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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

I Need You To Know This

I do a lot of networking with virtual assistants. Of course I have lots of colleagues, having done this type of work for almost two decades. But I also connect with VAs on social media and at in person events for Your VA Mentor and for the VA Associations. I like to think I am generous with my knowledge and I share what I can when I can. So I tend to spot patterns of issues that new or struggling VAs are facing fairly easily. This week I saw several posts, in several places, that are very common … and I decided that I have to tell you something this week. You are in charge of your business. You are… Read More »I Need You To Know This

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?

100 Conversations to Grow your Business

This month I started taking part in a great challenge that my friend Sally Guest is doing in one of her Facebook groups. It’s called 100 Conversations in 100 Days and it’s basically a challenge to grow your business. Since I teach people to network by talking to 2 people each day about your business, I thought it was a great idea for me to do it for 100 days myself. And it’s only one person per day, so it’s ridiculously manageable. We are already almost at Day 10, and it’s so easy. I challenge you to start too – try it. Think about one person every day that you can speak with about your business. Maybe it’s someone who could… Read More »100 Conversations to Grow your Business

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