Hi Everyone,

Still reading, planning, thinking, worrying, planning and thinking a bit more about my little business....and I've gotten to wondering about whether, in terms of targeting your market, it's better to stick with what you're good at, or be more of a 'general services' kind of business?

My 'thing' is transcription. I did it for years as a legal secretary and I do it now as a PA in the health system. I'm good at it and I love it. But I don't want it to appear that transcription is all I can do - because, obviously, it's not. This is kind of a biggie because it will determine, quite possibly, my business name and to whom I market to, amongst other things.

I made a list of the myriad of things I could possibly do for people, but then went over that list and asked myself do I *really* want to be doing all of those things? For instance, when I worked in HR, I did post-interview reference checking, so I thought that this is something I could possibly offer as a service. Then I thought - hang on a minute, I disliked reference checking back then (it's incredibly tedious); do I really want to be spending my time doing it again, now, in my own business?? Having said that, is it silly to be too picky with the services you offer in the beginning and should I just get over the whole "this is what I'd like to do" thing and concentrate on getting work, any work?

Thanks for listening..

Keri

Hi Keri. I just wanted to congratulate you on getting your business going. I know exactly what you mean as far as what term to use to describe your services. I'm just new at running my own company myself, so my words are definitely not words of wisdom. But it sounds like you've really done some great soul searching and I would agree -- don't do what you don't like to do. The cross-checking may be a great market, but if don't like to do it... I do a lot of transcription, and it can really keep me busy. I don't have any of my "own" clients, but I contract with a transcription company. When they're busy, I am so busy and quite frankly don't have time to do anything else. I think if you get enough transcription clients, it can really fill up your schedule.

I am also a sort of generalist, because I enjoy doing so much more than transcription. For instance, I love creating presentations and newsletters -- anything that I can sort of get creative with. So I decided that I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a transcriptionist. Instead, I classify transcription as one of my "specialties." I hope my experience helps you out a bit . The secret to being able to do other things besides transcription is not taking on too much of that type of work, since it can be extremely time-consuming.

I'd love to see other responses to this from VAs who've been in the business for a while!

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Patty

I am a transcription specialist, although I have recently been thinking of adding the newsletter service as I love being a bit creative. I guess it depends what you enjoy.

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Bridie's Typing Services - specialising in transcription services
The professional's choice

Thank you ladies, for the info.

Cheers,

Keri

Great question. Wish I would have asked. It's better to be more specific on what you LOVE doing as well as what you're good at. For two years I felt like I was spinning my wheels. Get known for those specific skills then you can always add to it.

Great reply. It's better to start off with a good track record -- do what you do best and what you enjoy best.

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Patty

When I started I was promoting myself as I could assist clients with just about anything. That was not good. I had clients that wanted me to work for them that I was not familiar with so I could not charge them for my learning time. Now I promote myself as what I do best. I still get requests for things I'm not as proficient in and now I refer them to people who can serve them better.

Hi Keri,
In my opinion, it's a good idea to be a specialist in something, especially if it's something you enjoy. Getting known as an expert in your field for some specific give you leverage not only in how much you can eventually charge, but also in who you accept as a client.

Also, think about who your ideal client is and what types of services those kinds might want or need.

I strongly advise against offering services you do not enjoy. One of the major benefits of being in business for yourself and being the boss is that you get to decide what you want to do.

Specializing also makes it bit easier to market yourself in that you can market where you know people who want your specialized services are looking. Being generalized puts you in a larger pool with a bunch of other general folks and no real way to market yourself as different when you are marketing all the same services.

Don't offer services just to try and obtain more clients. Most of all, think long term about what you want your business to look like in the future.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

I have set up the services we currently have around my resume experience. It allows me the peace of mind to know that clients can see the skills and abilities I can offer them in varying degrees. It also allows for expandability when we start to grow.

One piece of good advice I received from a business expert was that if you are going to start a business whether it's specialist or generalist, make it a business not just a job that pays you a salary.

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Carolan @ Seguine Enterprises
www.seguine.info

Hi Keri. I, too, am in the planning phase of my business. My open date is Sept 6/2011. I am taking an online VA course, which is great for getting me ready to go.

Don't ever offer services that you don't like. As business owners, we say who, we say when, we say what we will do and how much we will charge. That is the beauty of it. Of course, that doesn't mean that offering "Latin translation" would be a service that someone would need or buy. I'm sure you see what is meant here...

One thing that I found really helpful when I first heard about the VA industry was just reading VA websites. I just googled Virtual Assistant. There are people out there who do everything and those who do only specific things. It is very helpful to get acquainted with what successful VAs offer.

You love transcribing - go for it. There are subcontracting opportunities, companies you can work for, etc. Since you have a history doing it, maybe you can get clients through contacts that you already have.

Good luck, all the best.

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Sandra Milligen
The VA Success Coach