Readers will know that this week marks the 14th anniversary of my Virtual Assistant business. And a couple of days ago I announced that 6 of my readers will receive a free printed copy of one of my books. Well, I decided that wasn't enough and I thought it would be good if I gifted someone the 10 week VA Trainer course. The course is ideal for anyone planning to become a VA, or perhaps have only been in the industry a year or two and need to fill in some gaps about how a VA business is run. … [Read more...]
My Anniversary but I have a Gift For You
Today (24th March) marks the 14th anniversary of my business "A Clayton's Secretary". I have no idea where that time has gone. In some ways it just feels like last year I got started but when I look at all of my achievements, and some failings too, I can see I've come a long way in that time. So has technology. What a privilege it has been to be part of the history making of the Virtual Assistant industry - that wasn't in my original business plan :-) . My intention was to start a small … [Read more...]
Tips for Working with a VA
There is an interesting discussion going on at ZenHabits.net about using a VA and the differences between using a professional, versus someone who doesn't have the same experience or skills and therefore charges cheaper. If you're interested in joining in, why not go pay a visit? I recently joined a new yahoogroups forum (do I really need to belong to another one?) about the Four Hour Working Week. It's funny that this book is about a lot of things to help people make better use of their time … [Read more...]
New Look Office
I've been hankering for a new desk and shelves for quite sometime. For a couple of years I'd been collecting photos of the types of desks I was interested in and had them sitting on my document holder. I'd look in Officeworks whenever they had specials but just couldn't find what I was looking for, with respect to length and depth. Sometimes I thought perhaps I'd just buy a hutch and mount it on my old solid desk but again, I'd never find anything exactly the right width. Just prior to … [Read more...]
Australian of the Year Award 2008 Nominee
I got a big surprise when I received my mail yesterday morning. A letter from the National Australia Day Council congratulating me on my nomination for an award this year and a certificate to mark the occasion. What an honour. I had no idea I'd been nominated and I spent the day re-reading the letter to make sure I'd read it right. I don't know who it was (or perhaps a few people) but I am really grateful and thankful and want you to know this. You can read the press release here and my … [Read more...]
My name is not Katie!
I'm beginning to t'ink t'e letter 'h' 'as gone on strike or disappeared... For mont's now people 'ave been calling me Katie or writing 'dear Katie in t'eir emails and ot'er correspondence. But I'm sure I've seen it in ot'er words so w'y can't t'ey see it in my name? Someone did say to me that they were 'h' blind and just didn't see it. I'd never heard of that before. I get it on the phone constantly whenever someone rings and asks for me by name. I'll be at business events and my name will … [Read more...]
HBB TV
I recently appeared on a WebTV program recorded for HBB TV (home based business). This interview is about my new book and also my business - I thought you might like to see it. The recording is just over 8 mins long. … [Read more...]
Type at home and tell your boss to quit!
Ever receive an email that told you that? Or what about 'Home typing out and submitting online forms'. I recently received two badly formatted emails offering me work at home 'typing out forms' and submitting them online, just doing 30wpm. Or how about the one that says you can 'make $250-$2250+ per day working only 30 minutes?. Sound to good to be true? Check out my proof of earnings above. No experience or special skills are required!' There wasn't anything 'above' for me to check out - … [Read more...]
Lucky I’m Home!
My husband rides his bike to work every day - it's just under 21km one way. He loves to ride, get the exercise and hates getting caught up in public transport systems that rarely seem to run on time these days and are overcrowded. If you live in Melbourne, Australia, you'll have some idea of what I'm talking about - it's a common theme in the news. Anyway, I digress. Graham's been doing this trek since around October last year, so it's a good 9 months he's been making this trip. I guess I … [Read more...]