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A Lesson About Your Value as a VA

Last week I learned a valuable lesson. Actually that’s a funny choice of words because the lesson was actually about VALUE itself. Here’s the backstory – I went to Walmart last year to get some new contact lenses. I always pick them up from there because it’s convenient and the prices are good. Well this particular trip, the dispensing optician told me that my prescription was more than two years old, which meant that it was invalid and he could not issue the lenses. Hmm. So at the time I needed the contacts because I was travelling and I knew I probably could not get in to see my eye doctor quickly enough. The optician mentioned that they had an eye doc at Walmart… Read More »A Lesson About Your Value as a VA

15 Services You Can Offer As a VA

The Virtual Assistant industry has really broken out of its shell over the last several years. I remember when I first started out as a VA, there were only a few places to find really good information about getting started in the business. I am happy to be able to share some of my knowledge with you! As various industries have begun to embrace the idea of hiring off-site administrative help, people are beginning to realize all the tasks that a VA can provide for them, that maybe they didn’t think of before. Once you get started, you can decide which services you want to provide, and you can even get some specialized training, but it’s easy to get started… Read More »15 Services You Can Offer As a VA

Do You Do This Too? Accepting Status Quo

This week I was sitting at my desk when wham! Big crash. Suddenly my phone, keyboard, mouse and mousepad were sitting on the floor at my feet, along with my sliding keyboard drawer. You think I would be shocked or stunned. But, no. Ever since I built my desk (don’t judge me!) about 10 years ago I have known that the keyboard drawer has been loose. Yep, right from the get-go. Design flaw I think. But I’ve tolerated it all these years. I can actually tell when it’s loose and might fall, so I can make a quick adjustment and reinforce it, Then I move on until the next time. So this week when it happened I really stopped and took notice.… Read More »Do You Do This Too? Accepting Status Quo

Dealing with Difficult Clients as a VA

Have you ever had a difficult situation arise with a client? Let me give you a few examples: – they send you all their work last minute (their lack of preparation means your emergency, doesn’t it?)- they don’t pay you on time (or without constant nudging) – they complain about every little thing – they ask the same questions over and over again – they send you a million emails to communicate something simple – they don’t change subject lines in their emails if the subject matter changes (this is a huge pet peeve of mine! – how do I ever find that thing we talked about?) You get the picture. Virtual working brings with it a need for steady… Read More »Dealing with Difficult Clients as a VA

Planning Time – Make a Big Change for Your Virtual Assistant Business

Researching, planning, organizing, deciding, shopping, implementing. Running a business is a lot like holidayshopping, isn’t it? Maybe not as fun, but definitely as hectic, and the payoff is definitely as good if not better if you get it right. When was the last time you sat down and really planned what is coming next in your business? You know the way to business growth is through planning, goal setting and then implementing those goals. But are you doing it? I spoke with a VA last week who was not motivated to start doing anything because she was happy with the ‘status quo’ in her business. When I pressed her for some goals, she decided that yes, she wanted to make more… Read More »Planning Time – Make a Big Change for Your Virtual Assistant Business

Time Saving Tips for Managing Multiple VA Clients

It amazes me often that people have trouble juggling the work of more than one client. I do this on a regular basis, and I have a system to manage it. But I didn’t realize I had a system until someone actually asked me how I did it. Funny, huh? So I often share my process with my colleagues, and I try not to take it for granted that I just ‘figured this out’. I know I am an organized person, but I didn’t think managing multiple client fit into that. But it does! 1. Schedule blocks of time for each client’s work. When you begin your day, use a task list to help you determine what needs to be done… Read More »Time Saving Tips for Managing Multiple VA Clients

Not Enough Hours in Your Day?

One of the biggest complaints I hear from VAs and clients alike is that there is not enough time to get everything done. They feel like they are working their fingers to the bone … and they don’t have enough clients, or they don’t have enough time to get their marketing done, or they don’t have time to finish their client work. That’s actually not true! There is always enough time. It’s when you don’t manage your time properly that you run out of it. People (husband, friends, family, colleagues) think it’s funny that I schedule so much of my day, and that I get irritated if someone throws me off schedule. It’s fact. I have a lot to get done,… Read More »Not Enough Hours in Your Day?

Use this Networking Strategy to Get More VA Clients

Building a business can seem like an impossible uphill climb some days. You look at your client list, or your revenue, and you might get discouraged if it’s not where you want it to be. Maybe you don’t have enough clients. Maybe you don’t really like some of your clients. Maybe you don’t think you are making enough (read: charging enough!) money. But how do you get to where you want to be? Well, the harsh reality is that you need to get better clients. And the only way to get better clients is to get connected with the right groups of people. Look at your client list now. Where did your best clients come from? (Don’t have any clients… Read More »Use this Networking Strategy to Get More VA Clients