In today’s business world, there is no cookie-cutter job description. The way people work varies vastly depending on their field and the nature of their work. In fact, from entrepreneurs to salespeople, freelancers, frequent business travelers and beyond, many modern professionals rarely even require a physical workspace anymore. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need some of the physical office fundamentals. Enter: the virtual office. A non-cookie-cutter solution to a non-cookie-cutter challenge, “virtual offices” offer the ability to maintain a professional business image – like a fixed corporate address and mail management, a solid and professional phone system and access to ad-hoc meeting spaces – without incurring the costs of a physical workspace. So, why use a virtual office and how can it help your business?

Landing a new client is an awesome feeling. It means a direct contribution to your business’ bottom and it’s generally the culmination of the expenditure of significant time and resources. But it’s only once the dotted line has been signed that the real work begins, because client retention can be a challenging balance. Fear not. There are some simple tactics you can implement to ensure you’re keeping your clients happy. And while not every client relationship is the same, your chances of success skyrocket when you implement The 10 Commandments of Client Retention.

Here’s the bad news: you send emails that your customers, clients, and colleagues misinterpret and it’s having a negative impact on your relationship. We hate to say it, but it’s true. We’re not saying it happens all the time. But a study by The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people could only correctly interpret the tone and mood of an email, on average, 50% of the time. On top of that, people believe they’ve accurately interpreted the tone of an email 90% of the time. That means that, even if you’re happy 100% of the time, the recipients of half the emails you send might interpret them as frustrated, agitated, irritated, upset, unhappy, or just “meh.” And nine times out of ten, they’ll think they’re right about it.