I am just wondering how long it took everyone to get there businesses up and running to the point that it could financially support you?

Sheila
TSR Solutions

__________________
Sheila Reithmayer
TSR Solutions

This is a good question. I was wondering the same. I ordered the book "Get Clients Now" that I saw came highly recommended so I have a website but I'm reading the book first to decide my marketing plan I want to go with.

Jamie
Oregon Virtual Assistant

I was blessed in that my very first client ended up taking me on full time, and was billing a steady 40 hours per week for almost two years, so I saw returns right away. Unfortunately, when you put all your eggs in one basket, you get left with nothing when they break. My wondeful client's business tanked majorly and I was left in the dust, so I panicked and went back to working a brick-and-mortar job.... HATED IT!

After unsuccessfully trying to work for somebody else (very akin to having all the hairs on your body plucked out.... SIMULTANEOUSLY) I decided it was time for me to get back to my first love, virtual assistance. This time around, I'm glad that I have been able to find work, but it's not nearly as many billable hours each week, so things are going slowly.

My strategy this time around is to add at least one new customer each month - and then see what happens!

Good luck!

I think the answer to that varies greatly. I will open for business in just one and a half weeks, but have no leads yet. I am putting my information together first, then I will start marketing my business to local businesses. I know it will take time, but I do hope to have my first client in the first month and hope to keep adding clients until my billable hours fill up.

__________________
Serita Diana, the List 2 Close Assistant
REVA Academy

Serita said:

Originally Posted by executive_assist

I think the answer to that varies greatly. I will open for business in just one and a half weeks, but have no leads yet. I am putting my information together first, then I will start marketing my business to local businesses. I know it will take time, but I do hope to have my first client in the first month and hope to keep adding clients until my billable hours fill up.

Serita, I'm within weeks of my launch, too. Sooner, if I push myself. I hope to nail down my website this weekend. I've just started working on some marketing material. I'm so sick of writing copy. And I feel like my list of to-do's grows every day!

However, I'm fortunate to have a couple of leads, so I've got my fingers crossed. If they don't pan out, I'll be learning about marketing in double time!

Good luck with your launch! I'll keep my eyes peeled for your updates!



Lezly

What type of marketing stragegies are you ladies using? i have been in business since september and have had a few jobs but nothing serious yet, although i think i may have just landed 2 fairly big contracts so i am crossing my fingers.

__________________
Sheila Reithmayer
TSR Solutions

Interesting thread. The other thing I started to wonder is how many established and new VA's have more luck landing clients locally, compared to clients, lets say out of state at the beginning of starting their practice, that don't know them from Adam. I wonder if my time and energy is used better if I focus on local clients first with the hope they would be more inclined to learn how a VA works, then trying to land a job with a distant client, that you more then likely would have to convince over the phone (if you even get your foot in the door that far) how a VA can help them.
Right now I'm targeting both, but wanted to know what the overall majority of you have ended up doing, successfully.
Thanks

__________________
Tanja
http://www.englishgermanvs.com

In answer to your questions about marketing, I have just become a contributing writer for TVE magazine, I submitted an article to Ezinearticles.com, I have two blogs I'm writing, I have joined forums that realtors frequent so as to make contact. I recently took a couple of small subcontracting work with one of the VAs on here, and I got two leads from my ActiveRain blog that I am hoping will pan out. They sent an email asking about rates, which I answered, but I'm not sure if I will hear back from them or not. Hoping I do, but if they flinch over my rates then they may not be in a position to afford what I have to offer. In the next couple of weeks I will be calling my local real estate offices to schedule with the brokers so that I can do a presentation to market my services to the agents and brokers at their meetings. I have also been tweeting on twitter, started a fan page on Facebook (join me there at www.facebook.com/pages/Executive-Assist/Sebring-OH/270939998528 ), and I have a linkedin profile as well. In regards to local marketing I have developed some print marketing materials, but I am still tweaking those some.

__________________
Serita Diana, the List 2 Close Assistant
REVA Academy

Originally Posted by executive_assist

I think the answer to that varies greatly. I will open for business in just one and a half weeks, but have no leads yet. I am putting my information together first, then I will start marketing my business to local businesses. I know it will take time, but I do hope to have my first client in the first month and hope to keep adding clients until my billable hours fill up.

Sounds like you are on the right track. I am just getting started and wondering how to get that first client. When you say you are marketing your business to local businesses how are you doing that? Phone calls? Visits? presentations? mailings? Just wondering how to approach that.

I've been going to the local, or even non-local chamber of commerce website to look at their member list (usually you can pull them up even if YOU ARE NOT a member) and then I would google certain companies that I feel might be in my target market, like construction companies in my case. I research their site until I find a contact email for a high up member of their team and send them an introduction email, letting them know about my business. Now honestly, I have sent A LOT of those and have not received any reply from A LOT of the people I emailed, but I'm not discouraged, because most of the ones that did repy are either prospective clients that I'm persuing, or have led me to other leads. So not all was lost.

__________________
Tanja
http://www.englishgermanvs.com