Robyn is a well known public speaker in Australia and her topic is Networking. For 2 or 3 years I was privileged to be her virtual assistant as she frequently travelled to my state and needed assistance whilst here. Over time we got to know each other well and I even supported her office when she was away overseas, handling some calls or emails on her behalf. How did our relationship begin? Her book 'Networking for Success' was the first business book I bought back in 1993 as I was preparing … [Read more...]
New VA Education & Coaching Program now available!
Well, it's here! I've been developing an education and coaching program for virtual assistants over the past few months, well, since before Christmas. It's been on the drawing board for around 3-4 years and has been one of those projects that just kept being put aside. But time moves on and I get many requests seeking advice, help, support, mentoring, coaching, etc these days so I decided it was time I did something about it. Whilst there are a number of VA education and coaching programs … [Read more...]
Welcome to the dark side!
There is lots written about the benefits of being a Virtual Assistant and particularly of working at home. You read articles, see photos of healthy looking people running on the beach, playing ball with their kids, driving a flashy car, or sitting under a tree with their laptop. The reality is very different - not unenjoyable, otherwise I wouldn't still be in a home office over 12 years down the track. But, I don't get the time to run on the beach, my kids grew up with mum at home, usually in … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistant Rates
When first starting out, one of the things a new VA needs to know is how much to charge for the services they will provide? And it's not always easy trying to work this out. Will they charge too much, will they charge not enough? What are others charging? And so, it's not uncommon to see this question being asked via VA forums. But it's not an easy one to answer either, because there are some things to consider, for example: What typing speed do they have, if the bulk of their work will … [Read more...]
Invitation to Virtual DiVAs Group H.U.G. (Help Us Grow)
I recently became a board member for a new group for Virtual Assistants. This group was developed for a very different reason to the existing forums. It is recognised that there is a downside to working at home - and that is the lack of exercise and increased tendency to just snack through the day. If you have been a Virtual Assistant for more than 6 months you'll know what I'm talking about. I love being at home and wouldn't swap it for anything but I have to admit that I have definitely put … [Read more...]
Client Request
As probably happens to many VAs (or for that matter, any business operator) whose websites are easily located, I get requests asking me if I would promote something, refer someone, or give work to someone. This morning's request was of the middle agenda and here is what was sent to me: My name is Joe (withheld) I am with a company called (withheld). We would like to do some business with your Consulting firm. Let me explain the help we need. 1. Your company and my company are always looking … [Read more...]
New Look Blog!
I'm still tweaking it, but now have Virtual Assistant - THE Blog housed on my own server, using Wordpress. I've been learning this program for just over a couple of months now and have been able to successfully import this blog from its previous home. Please do update your bookmarks to http://www.vadirectory.net/blog/ for new posts or, if you haven't already done so, subscribe to my blog at the left of screen and new posts will be automatically emailed to you. KMT blog theme, blog template, … [Read more...]
Why Don’t Virtual Assistant Businesses Work?
Interesting title - why would I use it? Well, because I noticed recently that people were Googling this phrase. Additional to that I had an email from a gentleman who was contacting VA businesses trying to get business from them - he wanted to operate as a VA and just couldn't understand why other VAs wouldn't give him work. He isn't the first who has sent me similar emails. His response to me, in our email discussion, was that he was convinced the 'VA business' didn't work. So, why would … [Read more...]
Suitable Times To Call a Client?
One of the team asked me today a question I'd not thought about before - at least, not in detail. It's one of those things that you tend to develop an unwritten law about - and each person has their own law. She was responding to a job request late in the day and asked up to what time would be suitable to call the client? We discussed some times and I suggested that anything up to 8.30pm is often ok for many people but not for others. Probably best to call and ask if 'now is a convenient … [Read more...]
