Executive Stress Office Support
Professional. Authentic. Honest. Reliable. Providing quality VA services since 2000.
You’ve got a business that has outgrown your current office arrangement of a kitchen table, laptop, and cell phone. Or, if you started out like me, a cupboard in the living room! Congratulations! But now what? Where will you find the room? Shy of kicking one of your children out of their bedrooms, you’re going…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
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
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 19: Really enjoy what you do! Remember why you got started in your practice. It could have been because of childcare needs; elder care; disability; a desire for more freedom or to be your own boss; or as a means for re-entering the workforce. But if you don’t enjoy it why do it? Life is…Read more
Lesson 18: Don’t sweat the small stuff! I have seen so many VAs get really upset online when they see an article for example promoting the use of offshore VAs. Instead of getting riled up and attacking the author, refocus your marketing efforts on educating the market on what professional VAs really look like! Write…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 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 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
This article appeared in Business Insider – I’ve copied and pasted it below with a link to the original. Scientists Have Discovered a Personality Difference Between Entrepreneurs and Employees Around 13% of Americans are starting or running their own companies. Almost everyone else is an employee. We may have found out the difference between the…Read more