My RSS feeds at Google Reader are definitely growing! And as a result I find some great reads during the week and I'm sharing some of them here with you today! Another inspirational story at Equus! The owner, Christine, has been interviewing people in the Equestrian industry and has found some really interesting people. This blog is for and about working with horses but the story I've linked to shows how a sight disability didn't stop one horse lover. Blog Writing gives 5 Top Tips for a Blog … [Read more...]
Networking – Not Once or Twice But Constantly
A chance comment from a VA on a forum during the week prompted me to think about the message they were conveying. They gave the impression that they only networked now and then for their business when they ran out of work, but not often otherwise. Before I started my business I had been attending seminars and events for personal and professional development back in the early 1990s and one of the things that was constantly re-iterated, was the need for networking, in order to get ahead. This was … [Read more...]
Bookings for the OIVAC Closing Soon!
The last opportunity to order passes to OIVAC is fast approaching. Ordering closes Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 12 midnight (US). Don't wait until the last minute and miss any of the seminars you really want to attend. To recap: 35+ seminars 5 International Networking Sessions International Virtual Assistants Day Celebration Special Guest Speaker Paddy Spruce Sponsor Presentations Introducing the Virtual Assistants Industry to the Savvy Business Owner VA Industry Workshop Great VA … [Read more...]
Marketing – How Much Do You Spend?
I was at a BNI presentation last week and the guy speaking was a salesman for a window company. He raised the subject of a marketing budget and encouraged us to consider that even our BNI membership fees are part of that budget.This is something I've always felt with respect to VA network memberships too. The networks are active in providing exposure for the industry and are proactive in attracting the attention of clients for their members, amongst other things. And yet so often I see (new) … [Read more...]
Friday Finds
Now that I'm using Google Reader I've come across a number of blogs with great hints and tips for writing, blogging and things relating to business. So, each Friday I'm going to send you some of the best I've seen during the week! Here's my selection for this week! Interview at Equus - you have to check out this lady's artwork and her CafePress site. Gorgeous! Network Blogging Tips gives 16 ideas for posting to your blog. Now you have no excuse for not being able to post … [Read more...]
Time is running out!
Time is running out! Only one week remains to order passes to the 35+ seminars being conduced during the 3rd annual OIVAC. This year, we've scheduled seminars covering topics everyone is asking questions about and discussing on list servs and forums. Here's an opportunity to "ask the experts" and obtain informative answers from experienced VAs as well as professionals outside the industry that walk the talk every day, and are willing to share their knowledge, experience and skills … [Read more...]
Keep your bookkeeping up to date!
I try to make it a rule to do my bookkeeping on a weekly basis. By that I mean statement reconciliations, filing of papers, etc - I do the data entry daily as I complete jobs for clients. However, sometimes I get behind with the busy-ness of life, and wouldn't you know it, there are sometimes debits on my statement and I don't recall the business name or what it was for. I used to have to write 'miscellaneous' for the time being until I could remember what it was the amount was or what … [Read more...]
What The Client Needs To Know…
From the very start of my business in 1994 I determined that I would not let my family be used as an excuse for not getting things done. I came from the corporate world and at that stage home-based workers were seen as 'backyard operators' or 'shonky dealers'. I knew of people who ran legitimate businesses at home but they were few and far between and they never let their clients know because of that attached stigma to their place of operation. Today things are very different and a lot of … [Read more...]
Software for client support
The majority of VAs are using Microsoft software for servicing their clients. The core product used is the Microsoft Office software and this works really well for a large number of jobs to be carried out for clients. But when Microsoft updated their software to the 2007 package it actually meant that earlier versions could not read the documents without downloading a compatibility package. I personally find this inconvenient, and knowing that many of my clients are not that software or … [Read more...]
