This question, or variations of it, I've seen on many VA forums. It gets hashed over and over again and in the end, there is no foregone conclusion. Personally I don't know why it keeps getting raised. I could understand it being raised back in the mid 90s when we first began to use it. I was really against the term at that time. It had come hot on the heels of 'virtual reality' and I wanted people to know that I was very real and not make believe. However, over time, the industry has grown … [Read more...]
Small Business Vic is here again… soon
Each August Victoria's Small Business Festival is put on throughout the whole month. Some councils are very actively involved and I've recently received notification from the City of Knox about events they have on. Of course, you'll be able to look up events happening in your area if you live elsewhere in Victoria. And for those, interstate or overseas, do you have a month that is focused on small business? If so, why not share it below in the comments for others to see? To view and book … [Read more...]
Saying thank you to clients
A couple of years ago I joined Send Out Cards, which is a company that allows you to design cards, or use existing templates, to send out cards to anyone you wish via their website. Good quality printed cards at a low price. I began using it as I wanted to get cards printed with my own photos on them and to bulk print was both costly and not effective, i.e. I didn't want 1-200 copies of the same card printed. I wanted to be able to do lots of different cards and just one or two of the same one … [Read more...]
Desktop or laptop?
For a long time I was an advocate for the desktop, and only took my laptop to client meetings (very occasionally) or when my husband and I would go away on holidays. Not so I could do work, but so I could store photos that I take during our time away. Outside of work I'm a keen photographer. I was very conscious of the need to be ergonomically set up for good posture and health in my office, probably because I spend even more time there than I would have in a corporate office. But times are … [Read more...]
How much business are you getting from business groups?
I saw a question relating to this at a (non-VA) forum that I belong to but felt that the question is also relevant to Virtual Assistants. The person in question felt that joining this group and that one and another was costing him a lot of money and he wasn't sure he was getting any benefit from it. I felt perhaps he wasn't clear on why he was joining groups, other than the hope of generating business. This is my answer to him: I think you need to do your homework and visit as a guest to each, … [Read more...]
Take Ownership of your Business
There are many joining our ranks on a daily basis, and the same could be said for many industries. The desire for being in control of one's future, the work they do, and who they work for, plus being able to choose their working hours are a driving force for people making that decision. I know that when I made this decision nearly 19 years ago, I desperately wanted to be home for my children and hated all that wasted time on the road or on a train every single day. I hated not being home if a … [Read more...]
What’s in a forum?
There are quite a few VA forums on the web these days. Which indicates that the industry is healthy and growing and there's a need for VAs to seek assistance, advice and support, as they build and develop their VA practices. For a long time I've been a fan of the email based forums, mainly because I don't have to remember they exist, the emails arrive in my inbox and I can go read them at a time that suits me. However, it does mean that you receive every single piece of email that is … [Read more...]
Top FAQs for Clients II
Last week I shared on the top 4 questions (as asked of me) from clients seeking to engage the services of a Virtual Assistant. Here are more questions asked, not necessarily on my site, sometimes on forums. Where can I find a Virtual Assistant? This question always amazes me because it's very simple to put into a search engine 'Virtual Assistant' and thousands of references will come up. But perhaps there lies the problem - thousands. Perhaps the question should be how do I know I'm going to … [Read more...]
Top FAQs for Virtual Assistant Clients
Do you have an FAQ page on your Virtual Assistant website? Have you considered the possible questions that might be asked of you about how working with a VA would work for a potential client? Because I manage a network for VAs as well as provide a service for clients from my site I have a mixture of questions that relate to both VAs and Clients. But let's just focus on clients for today. Below are lengthy explanations but you can shorten them somewhat for your own purposes. Possibly the … [Read more...]
