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...]
Training for a Virtual Assistant
When should a Virtual Assistant get training to be a VA? This is a question often on the mind of those who are either looking at joining the industry or have been in it for awhile and perhaps are wondering how they can get up to speed with others. As with anything there are always a series of things to be considered as there is no clear yes or no answer. Think about these things: Do you have experience running any type of business? Are you good at finding things out and solving … [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...]
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...]
VATrainer Student Interview
I thought I would introduce you to some of those who have undertaken my VATrainer course to become Virtual Assistants and run their own businesses. This is an online course that runs over a 10 week period and has been available online for a couple of years now. I have been pleased to see the number of students that have come through and the quality of work they have produced throughout their course. The first is Kellie and in her words, here is what she felt about the course: 1. What made … [Read more...]
A great line up for FoVA
Message from Barb who is organising this event: What do these people all have in common? Kathie Thomas Michelle Jamison Jeannine Clontz Mary Lou Ashton Pam Ivey Tawnya Sutherland Yvonne Weld Stacy Brice Dawn Goldberg Danielle Guerin Frances Palaschuk Kristi Pavlik Lauren Pibworth Rob Neilly David Hansen Mitch Solway and me... Barb Lang They are coming from all around the world to be in Niagara Falls Canada June 4-7, 2009. Each of these incredible people has put together a one of a kind … [Read more...]
FoVA not far away now
I can't believe it's around 9 months since I was invited to speak at FoVA. It seemed like such a long way ahead and yet it's now only 3 weeks away. I'll be meeting many well-known names in the Virtual Assistant industry face-to-face which is something I never thought would happen. You never know what's around the corner and the opportunities that will arise. If you haven't yet booked to attend the Forum on Virtual Assistance in Niagara Falls, Canada, it's not too late. And there's great … [Read more...]
Use the ‘squeaky wheel’ principle
I often get asked by VAs what they should do if they've submitted a proposal to a client's request and a few days have passed and they've heard nothing further. I always advise them to use the 'squeaky wheel' principle. What do you do when you have a squeaky wheel? You pay attention to it. So the client needs the same prompting - you should be in regular contact (without making a nuisance of yourself) and follow up. If they've heard from several Virtual Assistants and life is busy for them … [Read more...]
