VA Industry | VA Directory

Need help with your Virtual Assistant Business?

I love to help VAs starting out in business, or those who are a bit further along but still need a helping hand. I have 4 different ways I can help VAs get their businesses rolling and perhaps one, two, three or all four are what you need! I will list them in the order they were created. Virtual Assistant Network. Operates under the name of "A Clayton's Secretary" and was formed in April 1996, making it one of the world's oldest VA networks in existence. Membership based, renewable … [Read more...]

Forum membership etiquette

My regular readers will know I participate in several forums - not just Virtual Assistant forums, but also other forums relating to business and/or other topics I have an interest in. My business has grown with the internet, i.e. I began in business 18 months before it entered the business arena here in Australia, so I have grown in business as the internet has grown also. I've seen a lot of trends come and go and things develop and change over the years. Prior to networking online, I did all … [Read more...]

Virtual Assistant Forums – their benefits

I've mentioned from time to time the various VA forums I belong to. It's where some of my material comes from to share on this blog. Today I want to share on the benefits of forums like these. If you are a VA and if you are working alone, then becoming a member of 2 or 3 VA forums would be very beneficial to you. Don't mix up the forums with the networks. Many networks have forums attached to them but not all forums are attached to a network. The forums are usually free to join and some … [Read more...]

Virtual Assistant Newsletters

I wrote a post some time ago about Free Resources Virtual Assistants love and Carla has left a comment asking about Virtual Assistant newsletters. She's looking for a list of them. If you write a Virtual Assistant newsletter then why not leave a link for it here in the comments so Carla (and others) can come have a look and subscribe if they like what they see? … [Read more...]

Join an active VA community

The Virtual Assistants International Group (VAIG) has been an active VA community forum since 1998. It was shifted around a bit to find the right place to host the group and we eventually settled at yahoogroups in 2003. The group is like one big family - many of the core or regular contributors treat each other like sisters and brothers, or perhaps really close friends. Yes, we occasionally have heated discussions but for the most part we're about sharing information, sharing ideas and … [Read more...]

Whatever happened to ethics?

On some of the business forums I belong to (not just VA forums) I see discussions amongst members who sub-contract work out to other service providers. One of the big turn-offs for some in using a sub-contractor is that some of the sub-contractors overstep their boundary and show no respect for the original relationship between the client and the person sub-contracting the work out. They make direct contact with the client seeking continued work. In the corporate world contractors or staff, … [Read more...]

Who do you listen to?

I participate in many forums and see lots of 'advice' being given to newbies in the industry by others who have only been VAs themselves such a short time. Some of that advice is good and helps to demonstrate the journey they, themselves, have been travelling, but I've seen some advice that was ill-founded although well-intentioned. It is really important that VAs who are seeking advice, mentorship, coaching and training, check the backgrounds of those advising them, especially if they do get … [Read more...]

What is a Virtual Assistant?

Interesting question. 10 years ago I would have told you it's a virtual secretary, someone who had left the corporate world and was now working at home and providing secretarial services virtually. However, as with most things, the industry has evolved and today Virtual Assistants provide many different services, depending on their particular skillset. So it's easy to see how people can get confused and wonder what a Virtual Assistant is? On the front of my website I have this … [Read more...]

Help is in good hands

That's the title in today's My Career page 3 article about the Virtual Assistant industry. I was called by the journalist about 3 weeks ago and interviewed about the industry here in Australia. We talked about various influences on the industry and how Tim Ferriss helped highlight the industry to the public at large, particularly those who wanted to travel and still maintain their businesses. It also covered the different type of virtual assistants globally and looked at forums here in … [Read more...]