6/2009 Interview with Mary Ruth of Virtual Writing & Communications Solutions - Virtual Assistant Forums

NZVAs · #1 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009

Mary H. Ruth
Virtual Writing & Communications Solutions

Born in Idaho, raised on the east coast, and now longtime resident of North Carolina ("The Southern Part of Heaven"), Mary is veteran of over thirty years in nonprofit arts administration, with additional experience in law offices, retail, and graphics. Mary graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975, majoring in English; and now operates from her rural home office in Alamance County.

Mary lives with her partner, Rick, her dogs and chickens on 14 acres of lovely countryside. She does the cleaning, Rick does the cooking, and life's pretty peaceful all the way around. And she’s a Granny to Luke, 1 1/2 years old, which is the most charming reality of all. Virtual Writing & Communications Solutions specializes in writing, editing, social media marketing and business planning.

I am certain I wouldn’t be the first to say that your service to VAF as an interviewer has been outstanding!

What was the most enjoyable aspect of that experience, and please share with us the fondest memory of the process that you will take away with you?
I'm very grateful to VAF for allowing me the opportunity. Interviewing these magnificent women has given me a peek into their personalities and motivations, and it's been an awesome experience every time. I love asking questions! Anyone who has managed to establish their own VA business is strong, smart, and creative; so it was a joy getting to know these folks. Must say, it's also really fun to work closely with Tess - she's simply the best! And she didn't even scold me the few times I forgot that it was the first of the month and she had to send me a reminder.

What motivated you to become a VA and is the same passion driving you today?
I'm a tad older than many members of VAF, and when the time came to do something different with my life, I knew I wanted to be a virtual assistant. If nothing else, I can write well, and I see that skill as my basic offering to the world. I needed desperately to escape the daily 9-5 routine. I'd read about VAs a couple of years before, and when I left my previous job, there was no question about what I would do. Though it's not been exactly easy, and I fairly often freak out wondering where the clients are, it's never crossed my mind to abandon the effort. Learning about social media has widened and deepened my passion: I'm honestly excited about its meaning for communications and marketing and the world of commerce in general.

Of the process establishing your niche, what did you find most difficult and why?
About halfway through my first year, someone pointed out the difference between niches and target markets. My special niche is writing and editing (along with many other administrative and marketing tasks), and I can apply these skills to any industry or field. But marketing to the world at large is not very effective. So I'm still working on refining my target market. Clients tend to be coaches of one kind or another, solopreneurs, authors, or local brick-and-mortar businesses or services. I like this variety, but will probably soon focus more narrowly in order to grow my bottom line.

When starting out we can sometimes feel like the business is a hobby before it becomes its own entity. What were three key signals for you that your business had grown into an entity of its own, and how did you feel as this was developing?
One early signal was the fact that the name for my biz came to me very automatically, and I knew right away it was an accurate statement of my offerings. So really from the get-go it was its own entity. It was some months after I launched my website that I began to understand web communications, and when I renovated the site I immediately began to feel really proud of my participation in the business. Then, at the end of last year, I took Craig Cannings' Social Media Marketing course which gave me some tools of immediate relevance.

Since I now have this 'product' to sell, it makes my company that much more business-like. How have I felt as this was developing? Great! I've come a long way, but I really love learning, and am 110% committed to my business.

What marketing method helped you the most and what did you try that was least effective in your niche?
Working hard on SEO, participating in social networks, and attending local networking meetings have helped the most in finding clients. At this point, the business is slowly working towards referral-only. The least effective marketing strategy I've tried was direct mailings; also, I have a Yellow Pages listing that has so far brought in only one inquiry (and no work).

Please describe the toughest challenge you have had as a VA in your niche/experience, and how you overcame this.
I'm realizing that the toughest thing is not to panic when business is slow. I'm somewhat of a workaholic, and when my list isn't overwhelmingly long I start getting despondent. It's a result of working as an employee all my life until now. I have to get used to the ups and downs, as a natural part of the business and not an indication that I'm a failure.

I'll add, as well, that long distance client relations can be tricky, to say the least, and a couple times it just hasn't worked out between us. Although it's difficult, you have to not take such situations personally, and just move on. A VA is a partner, and it's key that you partner with people you like and respect. I think VAs, myself included, often yearn to be all things to all people, and we've got to be tougher than that. If the match is not well-fitted, it's no one's fault, and the mature thing to do is part ways without burning bridges.

Please tell us about your vision for Virtual Writing & Communications Solutions.
Long term, my plan is to move to a referral-only business. I'm dedicated to working alone, and don't intend to add staff in the foreseeable future. I'd like to move into more solid consultancy positions, helping small businesses with planning and branding. However, if I come across a young person who is an excellent communicator (especially in writing), I'm very interested in mentoring and teaching them about what I do. I don't think we do enough of that these days! It's important to pass on the knowledge.

There are so many opportunities to be had in our industry – how do you recognize potential opportunities and what you do to create a relationship or generate a sale?
My participation in social media, along with local networking, are what I use to be in the right places at the right times. I spend 12-15 hours online every day; I blog; I participate at LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and of course VAF as well as other forums; I give away a mini-eBook and articles; I comment as much as possible on others' blogs and read many updates via RSS daily.

For local networking, I've belonged to three different groups, though now I concentrate on one weekly meeting. At this point in the evolution of the VA industry, it's necessary to do a whole lot of gentle educating. I've set up special pages on my site for these local groups, inviting them to go there to learn how they can effectively use social media.

So it's all about communications and 'being there'. Once someone surfaces as a potential client, extremely prompt and clear communications usually do the trick to clinch the sale.

What do you see as a future challenge for VAs and do you have any tips in order to cope with the ever-changing platform we call the internet?
If your business relies heavily on the internet (and it is the main tool for most VAs) then the best way to keep up with it is to participate. Read everything you can. Dialog through the social media sites. Keep tabs with the likes of Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, Tech Crunch, Hubspot, Robert Scoble, Valeria Maltoni, etc. There are so many of these people and sites that can keep you current about the internet. But that brings up the other half of the issue: how to manage your involvement so you have time to sleep and eat.

My solution is to take things at my own pace, not be abashed if I've missed something, and not feel guilty that I don't know everything. Hugh MacLeod tweeted recently, "I don't want to be the official 'Social Media' anything. I don't want the tools to get in the way. " It's really important to remember that the internet is a tool, and not an end in itself. As a VA, you might be using the tools, but your value to your client goes way beyond that. So stay updated as best you can, but your primary focus needs to be on unbeatable customer service.

Aside from your laptop, what hardware could you not do without?
I don't even have a laptop! Part of the joy for me as a VA is that I get to stay at home. It's where I want to be, and I haven't needed a laptop as of yet. The day may well come, I suppose. Isn't it interesting how some become VAs so they can travel, and others do it so they can stay home!

Anyhow, I have an HP computer with Vista and all-in-one printer. I do pretty much everything with these basics, plus a Nikon camera. The only option for me is broadband internet via satellite - someday soon they'll bring this area into the 21st century, I'm hoping. Oh, and I'm hankering big time for a webcam, definitely my next big purchase.

What would you give a million dollars to know now that you didn’t know before?
That's a big question. I make mistakes daily, it seems, and all of life is learning. I'd give a million bucks to reverse some of the decisions I made 10 or 20 years ago, but this VA business is too right for me for any regrets.

Tess · #2 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009

LOL

Mary, you made me laugh out loud, literally!

You have been SO great as the Interviews Editor and as an all-around-fabulous member of VAF, we're lucky to have you here and I sincerely appreciated the opportunity to get to know more about you!

Really good answers to some really good questions here

CMColeman · #3 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009

Your confidence in yourself and your business is inspiring for me, Mary. I feel lucky to be a part of a group that has memebrs like yourself, who want to pass on their experience and knowledge to those of us just starting out.

Thank-you for the candid questions and answers!

D_Victoria_Virtual_Assistance · #4 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009

Mary,

After all this time of you doing the interviewing, it was great for the tables to turn and learn more about you. Your positivity and spirit shine through in your words. Thank you Lisa and Mary for a great interview and a nice start to the week and month.

CJ's Virtual Business Solution · #5 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009

I love your definite thoughts about becoming referral-only based AND not looking to hire anyone! I think so many of us, myself included, always think in terms of grow, Grow, GROW! Getting so many clients, and having so many staff working for us - while we lie on the beach raking in the money! Reality check!!!

You reminded me that my business will be what I want it to be and that I need to continually review where I am and where I where I am headed.

Great interview - by both the interviewer and the interviewee!

Yeah for the first of every month - look forward to the sharing.

Carol
CJ's Virtual Business Solutions

e-IndyOffice · #6 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009

This was such a wonderful interview to read. I've only started my business 2 months ago but many of the same issues she has struggled with I am also. It was very encouraging to read that this is all a process and I'm making progress to developing my niche, target market, services etc. Thanks so much!!

Offsite Office Professionals · #7 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009

What a fantastic interview! NZVA you are a very skilled interviewer. You asked some great questions. And I agree, mary has done some great interviews. Mary, its such a pleasure to finally get to know 'you'. Your comments are so motivational. I read this interview and realized by following your lead, I can make it!

JKVirtualOffice · #8 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009

Loved this interview! Mary, you've always rocked and reading this makes it all the more clear that you are one kick butt VA. I've always loved your contributions to the forum and am happy that we've been able to connect in other ways as well.

Arogers071 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009

This was a wonderful interview to read. It's inspiring and I'm glad to have the opportunity to be a part of VAF.

virtual writing · #10 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009

Thanks and LOVE to you all for your sweet comments! They purely thrill me to hear. I work hard all the time, mostly because I love it. But I admit that to be recognized in this way is pretty awesome.