From the very start of my business in 1994 I determined that I would not let my family be used as an excuse for not getting things done. I came from the corporate world and at that stage home-based workers were seen as 'backyard operators' or 'shonky dealers'. I knew of people who ran legitimate businesses at home but they were few and far between and they never let their clients know because of that attached stigma to their place of operation. Today things are very different and a lot of … [Read more...]
Software for client support
The majority of VAs are using Microsoft software for servicing their clients. The core product used is the Microsoft Office software and this works really well for a large number of jobs to be carried out for clients. But when Microsoft updated their software to the 2007 package it actually meant that earlier versions could not read the documents without downloading a compatibility package. I personally find this inconvenient, and knowing that many of my clients are not that software or … [Read more...]
Do you want to succeed as a VA?
You probably look at many VA businesses and wonder how it is that some succeed and really develop and others seem to struggle to find clients and get the work. What is the difference? A number of things - but one of the major ones would be networking - constantly. Stats show that 80% of all business comes from networking and referrals. Is it any wonder that the successful VAs tell all the others 'network, network and network some more'? You don't have to have the gift of the gab and have an … [Read more...]
Is your website written for an international audience?
A recent discussion at a LinkedIn forum I belong to highlighted the use of country codes when listing phone numbers in emails and on business websites. It was an interesting discussion and what was brought to light was the fact that many people in the US (at least on this forum of 8,000+ people) just hadn't realised that people outside of their country would need a code to dial their number. I found that an insight in itself. I am always having to call the US to participate in telesminars, or … [Read more...]
Developing a niche in the Virtual Assistant world
I often see VAs talking about developing a niche for their practice. This is a good line of thought, however it's important to consider that it could be awhile before you even know what your niche is. Some know straight away and others have no idea. I was in the latter category when I started my business. All I knew was how to type and that meant I would do documents in Word or WordPerfect and I could do data entry into spreadsheets. That was the limit of what I thought I could do in my own … [Read more...]
What’s in a name?
I really feel for the new Virtual Assistant as many are struggling to develop an identity, and with that, a name for their businesses so that they can be seen as inviduals and not copycats. But sometimes I think they have got it a bit confused or in the wrong order. A business name does not have to be established at the beginning of your business - it can be done later. As far as I know, in most regions, you can legally operate under your own name - which is individual for the most part, and … [Read more...]
What Dictionary Are You Using?
I saw a post recently by someone online who was discussing the differences in the meaning and spelling of a particular word - one of the variations had an 'e' on the end. They were saying the two words had two different meanings and I would have loved to leave a comment but the blog in question was closed to comments. I looked up the word in question and found that the word, both with an 'e' and without still had the same meaning - it just depended on which dictionary you checked and also … [Read more...]
Transcriptions – Get all the details II
When starting out it's often easy to get so excited when a new client comes along, that we forget to ask for all the information. Sometimes it's simply a case of not knowing what information we need - till we start the job, or perhaps until it's delivered, assumed finished. A discussion recently on my forum was about transcription work for a client. Some felt transcription was simply a typed copy of a voice recording, others felt it should have some formatting. Some talked about it being … [Read more...]
Transcriptions – Get all the details I
My next post will talk about getting all the details about the required format of a typed transcription but what about receiving the job in the first place? I often get people filling out a job request on my site or phoning me to find out about the cost of getting a transcription done. However they give me little other information initially and I have to ask questions. There are a number of things that needs to be known when organising a quote for transcription work: What format is the … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- …
- 51
- Next Page »
