After some thought and experimentation, I decided the best way to set this new site up is to make it a blog format. That way regular posters can register to become members (at no charge) of the site and submit their own posts whenever it suits them. So, if you have a VA event to list, why not head over there now to get started? KMT VA training, VA coaching, VA announcements, VA lists, VA forums … [Read more...]
VA Announcements
I notice on many of the VA forums that there are VA trainers and coaches, and other list owners, keen to promote the teleseminars, coaching sessions and other things they have happening and they want to let the VA community know. Some may feel they have a right to cross promote across the various lists as much as possible so they can get as many VAs involved as they can. Others might feel that it's not appropriate to do so on lists that aren't moderated or owned by them - personally I'm in the … [Read more...]
Developing Your Niche
During a class session last night I was asked how do you develop a niche market for your VA business? My own particular specialities had happened almost by accident but it is about knowing what you like doing and keeping your eyes and ears open. In 1997 I was offered a role to run the secretariat for a membership based group. I'd never done that type of work before but I knew I liked working on databases, organising events, and being in my own office. I met with the chairperson of the … [Read more...]
There’s Value in Writing Articles
I periodically get clients (new and existing) ask for assistance in getting exposure for their website and their business. There are a number of things you can do such as Google Adwords or any of the other click through advert programs available, make sure your site is listed with search engines and so on, but one of the best value items you can do, is write articles on your niche topic. How many others know your topic as well as you do? And how many others are writing about it? If you are … [Read more...]
Seeking free training?
I see a lot of people who are starting out in the virtual assistant or homebased secretary industry across a number of forums looking for as much free stuff as they can get, but the reality is that if it's really worthwhile, and it's going to help build and develop your skills, then it should be paid for. Bear in mind that any expense incurred in operating or developing your business is a tax expense and as you start out, it's probably best to plan what you need to do now and what you'd like to … [Read more...]
What a Week!
Those who know me well but didn't hear from me in the past week were getting worried - I don't usually not respond to emails and phone calls. But it was all for good reason. A week ago our youngest daughter got married and I had notified my team and all my regular clients that I'd be 'out of action' for a few days. I had family members here from interstate and country areas - not exactly easy to sit down and concentrate on work when you have guests in the house. By Tuesday evening we had our … [Read more...]
Explaining the name
I was asked recently on a VA forum what my business name meant? The person asking didn't want to be rude but she was very curious. Since she is based in a different country to me I can understand that the meaning wouldn't be obvious. So, I thought I'd share my explanation here for others who are curious. Especially because I've been absolutely dying to ask since I first saw the name a few years ago...how did you come up with your company name? I looked on the website (hopefully it's not there … [Read more...]
Assistance in busy times
I've been a tad quiet of late - usually a sign I've been quite busy. Three of my client associations have AGMs coming up and I've had preparations to do for all of them. Add to that our youngest daughter is getting married this weekend, and I've got family members coming to stay and others will also be visiting from interstate and things will get somewhat hectic. I've already notified my regular clients that I'll be slow to answer for a few days and non-contactable for two days but if they … [Read more...]
Keeping Abreast of Your Client Industries
I came across a program recently that allows you to log into your blog (almost any blog platform) and submit a post. The tool is like a mini version of MS Word and allows you to easily edit your post, add images, and set the properties for the image, even link voicefiles. I did find the connection set up a minor challenge but after going back and viewing their set up video it became more obvious what to do. So this post is a test using that program. I saw it written up in a newsletter for … [Read more...]
