By now, just about every Internet marketer knows they ‘should’ be using a virtual assistant to free up their time for more important matters like strategizing, organizing campaigns, arranging JVs, creating new promotions, fine-tuning offers, etc. But, still, many marketers continue doing all the little things themselves. This is like bending over to pick up a penny while dollars drop out of their pockets -- and they end up with a big rip in their pants!

Can you afford not to hire a virtual assistant? Let's take a look…

What is your yearly income? Please write down that amount, because it's important.

Now let's say you wrote down $50,000 per year. Have you ever figured out what that means in terms of your hourly rate? It's easy to calculate. You simply take $50,000 and divide it by 52 weeks. Then you divide that by 6 days (assuming you work ..Continue reading.. »

That’s right . . . outsourcing supports the economic recovery of the U.S. I promise.

Don’t believe me? Well, here are a few solid reasons why outsourcing is a good thing:

Keeps American entrepreneurs and small businesses in business, even when money is scarce

Enables American small businesses to grow, thereby providing more jobs for American workers

Helps small businesses and solo entrepreneurs compete with big business—competition grows American business, which leads to more American jobs

Keeping America in Business through Outsourcing

We all understand that employees can be outsourced for a lower cost overseas, and that bone has meat on both sides. Although you’ve heard the assertion that outsourcing takes job ..Continue reading.. »

Over the course of these articles, we've pointed out some important elements to consider when looking for the right outsourcing partner. Here’s another that bears great consequence: who’s managing the operation?

Let’s cut straight to the chase. You’ve got to have someone on your side who can advocate for your interests within the outsourcing company. This person should be someone you can relate to and rely on.

What I’m getting at is the recommendation that while you’ll find your outsourcing company located overseas, you must make sure it’s run by an American. This might sound like an unnecessarily bold warning, but trust me, you’re going to appreciate the ability to be understood and get the kind of help you need when issues arise.

“But wait!” you cry. “I thought if I follow all your advice, there won’t be any issues.” ..Continue reading.. »

This week I’ve got something really basic and yet super important to share with you about outsourcing. The reason I say, “really basic” is that I expect you might say, “duh!” when you read it. But it’s also fundamentally important to your success, and most people thinking about outsourcing don’t realize that this suggestion is a must do.

If you want to hire a staff here in America, you place ads, receive applications and resumes, weed through the pile to find the best candidates on paper, and then set up interviews to meet your top three to five choices. This is the right approach. Even if you use an agency to post the position and screen the applicants for you, you ultimately conduct the interviews directly with the people you will potentially hire.

This should be the case with outsourcing as well. Do not work with an outsourcing company that does not allow you to di ..Continue reading.. »

At the outset of a new endeavor, a combination of anxiety and caution are warranted. It's more comfortable if you don't have to make a big commitment while you kick the tires and go for the test drive. You need a period of time to try out new ideas and practices for your business, and in that period of time you either gain confidence or decide it's not your best choice. This should be your approach if you are new to outsourcing as well. Don't jump in with both feet and decide that you're going to hand over all your bookkeeping and customer support in one fell swoop. Rather, move slowly toward a planned goal of outsourcing all the tasks that you can. The best way to start with outsourcing is with just one. Start with just one outsourced employee at first. That is exactly what I did. After doing my research to find an outsourcing company I felt confident with, I used them to help me find my first employee to try out. As far as finding the right outsourcing company for you, I wil ..Continue reading.. »

A statement from the Federation of Small Businesses (http://www.fsb.org.uk) urges small business owners to be cautious about outsourcing:

People should make sure they are getting the right service for the size of company they are. They should not have to shell out for blanket coverage. It is about striking a balance.

What kind of balance are you striking in your business? Are you finding that you are paying high prices for help with your business tasks, but you are not getting the results you had hoped for?

When you choose a plumber to fix the pipes in your home or a dry cleaner for your business suits, you are looking for a good value and quality service that you do not have to think twice about. Once you have chosen a company to the work, you want to confidently move forward without having to reevaluate t ..Continue reading.. »

If someone were to offer you the possibility to earn a substantial residual income, would you take it?

Well, that depends, you say.

The better you understand how our affiliate program works, the more enthusiastic you will be for the opportunity. It's truly a no-lose, no-risk, share-the-wealth kind of scenario. And I know we're all looking for a little extra income with the least amount of effort.

We provide technical and managerial support to make your affiliate income stream easy to manage and maintain.

Working with your existing client base you simply market and give away our book " ..Continue reading.. »

Monday, January 26, 2009 was dubbed Bloody Monday by the media for the 50,000 jobs that were cut from the workforce of the United States that day. This is a sad reality that we are facing here in America, but it does not stop within our boarders. As jobs are cut here, the wave ripples out to negatively impact the job market around the world.

Our mission as outsourcers is one of positive impact. We are here to create jobs, share the wealth, and help grow businesses. As assertive advocates of small business, we offer the opportunity for immediate action against a crumbling financial situation. While there is a lot of talk out there about stimulating the economy to get it back on solid ground, we are here actually doing something.

I know there are many one-man and one-woman shows struggling out there to get it all done every day, struggling to finish all the work tasks that stack up n ..Continue reading.. »

You are a modern-day, small business owner. You're hip to the market trends that impact your niche, and you're savvy to the notion of best practices. How is all that working out for you so far? Are you able to spend all the time you'd like on each and every aspect of your business? Are you accomplishing everything that you need to fast enough?

If you're like me, you can always use another pair of hands to get through the day's To Do list. Also, if you're like me, you cringe when you have to spend money on something that doesn't show an immediate cash flow positive return. As we say around here, today's outgoing dollar better come back as two tomorrow.

Do you know how your competition is getting it all done and staying on budget? I know. It;s simple. Your competition is using outsourcing. The cost of an  ..Continue reading.. »

Perhaps you've never considered the Philippines as a place to find outsourced resources. Now is the time. You need a workforce at a fraction of the cost you're being quoted by local workers. Our representatives at 123Employee are fluent English speakers with solid skills who can make your dollars go further.

Reliability is what you need. Dedicated to your workflow, the assigned representative or team of representatives will be committed to your business, and your business only. With that kind of focus, tasks are completed quickly and the progress this brings to your business is fantastic. Data entry, follow-up calling, client support, and many other activities you need help with will be handled by your new staff. And your budget will still be in the black.

Right now we're all trying to get by on less cash, so there's no way hiring a traditional workforce for your small business is ..Continue reading.. »