Improve Your Business by Checking Out Your Competitors

Make your business even better by looking at what your competition is doing. Learn what new services you can offer, look for areas of improvement, and explore your pricing. 

While keeping up with the Jones in the real world may not always be a wise choice, keeping up with your competition as a virtual assistant is. It’s even better, though, when you can find ways to stand out from your competition. One of the best ways to begin that process is by exploring competitor websites. This will help you improve your own business in all the ways below and more.
Learn New Services to Offer
As a virtual assistant, you’re essentially a “Girl Friday” for your clients. You’re the person they turn to to get all kinds of things done. The more skills and talents you have to offer, the more in demand you will be. That’s why it’s important to check out your competition and see how your service offerings compare.
Look for Areas in Need of Improvement
You should also be able to determine which skills seem to be in higher demand according to prominence or placement on your competitor's site. Do these high-demand areas represent weaknesses in your own offerings? Are they skills you could stand to brush up on or improve? You should become a perpetual student as a VA – always expanding your knowledge and skill base in order to offer your clients more valuable services. It will improve your demand and allow you to command a more lucrative fee for your services.
Explore Pricing and Structure
It’s important to make apples to apples comparisons when checking out your competition. You’re looking for people with similar skills who are going after a similar slice of the market. This will help you determine if you’re price is within the average range or a little on the low or high side of the market.
This is not all about your fee for services, but also about learning what kind of pricing structure your competitors are using. Do they have different prices for each service? Do they charge an hourly rate? How do they determine their rates and how does your system stack up?
Explore Differences in Services Offered
It’s important to know if you offer services your competition does not so you can look for ways to capitalize on the differences. You want to stand out as someone who has more to offer. Pointing out your unique skills and talents is an important way to make yourself more appealing to people in need of a full-service VA.
Do Your Competitors Specialize?
Are your competitors specializing in one field? If so, could you benefit by expanding your offerings to multiple fields? If not, should you consider offering specialty services in a field you have a wide range of experience working within, such as banking, bookkeeping, real estate, legal services, medical services, etc.? Will that make you more valuable as a virtual assistant?
The key when exploring the websites of other virtual assistants is to find ways to be the more attractive option for potential clients. Keep that in mind above all else when checking out the competition.

Written by Stephanie Watson
twitter.com/stephaniewatson
With more than 20 years experience working from home in a variety of roles such as HTML Website Designer, Internet Marketer, Template Bender and Virtual Assistant, today Stephanie is an author and content strategist who organizes, plans, writes and implements content strategies for business owners through her business Barry Publishing.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Music school

One great choice for a work-at-home mom business is to be a music instructor. This is a lucrative career move when you do your research and take the right steps toward success. It's a mistake to think you can be successful without the necessary music experience. There are also other mistakes to avoid.

Mistake 1 - Using Rote Teaching Methods
One mistake to avoid is to teach in one linear way, with no variation. If you think that starting every student with the theory of music and then moving to the history of music and so on will work, this is a mistake. It is boring for students, doesn't take into account the experience level of the student and does not engage the student.
Mistake 2 - Teaching Music Instead of People
A second mistake to avoid is to think of yourself strictly as a 'music teacher' instead of a coach, a mentor or even a creative guide. The point is to remember that your students are all individuals and have come to you for the purpose of learning something beautiful.
Each student is there for their own reason and has their own learning style. It is up to you to discover that purpose and learning style and to guide them on their individual journey. Along the way, you get to be creative too, by tailoring each lesson to the individual.
Mistake 3 - Only Teaching One-on-One Lessons
Whether you are a piano teacher or teach violin, avoid the mistake of offering only individual lessons. There is much to be said for providing group lessons. Students gain more by learning from their peers, as well as from you.
Group instruction is more fruitful for you and less expensive for the learners, which is motivation for them to continue lessons longer than they normally would. Don't discount one-on-one lessons all together, but be open to different instruction formats.
Mistake 4 - Ignoring the Business Aspect
A very common mistake of work-at-home business owners is that the business aspect often gets ignored. What this means is that you end up spending so much time doing other things, you forget to market yourself and grow your business.
In order to be fully successful, you have to spend time each week planning for your success. This means having goals and revisiting those goals regularly. Have a marketing plan. Work with other small businesses in your community on collaboration efforts; offer to teach a group class at their facility if they provide the referrals, etc.
Mistake 5 - Not Spending Time Reviewing Your Recidivism Rate
The one thing you want to do is to keep your music learners as long as possible. It's a mistake to believe that your students will stay engaged in music lessons without any effort or thought on your part.
The more you engage your students and the more they learn and progress with you, the higher the likelihood of them continuing lessons. Besides repeat business, this is where your referrals will come from (an important part of any business).
Working to avoid these mistakes and focusing on growing your business will bring the success you want.

Culled from the internet

Court Sacks NFF President Pinnick, Orders Giwa To Take Over

                                                     Amaju Pinnick

A Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, has nullified the election that brought NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and his board
Justice Musa Haruna Kurya delivered the ruling on Friday over the re-listed suit challenging the election process of September 30, 2014 in Warri.
Before the elections in Warri, Christopher Giwa, in controversial circumstance had been declared new President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) through another congress in Abuja.

In 2015, Justice Ambrose Allagoa, who presided over the hearing, had ruled that the election as well as the congress preceding it were against his orders and ordered the plaintiff Christopher Giwa to return to office.
But FIFA was watching and warned Nigeria will be banned if the court ruling stops the newly-elected executive committee of Amaju Pinnick from working.
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, had called parties to a peace meeting where he pleaded for the crisis to end and prevent Nigeria from an imminent FIFA ban.

When change becomes chains

It is often said that the shouting side is the winning side.

 If you are a reader of the holy book, you will notice that there are many life changing cries that people cried. When a nation cry unto God for change, things begin to happen but when the change become chains as a result of national bewitchment or brainwashing,is it really a cry unto God?

It is written, Proverbs 24:21-22

 "My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to CHANGE: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?"

 When a nation have problems but does not see them but nations around that nation sees it,then it is an indication that the nation is in chains

Why should a nation be shouting CHANGE  when Everyone in that nation are in CHAINS?

Comparing President Obama's "change" slogan to Gen. Buhari APC's "change" hypeis a deception of the highest acrimony

The "Change" slogan of Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) and the change of President Barack Hussein Obama's use of the change concept during his 2008 countrywide presidential campaigns in America. Much could be leamed from the Obama's model, which was obviously well researched, historic, understood, and timely applied and brilliantly launched on the political platform of the Democratic Party. For instance, the Obama's popular phrase, "Yes, we can" and the "change" catchword were focused on the electorate's change of heart, attitude, or mindset, aimed at all the various races, peoples, languages, and their related contradicting complexities of cultures, values, lifestyles, beliefs etc, rooted in the "American Dream" that had since melted into the American (Federal) union under a democratic central government. It is important to observe that the Democratic Party in the U.S. has been in existence for well over 200 years when Barack Obama, a young intellectual African American came up with the persuasive liberal "change" conception. And indeed it did resonate well with the citizens' traditional social ideals centered on equality, democracy, and material prosperity. It was not an empty, meaningless slogan in the hands of sloganeers given to a change for their own personal interests, ambitions and selfish dreams. It took Mr. Obama over a couple of years to clearly explain the "change" idea to fellow Americans, especially racial, religious and powerful interest groups and social institutions; taking his message of "change" to a wide spectrum of diversified enlightened audience, through planned public talks, speeches, lectures, interviews, organized televised debates and the like. In the end, the "change" idea was bought by the American electorate when he was handed a resounding victory over his closest opponent, Senator John McCain of the Republican Party to become the 44th and current President of the United States, and the first African American to hold the office. 

 Change starts when someone sees the next step." Yes, Mr. Obama saw the next step and seized the moment to launch his political vision of "change," which worked for him and the society. Does the Obama's scenario compare in any way with that of APCs Buhari, the former Nigerian military who today occupies the political centre stage as the chief agent of "change"?

 It is almost a year now in office,our President Buhari has not really changed anything.Electricity is getting worse by the day and the scarcity of petrol is worse. At this stage,how will the Apc or MR PERFECT bring change for Nigerians in 2016 when we are not seeing the change? Where will such a change start?

 According to the scripture above,we are warned against people meddling or associating with those who have conspired to bring about sudden change in society. It goes further to strongly warn of the destructive consequences that await such "radicals", who appear to take pleasure in pursuing a dangerous course to subvert the authority of a democratic government through unconstitutional means. When the retributive power of God and the King (government) kicks against the prospect of such a hideous "change", nobody can predict how "it all will end."Are Nigerians in change or are they in chains?

I am only trying to make sence

I remain yours

Dipo Olatade.

Zika Virus Fight: White House Shifts Ebola Cash, Blames Congress

Federal officials say they're taking $500 million aimed at fighting Ebola to use against Zika instead because Congress won't approve new funding.
They said the risk of Zika is too serious to wait for Congress to appropriate the $1.9 billion the Obama administration has asked for, so they are moving $589 from other projects for immediate Zika use. But they said they'd continue urging Congress to OK the full amount.
" Months have passed and the situation continues to grow more critical," Shaun Donovan, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told reporters on a conference call.

"Today we reiterate our call on Congress to take immediate action to provide the full requested amount. We must scale up Zika prevention activity right now."
The White House didn't detail how the $589 million would be spent. It said $510 million of the money would come from funds that had been allocated to fight Ebola, which is still spreading at very low rates in West Africa.

Don Jazzy to headline workshop in Zimbabwe

Boss of Mavin Records, Don Jazzy  will be headlining 'Africa Unite Through Entertainment Workshop' in Zimbabwe starting on April 21.
 The workshop will include a city tour and a video shoot. There are two days of workshops, one for musicians and another for producers.
Don Jazzy  has some of the biggest continental stars in his stable including Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid, D'Prince, Di'Ja, Reekado Banks and Korede Bello.
Mavin Records produced the popular Dorobucci in 2014.

Outrage after four US men charged with raping 9-year-old

Four men have been accused in Utah of raping a nine-year-old child while her mother smoked methamphetamine, in a case that has prompted a furious outcry and appeals for calm.
According to a statement by the Uintah County Sheriff's Office, the rape took place on March 27 as the mother was visiting friends in the town of Vernal, east of Salt Lake City, and went to the garage to smoke drugs while her daughter slept on a couch.
"During that time, the child was taken into another room in the home where she was raped by the four men," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The men, who were living temporarily at the house, were later arrested and charged with rape and sodomy.
They made their initial appearance in court on Tuesday and are scheduled for a bail hearing on April 11.
The case has led to a public outcry in the small town and beyond, with some calling in social media postings for the four men to face a firing squad or be hanged.
The calls for vigilante justice prompted the sheriff's office to appeal for calm on Monday in a statement on its Facebook page.
 "The interest and concern over the case of victimization of a nine year old girl in our county has been overwhelming and unprecedented," the statement said. "Occasionally, there are incidents that we face that are shocking to the conscience, and this case has certainly been one of those for us all."