At one of the VA forums I moderate a new VA asked how to get started and stop procrastinating? The following is my answer to her and all of those who are seeking to get started in the Virtual Assistant industry.

Anything worth achieving isn’t easy but it is worth the effort. There are things you need to do to get yourself off your tush and stop procrastinating and I’ll share some of them here for you.

1. Get a reason to do it and it needs to be a reason that both consumes and empowers you – consumes you so it’s always on your mind and empowers you to take action. For me it was the desperate need to be home for my daughters as they entered into high school and no longer being eligible for after school care – I didn’t want them out on the streets so I came back home to be with them.

2. Set goals. I’ve been in business almost 14 years and goal setting is one of those important things I do at the beginning of each year. I have on the wall above my monitor right now, the goals sheet I created in January this year and I’ve achieved most of the items on that list. It’s like having a roadmap – if you don’t know where you’re going you could end up anywhere other than where you’d like to be.

3. Of the goals – make some business but set some personal goals too. Things that have meaning for you. One of my personal goals this year was to write a book and publish it – I didn’t know if I would achieve that or not. Just over 12 weeks ago that book was launched here in Australia and it is one of the most personally satisfying things I’ve ever done – but what I wrote about was based on what I’ve been doing for the past almost 14 years – working at home and caring for my family.

4. Spend time in the company of like-minded people. Being a member of VA networks will help you achieve that. Mixing and mingling with others who have similar goals and interests to you will help you move ahead but don’t leave it just to the virtual community. Seek out groups of people local to where you live, i.e. business networks that have business owners attending and spend time with them. They’ll not only be a potential source of clients for you but you will learn much from them as well.

Anyway, the above should help shift you from procrastination to action. Start setting goals now for the new year and then see what happens!

So, with 2008 almost here now is a good time (or at least once the Christmas rush has passed) to sit yourself down and start thinking seriously about what you want to do and achieve in the next 12 months. Then write it down and put it somewhere visible for you and others to see. Make yourself accountable! You never know what you can achieve till you try.

I thought it would be good to share on the type of clients I service and I invite other VAs to add comment here about their clients also. This is for the benefit of prospective clients who read this blog so they can see that ‘yes, we can look after you too’.

My longest term client has been with me for around 11 years now. She is a business coach, author, trainer and public speaker. So she has a variety of jobs for me such as maintaining her database (both computer based and online), website, shopping cart, distribution of products, registrations for workshops, nametags, preparation and binding of workshop materials, formatting and production of ebooks, ezine and newsletter, maintain blog and so on. Lots of variety and there’s actually a great deal more.

Other clients I provide services for include: more business coaches, public speakers, opera singer, theatre performer, architect, artist, play centre, business consultant to CEOs and MDs, Chamber of Commerce, mining club, community bank, human resources consultant, membership based group and a painting company (home decorator).

Much of what I outlined for the first client is repeated for many of the other clients although I do additional things such as data entry (spreadsheets), mailouts, internet research, broadcast emails, update a directory listing on a regular basis for a service based group and take minutes of a monthly meeting.

Do I see any of these clients face to face and if so, how often?

With the exception of the long-term client and the Chamber of Commerce, no, I don’t see the other clients face-to-face. The majority of our contact is via email and sometimes Skype (if overseas) or phone (if in the same country as me). Sometimes via fax and mail as well. There really isn’t a need to have that visual contact in order to provide the services I listed above. The longterm client I might see once a fortnight and the Chamber I meet with monthly for their committee meetings.

Some of my clients have regular weekly activities for me but the majority have a few items a month, or sometimes just now and then. So, whilst I do have a number of clients, they don’t all keep me busy on a daily basis.