Those who participate in the VA forums will know that there's been a steady (and fast) increase of new VAs joining our ranks. I believe this is partly because our industry has well and truly come of age and is easily noticeable but also because of our current global economic situation. People need to find other sources of income and build up businesses to protect their homes and families should their existing jobs go belly up. For some they've already lost their jobs and are seeking to provide … [Read more...]
Friday Finds
I haven't done one of these posts for quite sometime - so I thought I'd show you some of my latest finds on Google Reader! This one is mine - I write a number of blogs http://soho-life.com/blog/ Democratizing Twitter My Blogging Journey (well, not mine but that of the author of this post) Were you April fooled about Conficker? Increase your changes to be linked at your blog (well, I'm trying to do mine!) :-) Dare to stand out and be noticed Top 10 strategies for marketing your … [Read more...]
Networking is not ‘set and forget’
A recent conversation with a client set me thinking. In fact I'd had a similar discussion with another client not much earlier. They both wanted accounts set up at various social networking tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc and have everything automated (rss feed from blogs, automatic responses, etc) so that they could literally 'set and forget' the very tools they needed for networking. This isn't the first time this subject has been raised - I've had others ask too, thinking … [Read more...]
Networking for business
On one of the forums I participate a member was asking how to market their VA business and get work. I joined in the conversation and highlighted the importance of networking. My response is below. Networking is a key to developing business and a big part of it. I believe you should be networking both online and offline. I started with offline networking in the early days of my business because there was no Internet then but online networking today is just as important - you need a mixture … [Read more...]
What were you doing 15 years ago today?
It was 24th March 1994 and I had been attending the National Secretaries Day breakfast in the city. After the breakfast I headed for the Govt Dept so I could register the business name I'd decided on for my brand new business. I was so excited about my business name but didn't want to tell anyone what it would be till I had it registered. I was also excited about unknown possibilities and the fact that I could finally be home for my children. Two clients were already lined up with a possible … [Read more...]
Is there room for me in your network?
I recently met a copywriter at a business breakfast I was speaking at and she was keen to talk to me after the event. She was looking for more ways to get clients and was wondering if I accepted copywriters into my Virtual Assistant network. I told her I would send her some suggestions that would help her with her business and then I realised that it might help some who read this blog as well. We met at the breakfast last Tuesday and you were wondering if my Virtual Assistant network would be … [Read more...]
Hobbies – do you have one?
I was thinking about a client of mine today and recent conversations we've had. I worry that their focus is always on business and nothing else. Even on weekends. I know that many who think they know me probably think that's all I have on my mind too, but the reality is that while I can quickly change into 'business' mode no matter where I am, or who I am speaking to, I do spend time doing other things. My family is important to me and when we lost our daughter Miriam late last year it made me … [Read more...]
6 Degrees of Separation… or less
I have a story I tell at conferences and other events when speaking about how my business became international. I talk about my first international client - a lawyer who lived in Picardy, France in 1997. Imagine my surprise at a recent event when a gentleman with a South African accent came up to me to tell me that a lady he lived next door to in New York for 11 years knew this very same client. He was her landlord. That's the first time I've ever had anyone come up to me to say they knew … [Read more...]
Taking on a new client
I regularly have clients contacting me via my website asking for a Virtual Assistant to support them. The work is quite wide and varied, with some jobs being one-offs and others being short- or long-term commitments. Most of the time I introduce the client to a Virtual Assistant team member and I don't hear from them again, unless it's to thank me for my assistance in connecting them - but very few clients do that. However, on odd occasions a client will come back to me to ask for a new VA and … [Read more...]
