by Amber Miller | Sep 3, 2009 | Blog, Entrepreneur
Today’s post is one that comes from my heart…
About six months ago, something touched me – something moved me. A commercial – A Message. Now those who know me well can testify that yes, while up in the wee-hours of the night with any of my children, I have had a tendency to order infomercial products. But this is different. This makes a difference. It is not a CD collection, gadget that makes cool looking sandwiches with your leftovers or the air climber that is to help you lose weight (ok so I did get the air climber too). This was to help someone get the stuff they needed that could not be done on $25 a month budget. Yes, I typed that correctly, $25 a month.
That is how I met Mary and became her sponsor through Compassion International. I decided that while I sat here well fed – others were not and although I am one person, I could still help. Mary lives on the plains of Kiini, home to approximately 4,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of earthen floors, brick walls and iron sheet roofs. Her diet consists of maize and beans and she is faced with malaria, a common health problem in her area. She is supported solely by her mother who is a farmer.
My reason for this today is that I would like to send Mary a Christmas gift and provide her with more than just my monthly sponsorship fee. And – I have decided that all my clients can help!
For the month of September, I am sending Compassion International 5% of my earnings so that Mary can have a special Christmas gift. So, if you are a current client – nothing you need to do but know that I am doing this and for those of you who are thinking about having my team help – now is the month to get started!
About Compassion International. They exist as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.
Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.
Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries.
by Amber Miller | Aug 23, 2009 | Blog, Entrepreneur, Marketing
I shared with you last week how much Dave Crenshaw’s Book and free videos on time management have helped me tremendously. It is amazing how much more I can accomplish when I am NOT multitasking…what a concept!
I was blown away when Dave shared these statistics with me:
– Most people lose 28% or more of their work day to interruptions and the recovery time from interruptions
– Most people can only work 11 minutes until being interrupted
– Most people report being stressed out and too busy, IN SPITE OF the technology that was intended to give them more time
I wanted to let you know Dave is offering a FREE webinar this week and you can bet I’ll be on it! I am continually amazed at how much FREE and useful content Dave always gives away.
Check it out! I’ve already saved my seat!
by Amber Miller | Aug 14, 2009 | 1Shopping Cart, Blog, Entrepreneur, Memberships
Yes, it sure is according to Dave Crenshaw, Author of The Myth of Multitasking! I have to admit, when I first heard that statement by Dave, I had to laugh. Why? Because I have dubbed myself for years as the “Queen of Multitasking”.
I multitask during many aspects of my life. Here are a few examples:
1) While cooking dinner I will open/review mail, load the dishwasher and make lunches. (Have always wondered why I burn the bread every single time!) Dave’s book clearly tells me why!
2) While driving I tell my kids to ask me their homework questions they have. Why not? (I Wondered why my daughter received a “D” on her homework I helped her with.) Dave’s book clearly tells me why!
3) While sending an email I was also on the phone paying my water bill. Who likes to wait during those automated messages so why not compose an email. (Couldn’t figure out why later I sent the email to the wrong “Joe”.) Dave’s book clearly tells me why!
After learning about Dave’s book The Myth of Multitasking, I decided I had to go to the bookstore last weekend and get it. Let me tell you. I couldn’t put the book down and read the entire book on Sunday afternoon. Amazing. His book is amazing. He clearly shows me how multitasking is hurting me – way more than it is helping me.
Dave says in the first chapter of his book, “Your lack of effectiveness has everything to do with your multitasking”. Wow. Is he serious?
Still skeptical I continue reading – and by the time I got to his ” multitasking test” (which I LOVED!) I realized, Holy Cow! He is really on to something here.
I recommend you check out his book The Myth of Multitasking, or if anything, his free training videos that will for sure give you something to chew on if you think Multitasking is effective!
by Amber Miller | Jul 25, 2009 | Blog, Entrepreneur, Ezines, Marketing
What to look for when choosing your hosting company? This will all depend of course upon your specific needs, but here is my revised short list of the things I look for when choosing a hosting company:
1) Customer support via telephone. Are you required to only use a help desk or email to get support? For me personally, I like to pick up the phone and talk to someone who can assist me.
2) CPanel – do they have CPanel or another user friendly control panel interface? This can be helpful especially for those who are not very technical.
3) Fantastico – or the ability to easily install wordpress and other ecommerce and blog applications.
4) Backups. Do they backup your server? If so, how often do they back it up, how long is the data retained by them and is there a fee for them to restore.
and newly added #5 – drumroll please….
5) Email distribution limitations…what are they? You may not have a large list now, but hopefully soon you will and then will your growth be at their mercy? (learned the hard way with this one :))
To Your Online Success!
Amber
by Amber Miller | Jul 24, 2009 | Blog, Entrepreneur, Marketing
While looking for a quick and easy online appointment scheduler for a client of mine, Elizabeth Marshall of AuthorTeleseminars.com, I remembered that another client, Sarah Robinson, aka The Maverick Mom, had told me about a cool online scheduler she found and wanted to try out, called Time Driver.
Elizabeth was looking for something that would allow us to actually set the time she was available – opposed to the times she was not available. Let me tell you, not too easy to do with some of the other online schedulers out there. Remembering Sarah’s suggestion a few months back, I decided to give Time Driver a try.
Wowzer! This system was a piece of cake!!! Love it. It allowed me to quickly and easily set up a specific group of times for Elizabeth that she is available for coaching – and then assigns a url for us to use in sending out to her clients for them to schedule. And, they offer a 90-day trial and does not require a credit card. Who does that anymore? Not 30 but 90 days…nice! And, get this. If you like it, after 90 days the cost is only $29.95 for an entire year!
The only thing I found a bit confusing at first was that Time Driver tries to be “smart” and uses the timezone that is set in your computer settings. So for me, as a VA, I wanted to set these times up for Elizabeth as Eastern, but I am in the pacific time zone. Once I figured out how it worked, I simply adjusted the times I entered to be pacific – and made a note to her clients that the times shown on the calendar were specific to those set up in their own computer system.
So far so good. I will continue to use it during the 90 day trial and continue to evaluate. If you use this, I would love to hear your comments and reviews!
To Your Online Success,
Amber
by Amber Miller | Feb 14, 2009 | Blog, Entrepreneur
I don’t normally mix too much of my personal life with my professional life, but I just couldn’t help it today 🙂
My 8 week old son is smiling…and I am home to capture it. Why? Because of my desire and determination four years ago to start my own business.
I became tired of dropping off my kids for others to raise and enjoy. I became frustrated working hard for those who reaped all the benefits and showed little appreciation for my dedication and continual sacrifices.
And now, with my latest addition to my family, I get to support and come along besides some amazing internet entrepreneurs and be able to capture moments like these!
Recent Comments