What's New (Professor Smedley's Blog)
Are They Trainable?
October 1, 2011
Lisbeth Calandrino writes a blog about customer service. I was recently asked to contribute to her blog. The topic is "If I Hire Them, Are They Trainable". It's about hiring today's young people. Do you think they're trainable? Check out the blog post for more information http://lisbethcalandrino.com/2011/10/01/if-i-hire-them-are-they-trainable/comment-page-1/#comment-11542.
Author Month on Small Business H.E.L.P.
September 1, 2011
With school starting soon and already in progress in some locations, I have decided to make September "Author Month" on my irregular Blog TalkRadio Show, Small Business H.E.L.P. This month I will be reading books by various authors and discussing those books on the show. Since this month is all about authors, the books will not necessarily be about business. Admittedly, this seems like a daunting task, since school is already back in session for me...not to mention the fact that I am a rather slow, I mean deliberate, reader. But, I'm always up for a good challenge and a good book.
New Website Launched
August 14, 2011
I have just launched my new and improved website. This new site will allow me to choose from among thousands of templates that are available through Go Daddy.com. I can also sell my products through my own site in addition to selling on Amazon.com. I hope that you like the new and improved site. Please take a look around and contact me to let me know what you think and any recommendations that you have for improvement. Thanks in advance.
Author Month
August 8, 2011
September is "Author Month" on Small Business H.E.L.P. If you or someone you know is an author and would like to be featured on the show, please contact me for more information.
Hero Entrepreneurs With Dino Herbert
May 19, 2011
Today I was featured on the Blog TalkRadio show, Hero Entrepreneurs with Dino Herbert. We talked about my professional background, the Virtual Entrepreneurship book, and my advice for virtual entrepreneurs. I have listened to several of Dino's Blog TalkRadio shows and have enjoyed each and every one. It was a pleasure to get to talk with him in person. He does such a wonderful job of highlighting everyday "Hero Entrepreneurs". You can listen to the hour-long show here.
Spring Break
April 29, 2011
This month I only scheduled six podcast interviews. Then I took a much needed mini vacation during Spring Break. There will be several exciting interviews with more of my colleagues as well as more entrepreneurs during the next few months.
I Won!
April 27, 2011
I just learned that my business ranked #61 out of 200 winners in the 2011 Leading Moms in Business competition by StartupNation.com. There were nearly 500 competitors and 200 winners. Academic Computer Services (my business) ranked in the top third! This is very exciting news as I have never entered such a contest before. The competition was swift and I am honored that I ranked among such highly-skilled and successful "mompreneurs."
Let the Contest Begin
March 19, 2011
I decided to toss my hat in the ring for StartupNation.com's 2011 Leading Moms in Business contest in order to promote my business, Academic Computer Services. The purpose of my business is to help to promote entrepreneurs and to help potential virtual entrepreneurs learn how they can own and operate their own home-based online businesses. You can learn more about me and my business by visiting my contest profile. Click here for more information.
Interviews Galore
March 31, 2011
This was a very busy month for Small Business H.E.L.P. I interviewed 11 people between March 2 and March 31 including one of my colleagues, Professor Debra Crumpton, who is included in the Virtual Entrepreneurship book. The virtual entrepreneurship course at Sacramento City College started on March 18. It has been challenging to keep up with the new class, my semester-long classes, and the podcast. I'm looking forward to slowing down a bit next month.
Let the Interviews Begin
February 28, 2011
This month I had an opportunity to interview six entrepreneurs who were featured in the Virtual Entrepreneurship book. It was nice putting names to faces. I am looking forward to next month's interviews.
New Blog TalkRadio Show
January 28, 2011
This year I will be hosting an online radio program to provide assistance to entrepreneurs (virtual as well as brick-and-mortar). The program is called Small Business H.E.L.P. (Helping Entrepreneurs Leverage Power). Each show will include guests who will talk about their businesses and/or how to help other entrepreneurs with their businesses. Virtual entrepreneurs and other professionals will be my guests on upcoming 30-minute shows. I plan to host the show through the end of 2011. You can check out the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/professor-smedley or by scrolling to the bottom of my home page.
Financial Templates CD Now Available
January 10, 2011
The Virtual Entrepreneurship Financial Templates CD is now available on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983207127). The financial templates CD includes charts and worksheets for products and service businesses. The worksheets help people calculate their start-up costs, expenses, sales, profits and losses, cash plan, balance sheet, and break-even analysis. The templates are compatible with Microsoft Excel 97-2003, Excel 2007 or higher, and OpenDocument Spreadsheet formats. The templates may be used with or without the book. The financial templates CD sells for $14.95.
Virtual Entrepreneurship Standard Edition
January 5, 2011
Offering the same great content at a lower price, the Virtual Entrepreneurship Standard Edition is now available. This edition is meant for general audiences who are not reading the Virtual Entrepreneurship book for a class. The Standard Edition is printed in a font size 10 instead of a size 12 and it does not include end-of-chapter assignments, which results in fewer pages and allows the book to be offered at a reduced price. This book is available from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983207100) at a regular price of $49.95 USD.
Happy New Year
January 1, 2011
This year promises to bring more exciting news about Virtual Entrepreneurship. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements.
Virtual Entreneurship Book Sale
November 17-December 17, 2010
The Virtual Entrepreneurship book will be on sale from November 17 to December 17, 2010. For ordering information, visit the Welcome page of this site.
Virtual Entrepreneurship on Facebook
October 27, 2010
You can now keep up with Virtual Entrepreneurship through Facebook. Go to http://www.facebook.com/VirtualEntrepreneurship for the latest information. Since Facebook does not require users to enter HTML codes or update Web pages, you will find that the Virtual Entrepreneurship fan page has the most up-to-date information.
SCC Chronicles Article
October 18, 2010
I was recently interviewed by the Public Information Office to appear in the October 18, 2010 issue of "SCC City Chronicles," an online newsletter about things that are taking place at Sacramento City College. Below is a link to the complete October 18 issue in which I discuss the book.
http://www.scc.losrios.edu/x64439.xml
Virtual Entrepreneurship: Creating and Operating a Home-based Online Business
October 6, 2010
I just picked up 50 copies of the book today and I am so pleased with the way it turned out. The college store also has 50 copies. A heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped to make this possible. Check out the finished product below. It is approximately 1-1/4 inches thick.
Over 13 Months, 95,612 Words, 361 Pages, (and a whole lot of sleepless nights)
October 1, 2010
It is finished!!! During the past two weeks, I reviewed two different proofs of how the book will look and I selected all of my options for paper weight, paper color, chapter separaters, and the cover, etc. Everything is finally coming together. The hard part is done, and now I just have to wait for the finished product, which should be finalized and on the shelves of the college store in less than a week. I said it before and I'll say it again, "Whew! What a journey it has been." Now I look forward to being able to go to bed on the same day that I wake up each day and not having to stay up until 12 or 1 a.m. to meet my self-imposed deadlines.
All Edits Completed
September 19, 2010
All edits from the first and second iterations have been made and the book is ready for production. I added some digital line drawings on individual pages that my artistic daughter did for me to separate the various chapters. In return, she is credited on the front cover as the illustrator. People who know me all know that I am VERY HARD on myself (not something that I am proud of). But I can truly say that I am pleased with the way in which the book has come together. I hope that you will like it too and that it will help you to reach your virtual entrepreneurial goals.
The Last Word
July 7, 2010
I have finally written the last word on my first draft. Whew! What a journey it has been. I am now starting to work on the edits that Stephanie has done. I am so glad to be working with her. She has amazing editing skills.
Summer of Success
June 30, 2010
I was asked to be a guest presenter for Darken Victoria Gonzalez's "Summer of Success" series on her "A Virtual Perception" podcast. The purpose of my presentation is to inform people about how to work with a virtual assistant. You can check out the presentation here.
Welcome, Stephanie Monzon
May 3, 2010
I am pleased to announce that I will be hiring an editor for my book. Although I think I am a pretty good writer, none of my degrees is in English. Through a colleague, I was introduced to Ms. Stephanie Monzon, who has a very impressive background. We met face-to-face today and I believe that we will be a good fit for each other.
Stephanie M. Monzon is a freelance editor with a BA and MA in English from Stanford University and a Professional Certificate in Editing from UC Berkeley. Prior to freelancing, she worked in the textbook publishing industry for six years as an editor, project manager, and sales representative. Welcome to my team, Stephanie. I am excited to have you.
50,000 Words and Counting
May 2, 2010
The writing phase is coming along nicely. As of today, I have typed over 50,000 words and have completed 175 pages so far--not bad considering that I do this in my "spare" time. I estimate that I am approximately halfway finished with the book. This has been such an exciting journey and I have learned a lot through my research.
24 Hour Personal Assistant
April 28, 2010
Today I saw a former student, Ms. Tionni Bell, from my Virtual Office Careers & Technologies class. She informed me that she now has her own virtual personal assistant business called 24 Hour Personal Assistant. It was so nice to see that Ms. Bell was able to use what she learned in my class to start her own business. Congratulations, Tionni! I am so proud of and happy for you.
Follow-up Questionnaire Ends Today
February 28, 2010
Thanks to all of you who completed this second questionnaire. I will begin analyzing the results of this latest questionnaire this week.
Dragon Naturally Speaking
February 14, 2010
I bought a program that I learned about from my Camtasia workshop that is really neat. It's called Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance. I actually used a much earlier version of this program in the late-1990s. While the earlier version was okay, I found that I could type more quickly and accurately than Dragon. However, this newest version is 99% accurate, according to its website, and I believe it! Dragon is a speech-to-text software program. What that means is that you talk and it types what you say. You can even give it commands for formatting, saving, and printing documents, etc. In fact, there are so many commands that I have not memorized them all. I have a little cheat sheet to which I refer when I want to give it a command. I've started using Dragon for nearly everything that I do on the computer. Sometimes I need to remind myself to use Dragon rather than typing. Old habits are hard to break, I guess. To see what Dragon Naturally Speaking can do for you, click on the Nuance link above.
Follow-up Questionnaire Available
January 31, 2010
A follow-up questionnaire is now available for virtual entrepreneurs. If you completed the initial questionnaire, you should have already received an invitation to complete the follow-up questionnaire. If you did not complete the first questionnaire, you may sign up to be on the mailing list by visiting my home page. There you will find a link to opt in. Once I receive confirmation that you have joined the mailing list, I will send you an invitation and a copy of the questions themselves. The questionnaire will be available through February 28. I look forward to hearing from you.
Camtasia
January 12-14, 2010
This week I attended a three-day Camtasia Studio 6 workshop that was put on by @One. Although I have used Camtasia since version 3 or 4, I was self-taught and learned largely by trial and error. This workshop was very beneficial and I learned a lot. I fully expected to learn a lot, but I actually learned more than I thought I would. In a nutshell, Camtasia allows users to record what they are doing on their computers or watching on their computer monitors and save the recordings for sharing in a variety of formats. This is a great program for anyone who teaches or trains people. You can get a free, full-functioning, 30-day trial of this program from Techsmith.com or just go there to learn more about this program. This program also comes with lots of tutorials so that you can learn the things you want to learn by watching videos that were produced using Camtasia.
And So It Begins
January 7, 2010
I started writing the book this week and have managed to keep on track with my goal of writing ten pages per week. I have actually broken it down to 1.5 pages per day, which should be manageable, even with classes starting in a couple of weeks. I have found that I am most productive late in the evenings. However, once school starts, I will have to force myself to be productive earlier in the day so that I can get up early on the days when I have early classes. I'll keep you posted.
Happy New Year
January 1, 2010
Happy New Year, Everyone! Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous new year. May all of your resolutions be fulfilled.
Newly Designed Website
December 26, 2009Now that my initial questionnaire deadline has passed, I thought it necessary to redesign my website. I found this design template at OSWD.org Free Website Designs. It was created by Aaron Ganschow. Due to my limited knowledge of HTML and CSS, I stopped working on the site whenever I got frustrated. My webpage design skills are self-taught, for the most part, and I only know how to do so much with my old version of Dreamweaver (version 4). I finally decided to give it another try and everything seems to be working just fine...so far. Please check back from time-to-time for updates and information. This site will be updated on an irregular basis as I have new things about which to tell you. I applaud those of you who design websites for a living. It takes lots of creativity and skill.
Initial Questionnaire Ends
December 11, 2009
It's hard to believe that I have been working on this research for two months. I have "met" many wonderful virtual entrepreneurs from around the world. Nearly 200 people have taken the time to complete this first questionnaire. You have been so open and genuine in your responses. Many of you have offered your support and asked me to let you know if there is anything else that you can do to help me with this venture. It is so encouraging and humbling to have "met" so many kind people in the world. As I write this book, I will be very aware that people all over the world have helped to make this possible. To say "Thank You" is an understatement of my deep appreciation for all that you have done. I had initially planned to thank in the credits of the book each individual and company that I quoted. However, in order to show my deepest appreciation to all of you, I have since decided to include a business directory within the book so that I can not only thank you, but publicize your various businesses.
New Website Launched
November 20, 2009
Although my questionnaire is hosted through Survey Monkey, the information about my research and a link to the questionnaire was posted using my campus server account. I've also been emailing potential participants (one-by-one) from home using my campus email account. Since I have already contacted hundreds of virtual entrepreneurs and still have hundreds more to go, I decided to launch my own domain, http://ProfessorSmedley.com and create my own email address, Lauri@ProfessorSmedley.com, so as not to overwhelm the campus server and to give myself complete control over my site, its content, and my emails. Had I known in the beginning of this whole process that the response would be as large as it has been or that I would be contacting as many virtual entrepreneurs as I have been contacting, I would have done this from the beginning. I think I will enjoy the freedom of having my own domain.
Secretary in Israel
November 15, 2009
As I was conducting my initial research, I came upon a company that offers virtual executive assistants. What is virtual executive assistance? Virtual executive assistance is a means of providing executive-level administrative services to busy executives from around the world via the Internet.
One such company that provides this high level of service is Secretary in Israel. I recently had a conversation with Ms. Sarah Leah Gootnick, founder of Secretary in Israel, about her business and the services it provides. Secretary in Israel was conceived out the need of a CEO to find an assistant who could provide top-notch, administrative assistance to the CEO’s U.S. company. Ms. Gootnick knew just the right person and introduced her to the CEO. The only thing was that the assistant lived in Israel and the CEO lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, distance did not prove to be a problem, and the assistant, who is a college-graduate, turned out to be the best executive assistant the CEO ever had! As a result, Secretary in Israel was born.
The virtual executive assistants from Secretary in Israel come from varied backgrounds, but they all live in Israel and have the same goal—to provide executive-level assistance to companies in the United States. These virtual executive assistants’ backgrounds range a from graduate student, who is working on her master’s degree at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, to a college graduate, who was a top-level executive recruiter before moving to Israel. Another virtual executive assistant worked for the CFO of Monster.com, and that’s just for starters! This team of highly accomplished and well-educated virtual executive assistants brings with it decades of experience in the U.S. corporate world as well as years of experience working with US non-profit organizations prior to becoming virtual executive assistants. In reviewing the bio's of this accomplished group of professionals, you will see that they hail from some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the US Whether your business is large or small, for profit or non- profit, stateside or abroad, you will want Virtual Executive Assistance to assist you with all of your executive assistance needs.
Great job, Ms. Gootnick, of pulling together such a wonderful team of virtual executive assistants. You have found a winning combination of quality and experience.
Carlana Charles Virtual Assistance
November 10, 2009
Today I appeared on the online radio show of Carlana Charles, owner of Carlana Charles Virtual Assistance. It was a lot of fun too. Carlana is the very first person who completed my initial questionnaire--the very same day that I sent it out. Thank you, Carlana! To listen to the interview, click here. You can also go to Carlana Charles' website to see what else she has to offer. Carlana offers lots of services and is continually adding new things to offer to her clients. December 26, 2009 update: Carlana, I love your new and improved website.
Startup Nation
November 7, 2009
I found a really cool site for start-up businesses called Startup Nation. It touts itself as being "by entrepreneurs. for entrepreneurs." What I like about this site is that it includes both product and service businesses in a variety of industries. There are various community forums, blogs, and advice for business owners. This site even includes podcasts. There's also an annual contest with a complete list of winners and participants. This will be a great place to find some potential questionnaire participants for my research. With just over one month left, I only wish that I had found this site sooner. It would also be nice if this site were worldwide. Most of the entrepreneurs that I am finding here are in the United States. But I am happy that I found this site anyway.
A Virtual Perception
November 4, 2009
I appeared on the online radio show of Darlene Victoria Gonzalez, owner of A Virtual Perception. This was the first time that I have been interviewed for a broadcast. While I was a bit nervous at first, it was lots of fun and I would definitely do something such as that again. Click here to listen to the interview or go to Darlene's A Virtual Perception website to see what else is there. Darlene has lots of interviews in which you might be interested.
VA4U.com
October 25, 2009
I found an interesting website whereby virtual assistants from around the world can advertise their services. It is VA4U.com. Some of the virtual assistants that I found at Virtual Assistant Forums are also listed here. What's different about this site is that it has flags of the various countries in which the virtual assistants live and run their businesses. This will be a good way to find virtual entrepreneurs from specific countries. You simply click on a flag to find virtual assistants from that country. I'd sure like to find something such as this for other types of virtual businesses, however. Many of the students whom I teach do not want to be virtual assistants. They are interested in various product and service businesses. One thing I have noticed about this site, is that not all of the "businesses" listed here are real businesses. Many people who have listed themselves here are looking for a job rather than looking for clients for their businesses. Many listings here also point to dead or invalid websites.
Virtual Assistant Forums
October 9, 2009
I discovered a fantastic community of virtual assistants today. After browsing through the site for a while, I thought that this would be a good place to publicize the research that I am conducting that will lead to a virtual entrepreneur book. I corresponded with Tess, founder of Virtual Assistant Forums, who gave me some valuable feedback and suggestions. After implementing her suggestions, Tess posted information about my research to her members, and the responses started coming in from everywhere. These were the first responses that I received and I am eternally grateful and encouraged. Thanks, Tess!
It's About Time
August 22, 2009
Every time I teach my Virtual Office Careers & Technologies class, I think to myself that I should write a book specifically for this course. I think to myself, "How hard could it be?" and then another year goes by where I don't start working on the book. This course is only offered in the fall semester of each year and it could take a while for the book to get picked up by a publisher. Even if I am self-published, it could be a year before the book is ready for students, which means that I need to start NOW. If I don't start it now, it will likely be two years before students can benefit from the book. Well, I've finally decided that THIS will be the year when I finally write this book. After all, I've been writing this book in my head for several years now. The only way to get it out of my head is to finally get it on paper. I've never done anything like this before, but I am confident enough (or naive enough) to believe that it can't be all that hard. The hardest part is getting started, which I am about to do. I've even lightened my teaching load so that I will have more time to write. I've also written down some professions that can be done virtually and now I just need to find entrepreneurs who actually do that. Since I don't know any virtual entrepreneurs personally, I guess I'll start by surfing the Web. Wish me well.