I speak highly of VA Training because it was instrumental in getting me where I am with my business. I was reading old posts from two years ago when I first started my business and am a little embarrassed by what I wrote. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the business sense…I just didn’t have the right focus or direction.

I graduated from VA Training in June 2005 and I’m still coaching with Dale to this day (bless him….) and I’m still learning and growing.

I highly encourage you to check out VA Training to see the new options that are available to you. We’ve instituted a payment plan (because we know funds can be tight) and we also have a program now that excludes the one-on-one coaching, but has all of the group calls. (But I have to tell you, the one-on-one calls is where you dig into the “meat” of your business and it’s all about YOU and YOUR business — it was my favorite part!!!)

Here’s the website… http://www.vatraining.com/inside-va-training/february-2007.html

We hope to see you in one of the upcoming sessions!

Until next time…

Heather

Just Be Very Revolutionary

“Good enough isn’t good enough, because now everything is good enough. Our expectations of quality are unrealistic – and are being met every single day. We
don’t want to be satisfied; we want to be blown away.” – Seth Godin, The Big Moo

With the increased promotion of the virtual assistant industry, virtual assistants are becoming a dime a dozen. You can go to various directories to find a virtual
assistant and there we are, all lumped together. In a directory, nothing sets you apart. You are just another virtual assistant.

If you are listed in a directory and you do not have a website, do not plan on getting any inquiries. Just don’t. Business owners in search of a virtual assistant are going to look at websites before they email for more information. When they get to your website, what will they find? Will they find a “homegrown website” or will they find a quality site, filled with content that speaks to them?

Are there creative ways to spruce up the design of your site as well as the content? Research your target market and place industry related information of theirs on your site. Show them that you understand and know their industry better than anyone else.

Let’s move offline for a moment. For most of us, when we speak to “locals” and mention the term virtual assistant we get the deer in headlights look. But after
explaining what it is that we do, and how we do it, more often than not we have intrigued the other party. They request information.

Evaluate your marketing materials. Is there room for improvement? If you lack the skills to create awesome pieces, then hire another VA or creative service
professional to help you out. The canned template business cards from online printers will not cut it anymore. The brochures done in your publishing software
and printed on your inkjet aren’t good enough anymore. Your marketing pieces speak volumes about you and the professionalism of your business.

Are you just another virtual assistant? Do you want to be just another virtual assistant? If you answered yes and no (in that order) then it is time to do something about it. Stand out from the crowd by being innovative and creative. Within our industry there are plenty of ways for each of us to stand out from the
crowd and think outside the box.

What do you know about? Seth Godin states “everyone is an expert on something”. So what are you an expert in? Is it knowing the ins and outs of your target market?

If you have really defined your target market, is there a product or service that you could offer strictly to that industry that will make their business lives better? Take some time and think outside the box. Create a signature product and market it to your target market. You will be amazed with the results, the referrals and the expertise that you will exhibit.

Don’t be just another virtual assistant. Be a revolutionary virtual assistant. See the bar and raise it. Set your goals and surpass them. Run circles around the others. When you’re revolutionary, people take notice. Those are the virtual assistants that business owners will talk about and the ones that will be sought after. You want to be that virtual assistant.

To download this eBook in its entirety (for FREE) visit, http://www.virtualassistantrevolution.com/25ways.pdf

Until next time…

Heather

Be a Visionary: Dream Your Biggest Dream

It is extremely easy for the majority of us to live and work in the now. But working in the now does not advance your business. It only keeps your business on the same level with minor advances and minor setbacks.

To break out of the norm and accelerate your business you will need to stop
working in the now for a short time. As a business owner, you should be spending time, on a regular basis, working “on” your business and not just “in” your business. Michael Gerber wrote a book called The E-Myth Revisited that clearly defines the distinction of entrepreneurs as the president, the manager and the technician.

Too often entrepreneurs get stuck being the technician. While this is where the work gets done, if there is not a manager delegating tasks and a president to drive the business then the business suffers. Too many budding entrepreneurs have gone out of business because they failed to see the need for distinct roles.

The part that you need to play as the president of your company is vital. When you were first thinking about starting a business you may have acted like the president more than the other two roles. The reason is because you were dreaming (“vision casting”) about all that your business could be. You spent the time thinking about what you COULD do to make your dreams a reality.

If you want your business to succeed, you will need to take time away from the “doing” and start “dreaming”. This may come off as a little odd and may even be difficult to do, especially at first. You will need to block off 10% of your schedule each week, at a minimum, to work on building your business and playing the role of president.

Once your schedule is blocked off, you might ask yourself, “Now what? My time is set but where do I go from here?” Those would be good questions, too. Don’t
worry; we will not leave you hanging. We have included some questions to get you thinking as a president.

Do you have a vision for your business? Where do you want to be in 5 years, 3 years and next year? Will you be doing the same thing that you are doing now or will you strive to evolve into someone who is bigger and better? What new service or product can you launch that would advance your business? What can you do that is bigger and better than what you are currently doing?

Start thinking, start dreaming and start envisioning what you can do for your business to catapult you to the next level.

The vision you possess should ignite a fire in you. Do not limit yourself because you think you cannot carry out your vision. You can bring your vision to fruition.
It is just a matter of how bad you want it and if you are willing to go the extra mile to make it happen. What is stopping you? Are there roadblocks? How can you get over them? Who can you ask for help? Stop making excuses for why you cannot do it and just get it done.

When you think big, you grow big. Your big vision may not come to fruition overnight but it will happen if you stick with it. Your visions do not have to be daydreams, although many may start out that way. The bigger vision may start as thoughts of “what if…?” and “I wonder what would happen if…?”. Once you have a vision that you cannot let go of, move out of the dreaming stage and set it into action.

Do you have one hundred different dreams and aspirations? It is perfectly okay. Write them down and put them away where you can find them later. For now, pick one and go with it. Plan it, think it through and replan if you have to. See it through until the end and then start on the next one.

Once you pick the vision you want to come to fruition, come up with goals and a plan of action and attack. When you think big, you grow big. Your big vision may not come to fruition overnight but it will happen if you stick with it.

The only thing between you and success is you. Be a visionary. Think big. Think outside of the box. The sky’s the limit!

To download this eBook in its entirety (for FREE) visit, http://www.virtualassistantrevolution.com/25ways.pdf

Until next time…

Heather

Thanks Bisi for a GREAT article!

Top 5 Reasons NOT to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are becoming extremely popular especially in the small business realm. This fast growing group of professionals often possessing a specialty in one or more of marketing, graphic design, general administration, bookkeeping, web design, event management, phone answering service… and the list goes on. Think of any segment of your business; there are probably virtual assistants out there that can provide support to you in that area. Here are a few reasons why you should not hire one.

1. You are a Jack of all trades and a master of none. You don’t care about the quality of work or service you provide to your clients or the business image you project with your unprofessional documents and work. You are happy taking on the job of 4 or 5 people even if it results in half-done projects. A virtual assistant can take a number of mundane or specialty tasks off you so that you can focus on managing your business effectively.

2. You are a glutton for stress. You thrive on stress and will rather go without vacations, downtime or quality time with your loved ones. You enjoy working when you are ill and run down. Your aim is to burn yourself out while working round the clock and you love to sweat the small stuff. Virtual assistant can take on your overflow work or cover your business during vacations or sickness. You can hire them for ongoing projects or one-shot projects.

3. Who cares about money anyway? You are a small or mid-sized business owner who would rather hire full-time staff to cover seasonal or part-time positions. You are happy to pay your staff even if the their workday activity allocation is similar to the example below:

Daydreaming – 20%
Keeping in touch with family and friends – 30%
Online shopping – 10% (20% at Christmas)
Pay personal utility bills - (5%)
Office discussion group on Survivors, American Idol or The Apprentice – 25%
Performance of duties according to job-description – 10% (75% when the boss is in the vicinity)

Virtual assistants are only paid for the work they do, not the work they don’t do.

4. You would rather use office space and equipment inefficiently. You appreciate dust-gathering office furniture and office equipment that would not operate themselves. Virtual assistants work out of their own fully furnished offices and are able to provide finished projects to you whether you are on a cruise in the Bahamas or at your home office.

5. You aspire to receive an award from your local chamber of commerce in recognition of your efforts in one or more of the above listed points.

Enjoy the humour intended in this article, but thoroughly consider and explore ways in which a virtual assistant can partner with you for success.

About the Author:

Bisi Adepo-Bassey is the owner of Business Aid, providers of business support services. http://www.mybusinessaid.com/

If you are, let me introduce the new article directory at VAN (Virtual Assistant Networking).

Article Marketing, as many of you know, is a passion of mine and has proved to be a valuable marketing tatic for my business. Not only is it inexpensive, but it sets one up as an expert as well.

If you have articles about Virtual Assistance, head on over there now and post them. If you don’t have any, head over there anyway and see what’s offered. Perhaps you can get a few ideas of your own!

Until next time…

Heather

PS. GREAT Job Patty, Tena, and Karen on pulling it all together!

How much time do you spend maintaining your business instead of building your business? Are you spending all of your time working on administrative stuff instead of doing what you love; doing what prompted you to start your business in the first place? Have you thought about hiring help but think it’s too expensive?

Then a Virtual Assistant is the answer. Virtual Assistants (VAs) are entrepreneurs, just like you, who assist others with maintaining and building their businesses with services from general administrative work to web design and maintenance.

You may think hiring an in house assistant is cost prohibitive for you at this point in time, but a VA might be exactly what you need to propel your business to the next level.

Pay only for the time that you need

A survey conducted by Salary.com and America Online reports that the average employee wastes 2.09% of their 8-hour workday. That can add up day after day, week after week. VAs only charge you for the time that they spend on your project, therefore, if the project takes two hours, then you will be billed for two hours. You do not pay for long lunches or time spent surfing the ‘net. You also do not pay for vacation or sick time.

VAs come fully equipped

Hiring an in-house assistant means providing them with an office and all the standard office equipment. VAs work virtually and therefore have all the equipment they need to assist you with your projects.

No Taxes

VAs are business owners and they pay their own taxes and their own insurance. These are both expenses you would incur if you hired an in house assistant.

How much is a week of your time worth?

Spending two hours each day on the backend of your business equates to 10 hours each week and 40 hours each month. Can you put a price tag on 40 hours of your time? What could you do with an extra 40 hours each month? How many additional billable hours would you gain? How fast could you turn around that new product?

Partnering with a VA will help you catapult your business to the next level. If you would rather be out building your business, a VA can help put together your website or get your marketing pieces done and out the door or help with whatever you need. Isn’t it time you invested in yourself and your business?

About the Author:

Heather Jacobson is the owner of Valley Virtual Assistants, a VA business catering to solopreneurs who require assistance with their marketing efforts. She is also the author of Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer and co-founder of the Virtual Assistant Revolution, a low-cost alternative to coaching for VAs. For more information, please visit http://www.heatherjacobson.com

Let me explain.

I have two children – Matthew is 9 and Samara is 6. Talk about night and day! Matthew wants to run his own business. He’s been talking about starting a lemonade stand for years now but I can’t get him to grasp the fact that we live at the end of a dead end street and it’s all about location, location, location.

He did come up with a website idea and we’re working on that now. When we get it up and running, I’ll let you know. I’m really proud of what he’s come up with.

But let me tell you about what spawned this post.

The 100th fundraiser came home the other day. (I’m exaggerating of course, but I know this has to be the 5th or 6th fundraiser we’ve done this year.) When Matthew returned from practice he was begging me to let him go out and sell. Samara didn’t even bring me her folder.

I agreed and gave Matthew the rules – only go to the houses on our street, don’t go to the houses that have kids in your school, and be home in time for dinner.

Dinner’s on the table and no Matthew. He made it home shortly thereafter with two sales and a beaming smile. I asked Samara if she had also gotten her fundraiser packet and all she said was “yes”.

After dinner we had to run to the store and when we pulled back in the driveway, Matthew grabs his packet and says “Mom, I have to go. The neighbor just pulled in the driveway and if I don’t get to her before she gets in the house I won’t get a sale.” Off he went.

I asked Samara if she was going to go out and sell too. She looked at me and said “No. Nana will be here on Friday.”

Two different children. Two very different children.

Matthew’s always been like this. He’ll work hard to get what he wants. He saves money and is always looking for ways to earn money. Samara on the other hand loses money faster than she can spend it. If she does happen to hang on to it, it’s gone in a few days.

So, I tell you about my children but what can you learn from this?

Matthew’s going to get more prizes from this fundraiser. Samara will get a few but she’s going to be upset when she sees the treats that Matthew brings home.

Are you running your business admiring what someone else is doing? Are you working as hard and putting as much into it as you possibly can? If you’re doing your absolute best that’s all anyone can ask of you or that you can ask of yourself.

However, if you’re waiting for Nana to show up, you’re going to find that you’re not going to make it as far or as fast.

Want to use this article in your publication? YOU CAN! Please just be sure to include the following:

Are you looking to Revolutionize your Virtual Assistant business? Visit http://www.virtualassistantrevolution.com today to discover how you can Revolutionize the way you do business!

Happy Memorial Day! 
 

I’m sitting in the middle of no where in West Virginia but due to the automated processes that I’ve set up for my blog, I’m able to still have a post when I’m taking a much deserved long weekend!
 

The key is figuring out how you can automate some of your processes to free up your time.  This blog post has been loaded in to Word Press for over a week now, along with the blog posts for the next few weeks.  It took an hour of my time and took a weight off my shoulder.
 

There are many ways that you can automate your business.  Have you found all of them?
 

What are some of the ways that you automate your business?
 

Until next time…
 

Heather

My boyfriend and I have different views on what a vacation is. He wants to do absolutely nothing. I go crazy if I have absolutely nothing to do. Only once did he make me leave everything behind (computer, cell phone, any business related items). I was fine for a day and then I got bored. I felt like I was coming out of my skin. He made me fish.

I don’t mind the fishing, it’s just that, well, I’m not very good at it and I find it similar to playing the slot machines. I keep throwing my line out there with a worm on it and I keep reeling it in with nothing attached, including the worm that I threw out there. He finds it relaxing; I find it frustrating.

When preparing my list of items to take this weekend to the middle of nowhere, I asked if I was allowed to bring my laptop. It’s not that I WANT to work, but let’s face it. I’m going to be in the middle of nowhere and when I’m surrounded by peace and quiet, I find my writing passion come out. I don’t want to connect to the internet, but I do want to write. I’ve been looking forward to the ability to just sit there and write since we planned this trip.

I’m allowed to take the laptop.

It was interesting to read this article and know that I’m not alone in how I feel about cutting myself off from my work. It was stated in this article that checking in at work while on vacation allows people to relax knowing the everything is fine back at the office.

But here’s something that I wasn’t expecting:

More than a third of vacationing Americans check office e-mails, telephone voicemail and respond to all their messages, according to a recent poll.

A mere 2 percent said they were “unreachable” while off work, said the same poll conducted by FPC, a New York-based executive search firm.

Another survey showed Americans spend an average of more than five hours answering e-mails and checking telephone messages on vacations, which are typically less than a week long. That study was conducted a Pennsylvania-based maker of organizational products, Day-Timers, Inc., a unit of ACCO Brands Corp..

Two percent are unreachable! Can you believe that?

Here’s why I think that many do check their email and voice mail while on vacation — how many emails do you get in a day’s time? I dread thinking about the emails that are going to be in my inbox when I return. But here’s how you can combat that.

Hire a VA! With the technology that is out there, it would be simple to have someone log in and check your emails and voicemails periodically while you’re enjoying that much needed vacation. If there is anything that’s urgent, they can alert you. They can clean out the spam, organize all your newsletters and announcements into one folder and leave only the emails that you need to address upon your return. They may even be able to handle some of them without your assistance.

This allows you to completely get away from work.

I’m not going to be checking email this weekend…I’m just going to write and hoping that I have something decent to hand over to the editors upon my return…that and a picture of a fish that I caught!

For the complete article click here.

I’d love to know how you handle business on vacation…leave me a commment and let me know!

Until next time…

Heather

PS. For those of you celebrating the long weekend, have a safe and happy one!

Becki, Dale, and I enjoyed putting this book together and it is FREE so get your copy today!

You can download the eBook at http://virtualassistantrevolution.com/25ways.pdf
I’d love to know what you think!

Until next time…

Heather