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Tips For Healthy Working

Sit for a moment and think about how your average day looks … does this sound familiar? Imagine … wake up, no shower, get coffee, go into office, pick up email, start working, microwave coffee, eat lunch at desk, get distracted by Facebook, answer phone each time it rings, grab shower, run out to get groceries for supper, pick up mail, open it, do more client work, stop when kids come home, help with homework, dinner and dishes, watch Grey’s Anatomy, get kids to bed, go back to work till midnight … If this sounds remotely like you, you have to stop right now. This type of day or routine is not sustainable, productive or healthy. You will suffer from burnout… Read More »Tips For Healthy Working

Do You Know Your Own Value as a Virtual Assistant?

If I were to ask you what your value is, how would you answer? It’s a bit of an open ended question but it’s a really important one to consider as a business owner. Do you actually know your own value? So many things we do in our business come down to the value we bring to the client. I tell all of my clients (and anyone else who will listen!) that people want to know two things: what you can do for them and how much it will cost them. That’s it. Nothing more! Both parts of this rely very heavily on how valuable you are to your clients. This training session is about recognizing what you bring to… Read More »Do You Know Your Own Value as a Virtual Assistant?

How Much Should You Charge as a Virtual Assistant?

Probably the most asked question in the VA industry is ‘how much should I charge?’ Whether you are starting out, or you have been in business for a long time, the struggle around rates always comes up. I think there are a couple of reasons for this – mainly we have trouble seeing our own value, and also we have even more trouble asking people for money. It’s not a flaw in our character, it’s actually very natural. To be apprehensive about setting our rates is perfectly normal. So I try to take the emotion out of it and explain the logic behind setting your rates in this week’s training video. In this Back to Basics training session, we look at rate… Read More »How Much Should You Charge as a Virtual Assistant?

Favourite Tools for VAs: Timetrade

Timetrade is an online scheduling system that I have been using for many years. It’s a simple way for your clients (or anyone!) to book an appointment with you, without the back and forth emails that usually take place trying to find a time that suits both parties. Timetrade allows you to set up available appointments in your calendar, and it syncs with Google Calendar so you can block times easily if you have other appointments. I love the ability to enter recurring availability too, so I am not constantly updating my calendar. My time is valuable, and so is that of the people I do business with. Timetrade is a tool that I can’t do without in my business. And for… Read More »Favourite Tools for VAs: Timetrade

Get Your First, or Next, VA Client

Good clients are NOT hard to find. Whether you have lots of clients, or are still looking for that elusive first one, it is important that you find GOOD clients. The backbone of any business is clients. Without clients you have no revenue … you have no business. And frankly, life is too short to work with clients that you don’t like or who stress you out. Look at your client list right now. Do you love each person you work with? What do you like about them? Is it the work you do for them? Their personality? The rate they pay you? Be honest with yourself and really determine what makes a GREAT client for you. It may not be… Read More »Get Your First, or Next, VA Client

Clarify Your Message, Get More VA Clients

Last fall I sponsored a speaker training event. There were about 80 business owners in the room as the audience, and there were 10 speakers on the stage throughout the day. The speakers each presented a talk and then were coached by the event host to improve their talk. The audience would then vote for the speakers to win various awards. Great premise for an event, so I decided it would be good to sponsor. And it was not terribly expensive to book a table there, and I knew I would meet lots of local people. I hadn’t sponsored an event before so I didn’t have a lot of marketing materials or banners or anything like that. I prepared my… Read More »Clarify Your Message, Get More VA Clients

How Successful People Think

Have you ever read John C. Maxwell’s book ‘How Successful People Think’? It’s one of my favourite business books. I give it to many of my clients when we work together as well. It shines a great light on the idea of mindset as a business owner, and it gives you really great tips to bring productive thinking into your daily life. Maxwell actually talks about 11 types of thinking (!) in the book, and breaks down each one. From big-picture thinking, to strategic thinking, to bottom-line thinking, he covers it all, and I love to go back and read the chapters over again when I feel the need to work on any area of my business. This week I am… Read More »How Successful People Think

Virtual Assisants: Are You Waiting on a Client Payment?

One of the crappiest things that can happen to you in your VA business is to have to wait for someone to pay you. There really isn’t any good way to describe it. I hope you don’t mind! 😉 It causes you stress, worry, anger, upset and a whole host of other emotions. You might even be ashamed by it. How could you let it happen? Particularly if the client hasn’t paid you for a few months and you are still doing their work. Let me tell you something – many of us have been there. I know I have. I have chased money, and continued to work as the balance owed increased. Ugh. What an awful feeling. So what… Read More »Virtual Assisants: Are You Waiting on a Client Payment?