How do I become a Virtual Assistant is a question I'm often asked. And so I wrote the article below for the Australian Virtual Assistants Association of Australia (AVAA). Some of the content relates to setting up business in Australia. However, all of the content is suitable for anyone in any country and where Australian organisations are listed, please use this as a prompt to seek similar organisations in your own country, if not based in Australia. Things you need to get started: Good … [Read more...]
What is a Virtual Assistant?
This question comes to light often these days because so many people (and countries) have variations on what they believe the term 'Virtual Assistant' means. It came about because a business coach named his assistant that title as she worked miles away from him (in the US) and he coined the phrase 'virtual assistant'. The coach was Thomas Leonard and the assistant, Stacey Brice. This was back in the mid 1990s and the term stuck and gradually the home-based secretarial industry adopted the phrase … [Read more...]
Advice on getting started as a VA
On a VA forum recently a new VA was asking for advice on getting started. She'd outlined her experience and then went on to say she didn't want to start her own business but work for someone else, building up enough experience to pick up jobs here and there. My immediate thought was that this lady didn't really understand the nature of being a Virtual Assistant. And this may well be as a result of articles online that continue to promote that VAs are employees of agencies. The reality is that … [Read more...]
Blog writing challenge
I was invited to participate in a writing blog challenge - because I love to write! Below are the questions I was asked, with my answers and under that the people I'm tagging to continue this on. And this is all about writing! 1) What am I working on? I’m always working on ideas for new posts to my Virtual Assistant blog. With over 900 articles written since 2005 I’m always looking for new angles, new ways to share information. 2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? I write … [Read more...]
Keeping your values as a VA
“We don’t go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.” John G. Blumberg VA Tip: Sometimes it's easy to let our values drop when a client wants us to do something for them that doesn't quite align with our own values. Or perhaps we get swept away with hype that someone has been promoting and others have been jumping on the bandwagon. Be careful not to cross this line. You need to … [Read more...]
Do you know your why?
This morning I had a session with a new coach. I say 'new' because she's new to me, but she's been doing what she does for some years. Younger than I am but a very inspirational lady, who founded a school in Zimbabwe and coaches other women about their roles in life and their businesses. She challenged me to think about my 'why?'. Why I'm still doing what I do and had my 'why?' changed from all those years ago. Twenty years ago my 'why?' was simply to be home full time for our five growing … [Read more...]
Bring your corporate skills home
There are many women (and some men) who are keen to work at home these days, so that they can either start a family, or be there for the family they already have. For some, it's caring for elderly parents, or perhaps a spouse who is ill. Whatever the reason, there are many seeking ways to work at home. For those with good corporate administrative skills, being a Virtual Assistant is a natural choice. There are still many learning about this industry, despite it having been around since the mid … [Read more...]
How often should you follow up?
I get new VAs asking this question periodically when they've responded to a client request for work to be done, but they hear nothing from the client. When clients contact us to get work done, it's often at the last moment, or when things have gotten crucial for them and they need it done yesterday. When they hear from more than one VA, while it gives them opportunity for choices and to find one that they would click with the best, it also can often leave them feeling overwhelmed, unsure who to … [Read more...]
Why I like being in BNI
A VA forum had a recent discussion on whether to join BNI or a Chamber of Commerce. As I'm a member of BNI here in Melbourne (East) I wrote about my own particular experience. I might work virtually but I meet these people face-to-face every week. I've gotten to know them and trust them. First thing anyone does in BNI is test the product/service of the other members. And they do this naturally through needs for their own business. So the printer, the accountant, the solicitor, the travel … [Read more...]
