Articles on becoming a VA that is. I've noticed an explosion of articles on different publications promoting how 'easy' it is to become a VA. Have a computer, have internet connection and voila! You're a VA! If it were that easy, we'd all be doing it! :-) There also seems to be a growing number of courses to do, to learn how to become a VA and I encourage you, if you're planning to take this path, that you do your research and assure yourself that those providing the courses have got the … [Read more...]
Dual Business Names – What To Do?
I had a member of my team email me a few days ago. She was concerned because a name she had registered, seemed to have someone else operating under the same name in another state. She wanted to know what to do? Further they both appear to have purchased the same domain name (?). My response to her was this: Hi, always frustrating when this happens regarding business names, however, there is no reason why you can't continue to use it. Legally speaking (in Australia) you can register a … [Read more...]
Does Being a VA Mean 100% Virtual?
I was holding an online classroom session last night and two of the students voiced the same thought as they came to a sudden realisation. We'd been talking about advertising and marketing and I told them how important networking is. Networking locally. It was like a light suddenly went on for both of them. They had thought that by being a virtual assistant they had to get all of their work virtually and online. I told them that if they tried to do that, they were missing a potential client … [Read more...]
What’s in a Name?
It could be the difference between whether or not you get the client! I've lost count of the number of times that people spell my name incorrectly when responding to an email I've sent - either directly to them, or via a discussion forum. And many of these people are VAs - it makes me wonder how much care they take in their own business practices. People's names are so important to them and when someone cannot spell their name correctly (not just a typo but an outright incorrect spelling) it … [Read more...]
Subscription Not Working
It's often easy to forget the lessons you learn along the way that others may not yet have come across. The beauty of someone being just that bit further down the road than someone else beginning their journey. Recently a VA tried to subscribe to my new site VA-Announcements but her address was knocked back as potentially fake by the subscription service. I tried but had the same problem so contacted the people who run the service and they sorted the problem out. The VA in question emailed … [Read more...]
The Right Client Mix
Around a month ago I gained a new client - she is in a different country to me and working in an area that interested me. I'd been engaged to manage her email lists, monitor her website and eventually set up her shopping cart with a well known shopping cart system online. However, two things worked against us. My daughter's wedding took place shortly after we had connected and I had several days when I was unavailable online - she had been informed but it was very early in our new … [Read more...]
Developing Your Niche
During a class session last night I was asked how do you develop a niche market for your VA business? My own particular specialities had happened almost by accident but it is about knowing what you like doing and keeping your eyes and ears open. In 1997 I was offered a role to run the secretariat for a membership based group. I'd never done that type of work before but I knew I liked working on databases, organising events, and being in my own office. I met with the chairperson of the … [Read more...]
There’s Value in Writing Articles
I periodically get clients (new and existing) ask for assistance in getting exposure for their website and their business. There are a number of things you can do such as Google Adwords or any of the other click through advert programs available, make sure your site is listed with search engines and so on, but one of the best value items you can do, is write articles on your niche topic. How many others know your topic as well as you do? And how many others are writing about it? If you are … [Read more...]
Seeking free training?
I see a lot of people who are starting out in the virtual assistant or homebased secretary industry across a number of forums looking for as much free stuff as they can get, but the reality is that if it's really worthwhile, and it's going to help build and develop your skills, then it should be paid for. Bear in mind that any expense incurred in operating or developing your business is a tax expense and as you start out, it's probably best to plan what you need to do now and what you'd like to … [Read more...]