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I watched the final of the T20 cricket yesterday between England and Australia.  It wasn’t as good a match as Australia vs. Pakistan, but as Team Engerland won, I’m not too bothered!  I managed to watch both semi-finals and the final, all in the West Indies, and the one thing I noted was that, beyond the fabulous weather they are having out there, that cricket isn’t as it used to be!

I’m not saying gone are the days of leather on willow, tea at 4pm or grass stained whites, but T20 is a very different format to the game of cricket I grew up with.  Some years ago, Channel 4 in the UK took over the broadcasting of the test series in England each summer and they really did revitalise the broadcasting of, what can be, a very dull-to-watch game.

With T20, the ICC have revitalised the game of cricket, making it fast paced, exciting to watch and very loud and colourful.  Even Lawrence thinks it’s interesting and he is so not a cricket fan.  Watching the crowds in Barbados, I think gone are the days when you could hear the leather on willow and a polite clap of hands as the ball was struck to the boundary.

Virtual working has gone through a similar transformation.  Maybe 10, or even just 5, years ago, working from home was seen as a luxury afforded to those who had the power to ask for and be granted it.  It may have been a bit of a nightmare to get yourself on to the company’s intranet, but for a couple of days a week, you didn’t have to do the commute.  Similarly, outsourcing tasks that weren’t profitable or efficiently done was only available to those companies that had the resources to find and hire staff.  Jo Bloggs Incorporated had to find, hire, train and house people to do the tasks that needed doing each week/month/year and then find them work do to for the rest of the time.

How times have changed.  This great article from Espaço Ávila talks about virtual working, outsourcing, working with a virtual assistant and more.  These options allow start ups and entrepreneurs to grow their business without the usual overheads associated with running a company.  With a Virtual Assistant, you only pay for the time use; with a Virtual Office, you can pay a fixed fee each month to get your calls answered, diary managed and emails checked so that you know what your outgoings are and can budget accordingly.  Having work undertaken by someone other than yourself frees up your time, allowing you to do something that is productive and profitable, or even just something that you enjoy, rather than ending up in tears over a Powerpoint presentation that you just can’t master!

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service.  Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money.  Find out more