of dollars by treating areas before they become a problem.

With Bob’s attention to detail and a mass of satisfied repeat customers A1 pest control  Canberra continues to be in demand for residential, commercial and government contracts like DHA (Defence Force Housing) Schools, Construction, Real Estate agencies

A1 Pest Control Canberra uses only environmentally pet and family safe chemical treatments

Bob Waters 0407 065 413
http://A1PestControlCanberra.com.au

13 Cosgrove Street
Canberra ACT 2605

Source: Safe Chemical Treatments

Virtual Assistant Training is a Must

There is nothing better when you are in business and feel like you are drowning and you finally get to the point of when you need a VA to give you the helping hand around your office it feels like 2 bricks are lifted off your shoulders.

Many people though make the mistake of overwhelming the VA with the tasks, but what you need to know is that virtual assistant training must happen from the start of the relationship for a smooth transition into your office routine.

Clear Communication:

After you have selected and tested the VA that they have the skills that you are requiring you will need to be clear on.

• Starting times how many hours do they have to complete the task
• When you are expecting the task back
• Reporting is this daily or weekly?
• Will your catch ups be by email or Skype?
• When do they get paid some have it weekly other bi weekly – like you they have commitments as well and need to know when and how they will get paid which is normally through PayPal or Western Union.
• How is the information to be shared with you? Will you use drop box, Podio, Trello or Google Docs or a combination?
• Checking all work is a must and you may want to approve the work first before it’s uploaded onto a website or added to social media pages on your site to ensure that the information and grammar are correct.

Virtual assistant training starts now:

One of the first things that I would suggest is to write down the tasks you have in mind for the VA to do in dot point and under each task heading should be steps or tips on how you like this particular task done.

As simple as that sounds for you this will be all new to the VA where you need to remember that English is not their first language and in some cases maybe their 2^nd or 3^rd language which makes the virtual assistant training even more important.

Other virtual assistant training could easily be by a video where you can walk them through show them where to find things. This simple step using free screen capture like Jing or you can get them on Google hangout and tape the session at the same time to ensure that the virtual assistant can review and replay at their leisure if they are unsure of the task.

Feedback is vital training for your virtual assistant:

Filipino VA’s aim to please and the way that you offer feedback to praise the way that they have done a task if it needs correction balance this with praise for what they did well and calmly point out what the task lacked and again video is your friend.

When you give the type of virtual assistant training that I have mentioned you will have a loyal and highly skilled VA that will be a welcome member of your team.

A mention of Need a VA services

All the virtual assistants have had accreditation through UCLA giving them the latest and most up to date training from focus groups. Their skills are updated regularly with the courses that we run or they complete online.

If we can help with you with our skilled virtual assistants please contact us either by email info@needava.com or through our website http://needava.com we would love to help you.

Source: International Virtual Assistants Association

Virtual Assistant Help – Simple Tips To Save You Heartache

Virtual assistant help can be used anywhere in your business and the longer you outsource you will find tasks that you were always going to get around to doing but never did.

In my early days when I first went online some 10 years ago one of the perks I had was my nephew had his own hosting company and he offered me free hosting which was timely as Google adsense was the big thing back then and many people made full time incomes from their websites from having little ads all over them. They were virtually goldmines depending on the niche’ you went into as each site when people clicked on the banners you made a few dollars.

With the free hosting from my nephew I was buying up domains in all different niches and the virtual assistant would be making various websites and then adding the adsense banners.

All was going well it was and I was managing to get a website up with a few good keywords to get it ranked and the sites would each earn a few dollars per day. Some of the sites I had at the time were insurance sites and they would earn up to a few hundred dollars a day…those were the days! A little more of what happened in the days a little later in this article.

Life was good and it was going like a well oiled machine and I remember counting at the time I had over 100 sites but then I got hacked and had a virus I was trying to get rid of went to one site to the other why was this happening to me and I soon found out it was my own fault people make themselves more vulnerable to hackers by not doing the most simplest of things listed below:

• Not updating to the latest version of wordpress
• Not updating the theme and the plug-ins
• Custom theme over a free theme
• Change passwords regularly don’t use “admin” as your UN
• Backup your sites weekly

I also became aware that having a free theme can also have its drawbacks and become a problem down the track as they will get to a stage of not being supported or any further updates and improvements. Having custom themes is definitely a more safe way to go.

UPDATE WORD PRESS REGULARLY 

The message is loud and clear to help deter hackers follow the simple recommendations above, if you have not the time to do this yourself get virtual assistant outsourcing help to do these type of tasks or other tasks or the dull boring things that you hate doing yourself – that is the perfect work that the VA loves to do.

Visit http://needava.com TODAY and fill in your details on the front page so we can learn more about you and your business.

Source: Need a VA

The Best of the Best Snippets on Social Media

Have you ever had a few moments to spare and wanted to catch up on what is hot and what is not in the ever changing social media world? Well I have been doing a little browsing and this is what I have found out for you.

I Spent $30,000 Testing Different Blog Designs—Here’s What I Found

Everyone is trying to get the edge on social media and there is not one person who wouldn’t want to increase opt-ins and social shares, right? Here we look at someone who spent $30,000 testing every aspect of their blog and done all the hard work, drum roll please……here he shares lessons learned on how to increase sidebar opt-ins from 2% to 25%, and increased social shares from less than 4 to hundreds per article. What layout do you need to do this I hear you say..Learn the top 4 blog design tips from this very article. medium.com.

How I Win 1,000 Signups Per Month By Hacking Social Media

Eyeballs on your blog is the traffic that fuels the fire that you need If you’re looking for more app signups, this article will open your eyes to a simple step through strategy and action steps to see:

– How to hack Twitter to 10x your traffic
– How to build a planned tweet spreadsheet that will 7x your retweets,
– How to hack Pinterest to win 1,000 subscribers/month.

How To Build A Business That Sets You Free, With Sol Orwell

You read about it all the time of overworked small business owner has to put in the hard slog along with long hours in order to create a meaningful business and an enduring legacy. Just say for a moment you had the recipe to look at things a whole lot different. Take a moment to think if you started a business that was more hands off and permitted you to enjoy a life to the fullest. Linked above is a podcast episode you will discover just how Sol Orwell, founder of Examine.com, did just that.

10 Ways To Make Your Video Go Viral

We have all heard how YouTube is one of the biggest search engines about and people watch videos to be entertained and educated but there are some folk that think that viral videos “just happen.” In the good ol days that may have worked but now there are strategies that need to be in place to make this all happen.

Following the 10 tips in this article, you will pick up how to get in front of your target audience. You’ll start by learning to understand how things go viral on the internet, when to release your video, how to make money out of your video and much much more.

Building Your Customer Support Funnel

If you have not got a “Funnel” you have not got a business, here the lid is lifted. This is where you need to optimize your on boarding process to make sure everyone has a great experience with your product or service. In the linked article you’ll learn how to measure & optimize all stages of the customer support funnel.

Source: Business Secrets

How Crucial Is a Mobile App for the Growth of Your Company?

A few decades ago, if you wanted to run a business, what you needed was a brick-and-mortar office.

A few years later, post-millennium, it became imperative for businesses to have a website. Jump to the present time, and you’ll realize that an increasing number of companies launch mobile apps. In fact, some companies actually work mainly from their mobile app!

The App Advantage

According to a report on Gallup, 52 percent of smartphone users in the U.S., 20 percent check their phone about once in an hour. Unlike a laptop or PC, a mobile device can easily be accessed. As well as being large and often impractical, the former requires a few steps before you can access your files: switching on the monitor, logging on, waiting for the system to load, etc.

Furthermore, a mobile device’s click-of-a-button accessibility is like a “come get me” plea to your marketing department. Since mobile devices are easily used often and are usually within the owner’s reach throughout the day, your mobile app, and in turn, your brand, will constantly be within touching distance.

Another advantage of having a mobile app is that you can stay ahead of the game if your competitors are yet to utilize the platform. This is true when you’re in competition with established companies.

If you want to stay ahead of your competitors and remain at the forefront of new technologies, then you’ll have to consider developing a mobile app for your business. However, before you do that, here are a few things you need to consider.

Know Your Audience

You have to thoroughly research your market and see which platform your audience prefers: web or mobile? You can conduct quick, web-based research on platforms or even send out a survey to your list asking them about their app usage and preferences.

If your market research shows that your target audience is active on both mobile and web platforms, then you should definitely start with a website. Launch a responsive, mobile-friendly website first; if you go straight into an iOS or Android app, you could end up losing a lot of customers and sales.

iOS or Android?

If your market research shows that your audience prefers using mobile apps, you have to then decide which platform to develop: iOS or Android. However,you should bear in mind that there are more Android users in Asia compared to iOS, more iOS users in North America compared to Android, and a near-tie in Europe, according to a report by Developer Economics.

Your decision should come as a result of research on your own market. You should also check out the specs on both Android and iOS platforms to see which one will save you the most money and time.

Is Location Important?

If your service is solely dependent on location and requires instant information on-the-go, it’s best to develop a mobile app.

What’s Your Budget?

When you decide to develop a mobile app, have a look at different app builders on the market and choose the most viable one for your budget. You could even create a prototype app without writing any code, so you can have an idea of what your mobile app would look like.

It’s All about Analysis

Future-proofing your company is something you have to consider when you launch. Remember: Don’t hesitate. In summary, you have to be smart with your numbers and time and not immediately leap into building a mobile app without researching your target market. That should apply to every business decision you make.

For instance, if you already have a website, then you should monitor your Google Analytics. If you see 20-30 percent traffic coming from people using mobile devices, then your decision’s made— start building your mobile app! Always make a decision around your target market’s needs and habits. If your market is crying out for a mobile app, give it to them.

Keep monitoring your audience’s habits and eventually, you’ll soon find out what works and what doesn’t. Analyze, adjust, research and apply!

If we can help you with a new theme or a brand new website please contact us at http://needava.com

Source: Business Marketing

How to Conquer Online Distractions at Work

This might surprise you, but even multi-millionaire businessmen have struggled with distractions at work. For example, the worst time-suckers were Facebook, Skype and email.

We know how tempting it is to check your messages, browse through your friends’ photos and catch up on email notifications while you’re really supposed to be doing something else. The problem is, however, it’s not just a few minutes you lose; it might be 15 minutes in an hour and if you compute it, it totals to several hours in the week.

Believe me; once you let yourself waste time with distractions, you’ll never put into effect the kind of growth you want to achieve in your small business.

Here’s How to Deal with Distractions Online

You have to go right to the source of your distractions and cut yourself off. For example, you can have your Facebook password changed by your assistant so you can’t even get in unless you ask her specifically for the new code. I don’t think that anyone wants to admit to their assistant that they desperately need to access Facebook 20 minutes after changing the password. Now, thanks to that unusual solution, you might find that you don’t log in as much anymore.

The next problem was Skype. Usually, staff members are connected to their various departments and teams via Skype so you can imagine how many times it beeps all day long. Fighting the urge to follow each conversation and issue is just about impossible. So, what you can do is to start turning Skype off.

Wasting Time Won’t Get You Anywhere

A stunning 89 percent of employees surveyed by Salary.com in 2014 admitted to wasting time at work. At 62 percent, the majority of time wasters lose 30 minutes to an hour each day, while 2 percent say they waste 5 hours or more! Of course, so much can be achieved in 5 hours.

If you’re serious about setting up your own small business and creating financial freedom for yourself, time wastage like that will lead you into debt really quickly. All of us need to take some time for ourselves just to browse the internet and check our social networks.

Here’s a suggestion: Take 30 minutes a day for social media and other non-work-related online browsing. You can even spread it out over the course of the day if you like. Thirty minutes is a good solid chunk of time that feels satisfying yet doesn’t heavily harm your schedule.

Manage Your Time Effectively So You Have Time to Waste

Nobody’s asking you to work 12 hours a day—or at least rationally, he or she shouldn’t be. You should make a business plan and tackle important tasks each day and your business should be in good shape. Time management is a huge part of entrepreneurial success, so if you have a scattered schedule, think it’s about time to get organized.

Getting distracted just doesn’t cut it during a workday. It is better to put off signing into Gmail or checking Skype (or asking your assistant for your Facebook password) until you have finished the main tasks of the day. Then, rest assured you can do whatever you want.

Jackson Brown, Jr. said, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

If you let your online distractions get to you throughout the day, they’ll just be massive time suckers—and you’re the one who’s going to end up paying for it.


Source: Internet Marketing

Need a VA – Experts at Website Design Branding

Website design branding can make you or break you. Literally and have to admit that I have had my fair share of website designers that have lead me by the nose and had agreeing to a website that ends up costing 10 times more than was quoted and even up until today the website is gathering dust on a hard drive totally usable and nothing what I originally wanted or intended it for. Partly my fault as I had no idea what I was doing at the time and a web design company that took advantage of the lack of knowledge.

As a customer and consumer myself I know how important it is to be heard especially if you have never had a website designed for you before this is your calling card and it needs to be just right and deliver the message that you want it

What has happened though is that I have grown my virtual assistant company to include a website design team with a web designer who listens to the client and then goes away and conceptualize the website taking your ideas and then making them website come alive! Each step is approved along the way where he will show you 3 designs that you will pick the one that is closest to what you are looking for and he then makes a few changes until he nails it for you.

The designs, banners, logos and graphics are unbelievable and our clients have been featured on our work on CNN, Huffington Post, Freedom Preneuer and other notable New York Tv networks. It makes us proud as a company to be seen on such.

This of course has given my up until now my little unknown web designer a celebrity status and he is known as the “Sexy Blog Artist” and has lead to a bit of fun around the office and has his wife laughing at his new title.

Seriously though due to the quality of the work we do we are getting a lot of attention and many referrals for the type of branding and quality services that we provide. I have now got a branding business partner that has joined me to help her clients carry their business message and we are thrilled to be associated with Rhonda Swan the “Unstoppable Momma” who is a branding specialist.

If you are looking for someone that will listen to what you are saying and will meet your needs and that of your company you need to look no further than Need a VA reach us through our website or email us at info@needava.com

Source: Web Branding Definition

5 EASY Proven Tips to Keep PESTS Out Of Your Home TODAY!

Let’s face it pests are the unwanted guests in your home and there is nothing like to see evidence that they have visited you by their droppings to make you squirm at the thought that they are eating and vomiting on your food source.

Pest spread disease and can make you very sick or even become life threatening if you do not get rid of them.

Prevention is always easier than cure so let me share what I know that works is that you need to not tempt the pests in the first place by not giving them a reason to drop by your home in the first place.
Do you remember your mother saying cleanliness is next to Godliness? This really applies also to pest prevention.

MOST COMMON HOUSEHOLD PESTS

COCKROACHES
Cockroaches rely on water and warmth and this encourages their presence behind freezers, fridges and cookers, where they are often undisturbed.

RODENTS
Rodents spread disease through contamination of food or utensils with rodent faeces or urine. Life threatening diseases such as Salmonella or Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis.

FLEAS
Fleas are a type of wingless parasite found worldwide. They feed off the blood of humans and animals such as dogs and cats. Since fleas use a wide range of hosts, diseases can be transferred from one host to another.

BED BUGS
Are world travelers – returning from an overseas trip you may bring home more souvenirs than you want, but you may not even have to leave home to come across bed bugs you may stay in a hotel that has had a tourist stay in the same room and the bed bugs hide as they wait for the new guests to arrive!

Bed bugs need blood hosts to continue their life cycle and will gorge on your blood at night and you will wake to blood spots on your sheets and may have an allergic reaction to their bites.

TERMITES
Termites do not physically hurt you but they will do structural damage and hurt your hip pocket to replace the beams, doorways and windows that they eat through. Most insurance policies will not cover the damage that they do which could be many thousands of dollars.

PREVENTION IS EASIER THAN THE CURE

• Don’t leave dishes on the kitchen bench or in the sink.
• Empty rubbish bins and store the bins away from the kitchen door, as this is an invite to go inside.
• Sweep the floors regularly to sweep up traces of food and crumbs.
• Open packets of anything will attract pests; keep open foodstuffs in a glass jar preferably with a lid. All contents of opened packets are an invite to rodents who will gnaw at the packet or the cockroach can make their way in packets that are just folded over.
• Get leaky taps fixed, as this is the water source for the pest; leave a plug in sinks to stop entry via drains.
• Plug holes with steel wool to deter rodent entry

UNWANTED GUESTS AT YOUR HOME?

One of the most worrying things with pests is that normally you will not see them as they come out to eat while you’re asleep and the house is quiet. If you are seeing either cockroaches or mice during the day you have a plague, which is a lot harder to treat and to break their breeding cycles – you will need a fully licensed Pest Control professional immediately.

Giveaway clues that you have pests:

• Look for droppings near appliances as pests like warm areas to congregate to eat and breed.
• Cockroach pupae in food areas or look for empty casings, which means they have hatched, and you will have a bigger problem.
• If you are waking up itchy with blood spots on your sheets and have red bites this could either mean you have bed bugs or fleas as both need blood hosts (you) to continue their life cycle.
• Saw dust on the floorboards or dropping near a hole or crevice big enough for a mouse to get in and out.
• Touching windows and or door frames you find that they have been eaten out and are now hollow.
• Fine dust appears on the floor boards could indicate termites or borers.

5 EASY Proven Tips to Keep PESTS Out Of Your Home TODAY!

1. Cleanliness is the key here keep the food sources kept away and washed up and or kept in the dishwasher. Empty garbage bins regularly and don’t have bins close to the kitchen door.
2. Keep foodstuffs in pantries in sealed containers.
3. Look for new access areas by give away signs
4. Identify pests quickly and remember if you are seeing cockroaches or mice during the day you have a BIG problem too big for you to treat on your own you need professional pest control help ASAP.
5. If you have had installed air conditioning installed checked that around the piping that has been sealed, as this is a common entry point for rodents. Stuff steel wool into the hole to deter entry.

WHEN TO CALL IN A PEST CONTROL PROFESSIONAL.

Following the many tips given above will help keep your home pest free but if you are not winning the war against the pests mentioned and due to their quick breeding cycles it does not take long to have an out of control situation. If the problem is not going away:

Call Bob on 0407 065 413A1 Pest Control Canberra

He can give you safe family and pet friendly treatments that are effective and long lasting.


Source: Termite Inspection

Single Cruise – What You Need To Know

I have done a number of cruises and they are a whole lot of fun, I have done them on my own and with family and friends so I feel I am qualified enough to talk about them to you.

Recently did sample cruise with a friend and I loved it. Its all in the time you go if you want to sail the high seas in holiday period be prepared for a lot of families, kids and elderly. I have not got anything against them as long as you know that the ship will be a little noisier than usual your saving grace is the oasis where there is the adults only area of the ship.

Plenty of lounges and day beds to read and or grab a swim and spa. Talking of the spa I have met people in the spa and had nice chats with them and then you see them on the ship and bingo you have a connection.

Do not book a cruise without knowing that it has a place to get away from the kids you will go insane especially in the holiday season.

Seriously, many people do not go on cruises to find the love of their life if its meant to be it will happen but don’t pin your high hopes on finding “the one!”

HOT CRUISY TIPS

Strut your stuff though on a cruise you can be as visible or invisible as you want to be to be seen and meet others look at the “singles meet ups” We went to one and it was like one of those awkward moments where you are all rounded up and everyone knows your single and no one was making a move.

After eyeing off the other singles from across the room and they checking us out we got up the nerve and walked over and started chatting to them. We all went to the show together and then out afterwards to the pub. Good night was had by all.

Put yourself out there though there are art auctions and if anything you get a glass of bubbly to watch the art being exhibited. Join in other activities on board where you don’t need a partner. Wine tastings and lunch meet ups are a good way to also have the chance to chat.

Loved the pub on board the ship had a gathering of people there and the atmosphere was great as the piano player played all songs form 70s and 80s that had people singing along.

There were groups of travel agents there I found this fun to see them all branded wearing the same tee shirts which made for good conversation when you meet them different areas of the ship.

Also I found a lot of people that were married but acting single and were there just to find a fling!

Found going to the ship adult area around sunset you get to meet many people with a glass in hand watching the sunset its easy then to talk of your day and ask them about theirs kicks off the chat – if they are not your sort of people excuse yourself to get a drink and don’t go back!

LAST HOT TIP

Before you go join in forums and meet those online that will be on your cruise. This is a far easier way to meet people and break the ice before stepping on board your ship

You will find pockets of singles on board all traveling together having a good time, at the end of the day its what you make of it yourself.

Again, you may want to go under the radar read a book and do a few shore tours and have a relaxing holiday. Enjoy!

Source: Single Travel