This was a discussion at a LinkedIn group and below is my response on how I think about helping clients with Social Media. Your comments are most welcome - you may, or may not, agree with me. Then why not let me, and our readers know? "It's hard with social media. It's a networking tool. Networking is about building relationships. It's not about throwing information out there and expecting others to take it up, and not give anything back. It's a two way thing. I happily set up Facebook … [Read more...]
Are you running a charity or a business?
I participate in several VA forums to share information and learn from others and it's at these places that some of my material for this blog comes from. One recurring theme or should I say 'thought' is the one that makes VAs, particularly newer ones, think they should be able to get stuff cheap or at no cost. These are things that relate to running their VA businesses. Don't forget that those providing the tools for you to run your business are also running a business. They need to be able … [Read more...]
Forums or Networks and how many should I join?
This is a question I see asked on many VA forums. The reality is that it's important for you to share and learn from your peers, but also make sure you're getting exposure for your business too. I belong to several forums and participate at each one from time to time, but not every day for all. However, I do believe it's important to belong to VA Networks as well as forums and I am a member of 4 currently. These have both forums and job postings from clients so I get both sides covered there … [Read more...]
Small Business Vic is here again… soon
Each August Victoria's Small Business Festival is put on throughout the whole month. Some councils are very actively involved and I've recently received notification from the City of Knox about events they have on. Of course, you'll be able to look up events happening in your area if you live elsewhere in Victoria. And for those, interstate or overseas, do you have a month that is focused on small business? If so, why not share it below in the comments for others to see? To view and book … [Read more...]
Take Ownership of your Business
There are many joining our ranks on a daily basis, and the same could be said for many industries. The desire for being in control of one's future, the work they do, and who they work for, plus being able to choose their working hours are a driving force for people making that decision. I know that when I made this decision nearly 19 years ago, I desperately wanted to be home for my children and hated all that wasted time on the road or on a train every single day. I hated not being home if a … [Read more...]
Saying No to a Client
I received a newsletter during the week from a coach who was talking about the very topic of this blog post. It raised an important aspect and that is not all clients are a good fit for us as Virtual Assistants. I know if cash flow is slow, our businesses are new or going through a slump, that we want to say yes to every client that makes contact, but that's not always a good thing to do. Particularly if the client has had a bad experience with a previous VA - they can often react to us in … [Read more...]
Confused with marketing your VA business?
If you're not clear on what it is you do, or perhaps not clear on how to explain it, it will show, both in your vocalisation and your written word. Recently a new VA went to a networking event and she was unsure how to explain what she does. The people she was meeting with made some assumptions based on what they think an Assistant is and it confused her. They'd not heard of a Virtual Assistant before so she came to ask questions about what she should do and got a number of responses which … [Read more...]
How do I get clients as a Virtual Assistant?
A question I see over and over again at various VA forums. Here is my answer: Networking is very important when running a business, any business. Businesses only succeed if they have clients. It's why you see advertisements in magazines, newspapers and on TV and why you hear them on the radio. It's why there are lots and lots of different types of business networks that meet regularly, be it weekly, fortnightly, monthly or ad-hoc. It's why there are associations for every industry out there. … [Read more...]
Moonlighting as a Virtual Assistant
I became aware of discussion about an article regarding Moonlighting as a VA. I haven't seen the original article but did see the comments and hope that the writers will see my post as I'm unable to leave a comment on the site where I saw them. I've been running a Virtual Assistant practice for over 18 years now. It wasn't called that when I started, we were known as home-based secretaries in those days. The challenges in those days may have been more difficult as we didn't have the Internet … [Read more...]
