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November 22, 2016 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Awesome Project Management Apps

project management appsWhether you want to keep track of personal tasks or large-scale team projects, using a project management app can help get you organized and simplify the process. The following project management apps are easy to use and offer plenty of great features…

Asana

A task management app that is great for project management too, Asana allows for an easy way to track work across teams. Review progress of tasks and projects easily, and cut down on the amount of meetings and emails needed. Share tasks lists with your team and keep track of conversations, simplifying communication.

Asana integrates with WordPress, Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, Harvest, HipChat and more. Cost is free for teams of up to 15 people, and premium cost is $8.33 per member/per month with reduced price for small teams.

Trello

This app is easy to use and is ideal for managing ideas, lists and projects. Trello is based on Kanban boards, a system developed by Toyota. It looks great, features drag-and-drop cards, and allows use of attachments, labels, conversations and checklists. Manage several project boards, assign multiple team members to projects and cards, and schedule due dates.

The basic account is free; the Business Class account is $9.99 per user/month and features app integrations, team overviews and more security; Enterprise account is $20.83 per user/month and is ideal for large companies with multiple teams.

Basecamp

A well-known, flexible project management app, Basecamp lets you organize everything you need to get projects done. The app offers a centralized schedule, docs and file storage, lists, message boards and comment threads, real-time chat, automatic check-ins and more. There are multiple project displays, and you can set deadlines, delegate tasks, get notifications, review reports, and easily search for specific information related to your project, team member, etc.

Cost is $29 per month for internal teams, or $79 per month for use with clients and allows separation of internal communication from client communication. Enterprise account starts at $3000 per year and offers lots of file storage, personal account manager, live-demo for your team, consulting on Basecamp, guaranteed uptime Service Level Agreement.

If you have been looking for a way to get your tasks and projects organized, these apps should do the trick. There are plenty of other project management apps out there, but these are visually appealing, user friendly, and offer great options to keep you on track.

Ready to create the changes that will help you move towards living the life you REALLY want? Now is the time to take control of your personal development by eliminating self-doubt. Give your confidence a boost so you can value the life as well as the business you have dreamed of. Contact Kim Hughes when you are ready to Bring Clarity, Balance, and Confidence to your business. Visit KimHughesCoaching.com for details!

Image courtesy of elitatt/Flickr.com

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July 26, 2016 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Top 6 Items You Can Send To Your Real Estate Leads

Business TipsThe real estate world is doing pretty darn good right now and everyone is busy helping their clients take advantage of a great time to buy.  Interest rates are low and that means buyers are looking to get a piece of the action.

So what do you do now that you have all these leads that are just floating around in space with no direction?

You create a plan.

Every agent must have a lead management strategy; which should go something like this….

Leads broken down into 3 groups

Hot, warm and cold

What do you send them?

  1. Market Stats
  2. Invite to put them on your email listing alerts
  3. Introduce them to mortgage lender
  4. Put on newsletter
  5. Call them
  6. Connect with them on social media

These are the main ingredients to having a successful strategy for generating relationships with your leads.  You want to nurture them in a way that speaks to them.  This will be a personal investment, not a canned one.  You have to reach out and give them top-notch customer service to begin with, so they are so impressed they come to you when they are ready to achieve their real estate goals.

A strategy, or action plan should include:

  • Sending out the market analysis each month
  • Creating your newsletter and emailing it to your leads
  • Connecting with them on social media
  • Set them up on your email list alert account.

Right, I hear ya! No time to do all this? No problem – Kim Hughes & Company can help you customize a strategy, create the action plan, implement it and so much more.

Kim and her team of high-level executive real estate virtual assistants want to hear from you to determine where you are struggling. We will offer solutions for your needs and act on them.

Call or email Kim today and let’s schedule a 30-minute complimentary consultation.  You will be glad you did.

Ready to create the changes that will help you move towards living the life you REALLY want? Now is the time to take control of your personal development by eliminating self-doubt. Give your confidence a boost so you can value the life as well as the business you have dreamed of. Contact Kim Hughes when you are ready to Bring Clarity, Balance, and Confidence to your business. Visit KimHughesCoaching.com for details!

Image courtesy of FirmBee/Pixabay.com

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Filed Under: business tips, kim hughes and company, lead management tips, real estate, real estate agents, real estate virtual assistant

April 20, 2016 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Controlling Negativity

Controlling Negativity

Controlling Negativity

Much time and discussion is directed towards eliminating negative thoughts and behavior – but what is the real psychology of negativity? What is the actual cause and the actual remedy?

Life presents plenty of stumbling blocks for everybody, no doubt. It’s how we view them and deal with them that matters. Because how we view life and allow it to affect us, or our egocentricity, is what determines our behavior. Behavior arising from negativity then creates a circle that encloses our thinking and our views of life. Basically, this means our negative thinking has become global, and then, instead of reacting to actual events, we are, in reality, creating them ourselves.  Here are some concepts that we may consider about our personal outlook and how we may control how our ego responds.

Determine your global attitude – is it positive or negative? If you really can’t, your family and those around you certainly can. Negative thoughts occur naturally, but if they occur constantly, your global view is negative. Break the cycle after the first negative thought by recognizing it, and stop what follows, catch the next negative thought and identify it realistically. Stop the globalization of negative thought – everything that happens in life is not negative unless we make it so.

When events occur that elicit a negative reaction immediately, stop the labeling and judging of events as “good” or “bad”  –  simply postpone judgment as “too soon to tell”. Then respond by taking positive action to remedy the “negative” event. Take control.

Don’t allow yourself to think in extremes, that is, don’t embrace a negative thought and “run with it”. Stop. You can’t foresee the future, but you can surely contribute to it negatively or positively. Consciously choose the positive view and break the negative cycle.

Isolate yourself from constant negative input from media. Distance yourself from social media with sensational negative information. Turn off provocative radio shows. Divest yourself from news that highlights conflict.

And lastly, get to work. Create your own positive. Negativity drains our energy and initiative and perpetuates negative outcomes. The best remedy is to spend time creating possibilities that break the cycle of negativity by contributing instead to positive outcomes, in other words, work hard to give yourself nothing to be negative about – hard work creates positive outcomes.

Ready to create the changes that will help you move towards living the life you REALLY want? Now is the time to take control of your personal development by eliminating self-doubt. Give your confidence a boost so you can value the life as well as the business you have dreamed of. Contact Kim Hughes when you are ready to Bring Clarity, Balance, and Confidence to your business. Visit KimHughesCoaching.com for details!

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Filed Under: Blog, business tips, kim hughes and company, real estate agents, real estate virtual assistant

April 5, 2016 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Tidy-Up Your Business this Spring

Tidy Up Your Business

Tidy Up Your Business

Spring-time puts us in the mood to clean up, clear out and beautify our business spaces, not only our physical space, but our virtual spaces as well. Much like spring cleaning in our personal home space, business cleaning will employ the same approaches, but will allow you to have a clear mind as we approach a beautiful time of year.  A new quarter is starting so let’s start off with a clean, organized business.

Begin with whatever physical space you conduct most of your business in – office, home office – where ever you call “work”.  Clearing and cleaning out is infectious, the more you do, the more you will want to do.  It brings you a sense of accomplishment and helps you recognize areas in your business that you need to give more attention to. By beginning in the physical space, our progress will be continually in our sight. Start with your desk, first the surface, then the interior.

The exterior of your office space should be one that is functional for you.  And, only you.  This has to be the place you think, work, plan, dream, so look at your desk – what works for you – what doesn’t?

What inspired me to reorganize my office was knowing it always has room for improvement – and I love seeing what others do to get inspired.

Do you have a filing system – yes a paper filing system?  What is that system? Does it work for you? How can it be better?  I have drawers that I keep files in with information. I need to know where this information is and may touch if occasionally, but not daily, so I don’t need to have it right in front of me. That is the great thing about a filing drawer, right?  There are some files I need to touch daily.  So, I have this great little office organizer sitting on my desk, that has the folders I need at my finger touches daily. It has to be pretty, but also function for me.  My BFF came for a visit, and because she works from home, she was able to bring her office so we could work side by side during the day and visit, work, then play at night.  It was fabulous!   She pulled out the amazing little file organizers, which are called

Tidy Up Your Business

Image courtesy MyThirtyOne.com

Fold and File organizers. I was like WHAT?  It was so cool to see such a great idea that helps us stay organized and mobile!  So off I went to get mine. These sit right on my desk and I can move them from room to room or when I travel, I just take it with me.

Now for my project planner – this is a blog of it’s own, but I have to have a daily planner that works for my brain.  I am in the process of reviewing planners now and I think I have every one on the market so I will keep you up-to-date on what I decide, but just know you need something to put pen to paper to.  If you don’t then have an app that works well for you.  Something like Microsoft OneNote, Google Keep, Evernote, whatever you like – just make sure to use it.  Do not store all that information in your head as to avoid overload.

Make sure you have a system in place and dedicated space for each category of physical material used, file it according to your use, and discard whatever is already completed and recorded, or needs no further attention.  Clean out and organize supplies and then actually clean surfaces and environment just as you would in home cleaning.

The next step is more important – virtual cleaning and organizing. This will most likely take a good deal of time but will make your business run much faster and smoother.  Don’t get overwhelmed…if you need to break it down into time slots – then do that, but devote at least 30 minutes a day to organizing.

First, clear out your email inbox – either save to read later if needed, forward, file or delete until you’re at zero.

Keep your planner near by so you can write down your daily tasks – cleaning your inbox daily is a must.  If you can’t do daily then schedule time in your planner to do 30 minutes every Tuesday and Friday.  This also means your SENT BOX – move those sent emails to the appropriate folder to find quickly as well as the string of emails regarding that topic with that recipient.

Clean up your computer desktop, just as you cleaned your physical desktop. Create folders to organize, save or delete. Clear out subscribed mailing lists no longer needed or of interest.  A good tip here is to create a bogus email, so when you see or need to subscribe to something you can use this email address and check it once a week, in your leisure to read.  When I did this my world and inbox became free of inbox clutter.  When I am the passenger in the car or I waiting on an appointment, having lunch alone, I will jump over to read newsletters, see what stores sent me coupons, what other “stuff” is in there that I want to read, but not necessary or time sensitive.

Examine your auto-pay statements for services you no longer use or need and remove. Organize passwords, perhaps with a password service, then do a backup. I also keep a little planner notebook to write my passwords down or you can create an excel spreadsheet – update it every week and print then put in that cute little planner or file system from Thirty Something.

Next, update social contacts and networks. Review who you are connected to – do you really need all those connections?  NO!  You should have a great list of connections, but by organic methods only.  Know who you are connecting with.  Review and update those social profiles every month or at least quarterly.  And, another little tip – you may be amazed at how much faster your computer runs!

And last, beautify all that wonderful clean and organized space! Whatever appeals to your sense of color, texture and décor, be it flowers, artwork, containers, organizers, or new furnishings, indulge in new and soothing or inspiring elements that lend stimulation or composure to your work space.  You may find that your productivity increases and you also may enjoy working more.  You invest a lot of time and energy at work, why not make it easier, faster and happier!

This is a topic I could talk about all day, but these few tips should help you get going in the right direction and stay tuned as I will be writing more about great tips to organize your business and life by just tweaking a few things here and there.

Ready to create the changes that will help you move towards living the life you REALLY want? Now is the time to take control of your personal development by eliminating self-doubt. Give your confidence a boost so you can value the life as well as the business you have dreamed of. Contact Kim Hughes when you are ready to Bring Clarity, Balance, and Confidence to your business. Visit KimHughesCoaching.com for details!

Image courtesy of Fotownetrza/Pixabay.com

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March 29, 2016 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Work-Life Balance Tips for Women

Work Life Balance for Women

Work-Life Balance for Women

There are many experiences in life common to all of us. And then there are experiences particular to the lives of women. Women have children. Women work, usually for less pay. Women are gifted with the strength and abilities to manage these things all at the same time. Therefore, it can be said that women have a distinct advantage in life, they just don’t always recognize it.

Many successful business women experience the things mentioned above. They just have the unique perspective of seeing obstacles as possibilities. For instance, consider all the frustrating parts of every day, common to us all.  Many successful entrepreneurs came up with a solution for some of them, turned it into a fortune, and they are women. It starts with an idea, always. Then it becomes a dream, and then becomes a passion. Below are some thoughts for today’s women on successfully reaching goals…

Once you have an idea, don’t seek validation for it. It’s yours alone, embrace it. Look for inspiration everywhere.

To single women, don’t let it stop you. You’re already stronger and more prepared than most; your skills are more impressive than a just-out-of-college grad. In the words of Dee Dee Myers, presidential spokeswoman – “I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn’t.” But in reality, it is.

Include your children, make them a part of your business and your journey. After all, they’re a major motivating factor. There is enough parenting guilt to go around; drop it and focus on the positives. Change your perceptions of how a business should be structured, and change your perception of life-balance. Part of being an entrepreneur is being comfortable with changing.

Choose the people in your life carefully, get rid of toxic ones. No time or energy to waste on those. And that includes non-supportive, competitive people as well. Choose people who already have what you want, and learn from them; they shorten your learning curve and give you confidence.

When you meet obstacles, find a detour. When a door closes, don’t sit and stare at it, go through the one that opened.

Don’t let inexperience stop you; growth and comfort cannot coexist. The best successes come on the heels of failures. As Queen Victoria said, “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat”. And she ran a pretty big business that she could not possibly have been prepared for.

Lastly, make time for yourself, even if it’s just to breathe. Your best weapon is a sense of humor. Enjoy your life. And remember, you’re already a super-hero. Do something super!

Ready to create the changes that will help you move towards living the life you REALLY want? Now is the time to take control of your personal development by eliminating self-doubt. Give your confidence a boost so you can value the life as well as the business you have dreamed of. Contact Kim Hughes when you are ready to Bring Clarity, Balance, and Confidence to your business. Visit KimHughesCoaching.com for details!

Photo courtesy of Mark Morgan/Flickr.com

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Kim Hughes & Company offers real estate virtual assistant services to real estate agents by providing strategies with solutions on how to run a successful real estate business including marketing, social media marketing, blogging, not to mention implementing and managing everyday support services.

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