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Got Stress? Here’s How to Relax

With spring in the air, a common topic is spring cleaning. I started my own spring cleaning a couple of weeks ago when I downsized the piles and the storage in my office. I moved on last week to cleaning out our clothes closets. Spring seems to make you want to pull everything out and start with a new slate. But it doesn’t have to be spring to do this kind of stuff. If you find yourself under stress for any number of reasons, getting tidied up and organized can really help you alleviate that. Stress is one of those things that others point out to us. Not something that we often notice ourselves. Being a small business owner is… Read More »Got Stress? Here’s How to Relax

3 Steps to Organizing Your VA Business

When you start to work virtually, you quickly realize that organization is a key skill that will become very important in your daily schedule. If you have come from a corporate background, you are generally working under one supervisor or ‘boss’, and priorities can sometimes be set by the individual you report to. Once you own your own business, this completely changes. You are now responsible to each and every client – and you are the one who has to be able to juggle the tasks and priorities of each of them. It can be difficult if you don’t have a system in place to keep things organized. Here are three keys to getting and staying organized in your business:… Read More »3 Steps to Organizing Your VA Business

10 Tips to Help You Include Down Time in Your Life

One of the places that many small business owners get trapped in is the ‘working all the time’ syndrome. It is a big job to run your own business, and there is no question there is always something that needs doing. But if Jack Nicholson taught us anything, it’s that all work and no play is not a good thing. You can’t bring your best brain and your best attitude to your business unless you are certain to make time to step away from it to recharge. By taking time for yourself – whether it’s to physically care for yourself, or just to do something that inspires you and lifts your spirits, ‘down time’ is a great thing to be… Read More »10 Tips to Help You Include Down Time in Your Life

How to Fire a VA Client

So I had another interesting ‘case’ last week. I fired a client. Not the first one I’ve fired, and I’m sure won’t be the last, but this one brought with it an interesting experience that I thought I should share with you. The client was a referral last year. When we initially started working together, communication was sketchy. I noticed that this client would tend to get very upset when anything went wrong. If there was an error made by any member of the team, the curses flew (yep, she openly swore) and the relationship with the offending team member fizzled quickly and she usually found a way to fire them. Bottom line, she wasn’t my ideal client, but we… Read More »How to Fire a VA Client

Are You Losing Sales?

An interesting thing happened to me recently. Someone was having a look over on one of my websites and clicked on an affiliate link that I have had installed there for some time. When she clicked it, she noticed that it went to someone else’s old program that I was an affiliate for. She contacted me to let me know – I had totally forgotten about it on my site, not realizing it was connected to a particular program. Luckily, she contacted me to let me know. Many people might not. Who knows how many people clicked it previously and just went away. I was appreciative of her kindness to contact me about it (and I fixed it right away!)… Read More »Are You Losing Sales?

What Do You Need to Succeed in Your Virtual Assistant Business?

Almost every new VA I know becomes an information pack rat pretty quickly. As we begin to forage around looking for information about this industry that we don’t know much about, we start to collect. We collect websites, blogs, articles, free classes, and anything else we can get our hands on. So we can learn. It’s a great idea – but where do we stop – to apply what we have learned? One of the things I always tell my students and mentoring clients is to STOP collecting and USE what you have. The key to success is not to keep collecting at a break-neck speed. The key is to learn valuable information and then implement it into your business.… Read More »What Do You Need to Succeed in Your Virtual Assistant Business?

5 Tips for Better Networking as a VA

Keeping your business pipeline full just takes planning. Some small business owners get caught up in the process, rather than the planning piece, and a lot of time can get wasted when you are not really aware if what you are doing is productive or not. It’s important to think about a few things before you get started with networking (or prospecting). 1. Develop a plan that suits you. You need to fit marketing into your day, every day if possible. You don’t, however, want to get sucked in to spending a lot of time doing something without knowing why you are doing it. Planning is the key to success here. 2. Ask yourself what the purpose of your networking… Read More »5 Tips for Better Networking as a VA

Quick – I Need You! How to Handle Emergencies When You Are A VA

Last week we had a family medical emergency to tend to. I felt fortunate to be working from home, and I was able to go and assist at the moment I was needed. All it took was a quick email to each of my clients to let them know what was going on. I also let them know what was done for the day’s work and what was still not done – and whether I could take care of the unfinished work or not. How do you plan to handle emergencies in your business? That inevitable moment when someone calls you and says, ‘Quick, I need you to…’ (whatever that may be). It will happen, and you should be prepared.… Read More »Quick – I Need You! How to Handle Emergencies When You Are A VA