I don't know about you, but when I started my business almost 25 years ago, I expected to have to pay out for things to get started. Things such as: equipment, furniture, software, business registration, business name registration, printed business cards and stationery, industry association memberships, advertising and so the list goes on. The old saying 'you have to spend money to make money' rang very true back then. Additional but hidden costs were taxes, insurances, superannuation, … [Read more...]
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
Recently you would have seen my article about not having two accounts on Facebook. It amazes me just how many people justify why they do it and why they ignore the Terms of Service that Facebook has in place. It doesn't matter if you have multiple email addresses - I do too! But it does matter that you have only one account, not multiple accounts. And I wish people would understand the difference between a Profile and a Page. A profile is attached to your account and it's in YOUR OWN NAME. … [Read more...]
Two accounts on Facebook?
I get amazed that people don't check into things like Terms of Service instead of making assumptions or taking the advice of others who probably don't know either. I want to set the record straight. You can only have ONE account on Facebook. Further, that account has to be in your real name - see item 3 under your commitments in the link above for having an account. For your benefit here: item 3.1 states: Who can use Facebook When people stand behind their opinions … [Read more...]
Are you earning less than the average wage?
As a VA you should have some idea of what your minimum base rate should be per hour. Whether you're doing retainers, packages, or just hourly, it all boils down to working out what the hourly figure would be to get started in your work. Remember that although you don't have to commute to work, buy lunches, uniforms, pay for travel, etc, you do have other overheads an employee doesn't have. For example, you are responsible for your own taxes, insurances (Superannuation, equipment, income … [Read more...]
Are you making things too difficult for yourself?
Reading different posts in VA forums I often find that new VAs are thinking too much and making things difficult for themselves. What do I mean by this? Their online presence, for example. You definitely need an online presence. In the early days people won't be able to Google and find you, but they will want to look you up once they've met you, either online or in person. Make it simple for them and for you, while you build up your presence online. Doing these simple things below will … [Read more...]
Is your VA business a hobby or a true business?
Today, I want you to think about whether your VA business is a hobby or a true business? By that I mean, are you just dabbling on the side, or are you taking what you're doing very seriously? The reason why I ask this is I see so many VAs in different forums doing things that make me think they're not taking this VA thing very seriously. It's the latest fad, it's something to fill in time, something they'll just 'try' for awhile to see if it works, and so on. As a result, their experience of … [Read more...]
One client is never enough
If you're in business, and not in a job, then having only one client is never enough. A recent post on a VA forum showed that a VA lost a client she had and was desperate to replace them as her income was gone. Here is my response to her. Unfortunately this is a lesson in NEVER being dependent on one client only. Ever. It's a lesson we all learn at some point in our businesses, some sooner than others (Yes, I've been there too). So important to work at getting multiple clients and spread the … [Read more...]
MailChimp account hacked
This happened to a client of mine late last year and it was a challenging thing to get sorted and MailChimp people were wonderful, helping us through this. What happened? Someone accessed her account, uploaded over a million addresses and started to send out phishing email saying that payment was due on an invoice and the recipient's credit card was going to be charged. People began emailing and ringing my client anxious that she was going to charge their accounts for a large sum. Some were … [Read more...]
Working out rates right for you
This is a topic that is discussed often, at every single VA forum/group that I belong to. But it's not confined just to the VA industry, but also other industries. A business group I belong to has a member with a fairly new business and they had the same quandary - working out rates that are right for them, fair to the client, and not under-pricing or pricing themselves out of the market. This is such an important topic and one that ALL new business owners should be sorting out before they … [Read more...]
