Tag: Online Business Manager

14 Opportunities and Ideas to Help Add Additional Income During the Pandemic

Hello loves!  I wanted to share some information that may be helpful for those that recently were laid off and/or you are looking to supplement your income during and beyond the Convid-19 Pandemic. Like many online business owners,  I have a unique birdseye view because of the work that I do and the business I run. None of it is a secret or a ninja trick, and much of it you already have likely heard about, so most of it is just a re-iteration.  

I have compiled a list of 14 opportunities and ideas to help add additional income during the pandemic for yourself and your family in these times of uncertainty.  

As we start to do more and more delivery and curbside shopping, eating and etc… we will see that we simply do not have the force to support it.  Here are places that you can look into if you are looking for work.

1) Grocery stores are hiring and their services are in high demand.  Check into Clicklist and Instacart shoppers particularly

2) Doordash and Uber Eat Drivers – Even Pizza Delivery as well

3) Talk to your local marijuana dispensers and liquor stores – See about helping them with their curbside services…and in some cases delivery options

4) Amazon warehouses are hiring as well as drivers and customer service agents.  Amazon alone is providing over 100k jobs

5) Become a secret shopper.  I know that times are different right now, but there are many online secret shopping opportunities, for instance, customer service secret shopping with Expedia.  The restaurant and retail store options won’t be available (unless they pivot) is my guess, but there are other opportunities. Let me preface that this is NOT a huge moneymaker, but it is great for supplemental income. https://www.bestmark.com/  I always had fun with secret shopping and I think you could too.

If you are looking at making some extra money in the online sphere here are some pretty great options. 

6) For online work look into https://jobs.sykes.com/ , these are customer service jobs that you can do from home.  You must have a dedicated phone line (not a cell phone) and highspeed internet. 

7) Working Solutions is another home-based customer service opportunity as well – www.workingsolutions.com/

8) United Health Care for those that work in more of a medical field, they are hiring to help with the influx of calls that are coming in.  

9) If you have a special craft, like content writing, graphic design, etc… you can look into www.upwork.com  or www.guru.com and if you make and sell your own goods, look at facebook market place, www.etsy.com and www.ebay.com.   

10) I realize that the stock market is a pretty scary place right now, but it also offers a lot of opportunities.  Stocks are at a record low right now. The market will not be this unstable forever and it is guaranteed that there will be a boom (just don’t know when).  The beauty of that is if you can get in at a cheap buy-in, like now, it could provide a huge return in 6-months. Only look into this if you feel empowered to do so.  You can start up through Robinhood, which is a free platform for buying and selling stocks in the stock market. It is pretty intuitive and if you use this link you can earn free stock to start your journey with. Truly investing in stock (if you have the means) now might set you up for life. It could be like buying Amazon in 1997 if you get my drift!  For Robinhood, though, it doesn’t require any investment right now, just sign up, get your free stock and start dabbling. Use this link to get your free stock >>> https://bit.ly/freerobinhoodstock-jg 

11) For those that are toying with taking their business or ideas to Facebook, I have a free mini-training “8 Ways to Revive your Facebook Business Page Organic Reach” that you can take. It is a tiny bit outdated, but the content is still very relevant. www.va.alpinesbsolutions.com  

12) If you are looking to take your vision into an online setting and getting serious about taking this time to pivot instead of panic, I would like to offer up some of my time to help you brainstorm. While I do have limited time,  I still would like to offer up my own time as a resource. I am offering free 30 minute consults for a limited amount of folks (no strings attached, just value, value, value) the rest of the month. Private message me if you are interested.  

13) I am also working on some additional free training and webinars to help people with making supplemental income online or to finally start your own online business journey.  If you have a topic you would like me to touch on or have someone in the community talk about, please private message me or put your request below.

14) Lastly (for now), I would love to create a container for those interested to network together and join in on the opportunity to join think tanks, masterminds, engagement circles, and other self-promotion threads so we can all build each other up, stay connected, and love one another.

Do you have things to share or add to my list, please do? The more the merrier. The more information we can put out there the better.  I will continue to harvest more ideas around this as the days and weeks unfold.  

For those that are in a position to help, please help people, offer your time and what resources you can. This is a time to band together, practice impeccable hygiene, be compassionate and remember we are all in this together.  Do not lead in fear…keep being amazing and I am rooting for those that are having a hard time. Please share with someone that you think might benefit from this information as well. I love you!

The Ultimate List of Delegation Do’s and Don’ts for a Virtual Assistant

 Delegation is another one of those virtual assistant buzzwords that people love or hate. Those who mastered the delicate art of delegation sing its praises. Others shudder when they think of delegation, either because of a terrible experience or because they can’t imagine it actually working for them.

Here’s the thing. Delegation is great for any virtual assistant in any situation. Delegation is a powerful tool for freeing up your time and energy, finding someone better suited for the task at hand, and using your company’s limited resources better. It is often the first step in major growth for your business.

Of course, delegating for the first time can be nerve wracking. But, you have a lot of control over the end result with how you delegate. Follow these delegation do’s and don’ts for a positive (and quite possibly life-changing) delegation experience.

Delegation Do’s

  • Do Articulate Priorities. If your virtual assistant must choose between making the deadline or taking a bit more time to submit a quality project, which do they choose? Is the underlying goal of the delegation to train the virtual assistant to take over the task (so they should bring any questions to you to learn the correct process the first time around)? Or is it to free up your time (so they should work on trying to fix the problem on their own first)? Your virtual assistant will need to make decisions regarding communication, time commitment, etc. Making sure they understand your priorities will help them work for you better.
  • Do Create Guidelines. Be sure your virtual assistant knows their expected time and effort commitment. You don’t want to be caught off guard discovering the employee spent several hours on a task you expected to take thirty minutes. Establish clear boundaries for how long they should work on this project in relation to their other normal duties. Set guidelines as well on the line of communication. If your virtual assistant has questions, do they go directly to you? Is there a chain of command they should follow? When (if ever) is it appropriate to contact you outside of office hours regarding the project? Communicate expectations clearly from the start to avoid misunderstandings or lost time.
  • Do Provide Support. The sink or swim strategy is not a great leadership approach. Do what you can to empower your virtual assistant to succeed. Provide examples of the task or comparable work. Gather up all the login information into one place. Check in at certain points to see how they are doing and provide opportunity for them to ask you questions. Giving this support helps set up the virtual assistant for success.
  • Do Let the Virtual Assistant Feel Comfortable Saying No. We may think the virtual assistant is ready for greater responsibility. But, if they genuinely do not feel ready it may be a bad experience for them. Try to build up their confidence and remind them that you feel they are ready. If that fails and they still are uncomfortable at the thought of the project, find a new virtual assistant. It is not worth the anxiety it will cause your original pick.
  • Do Discuss the Experience After They Finish. Take a few minutes to talk with the virtual assistant about how things went. See if there is anything you could have done differently to make the experience better. Ask if they are comfortable doing the task again. If the Virtual Assistant made mistakes, use this time as a learning opportunity to gently guide them. Finally, thank them for their work and find something to praise about their output.

Delegation Don’ts

  • Don’t Micromanage. The purpose of delegation is for you to no longer deal with the project! Even if this assignment is a training opportunity, you still need to provide your virtual assistant with enough space to learn on their own. Virtual assistants know when their boss does not trust them, which can really undermine their confidence in their own ability. Showcase your belief in your virtual assistant by taking your hands off the reins, and keeping them off.
  • Don’t Underestimate the Project’s Timeline. When giving your virtual assistant a deadline, be cautious about underestimating the length of time the project will take. It may only take you a week, but your employee may need to do outside research adding a day or two. Or maybe your virtual assistant hits some unexpected roadblocks, requiring you to take the time to provide guidance or assistance. Always estimate more time to provide a buffer in case things don’t go as smoothly as planned.
  • Don’t Delegate What You Should Be Doing. Yes, everyone can and should delegate tasks. But not every task can and should be delegated. Some tasks do require your expertise or insight. Be selective in what you delegate, keeping the important tasks on your to-do list.
  • Don’t Delegate Because You Hate the Project. No one likes the boss who uses delegation to avoid doing unpleasant tasks. Good leadership means being willing to do the menial, the unappealing, and aggravating tasks for the good of the business. Delegation is about making your company more efficient. Passing off tasks because you hate them, not because someone else should be doing them, is a bad management strategy. It’s tempting, but your employees will lose respect for you if you do it.

You can make or break your delegation experience. Implementing the “dos” and avoiding the “don’ts” prepares you and your employee for a mutually beneficial experience. Your employee can learn or hone their skills while you get to remove something from your plate. If you are new to delegating, you can start off small. You will be surprised at how useful a tactic it can be in managing your business!