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Virtual Assistants and COVID-19

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I had the privilege of being asked to participate in a panel discussion with 4 other industry leaders, Ingrid Bayer, Liz Parker, Rosie Shilo and Susan Wilkin, here in Australia, being run by AAVIP. It was a great discussion, with all sorts of ideas on what VAs can do to help their existing clients, and potential clients during this global time of crisis, as well as keeping their own businesses operating and looking after themselves mentally and physically.  I thought I would share my own presentation here – it’s quite long, but worth the read, I believe.

Yesterday I decided to tidy up my office bookshelves, and throw out old files and papers, re-sort the books I have, and look through ones I hadn’t yet fully read.

One of those books is by Spencer Johnson and it’s called Peaks and Valleys and what a perfect title for what’s going on around the world right now!  Some businesses are experiencing peak times because of what’s happened but many others are in valleys right now.

He quotes Proust as saying ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes’ and this is something we need to be doing today.

And more quotes from the book:

“Peaks are moments when you appreciate what you have and Valleys are moments when you long for what is missing.  You cannot always control external events, but you can control your personal peaks and valleys by what you believe and what you do.  The path out of the valley appears when you choose to see things differently.”

As VAs we have transferable skills and we really can work with any type of business (for the most part), in any time zone and in any currency.

While the media has made it seem like the entire world is on the brink of complete disaster, that’s not the reality with all businesses. Most businesses that were already working online, like us, can pretty much continue on as we always have done. This puts us in a fairly strong position. We haven’t had to uproot from business premises somewhere else to set up at home. Working at home isn’t strange to us – it’s a normal activity. And we’re already used to working remotely, and productively, even if there are family members at home.

We became VAs because of the abilities we have and because we are organised.

As VAs we are fortunate that we have a mix of clients, rather than just one client. While some may go quiet during this period, others will still have work to be done. This is why it’s so important we never put all our eggs in one basket – we should always have a mix of clients.

And if you find the specific niche you’re working in is affected, such as the events industry for example, your skills can be used in other industries. You just need to change your focus. In doing so, this will help make your client base a wider mix for the future.

One of my VAs mentioned the other day she’s flat out. She works in the medical transcription field and that industry is flat chat busy at the moment.  I’m sure any VAs working in this field right now are finding the same and, if that’s you, don’t forget there is a whole community of VAs you can reach out to for backup support, if you need it.

All VAs should be marketing online but if you’re not, time to start. So, look into what you are doing and where. Most of you will have clients that won’t go out of business – some may close their office for a while, or cut down their hours, but most will remain in business and you can help them with this. Perhaps show them how to do more online, how to be more reachable, and how to use online tools such as Zoom, Asana, Trello, Slack, Dropbox, Skype and so on.  Now’s a time for you to reach out and offer help to your existing client base and to others too.

Just last night, my local Rotary Club had its very first meeting online via Zoom. This was a scary thing for many of the members as they have not used this technology, but some did attend and they enjoyed it and will now share with the others to come along next week. We also discovered that we could have speakers much further afield – simply because they could speak to us from their own home. Suddenly the possibilities have just grown for our club because we’ve taken it online. Your clients may find the same.

Perhaps also help your clients to set up a Facebook group, move into online selling, help them to contact their own client base to see if your client can help their clients further. Show them how to hold online events, classes and tutorials.

I personally feel that many business owners are in shock right now and when they resurface from that, things will get busy again – especially if the area you work with right now has quietened down.  Reach out and see how you can help. You may just find a whole lot of new possibilities that hadn’t been considered before, simply because of looking at things in a different way.

Are Virtual Assistants Good or Bad for Business?

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I recently answered this question at Quora and thought I’d bring the discussion here on my own site.  My answer was in response to the inference that they could be damaging to someone’s business. And there seems to me, that some think you just engage a VA when you want something done – they don’t realise that this can be a long-term arrangement.

I’d like you to consider that a Virtual Assistant can be long-term use, not just short-term. Why engage lots of different VAs when you can keep one or two (or more if needed) as permanent support?

I’ve been a VA for nearly 26 years. I have clients who have been with me for over 15 years. I know their businesses and they know and trust me. The only reason why any of my clients would seek to engage another VA is if I don’t have the skills for something else they want done, or if I’m on leave. And usually, for either of these options, I help them secure another VA to assist them from the team of VAs I work with.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to get a new VA every time you want something done. Build a working relationship and use one who is well suited to your needs.

Remember, a VA is experienced and skilled at the types of things you engage them for. Money well spent and also a taxable expense. They are helping you to keep your business running so that you can concentrate on making more income, rather than trying to manage your daily business activities to keep it running.

Also, I encourage you to seek a VA through a VA Network and not a freelancing site. The VA Networks are designed to provide support to the VA industry, assist VAs in their continued learning and usually have criteria for each member to meet.

 

With all this craziness – we’re still here!

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announcement, coronavirus, working virtually

The economy has gone crazy with what’s happening around the world in relation to the coronavirus but I wanted to let our client base know that we’re still here.

No-one knows how this is going to play out but there are still businesses running, there is still work being done, and there are many of our Virtual Assistant team members ready and waiting to help you.

Perhaps you need to get the word out to your own client base on what is happening, or what’s not, but not sure how to go about it? We can manage this for you. Or there could be multiple other things needing to be done and you’re not sure where to begin. Simply make contact and we’ll start unraveling the chaos for you.

The beauty of engaging a Virtual Assistant is that we don’t have to meet up face-to-face – we can chat via email, phone, or an online tool like Zoom, Skype, etc. VAs usually have a skill set of their own – experience in a range of services and software programs, all you need to do is ask and you’ll be directed to suitable team members who can help you.  And if you’re an employer whose staff are off sick, or not able to assist you during this time, we are more than happy to fill the gap.

Working virtually is the safest way at this particular time in our country, and the world, and we’re here to help.

Tips For Working Your Job At Home

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work at home, mindsetTalk of the coronavirus is rife at the time of writing this post. We’re about 10 weeks or so into when the virus began to break out into the world. No-one knew what it might mean in their countries and at home, and we’re, as yet, to learn how long this might go on for.

So, as a consequence, there is lots of talk about people working at home – in those industries where it is possible. Working at home, though, can have its own challenges, especially for those who haven’t done this before.  It can be quite an unsettling feeling.  I know when I began back in March 1994 (yes, 26 years ago) I felt like I was on holidays for a long time. I spent every day at my computer, but didn’t have systems in place and really didn’t have any order in my day.

If you have an employer this might be easier for you, as you’ll have some sense of what needs to be done each day. But, you may find it harder to get into routine, settle into a space for working, or even feel like working.

Here are some tips that I have found works for me in my home office:

Get dressed – don’t live in your pyjamas.  I know there are articles out there about people working in their PJs but personally I find it hard to get into a working frame of mind if I’m not dressed. In my early days I had to drive my kids to school, so I would then go pick up my mail from the post office and come back home to the office. It became a mindset. So, if possible, set your mind to recognising that once you walk into the room where you are going to work, you have ‘come to the office’ or whatever your normal workspace might be.

Set hours for working – use an alarm if you need to. Determine to start work at a set time and to finish at a set time. If you have a partner and/or family, this will also help them to have some understanding of when you are working and when you aren’t.

 

Don’t be tempted to get up later in the mornings – use the time you would usually need for travel, to doing things around your home – or for going a walk to start off your day.

 

 

Take regular breaks from your work – particularly if you’re in front of a computer screen all day long. This means go and make a cuppa for yourself, get something to eat, and move around for a bit.  Sitting or standing in the one place for hours on end is not good for your body.

 

During your lunch break go outside and get some fresh air. Go for a walk in your garden, down the street, in a local park. Vitamin D, some sunshine and fresh air is needed. Your body needs some activity.

 

If you are feeling lonely and isolated, then call someone on your phone, preferably someone from your work environment. Not everyone is cut out to working alone at home all day long, every day. But if you do make any phone calls, set a timer so you don’t spend a lot of time on the phone. Or you could have the radio on all day long. I do – the music and voices chattering are in the background, but it helps to feel that I’m not on my own and gives me a sense of companionship.  Don’t forget you have neighbours too! You can chat over the fence, or the balcony, or whatever is dividing your homes. Or even across the road – that way you get to see people face-to-face without being close to one another.

Set up an account with Zoom or Skype or similar program so that you can have face-to-face conversations with work colleagues and continue to participate in work meetings. Important that you don’t feel like you’re working totally on your own, but are working as a group still, even if not in the same workspace together.

 

At the end of your work day – do other things, a hobby, go outside, work out, watch a movie. Something other than what you do all day for work. You need to be able to switch off and let your mind be refreshed. Just because you have work at home doesn’t mean you have to be doing it 24/7 – and your mind will be sharper if it’s allowed to relax and focus on other things.

 

It can take awhile to start to feel like it’s normal for you – I know it did for me, but setting routines goes a long way to helping with this process.

I want to make…

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In some groups online I see new, or relatively new VAs talking about how much they want to earn a month and when by.  I can see why they do it – putting it out there and the universe (may) help you get there. But sometimes, just sometimes, the figures mentioned are probably beyond achievable in just a few months, as much as they would like it to happen. We all would!

However, there is preparation and thinking to be done to achieve what is spoken. This was my response to the VA hoping to make $5000USD a month by June this year below. She is a mum of young children.

You will need to think about how many hours a week/month you can work and then work out how much you need to charge to meet that goal – think on the services you want to provide and whether they are worth the amount you need to charge or if you need to up-skill.

Then set about working out your not negotiables – the time you MUST spend with your family or doing other things and look at the time you have left to spend on and in your business.

I began my business with 5 school-aged daughters in 1994. I worked during school hours and at night when they were in bed. School holidays were different and I made sure I spent one whole day a week with them, going shopping, to the movies, doing something else. After all, the reason I was working at home was because of them so I didn’t want them resenting my business. In turn, as they got older, they all did work experience with me, and got paid for this. Each of them got jobs once they finished their education, already with work experience behind them.

But you need to start at the beginning and work out what you can achieve and the time you can spend first.

So let’s think about this further:  $5,000 a month breaks down to $1250 a week. Doesn’t sound too bad. If you are working, say, 25 hours a week (remember it is a young family so there are family activities needed to be done) this would mean 5 hours a day, Mondays to Fridays that would equal $50 per hour charge. So the services being supplied would need to be suitable for charging that rate.

But if you don’t have 25 hours a week, then the charge needs to be higher for the amount of hours you can manage. And it doesn’t end there. You need to be able to secure the work in the first place, so you need to spend time marketing, networking and promoting your business. Meeting people, giving quotes, following up and sharing information on how you work, what you charge and so on. And, once you have a client, don’t stop there. You don’t have a business if you don’t have multiple clients and it’s rare to have one client who’s going to pay that per month anyway – an employer yes, a client generally no for most VAs. So the reality is you need to work more than 25 years because you have to work on your business as well as in it.

When I began, it took me a few months to get real regular clients and they came through people who knew me and referred me. My first ‘stranger’ client came 6 months after I began my business. She had met me at a conference where I was presenting on what I do and she’d kept my card for a few months before ringing. She ended up a long-term client and stayed with me for some years. By the end of my first year I had a few regular clients – some stayed for a long time, others didn’t, but it had set the pattern for my business and I could begin to feel confident that my monthly income was fairly regular.  For some it can happen much quicker but for many, it can take longer. You need to be prepared for that.

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