One of the most essential and first tools you should consider getting when beginning you Virtual Assistant business is a website. Your website is your virtual ‘home’, and should be an important part of your marketing plan. Your potential clients will want to know as much about you as they can find out before speaking to you in person.

While it’s true a large amount of your client base will come from referrals, you can be sure they’ll ask for a website address when considering margin contact.

As you design your site (or have someone design it for you), put yourself into the position of a potential client. What would someone want to know about you, your business and your services? Make sure you provide full contact information that’s easy to find – you’d be amazed how many people build a great site but leave no way to be contacted.

Your website will need a few key components that potential clients will be on the lookout for: Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re ready to transform your administrative experience into a home business and enjoy the freedom and flexibility of being a solo professional, becoming a virtual assistant could be your answer.

A virtual assistant, or a VA, is an entrepreneur that supports other professionals and small business owners from a distance. VAs commonly work from their own home offices and communicate with their clients via email, faxes, instant messaging, telephone calls and other web based applications, such as Google Docs.

But before you slap up a website and call yourself a VA, you should closely examine your qualifications and evaluate if you have the right skills to be a virtual assistant.

If you have any of the following experiences, you may be able to turn your skills into a profitable VA business: Read the rest of this entry »

 

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Listen in as Jill chats with Christian recording artist Travis Cottrell. Travis is a worship leader at heart and has a passion to give worship leaders tools that will make their jobs a bit easier. Travis is also a husband, father, and artist with a true heart for the Lord. Tune in to hear him chat about his work, his journey to “stardom” and his work with Beth Moore!

More about Travis and his new release, Jesus Saves LIVE:
Along with the release of Jesus Saves LIVE, Travis Cottrell is on tour, leading worship at all Living Proof Live events with national speaker/author Beth Moore and will be one of the featured worship leaders at the upcoming National Worship Leader Conference in July. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I am going to tell you a couple quick resources for finding virtual assisting and other WAH gigs whether you are just starting out or established in your niche market.

I always tell my coaching clients that it’s important to spend as much time looking for VA gigs or WAH jobs as you would be putting into your business. That means, if you want to work 20 hours a week, then you should be spending 20 hours a week looking for clients, gigs, and promoting and advertising yourself.

It’s that simple. Trust me I know how hard it can be to stay motivated when you aren’t getting any bites or offers (I have been there many times). I have also found myself in unwanted predicaments where I have had a client flake on payments, ect. I have been able to replace them quickly and easily by implementing my own promotional methods detailed below. If you put in the effort you will get a huge return.

Where do you get your clients?

This is by far the question I get asked the most by email and phone. It’s really easy to find clients if you know the right places to look and how to promote yourself. Here are a few tips and tricks you should always follow: Read the rest of this entry »

In almost every mom forum I visit, there’s at least one member asking, “I want to be a Virtual Assistant. Can anyone tell me how to get started?”

Starting a Virtual Assistant (VA) business is an appealing option for moms who want to develop their careers while being home with their kids. It’s one of the most flexible home businesses you can own, and it can change and develop as your skills grow.

First of all, there’s flexibility in the kind of work you can do as a Virtual Assistant. Traditionally, VAs did only administrative work. Although many Virtual Assistants still offer administrative services, today’s VA can be a writer, web designer, marketer, programmer, public relations specialist, coach – you’re limited only by your imagination!

Unlike a corporate job where the work you do is defined by the title of your position, a VA can continually develop their skills, and can tackle any project that appeals to their talents or interests. As your skills grow, you can ditch the work you don’t like, and pursue new types of projects – no more being stuck in a rut and hoping for that promotion or a new job to rescue you. Read the rest of this entry »

In a Virtual Assistant business, one of the most time-consuming and unrewarding tasks is writing business proposals in response to RFPs.

Have you experienced this? You find an RFP posted in your favorite VA forum or association website. You quickly research the business and determine that this is indeed your ideal client. You have just the skills the person is looking for, and you know that you’re a perfect fit for the contract.

You put together a beautiful proposal that describes your business, how you can help this person, and why your Virtual Assistant business is the best one for this contract. By the time you’re done, you’ve got one impressive proposal and, better yet, everything you wrote is true. Read the rest of this entry »

Setting up a virtual assistant business is relatively easy, but it’s important to have a complete plan of action set out in advance.  I’m a firm believer that the initial planning phase of a business is crucial to its success.  This ensures that you don’t leave any vital steps unaddressed and also prevents any unexpected surprises down the road.  Therefore, I recommend first writing a complete business plan for your business. This plan doesn’t need to be anything technical, just how you plan to operate your business including advertising methods, pricing, business hours, equipment and supplies needed, etc.

The next step is to select the appropriate name.  Take your time here as you want your business name to be an asset by appealing to your potential clients.  Your name needs to clearly express what services you provide and not limit you if you choose to expand your business into other areas.  Decide on a name that people would want to call if they have virtual assisting needs.

To operate a business you are required by law to have the appropriate licenses.  This is your permit to do business locally. It’s a simple procedure that doesn’t require a considerable amount of time.  Contact your city and county officials under occupational licenses for complete details or go online.  Most VAs start out initially as a sole proprietorship and then might change later. Read the rest of this entry »

 

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Listen in as author Loree Lough and I chat about how she got started writing and why she keeps on. And glean a few tips on how YOU can get started writing – as well as some tips on what YOU can do to relax this summer. Moms need a break, too!

A little more about Loree:
Once upon a time, best selling author Loree Lough (literally) sang for her supper, performing before packed audiences throughout the Midwest. Now and then, she blows the dust from her 6-string to croon a tune or two, but mostly, she just writes. Read the rest of this entry »

Virtual Assistants (VAs) are highly skilled professionals who provide administrative support and specialized services to businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, and others who have more work to do than time to do it.  Examples of services a VA can do include publicity and marketing, web design and maintenance, word processing, meeting and event planning, desktop publishing, article and press release submissions, internet research, bookkeeping, business start-up consultations and so much more.  This can be the perfect work-at-home opportunity for many with good computer and Internet skills.

Following are several Do’s and Dont’s to keep in mind for starting and operating your Virtual Assisting business.

DO – Decide on a targeted market and initially focus your marketing efforts in that area.   By developing a “niche” in your field, your reputation spreads quickly and soon you become a recognized expert.  Several specialties include:  publicity, medical, legal or business transcription, resume consulting, transaction coordination — real estate industry, working with authors, academic typing, internet research, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

So, you’ve been on the administrative track for several years and you’re ready to accept the challenge of owning your own business.

Good for you!

But before you dive into the choppy waters of entrepreneurship, let me ask you this.

Are you sure you have what it takes to be a highly successful Virtual Assistant?

To many people, becoming a Virtual Assistant seems an easy thing to do: You post a quickie website, hand out your business cards, and wait for your new business line to light up. What else is there?

Aspiring Virtual Assistants (often called VAs) who take that approach to their new venture are bound to fail. They’re looking at virtual assistance as a job, not as a small business that needs to be developed, grown, and managed. Read the rest of this entry »