I was busy chatting at a different forum this week - not a VA forum but a Work At Home forum which has a mixture of different industries represented there. But it seems that many industries all suffer the same problem - people who join an industry, spend a short time in it and then set themselves up as authorities to those newer than themselves. Some may well have truly picked up what those industries are about and may have a training or teaching background but many don't. All I can say is … [Read more...]
Is there enough work?
I run a training course for VAs as many of you know and occasionally I'll get responses from follow ups of those who haven't gone through with the course for whatever reason (usually time or money, or both). Below is a question from one recent prospective student and my answer to her. I am still very interested in doing your course as I think it will be a great help. I guess I wanted to feel more comfortable before deciding to establish a virtual PA business. My concern has been whether there … [Read more...]
Business sustainability program
Have you checked what your local council has on offer for small businesses? I've recently shifted into a different Shire and found with delight that this one is very focused on helping small businesses to succeed. Their philosophy is that they would like the same $ spent over and over and over and over... again till it's worn out - in this area. They actively encourage people in business to either work only 2 or 3 mins away or to work in their homes. I've discovered they have quite a few … [Read more...]
Ethics or New Trend?
Taking a leaf out of Sharon Williams' book, or should I say her latest blog post on a similar topic, I have to add my own concerns to this new 'trend' happening. Over the years it's not been uncommon to have Uni students ask to engage a member of our VA team to do things for them. They're often not upfront in the original request but once they've engaged a VA they'll tell them what they really want. And often it means logging in under their own name and password to a Uni website to download … [Read more...]
Spell it out
I love the excitement of new VAs as they get their very first website up and running (or any business person for that matter) but sometimes I feel they get carried away with using the latest buzzwords and acronyms. While it's important to demonstrate you are current with technology and the times, it is very important not to assume that readers of your website are. Many will still be doing keyword searches on old terminology (e.g. 'secretary' instead of 'VA' or 'virtual assistant', typing' … [Read more...]
How to become a Virtual Assistant
Many may not be aware of this book I wrote a few years ago about "How to become a Virtual Assistant". When I first began my business there were very few people you could ask for information. What I was doing was new to the business world so I couldn't get advice from someone who had already 'been there, done that'. I had to break new ground. I put this experience and my knowledge into a book to help new VAs who ask the same questions. Things like: How to get started Skills and … [Read more...]
The Act of Responding
Is it me or is it everyone else? It seems to me, if you email someone, requesting a quote, a job to be done, asking for information or something that requires a response, then good etiquette states you should reply and acknowledge the email, even if you don't have an immediate answer. Over the past year, different people I do business with have not responded to my emails of request for assistance or advice and the end result is I send more email messages and then end up ringing them because I … [Read more...]
Need a VA who can really do what they say?
I sometimes hear from disgruntled clients who secure a Virtual Assistant through various means only to find they can't do what they say they can. This is not only frustrating for the client but is bad for our industry too. As much as possible I try to encourage all I speak to, to look for Virtual Assistants through the VA Networks that have been established to help build up the industry, educate its members, and provide quality services to clients. Generally the VA members have had to meet … [Read more...]
10 Surefire Steps to Market your VA Business
Have you wondered how to market your business and get your name out there? Have you wondered how others do it? There are some very simple steps to getting things happening and it very much relates to persistency and consistency - keep at it, even when it seems not much is happening. The reality is you're planting seeds and those seeds need time to grow. Some time ago I wrote a book called "10 Surefire Steps to Market Your VA Business" and it is available as an ebook at my VAShop. Some of the … [Read more...]
