ROCK STEADY SUPPORT — virtual assistants & marketing minions
ϟ Cassie Oswald & Hillary Weiss | A dynamic do-all duo, ready to tag-team your every digital desire — from styling your WordPress site to queueing your tweets to prettifying your PDFs. Perpetually prepared to assist (I think they sleep in shifts.)
ϟ Gretchen Christy | Platinum-level virtual assistance for professional coaches. Hire her while you can — her roster fills up fast.
ϟ Ali Rittenhouse | She’s the creator of Geek Labs — an online training program for virtual assistants — and she’ll turn you into a bonafide Geek Goddess. Talk to her about booking a Boutique Tech Retreat, for you & your team.
ϟ Solamar Marketing | A do-it-all online marketing & virtual assistance agency, for solopreneurs & small crews. They handle everything from affiliate network set-up & search engine optimization to market research & customer service. So slick. So pro.
ϟ Erin Wigger | She heals sick WordPress themes as her alter-ego, Your Blog Doctor. Perfect for those times when you need a quick digital spruce-up, not a full-on re-launch.
ϟ The International Virtual Assistants Association, Elance, HireMyMom, Fiverr and good ol’ Craigslist are a few (other) excellent places to find a life-changing assistant. (You’re welcome.)
YOUR DIGITAL PRESENCE — graphic designers & web coding geniuses
ϟ Pollock + Vo | These two gals create stellar websites with a lovely, fresh design sensibility. (Ms. Pollock is also a talented illustrator, who did all the graphics for my first book. Grateful, forever.)
ϟ Natasha Lakos | Creative direction & identity design for people who want to make an unforgettable impression, online & off. Her work is distinctive, crisp & elegant—like a couture evening gown, gone digital.
ϟ Marie Poulin | Beautifully feminine (but not frilly) web strategy, design & code. She’s got her eye on the user’s experience, and her attention to navigational flow really shows. Did I mention she plays Gaelic rugby? That, too.
ϟ Amanda Farough | I do have a soft spot for brainy Canadian ladies, but that’s not the (only) reason I’m recommending Ms. Farough. Her web design work is thoughtful, inviting and beautifully spacious. She’s a total nerd. And that’s a high compliment.
A few more web design virtuosos …
ϟ Paul Jarvis from twothirty (he’s the most sought-after designer I know. And designed this site, yo!)
ϟ Jamie Varon & Nicole Antoinette from Shatterboxx
ϟ Sarah J. Bray & her A Small Nation crew
ϟ Alessandro Locatelli & Sara Lando from Paper Moustache
ϟ Teresa Aguilera from Spindle Desco
FAME, FOCUS & FREEDOM — business coaches & sweet inspiration
ϟ Melissa Cassera | It’s rare to find a publicity consultant who actually walks her talk. Melissa is a fame magnet & legitimate PR Rockstar — with the magazine features & TV clips to prove it. If you want to become an undeniable industry celebrity, work with her. No further ramblings. Just do it.
ϟ Sarah Von Bargen | This gal built a mega-successful lifestyle & travel blog from scritchity-scratch — and if you want to take your blog from ‘happy hobby’ to ‘holy-hot empire,’ she’s the one to know. A single Solution Session with Sarah will set you up with a can’t-mess-it-up plan for blogging domination, right down to cleverly-crafted post titles & sanity-saving checklists. YES.
ϟ Michelle Ward | A life-altering career coach with theatrical verve, vim & vigor, and a heart the size of Central Park. Under her tutelage, I lunged from 9-to-5-er to full-tilt entrepreneur. I am forever indebted to Ms. Ward.
ϟ Erika Lyremark | Procrastinators, beware. Erika’s 30-day Morning Whip program is a tidal wave of motivation for your business mission. Erika’s motto? “No Whipster left behind!” Put simply: you WILL make major progress. Or else.
ϟ Maria Ross | Sky-high-level branding, marketing & communications strategy, with a focus on startups and petite-sized businesses. Check out her signature branding intensive, and find out what makes your business irresistible.
ϟ Dyana Valentine | Do you know your SuperConditions for Greatness? Dyana can help you discover them, and your life & business priorities will never be the same. You should probably talk to her, like, immediately.
ϟ Hiro Boga | Transformative energy techniques that are anything but “woo-woo.” I adore her impish spirit and unending compassion. Become Your Own Business Adviser — her foundational program for entrepreneurs — is a gift to the world.
ϟ Danielle LaPorte | She’s a bestselling author, an outspoken fire starter, and the creator of Your Big Beautiful Book Plan. Get on her list. Read all her work. Prepare for white-hot revelations.
ϟ Marie Forleo | Marie’s business-building programs are impeccable. Her commitment to her audience, ironclad. She delivers precisely what she promises. And you rise to meet her, there.
PROFESSIONAL SCRIBES — word nerds, galore
A handful of writers that you oughta hire … (’cause I don’t have clones … yet!)
ϟ Ana Ottman : Traveling biographer & copywriter
ϟ Kelly Parkinson : Creator of Copylicious
ϟ Emma Alvarez Gibson : Creative gun for hire
ϟ Ashley Ambirge : Saucy copywriter & content strategist
ϟ Corinne Bowen : Writer & editor extraordinaire
ϟ Lori-Ann Claerhout : Ghostwriter & editor (Not to mention: Canadian.)
ϟ Nikki Groom … wants to write your webcopy & start (your) revolution.
ϟ Jen Larsen … is funny as all get-out. (And can channel the voice of your inner comedian, too.)
TOOLS OF THE TRADE — apps to run your business tickety-boom
ϟ Freckle | Detailed time-tracking and billing for you and your team. Monthly memberships start at $12 (or, try it free for 30 days). If you’re billing by the hour — or want to track how much time you’re really spending on various projects — Freckle is an invaluable tool.
ϟ Satori | A human-friendly scheduling & billing tool designed especially for coaches & consultants. Because filling your calendar (and getting paid) should be eeeeeasy.
ϟ Ruzuku | Their tagline says it all: “ridiculously easy online course creation.” If you’ve been yearning to bundle your talents into an online class or e-course — but techie woes have stalled your progress — this could be your saving grace.
ϟ 1ShoppingCart | A sophisticated digital product distribution & affiliate network system, with a highly-accessible customer support team. Lock down a 30-day trial (with unlimited phone support) for $3.95. No brainer.
ϟ PulleyApp | Not ready for a multi-tiered shopping cart with zillions of bells & whistles? Just want to sell e-books, mp3s or digital artwork and get cash in your PayPal account — end of story? PulleyApp is your new best friend.
ϟ Skype & eCamm | Record video-chats and face-to-virtual-face brainstorming sessions with eCamm, a $20 Skype plug-in (for Macs only). Then share your footage swiftly (& privately) with …
ϟ Dropbox | Lots of storage space. Attractive user experience. And it’s super-easy to invite folks to view private folders and download docs, audio files, images & videos.
ϟ 4shared | To distribute hefty audio & video files to multiple customers, I dig 4Shared. It’s not exactly “pretty,” but it’s functional and frugal. You can direct customers to multi-file download pages (where they can download files individually) or group files into tidy .zip files. Another file storage & distribution option: Amazon Web Services.
ϟ eFax | Fax tax forms & non-disclosure agreements (or grocery lists, or love letters) … through the Internet. Magic? Pretty much.
ϟ LastPass | Need to share your credit card info, log-in passwords or other sensitive details with a Virtual Assistant? PLEASE use LastPass. Not email, or Post-It Notes, or smoke signals. Safe, secure, practically uncrackable.
ϟ TweetDeck | Got a product launch coming up? Or an extended vacation? Want to systemize your social media usage, and spend less time doing … whatever it is people do, all day long, on Twitter & Facebook? Pre-schedule & automate messages to blast out to your fans & followers, while you snooze. A nearly-identical alternative: HootSuite.
ϟ Scribie | For quick ‘n (not so) dirty audio & video transcription, the fine folks at Scribie commit to a 24-hour turnaround, at $1.50 a minute. And if it ain’t perfect, they do it again, for free. Hard to beat that action.
Want a backstage tour of my business?
You’re in luck — I spill all the not-so-salacious details in this mighty-detailed post. Enjoy.
Want (even) more?
If you’ve got a few bucks to blow, you could buy a moderately-priced bottle of wine (& perhaps you should) — or, you could grab one of my highly-inspiring wee-books. Or, you could do both. At the same time.
Thanks for being in my orbit.
xo.
