I recently had a lady write to me to ask about how I got started. She'd read that I started out doing word processing and data entry and did I go do a course or did I already know how to do those things? She was wondering what training she might need to do and where to do it. My answer to her was this: I never did a course to get started. When I began I was a homebased secretary and it was before the Virtual Assistant industry had begun. I already had 23 years corporate secretary experience … [Read more...]
Time to Work ON and IN Your Business
If you've been to any time management courses or seminars, or have experienced business coaching, you'll know that it's important to set aside time to work ON your business as opposed to working IN your business. When you first start out you probably spend 95% of your time working on your business, making plans, developing systems, trying things out, creating stationery, designing a business card and so on, and the other 5% on the small client base you've begun to grow. But, somewhere along … [Read more...]
Tips for Working with a VA
There is an interesting discussion going on at ZenHabits.net about using a VA and the differences between using a professional, versus someone who doesn't have the same experience or skills and therefore charges cheaper. If you're interested in joining in, why not go pay a visit? I recently joined a new yahoogroups forum (do I really need to belong to another one?) about the Four Hour Working Week. It's funny that this book is about a lot of things to help people make better use of their time … [Read more...]
Going on leave?
The VA I mean. Even we need to make preparations for looking after our businesses when we take some time off. So here are some suggestions to help you plan your break. Notify your clients at least a month out, earlier if possible, so they can get any important items to you, or so you have time to source another VA to support them whilst you are away. Remind your clients again 2 weeks out and then a week before via email - even then you'll still get last minute stuff the day before. But … [Read more...]
A 4-Hour Work Week Experiment
I came across an article a few weeks ago at SBInformer about someone who had read Tim Ferriss' book and he thought he'd try it out and get a VA of his own. Trouble with this is the majority of people who read this book don't do the research - they just read the book and go to the sources quoted without really understanding our industry or even realising that if they Googled 'Virtual Assistants' they would come across our industry associations and learn what a true VA is. They would also get a … [Read more...]
Looking for cheap or free…
On various VA forums I often see (newer) VAs seeking services for use in their business that are cheap or free. Whilst there are programs and services out there that don't cost a great deal to obtain, the reality is that a lot of what you source for your business is going to cost you money. Remember you are running a business. That any expenses you incur on behalf of clients should be billed accordingly. Or, if you purchase new software so you can service a particular client, look for ways to … [Read more...]
New Look Office
I've been hankering for a new desk and shelves for quite sometime. For a couple of years I'd been collecting photos of the types of desks I was interested in and had them sitting on my document holder. I'd look in Officeworks whenever they had specials but just couldn't find what I was looking for, with respect to length and depth. Sometimes I thought perhaps I'd just buy a hutch and mount it on my old solid desk but again, I'd never find anything exactly the right width. Just prior to … [Read more...]
Responding to Requests from Clients
When you respond to Job Requests or Requests for Proposals via the different VA networks do you send your CV? Because VAs are business owners and not employees, the general consensus is 'no' - we're not applying for a job with an employer, we're responding to a request for help with a client's business. So, just how much information should you provide when responding to one of these requests? On one of the VA forums I belong to there has been discussion about whether or not to send CVs to … [Read more...]
Professional Virtual Assistants?
I had an interesting email conversation with a colleague recently about the promotion of admin support (virtual assistants) via Elance. I wanted to know why he wasn't promoting the use of Virtual Assistants instead through other sources? This is also a follow on from my post "What Do You Think Of When You Hear...?" His response to me was rather interesting - it is always good to see things from the other side of the fence at times to help keep us on track. Comments he made were that he'd had … [Read more...]
