This month..

I've recently returned from the National Speakers Association of Australia's annual convention and had a wonderful time meeting with many professional speakers, wannabe speakers, writers, coaches, trainers and so on.

There was so much to listen to and hear and so many to meet. It was a great time. I also heard many great quotes and one that I really related to was purported to have been said by the Quakers in the US a long time ago “As you pray, move your feet”.

What a great saying! And it's one that should be applied by anyone in business – basically to take action and not sit still, as you plan (and pray) for the direction you wish to go.

One of the things with going to events like this is that you're always spurred to action and the importance is to take that action as soon as possible. I am planning some changes with respect to our website and related services over the next few months so stay tuned for more details soon!

• Writing - are you up for it?
• Newsletter subscription change - special note below
• Thought for the Day
• Need a speaker for your event?
• Mothers Day is coming up!

Writing - are you up for it?

Listening to the various speakers at the NSAA convention emphasised how speaking and writing businesses need to be run just as any other business needs to be run. With planning, organising, time management and delegation. If there is an area of your business you are not skilled in, then outsourcing will help you over that hurdle.

I really enjoyed listened to the authors who spoke. One of them I'd not heard of before but his expertise and knowledge was obvious, with over 95 published books behind him. It was interesting to hear his experiences, and the types of jobs he'd held during his writing career. He'd obviously had a very interesting life which has probably provided lots of material for his writing. Richard Webster lives in New Zealand and has a contract with a US publisher for 4 books a year.

Dan Poynter was the other author who spoke and he has over 120 books behind him, all self-published, and he also has had an interesting journey and background in his writing career. From first writing a book about parachuting, these days Dan is in the business of helping other authors successfully publish and promote their books. The material he has available online is astounding. Why not make a visit to www.parapublishing.com to see for yourself?

Here were two well published authors who have had the experience of publishing from both sides of the fence – traditional publisher and self-publishing.

I'm currently reading Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual which has excellent information in it. Having travelled this very journey myself in 2007 without prior experience, I was pleased to see there was a lot I did which matches the very suggestions that Dan makes in his book. Good, I think that means I'm on the right track! I'm currently working on another book and look forward to going through this exercise again – perhaps it gets in your blood!

If you have thoughts of writing a book, but do not know where to start, then perhaps I, and my team, can assist you? We can provide assistance with transcribing if you record your thoughts, or format your manuscript ready for typesetting, to assisting with locating a graphic designer for your book cover, and locating a publishing unit to getting your book printed.

Amongst my team of VAs I do have a small number experienced in copy writing or perhaps you need a ghost writer? Whatever your need we are sure to have someone who can assist, or can point you in the right direction.

Have a great month everyone!

Kathie M. Thomas

Newsletter subscription change

I am updating the service I use for sending out newsletters. As I sent this request out last month just prior to school holidays in Australia I am sending a message out to the old list still, to ensure everyone is aware of this change. If you have already signed up for the new list you do not need to re-fill out this form. A good way to know if you did is you would have received this newsletter in its entirety in your email inbox - if you only received a text message with a link to the newsletter then you need to do the new registration.

* are required fields, the rest just lets me know where people are coming from but are not compulsory.

Thought for the day:

"Better to have spent a life reaching for a dream that never came true, than to have slept through a life that never had a dream."
--- Copyright © 2008 Samantha Pickreign

Need a speaker for your event?

“Worth More Than Rubies is a great starting place for moms who desire to work from home. Packed full of practical, useful information as well as the story of Kathie's own journey, I know this will bless many, many women.”
~ Jill Hart, CWAHM.com

Kathie M. Thomas gives women permission to return home and shares with the audience how she did exactly that, bringing up 5 daughters, while establishing a new industry, using skills she'd developed in the corporate world for over 20 years.

Kathie can speak at your next meeting, seminar or conference on:

• Email Etiquette
• Blogging for business or a book
• Hidden Benefits of Working at Home
• It's a Virtual World

Mothers Day is only a few weeks away. If you are seeking a gift that's special for a mother who is special, why not get her a copy of “Worth More Than Rubies: The Value of a Work at Home Mum”? Kathie's story will inspire any woman who is a mother, or would like to be, and shares how they too, can combine their experiences and skills to work at home and be present for their families. There are a number of other items available there too, if she already has a copy of the book.

About Our Organisation…

What is a Virtual Assistant?
It's a term for home-based secretaries, administrative and secretarial support, and others who supply remote or virtual office support.

We are as close to you as your computer and can do almost anything traditional support staff do - except virtually. You don't need to provide office space, equipment, software or furniture - we have our own!

Location no issue as the work is carried out 'virtually' no matter where you are!  However, if you need someone locally we can supply. See our list at VA Directory

We have a new resource for the VA Industry called VANetwork News. If you're interested in what's happening, or would like to know more about the industry, then please do visit! There are opportunities for suppliers of services and products to sponsor the newsletter.

Make sure you visit OIVAC for their upcoming convention in May! A fantastic 3 day online conference with speakers from many different countries - there is sure to be a topic of interest to you!