The end of a year and the start of a new one will often lead people to think about what they want to do for the next 365 days, or in this case, 366 days with a leap year in 2008. It's at this time of year that I hear from many who would like to leave their corporate jobs and come home to work, so they can be with their family and get a better work/life balance. Sometimes they email me before deciding to join my team of VAs and others ring because they want to hear a 'real' voice before making … [Read more...]
Seeking Advice in the Right Places
Frequently I see new and experienced VAs seeking advice at the forums for things that probably should be obtained elsewhere. In particular, advice that needs to be sought from Accountants - the VA's accountant. And if they don't have one, they better do something about that very quickly. Discussions regarding the type of business to set up (i.e. sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, bonding, etc), whether or not to register for an ABN (Australian Business Number), GST or other service taxes … [Read more...]
Putting The Word Out There
At this time of year people are naturally looking to see what changes they will make for the New Year. I often notice an influx of new people entering the Virtual Assistant industry and one of the things they do is start sending messages to the VA forums they've joined that they're open for business and seeking work. But they really are promoting to the wrong audience. Most forums are about learning how to operate a VA business and how to work with clients. Some of the forums do provide … [Read more...]
Setting Rates For My VA Practice
One of the topics that raises its head from time to time on various VA forums is how to set rates. I've seen rates discussed ranging from $7USD per hour right through to $50USD or more per hour. Part of the variation in costs will relate to VAs being in many different geographic locations and the cost of living, therefore, will play a big part in what might be charged for various services. However, some of the variation lies simply in the fact that new VAs lack confidence in their own … [Read more...]
Getting Your VA Business Started
At one of the VA forums I moderate a new VA asked how to get started and stop procrastinating? The following is my answer to her and all of those who are seeking to get started in the Virtual Assistant industry. Anything worth achieving isn't easy but it is worth the effort. There are things you need to do to get yourself off your tush and stop procrastinating and I'll share some of them here for you. 1. Get a reason to do it and it needs to be a reason that both consumes and empowers you - … [Read more...]
My name is not Katie!
I'm beginning to t'ink t'e letter 'h' 'as gone on strike or disappeared... For mont's now people 'ave been calling me Katie or writing 'dear Katie in t'eir emails and ot'er correspondence. But I'm sure I've seen it in ot'er words so w'y can't t'ey see it in my name? Someone did say to me that they were 'h' blind and just didn't see it. I'd never heard of that before. I get it on the phone constantly whenever someone rings and asks for me by name. I'll be at business events and my name will … [Read more...]
What Kind of Clients Do You Service?
I thought it would be good to share on the type of clients I service and I invite other VAs to add comment here about their clients also. This is for the benefit of prospective clients who read this blog so they can see that 'yes, we can look after you too'. My longest term client has been with me for around 11 years now. She is a business coach, author, trainer and public speaker. So she has a variety of jobs for me such as maintaining her database (both computer based and online), website, … [Read more...]
Still So Much To Learn!
It doesn't matter how long you've been doing something, technology is always bringing about change and new ways to do things. This means we must always be open to learning, experimenting and trying things out. Remaining locked into ways of doing things will soon mean we are outdated and that newer VAs and service providers will take up from where we left off. Fortunately I've always enjoyed learning new software and exploring how existing software works. And if a client asks me to investigate … [Read more...]
Prospective Client Gets Rejected II
Further to my previous post, I was pleased to see that Valerie visited here and added comment. She advised that she did research transcription companies before looking further afield. She just hadn't indicated that in her article and it might have helped those of us who commented on her article to see a more complete picture before commenting. It is important to note here that transcription companies don't necessarily mean Virtual Assistants and vice versa, although Valerie had mentioned both … [Read more...]
