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Although working from home offers many perks, it is not without its downside. Many VAs who are used to working in a busy office setting find that they miss having co-workers around so they can seek advice, discuss ideas, and share a laugh once in a while.
Social networks and Internet-based virtual assistant groups play an important role in filling this void. Whenever you get stuck with a technical problem or need to tell someone about something terrible (or wonderful) that happened in your business, you’ve got access to a large group of online colleagues – and that’s great! Many business relationships and even friendships have emerged from this type of interaction.
Sometimes, however, communicating online just...
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Contributing Member
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Comments 2
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In the early days of running my business, the question "Who is your ideal client?" always threw me for a loop. In my mind I was thinking "anyone who is willing to pay me" and I’m sure that is pretty typical for people who are just starting out.
Some time later, I completed an exercise as part of a program based on the Law of Attraction. To identify our ideal customers, we wrote down the characteristics we wanted them to have, e.g. "financially able to invest in his or her business." Because we often have a clearer idea of what we don’t want, we also wrote down the characteristics we did not want them to have, e.g. "doesn’t follow through with plans." The negative characteristics were then...
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Contributing Member
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Comments 9
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I've found the majority of my clients in traditional ways, through networking or by referral from a happy client, and over the last year or so, I've started to see great results from social media. On the other hand, sometimes business shows up when you least expect it, and when I was asked about the most unusual way I've found a client, one story immediately popped into my mind.
After helping me to define my target market, my coach advised me to make a list of ways I could reach people in that market. One of my ideas was to donate a gift certificate to my services as a door prize at an event they would be likely to attend. I searched online, found an upcoming conference in my target industry, and contacted the head of the sponsoring...
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Contributing Member
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Comments 5
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I found out about VAF from a virtual assistant in a nearby city, who suggested that it would be a good resource for letting other local VAs know about the meet-ups I was organizing. I was quite pleased to learn about it, especially since it has allowed me to connect with several local colleagues that I had not seen elsewhere.
Even more than that, it has given me access to a wealth of information. When I have a question, I know I can post it on VAF and receive an answer from one or more of the friendly members, and every time I visit, I learn about a helpful resource to help me in my business. I don't know of any other site that offers so much, including access to RFPs, without charging a fee, and because I get so much out of...
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Contributing Member
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Comments 1
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I've been blogging since 2006 and have had a decent, although not overwhelming, number of subscribers and commenters. I know from my web stats that the number of actual readers is even higher, but most people choose not to actively participate.
Recently I was invited by a time management expert to take part in a blog tour. He offered to be a guest blogger for five days, and to give a prize each day to the person who left the best comment. It seemed like too good a deal to pass up, so I agreed. He emailed his list at the end of the week before his appearance on my blog to let them know about it.
I was very pleased with both the number and the quality of the comments left on his posts. Although not a lot when compared...
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Contributing Member
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Comments 0
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I've never been really good at hypothetical questions, like the ones that ask "If you were a car, what make and model would you be?" I'm more about facts and figures than possibilities, so when I read the challenge question for this month, I was pretty sure I'd be giving this one a pass. Although it would be interesting to meet a celebrity like Oprah or the late John Lennon, I honestly couldn't get stirred up enough to write about the prospect.
Consequently, blogging wasn't even on my mind when I mentioned to my husband earlier this week how much I would love to meet Julie Bestry and Geralin Thomas, preferably at the same time. Not only are they both brilliant professional organizers (my kind of people), but they each... |
Contributing Member
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Comments 4
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SOP, or Standard Operating Procedures, is something every business needs, even one-person, home-based businesses. It may cover financial issues, including deposits and cancellation fees; branding issues, such as how the telephone is answered and what font is used in correspondence; administrative issues, including the forms and checklists you use internally and when working with clients; and much more.
The best time to develop your SOP is when you are just getting started. Of course, it will need to be modified from time to time, as you revise your procedures and implement new ones, but at least you will have something to work from.
This topic is covered in Michael Gerber’s bestselling book, The E-Myth Revisited...
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Contributing Member
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Comments 3
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