My next interview in this series is Christine Myers 1. What made you decide to take the VATrainer.com course and how did you find it? I was working as an Administrative Assistant and my boss decided to retire. Since I was out of a job it was the ideal time to consider going into business for myself. I read an article about a woman who was a virtual assistant in Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina. Because she worked remotely, after she relocated, she was back in business in no time at … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistants – Plan Your Work For Them
As more business owners become aware of the world of Virtual Assistants and realise the potential for getting a wide range of things to be done, there is also the potential for getting confused about who a VA is and what they should be doing for a client. Many clients often realise at the last minute things that need to be done, or try to do something themselves and, in a panic, realising they can't, contact a virtual assistant for (urgent) help. They might even have a regular VA who is … [Read more...]
VATrainer Student Interview II
I'm delighted to introduce to you Kylie Short who was one of my first students. 1. What made you decide to take the VATrainer.com course and how did you find it? I decided to take the VATrainer.com course because of the distinctly *Australian content. I already knew how to set up my business but it was important to me that I learn as much as I could about being a Virtual Assistant in Australia. I found it through Kathie’s website ACS. 2. What were you hoping to achieve after completing the … [Read more...]
Keeping your email address updated
Have you changed your email address lately? Did you notify those whose lists you belong to? I manage a network of Virtual Assistants and periodically I'll send out an email to the list and get many bounce backs. There is considerable time spent tracking down each individual, either ringing or faxing them, or finding an alternative email address so I can let them know the important piece of information I was trying to get to them. When you change your email address you need to ensure that you … [Read more...]
Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender
550 Mailbox quota exceeded Is this something you're in danger of sending to prospective clients and others who email you? This is a message I periodically get faced with when emailing people and it makes me wonder how they run their business online if people cannot contact them because their mailbox is full. If you have had this challenge then it's time to look at increasing your mailbox or changing the mail service you use for something else. Or, look at how you're set up. Do you have your … [Read more...]
VATrainer Student Interview
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 … [Read more...]
Invoicing the client
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 … [Read more...]
I’m back – did you miss me?
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 … [Read more...]
Pardon my absence but I’m on leave…
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 … [Read more...]
