I nervously and excitedly made my way into the city of Melbourne to register my new business. I hadn't wanted to share my business name idea with anyone, in case someone else beat me to it. Little did I know what might transpire in the years to come and how my business name would be used, not only for my services, but for the services of many others. The world has indeed changed in those 17 years. Computers have changed incredibly, so has the media we use for storing information. It is … [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...]
A VA for each thing…
Somewhere along the line the general public (and clients) have been given the idea that you can engage one VA and get everything done! What a neat idea that is. Trouble is, it's usually far from the truth. The reality is that some VAs are generalists, i.e. they can do wordprocessing, database management, website management and even help with social media. I'm one of those VAs. But when it comes to including book-keeping, graphic design, public relations, marketing and even sales, then the … [Read more...]
The countdown is on!
4 weeks today Graham and I will be winging our way to Canada. It will be a long flight (so we'll be glad to get there) but then we'll have almost 4 weeks visiting in Canada, with the first stop being FoVA09 in Niagara. And then 6 days later we'll head over to Vancouver to join a tour with APT to see some of Canada's beautiful scenery before spending just over a day with a friend and her husband in Vancouver and then back home again. When you're in business you don't tend to think about … [Read more...]
Being a Virtual Assistant in these economic times
You would have had to have your head underground or off the planet, not to know what's been happening in recent times. And everyone's thoughts are about tightening their belts and wondering about their jobs or their businesses. In the VA forums discussions have turned to whether business is increasing or decreasing? Many have reported the former and it's been good to see this response. Why is this? A recent article at Farifax's SMH site talks about how support staff are usually the first … [Read more...]