I thought I would introduce you to some of those who have undertaken my VATrainer course to become Virtual Assistants and run their own businesses.

This is an online course that runs over a 10 week period and has been available online for a couple of years now.  I have been pleased to see the number of students that have come through and the quality of work they have produced throughout their course.

The first is Kellie and in her words, here is what she felt about the course:

1.  What made you decide to take the VATrainer.com course and how did  you find it?

I wanted to work from home so I could be with my children. As I have a background in administration and clerical, becoming a VA seemed the right thing to do.  I came across VATrainer.com via A Claytons Secretary whilst surfing the net.  This was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn about becoming a VA and what was involved with establishing a home business.

2.  What were you hoping to achieve after completing the course?

To be confident and knowledgeable enough to start my own home business as a Virtual Assistant.
3.  Did you?

Most definitely.

4.  Where are you now with your plans to operate as a VA?

I have been operating as a VA on a part-time basis for the past 9 months, mainly assisting other VA’s with   sub-contracting jobs.  Hopefully, when I get enough clients, I will be able to become  a full time VA.

5.  Would you recommend the course to others and if so, why?

Yes. If anyone wants to become a VA, there is a wealth of information from how to start your own home business to gaining that very first client.

6.  Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

For quite sometime now, I have wanted to be a ‘Work At Home’ mum. Whilst surfing the net to see what was available, I came across VATrainer.com - via A Claytons Secretary.  I thought “This is it! This is what I   would love to do; become a Virtual Assistant and to establish a home business. What a great way to earn a living by being able to work from home and still be able to be there for your children whilst in their early   years”.

I enrolled for VATrainer.com, and enjoyed it from day one.  VATrainer.com provided me with everything I needed to know: from how to start my own home business to gaining that very first client.  After completing the course, I spent the next 9 to 12 months setting up my business – Bloom Virtual Office Solutions.   All thanks to VATrainer.com, and the help of Kathie Thomas, of course.  Without her wealth of knowledge, there is no VATrainer.com.

Nb.. I am meeting my first client face to face next week - he has come out from New Zealand to see that I really do exist!  If it wasn’t for VATrainer.com, I would never of had the confidence, or the knowledge,  to start my own business.

7. Please provide brief intro of who you are, along with your website link, location and anything else of interest.

My name is Kellie Carrier. I am the owner/operator of Bloom Virtual Office Solutions, based in Liverpool, NSW in the Sydney metropolitan area.   I possess more than 15 years experience within an administrative/clerical environment, including providing high level customer sales and service, accounts payable/receivable, and general office administration assistance.   I offer a wide range of secretarial and administrative services ‘virtually’ to small business owners and individuals.   I also have 4 children under 15, which is the main reason I decided to become a Virtual Assistant – so I can work from home whilst spending quality time with my kids.

Website: www.bloomvirtualofficesolutions.com.au

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Professional Development, VA Education | No Comments »

How do you invoice your client and how much information do you give?

I have been using Quickbooks for many years and find that works well for me. Some use MYOB or other bookkeeping systems. Some use Paypal.

Whatever system you use I feel it’s important to itemise your invoice to the client so they know/understand where the time has been spent.

If you received a phone bill for $150 but no detail of how that figure was accumulated you would be wanting more information. The same applies when invoicing your own clients.  Make sure you give them the information that is important to them.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

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Hi everyone, I’m getting back into things. Graham has returned to work this morning (although he was reluctant :-D) and I’m spending the rest of this month just sorting through emails, accounts, updating myself on everything and then back with clients from 1st July.

Thank you to those team members who supported my clients in my absence - very much appreciated.

I’ve uploaded the FoVA photos I took to my Facebook profile and I invite you to go and have a look.  I’ll gradually add all the names to everyone that I can.

The event went very well although numbers weren’t as high as Barb Lang had hoped for. Last year I believe she had around 75 but with the current economic situation and possibly the location, it meant that numbers were lower. Niagara Falls was a lovely location but not direct to get to and Graham and I had to fly Melbourne-Sydney-Vancouver-Toronto and then Barb picked us up at Toronto airport to drive us to Niagara Falls which was well over an hour away.  Altogether we were in transit for 28 hours from our home to the accommodation at Niagara.  We slept well that night!

I was delighted to meet well known industry names such as Sharon Williams, Stacey Brice, Tawnya Sutherland (and her crazy other half Arnie), Patty Dost, and heaps of others whose names many of you will recognise.

The sessions were great and I did pick up a lot of information but at the moment all the papers are in transit as Graham and I had to ship books and papers and some other things - our luggage was way overweight by the time we were drawing close to the end of our 4 week trip.

My workshop was well attended and I thoroughly enjoyed the two sessions as we opened up for discussions and shared information.

The venue was lovely, meals were great, company was fantastic and there were displays of books, brochures, gifts, etc from various VA groups.

Barb did an excellent job organising the event and is now in the middle of packing as she’s shifting house in the next week or so - I think she likes to keep busy!

For those I met at FoVA I will be in touch - as soon as I can get around to it.  There is much I have to catch up with here in my office.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: VA Industry | 2 Comments »

I will go back to posting regularly in July but for this month I’m now well and truly on holidays, in beautiful Canada.  It began with the FoVA conference in Niagara Falls in the first week of this month but then Graham and I joined a tour to explore Canada on the west coast.  We’re currently in Banff and moving onto Lake Louise tomorrow.

If you’re interested in reading about our travels and seeing some of the photos, then please visit my family blog at http://www.thomases.org.

I’ll catch up with you all next month!

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Author's musings | No Comments »

I have guest poster Ben Johnson sharing on the importance of the type of logo for your business.

Your logo really is the proverbial “calling card” for your business.  A potential customer or client will make that all important first impression many times based on the appearance, style and design of your business logo.

Understanding the importance of your business logo, you may be wondering what you actually should have, what you should include within the design of that logo.  Through this article you are provided tips and pointers on what type of logo you should have for your business enterprise.

Iconic Logos

When you are considering what type of logo will be most suitable for your own business, you can learn a good deal from those very successful logos that have really proven successful over time.  Indeed, there are some logos that have become so widely recognized that they can be considered to be iconic.

Examples of iconic logos include the Coca-Cola logo, the Nike logo and many other logos that have been around for a significant period of time and that have really become a part of the consciousness of consumers from all parts of the world.

You can take tips and cues from these logos when it comes to the decision making process associated with your own business logo.  For example, there are some common factors associated with these logos, common elements that you wisely would translate into your own logo design efforts.

For example, these iconic logos have clean and clear design concepts, have basic color schemes and convey a sense of what the business is all about.

Practical Considerations

In addition to taking a look at what other successful businesses have done in the way of logos, you will also want to clearly take into account practical considerations into account as well.  For example, you will want to be certain that your logo will appropriately convey at least an indication of the products or services that you are offering through your business venture.  In the end, a logo that really doesn’t convey a sense of what type of business you are in will prove to an ineffective branding attempt at best and a devastating error in the worst case scenario.

When it comes to practical considerations associated with what type of logo you should have for your business, you also need to ensure that your branding devices are appealing and attractive to the specific market niche in which will contain the specific consumer group who will be most interested in doing business with your firm or company.

A Clean Look – Avoid the Clutter

In selecting a logo design for your business, in determining what type of business logo will be most suitable for your venture, keep in mind that a clean and uncluttered look normally is the best selection, the best choice for your operation.

With a clean, clear and uncluttered logo you will find that consumers will more readily connect with your business.  A quicker, sounder connection will increase the number of customers or clients that your firm or company will do business with both in the short and the long term.

Consider Your Industry

While you definitely do not want to copy another business’s logo design concept, it can be helpful for you to analyze what other businesses in your specific industry are doing in the way of logos, branding and related issues.  Within a specific industry there can be some themes that are commonplace and well suited.  Therefore, it likely will behoove your business to incorporate these themes into your own efforts at designing the most effective logo for your venture.

This is a step that a professional design firm will undertake as part of its own effort at developing the most effective and appropriate logo for your own business enterprise.

Conclusion

If you do take the time and make the effort to consider the factors set forth in this article you will be in the best possible position to understand what type of logo will be not only most suitable but also most effective for your business venture.  You will be laying the groundwork for a successful and profitable business, the groundwork that will serve you well not only today but as your business grows into the future.

A small bio:

This is guest post from Ben Johnson of Logoinn, custom logo design service provider based in UK.

As a compliment I would like to offer you 15% discount on any service ordered at http://www.logoinn.com. All you need to do is enter this code “MKT-01” while placing an order in promotion code section, you can also pass this code to your readers as well.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Client Ed & Case Studies, Technology | 1 Comment »

Just thought I’d quickly share with you a photo of myself and Sharon Williams at FoVA09 together.

Sharon and I’ve known each other for many years but up till this week had never met face-to-face so it was a joy to meet her and have my photo taken with her.

She and I, and other industry leaders, will be on a discussion panel this morning at the event, before my husband and I head off to Vancouver to join a tour and enjoy a holiday.

I’ve been limited for time online so will report more later but can say it’s been a great event and wonderful to meet so many I’ve known online for several years.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Author's musings, VA Industry | No Comments »