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 Remaining locked into ways of doing things will soon mean we are outdated and that newer VAs and service providers will take up from where we left off.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...]
Prospective Client Gets Rejected
Interesting article in The Sydney Morning Herald last week about writer Valerie Khoo getting rejected when trying to get some transcription work done. She'd contacted the Indian company mentioned in Tim Ferriss' book about the 4-hour week, only to find they were too busy to do the work for her and would need to outsource it.  After shopping around via Guru.com and getting quotes from a few countries, including her own (Australia) she settled on a transcriptionist in the US. Many VAs have … [Read more...]
More than a reminder service…
I read a posting on a blog written by a man who was talking about his Virtual Assistant (girlfriend). This VA was rather different, in that it was really an email and web based reminder service that he could use to assist him with remembering actions, meetings and other activities throughout his busy day. It's amazing what the term 'virtual assistant' gets attributed to these days. I can't blame Eric for thinking that way though - I know in the past, when I was working in the corporate world, … [Read more...]
Watching Out For Scams
As a Virtual Assistant, your contact details are going to be on display for the whole world to see, so it is very possible that you will be approached by a scammer for work to be done. This can take many forms but for the most part they are out to get your money, so you need to be very aware of what to look for. First of all, money exchanges are definitely OUT. By that I mean if they are seeking for you to process payments into your own bank account and then send them their share of the … [Read more...]
