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What Do You Need to Learn to Be a Fantastic Virtual Assistant?

I see you there. You want to be the BEST Virtual Assistant out there. You want to earn lots of money and work with lots of clients. I know that. But you’re not there yet. You are struggling. You don’t have clients. Or you don’t have great clients. You’re not making enough money. Or you aren’t making any money. You feel lost. You don’t know what to do next. You can’t figure out why it’s so hard to start your business. Lots of other VAs are doing it. You see them all the time on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. So why not you? Well, it’s probably a pretty simple answer. You probably just haven’t learned what you need to know yet.… Read More »What Do You Need to Learn to Be a Fantastic Virtual Assistant?

Market Your Business (Well!) in 20 Minutes a Day

Are you spending all day marketing your business? Or no time at all? I run into this often when I am talking with VAs. Either they say they are spending all day looking for clients, because they have no client work to do. Or they are spending all their time doing client work, and they don’t have time to organize and do marketing. Neither of these are going to serve you in your business. Marketing is so important – whether you are actively looking for clients or not, you need to be sure that you have a marketing plan that suits your schedule, and helps you meet your goals. Here are some of the things you can do in just… Read More »Market Your Business (Well!) in 20 Minutes a Day

Time Tracking: Don’t Waste Your Client’s Money

I recently had a revelation about Virtual Assistants and how they track time. I talk to a lot of VAs in my circles and one of the biggest discussions remains how much to charge for something. The answer to that is usually centred around how long it takes you to complete a task – whether you are quoting an hourly rate or a package rate. But I didn’t really stop to think about the vast parameters of that thought: how long it takes you to complete a task. What I realized is that everyone works at a different speed. And there is nothing wrong with that. But are you working at the RIGHT speed? If you aren’t, you could be… Read More »Time Tracking: Don’t Waste Your Client’s Money

My Housecleaner is Back! And More Lessons About Communication

A few months ago I wrote to you about my longtime housecleaner retiring, which meant that we needed to replace her. How hard could that be, we thought? 🙂 We brought in someone new and expected her to be able to do things the way our previous cleaner had. But we didn’t help her very much, by giving her clear enough instructions. I made a strange (I realize now it was strange) assumption that the new girl would be able to seamlessly take over for the other one. She did not. Long story short (you can read it here),  it didn’t work out with the new girl. But the good news is that when I called our old cleaner to get… Read More »My Housecleaner is Back! And More Lessons About Communication

How to Onboard Clients (the Right Way!)

First impressions matter, in every relationship – but especially in business. When a client has paid you money or agreed to work with you, their expectations kick into gear immediately. If you aren’t providing a great first impression, you could be losing a bit of your client’s trust before you even start working together. Have you developed a great onboarding process for your new clients? If you haven’t, I have some great tips for you. Your process for onboarding clients should be all about clarity and communication. 1. Send a welcome letter or email. Once a client agrees to work with you, clearly outline what comes next for them. Be succinct in your emails – try not to get too… Read More »How to Onboard Clients (the Right Way!)

Are you doing too much?

When it comes to running your business, are you doing too much? Too much networking. Too much marketing. Too much project management. Too much time tracking. Too much research. Your time comes into play in every aspect of your business. The fact is that we all have the same amount of time (168 hours a week!), but it’s how we use that time that makes or breaks our efforts, no matter what we are doing. One of the mistakes I see Virtual Assistants make all the time is cramming a lot of stuff into a short period of time. For instance, when we talk about networking, they will say they spend hours a day connecting with people. When we talk… Read More »Are you doing too much?

3 More Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and how to fix them!)

Last week we talked about 3 ways your business is stuck and what to do about them. Feeling stuck in your business manifests itself in many ways: lack of revenue, lack of clients (or lack of good clients), exhaustion, burnout, and more. No matter what is making you feel stuck, you just need to focus on one problem at a time and fix it. So what is keeping you stuck? As I promised, here are three more reasons!  1. You are focused on your rate, and not your value.  Virtual Assistants are service professionals, and so it can be very common to trade time for money. It’s also a really easy way to set your business up when you first… Read More »3 More Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and how to fix them!)

3 Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and what you can do about it)

Are you feeling stuck? Do you wake up every morning (or in the middle of the night!) thinking about how tired you are of trying to figure it all out? Not enough clients, not enough money, and you are beginning to dread starting your work day? I’ve got some good news for you. You’re just stuck. You don’t suck. Your business doesn’t suck. And it’s temporary. Because with a little strategy, you can pull yourself out of it, and love your business again. Here are 3 of the most common reasons that your business might be stuck (and what you can do about it!): 1. Your goals are not clear. Do you set goals in your business? Many VAs don’t,… Read More »3 Reasons Your Business is Stuck (and what you can do about it)