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Our blog is regularly updated so keep in touch with some of the essential information, up to date thinking and top tips from the team.
Reflections on a challenge
Today I went to Filey. I wanted to spend some time thinking back over the last 12 months, what I’d achieved, how I’d achieved it and where it had taken …
Celebrating my 10th anniversary by raising £10,000 for vulnerable children
It’s my business birthday – and it’s a biggie!
Kaleidoscope is 10 years old this year – we have been providing virtual assistant support to executive coaches, non-exec directors and …
Corporate Social Responsibility in Action – Empowering Women to Promote Real Change
At Kaleidoscope we really believe that giving something back is key to success. Spending all your time focusing on growth and profits is not good for the soul and we …
What is an Executive Virtual Assistant?
There are many types of Virtual Assistant, but a Kaleidoscope Executive Virtual Assistant is unique. The main reason for that is that word, ‘executive’, which refers not just to the …
Our team of Virtual Assistants is growing
Great news! We have just recruited our 6th Executive Virtual Assistant.
I would like to introduce you to Lisa Wilson…..
Lisa is a highly experienced PA with over 24 years …
Do your behaviours reflect your values?
I have spent a lot of time over the last 9 years contemplating what my business values are.
If you Google business values you will be provided with a lengthy list …
Do you have a contingency plan for success?
Have you defined your Olympic gold yet?
I recently challenged you to decide what you were striving for – to define what Olympic gold in your business would look like …
What would be YOUR Olympic gold event?
I’m adding my voice to the chorus of praise ringing loud for the achievements and efforts of Team GB.
This Olympics has truly been tremendous, and like many of you, …
I miss my Virtual Assistant
As Virtual Assistants we expect our clients to delegate to us. Part of our role is to help them understand what they can delegate successfully and confidently so they can …
Let go and let your Virtual Assistant…..
For the client of a Virtual Assistant, getting a good working relationship up and running often involves a lot more than realising they need help with their business – a …
Success in the home office No. 5
Set up great systems
What do you do with the handful of business cards you inevitably come away with after every networking event? How do you keep track of your …
Success in the home office No. 4
Reward yourself
Goal! When you hit your target, complete your tasks, or tick off everything on your to-do list (that will never happen!) you need to have a little celebration.
Can a passion as a business end up being a chore?
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and for many of us romance will be on the agenda.
As well as romance some of us will be planning on building …
How to build a Virtual Assistant
When it comes to technology I can be a bit of a Luddite.
Our work as Virtual Assistants is dependent on technology, indeed we wouldn’t exist without it. I do …
New Year Resolution – Become a Lovecat
Happy New Year! I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful break and that your first few days back at work have been successful – only another 355 days to go …
Why a Virtual Assistant is good for business
I recently read an article by Sujan Patel entitled ‘Top 10 Mistakes That’ll Kill Your Outsourcing Relationships‘. The article focuses on mistakes made by clients when communication with and delegating …
A postcard from Cuba
Today I am jetting off to sunny Cuba with all the ingredients of a recipe for relaxation – a swimming costume, my walking boots, an enormous pile of books and my …
Kaleidoscope is recruiting!
If you’re an experienced PA looking for a flexible, challenging new opportunity, you could find it with Kaleidoscope.
We’re now recruiting self employed part-time executive Virtual Assistants to work alongside …
Is perfectionism hobbling your business growth?
When is good good enough for you? What holds up your projects? Do you hang onto pieces of work because they’re ‘not quite there yet’?
I heard a piece of …
Success in the home office No.3
Welcome to the third of my top tips series on discipline for home workers.
Set goals
This is one of my favourite methods a home worker can use to stay …
Effective partnering with a Virtual Assistant
The success of virtual teams in large corporate environments, such as software development, has been proven.
However, the principles behind that success apply in exactly the same way for working …
Excellent customer service is the key
Why settle for a good service, when you can have a premium service?
Running a good business means that Customer Service must be at the heart of everything we do …
Success in the home office No.2
Welcome to the second of my top tips series on discipline for home workers.
Work with your body clock
It’s one of the best things about working from home. You …
Are you an international business person?
If you work internationally, and if you are thinking about starting to use a Virtual Assistant, then look no further than our fabulous team of Executive Virtual Assistants.
We were …
How to make your productivity simmer
I heard Nick Bramley, of Jorvik Associates, say something very interesting at an event he was running recently. He received some questions from delegates who said they had a time …
Our clients think we are great…..
I know that the service we give to our clients is fabulous, but it is sometimes hard to explain to potential clients how great we really are – we like …
Opening up the virtual office
Outsourcing has long been a beneficial practice for businesses and entrepreneurs, but now the internet means the possibilities are almost endless.
‘Take a letter, Miss Jones’ has not existed for a …
To some workers, there’s just no place like home
Modern communications technology and flexible working practices have led to a sharp increase in the number of business professionals working from home. But while home-workers benefit from freeing up commuting …
Are You Wearing Too Many Hats?
How many hats do you wear?
Ok, I know you are not actually wearing all of these hats but they do represent the number of skills that you need to …
Success in the home office no.1
Welcome to the first of my top tips series on discipline for home workers. With more than a few years of self-employment behind me I’ve learned a lot about how …
You’re never too small for good KPI’s
When you start a business, you tend to make decisions by following your nose.
You take the advice of the last person you spoke to, you follow courses of …
A happy client is your best ad
There’s only one thing better than a testimonial from a client who happily lists the benefits of your business without being prompted.
That would be when you’re talking about …
Don’t haggle – add value
Many years ago, in a former life, I worked in Egypt, where I learned a lesson that is still very valuable to me in business.
Every time you buy …
Be prepared for the worst
Something like an earthquake took place in my computer system last week.
The image on my computer screen started shaking up and down – this was all I needed: …
Ethics is asking the right questions
I have just finished reading Ethicability by Roger Steare – the ‘corporate philosopher’ who researches and writes on ethics in business.
It is an amazingly inspiring book that really …
I’ve been possessed by Mary Poppins!
I hope you have been taking my advice on Perfection Paralysis to heart.
Now it’s time to confess a little paralysis of my own. It’s not quite the same …
Perfection paralysis
What does doing a good job mean to you? Do you aim to maintain high standards, are you satisfied when you’ve given it your best – or must the fruits …
When Virtual Assistants go professional
Looking back at the evolution of my industry – administration and office management – its traditional roots lay with the secretary sitting outside the boss’s office, acting as gatekeeper and …
The Gift of Time
Would YOU like…
The freedom to focus on your key business objectives?
The energy to work on your core business activities?
The time to concentrate on planning for the …