I'm delighted to let you know that I recently graduated after doing the Sustainability Business Program that the Yarra Ranges Council puts on for businesses in their region. This is a govt subsidised program so it has the backing of the Australian government. Why would I participate in such a program? Because I saw it as adding value to my business and alerting more people to the VA industry as a whole. While Virtual Assistants already know and understand the benefits of operating virtually … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistants add value to your business
The value of a Virtual Assistant is being widely acknowledged now, although there are still many business owners who are learning all about our industry. I recently shifted to a new BNI chapter closer to home and there are quite a few categories in that chapter that are perfect 'power partners' for my Virtual Assistant business. I've had 10 dance cards (one-on-one meetings) over the past few weeks and have enjoyed sharing with each BNI member the diversity of the things that I do. I love … [Read more...]
Full time job as a Virtual Assistant (VA)
This week I saw a post where someone has posted a 'job for a fulltime Virtual Assistant'. Before any of you get excited, let me tell you why this is not a good idea. First and foremost, Virtual Assistants are business owner/operators - they provide a service to other business owner/operators. Several - not one. If you are in the situation of having only one client, then the tax dept in your country could see your working relationship as that of employer/employee which can open a whole can of … [Read more...]
What are you promoting?
A few weeks ago I had an interesting comment from someone who was looking for VA support. They said to me "I would have asked you but I know how busy you are and didn't think you had room for me". oops, is that how people really see me? It was too late to say I was interested in the role - they'd already engaged another VA. But it did make me realise that others may have this perception too. How are you promoting yourself? It's good to let people know you're busy but are you telling them … [Read more...]
Seeking good customer service
My husband and I were watching ACA (A Current Affair, Ch 9, Melbourne) program the other night and they were discussing why less people are entering the shops and more are shopping online. Talk had even been made of the home shopping option that was available for years and then scrapped because it was considered too expensive. Retailers are getting concerned about the declining number of shoppers. There were a number of possible reasons and excuses given but we both felt that the key reasons … [Read more...]
Why I wouldn’t take this job
I got an email overnight with the subject: I am looking for an experienced article writer. The message said: Dear friend, I am impressed by your writings and the content you post on your blogs. I was also looking for a Quality Technical Writer who may provide me similar quality articles. I can provide you the content which you have to write in your words. I need an engineering manual written on Mechanical Engineering subjects for which I am willing to spend around $100 to get these 100 pages … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistants – Mind Your Language!
I had a conversation recently with someone relating to internet merchant facilities. During the course of the conversation he kept using in-house terminology which didn't really mean much to me at all. I had to remind him, more than once, that he's speaking a language that his industry might understand but the client wouldn't, and I am a client. He apologised and made an effort to use language I would understand. We finally came to an understanding of what I need to do to get something working … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistant Training Course
The VATrainer.com course is on special at the moment up till 31st December. Ideal Christmas gift for someone you know who wants to learn about being a Virtual Assistant. Or perhaps you can gift it to yourself! … [Read more...]
WordPress Clinic
Readers will remember the Wordpress Intro Course I launched some weeks ago. For those of you who feel you'd like something more advanced then VA Classroom's Wordpress Clinic may be just what you're looking for. Details below: It almost goes without saying that WordPress has become the most popular web platform among entrepreneurs and small businesses today. In the past, WordPress was seen as a platform for delivering blogs, but with new technology and lots of innovative plugins, WordPress is … [Read more...]
