Our Notebook

We’re fake-virtual…

Business • Erin Mitchell

So, if you’re reading this blog post, you probably know a bit about us: we’re The Portal, a virtual workforce of intelligent, professional and dedicated administrative assistants, directed by experienced, strategic and process-driven managers. We provide executive-level administrative assistance, customer service support, back-end office management and project management to our...

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Overcoming Self-Doubt

Business • Erin Mitchell

Why is it so easy to push someone else’s agenda, and so hard to push yours? Why do we work ourselves to the bone in the pursuit of a company strategy, but find it hard to even get started on our goals? One of the reasons (among many I’m sure,...

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A Guide To Holiday Client Gifting

Business • Erin Mitchell

Ah…holiday gifting…a phrase that strikes panic into the heart of many a small business owner. How do you show appreciation for your clients in a thoughtful, yet on-brand way?  We all know no one needs one more ‘knick-knack’ on their desk, but branded elements are visual reminders of your business....

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Lawd it hot!

Business Summer • Erin Mitchell

Here for us in Jamaica, summer means many things – the obvious heat, less traffic (school’s out!), mangoes, to name a few. As business people, there are other problems – vacation requests, increased absenteeism, seasonal changes in sales and our unique ‘EmanciPendence,’ situation. So, drop the temperature on the a/c...

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I’m still waking up at 6am. Not by choice mind you, but that body clock is hard to change. My routine remains the same: 9am – 5pm. Well…almost the same, I get to the office about 45 minutes to an hour later than my last job. Moving into your own...

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We’ve all seen those memes that have a really frustrated face and the copy, “When they call you, instead of just texting.” Over several years, with cell phone data plans and wifi becoming common-place, most of us have moved from phone calls to text-based (SMS, instant messaging, email etc.) communication....

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How much is your time really worth?

Business • Erin Mitchell

While we WISH we could even contemplate uttering a statement like that, most entrepreneurs are not as in demand as Linda Evangelista was in her heyday in the 1990’s. The statement is extremely bombastic (cue the Shaggy, it's a real word), but sometimes that's how we need to think about how we value our time.

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