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How Do You Take Time Off as a Virtual Assistant?

Every month when I send out my client billing, I let them know which days I will be out of the office in the coming month. It’s an easy habit to get into – I can book off whatever days I want, and they get enough notice so we can make plans to get their work done on their deadlines. I have done it for quite a while now and my clients now just have to take my email and update their own calendar. It’s quick and easy! How do you take time off? Do you take time off? Maybe that’s the first question to ask! I used to never take time off. I was usually the only support staff… Read More »How Do You Take Time Off as a Virtual Assistant?

You Make It Sound So Easy!

Business is complicated. Networking is hard. Marketing is time-consuming. All of these statements are probably pretty true – especially if you are trying to do it all at once. But here is what I teach all of my students and my coaching clients: simplify what you are trying to do. Break it down into small, manageable (bite-sized) steps. I promise you, you will get more done and you will move your business forward faster. If I counted the number of times a VA told me ‘I am going to spend 2 hours a day on (insert business task here)’, or ‘I’m going to catch up on all 6 lessons from my training course this weekend’, I’d be a millionaire!! It’s… Read More »You Make It Sound So Easy!

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!

Favourite Tools for VAs: Google Calendar

Google Calendar is one of my most-used tools in my business. I have shareable calendars that I can share with clients (marketing calendars, payment calendars). And I also have ones that I can use just for myself (personal, family, and my own business info). I use them for everything. For my clients, we have a payments calendar set up so we know when to expect recurring payments. It’s so handy to keep track of what is coming in. We have marketing calendars, so we can plan strategy for promotions and JV events. Google Calendar is free, and you can setup unlimited calendars. So there’s no reason not to use it for one thing or another in your business! Check it out… Read More »Favourite Tools for VAs: Google Calendar

The Number 1 Productivity Killer for Your VA Business

I have read a lot of articles about productivity over the years. They tell you how to streamline your work, your procedures, how to work effectively, lots of different tips. And many of them are right on the money. But I absolutely agree with the ones that talk about what the number 1 productivity killer is. It’s email. It’s a dark hole that you can go very deep down so easily. Being a virtual business owner means that a lot of our communication depends on email. I know mine does! But how we manage our email is what is important. If you start your day by picking up email you are starting your day in a reactive mode. You can’t… Read More »The Number 1 Productivity Killer for Your VA Business

Favourite Tools for VAs: Slack

Slack is a new way to collaborate with your colleagues or your clients. It’s a simple, hashtag based communication system that helps keep your conversations organized, and your to do lists too. I have started using it recently with one client, and we really find it easier to keep things organized that using email, which was our only previous solution for collaboration since there are only two of us working together. I like the simplicity of setting up a hashtag (called a channel) and keep all of the relevant information about that topic together in the same thread. I like it better than checking email – I’ve set it up on my phone so I can log in and check… Read More »Favourite Tools for VAs: Slack

8 Marketing Tips to Help You Get More VA Clients

The Bourn Creative Blog is a great source of information for me in my business. I enjoy their articles and posts, and this week I came across one that I thought would be great to share with you. 8 Marketing Tips to Help You Get More Clients. I have many of my own tips, but I really liked this article and figured instead of reinventing the wheel, I would paraphrase their tips here with my comments. You know, sort of a like a ‘I could not have said it better myself’, type of thing. Here we go: 1. Talk to 3 prospects every day – The more people you reach out to regularly, the more your business will grow. If you… Read More »8 Marketing Tips to Help You Get More VA Clients

3 Ways to Become the Go-To VA Expert For Your Clients

I was doing a bit of surfing on the ‘net and Facebook the other day and I realized that what I was doing I needed to share with you! I was doing research for my clients – not in a billable, time-tracking way – but I was noticing things in my Internet travels that might be interesting to them. One of the things that is really important for you to do in business is to master your craft. Just like your clients, it’s essential that you know your business inside and out. Part of that mastery is learning about your clients and their businesses too. It’s not particularly necessary to work with a target industry or niche (although that helps!), but… Read More »3 Ways to Become the Go-To VA Expert For Your Clients