I can't believe it's around 9 months since I was invited to speak at FoVA. It seemed like such a long way ahead and yet it's now only 3 weeks away. I'll be meeting many well-known names in the Virtual Assistant industry face-to-face which is something I never thought would happen. You never know what's around the corner and the opportunities that will arise. If you haven't yet booked to attend the Forum on Virtual Assistance in Niagara Falls, Canada, it's not too late. And there's great … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistants and Twitter
There are quite a number of Virtual Assistants on Twitter now and with it growing groups. One of them focuses on FoVA 2009 and the group is listed as #FoVA09 if you're looking for it. If the link doesn't work try http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23FoVA09 It's amazing how a new networking tool can soon become addictive, if you let it! Where once I thought I only needed one blog and now own many (on different topics), it would seem the same applies to Twitter profiles, depending on the audience … [Read more...]
The countdown is on!
4 weeks today Graham and I will be winging our way to Canada. It will be a long flight (so we'll be glad to get there) but then we'll have almost 4 weeks visiting in Canada, with the first stop being FoVA09 in Niagara. And then 6 days later we'll head over to Vancouver to join a tour with APT to see some of Canada's beautiful scenery before spending just over a day with a friend and her husband in Vancouver and then back home again. When you're in business you don't tend to think about … [Read more...]
Increased non-billable time
As we hear more about the economic turmoil worldwide there are going to be increased non-billable time for some Virtual Assistant businesses. So what do we do about it? Make it work for us! I'm sure, if you're like me, you'll always have things that have been put aside till you have time for them. Make sure those things are in easy reach in a folder or a box or something so you can pull it out and start prioritising what's important to you and what may be income-producing once you have your … [Read more...]
VA Networks – a ready resource
When I was first growing my VA Network it soon became obvious to me that I had to find a way to put all the members in touch with each other, without having to pass on email addresses all the time or get them to remember to 'reply all'. It was around that time (late 1996) that I was invited to join an online forum for home based businesses at Boxplanet and I saw first-hand what I needed for my team to be able to chat to one another. So our forum was started and shifted to a few places before … [Read more...]
OIVAC is just around the corner!
Welcome to those guests who have been following the OIVAC blog hopping tour! Seasoned VAs (or those that have been around for longer than 12 months) will know that the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention is gearing up for another fantastic event. I was privileged to be a member of the steering committee for the first 3 years and really enjoyed the experience but (personal) events over the last 12 months have led to my stepping down. I don't believe this to be a bad thing - it … [Read more...]
Use the ‘squeaky wheel’ principle
I often get asked by VAs what they should do if they've submitted a proposal to a client's request and a few days have passed and they've heard nothing further. I always advise them to use the 'squeaky wheel' principle. What do you do when you have a squeaky wheel? You pay attention to it. So the client needs the same prompting - you should be in regular contact (without making a nuisance of yourself) and follow up. If they've heard from several Virtual Assistants and life is busy for them … [Read more...]
All work and no play…
... makes Jack (or Jill) a dull boy (girl). Or so the saying goes. I'm one who has been obsessed with my work - I love being a Virtual Assistant and I love being at my computer and in my office. I look forward to being in the office every single day - even after 15 years. But I do recognise the importance of getting away from the office and being refreshed. It is so important. Over the years I've tried picking up former hobbies of knitting, walking, gardening, etc and even joined several … [Read more...]
Honing new skills
Many VAs, particularly those new to the industry, are so keen to get clients that there are times when they will accept a job only to find they really don't have the skillset or experience to carry out the role. They then end up in a quandary - do they tell the client or try to find out quickly how to do that particular job? The questions asked at VA forums often show a tendency for the latter, rather than the former, or perhaps they have already told their client, but are going ahead with the … [Read more...]
