By: Melissa Rahko, Your Off~Site Secretary

“Why is that man sitting there?”

The elderly gentleman had entered the pediatric dentist office wearing a red coat and winter hat, each emblazoned with a white “W”. The staff knew him. “Hi, Dave,” the receptionist had said. “I hope next time you are wearing your baseball cap!”

He struck up a conversation with a dad waiting for his little girl. The dad happily discussed the Minnesota Twins with him. Dave was friendly, affable, and obviously at ease in the waiting room of a pediatric dentist. He seemed familiar to me, but I did not know him. I was the stranger there, having driven to this specialist from my own community.

After my daughter...

Off~Site Secretary

By: Melissa Rahko; Off~Site Secretary

Why did you start your Virtual Assistant business and what type of business owner have you become?

An interesting Entrepreneur Test is available online. The test's goal is to help you to understand your strengths and to capitalize on them. If you know what best "drives you" you can use those qualities to drive your business.

It was fun for me to learn my "type". There are no "wrong" answers to the questions and the results are thought-provoking.

After answering the question, make a note of the type that you revealed and then download the .pdf file. The .pdf file lists the strengths for all (3) types, so you need to zero in...

Off~Site Secretary

The importance of having a niche specialty or marketing to a specialty niche can be a daunting concept. There is an interesting blog post regarding niche marketing entitled Unbelievable Stories of Niche Market Success.

When you offer a valuable solution to a client's problem you become invaluable. "People that don’t have the time, effort or care to do these activities are your market," is how the article states it. It is a simple concept that is challenging to develop.

In trying to develop my own niche specialty area, I have let a few ideas rattle around in my brain. I think I am starting to see a glimmer of vision building. So off to think some more

~ Melissa

Off~Site Secretary

This past summer, my mom gave me a gift. “You need to have a rag rug from the museum. It is part of your heritage,” she said. She highly values the traditions, customs, and practices inherited from her ancestors.

Some lovely ladies are keeping this almost forgotten tradition alive. They cut strips of fabric from used clothing or bedding and weave this weft into sturdy, durable and beautiful floor coverings and placemats.

What a metaphor for my new business! My previous work history has been a hodge-podge mix of interesting experiences. How could I masterfully extract all of these experiences and weave them into Off~Site Secretary? As I reflected on my work history, I mentally cut out pieces of the past...

Off~Site Secretary