A question I'm often asked in different places. Usually by new VAs who are dead set keen to get their first client and not sure how to go about it. I thought I'd share how my first clients came about and encourage readers to add theirs as well. For me it was 1994. I was telling everyone I knew what I was planning to do... leave my job and start up my own secretarial business at home. A man at my church came and asked if I could do some typing for him and that was my first job. Only a few … [Read more...]
Take Ownership of your Business
There are many joining our ranks on a daily basis, and the same could be said for many industries. The desire for being in control of one's future, the work they do, and who they work for, plus being able to choose their working hours are a driving force for people making that decision. I know that when I made this decision nearly 19 years ago, I desperately wanted to be home for my children and hated all that wasted time on the road or on a train every single day. I hated not being home if a … [Read more...]
Why did you start your Virtual Assistant business?
I was asked that question at a forum. Well, not me personally, but all the members of the forum. Got me thinking why I got started. I could sum it all up with just one word... frustration! There were lots of other reasons but frustration probably sums it up well. I was frustrated with growing up in a poor family and my parents not being able to afford things I wanted to do as a child. I wanted to make sure I could give to my children things that were necessary or because I wanted to. I was … [Read more...]
Setting goals for your VA business
When you first start out with your Virtual Assistant business it's easy to get caught up in the daily activities of finding clients, setting up systems, establishing what your service offerings are going to be, learning from other VAs and so on. There does come a point in time though when you could begin to feel like you're always working, always marketing, always doing something, but very little for yourself. Setting goals for yourself is a good way to help you get focus - providing … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistant – are you going it alone?
Being in business is tough any time. You have to wear multiple hats, or be able to employ sufficient people to wear all those hats: CEO/Owner, marketer & promotions/PR, bookkeeper, database manager, worker, and so it goes on. I still hear from those who have been operating a Virtual Assistant business entirely on their own, unaware there is a whole industry out there, of peers whom they could be connecting with to learn from and share. It would seem that some are so busy inside their … [Read more...]
How many clients should you have?
Getting your first client is an exciting thing, but scary also, and can take quite sometime to achieve. However, it is not time to relax after gaining this client. You need to continue marketing and find other clients and as each one comes along it gets easier and easier. You gain more confidence in the way you deal with clients, talk to them or email them, and as you collect both written and verbal testimonials more clients come in your direction. It is important you work out how much work you … [Read more...]
Can a Virtual Assistant make a good income?
On the weekend just gone there was an article published in a couple of major Australian newspapers in the My Career section about our industry and based on an interview I had with the journalist. A comment was made on one of the forums I moderate that 'it will take a long time and hard work to make money, if any at all' and I want to address that comment here. I agree that to establish a good VA business (or any business for that matter) it takes a lot of hard work and it does take time - the … [Read more...]
When someone wants to become a Virtual Assistant
I received an email via my contact form during the week from a lady who wants to become a virtual assistant. Rather than fill out the application form, she wrote to me first as she wasn't sure if she had what it took. Her email was badly typed with misspellings, caps missing, and so on. However, I recognised that she probably didn't see this in the same way as she might writing a letter of application to an employer. This was my response to her: To be truthful, if the typing you sent below is … [Read more...]
Increased non-billable time
As we hear more about the economic turmoil worldwide there are going to be increased non-billable time for some Virtual Assistant businesses. So what do we do about it? Make it work for us! I'm sure, if you're like me, you'll always have things that have been put aside till you have time for them. Make sure those things are in easy reach in a folder or a box or something so you can pull it out and start prioritising what's important to you and what may be income-producing once you have your … [Read more...]
