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virtual assistant business tips

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

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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.

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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

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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

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I Need You To Know This

I do a lot of networking with virtual assistants. Of course I have lots of colleagues, having done this type of work for almost two decades. But I also connect with VAs on social media and at in person events for Your VA Mentor and for the VA Associations. I like to think I am generous with my knowledge and I share what I can when I can. So I tend to spot patterns of issues that new or struggling VAs are facing fairly easily. This week I saw several posts, in several places, that are very common … and I decided that I have to tell you something this week. You are in charge of your business. You are… Read More »I Need You To Know This

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How Do You Take Time Off as a Virtual Assistant?

Every month when I send out my client billing, I let them know which days I will be out of the office in the coming month. It’s an easy habit to get into – I can book off whatever days I want, and they get enough notice so we can make plans to get their work done on their deadlines. I have done it for quite a while now and my clients now just have to take my email and update their own calendar. It’s quick and easy! How do you take time off? Do you take time off? Maybe that’s the first question to ask! I used to never take time off. I was usually the only support staff… Read More »How Do You Take Time Off as a Virtual Assistant?

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You Make It Sound So Easy!

Business is complicated. Networking is hard. Marketing is time-consuming. All of these statements are probably pretty true – especially if you are trying to do it all at once. But here is what I teach all of my students and my coaching clients: simplify what you are trying to do. Break it down into small, manageable (bite-sized) steps. I promise you, you will get more done and you will move your business forward faster. If I counted the number of times a VA told me ‘I am going to spend 2 hours a day on (insert business task here)’, or ‘I’m going to catch up on all 6 lessons from my training course this weekend’, I’d be a millionaire!! It’s… Read More »You Make It Sound So Easy!

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The Number 1 Productivity Killer for Your VA Business

I have read a lot of articles about productivity over the years. They tell you how to streamline your work, your procedures, how to work effectively, lots of different tips. And many of them are right on the money. But I absolutely agree with the ones that talk about what the number 1 productivity killer is. It’s email. It’s a dark hole that you can go very deep down so easily. Being a virtual business owner means that a lot of our communication depends on email. I know mine does! But how we manage our email is what is important. If you start your day by picking up email you are starting your day in a reactive mode. You can’t… Read More »The Number 1 Productivity Killer for Your VA Business

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