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Being Your Own Boss is So Great!

This week I hosted a free information session for Virtual Assistants. One of the first things I ask anyone when they are thinking of starting out: why they want to start their own business. I have heard a variety of answers to this question, but many times the answer is ‘to be my own boss’. When I start to work with someone as their coach, I ask them to look deeper into that statement. Why do you want to be your own boss? There are always more underlying reasons that simply because you want to. And we often talk about needed to understand WHY you want to be in business for yourself. Because some days are hard, and some decisions… Read More »Being Your Own Boss is So Great!

Are You Still Getting VA Clients The Old Way?

Are you still doing it the old way? I mean getting clients. Are you still slugging it out at networking events, and spending endless hours on social media, only to bring in a new client every few months? Here’s what I mean: You go to a networking event. You collect a few business cards, have a few conversations, and then you come home. You probably don’t really follow up with the people you met because you didn’t really feel a connection with them anyway. So you decide that event was a bust and you hope that the next one will be better. or You log in to Facebook every morning. You stay logged in all day and you try to… Read More »Are You Still Getting VA Clients The Old Way?

How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

The New Year always brings new intentions. It’s a fresh start, and everyone has new ideas they want to implement into their life and business. I know I do! I laugh as I look through my social media news feeds and see people joking about the increase in traffic at the gym. That’s always one of the biggest resolutions people have. To get in shape. Go to the gym. But by the end of January, many of those people just stop going. I have friends who tell me that they actually don’t go to the gym in January because the newbies are all there, but by the end of January it’s safe for them to head back because it starts… Read More »How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Simple Tips To Get Motivated Now

Too much to do and no motivation to get it done? As a solopreneur, the responsibility to motivate yourself (unfortunately!) falls squarely on your own shoulders. If you were working in an office setting, you have the support of others so it can be easier to stay ‘up’. But on your own, I know it can be tough sometimes. So here are a few simple things that you can do to help motivate yourself right now! 1. Get up out of your chair. Posture plays a huge role in how our motivation increases or decreases. If you get up and stretch your arms over your head and out into a big circle down the sides of your body, you inject… Read More »Simple Tips To Get Motivated Now

What’s Left to Do?

At this time of year everyone is talking about planning – including me – it’s a very important piece of running a successful business. But one of the things I talk about also is reflecting on the previous year. How did things look financially? How did my goals work out? And I inevitably come to that one question … what’s left to do? I mean, what did I start but never finish? Have you ever made a list of the things that you ‘intended’ to do during the year, and assessed that at year end? It’s a really good exercise to do – not from a negative standpoint, but from (I think) a very positive one. Here’s what I mean… Read More »What’s Left to Do?

How Much Should You Charge as a Virtual Assistant?

Figuring out your rates is probably one of the scariest things you can do as a VA. Not really, but it sure feels like that. How do you put a price on your value? This is one of the most often asked questions in the VA forums and by my coaching clients. You decide to open a VA business. You know what services you can offer. But you have no idea how to price it. How much is too high? How much is too low? The truth is, it’s actually pretty easy to figure out. I developed a simple rate calculator many years ago that helps you look at your rates easily and figure out what makes sense for you. Check… Read More »How Much Should You Charge as a Virtual Assistant?

How’s Business?

One of the things I get asked in almost all social situations is ‘How’s business?’ My family and friends know that I run my own business so it always seems to come up. I don’t know whether they are really curious as to what is going on with my work, or if it’s just a knee-jerk question, but it is very common. My colleagues, on the other hand, often seem to ask the same thing – and I KNOW they are really wondering how things are going! 🙂 Having VA buddies is fabulous, because they really do GET what my business is about. And that’s when the conversation flies! So I ask you – how’s business? What do you have… Read More »How’s Business?

Drive Your Business Like You Drive Your Car

I have been teaching my son to drive recently. If you remember back when you were learning, you may recall that it’s hard to watch the road and look around at anything else at the same time. If you look at something to the right of the road, your steering wheel turns in that direction. If you look at an oncoming car, your steering wheel turns in that direction. My driving instructor told me that’s normal, that whatever you look at you will drive towards. That’s true. And she also said that with practice that you get used to separating the action of looking and moving. And you do. The same can be said for your business. When you first… Read More »Drive Your Business Like You Drive Your Car