This month..

Thank you everyone who sent cards, good wishes via email or called me after finding out about my nomination for Australian of the Year 2008. It was a thrill and unexpected. I now have a lovely framed certificate in my office, along with a letter from Lisa Curry-Kenny telling me about the nomination. And a number of beautiful cards sitting on my shelf.

• Barefoot Executive Summit
• Backup Support Strategies
• Thought for the Day

Barefoot Executive Summit and Other Shows

I've been invited to speak at the forthcoming Barefoot Executive Summit.

In fact, over the past month I've done a number of Teleseminars for US audiences and recorded two interviews for a Radio Show in the US. I have set a goal to obtain speaking engagements (in the flesh) in the US for this year so I was thrilled when each of these opportunities arrived in a short space of time, over a period of a few weeks late last year and early this year. Good preparation for my arrival in the US, when it takes place. If you know of an organisation in the US seeking an Aussie speaker I would love to hear about it!

When you check out the Summit you'll find a number of speakers on several topics so why not pop over and have a look to see what might interest you?

You can listen to some of the events I've spoken at recently on the topics page at my speaker's site, www.kathiethomas.com.

Backup Support Strategies

I'm not talking about computer backups - that's a different story altogether!

A client of mine and I were talking recently about backup support, particularly for when I'm not around. I've been away on a few trips in recent years and I know that some clients can get anxious if they know I'm not going to be around. So having a backup strategy for ongoing support is paramount. Of course, there are always the 'unforeseen' things that take place too. For example one of my backup support team members last year ended up with an injury whilst I was away and wasn't able to provide the support she was originally organised to do.

My client told me of someone else we both know who seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth for a period of time and it turned out a family crisis had arisen and he'd taken off interstate without a word to anyone. I know of someone else who had taken ill and was in hospital and unable to follow through on some work but very few had known about it.

What plans do you have in place should an emergency arise, or even if you plan to go away for a period of time? Do you have a few people who can step into your shoes and keep things running? Many of you are sole proprietors and small business owners and you don't always have the luxury of having a temp in your place or another work colleague step in, as in many corporate offices. Although I know many people who feel their workload doubled when they returned to work from leave in the corporate world and wondered why they went away at all?

I'm very much a 'have laptop will travel' type of person and like to keep my fingers on the pulse. I never fully relax when away on leave and check emails on a daily basis - once done I can relax and enjoy my day. It does mean that if an emergency arises my team know I will see their message(s) within hours of it being sent. And one of the values of having a support team is knowing I have more than one person I can turn to, when something unforeseen arises if I'm not going to be around for a period of time.

Perhaps you only need to have your phone and email monitored but don't have anyone to do that? One of our Virtual Assistants can take on that role for you. Or, if you already have regular VA support it's possible they might be able to take on some of your routine items - depending on how well they know your business. For some of my clients I manage their phonecalls and email, for another I pick up her mail as she is literally only a few minutes away from me. For others I might monitor their shopping cart sales and autoresponders and make sure pre-written newsletters go out and blog entries are published. There are a number of things a VA can do to help keep your business running while you take a well earned break, or even an unscheduled one. Make sure that someone in your home or office knows your VA's contact details so if something unplanned takes place, they can contact your VA who, in turn, can contact your clients and associates on your behalf, if that is what is needed.

Thought for the day:

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
- John Shedd

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.