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The Benefits of a VA What do you do if you’re a sole operator or independent professional/executive in need of professional, confidential admin support, but don’t want to go to the expense and hassle involved in hiring your own staff? What if you don’t have the space for staff, or necessary expertise to complete a…Read more
What’s In a Name? In the constantly changing and evolving industry of virtual assistance, there’s a recurring debate that echoes through the corridors of online business. It revolves around one simple question: What should virtual assistants call themselves? It might seem like a trivial matter, but it’s far from it. The issue stems from the…Read more
One of the most frequent enquiries I receive in my practice is for transcription services – digital, microtape, standard tape (yes, still tape!). These enquiries are not just from potential clients but from new VAs wanting to ‘get in on’ what looks like a burgeoning niche in the Virtual Assistant industry. Remember just because you…Read more
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced today (7 March 2023) our tenth consecutive increase in the official cash rate. This means interest rates are the highest they have been in over 11 years. We’ve seen rising fuel costs, interest rates climbing, returns on investments going down, grocery store prices continuing to increase week on…Read more
If you are a Freelancer or Virtual Assistant then you won’t want to miss my friend Tawnya Sutherland’s Season 22 of #VAVS – the Virtual Assistant Virtuosos Summit coming this October 24 to 28 to your home office. Tawnya kindly invited me to present again this year and I can’t wait. It’s always such a…Read more
It’s school holidays already… again. They seem to come around faster and faster. And school holidays can sometimes send the work-from-home carer into a tail spin! What do you do with the kids? How are you going to get all your work done? This is a common problem for lots of work-from-home parents including Virtual…Read more
Run free Captain Jack – one flap up and one flap down! I never met this little guy in real life but was honoured to work on Dan Weedin’s latest book that included “quotes” from Captain Jack. He was definitely a real character. So much so he wrote his own obituary! You can find it…Read more
I posted a quote to social media which caused a bit of a stir: “If you take a lot of time to ask, ‘how will this pay off’, you’re probably asking the wrong question. When you are trusted because you care, it’s quite likely the revenue will take care of itself.” – Seth Godin The stir…Read more
Check out this timely webinar from @myfreelanceu and Discover 7 Proven Pathways to Freelance Success in 2021.
Lesson 20: Give up the myth of work/life balance. We’ve all heard it. We should be striving for work/life balance. Every coach, self-help person, and so-called ‘guru’ tells you if you don’t have it, you will never be happy! Well…. it doesn’t exist. When you are working for yourself you will lose weekends and in…Read more
Lesson 16: Remember you are in a service industry. Remember you are providing a service – by which I mean we are in technically a ‘service industry’. After all our primary goal is to solve problems for clients. So you cannot help the client who calls you? Send them to someone who can – let them know…Read more
Lesson 15: Only take on work you are qualified for. If you are professional, authentic and ethical this should be a no brainer, but I have seen so many times on lists VAs saying things like “I’ve been approached by a client who wants me to do XYZ but I’ve never really done that before…Read more
Lesson 14: Be Professional – and Ethical! Being professional is another key to your success – not only professionalism in your dealings with clients but also your colleagues, and especially if you are subcontracting to them. It might seem obvious but in my 20 years I have seen some astoundingly unprofessional behaviour from colleagues. Professionalism can…Read more
Lesson 13: Be Authentic! What does being authentic mean? Well simply, don’t try to be something you are not. Don’t let people think you are in an office in the city for example if you are working from your lounge room with four kids under 5. If potential clients cannot trust you to be authentic,…Read more
Lesson 12: Learn to set boundaries and say no! It is really important that you set boundaries with clients and that you realise it is okay to say no. If you don’t, sometimes clients can take advantage of you and your time. It’s important that clients understand from the outset that your time is valuable…Read more
Lesson 11: Define your ideal client and target market! Defining your ideal client and target market can be a tough one especially when you’re starting out and all work is good work, but you will eventually work out who you like working with. When defining your ideal client it is important to get really specific….Read more
Lesson 10: Make use of your tribe! Following on from Lesson 9 and the importance of networking is – use your tribe. Don’t underestimate the importance of people who know you well already. Tell people including your family, friends, old bosses and work colleagues what it is you are doing now, the benefits of outsourcing to…Read more
Lesson 9: Network – on and offline! Join networks: online and off – and engage in networking. Apart from the benefits of marketing your business and SEO enhancement of your site if the network offers links or a directory, belonging to a network of like-minded people gives you a sense of collegiality, opportunities for learning, and…Read more
Lesson 8: Research your trainer! If you are the sort of person who likes training – and training is good – especially ongoing professional development – make sure you research your trainer! There are so many trainers out there now promising they can show you how you can make $10,000 in your first month or be a…Read more
Lesson 7: Be selective in your advertising. When you are starting out it can be tempting to go all out with newspaper ads, mail outs, cold calling, flyers, yellow pages (print or online) – but not all these tools work. You need to find out what works for your area – and for your target market….Read more
Lesson 6: Whilst a niche is good… be flexible! This is especially important when you are starting out because all work is good work. The most important thing you can have is a satisfied client – even if that client is another VA. You’re after testimonials. Testimonials are one of the best tools you have…Read more
Lesson 5: Don’t try and be all things to all people. Find your niche! You know the old saying: If you’re a jack of all trades you’re a master of none. It’s okay to be a generalist but try to find your niche. This makes you one IN a million instead of one OF a…Read more
Lesson 4: Have an I’m the Boss mindset! A common misconception is that this means you can do what you want. When I say no to coffee dates during the day, kick out friends who drop in, or when my daughter was at school and I used to respond to questions about what we were…Read more
Lesson 3: You must have the support of your partner or family if you want to succeed in business. If you decide you are serious about setting up a VA practice, and you fully understand what’s involved and that this is not a hobby or a ‘side hustle’, then you must have the support of your…Read more
Lesson 2: Being a VA is not for everyone – and not everyone can be a VA! Just because you can type doesn’t mean you can run a successful transcription business. Just because you know your way around WordPress doesn’t mean you’ll have a successful web design business. Just because you were a PA or…Read more
On the 28th February 2020 I will have been in practice as a virtual assistant for 20 years. I began when my daughter was then about six or seven months old. I want to share a few things I’ve learned while being in business: hopefully they’ll be of some help to you on your journey. Remember…Read more
In a previous blog post I talked about the Evolution of the VA Industry. With that evolution – especially the fact so many newbie VAs are now coming from little to no experience in an office or admin environment, and others straight from school – the importance of getting training in running a business, or in…Read more
Tech transformations that happened in your lifetime A couple of months ago I was invited by veteran VA Sharon Williams of The 24 Hour Secretary and OIVAC to join a committee comprising other veteran VAs from around the world to discuss updating the Core Competencies we had worked on back in 2004. The other members…Read more
Tim Ferriss – author of The 4-Hour Work Week – has never been the VA industry’s favourite person – especially when he advocated the exploitation of labour in developing countries for $5 per hour in order to get himself rich. As Meagan Day of Jacobin Magazine puts it: After dozens of pages of self-help and…Read more
I read an article by Shannon Aspinall of Shannon Aspinall Bookkeeping & Accounting. Even though I don’t employ people, I found it interesting because for me, some of the things Shannon said really reinforced what VAs have been saying for decades, and helped clarify the value a VA could bring to your business. In her…Read more
Just a reminder: If you are setting your assistant’s rate or dictating their hours and manner of work completion, they aren’t a VA – they’re a teleworker or home-based employee. One defining feature of a VA is that they are SELF-EMPLOYED. That means – among other things – they: They are, for all intents and…Read more
Have you ever thought what it actually costs you to have onsite staff? In addition to their hourly rate you’ve got expenses like payroll tax, superannuation, workcover premium, holiday and sick leave, paid maternity/paternity leave, and the costs of office space, equipment (including wear and tear and upgrades), power, lighting and telephone. Then if your…Read more
Ever wondered what sorts of things a VA can actually do? One of my clients did and recently asked me for a list. So, here’s that list. This is by no means comprehensive and if the task isn’t on this list it doesn’t mean a VA can’t do it. Just ask and you’ll find out!…Read more