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November 16, 2014

Countdown To The Holidays-How to Minimize Stress Series

November—It’s all about the gifts

Last month we spoke about the importance of your lists and getting answers so this month you can move forward and implement those decisions.

This month it is all about the gifts—purchasing, wrapping and planning how to get your gifts to the recipients.

Do yourself a favor and first read my blog about how to choose gifts and which type of gifts to give (Better To Give Then to Receive—Gift Buying Tips http://wp.me/p1SRiE-1J) so you get information I didn’t rehash here but it’s just as important to your holiday attack plan:

First—Decide what to get each recipient

If you’re buying for your employer’s gift list you have some options: 1) Bring in a corporate gift buyer or personal shopper. They will make an appointment and presentation. A store like Tiffany’s has a Corporate Gift Department or any sales assistant in most Beverly Hills boutiques (insert your high-end shopping district here) or department stores would be happy to do this for their store; 2) Ask your employer to specify what to get people on their list; 3) At the very least, get an approximate budget and ask them to give you an idea of what that person likes (Favorite colors? Favorite authors? Do they like to cook or entertain? Approximate age? Wine person? Hobbies? Anything feedback will be helpful to you.)

Next—

Hit the computer and the streets. Shop with the intention of having all gifts before Thanksgiving, which allows time for returns and before your shopping mobility is severely hampered by the masses. Get in the stores early. Wear comfortable shoes. Map out your route and pay for parking with security so your packages are safe. Get your shipments early. You’re okay too if you get it done by Dec. 1 but it takes serious prioritizing of what gifts go out first. Sign up for Amazon Prime. It’s worth the money.

Tip 1) Don’t get caught up in the store shopping for your gifts. Take a photo and keep moving. Stay focused on your mission. I’d always overspend in stores I couldn’t afford and usually could find the item cheaper online later.

What else to plan for in advance?

Gift boxes—You need containers for every gift you buy. The only exception is a bulky child’s toy (i.e. bicycle), which can get over-wrapped in a red holiday bag. Pay for gift-wrapping whenever possible or go to somewhere like Box City and buy white gift boxes (not brown) to wrap. Higher end stores wrap for free, include a gift receipt or label and will indicate whom your gift is for with a post-it on your wrapped gift so you can attach a gift tag later. Always ask for boxes when you buy gifts. You can order gift boxes at www.uline.com and you can return what is not damaged. You can also drop off all of your gifts somewhere like Paper Source in Beverly Hills but prepare to pay a premium.

Shipping boxes—If you are not hand-delivering your gifts, then you will need shipping boxes but these you may not have to buy. A little planning ahead makes the difference. Remember last month’s master gift list that indicates who is getting their gift hand-delivered vs. shipped? Here is where that column is handy. First determine how you are shipping to each recipient and the size of the box you need based on the gifts you bought. Shopping online? Often you can re-use the Amazon box the gift came in – just take ALL old shipping and bar code labels off first. Can you use a flat rate box from USPS? Just purchase and you can cram them full for the cost of the box (not the weight like other shippers). If you’re shipping Priority with USPS, those boxes are free. Fed Ex and UPS have free boxes too for certain types of shipping. Make sure you open your shipper accounts, do your labels online so your packages are trackable. Online accounts save your contacts for next year. Then call for pick up!

http://www.fedex.com/be/shippingguide/packaging.html

https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail-flat.htm

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/ship/packaging/forms.html?srch_pos=2&srch_phr=free+boxes&WT.svl=SRCH

Tip 1) If you ship Fed Ex ground within your state most recipients will get their boxes the next day (if you ship before Dec. 1). Don’t pay for next day shipping before then.

Tip 2) After Dec. 22nd even if you pay for next day delivery it won’t arrive then, no matter what they promise and you pay for.

Tip 3) I have found Fed Ex to be much more reliable than any other shipper out there and you can reach live customer service operators.

(More on shipping in next month’s blog.)

Green options—Another option for gift boxes is putting a gift in a re-usable container like a lidded basket or holiday tin. Then you only have to tie a beautiful ribbon and tag around the container. Gift bags with drawstrings can be nice as well. Quality wine bags with ribbon are simple, elegant and a quick go-to gift. An envelope with a bow can contain a gift card with minimal packaging.

www.papermart.com

Your Wrapping Tools—Ribbon, gift wrap, gift tags, packing material, tape and scissors are necessary tools. If you are not good at wrapping, hire someone who is. (Hint: Bubbly wrap or loosely wrapped packages are considered badly done.) Give them a workspace and their own tools. Don’t by less materials hoping to save money. There’s nothing worst than not having everything you need and having to run out to finish a shipment. Just use it next year or share your excess. My favorite resources are:

www.papermart.com

www.papersource.com

www.kelleypaper.com

Tip 1) Forget the pop-up hand tape contraption-when you’re wrapping quantity it just gets in the way. Use a tape dispenser that is weighted so you can grab and cut tape with one hand.

Tip 2) Real two-sided satin ribbon is so much easier to work with, so much prettier and cheap when you buy in bulk.

Tip 3) Only buy ribbon in two sizes, 1” (for smaller packages) and 3” (for bigger packages).

Tip 4) Buying plain red, gold or silver paper with green, blue and red ribbon has you covered for Christmas or Hanukkah gifts. Don’t bother with patterned papers (considered tacky for adult gifts).

Tip 5) Tie on Tags vs. Stickers—Stickers are tacky and your employer’s high-end friends know this. Tie on tags are best and yes, a real pain too!

Tip 6) Remember to use the word “Holiday” vs. “Christmas” on tags and cards to be respectful of everyone’s traditions.

Tip 7) Keep track of the gifts you’ve bought and keep them secure. I always had a designated closet or office that locked at holiday time. The cleaning crew or others were not allowed in. Otherwise, things have a habit of growing legs and walking off. And for some reason, no one will fess up to seeing an iPod prancing out of the door.

Tip 8) Keep your receipts in one place. Even if it is a Ziploc, keep all holiday receipts together. People will come to you and want to return/exchange their gift, (especially if you’re buying from the boss and they don’t want him/her to know.) Give it to them but keep a copy of the receipt for your employer’s tax accountant with the recipient’s name on it and mark business or personal. You don’t want them thinking you bought yourself a new iPod!

Tip 9) Buy Red, Silver & Gold Sharpies for the holidays. They come in very handy for tags and gift envelopes.

Looking Ahead at December—

Shipping off your gifts—plan to do this no later than the second week in December. Prioritize all perishable gifts to go first since people leave to visit relatives a week before the holidays and offices close.

My related blogs—

Better To Give Then to Receive—Gift Buying Tips

http://wp.me/p1SRiE-1J

Last Minute Giving on a Beer Budget

http://wp.me/p1SRiE-33

November 1, 2014

Countdown To The Holidays-How to Minimize Stress Series

October—It’s all about the lists

This month it is all about the lists and getting answers you need to make the Holidays happen. The foundation of any good Holiday season is an accurate list. I’ve listed what has helped me for 25+ years, things you may want to consider to have your lists rocking and rolling. And yes, you don’t need one more thing to do, but if your lists are clear it’s a lot easier to get extra help and delegate what needs to be done.

Gift Master Database-Assistants Holy Grail

What comprises the list categories? The key is to make this a quick reference for years to come. Your list should contain:

First and last names
Category for relationship (vendor, family, staff)
Gift decision (or card only) this year/last year
Who is buying the gift (you or your boss)?
Gift card message
Shipping or hand-delivery?

Remember, you need these answers for every gift you give.

Who’s on the list?

Family/Significant Others– (This year–did someone have a baby, get married, die or divorce?) Make all changes before giving the list to your employer
Work Related Folks—Make sure you have a crew list or project lists of those who your boss worked with this year and ask, “Who do you want to add from that list?”
House Staff—Housekeeper, Butler, Nanny, Driver, Chef, etc, etc…
Vendors (home and office) make sure to give your boss a list of those who regularly service their home and office—mail person, water delivery, gardeners, handyman, pond, pool man, newspaper guy, etc. These are people that are not staff, but are outside vendors who service the house/office regularly. Will they get a gift card? A check? A greeting card? What amount? Does your boss lunch at regular restaurants? Does the Maître ‘D get a holiday tip? Your go-to Starbucks employee? You might get a little crazy here but a comprehensive list is best and your boss can always delete them. Hopefully, they will appreciate you bringing people to their attention since this is the time of the year the real ballers show their gratitude for the special service they’ve been getting all year, and want to continue to get.
Offices—Don’t forget the office personnel where your boss frequents: Doctors, lawyers, PR firms, accountants, and the assistants you deal with regularly? A group gift sends a message that is appreciated all year long.

Greeting Card Master Database—

It is usually safe to assume if they are on your boss’ gift list, they will want to send them a card. My clients usually have two card lists—1) Business holiday card and, 2) Personal holiday card. Make sure you are clear on which one for each person on their list.

But wait, there’s more!

Make sure the addresses are correct and current
How formal does your boss go? Mr. & Mrs. or just first and last names? (If first names, find out significant other’s proper names now).
Determine: card design; greeting sentiment; hand-signing or printing?
Who is printing the card? What is their turnaround time? (Card should go out the 1st week of December.)
Is it a photo card? Make the appt. for the photos shoot now.
Buy the stamps and laser labels and possibly get the envelopes early from the printer so you can start addressing them. Make sure you’re clear on the return address you’re using on the envelopes-home or office?
And if you’re using Paperless Post or similar online service, get those emails now.

And stay tuned for November’s blog next week—It’s all about the gifts!

November 1, 2014

Countdown To The Holidays-How to Minimize Stress Series

COUNTDOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS

October—It’s all about the lists

Gift Master Database-Assistants Holy Grail

What comprises the list categories? The key is to make this a quick reference for years to come. Your list should contain:

First and last names
Category for relationship (vendor, family, staff)
Gift decision (or card only) this year/last year
Who is buying the gift (you or your boss)?
Gift card message
Shipping or hand-delivery?

Remember, you need these answers for every gift you give.

Who’s on the list?

Family/Significant Others– (This year–did someone have a baby, get married, die or divorce?) Make all changes before giving the list to your employer
Work Related Folks—Make sure you have a crew list or project lists of those who your boss worked with this year and ask, “Who do you want to add from that list?”
House Staff—Housekeeper, Butler, Nanny, Driver, Chef, etc, etc…
Vendors (home and office) make sure to give your boss a list of those who regularly service their home and office—mail person, water delivery, gardeners, handyman, pond, pool man, newspaper guy, etc. These are people that are not staff, but are outside vendors who service the house/office regularly. Will they get a gift card? A check? A greeting card? What amount? Does your boss lunch at regular restaurants? Does the Maître ‘D get a holiday tip? Your go-to Starbucks employee? You might get a little crazy here but a comprehensive list is best and your boss can always delete them. Hopefully, they will appreciate you bringing people to their attention since this is the time of the year the real ballers show their gratitude for the special service they’ve been getting all year, and want to continue to get.
Offices—Don’t forget the office personnel where your boss frequents: Doctors, lawyers, PR firms, accountants, and the assistants you deal with regularly? A group gift sends a message that is appreciated all year long.

Greeting Card Master Database—

But wait, there’s more!

Make sure the addresses are correct and current
How formal does your boss go? Mr. & Mrs. or just first and last names? (If first names, find out significant other’s proper names now).
Determine: card design; greeting sentiment; hand-signing or printing?
Who is printing the card? What is their turnaround time? (Card should go out the 1st week of December.)
Is it a photo card? Make the appt. for the photos shoot now.
Buy the stamps and laser labels and possibly get the envelopes early from the printer so you can start addressing them. Make sure you’re clear on the return address you’re using on the envelopes-home or office?
And if you’re using Paperless Post or similar online service, get those emails now.

And stay tuned for November’s blog next week—It’s all about the gifts!

October 15, 2014

Quick and Easy Tips to Organize Yourself

The single most important trait of any good assistant are good organizational skills. Having systems and following through with them alleviates your mind and remedies needless anxiety. Let’s face it, you have enough to worry about.

When you are moving every minute of every day, responsible for hundreds of details, managing others and making sure your boss is not encountering any hiccups, do you really want to stress over remembering where you put that phone number on that slip of paper? How many of you have woken up in the middle of the night sucking in all the air in the room because you just remembered something you forgot to do?

Here’s are my personal Top 5, Cannot Live Without, tips to stay organized:

Tip #1: Write down everything. Use the same book and keep it with you ALWAYS. This way there is no doubt where your notes are. I recommend a book that fits into your laptop bag or purse.

Tip #2: Make yourself an end-of-the-day plan for the next day. Make this list while your priorities are fresh in your head because I guarantee you, there will be new “surprise” items to deal with in the morning. This will keep you from forgetting those holdover items.

Tip #3: Before quitting time, transfer your daily notes into your appropriate systems. Phone numbers written down hastily in shorthand that only you can read should be put into your contacts or onto call sheets with their full name; to do’s should be put on the list for tomorrow; and tasks that were completed should be crossed off.

Tip #4: A status email should be sent to your employer at the end of the day. This should include calls they still need to make or return, appointments for the next day, vendors who may be working at their home the following day, papers to be signed; and anything else important you were not able to communicate to them during the day. This list is a big help to you as well. Note—Never assume it got read by your employer, but you can read it to them in the morning and it’s a great CYA move.

Tip #5: Keep a “hot” folder that has all the paperwork you need to deal with immediately. Even if items carry over to the next day or week, you know where to put your hands on those that are most urgent.

While the brain is an assistant’s most valuable asset, give it some much-needed help! Trust in your processes so that when you cannot remember, you know where to look.

Sign Off

May 19, 2014

Have You Been Replaced by a Twenty-Year-Old?

I am finding more and more people my age, who have been assistants for years, wondering “now what?” “Is that all there is?” “I can’t work for someone 1/2 my age,” and even worst, “but I can’t afford to retire.” This is a common and very real situation. But like most of us, unless you trained to be a doctor or lawyer or entrepreneur, there is an expiration date for your career. The newer Hollywood types are hiring the younger assistants who they can better relate. You would think they would want experience over youth, but I have found that is not so. I repeat, as the needs of older people are winding down, most new employers are younger and want someone who they can relate to. And frankly, if you’ve been an assistant for five-plus years and are a quick learner, you have what it takes to navigate the needs of celebrities or a younger employer because they don’t know what they’re missing.

When I talk to my fellow assistants, many of us wished we had put aside more savings or taken advantage of other opportunities that came our way. The real problem for Americans is that when retirement comes knocking, we can’t afford to retire. If you worked for individuals instead of corporations, you may not even have a 401K or pension plan (pension what?).

So my advice is no matter how young you are, set up your own retirement plan by cultivating talents you have now that you can make a business out of later. Start doing the business (on the side) and while you have a safety net. Here are some thoughts: Do you create amazing parties; find cute and unique party favors? Do you handle gift buying and have sales people in all the top stores as resources? Do you have a list of the top vendors in your city to use? Do you edit or write for your employer? Do you organize your employer? How are you at booking travel and setting up unique experiences for your employer? Light bulb alert! Any of those things could be a business.

The playing field is more level than ever before for new business owners due to the receptivity of online businesses. No longer do you need to pay rent for a brick and mortar store. Now people do everything online. So I strongly recommend that while you are employed, figure out what your exit strategy will be and work towards that. While the people we support are wealthy, we are not. Get a plan in place and make that a priority—remember to do something for you.

Do you have an idea to transform into a business? Please share it by leaving a comment.

December 20, 2013

Last Minute Quality Giving on a Beer Budget

How fast this time of year has come…again! It’s cliché to say how time flies, but this year I can honestly say it really did, faster than ever before. So here we are in the midst of the holidays with 2 days until Christmas, Hanukah is over and the New Year looming. I have put together some good, quick (and cheap) ideas for gift giving because any assistant knows, the best rule of gift giving is to make sure it is something the person would like want or need instead of something you think they should have. And this blog is for you, the assistant.

The busiest time of the year for an assistant is the holidays. Not only are you responsible for your own regular duties, but you must now add handling holiday cards and often hundreds of gift buying duties. (To date, the smallest amount of gift giving I have been responsible for are 80 gifts and December is always a blur). For years I’d end up spending way too much money doing last minute shopping for MY family. Aside from toys, it became very hard to find inexpensive gifts on such short notice. Here are some ideas.

Have you visited your local Goodwill store lately? Yes, you heard me right.

Here’s what to look for—

1) Ugly pictures! Yes, but take out that cheap piece of “art” and replace it with a photo you’ve taken of someone in your family. Depending on the size you can get the frame for $2.00 and the photo for $.25. Or you can spring for the canvas print option, where your photos are printed on ready to hang canvas. These start at $13.00 for the 5×7 size. Walgreen’s, CVS, Kinko’s offers this quick print option and same day printing. Or online check out www.shutterfly.com, www.zazzle.com, or www.vistaprint.com.

2) Mugs and commuter coffee cups—Pair a clean, unscratched mug with a $10 Starbucks gift card. Mugs cost about $.25 to 2.00 and some are often new. If you want to splurge you can buy someone a stainless travel mug with their photo on it for $12.99 at CVS, Walmart or Costco. Better yet, a photo of you and your bestie. Just supply the photo of you and your friend’s mug.

3) Set of dishes—A teen just getting started would appreciate these but don’t get them grandma’s china. It is also perfectly acceptable to mix and match. Even more appreciated if it comes with a grocery gift card.

4) I have found one or two collectable books in the book section, but this takes a bit of time and patience. But you can find some a book for everyone’s taste.

Lobster Gram, Cheese Club, 1-800-Flowers, Beer-of-the Month, Wine-of-the-Month—it’s an online smorgasbord!

If it’s really crunch time, get online and buy a gift and take advantage of their “print it now” option to print a gift certificate that tells them their gift will be arriving soon. Try to present it as a gift that you print on nice paper, put it in a pretty envelope, and tie a bow on it! Done.

www.livelob.com, www.1800flowers.com/Christmas, http://www.greatclubs.com

Gift Cards—

Once it was thought to be impersonal to give a gift card, but they are so customized now you can get a specific card to anyone’s favorite store. Make it even more thoughtful with an accessory. Maybe pair ear buds ($10 Best Buy or Walgreen’s) with an itunes gift card $10. Pair a usable tool or paintbrush with a Home Depot gift card if someone is fixing up his or her home. Dinner and a movie (give Subway and AMC) gift cards. Of course, the price is up to you with gift cards, but remember to put thought with it and it will be appreciated. And you don’t have to go to a million individual stores. You can get most cards at any gift card carousel at any major grocery store (at least in Los Angeles you can).

Magazine Subscriptions—

Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Sign someone up for a gift subscription, print out the certificate notification, and attach the current issue of the magazine. Easy breezy and fully customizable to someone’s personal interest because there are magazines for planning your wedding to bass fishing. Remember, what do they like? Cooking? Traveling? Self-Help? Hint–look for coupons online before purchasing. You almost never have to pay the price on the card that falls out of the magazine.

http://www.magazinediscountcenter.com

Kinko’s—

Have you been there lately? The best gift I ever gave to my family was a calendar with all of our birthdays noted. On the top of that family member’s month was photos of them that I had or they had posted on Facebook. On the front was a collage of photos of all of our family members. I knocked out 25 gifts in one fail swoop and they are still asking for another calendar. Who knew? It took time, but it was much easier than tromping around the mall. And I could upload it all to Kinko’s website and picked it up 2 days later. Check out your local Kinko’s where you can get many quick and personalized gifts. Bring your iphoto library and order away!

www.fedex.com/office

A Donation Has Been Made In Your Name To—

There is always an organization that can use money to provide desperate help to others. The Red Cross is an international organization that shows up to every disaster and helps those in need. But there our countless others that may hold a soft spot in the heart of your gift recipient. Maybe they’ve had a family member die from a disease and you can donate to the organization that is working to find a cure. You can pay and print out your donation card to present to your recipient. The amount you donate is unknown to the recipient. And you get a tax write off. This is especially good for the person who has everything and many people benefit from one gift.

The bottom line is that the holidays really are NOT just about giving. I find that when I am together with people I care about, or reconnecting with them just because it’s the holidays, it confirms the sense of love and caring we all have for each other even if we don’t talk regularly. It reminds us all how connected we are—old and new relationships. And find gratitude in everything, even that difficult family member. Be grateful that you’ll only have to see them during the holidays!

Have fun, hug your family and really see and appreciate them. I appreciate you, everyone who has kept up with my blog. Happy 2014—here I come!