Operating a small business can be a lonely venture especially if you’re doing it from your home based office, and doubly daunting if you’re involved in an on line selling venture. I know this to be fact as I’m one of those entrepreneurial spirits venturing into cyberspace and working where thousand have gone before – The Internet. (And you thought I was on the USS Enterprise with Captain Kirk, didn’t you?)

Here I sit, day in and day out, with very little contact with the outside world. There are times when the ringing of my phone startles me, as I’m so immersed in proofreading or editing a chapter for an author, that the sound literally makes me jump three inches off my chair. If it weren’t for my trusted network of Virtual Assistant buddies and coaches, I’m sure I’d feel as isolated as a mountain climber stranded at the top of Mount Everest would. Yet it doesn’t have to be so and I’ll share some secrets with you on how to maintain your sanity while working in (and traveling through), cyberspace.

Use Instant Messenger and Get a Buddy System Going.

Using an instant messenger service to chat with other like minded business owners is invaluable in my humble opinion. Not only can I chat ‘virtually’ with other Virtual Assistants, I can also check in with my clients if they too are using the same system I am. It saves valuable time for me as I don’t have to look up my clients telephone number, stop what I’m doing, and physically pick up the phone and call them, only to get their voice mail saying they’re out of the office at the moment. With one click of my mouse, I open either MSN Messenger or Skype, and with another click I have them on line. Boom! I’m then able to type in a message that goes directly to them.

Having a virtual ‘buddy’ is even better. Early on in my business I was extremely fortunate to connect with a super fellow Virtual Assistant, Jef Keep, of Daily Planet Virtual Services (http://www.dailyplanetvirtual.ca). Not only has he become a trusted friend who helps keep me ‘sane’, he’s also proven to be a very reliable resource whom I can ‘buzz’ through MSN Messenger should I need help resolving a work related issue. Having virtual contacts like Jef has saved me hours of time by providing instant solutions rather than my having to research on the net on how to ‘fix’ the problem.

Another caveat of agreeing to participate in Go Completely Virtual Conference team is that I now have many other wonder VA’s whom I can contact through Skype should I need to draw on their individual areas of expertise in business. So, get hooked up to an Instant Messaging system and get ‘buzzed”.

Make Friends with Another Like-Minded Web Business.

So, you’re selling antique silver tea settings on line... and so is Susan, Tom, Harry and a few other hundred (or thousand), other businesses. But consider this: is there anyone else conducting a complimentary business that could be tied in with your own line? Sometimes who you perceive to be a competitor can actually become a virtual business partner if you approach them with a terrific cross sales opportunity that will benefit both your businesses.

You’re selling beautiful antique silver tea settings that you find at local auctions and painstakingly restoring them to their once magnificent splendor. Then one day, while surfing through the net looking at your competitor’s sites, you stumble across a site that sells exotic, high quality tea blends. Wow! Just imagine how much you both could increase your sales margins if you connect with this person and agree to add links to each other’s websites. This is a prime example of cross-selling and all it takes is a little surfing to find a suitable fit for your own online business. Why not display their logo with a hyperlink and a brief message telling your customers who this new business is and why they should visit it? Not only will your own business come across as being friendly (after all, you’re sharing your valuable website space with another business, aren’t you?), you’ll be offering a complete full package deal to your customers. Trust me – people love a ‘one stop’ shopping experience as it’s a well known fact that most customers who purchase on line are in a hurry and want to save time. Why else are they shopping on line if not to save their valuable time?

Working online has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s how you tackle these challenges that will make or break your business. Consider using online collaboration as another key to your success.