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What Will I Find If I Google You?

What will I find if I Google you? As Virtual Assistants, our online presence is a very important part of our business. People like to do business with others that they know, like and trust. And while sometimes this can come by way of referral, most times (especially when you are getting started), it will come from people checking you out online. If you actually Google ‘Google Yourself’ you will find a lot of stuff about unwanted information and how to clean up your online reputation. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I mean is that when people are deciding whether to work with you they will seek out your online profiles – and you want them… Read More »What Will I Find If I Google You?

How To Start Conversations with Potential VA Clients

One of the things I see VAs struggle with is how to start conversations with potential clients. Whether it’s online or in person, a simple networking conversation is something that can stop a lot of VAs in their tracks. But when I teach someone how to start a conversation, a light often goes on. Why? Because once they know what they should be talking about, things become so much easier. Here’s an example: You are headed to a live networking event full of potential clients. You prepare your elevator speech and off you go. The first person you meet introduces themself and then asks you what you do. You launch into a one-minute rehearsed elevator speech that they have to… Read More »How To Start Conversations with Potential VA Clients

How To Write a Better Response to an RFP for a Virtual Assistant

How do you find your clients? If your number one answer is not ‘networking’, then you are probably a VA who seeks online opportunities in groups and on job boards – and responding to RFPs that are posted in various places online. First let me say that there is nothing wrong with that (some VAs like to say there is!). I got my very first official VA client by answering an RFP (and we still work together!). I remember it being so exciting when she replied and said yes! I didn’t know what I was doing. I saw her job listing and I put together what I thought was a good response and I sent it off to her. We… Read More »How To Write a Better Response to an RFP for a Virtual Assistant

Are You Striving For Perfection? You Should Read This.

I am making some changes in my business and that means moving some clients on while bringing on new (different!) ones. My business has changed from providing VA work to running my training and coaching Your VA Mentor business, along with running my VA associations, CAVA and GAVA. So the time comes to move my VA clients over to new VAs. I have moved many clients in and out of my business over the last 20 years, and I always strive for excellence when I do it. That means doing it fairly swiftly, while providing the new VA as much information as possible so that the transition can be seamless. That means making sure that the new VA can succeed and that… Read More »Are You Striving For Perfection? You Should Read This.

How to Make Some Extra Money As a VA This (And Every) Month

I was fortunate to take a bit of time off this month. It’s really important to recharge your batteries whenever you can. I don’t know about you, but I think working alone from home can take it out of you! We build up on our task list as new things come in, and it is easy to get overwhelmed and overtired. But one of the things that comes up when I tell some VAs I am taking time off, is that they fear the loss of income. If we are the only ones who do the work, then when we don’t do the work, we do not get paid. So what can you do to get out of that mindset? First, you… Read More »How to Make Some Extra Money As a VA This (And Every) Month

Are You Moving Forward in Your VA Business?

I came across a neat quote from Simon Sinek this week in the form of a social media image. “It’s better to go slow in the right direction that to go fast in the wrong direction.” I really like this thought because it’s really true in usiness. I often talk to VAs who feel that they aren’t moving fast enough to get where they are going. But I always reassure them that as long as they are moving forward, even in tiny steps, that they are still headed in the right direction. Those of you who have worked with me will know this is true! As we build and grow our businesses, sometimes we don’t get everything done that we expected. But… Read More »Are You Moving Forward in Your VA Business?

Daily Actions to Help You Get More Done

How does your to-do list look? I bet some days it makes you want to bury your head in the sand. I know mine does sometimes! The idea that we have so much to do and not enough time to do it is common for business owners. Overwhelm is often the word of the day! It’s how we manage our time that will help us get things done, or stay in overwhelm. So I thought I would share a few of my tips with you so that you can move past that feeling and get back into control of your to-do list. 1. Write it all down. First things first, you have to be able to look at what needs… Read More »Daily Actions to Help You Get More Done

Following My Own Advice

Certain times of year, picking up email can get tiresome. I notice that the busiest time for my inbox usually begins before American Thanksgiving, and continues all the way till the end of the calendar year. Before the ‘holidays’ as the US refers to them, things are relatively calm. (In Canada our ‘holidays’ usually refer to Christmas – from say the 22nd till the day after New Year’s Day). This year I have more email to manage than normal – since I purchased GAVA and CAVA, that it totally okay with me! And I am also slowing down my client work and transitioning some clients to new VAs, so my inbox is slowing down for that kind of work. So… Read More »Following My Own Advice