Some people get hung up on the term VA or Virtual Assistant and I responded to a query awhile back, inadvertently upsetting the person who asked the question. That wasn't my intention at all. She'd asked about using the term 'Virtual Assistant' and if that made clients disrespect us. I didn't think so and my answer was taken in the wrong way. Sometimes, how we write can be misinterpreted for the way it was intended. But perhaps I should add some context to this. The original VA is a lady … [Read more...]
No Commissions Payable
I see, in various places, people asking if they should join freelancing sites like Upwork, Freelancer and others. I can't answer for all freelancers, but I can answer for those who call themselves Virtual Assistants and the answer I have is this: Joining a VA Network or Directory means paying an annual or monthly membership fee. Generally engaging one regular client through these avenues more than covers your membership fee each year, anything else is a bonus. And the good news … [Read more...]
Confusion reigns – employee or contractor?
Once again the topic about employee vs contractor raises its head. It gets particularly complicated here in Australia, for example, when our tax office (ATO) confuses the general public out there what it means. And then we also get remote offshore employees who work for agencies, charging very low hourly/weekly/monthly rates providing similar services. And yet they are employees, not Virtual Assistants. The terminology gets mixed up and confused. And then enter tech gadgets that go by the … [Read more...]
Celebrating 25 years in business
Next Sunday, 24 March 2019, marks 25 years in business for me. My husband is going to take me out to celebrate. Have I made millions a year? No, although I can say it's been a healthy amount over that period of time. Enough to help support and feed our family, pay for office equipment, stationery, put our kids through various activities and clubs, contributed towards holidays, contributed toward our beloved garden at home, buy gifts for my husband and daughters, and pay for the various … [Read more...]
Just because I provide admin support…
doesn't automatically make me an employee. So many clients out there assume that because Virtual Assistants provide administrative and other office based support, that makes them an employee. It doesn't. Even some accountants are advising this is the case. At least here in Australia. So important for you, whether you're a VA or a client, to understand what being a Virtual Assistant means, in Australia, the US, UK, New Zealand and other western countries. VAs are independent contractors … [Read more...]
Babyboomers started the VA industry
It's amazing what you read out there about the Virtual Assistant industry and assumptions about how it got started. Some even thinking it started with digital products like Siri, but I want you to know that the industry started back in the mid 1990s and was started by...... Babyboomers. Yes, Babyboomers! People who were born between 1946 and 1964. It began with people, like me, who were operating home based secretarial businesses, because they wanted to get out of the corporate world, and be … [Read more...]
Who sets the rate?
Many 'trades' set their own rates, although some might be guided by industry requirements and expectations. Solicitors, bookkeepers, accountants, business coaches, plumbers, painters, mechanics, and so the list goes on. So, why then, do many of the public feel they can tell Virtual Assistants how much they should be charging? I've heard many VAs talk about this - they get contacted by a potential client who wants a lot of stuff done, often things that require someone with a great deal of … [Read more...]
Being a Virtual Assistant means you are a business owner
This post is a bit of a rant, but I see so many misnomers on discussion groups about people wanting to become a VA but not put in the commitment it requires. Below is a recent post I made. I want to clear something up. There's a fallacy that it costs nothing to become a Virtual Assistant. But I need to tell you there are costs. Being a Virtual Assistant means you are running a business. It's not something you do on the side to earn a bit of pocket money. It's a business. Some do it part-time, … [Read more...]
The History of the Internet and the VA Industry
Discussions I saw recently revolved around how old the VA Industry is and how long the internet has been around. While the internet was 'invented' in 1983, it didn't actually become available for world wide use till 1991 and the VA industry was birthed just 4-5 years later. Here's some info about the Internet: On 6 August 1991 (that is 27 years ago next month), the World Wide Web became publicly available. Its creator, the now internationally known Tim Berners-Lee, posted a short … [Read more...]