I'm steadily working my way through the course every spare minute I get. It's proving to be worth every penny. I only wish I'd known about you guys sooner.
Thank you for setting up the forum too. It will certainly come in handy for exchange of ideas, tips etc.
I most definitely intend to purchase one (even two) of the template packages and will also seriously consider the Marketing course as you suggest.
All the best to you and thank you again for your continual support.
I have managed to start to look at it, just going through the course first plus before I go 100% as a VA I have to still work full time - I am planning to cut down my hours slowly though until I can eventually start out alone.
So far the documents are looking good and I have started to put my details in. Looking forward to using them and I will let you know how it goes.
Thank you again for your help. Looking forward to a long relationship with you all.
Elizabeth Brereton
I have now customised the templates that I purchased from you. Having these templates has made setting up my internal processes so much easier.
I have not yet started trading, still have some bits to sort out before I do, but I now have all my documentation in place ready for when I do start trading.
Do you have a system for recording your time and invoicing clients? What about account statements and invoice tracking?
One of the processes it is vital to establish early on in your virtual assistant business is that of invoicing and account tracking. Getting your bills paid on time is vital to the health of your business and having a system to record everything, and to follow up slow payers, will pay you dividends over time.
For everything from Time Sheets to a Standing Order Mandate and Collection Letters, the Finance Templates Pack from the VA Success Group has everything you need for the smooth finanacial running of your business.
As the owner of a Virtual Assistant business, you will find hundreds of distractions that vie for your time, energy and focus. Common distractions can include children, family and friends, neighbours, pets, constant telephone calls, mail and deliveries, household chores, television (Lorraine Kelly or Loose Women anyone?) and so many
more.
As the owner of your own Virtual Assistant business, you must always remember
your purpose in bringing your profession home. What was your reason for wanting to own your own home based business? Was your goal to work from home so that you can share more in the lives of your children? Was your goal to be out from under the rule of a dictatorial boss? Was your goal to have the freedom to work when it is convenient for you? Was your goal to reap the rewards of your efforts and make lots of money working for yourself?
Whatever your reasons for starting your VA business, here are a few tips that will help you stay focused:
1. Whatever your reason for going out on your own, you must keep your reason in the forefront of your mind. If you forget your reason for starting your own Virtual Assistant business, you will not be working for yourself for long. It is far too easy to let circumstance drive you and when circumstance is in the driver’s seat, you are more likely to crash and burn.
2. Remember that owning your own business is not the same as being employed in a job. Some people go to work and coast along, playing games or enjoying online social networking (Facebook and co.), some socialise over the kettle or printer, and others, most often those who are paid in a commission or tip environment, go to work to work and to make money. When you work for yourself, what you make in terms of money is directly proportional to your productivity. Therefore, wouldn’t it make sense to stay focused on getting as much done in as short of a period as possible?
3. When you are dealing with family in the course of your workday, it is important to schedule your activities as much as possible. With small children, you must take time when you need to, but you should also work hard to make sure you dedicate a specific number of hours to your workday.
With older children, it is much easier to tell them that you will be working between the hours of x and y. Then your children, and even your friends, must understand that certain hours of your day are devoted to the activities of your business.
Go to work to work and to make money. Leave socialising for when your workday has ended.
Tips by Justine Curtis from the VA Success Group, UK Association of Virtual Assistants and owner of My Virtual Assistant. For details about how you can win your very own branch of My Virtual Assistant Limited, visit: http://www.myvirtualassistant.co.uk
The first thing is to identify what ‘success’ really means for you. It sounds simple but it is different for everyone. Do you want a six figure income, or do you simply want to replace your old full time salary and only work part time hours? Or do you even want to build a highly successful business that you can then sell on as a going concern and retire on the profits?
Once you’ve decided what you want to achieve, the next step is to decide how you will get there. You need to set out your objectives, define your marketing strategy, set your budget and organise your operational process to take it all into account.
You’ll also need to decide if you already have all the tools you need, or if you need some training or professional advice in order to achieve your goals. You may also need someone to hold you accountable as without it, it’s all too easy for the big goals to get lost in the minutiae of the day to day.
Working as a Virtual Assistant can be a lonely business. You’re in the office all day on your own. There’s no-one to gossip with over the kettle or photocopier. We even resort to chatting online to our virtual assistant friends as they become our new work colleagues.
What if those new friends and colleagues were very successful and experienced virtual assistant business owners themselves? What would you ask them, if they would answer, about how they got where they did, what would they do differently if they were starting again now.
And how valuable would that interaction be if they not only gave you advice but helped you construct an action plan to get you on the road to success, and then helped you achieve the goals that you set yourself? What if they also held you accountable so you actually did what you set out to do?
We’d all like the opportunity to ask the people we admire ‘how did you do it’ or ‘what would you do in this situation’. But sadly we rarely get the chance.
When you are setting up and buidling your Virtual Assistant business you can suddenly realise there aren’t many people you can ask who have actually been there, done it and made a success out of their virtual assistant businesses. And of those that have, there aren’t many who will actually pass on their secrets.
Co-founder of the VA Success Group and chair of the UK Association of Virtual Assistants Justine Curtis will be part of an expert panel discussing the virtual assistant industry on Radio 4’s Womens Hour next week.
The discussion will take place on Tuesday 12th January between 10am and 10.45.
How are you doing with your New Years Resolutions? Given up on the gym or fallen off the diet wagon yet?
It’s never easy sticking to all those good intentions without setting clear, achievable goals and having a team of people on your side cheering on you on and making you accountable.
So what about goals for your business? Do you want 2010 to be the start of the decade where you create a really successful virtual assistant business? Do you need some expert advice and a clear action plan to get you on track? Would you like a team of your peers to give you honest constructive feedback?
NETWORKING COURSE: Use the power of networking to build your Virtual Assistant business. Practical course that takes you through the basics of networking
The templates I have purchased from your website are fantastic – I had no idea where to start with producing these kind of documents and your forms are brilliant. I have customised and tweaked and have already put into please the Pre-consultation Questionnaire....and I look forward to using the Client Consultation form tomorrow when I meet the potential new client. The welcome pack and information pack is also extremely useful and I spent the weekend branding them all as my own.
Thank you so much for these – the process was easy to download....fast....reasonably priced...and exactly what I was after! It would have taken hours of my time had I even attempted to put these docs together myself from scratch...so thank you again! You have made my life easier and my business look more professional! I love them!
After starting my VA business last year in the recession I was feeling that I had lost my way. I signed up to have a one to one with Justine and I was very impressed how clear everything became. It is so important to talk through your worries and fears with someone who has been there and done it.
I have revamped my website and have clearer goals than before.
I really appreciated the feedback and support that Justine provided.
