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One of the hardest lessons many Virtual Assistants learn is that saying no is not bad business. In fact, setting clear boundaries is one of the most important things you can do to build a sustainable, professional, and profitable VA business. Many business owners struggle to say no to clients because they’re worried they’ll lose…Read more
The Real Secret to Long-Term Success as a Virtual Assistant Securing clients is one thing. Keeping them is another entirely. If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes, you already know that getting someone to sign is often harder than finding the lead in the first place. And despite what the internet gurus say, there’s…Read more
Onboarding Tips for Virtual Assistants You’ve followed my 5 Essential Tips to start your VA practie. You’ve read and implemented the suggestions in the Getting Clients articles. Now let’s get you onboarding like a pro! First Impressions Matter Starting your virtual assistant business is one thing, but onboarding clients effectively is where you turn potential…Read more
Getting Clients – Part 2: Where to Find Clients – Online and Off! If Part 1 was all about how to get clients for your virtual assistant business, Part 2 answers the next natural question: where exactly do you find them? If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, it’s worth circling back — but for…Read more
That Million Dollar Question If there’s one question every virtual assistant asks at some point — whether you’re newly launched or have been around the block — it’s this: How do I get clients? Where are they? How do you reach them? And once you’ve found them, how do you turn those new clients into…Read more
5 Practical Tips for Starting Your Own VA Practice (From Someone Who’s Been There) I regularly hear from people who are curious about starting a virtual assistant business and want to know where to begin. So I thought I’d pull together my go-to advice—the essentials I wish every new VA understood before they dive in….Read more
How I Got Started as a Virtual Assistant in 1999 What Might Be Holding You Back? What’s really stopping you from starting your VA business? I’ve heard every version over the years — and, truthfully, I’ve lived most of them myself. Some new VAs tell me they don’t feel confident. Others worry they’re not good…Read more
When Clients Move On: 6 Steps to Handle it Gracefully You’ve been the one behind the scenes, keeping things running. Setting up systems, smoothing out workflows, solving problems before they became problems. Your client even told you: “We couldn’t have made it this far without you. Our success is a direct result of your contribution….Read more
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
Location No Barrier to Virtual Collaboration Here’s a story from the distant past. These days it seems like working remotely is no big thing. In the years between when I started my practice in 2000 to today, there have been advances in technology that make the following story seem ‘quaint’. But it’s probably worth telling…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
Language – it’s what separates us from other animals. It helps us communicate, creates art, literature and religions. It is the basis of culture. Civilisations are built on it. It is the cornerstone of democracy. It is important. And it matters … it really does. What we say and how we say it matters. If…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
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 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
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
Recently I tried to do something nice for someone – a pay it forward kind of thing – and somewhere along the line it backfired. I had discovered a gentleman whose writings I thought were very valuable. He talked about social issues on his blog that were important and had impact on the wider community, but…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
