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Getting Started as a Virtual Assistant is Hard

I have officially been in business for myself for 20 years. I always remember it because I was 8 months pregnant with my son when I was leaving the office to be off for a while, and my boss asked me when I could get back to work. I worked for a local restaurant chain’s head office. I sort of motioned to my big belly and said, ‘Um, having a baby here, not sure how you expect me to come back to work.’ And he suggested that I could do my work from home whenever I was able, and as soon as I was able. He needed the work I was doing to continue, and he just said to track… Read More »Getting Started as a Virtual Assistant is Hard

7 Simple Tips to Building a Sustainable Virtual Assistant Business

This week I am celebrating my 7th anniversary of Your VA Mentor (I began teaching in 2010). It’s very exciting, and it occurred to me that perhaps I should share my tips with you, for how to remain in business long-term. They are simple tips, and they are ones that I have lived by over the last 7 years. Now granted I have not run Your VA Mentor full time up until now, but I have spent a lot of time and money keeping it in business to serve you – and I’ve done it by using the tips below! 1. Start with your passion.  Whatever you decide to do in your business, know that you will have hard times.… Read More »7 Simple Tips to Building a Sustainable Virtual Assistant Business

5 Reasons to Attend a VA Conference

Working as a solo virtual professional, we sometimes run the risk of having a little too much solitude. Sometimes networking mainly consists of water cooler-type conversations with our colleagues, and then jumping back to client work. That’s why it’s important to seek out opportunities to get out there in person. Live networking events are a great way to have actual conversations with people. It’s a great place to learn and grow, and basically refine your art of conversation. I am hosting the first VA conference in Ottawa, Ontario in May! Are you coming?   The VA Conference will be a great place to connect with your colleagues and take time to work on your business (instead of just working in… Read More »5 Reasons to Attend a VA Conference

Where Are You Finding Your VA Clients?

Where are you looking for new clients? This is something that I come across often – and VAs tell me ‘everywhere’. I’m here to tell you that ‘everywhere’ is the wrong answer if you are asking yourself that question. When you are in business, you always need to be on the lookout for prospective clients. That’s a given! But looking everywhere is a waste of time and not the same thing at all. I’ve heard people complain: “I’m networking all day long and there are no good clients out there.” “I spend all of my time looking for clients but I don’t have any.” “I am ready to give up. All clients want to pay a VA peanuts:” Have you… Read More »Where Are You Finding Your VA Clients?

What Will You Do This Week to Find New VA Clients?

Do you need a new client? Most VAs will answer YES! to that question without hesitation. But do you know where your next client is going to come from? If you don’t answer that question as quickly as the first one, then you need to get a plan in place! There are many places you can find your next client. The best thing to do is to build a system into your business where you can find new clients easily in a few different places. And then you need to network! Online, offline, start getting out to events and really connecting with people to fill your pipeline. If you talk to just 2 people a day about your business (and… Read More »What Will You Do This Week to Find New VA Clients?

What Will I Find If I Google You?

What will I find if I Google you? As Virtual Assistants, our online presence is a very important part of our business. People like to do business with others that they know, like and trust. And while sometimes this can come by way of referral, most times (especially when you are getting started), it will come from people checking you out online. If you actually Google ‘Google Yourself’ you will find a lot of stuff about unwanted information and how to clean up your online reputation. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I mean is that when people are deciding whether to work with you they will seek out your online profiles – and you want them… Read More »What Will I Find If I Google You?

How To Start Conversations with Potential VA Clients

One of the things I see VAs struggle with is how to start conversations with potential clients. Whether it’s online or in person, a simple networking conversation is something that can stop a lot of VAs in their tracks. But when I teach someone how to start a conversation, a light often goes on. Why? Because once they know what they should be talking about, things become so much easier. Here’s an example: You are headed to a live networking event full of potential clients. You prepare your elevator speech and off you go. The first person you meet introduces themself and then asks you what you do. You launch into a one-minute rehearsed elevator speech that they have to… Read More »How To Start Conversations with Potential VA Clients

How To Write a Better Response to an RFP for a Virtual Assistant

How do you find your clients? If your number one answer is not ‘networking’, then you are probably a VA who seeks online opportunities in groups and on job boards – and responding to RFPs that are posted in various places online. First let me say that there is nothing wrong with that (some VAs like to say there is!). I got my very first official VA client by answering an RFP (and we still work together!). I remember it being so exciting when she replied and said yes! I didn’t know what I was doing. I saw her job listing and I put together what I thought was a good response and I sent it off to her. We… Read More »How To Write a Better Response to an RFP for a Virtual Assistant