If you're not clear on what it is you do, or perhaps not clear on how to explain it, it will show, both in your vocalisation and your written word. Recently a new VA went to a networking event and she was unsure how to explain what she does. The people she was meeting with made some assumptions based on what they think an Assistant is and it confused her. They'd not heard of a Virtual Assistant before so she came to ask questions about what she should do and got a number of responses which … [Read more...]
Why did you start your Virtual Assistant business?
I was asked that question at a forum. Well, not me personally, but all the members of the forum. Got me thinking why I got started. I could sum it all up with just one word... frustration! There were lots of other reasons but frustration probably sums it up well. I was frustrated with growing up in a poor family and my parents not being able to afford things I wanted to do as a child. I wanted to make sure I could give to my children things that were necessary or because I wanted to. I was … [Read more...]
The Faceless People at LinkedIn
Social and business networks offer the opportunity for people to show their faces online when connecting with others. Which is why they have a place for uploading your photo. On social networks people often use images of their pets, favourite artists or their kids but when it comes to something relating to their business I really do believe they should be using their own photos. There are some who say they think their photo would get in the way of others doing business with them but I do … [Read more...]
Have the networking rules changed for a top networking site?
LinkedIn has grown to an enormous professional networking site with over 150million members now. It was only a few short years ago that I began to take it seriously and there were just over 14million in those days. There was a time when receiving an invitation to connect at LinkedIn, that LinkedIn would have a warning message at the bottom of the email invitation about whether you should connect with people you don't know. People used to be penalised if they got 5 or more IDKs (I don't knows) … [Read more...]
Beware of job scams
I had someone fill out my job request form the other day and I asked for more information before sending it out. It’s not unusual for clients to be vague when filling out the form so I usually do ask for more info when that’s the case. Glad I did as what she is outlining below is (I believe) a variation on the ‘receive the funds on my behalf, keep some for yourself and send the rest to me’ scam. I believe this is money laundering and she may be targeting VAs in Australia so please spread the … [Read more...]
How do I get clients as a Virtual Assistant?
A question I see over and over again at various VA forums. Here is my answer: Networking is very important when running a business, any business. Businesses only succeed if they have clients. It's why you see advertisements in magazines, newspapers and on TV and why you hear them on the radio. It's why there are lots and lots of different types of business networks that meet regularly, be it weekly, fortnightly, monthly or ad-hoc. It's why there are associations for every industry out there. … [Read more...]
Are you a mum who wants to work at home?
Last weekend it was Mother's Day in many countries around the world. I was privileged to be asked to give the message for that day at my church, based on my own personal experiences of the Proverbs 31 Woman, whom I believe to be a work at home mum in biblical days. I had written a book in 2006, bringing the Proverbs 31 woman into the 21st century and wove my life around the verses in the book 'Worth More Than Rubies'. During the previous week I'd visited two Mainly Music groups of mothers with … [Read more...]
Moonlighting as a Virtual Assistant
I became aware of discussion about an article regarding Moonlighting as a VA. I haven't seen the original article but did see the comments and hope that the writers will see my post as I'm unable to leave a comment on the site where I saw them. I've been running a Virtual Assistant practice for over 18 years now. It wasn't called that when I started, we were known as home-based secretaries in those days. The challenges in those days may have been more difficult as we didn't have the Internet … [Read more...]
Speaking of working at home…
A couple of days ago I shared how much I love working at home and that I don't miss the traffic out there at all. However, there are days (very occasional) when working at home can prove to be a challenge. Today was one of them. We got a letter a week ago to say the power would be off between 8.30am and 3.30pm for one day and we needed to ensure that all electrical appliances were switched off and unplugged, especially computers. What was I going to do? I started to put out feelers to see … [Read more...]
