When I read Tess' post about VAtraining.com - I went there and look and it reminded me of both VANA and Erin Blaskie.

I am now curious about VANA - can anyone vouch for them? Is it worth the expense to sign up as a member to gain possible clients via RFPs and information & dicussion?

What about VBSS (Virtual business start up) Was it helpful having all that information step by step? Is is effective?

Thank you!

I'm not familiar with VANA or the benefits of paying for membership as I've never been a member paid or otherwise...but I'ms ure someone who does and has can chime in here with their own perspective!

Regarding the other question you asked: I do know Erin Blaskie the VA Coach fairly well (via this site) and was given the opportunity to view one of her training programs from the inside with a guest pass and will say that it looked very thorough and well put together.
Also, there are numerous members here who have taken Erin's classes and absolutely RAVE about them!

(Erin is not affiliated with the administration of VANA, at least not to my knowledge)

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I'm a paid member at VANA. You get access to the RFP system along with other perks, such as archives, free Ebooks etc. When I joined, it was at a promotional price of $99.00 per year. It is now $249.00 per year. VANA is very large, over 7000 members so I know that its founder needed to start charging for the perks to keep the free side, free! I don't post there as often as I do here and that is partly due to just trying to keep up with all the digests that I belong to. Having access to the RFPs is a definite bonus, but it shouldn't, in my opinion, be the driving factor to join. You can still join for free and have access to and be able to post to their forum, you just won't have all the bells and whistles.

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Doreen R. Patrick, MVA, ACS, CIVA
www.virtualbusinesspartners.net

Okey Dokey

Have you ever heard of VBSS?

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Yvonne
Office Savvy Assistant

I have heard of VBSS, but I can not attest to the program. I do not know of any VAs that have purchased it either. I would be interested in learning in getting feedback on it as well.

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Doreen R. Patrick, MVA, ACS, CIVA
www.virtualbusinesspartners.net

I am a paying member of VANA (VAInsiders) and a VBSS member. The membership for the VAInsiders, which for a limited time was $99, I only paid half of that price for $49 because I am a VBSS member.

I totally agree with Doreen regarding becoming a VAInsider. There are lots of perks to being a VAInsider such as accessing their RFP's, but you can still access much of the forum without having to pay. The founder did indeed start the VAInsiders to offset the cost of the forum, which was a substantial amount and increasing. Unlike Doreen, I actually do post a lot on the VAInsiders forum and haven't regretted the investment whatsoever. There are many savvy Virtual Assistants that are also members and they provide excellent feedback and advice, but the Virtual Assistant Forum provides that equally as well!

I invested in the VBSS primarily to access the templates (+125). My VA practice sort of took me unawares as I had clients before I truly had a business going and the VBSS was the best investment I made. It gives you a step-by-step workbook and system to get a VA business going in 30 days. Tawnya Sutherland (founder of VANA and a Virtual Assistant herself) is the designer of the system which also includes includes well-known reference books written by VA professionals like Diana Ennen, Kelly Poelker and Michelle Jamison.

I would be glad to talk further with anyone wanting to know more about the VBSS or the VAInsiders, feel free to pm me, hope that helps!

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Kate V. Kerans
Kerans Virtual Assistance

I am a paid member at VANA, I got in on the early bird special for $99. Honestly, I probably won't renew it and will just stick with the free membership in the future. I have rarely accessed any of the "paid for" services, and what I have accessed I wouldn't pay $249 for. Don't get me wrong, I like VANA and think it is a great source of information but you can get the same thing here (and other places) for free.

I'm willing to pay a nominal fee for some services, but IMPO I think $249 is just too high (although it is comparable to other sites), especially for the newcomers who haven't generated much business yet. As far as the RFP's go, they don't come around often enough and your are bidding against 7,000 other VA's. Most of the RFP's are for web design, which is great if that's what you do. You do get some free advertising (which I haven't utilized), but then again you are advertising mostly to other VA's, I think your advertising dollars would be better spent on a website that caters to your target market.

I don't have any experience with VBSS, I looked into it when I first started out, but I thought it was too expensive.

I don't want to seem like I'm picking on VANA, but it was the topic. Personally, I feel everyone should be careful where you spend your money at and make sure that what you're getting in return matches the cost. There are so many organizations out there that charge $200+ for membership, which can empty your pocketbook in a hurry. I would recommend asking for a free trial even if they don't offer one, to make sure it's going to benefit you and your business before spending the money.

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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services

Originally Posted by Rebecka

As far as the RFP's go, they don't come around often enough and your are bidding against 7,000 other VA's.

Correction: RFP's are available ONLY to VAInsiders, so you aren't bidding against 7,000 other VA's, you are only bidding against other VAInsiders. There are, to date, some 46 introductions listed by new VAInsiders. Although, I am sure the number of VAInsiders is higher than that, it gives you an idea of where that number may be.

If you would like to see FAQ and other questions about VAInsiders, feel free to go here, hope that helps! :cool:

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Kate V. Kerans
Kerans Virtual Assistance

Rebekah, that is what I was thinking...

That advertising is mainly toward other VAs and that perhaps my dollars are better spent else where such as investing in chamber of commerce, maybe? I am doing more research on where best to do network and getting the public aware of the services I will soon be offering.

I'm glad you mentioned that RFPs are mainly website design. I don't really do that although I do am thinking of maybe taking courses on it - it depends. I'm more looking into full-charge bookkeeping/certified accountant. I did some work on my accounting courses and it looks like it will be something I will enjoy doing a lot! :0)

I agree that the price is steep. If it was $99 - most likely I can go with that but $250? Whew - I agree that it would be good to have trial for this. Hmm - I could ask, good idea. Oh right - never mind. They cannot offer trial because people could download everything and all and then not buy membership. Can't blame them.

Karen, it sound good to have those templates, if you think it was helpful, I could consider it. This got me thinking - I'll do some search on templates via internet see what I come up with.

If I have more questions I'll take you up on your offer & PM you - thank you! :0)

PS - I have always been drawn to this forum as it is more personal and interactive. The other one feels so alien and impersonal - no offense. And it is free! :0)

Thank you all for your responses!

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Yvonne
Office Savvy Assistant

You can buy VA templates for $24.95 here http://www.eliteofficesupport.com/content/view/34/215/