Let Team Members Speak Up

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

Speaking up is a key leadership skill, whether or not you’re officially the team leader. Everyone involved in a team effort should actively look for ways to improve, make recommendations, and generally be responsible to the team for the success of the project—to speak up.

Speaking up when we see a better course of action can be intimidating, but you can learn to do it effectively. Using a model or checklist, you can make a good case in as little as five sentences. It may not end the discussion, but at least it will start it.

How & What To Subcontract , , ,

What should subcontractor’s rates be?

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

Do you believe in paying subcontractors a fair wage, but  also believe, as a contractor, getting paid for securing the client and for managing the client as well as managing the subcontractor. So, that being said, most VA subcontractors may discount off their normal rate. However some may feel having the assistance of a subcontractor outweighs not making some money for yourself.

How are you considering charging for your subcontracting services and have you thought that far?  Contractors, would you trade making money for getting the burden off your shoulders?

Become a Subcontractor , , ,

Independent Contractor Or Employee

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

It is critical that you, the business owner, correctly determine whether the individuals providing services are employees or independent contractors. Generally, you must withhold income taxes, withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and pay unemployment tax on wages paid to an employee. You do not generally have to withhold or pay any taxes on payments to independent contractors. If you are an independent contractor and hire or subcontract work to others, you will want to review the information in this section of the IRS to determine whether individuals you hire are independent contractors (subcontractors) or employees.

Subcontracting Tips

Is it smart to start part-time?

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

If you won the lottery would you take it in one lump sum or a little at a time?

For myself, I want to enjoy it and take it little by little. In my eyes the same things holds true for starting a virtual business part-time or full-time. If you can why not take it in and see if it’s right for you before quitting your full-time job. The client will work with you. From the very start, I’ve held strong to the principle that I only have to work with the clients I want to work with. If they needed someone 8 to 5, I simply told them my availability, asked if it worked, and declined the work if it didn’t.

What do you practice in your business? Are you full-time or partime?

Become a Subcontractor , , ,

Create A Team Role List

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

Team Roles and Responsibility List should be created and share with all team members. It should include documents items such as:

Who is on a (cross-functional) project team
What cross-functional role they are filling
What they are responsible for in that role
Specific duties they’ll perform to fulfill those responsibilities
Contact information (optional)

Help each member understand the scope of their role – what they are responsible for in terms of work and results. Being specific about responsibilities and duties can often clarify each person’s task and review responsibilities in unexpected ways.

Help ensure that all needed cross-functional team members are involved early enough in the project. Bad project results such as overall unprofitable products, un-manufacturable devices, under-performing systems, and hard-to-use user interfaces can often be traced to lack of involvement by non-development personnel early in a project – manufacturing, business users, support personnel, documentation writers, etc. The earlier such team members are included, the more influence they can have in what the project delivers, and the more problems or ‘off target’ results they can help the team avoid.

How & What To Subcontract , ,

Mindset of A Sub!

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

Prior to finding my subcontracting niche I must admit I was all over the board with my virtual assistant business. This week we’re discussing joining a team. What comes before that is getting the mindset of a subcontractor. Remember, you’re not an employee but a subcontractor. You can set your hours, rates and offer what you want. The thing you have to do is get the mindset to work as a team player. If you’re the person that can be delegated to, subcontracting is for you. If you can’t take assignments but want to create them you may want your own team. So ask yourself if you have the mindset of a good team member before jumping in as a sub.

Become a Subcontractor , , ,

Wonder What They’re Looking For In A Subcontractor?

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

If you’re just beginning as a subcontractor and don’t know what multi-va firms are looking for.   Here is your chance to find out.  Each month I have a multi-va owner come on a Q&A Call as an advisor.  This month, August, the advisor is actually looking to hire a sub.  She’ll go into detail what specifics she’s looking for and asking of a sub.   Visit Join A Team page and register for the free Q&A Call.

Become a Subcontractor , ,

Staying Focused On Your Virtual Business

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

One of the biggest things I’ve learned this week is staying focus on my business.  Not only can it make a person able to accomplish more in a week’s time but it gives me a sense of relief.  Prior to this week I wasn’t sure which direction to go each and every day.  With a little help from my blog internship program things have turned around.

As you watch my blog you’ll see it’s focused on main idea “Subcontracting.”  In my mind subcontracting can’t happen unless you have a virtual team.  Each week we’ll take and look at each aspect that makes a team of virtual subcontractors work.  The first week of each month we’ll focus on those that want to join at team (subcontractors).

Being a subcontractor for three and a half years I’ve been through some trials and errors.  With that said, I hope to share with those getting started a few ideas.  Join the conversation on twitter as well: https://twitter.com/virtualdream

Subcontracting Tips , , ,

7 Burning Questions About Switching To WordPress Answered

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

Decided to take the leap and convert your entire site to WordPress yet worried about the process? No matter where you’re coming from the process can be a intimidating and I bet you’ll have some nagging questions about it all. Hopefully, this post will help answer some of those questions and put you at ease.

#1 Can I keep my domain name?

Absolutely. Domain names (if registered under your name) can follow you through any web host, site publishing tool or content management systems. The only time a domain cannot be transferred is when the original web host or web design person/company plays dirty and holds your domain hostage by refusing to change where it points to or refusing to transfer to another registrar without payment.

Most of the time, this is not an issue and you will be able to keep your domain.

#2 What will it cost? What kind of investments would I have to make?

WordPress (.org) is open source software which means you won’t have any licensing fees. That does not mean there are no costs. If you’re coming from a platform like Blogger where you’ve never paid for hosting or in some cases don’t even have a domain name, then those are the two costs that cannot be avoided.

Beyond that, additional costs only come in if you decide to purchase a premium theme, hire a designer, buy premium plugins or purchase books and informational guides. If you think you might need or want these, it would be wise to set aside some money so you have room to play.

#3 Can I set up a test site while I move?

If you are starting fresh with a brand new domain the answer is yes. If your domain is currently going to the old site, most web hosts can provide you with a temporary URL where you can access and work on the site before flipping the switch.

#4 My pages are static HTML. Is there an easy way to transfer them into WordPress?

Alas, you may be disappointed here. While there is a plugin that could help, what you have to keep in mind, static HTML importers require your pages to be uniform and well formed. Hopefully yours is. Plan on spending some time to clean up the imported pages as some may look a little strange after importing. If you only have a handful of pages it’s probably simpler to just copy and paste.

#5 Will I lose my readers or content?

WordPress has many importers and converters to help you move your content. Chances are, there will be no loss. You’re more likely to lose some formatting than entire pages and posts.

As for losing readers, followers and traffic, if you were operating on your own domain before and keeping that domain, they will still find you on your new site. In that sense, you won’t lose your traffic nor links pointing to your posts. If you were using someone else’s domain like sittingonmybackporch.blogspot.com and now getting your own, you can’t have them follow you automatically. However, you can and should modify your old site to display a prominent banner to announce and advertise your new site.

#6 What will happen to the URLs of my old pages? How do I redirect them?

If you try to keep your page and post names as similar as possible, WordPress can attempt to guess and redirect people to the right place. Sometimes, the automatic redirect doesn’t work as it should. You can help it along by using a plugin called Redirection to specify exactly which pages direct where.

You should also make sure you have the ‘404 Not Found’ error page set up properly to catch the pages that fall between the cracks.

#7 Can I handle this by myself?

That answer lies in what you know and how determined you are. If you know even a little bit of HTML or HTML/CSS, you’re in a better position. If you know a tad of PHP you’re head and shoulders ahead. If you know none of that but are very determined and motivated, yes you can, but be well prepared to face major frustration. Getting a guide, set of tutorials or connecting to a group of WordPress knowledgeable people will go a long, long way.

A blogger who attempted the switch all by themselves had this to say, “The problem is not the lack of free tutorials but too many of them! It takes huge amounts of time to separate the good and bad ones, and on top of it all, I didn’t even know what I was looking for. Save your sanity, get help.” Great advice from someone who’s been there.

Lynette Chandler is the web tech go-to-gal to marketers and bloggers online since 2004. She teaches them about WordPress, related web technologies and invites you to grab free training at https://TechBasedTraining.com/free-training/?&aff_id=XXXX

Product Reviews , ,

What’s the difference between Outsourcing and Subcontracting?

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Collette Leave a comment

What outsourcing is. You pass it on. What subcontracting is. The initial service provider is in control but another provider does the work.

There are things of which one should pass on some workload for the company’s development. Which is outsourcing.  The tasks that are not income related or not the best use of the owner’s time should be subcontracted.

To buy a product from someone else and sell it to others is not outsourcing, it is mere a relationship of a buyer and a vendor. Subcontracting involves an in-depth communication process of both your or the project manager with the subcontractor. Failure of the subcontractor to meet the lead directives would mean breakdown of everybody. It is not just instructions that are necessary, it is more to giving out rules and making rules happen. To make an subcontracting business successful it roots to trust, confidentiality, and coordination.

Trust is important for the subcontracting business to flourish. The presence of trust with both the lead and the subcontractor makes them focus more with making productions a hit rather than involving themselves from negative contemplations.

Equally important with trust is confidentiality. Due to tight competition in business, there are matters that should be kept confidential by both the lead and subcontractor. Disclosing private matters will result to a probable malfunction in the business. Thus, problem will arise. It does not just affect the lead contractor but significantly, the subcontractor.

Proper coordination of the lead project manager to the subcontractor is highly vital in the a service business. Coordination gives both the contractors the ability to be responsible with each other’s task. Both should move forward when things are well-planned and well talked about by both parties.

Failure to comply with the essentials of subcontracting means fall down of the business service being performed.

Common business types that are being subcontracted are in the field of:

• Analysis of Data
• Knowledge or Research Processes
• Operations in Information Technology (IT)
• Writing
• Back Office Processes
• Recruiting
• Project Bidding
• Training

Pass it on. To pass part of a responsibility, especially a business task to a third party takes a leap of faith. Subcontracting is essential for service providers who wish to retain and gain clients in the virtual world.

Subcontracting Tips