Surviving the Storm: Creatively Staying Afloat During the Economic Crisis

PRLog (Press Release) - Nov 29, 2008 -
By Cecile Hairston, Team Double-Click® Staff Writer

Layoffs; cutbacks; 401(k) savings accounts drained as the stock market plummets.  The unemployment rate is announced to be at a 16-year high…

It is no wonder that the questions you ask yourself just about every day are, “Am I going to make it?”  “Am I going to even have a job next month?”  “Will my business be in business next month?” Business owners struggle to keep afloat.  Against this backdrop, the daily headlines scream “Bailouts Will Push US into Depression,” “USA 2008: the Great Depression,” “Is the US Headed toward the Second Great Depression?”

By all indications, the American economy has entered into a period of economic recession.  Many blame the extreme covetousness of the predators in the banking industry.  Others blame the folly of home buyers for falling prey.  Still others just down-right blame our government.  Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, economic experts unanimously say the same thing: tough times are here, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Now individuals, families and businesses alike are faced with the task of re-evaluating the way things are done.  Streamlining – making changes toward increased efficiency - is now a requirement for surviving this economic storm.  Team Double-Click’s® modus operandus provides an effective way of doing just that.

Team Double-Click® is a virtual staffing agency, working with tens of thousands of virtual office assistants across the USA and Canada.  Through its thorough screening process, Team Double-Click® provides professional virtual office assistants and professional real estate virtual assistants for businesses.  

For the Business Owner
Marketing and business gurus encourage businesses to learn from the mistakes made by business owners during the first depression.  Many warn that the greatest mistake is doing nothing.  They explain that companies that went under, or lost their lead after the first depression, had foolishly imagined doing nothing would lead to stability and lowered risks. Team Double-Click’s innovative model provides an appropriate and effective response for businesses by helping them shave dollars off their budgets, contain costs, and streamline operations.  Team Double-Click® clients have even seen as much as an 80% savings by using virtual assistants.  One client explains, “Having Team Double-Click® virtual assistants handle the majority of my administrative tasks has cut over $100,000 from my payroll and provided better skills and talents, better accountability, organization, and stability.”

How is this possible?  Clients are able to reduce overhead costs because they:
•   Pay only for the administrative time they use – even when the virtual assistant(s) are on standby;
•   No longer have to buy desks, computers, telephones, and other office equipment;
•   Are able to entirely eliminate their
•   health insurance, sick time, vacation time, plus other benefits;
•   Greatly reduce other operating expenses such as electricity and other utilities; and
•   Can continue or even increase their marketing, as recommended by the marketing pros, by using virtual assistants to perform these tasks as a much lower cost than an in-office employee.

For the Independent Contractors
Team Double-Click® provides savings to its contractors (virtual assistants) as well.  A contractor eliminates many of the everyday expenses that an individual would incur while commuting to the traditional office every day.

For starters, an immediate benefit is saving hundreds of dollars per month in gasoline expenses alone.  A contractor could realize savings ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per year in vehicular upkeep expenses.  There is also savings on maintenance, parking, insurance, as well as on reduced wear and tear.

Oh, did I mention savings on the expenses for all those power suits, dry cleaning costs, power lunches, or just plain old lunch?  Plus, for those who can work around a spouse’s schedule, there are savings on childcare costs, or, at minimum, a reduction in the cost of childcare. Lastly, as a Team Double-Click® independent contractor, one has the benefit of additional *tax deductions.  These may include:
•   Deductions for expenses like paper and printer ink, etc.
•   Operating and depreciation expenses on their homes;
•   A percentage of the rent or mortgage;
•   A percentage of the property taxes, insurance and utilities;
•   A portion of the household maintenance, repairs or household expenses; and
•   Expenses from using their vehicle (gas, insurance, depreciation).
* Consult with a tax accountant to get professional advice about which expenses are tax-deductible.

Without a doubt, the recent upheavals on Wall Street have caused companies to go into a complete state of shock.  Outsourcing to companies such as Team Double-Click® allows businesses and families to be more focused.  Inevitably, by cutting costs and streamlining expenses, the Team Double Click® model will play a critical role in helping to move from this state of economic storm to economic calm. To read more about how Team Double-Click® has put these very tactics into play during this economic downturn, please visit Team Double-Click® - Surviving the Economic Storm.

About Team Double-Click®:

Team Double-Click® provides virtual administrative assistance businesses. Visit Team Double Click’s Web site at www.teamdoubleclick.com or phone 888.827.9129. Click to receive your free report, 101 Ways To Work With A Virtual Assistant.
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