have small purchase limits ( for instance , Fancy Hands will only make a purchases up to $ 100 ). Fetch has no limits . If your credit card can take it , so can Fetch . They ’ ll securely store your preferred payment method , shipping information , and preferences for things like frequent flyer accounts and airline seat selections . Fetch assistants are skilled at finding coupon codes , low prices , and generally saving you money .
Fetch is more than a buying assistant , they are your complete purchasing concierge . I run all of my purchasing through them at this point which means that if I EVER have a problem with a purchase , I just send a quick text ( yeah , you can do that ) to Fetch , tell them what happened , and then they deal with the return process . It ’ s that simple .
Six months ago , Fetch purchased a new refrigerator from Home Depot for us and when the water dispenser stopped working , I sent Fetch a text and they got it fixed . How much time did that whole process take me ? About 30 seconds .
Best of all ?— Fetch will run you about $ 10 / month . 4 . Rev
Audio transcription is a tedious and inefficient process for most
VAs , particularly if there are multiple speakers . Rev is a simple service that does one thing , transcriptions . Whether you need a podcast transcribed or just want to record the next chapter of your book while driving to work , Rev will do it for $ 1 / minute and get you an accurate transcription within 24 hours .
Rev also has a really cool Zapier integration so you can automate the entire process , turning a recording on your phone into a document that then gets placed in your Evernote , Dropbox , or posted to your WordPress blog automatically . 5 . Amy
Did you know the average number of emails required to schedule a meeting or phone call is 8.1 ? That ’ s an absurd use of email and , worse , your time . Scheduling was the bane of my existence — then I met Amy . Put amy @ x . ai in the CC field of any email and Amy does the rest . Amy knows your availability , office location , Skype ID , and favorite coffee shop . Most importantly , Amy knows better than to schedule back to back meetings that are at opposite ends of town .
Amy will get in contact with the other party ( or their assistant ), find a time , place , and schedule the event . Honorable Mention - Cloe
Cloe is my text concierge buddy and I ’ ve never seen a service deliver so much by SMS .
Cloe provides people with personal recommendations of places to go or things to do .
A month ago I was meeting a friend for dinner and texted Cloe “ we ’ re on the corner of 15th and 3rd and I ’ m with a friend , we want Mexican food .” The response about 90 seconds later “ Hey Ari , nice to hear from you again , well it ’ s a little bit of a walk but La Lucha is in the East Village , it ’ s a great spot and you HAVE to try the Carnitas Tacos .”
The speed , accuracy , and delivery of such specialty knowledge cannot be replicated by a virtual assistant pouring over Yelp reviews .
The only knock on Cloe ?— she ’ s only available in New York , but look for that to change soon .
The Fundamentals
Brandscaping :
SUPPLEMENT CONTENT
Unleashing the Power of Partnerships
BY : ANDREW DAVIS
Brandscaping is a big , infectious idea — a new marketing methodology that begins with one simple observation : a rising tide lifts all ships . In this groundbreaking book , media and marketing visionary Andrew Davis shows you how to partner with other brands and undiscovered talent to create content that drives demand for the products and services you sell . Davis dishes up dozens of case studies showing how all types of individuals , companies , and brands have tapped into the power of brandscaping to achieve unparalleled success , often using resources already at their disposal .
Teams of Teams
New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
BY : GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL In this powerful book , McChrystal and his colleagues show how the challenges they faced in Iraq can be rel evant to countless businesses , nonprofits , and other or ganizations . The world is changing faster than ever , and the smartest response for those in charge is to give small groups the freedom to experiment while driving every one to share what they learn across the entire organiza tion . As the authors argue through compelling examples , the team of teams strategy has worked everywhere from hospital emergency rooms to NASA . It has the potential to transform organizations large and small .
SPRING 2016
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