Interesting discussion at one of the forums I belong to related to the term of title 'Virtual Assistant'. Some found it hard to explain to people what they do, some wanted the title changed and others were happy to stay with it. The title isn't just a title though, it's a whole industry. And it's an industry that birthed in the mid 90s, and is here to stay, still evolving as technology changes, still getting noticed by those out there who have need of our services. It's like any industry or … [Read more...]
A day in the life of a VA Network owner
Many VAs do not know what goes on in the background of a network owner - or in fact anyone who owns or moderate a network of some type. So I thought I'd share my day with you. I had expected to get some client work done today but very little has been done. Instead, here is what I have filled my day with. Received a membership application but the person who filled out the form did not follow through with their resume or subscription. I logged into my autoresponder system to make sure they … [Read more...]
Good admin skills? Then take a step in faith
I love reading stories of those who have gained the confidence to step out in faith and begin work as a Virtual Assistant. When I began it was out of desperation to be home for my family of 5 daughters. I struggled with managing a job, family, home, kids' activities and so on. Working from home took out of the equasion traveling to and fro to a job each day (wasted time), having to account for any time off that I requested, not being available to my children (and husband) fulltime and instead … [Read more...]
Being a Virtual Assistant gives flexibility
Operating as a Virtual Assistant gives flexibility to the way we work and also to our lifestyle. Over the years I've had clients appreciate that I could juggle things to meet a deadline or get something happening quickly for them when they weren't expect that could be done. On the other hand I've enjoyed the flexibility that working from home in this way has given to my life and I know my family have appreciated that too. Being a VA means we have control of our diaries - not anyone else, and … [Read more...]
The blog has a new look!
If you receive this post via email or RSS you might just want to drop by the blog itself as it has a totally new look. The theme is the same as the main website but with some differences and the last 10 posts all on the front page. To view the full post just click on the title. I hope you like the new look - it will probably take a little while to get used to. Although it's easy to change from one template to another simply by choosing and clicking, it's another thing when you want to … [Read more...]
Change, the essence of life
“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” The above was part of a promotion for AIOP's Annual Office Professional Breakfast held each year here in Australia. One of my team had posted an invite to the Sydney breakfast and wanted to know if anyone else at the forum was intending to go. Seeing the promotion took me back several years. It was 1993 and I attended the breakfast in Melbourne. In those days it was called "Secretaries Day" and … [Read more...]
New look coming!
Those of you who receive my newsletter or visit my website regularly will by now have seen our new look website. This blog will be undergoing a similar change very soon so stay tuned. The new look has been several months in the pipeline and this is partly due to research regarding membership software. I wanted my Virtual Assistant team to be able to login and update their own profiles as they wished and as has often been requested. Time to move on with current trends for membership sites. Do … [Read more...]
What is a VA and where do you find them?
I've been invited to be the Guest Expert at the Business Forum of Experts starting from tomorrow and we will be discussing the above topic. If you're an Aussie business you might like to join this forum and explore what there is to offer. One of the things that I find in my industry is that all too often people who have heard of VAs do not seem to know where to find them, and they will have a vague idea of what we are and what we do, based on what they've heard or read from someone … [Read more...]
5 years of blogging
In 2007 I wrote a blogpost about 2 years of blogging. I came across it the other day and thought, really? Funny what you forget you've written. I won't repeat my journey of how I came to be blogging, you can read the original post linked above. But I can tell you some of what has occurred since then: I've published two printed books based on two separate blogs I've written. Both are available in bookstores in Australia and through Amazon.com I've travelled to Canada to speak at a Virtual … [Read more...]