Darn it, we still can’t get these Flash files embedded, but here’s another link to another great tip!

This week we show you how and where to change the font size and color for your Wordpress content.

Check it out here!

That’s right! It’s our very first Quick Tip for Wordpress! We’re having some issues with our Flash Embed plugin, but that’s not stopping us!

Click here to view How to Change the Background Color for your Wordpress Site. You’ll need Flash Player to view it. Enjoy and feel free to comment!

Note: This video was created using the Jing Project.Thank you to Serena of Virtual Business Solutions On Demand for sharing her find with us!

So my lovely white-trash neighbors have already started celebrating Halloween. They filled their yard with 2 blow-up spook houses, real, fresh-dirt graves with headstones, and creepy blaring music that repeats every 20 seconds. It’s a nightmare on my street. And dear GAWD, it’s only the 3rd week of September? Oh, right…they put these decorations up last week, my husband reminds me.

When we took our garbage bins to the curb last week, I remarked that it looked like “Devil Christmas” in their yard. My husband laughed, but I was serious! These people have Halloween lights in the shape of spider webs and ghouls in every window! As if the 2 blow-up spook houses weren’t enough…

It seems their yard has become the new hangout for the neighborhood children….should we worry about this? Maybe they like having 10 kids traipse through their lawn until the sun goes down? I dunno…seems a little creepy to me. But then again, the fact that they like to celebrate Halloween so dramatically and so early is creepy in and of itself.

We do have to give them credit, though…the music is off and the houses are deflated by at least 8:30, and they don’t turn it all on every evening…thank gawd! I guess in their excitement over Devil Christmas they have some bit of brain in their heads.

Want to know the most hilarious part? Of course you do. For the last 2 years, we have had a total (total for BOTH YEARS) of 7 trick-or-treaters. Yep. Seven. Siete. Seize. Na-na. But we did have several houses sell on our block, and several families with young kids moved in. Damn it. Guess that means I have to actually give out the candy this year instead of eating it myself…poo.

That’s right! It’s been a crazy week at MHD getting ready for the grand opening of RAINFLOWER COMPANY, Floral Artiste Extraordinaire Mirella Veltri’s exciting new flower boutique!

If you’re in the Toronto area, please stop in and partake in the deliciousness. It will be a fabulous good time with prizes, champange, and yummy sweets!

Drop by Rainflower’s new website and order a bouquet for someone you love!

I’m not one to bring politics into business, but I would like to proudly proclaim that as a business owner, woman, and plain old citizen of the USA, I support Barak Obama for the next President of the United States.

There. I said it. Don’t agree with me? Fine. But don’t slander a good man in the name of lifting up a rich, pompous bastard. And all of you know that’s what McCain is. If he becomes president, it’s likely I won’t be able to express myself like this on my blog, nor will my husband and I be able to afford to support our family.

Barak is in support of small business owners and women. He is more middle-class than McCain will ever be. He IS the minority and he knows what we’ve all been through.

I read a comic strip once that said, “Voting for president is like trying to pick the best mosquito out of the swarm.” Yes, Barak might have his own set of shortcomings, but come on, people! He is the best choice we have. And personally, I think he’ll do a darn good job.

Oh, and this whole “lipstick on a pig” thing is out of control. McCain’s people need to shut the hell up and focus on their own problems – like choosing an inexperienced twit for vice president. Wow. Nice choice, McCain.

Ok, that’s all I really have to say. Mostly I wanted to publicly proclaim my support.

I’ve talked a little bit about the booming new world of Virtual Assistants thus far in my blogging endeavors. I started thinking that maybe my readers do not realize just how many virtual assistants I have worked with. Maybe my average reader/site visitor doesn’t understand why I keep rambling on about how I know so much about VAs and their branding mistakes.

Well, let me tell you…I have worked with a lot of virtual assistants. When I say a lot, I mean a. lot. Now, that does not, by any means, make me a VA expert or guru or anything like that. Just trust that I have seen my fair share of branding blunders (if you’ll excuse the alliteration). I still have a fair number of VAs coming to me for logo design, etc. wanting me to “brand their new business.” I completely understand why I would be asked to do this (Hello!? I’m a graphic designer!) but a lot of VAs have the wrong idea about where branding actually begins.

Branding does not begin with the designer (thoough designers are hired to help make the brand recognizable and unique). Branding begins with the business idea.

Ok, so you want to be a virtual assistant. Great. There are now what, 5000 or so known VAs? Fabulous. How are you going to stand out from the crowd?

“Standing out from the crowd” does not mean you have a slick new logo that looks like no one else’s. Standing out means that you have a niche. A corner of the market that you are ready to take on. Your niche is an area of expertise that you latch onto and brand your new business accordingly.

Branding is mentioned all over the Web, but I would like to express my personal view on the subject. Branding, in its simplest form, is what everyone else thinks about you. Not what you think about yourself. Branding is more than just a logo and some letterhead. Branding is your business name, your website, your work style, your communication style. It is the promises you make, the way you treat clients, and the things you say in forums and on blogs. It encompasses all that is you and your business.

In short, branding is not something to be taken lightly, and waaaaaaay too many virtual assistants do just that.

If you’re reading this now and you’re considering starting a VA practice, I urge you to consider your branding the most important part of the start up process. It will help you decide how, where, and when to market. It will help you decide what kind of website you will need, and it will help you create a stable and lasting image for your business from the very beginning.

I’m planning a few more posts for virtual assistants, and then it’s on to other things. Don’t forget to subscribe for updates.

As a side note: You don’t have to have tons of cash to build your brand, but there are some things better left to the pros. If you aren’t a designer, hire one to create your logo. A designer (especially one that has served literally almost 50 VAs in some fashion) knows what is out there already. A designer can create the proper files for printing and web production. A designer can create a memorable icon for your brand.

I’m not just saying that because I want to design more VA logos. I’m saying that because I have been there. I have seen what works and what doesn’t. Budget money for your logo to be designed by a pro. You won’t regret it.