Those of you that have been reading here for awhile know that I’m a believer in building your business website on  the WordPress framework (and strongly recommend the Headway theme).  But articles like this one that I read this morning always prompt people to ask, “Is WordPress Safe…is it Secure?”

My answer ? Yes, absolutely.  So how do I explain 30,000 websites being hijacked as the above mentioned article described?  A combination of sloppiness and lack of knowledge.

Because WordPress makes it super easy to create a website, tons of people are doing just that, but unlike  self proclaimed geeks like me, they aren’t aware of some of the simple things that you must do to secure your site. It’s not a weakness in WordPress, but rather sensible ‘housekeeping’ type tasks that should be done on every installation.

1. Create a unique username.  Don’t use the standard ‘admin’ user name.  If it was created automatically, create a new user with administrative privileges with a more unique username and delete the admin account once you’ve logged in with the new one.  For even more security in your username use upper and lower case letters and a symbol or two thrown in for good measure. 

2. Create a tough password. It should be at least 8 characters in length and a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and a symbol or two thrown in there for good measure.  Refrain from using family names, names of pets or birthdates as this information can usually be discovered pretty easily.

3. Change the Database Tables Prefix. With most WordPress installers, the SQL database name has the default prefix of wp_xxxxxx.   Hackers know that and that’s why many of the security attacks that take place exploit this default.   Changing the prefix protects you from this type of infiltration.  An easy way to do this is to install Website Defender WordPress Security Scan and Secure WordPress.  Not only will they help you change your prefix, it also allows you to address a host of other  small items that can help make your site even more secure.

4. Check your file permissions.  Different files and directories have permissions that specify who and what can read, write, modify and access them.  WordPress needs access to some files to work correctly but you don’t want to leave them open to some unscrupulous hacker.  Make sure none of your files are set to 777 which basically gives the world permission to access and change files.

5. Be sure the theme you are using isn’t opening security holes.  If you’re like me, when I first saw all the choices I had for themes I was like a kid in a candy store, but be careful.  Many of the themes that show up in searches for free WordPress themes hold hidden security dangers.  One of the reasons I prefer using a premium theme is the attention the developers take with the security aspects, including updates when they become aware of new vunerabilities.

6. Keep WordPress, your theme and plugins up to date.  The reason for the updates are often because a new security vulnerability has been found and  fixed in the new update.  This is why it’s important to do regular maintenance on your WordPress website.

By taking these six relatively simple precautions you close the door to security breaches and can breathe easy building your website on WordPress.  But what if you’re not the one building your site?  I’m sure there are plenty of people that have paid good money to have someone design a WordPress site for them only to have a security vulnerability take down their site months or even years later.

Make sure you ask whomever is building your site on WordPress what kind of security precautions they take in the building of your site.  They should quickly be able to explain how they address the first five items on the list above.  If not, you may be dealing with someone who’s building sites on WordPress without understanding how to insure your website security.  Building any type of website without taking security precautions is just sloppy. If you don’t want to have to deal with updates, you may want to find someone who offers maintenance for WordPress sites like I do.

Regardless of those 30,000 hijacked WordPress sites,  you can be assured with a few small precautions it is a safe and secure choice for your site.

I think we’d all agree, free is good. When you’re a small business, especially when you’re first starting out, the mind is boggled by the abundance of free stuff on the internet .  In fact, it can be a big help for strapped for cash entrepreneurs.  Services like Dropbox and Skype can be budget savers when you’re first starting out.  And of course there is all of that free information.

I’ve discussed reasons to be cautious about getting all of your learning for free on the internet, pointing out that it can end up costly in terms of time spent seeking quality information and/or taking erroneous advice.  Today I felt it was time to discuss another reason to be cautious of free.  It can increase your security risk on your computer and network.

Before you give in to the temptation to download all of those nifty free programs, forms and templates stop for a moment and consider this:

Most computer viruses are contracted through e-mail and downloaded software.  That’s right, that bit of free software could be hiding something.  Viruses and malware often hitch a ride on those free downloads.  This means the more free stuff you try, the higher the probability of one of them having a nasty side effect.  Up to date virus programs can help, but even then you could be putting yourself at risk if the virus definitions don’t recognize the virus or malware.  Even if you’re lucky enough not to get a nasty virus, some software can mess with your browser settings while installing, changing your default search engine settings or adding  a toolbar you don’t want or need.

While taking advantage of what’s available for free on the internet can be a cost saving thing for start-ups and small businesses, be sure you proceed with caution.  Research  any free software you are considering and weigh the risks to your computer and your business.

If you’re a virtual assistant who has come to view Clerical Advantage as a favorite resource site for the industry, you may have been a bit baffled lately.  On Black Friday, not only did the VA Survival Guide become unavailable for purchase, the VA Survival section of the blog was inaccessible as well.  What the heck?!

It’s not because I’m abandoning virtual assistants in search of help running their businesses. On the contrary, it’s because I wanted to focus a bit more on helping them.  As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m currently preparing for the launch of what I believe will be one of the most comprehensive and flexible training opportunities for virtual assistants anywhere.  So it just made sense that rather than continue to post virtual assistant survival tips on my business tips blog here, that I would move that aspect of the blog to Virtual Assistant Survival School.

So that’s what’s been done.  Right now there are just a few reprints of some of the most popular posts for virtual assistants from this blog, but you can expect lots of great new information to be popping up there on a regular basis.  And of course, Virtual Assistant Survival School with it’s learning courses and modules will be launching soon as well.

Businesses are struggling in this tough economy, and small micro and solo businesses are no exception.  Everyone is thinking twice about spending money, which means they want to see value in you and your services if they are going to spend it on you.  In order to give them that value, you need to make sure that your business is top priority when it comes to what you know and what you deliver. I re-tweeted a post by a friend on Twitter yesterday.  I didn’t re-tweet it because I agreed or disagreed with the latte factor® making one rich.  I re-tweeted it  for an entirely different reason.   To combat the ‘I can’t afford that’ brigade.

You know what I’m talking about.  We’ve all been guilty of it.  You know  business could be better,  you know that you’re lacking a skill, knowledge or even equipment that could make a real difference.  But it costs a bit more than you’re comfortable spending.  So you tell yourself, “I can’t afford that” and you continue as you have been, struggling to find new clients and make your business work.

But how much are you spending on lattes a month?  or maybe for you it’s something else.  Manicures, pedicures or salon visits,  trips to the local fast food restaurant for a quick lunch or dinner, a weekly golf game or pizza delivery are all small expenditures that can add up to big money.  For me it was paying for a wireless air card for two years when I had a wifi hotspot on my cell phone.  Often things we consider small add up in big ways.

Only you can decide how serious you are about building your business.   Is it worth skipping the lattes?

“Start Blogging Today can give you the tools and the steps you need to use social media and a blog to market and promote your business online. Whether you are a brand new to blogging or you have an existing blog, Start Blogging Today will put you on the right path.”

I’ve mentioned here before that I’ve used blogging as a primary means of marketing.  My business is proof that a blog can be effective in finding and signing clients.

And how did I manage to make my blog work for my business in a virtual sea of blogs?

It was a combination of things, but by far the biggest thing was learning what worked for others.   In fact, I’m still learning, still tweaking things in order to make it work even better.

I’ll be honest with you though, I put a lot of hours into searching for the stuff that really works.  Time spent searching, time spent testing out ideas and lots and lots of time finding out what didn’t work.  And trust me, there was plenty of information out there that didn’t help me, my blog or my business one little bit.

Not too long ago, I wondered what it would have been like if I’d found the stuff that works first.  How much time (and yes money) would I have saved?  And how much sooner would I have built success for my business?

And what if all of that stuff that works could be found in one place, and was accessible to me whenever and wherever?   What would that have been worth to me and my business?

I’ve had the opportunity to become part of  a project that can do just that.  We call it Start Blogging Today and it’s a comprehensive six month program that allows you to benefit from people who really know about blogging.   In fact, it’s already being called ‘the best blog training around’ .

It’s also an incredible resource for those that have been blogging for awhile but want to kick it up a notch.  It’s everything from soup to nuts that you need to know about blogging and making it work for you.

And you get to learn these things from the people that I’ve learned the most from…all in one place.

Grant Griffiths, Michael Martine, John Haydon, Danny Brown, Paul Coughlin, and Dr. Patrick MacNamara … and even me.

Enroll now in Start Blogging Today!

Click below to join and get an all-access pass to everything, including the weekly lessons, members forums, live Q&A and video tutorials. Or you can get more details by visiting the Features Page or the Training Page.

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In my last post we explored the idea of figuring out just what business tasks that you can and can’t outsource to a virtual assistant.   In today’s post we’re going to take it a step further with tip #2.

Top Secret Tip #2- Understanding Your Unique Needs- It’s Personal

That’s right, I said ‘personal’.  Having a good working relationship with someone isn’t as simple as knowing what tasks you can assign to them, it also has a lot to do with you. Or your personality to be more exact.

Before starting that search for a virtual assistant, you need to honestly assess what your own needs are personally. I’m not talking about having a virtual assistant make your dentist appointments and dinner reservations.  I’m still talking business here.  So what exactly is it that I’m talking about?

Knowing what work style you have and what you’re going to require from a virtual assistant.

Start out by asking yourself questions about your own work style.  Can you assign tasks and leave them in the capable hands of someone else to complete?  Do you require step by step updates or will one or two updates during the course of the project or task be sufficient?  Are you comfortable with communication that is done mostly via e-mail?  Are you a micro-manager?   Knowing the answers to these questions can be crucial to finding success working with a virtual assistant.

If you’re the micro-manager type and need to have your fingers in all aspects of every part of your business, let me be honest here and say that I don’t believe virtual assistance is going to be your cup of tea.   But you don’t have to be laid back to the point of hippie-tude in order for a VA to fit your style either.   Just be realistic.  A daily progress report isn’t too much to ask of most virtual assistants.   But contacting them via e-mail, instant messenger and voice mails several times a day can be.  Remember, you’re not their only client.

Can you handle the fact that your virtual assistant may not be able to address your project immediately? (and the fact that if you require a rush project you may be charged extra for it?)  Again, a virtual assistant schedules their client projects, which means they can’t always drop everything and attend to your latest emergency?   Most VA’s will try to get you what you need, when you need it, but sometimes it may prove impossible for them to give you immediate turnaround on a task.

If you go into the relationship being understanding of that and trying to get projects and tasks to them well in advance of deadlines, you and your VA will be much happier.   Also be aware that a lot of virtual assistants give their retainer clients priority.  So if you’re on a project by project basis with your VA , it may take them longer to address it than it would if you’ve paid a retainer for a set number of virtual assistance hours a month.

Can you work with someone who doesn’t have the same ‘work style’ as you do without it driving you nuts?  If not, then you should make it a priority to try to find a virtual assistant with a work style that is either close to yours or works well with yours.

While we may not immediately think of the importance that our personalities play in a good working relationship, we can’t deny that in the end it can be as important as the skills and abilities that we possess in how well a business relationship progresses.

Be sure that you’re aware of just what your personality requirements are going to be before going off on a search for a virtual assistant and you’ll be one step closer to that ideal virtual assistant experience.

Success in business often comes down to preparation. Success working with a VA is no different and we’ll address it in the next Top Secret Tip.

Last week I posted about the dismal reports I’d gotten on bad virtual assistant experiences and short lived VA/Client relationships.  Today’s post is the first in a short series of posts that are going to reveal some secrets to by-passing the bad experiences and going straight to enjoying the benefits of a having a great business relationship with your virtual assistant.  These are secrets that I’ve learned both by personal experience and through the tales of others.

Top Secret Tip #1:  Understand Your Unique Needs- It’s Business

You’re overwhelmed and stressed. You know it’s time to get some help and you’ve heard that the best way to get it is by working with a virtual assistant.  But before you start your search there are some things that you need to do first or you just may be setting yourself up for one of those VA Horror Stories.

Start by setting aside some time to find out just what is causing all that stress.  Is this something that might be possible to outsource to a virtual assistant?  If so great, if not, examine other areas of your business and find those areas that might be perfect to hand off to someone else.  Just because your business stressors may require your personal attention, you’ll be amazed at how much less stressful they may be if you’re not trying to do all of those other things as well.

In fact, it’s a great idea to outline all of the tasks and areas of your business that are and are not outsourceable, even those items that you aren’t considering handing off to a virtual assistant at this time.  It’s helpful as a business owner to have a clear picture of what tasks truly require your attention and which ones could be handled by someone else if and when the time comes that your business is booming and you need help.

What happens if you try to skip this step and just go hire a virtual assistant?  Well, it’s hard to help someone who doesn’t know what they need help with. Or worse, the item they say they want help with really isn’t doable for the VA.  It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who contact virtual assistants saying they need help but when asked what tasks they need done, they reply, “I’m not sure, I thought you could tell me”.

We’re good, we really are, but we don’t know anything about your business to begin with.  And if you don’t have a clear picture of what you want us to do, it’s going to be darned near impossible for us to help you.

But there is more to working with a virtual assistant than just the business side of things.  In my next post we’ll discuss understanding your personal needs when it comes to working with a VA.

I read an article last week by another virtual professional that grabbed my attention. They stated that while attending an event, they learned that the virtual assistant industry was possibly getting a bad reputation. Apparently tales of bad VA experiences far outweighed the good at this particular event. To add to this disturbing information I then received an e-newsletter in which it was disclosed that the average client/VA collaboration only lasts 6 months. The main reason for such a short lived business relationship? The fact that most virtual assistants have no idea what their clients really want.

Being someone who teaches both how to work with a VA as well as how build a successful VA business, I can see some underlying reasons for these facts.

First, I’m aware that those individuals with bad VA experiences are always going to be quicker to share them than those who have a successful, long term and happy relationship. Sadly, the virtual assistant industry has been wrongly portrayed as an ‘easy’ way to work from home with little or no experience. This means there are a lot of people out there claiming to be a VA who just don’t have the skills, experience and training needed to provide high quality services. I’m sure there are plenty of clients that have had the misfortune of finding that out the hard way, and they are more than happy to share that bad experience with the masses.

As for the brief nature of the VA/Client relationship, although it is possible some of the problem is inexperienced VA’s, I believe it can be traced back to the fact that few clients really prepare themselves or their businesses to work with a virtual assistant. Yes, I said prepare.

Business people who would never consider entering into another type of business arrangement without research and preparation are blindly jumping into the virtual assistant pool with their eyes closed.

A virtual assistant could have the most impressive credentials and references ever and still not be the right fit for your business. If their work style, communication methods and experience don’t match your needs, the relationship is doomed to fail.

What’s the answer? Preparation and effort. But just how does one prepare to work with a VA?

Over the next few posts I’m going to touch upon some top secret points that I’ve found to be crucial in helping businesses looking to work with a virtual assistant. It can also help virtual assistants themselves give clients and potential clients a clearer picture of how to make virtual assistance work for them.

If you’ve ever considered working with a virtual assistant (or you are a virtual assistant) you won’t want to miss this series of posts. Make sure you subscribe to my feed either via RSS or E-mail.

Next post: Understanding the Unique Needs of Your Business and Yourself

Today I want to discuss those businesses and business people who try to save money by doing it themselves and finding it for free.

In my former life as Suzy Q. Homemaker I was famous for saying, “I can make that myself”.  I was an avid crafter and oftentimes I’d see home decorations or jewelry that would catch my eye, but would resist purchasing them with the magic phrase “I can make that cheaper.”  It got so bad that I recall my daughter, then in middle school, making me promise not to say it when we’d go shopping together.

There were two major things I wasn’t taking into consideration when invoking my favorite mantra back then.

• Would I actually take the time to make it?
• What was it really going to cost me to do so?

If I had, I would have realized that not only did I seldom follow through and make any of the items in question, but that the cost of materials and my time far exceeded the price tag to purchase it ready made.

What does this have to do with business?  Everything.

How often have you needed something done and decided it didn’t look so hard, you could do it yourself?  Or seen an information product and not purchased it because you believed you could find the information yourself on the Internet…for free?

While it may be true that you can do it or find it yourself, whether you realize it or not, it’s far from free.

First you have to take into consideration whether you will actually follow through and do it.  Many of the businesses that contact me for assistance tell me the same thing, they always meant to do it themselves, but they just never found the time.  And it’s not just the time to do it, but many times it also included time to learn how to do it properly.  Some even contact me after they’ve tried to do it, but haven’t been able to get the results they desired. They are appalled when they add up the hours they have spent on a project that is less than what they hoped for.

Remember, your hourly rate x hours spent on project =cost of doing it yourself.

There’s something that business owners have a harder time paying for than something they think they can do themselves. That’s information. While they may realize that they need expert information about something, for instance, business blogging or social media, they are usually reluctant to pay for it.  They’re argument against paying for information is that it ‘must’ be out there on the Internet somewhere for free. Right?

While they may be correct in assuming the information they need is out there for the taking, what they fail to think about is how long it may take them to find it. And once found, is it reliable information? Once again you have to use the formula above to determine what it’s going to cost you to find it.  But even more than that, you need to consider just what it may cost you if you stumble upon incorrect information.

In both of these situations, free usually ends up costing you much, much more than hiring someone or purchasing that book or e-book would have.  As a savvy business owner you should always stop and consider the cost of doing it yourself.  In cases like these, free always ends up costing you more than you imagined.

If you think you’re not getting clients or customers from your website, this post might just change your mind. After writing my recent post “Why a Business Website Beats the Yellow Pages (& Earns You My Money)” that same old complaint about business websites reared it’s ugly head again.

“I never get clients (customers) from my business website”.

Although I’ve addressed some reasons a business may not be getting responses to their website in my “6 Reasons You Aren’t Getting Clients from Your Website” series, there is something else that many business owners might be missing.

How do you know you’re not?

Making a decision to do business with someone isn’t always an instantaneous one. The decision might not be made the first time someone visits your site, or even the 2nd. Just because someone doesn’t contact you through your website, doesn’t mean it hasn’t had an effect on their decision to do business with you.

For example, since moving here to North Carolina, the majority businesses that I’ve chosen to do business with I have found via their websites. But guess what? I don’t make a habit of telling the cashier or other contact that I found them that way. Maybe I should, but in the course of my everyday life, I’m often preoccupied and busy so it doesn’t really come to mind to let them know.

I’d be willing to bet that there are more people like me out there.

You might want to look at your business website the same way you’d think of signage. I doubt too many customers or clients mention seeing your sign or tell you that your sign is what made them stop by. But truthfully, if your sign wasn’t out there, they would never find you. Right?

Think of your business website is your ‘online sign’, and realize that even though no one is telling you specifically, chances are it’s leading business to your door.