Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
Happy new year!
We’re two months late, you say? Not quite. In the early Roman Calendar, March 1 was designated as the start of the new year, and the calendar had only ten months. Then around 700 B.C., the months of January and February were added, but it wasn’t until the time of Julius Caesar (around 46 B.C.) that January 1 officially became the start of the year.
Unfortunately, not everybody followed this. Some stuck to celebrating the new year on March 1. Some even went as far as abolishing January 1, and celebrating the new year on Christmas, on Easter, or on some other date. In fact, it took over a millennium to get everybody on the same page.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered several changes in the calendar to synchronize it with the real solar calendar. Among the changes instituted was the celebration of the new year on 1st of January, which we still follow today.
Thanks to good old Greg, we can be sure that our days are pretty much in sync wherever we are in the world, give or take a few hours. This makes it pretty easy for us to inform you, our clients, when Pepper Virtual Assistants go on holiday.
We know you’ve got a lot of work for us, and we want to make sure that you can plan ahead and finish any urgent or pending projects before the holidays. We’d like you to go over the calendar below, but don’t worry – you don’t have to memorize it. Whenever a holiday is coming up, we’ll make sure to remind you about them a week before.
In 2011, a lot of holidays fall on weekends. Further announcements as to treatment of these Philippine Holidays will be made closer to its date. However, from previous years, these holidays are normally moved to the Monday closest to the date.
National holidays are also declared for the observance of Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha, but there is no exact date yet. We will make sure to inform everyone once these are made official.
Our holiday process remains to be flexible. If you think you’ll need your VA to work on the holiday, just get in touch with us so that we can make a special arrangement for you.
We hope you find this helpful.
Feel free to contact us anytime you have any questions or concerns. As always, we’re happy to hear from you!
Tags: Holiday process, pepper virtual assistants, Personal Assistants, Philippine Official Holidays
Posted in Announcements, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
This is the time during your mid-twenties to late thirties when you feel as if you are still waiting for your life to unfold despite having finished school for years. When you were younger, you have set your personal goals, and now, you begin to question if you have made the right decisions or chosen the right path towards self fulfillment in terms of identity, stability and even relationships. It is at this stage when you feel the pressure to find yourself, to be certain of what you will be doing from this day onwards which will make you established as an individual.
For most quarter-aged people, this quest of finding oneself is like a code that can never be deciphered. This article may not completely provide a solution but would help, at least, by suggesting small steps that you could take in dealing with this crisis.
Ask yourself and be Aggressive
It’s true that taking other people’s advice, especially those who know you well, may help you in knowing what you want out of life. But if you examine closely, the words your friends or family speak are mainly based on their own experiences and may only work for them—but not for you! You are the only person who would know the answer. Instead of conducting surveys, listen intently to yourself. Perhaps write down the things you enjoy doing and then think of ideas on how to make a career or business out of them. If you already have one, instead of thinking that there is no room for growth, find ways to expand. With the advent of technology, opportunities are limitless. Grab these prospects and work on it.
It’s more than the money
The main reason why most people end up not doing what they’re meant to do is because people usually define a person’s success by looking at the material possessions—car, house, lots of money. This does not mean that it is okay to keep doing what you want even if you earn nothing from it. This simply means that the steps you’ll take and your life should not entirely depend and be measured on the salary or the potential business returns you would get. Financial rewards would naturally flow if you continue doing your best on what you do best.
Bank on resources
Looking at your accessible resources does not necessarily pose unwanted enforcement or limitation in what you ought to be doing. In fact, this could actually help you to avoid being spoiled for choice. If you don’t necessarily want to follow your parents’ footsteps, why not try to make a career out of a business that complements your family’s company? Example, if your mom has a flower shop and your expertise is into networking and management, why not venture into wedding coordination? You can utilize your skills while helping your loved ones boost their own too. This also gives you business models that you could follow to avoid unnecessary mistakes and loss.
Set a deadline
Life is too short to be spent on thinking and rethinking. Give it a week or two—plot out your options and do a little research about each one. Ask experienced people for an in-depth understanding of your considerations. You can also spend some time on healthy conversations with people from different age groups so you can keep discovering new ideas. If you took time and weighed your options well and still are not sure whether you’re making the right decision, look at the most viable path and take it. Start your journey to being successful right away!
Beware of comfort zones
The trick with comfort zones is that you’re too comfortable that you don’t notice or simply ignore the fact that there is something wrong. You might be in a job where you are under-utilized but you stick to it because of the employee benefits. You want to pursue a business move but are afraid to take risks. If you don’t like what you’re doing, it’s unfair to you and your employer for they’re paying for mediocrity. Don’t get stuck! Maximize and even exceed your potential by trying out and doing something new.
At this stage, you might feel and think that it is a must to have found yourself in terms of career or business and that you should be on your way to settling down. Consider the fact that each one has his or her own pace to keep up with. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and repeat the whole process for this makes you more learned and experienced. If in the middle, you get wound up in a situation outside your expertise, find the right people to help you and stay focused on what you are superb at.
Tags: finding yourself, how to know what you want, personal assistant, Personal Assistants, quarter life crisis, virtual assistant
Posted in Life Management | 32 Comments »
Friday, October 1st, 2010
We’re a team of virtual assistants, but that doesn’t mean you can’t meet us in the real world. In fact, a few of our clients have visited Pepper HQ already.
Russ Meuchel of Ember Recording Studios
Our first client visit was in February when Russ Meuchel of Ember Recording Studios came over with his friend, John Frazier. They wanted to meet up and discuss Pepper’s services, so Nikki Romero, Pepper Business Director; and Via Enriquez, Russ’ VA met up with them at EDSA Central Mall and headed over to Shangrila Mall. Over a hearty lunch at Via Mare, Russ, John, Nikki, and Via got to know each other, discussed their respective businesses, and worked out future business plans.
Tim and Joana Totten of SouthGain Enterprises
Back in February, Tim and Joana Totten of SouthGain Skin Care came over for a visit. Here they met some of the actual people behind our fabulous virtual service, namely: Miguel Ramos, President of ASPAC Advertising, which is Pepper’s mother company; Nikki Romero; Paulo Nasol, Republika Worldwide Business Director; Paula Gesmundo-Uy, and Verna Austria, Tim & Joana’s VAs.
 From left to right: Tim Totten - President, SouthGain Enterprises, Joana Totten - Vice President, SouthGain Enterprises, Paula Gesmundo - Pepper Senior VA, Paulo Nasol - Republika Business Director, and Nikki Romero - Pepper Business Director While the Pepper team handles several tasks for SouthGain, including customer support, blog and social network updates, research, and other administrative duties, this visit found us tapping into our networking skills as well, scheduling meetings with local contacts to help Tim find potential suppliers and manufacturers for SouthGain’s products. Of course, since we had some face time already, the gang also discussed options for SouthGain’s expansion.
Tim and Joana returned in June, this time with more than business on their itinerary. The business, of course, came first – that’s part of what makes us great assistants, after all. Discussion at Pepper HQ centered around new opportunities for SouthGain, namely, a new label.
After this came the other, more fulfilling (emphasis on filling) part of their itinerary. Tim and Joana had planned a trip to Balayan, Batangas, a province a few hours south of the capital of Manila for Joana’s birthday celebration, and the Pepper crew was invited.
We knew were in for a feast because the Parada ng Lechon was in town. The lechon is a whole pig seasoned and slowly roasted over hot coals that famed chef Anthony Bourdain describes as the best “of all the whole roasted pigs I’ve had all over the world.” Now imagine seeing hundreds of them parading right in front of you – are you hungry yet? You can bet we were.
But the fun didn’t end there. You see, part of the Parada ng Lechon tradition is to throw water to practically anyone you want. So while walking and looking for Tim and Joana, we found ourselves dripping wet, with people throwing water at us wherever we went! Imagine a whole town playing water fight the whole day – adults and kids alike, complete with the firetruck hose on and policemen with water buckets. There is nothing like it, and everyone had a blast.
Ric and Liz Thompson of Transperience Network
In August, Ric and Liz Thompson (as well as their two adorable kids Chandler and Stefan) came over to visit Pepper HQ. This time, the Pepper welcoming committee consisted of Miguel Ramos; Nikki Romero; Mejie Yamamoto and Apolz Fabros, Liz & Ric’s VAs; Paula Gesmundo, Pepper Senior VA; and Luis Cruz, Pepper writer.
 From left to right: Miguel Ramos - President, Aspac Advertising, Nikki Romero - Pepper Business Director, Liz Thompson - Co-Founder of Transperience Network, Stefan Thompson, Chandler Thompson, Ric Thompson - Co-Founder of Transperience Network, Mejie Yamamoto - Liz/Ric's Lead VA, Apolz Fabros - Liz/Ric's Lead VA, Luis Cruz - Writer, and Paula Gesmundo - Pepper Senior VA As expected, business matters dominated the discussion – this was, after all, a business meeting. One of the topics covered was Pepper’s role in the continued growth of Ric and Liz’s ventures, which include Healthy Wealthy n Wise Magazine, Small Business CEO Magazine, the Association of Small Business CEOs, and the Transperience Network. Discussion also included ways in which we could help achieve the Thompsons’ goal of providing others with the necessary tools to build successful lives. Once work was done though, we moved on to the more important things.
You see, the Thompsons stayed in the Philippines for a few months, so being the helpful assistants we are, we decided to help them plan their stay. We suggested a number of places to visit, and more importantly, we gave them a list of dishes that they simply had to try – Ric & Liz, we expect a report on this, by the way.
Other items on the agenda included teaching kids to save, the genius of individual video monitors on long flights, and siblings pushing each others’ buttons. Yes, the two Thompson boys had their voices heard in the meeting too.
Client visits definitely liven up the already spicy lives of the people at Pepper HQ. It’s always great to meet new people – even if we’ve worked with them online for quite some time already. Seeing the faces of our clients, and shaking the hands behind the emails and chats that pop up on our screens – there’s something very satisfying about that. Yes, we’re a team of virtual assistants, but we provide a very real service – and meeting our clients in real life only makes us want to serve you better.
Tags: Joana Totten, Liz Thompson, Pepper Virtual Assistant Clients, Personal Assistants, Philippines Virtual Assistant, Russ Meuchel, Tim Totten, virtual assistants
Posted in Announcements, Outsourcing | 3 Comments »
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
If only all of us know how to maximize the hours that we have in a day, we would all be rich—in accomplishments! Being able to produce more output in a day will not only entitle you for a possible promotion (if an office employee) or extra revenue (if working from home or managing your own business). This also gives you an assurance that you made wise use of your time and a sense of pride that you could actually do more and be better every day.
Start with the Tough Ones
Procrastination is your biggest enemy. We tend to push the hard ones out and do the easy or clerical tasks first. When you’ve reached half of the day, you try picking out the hard tasks and finish nothing by the end of the day. Why not reverse this by getting the hardest and usually the most important job done? This works better because you have more focus and energy at the start of the day.
Get your Focus
This is the hardest and most important component. You may have already done a to-do list and you know exactly what to do to be able to deliver. The problem is no matter how hard you try to come up with ideas or compose your thoughts—the light bulb stays busted. To be able to beat this, do a little bit stretching and perhaps sip a cup of coffee. Get some help by browsing online specifically about the task or consulting your colleagues. Make sure to keep this soul-searching period short and particularly about the task at hand. Directing your mind and your actions ONLY to this task will point you towards getting it done fast.
Destruct Distractions
Keeping your IM and e-mail open, especially if notifications from your blogs and social networking accounts are flooding, will eat up your whole day. After all, it’s more fun and exciting to check these out than to continue working on a spreadsheet your boss needs after lunch. While quick peeks during breaks won’t hurt, getting used to these momentary amusements will make you want for more. So better to shut them off altogether or device a rewards system for yourself where you get to check ONLY when you have done such amount of work.
Time-Box
This simply means that you have a mental allocation of number of hours to be spent on a definite task. While you’re at it and you are tempted to daydream or check out the latest Hollywood buzz, check your time. How many more minutes do you have? Time-boxing gives you a positive pressure as you try to beat the self-imposed deadline. Time-boxing also applies to your quick breaks and chit-chat—keep these short so that you don’t lose your momentum.
Know When Your Plate is Full
It’s true that you want to be as effective as you can be but if you flood yourself with so many jobs, you won’t be able to focus and finish a thing. The more tasks you accept, the more people will be bugging you for follow up or feedback and it will be a never-ending cycle. Instead of taking up all these by yourself, why don’t you get someone to help you? Perhaps a sibling on vacation can help but there is also a big risk that this may double up the burden since you’ll have to check and redo if there are mistakes. Professional assistants are available for a cost but the productivity and relief that they provide is all worth it.
Always remember, time wasted is like money thrown to trash. Managing and spending your time well not only frees you from stress, it also works as your personal investment. You may not realize it but making wise use of your time also results to a constructive outlook in life as you continue to pursue and encourage yourself to achieve something all the time. Disciplining yourself to not waste time is the key to improving your work and your being as well.
Tags: how to be efficient, how to be productive, Personal Assistants, productivity, time management, virtual assistant
Posted in Life Management, Productivity Toolkit | 22 Comments »
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Another holiday coming up? Yes, that’s right. The Philippines has a lot of holidays. But don’t worry, these holidays help us rejuvenate so that when we come back to work, we can attack your projects with a lot of vigor and energy!
To help you maximize our service and prepare for the upcoming holidays, we are giving you the list of official holidays this year. We will, of course, still inform you whenever a holiday is coming up. This is just to let you know when to expect them this year. This will help us plan ahead and make sure all your projects and tasks go without a hitch.
So here goes:
How will it go?
Whenever a holiday is coming up, we will remind you the week before. We will aim to finish all pending tasks and projects before the holiday. You can talk to your virtual assistant to prioritize the more urgent ones too and which ones we need to complete before we take off.
If you think you’ll need your VA to work on the holiday, just get in touch with us so that we can make a special arrangement for you.
As always, feel free to contact us anytime you have any questions or concerns. We’re always happy to hear from you!
Tags: pepper virtual assistants, Personal Assistants, Philippine Official Holidays
Posted in Announcements, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
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