virtual assistant tips

Following My Own Advice

Certain times of year, picking up email can get tiresome. I notice that the busiest time for my inbox usually begins before American Thanksgiving, and continues all the way till the end of the calendar year. Before the ‘holidays’ as the US refers to them, things are relatively calm. (In Canada our ‘holidays’ usually refer to Christmas – from say the 22nd till the day after New Year’s Day). This year I have more email to manage than normal – since I purchased GAVA and CAVA, that it totally okay with me! And I am also slowing down my client work and transitioning some clients to new VAs, so my inbox is slowing down for that kind of work. So… Read More »Following My Own Advice

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Have You Had a Day Like This?

This week I was a sponsor at two different local events. When you work virtually, leaving the house can be somewhat challenging – so many things to remember! If I am headed to a business networking event, all I ever really need is my business cards – so that’s pretty simple. But when I am a sponsor, there are so many more things to coordinate. This week one of my events was seamless … and one was not! The first one I brought my banner, my table set up, my business cards, my giveaway and my bowl of candy. I had sponsored this particular event before so I knew what the crowd was like and I knew what I wanted… Read More »Have You Had a Day Like This?

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Manage Your Day Better!

People often ask me how I stay organized. I guess I look like I’ve got it all together LOL. But that’s not always the case! I do have a great system in place and it works well. Working with multiple clients, we can often lose focus and the priorities can shift from hour to hour. So I have one tip for you that will help you get and stay organized: Find a task or project management system that works for you and use it. My system is simple. I use GQueues and a spiral notebook that stays on my desk all the time to manage what I need to do. After I have a production call with a client, I… Read More »Manage Your Day Better!

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Virtual Assistants: To Track Time or Not?

Virtual Assistants need to have an effective and accurate time tracking system in place. It’s easy, but it can get out of control if you let it. ‘Losing time’ can not only set your schedule behind, lead to disorganization and late night catch-up, but it can also impact your revenue if you forget to bill for work done. Here are a few answers to those questions you have about time tracking: Why should I track my time? First of all, because you need to know how you are spending your day. How much of your time is being spent on billable work? Non billable work? Wasted time? Things you dislike doing? If you write it all down, it will be… Read More »Virtual Assistants: To Track Time or Not?

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How to Build a Virtual Assistant Service Package

Are you stuck on creating service packages for your Virtual Assistant business? You’re not alone. It’s one of the questions I get asked most often – how to create service packages. Virtual assistants know that when we charge clients for a package of services, we all benefit. Trading hours for dollars is not a bad business model, but there are downfalls to it. One of those downfalls is that you max out how much money you can actually earn. Because it is based solely on your time, and you only have so much time, you hit an earnings ceiling, and sometimes that happens very quickly. Or, if you choose to work 60 to 80 hour weeks to earn more money… Read More »How to Build a Virtual Assistant Service Package

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How to Fire a Virtual Assistant Client 

Have you ever wanted to fire a client? The anxiety that comes with not being happy working with someone can paralyze you. I know, it’s happened to me. You open your email and you see their name. Your blood pressure rises. You read every little inflection in their emails with a negative voice. You complain to your colleagues (hopefully not on public social media!) and your family about said client. It’s time to fire them. But here’s the thing – it’s business, it’s not personal. That’s what we talk about in today’s training call: How to Fire a Client. There is a good process that you can use that will help you to still be a good business owner even… Read More »How to Fire a Virtual Assistant Client 

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Tips For Healthy Working

Sit for a moment and think about how your average day looks … does this sound familiar? Imagine … wake up, no shower, get coffee, go into office, pick up email, start working, microwave coffee, eat lunch at desk, get distracted by Facebook, answer phone each time it rings, grab shower, run out to get groceries for supper, pick up mail, open it, do more client work, stop when kids come home, help with homework, dinner and dishes, watch Grey’s Anatomy, get kids to bed, go back to work till midnight … If this sounds remotely like you, you have to stop right now. This type of day or routine is not sustainable, productive or healthy. You will suffer from burnout… Read More »Tips For Healthy Working

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Too Busy For Your Own Business Growth?

I have recently been talking to many Virtual Assistants about blocks they are facing in their businesses. One of the ones that comes up time and again is that they can’t concentrate enough on their own business to grow it properly. We work hard to get clients, and then we get too busy with client work to look at our own business. We stop marketing, we don’t network anymore … we forget how to tell people how great we are at what we do. Then when something happens, and we need new clients, we struggle to find them. We have to start all over again. Or worse, we suffer working with clients we don’t like or doing things we don’t… Read More »Too Busy For Your Own Business Growth?

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