Home Office Warrior

Marketing Your VA Business- It’s Not About You

Tina Hilton — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:51:46 +0000

I follow Chris Brogan on Twitter, partly because he gives great business advice, but mostly because I find him interesting. If you follow Chris for any length of time you’re bound to see him post the following in some way, shape or form: It’s not about you.

I’m sure some people would apply that to Twitter alone, fed up with the pushy hard sell DM’s and Tweets that many Twitter citizens seem to be so fond of. But me, I think you can apply these words of wisdom to all aspects of your business and to life overall.

I don’t want to wax poetical and give you life applications, after all, I’m writing this for virtual assistants, their clients and anyone else who might have some interest in the virtual assistance industry. Plus, I don’t want to bore you. But I do want to try to give you something to think about in regards to how your conduct and market your business.

This morning, halfway down my ‘To Do’ List, I’ve written, “Review website copy. It’s Not About You.” I added this to my list on Saturday and it had pretty much slipped my mind until I read it this morning. Now I’m reminded that two days ago I did an Internet search for virtual assistants. There are some great VA’s out there with great websites, but most of them have one thing in common. Most of the copy is about what they can do, how they work and what experience they have. And while these are all things that you certainly want to address on your website, it shouldn’t be where the focus is.

Why? Because all of that stuff is about YOU. And focusing on who you are, what you do and what you know might impress a potential client but it most likely won’t cause them to hit that contact button. And isn’t that the the ultimate goal of your website?

What will get them to hit that button is focusing on them. Make the majority of your website about what they need, how your services can solve their problems and giving them answers to their questions. Potential clients are much more likely to hit the contact button if they feel you are just what they have been looking for.

If you think about it, isn’t that why you purchase items and services? Because they meet your individual needs? If you’re not getting the results from your website you think you should, maybe its time to add “It’s Not About You” to your “To Do” list.

Virtual Assistants, Are Your Rates Set Correctly?

Tina Hilton — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:30:13 +0000

A while ago I did a post concerning whether or not a new VA should charge less. Regardless of whether they should have to or not, many of them do. But unfortunately they are doing so out of a lack of understanding about setting their business rates, rather than because they feel being new means costing less.
What do I mean by that?
I’ve notice that many new VA’s are charging in the $20 to $25 per hour range. When I see this, I wonder just what formula they used to determine that. Sadly, I think few of them actually use any type of formula. I believe that they look at $20 or $25 an hour as a great hourly pay. And granted, if an employer offered you that it would be pretty respectable. Yet, for someone running their own business, it’s very low. And it makes me wonder.
I wonder if :

They are taking into consideration that they need to pay their own taxes. That’s a hefty 15.3% of income. You can find a calculator here that will help you see how much you would owe in self employment taxes based on an actual or estimated income amount. For example, if you made 24,000 this year with your virtual assistant business you would owe $3,391 in taxes on that income. And don’t forget that there will be state and possibly local taxes as well. A wise person once told me to figure on at least 30% of my income to go toward paying taxes.
Are they covering the cost of any business licensing or registering that their state or local authorities might require?
Are they taking business expenses into account? Think of what you need to pay for to keep your business running. Supplies like paper, ink cartridges and other items your office requires, the cost of a separate phone line or web based system as well as any long distance charges you might incur, cost of postage for clients and your own marketing, hardware like printers, scanners and computers, software, Internet charges, charges for online applications like project management, e-mail marketing such as MailChimp or Aweber, fees associated with memberships, fees associated with payment/credit card processing. are just some of the items I can think of that you should be taking into consideration when setting your rates.
Have they considered the cost of starting and maintaining a website/blogsite? Purchasing your own domain name is something I strongly suggest a new virtual assistant do. First, even if they can’t afford to purchase hosting immediately, they can get e-mail hosting and will have a professional looking e-mail address that looks something like yourname@yourbusinessname.com. As your business grows you will likely want to add a hosting package that you’ll need to pay for and also consider the cost of designing and building your site.
Are they thinking about publications, classes and books they will undoubtedly want to purchase to help them learn how to grow a successful business.

Although most of the items listed above can be considered for tax deductions, a virtual assistant still has to pay them throughout the year. If you have set your rates based only on either what is considered a good employee rate of pay or just on what you yourself are looking to make for income you’re going to find yourself either falling very short of what you need or needing to take on more clients than you can comfortably handle. Doing the latter means that you’ll find yourself working long hours, more days a week than you anticipated and you can say goodbye to the flexible schedule and more free time that you saw as a benefit of working from a home office. Plus you also risk not being able to provide quality services due to being overwhelmed.

If you’re a new virtual assistant just setting your rates, make sure you take all of your costs and expenses into consideration. If you’ve already established your business and are finding that you can’t seem to make enough money, perhaps it’s time you sat down and figured out just how much you need to charge and raise your rates. I know that there is no way I could have a successful business were I only charging $25 an hour.
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If you’re a new or aspiring VA have you checked out the free “10 Step Guide to Starting a Virtual Assistance Business” ?

Why VA’s Should Read Jobsite Listings Carefully

Tina Hilton — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:37:07 +0000

I’ve written this post especially for virtual assistants looking for clients, but those of you trying to determine if a virtual assistant is the right choice for you will find some words of wisdom here too.

I know it seems like I’ve done the ‘definition of a virtual assistant’ thing to death, but too many new VA’s are so desperate to find clients that they may eventually find themselves in a situation far removed from their dream of being a successful virtual assistant.

Like many virtual assistants, I have a Google alert set up to bring me news from the VA realm. This morning I was greeted by this link. At first glance, this may appear to be a great opportunity to gain a client, but before you get too excited, look closer.

The very first section gives a savvy VA a hint that this may not be a great opportunity. You’ll notice that in the forth line they mention interviewing and three lines down from there it states you must be available on Skype during working hours. Virtual Assistants conduct consultations with potential clients to see how their services,etc. might fit a clients business, which is different from being interviewed for a position. They also work their own set hours, not necessarily the same business hours a client might consider their work hours.

Even without reading further this tells me that this company is looking to reap the benefits of a virtual assistant (no taxes and benefits) while gaining an employee. And sure enough, as you get down further you find under the section labeled “Payment” the phrase: This is a full time job. This means I expect that you don’t have other jobs besides this one.

To those of you thinking you may want to hire a VA, if this is one of your requirements, a VA is not for you. Hiring a virtual assistant is like hiring an accounting firm or an attorney, you should expect that they are going to have other clients as well as you.

At this point in the posting you should also notice the hours expected to work, 8-12 hours a day, 6 days a week! I wasn’t expected to keep those type of hours when I was a title processor, and that’s a demanding job!

And what are they willing to pay you for all of those hours you’re working .77 ¢ an hour. What? you may say, it says $200 a month? Exactly. And for that $200 you’re working an average of 60 hours a week. In my opinion, this company isn’t looking for a VA or an employee, they’re looking for slave labor. No one can survive on 77 cents an hour.

What started out looking like a professional request for assistance looks more like a travesty now doesn’t it?

As a new or inexperienced VA I know it gets frustrating when you haven’t landed those first clients yet, or you need to pick up just a few more to make ends meet, but be cautious when replying to jobs posted on job sites, freelance sites and the like. Make sure you read them thoroughly and watch for warning words like interview and resume. You must remember that you are a business, providing a service to another business. When is the last time you asked your plumber for a resume?

When examining payment amounts, make you notice how many hours they are looking for and do the math. And the minute you see anything in the post about working for them exclusively or doing the job according to their time schedule and exactly as they want it done remember that the IRS calls that an employee and won’t take kindly to a business who doesn’t pay taxes, benefits, etc. just because the company calls it a Virtual Assistant position.

As hard as it is, it’s much better to stay true to your rates and policies and wait for clients who understand not only that a virtual assistant is not simply an employee who works from their own office, but the true value of working with an experienced professional.

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If you’re an aspiring virtual assistant, don’t forget to get the free “10 Step Guide to Starting a Virtual Assistant Business” !

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant?

Tina Hilton — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:45:47 +0000

Starting your own virtual assistant business requires more than just a desire to make money working from home. Ask yourself the following questions and answer honestly. Too many individuals look at becoming a VA as a way to make easy money from home, but the truth is, running your own business is anything but easy. Your honest answers to these questions will give you a clearer idea of what it takes to become and succeed as a virtual assistant.

Do I work well independently without the need to be told what to do or when to do it?
Am I able to get along well with all different types of personalities, even those that many people find difficult?
How good am I at making decisions?
Do I have the stamina to put in the long hours and days required to run my own business?
Am I good at planning and organizing?
Do I have the motivation to keep going even when the responsibility of running my own business becomes difficult and stressful?
Am I capable of the self control needed to set and meet deadlines without supervision?
Can I remain focused and able to resist distractions?
Do I have a good support system?
Do I have adequate professional office experience?
Do I have the technical expertise required?
Am I able to market myself and my services?
Can I handle sitting at a computer all day?
Do I enjoy working alone?

The importance of your answers to these questions can’t be understated. As a business owner you and only you will be responsible for all aspects of the business. You’ll not only be providing your clients with VA services, but you’ll also be responsible for bookkeeping, invoicing, marketing and all of the other aspects of keeping a business running and making it a success.
You might think that because you’re virtual, getting along with people isn’t as important, but remember, clients come with different personalities and so do people you network with. Making major decisions regarding your business, as well as the way you complete client work will be something you do daily. You’ll put in more hours than you ever imagined, and need to be more organized than you ever thought.
You’ll be surprised at how much more distraction is present when working from a home office, so it will be important to be able to shut out the things around you and focus on business. You’ll need to know how to set and stick to deadlines without someone prodding you to get the work completed.
The need for adequate professional office experience can’t be emphasized enough; there are some things, such as professionalism, that can only be learned through the proper experience. To be considered professional office experience you should have been at the very least an administrative assistant with certain amount of responsibility within the office. This means you would have been required to make decisions and perhaps supervised others.
If have answered the above questions honestly and still feel confident that becoming a virtual assistant is for you, you can now move forward knowing that you’ve truly put some thought into what it takes to run your own business.

For those of you who made it through the list and are convinced that virtual assistance is the career choice for you click the link below to receive your Complimentary Copy of The 10 Step Guide to Starting a Virtual Assistant Business.

Get The 10 Step Guide to Starting a Virtual Assistant Business!

Virtual Assistants-7 Red Flags That Say You’re in Over Your Head

Tina Hilton — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:45:49 +0000

(Listen to the Podcast: 7 Virtual Assistant Red Flags )

I tend to get quite a few inquiries from new virtual assistants looking to ‘hire on’ with my company or perhaps ’sub-contract’. Honestly, I’m not at a point where I am comfortable sub-contracting work to another VA, but I have been known to send clients who need services which I don’t provide to another virtual assistant. That said, I make it a policy not to send them to just any VA. I want to be sure that they will be as committed to providing the same high level of service that I am committed to at Clerical Advantage.

Between conversations, e-mails and checking out websites, I’ve seen plenty of ‘warning flags’ that some new VA’s may have jumped in over their heads.

Here are the Top 7 Red Flags that scream you’re in over your head:

#1: Lack of a dedicated e-mail address. If I’m getting an e-mail from sexykttn411@hotmail.com it’s the first red flag. If you’re going into business as a VA, you need a professional grade e-mail address. Ideally it should be yourname@yourbusiness.com, but if you really can’t afford to purchase your business domain name w/e-mail (and I would argue you can’t afford NOT to) then at least look into the option of a personal domain name (you@yourname.me) w/e-mail hosting or a more professional free webmail account like your.name@yahoo.com.

#2: You don’t respond to my e-mail for more information about your business. I’ve actually had new VA’s call and ask if I’d received their e-mail requesting subcontracting,etc. and when I respond that I sent them an e-mail in reply they say “Oh, I haven’t checked my e-mail for a few days”. Uh, hello? Are you sure you want to be a virtual assistant? We pretty much live and breath e-mail.

#3: You call and ask me how to run your business. Hey, I’ll give you advise gladly, because I have a passion for this industry and I enjoy helping others. But if you’ve signed a client and are asking me what your next steps are, you aren’t ready to be signing that first client. Months before signing your first client, company forms and policies should be drafted and ready to go. You should also have a plan as to how to proceed from the initial contact to the signing of the contract and beyond.

#4: You have a cookie cutter website and/or tons of typo’s and grammatical errors. Look, your website is a chance to show the world what you have to offer, if it’s straight out of SiteBuilders ‘R’ Us with nothing to distinguish it as yours, the message you’re giving is that you don’t value your own business enough to invest time, effort and/or money into it. So why should a client invest in your services? And nothing screams unprofessional more than typo’s and grammatical errors. Period.

#5: Your website contradicts your services offered. For example, you offer proofreading and editing services but your site is riddled with grammatical errors. You offer blog services and don’t have one yourself. You offer website maintenance and customization and your site is a basic template with no personalization. Get the idea?

#6: You lack professionalism.This is not something you can learn from a book, course or class. This is something that you obtain through experience and is yet another reason actual professional office experience is required. Trust me on this one, working in a corporate or attorney’s office teaches you a totally different aspect of professionalism than working in the office of the local grocery or department store. I’ve done both and know from experience that it’s like night and day. As an owner of your own business, your level of professionalism should be extremely high, otherwise don’t expect to be taken seriously.

#7: You tell me you’re ready to be a VA because you completed a course or class. Just because you complete a course, which may have truly been a stellar program, doesn’t mean you’re ready to become a VA. Do you have professional office experience? Have you been in a position that carried some degree of responsibility? Did you work independently or have all of your work assigned by a superior? These things make a difference. As a business owner you will need to be self motivated, no one is going to be reminding you that work needs to be done, it’s your responsibility to get it done and get it done well. No class, course or e-book can teach you that type of thing, it comes from experience. Plain and simple.

I’m sure some within the virtual assistance industry might view this as being a bit harsh. I view it as being truthful. Regardless of the fact that it’s tends to be portrayed as an easy, low cost ‘work-from-home’ job, everyone is not virtual assistant material. If I can help people understand that, even though it may come across as being a bit harsh, so be it. I’m proud of being a virtual assistant, and I’m proud of my fellow VA’s as well. I encourage those of you who have the experience and the passion to explore the option of becoming a virtual assistant. But in the same vein, I would ask that you seriously examine if it’s the right career choice for you.

S.E.E. Your Way to Clearer Communication with your VA

Tina Hilton — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:39:46 +0000

In my last post here I gave people who work with virtual assistants six tips. My third tip was to communicate clearly. But just what constitutes clear communication in a collaboration with a virtual assistant? How do you know that you’re giving your VA the information they need to do the job? One way is to apply the S.E.E method as you’re composing your instructions. S.E.E is an acronym for Specify, Elaborate, and Example and should be applied as follows;

Specify- This refers to being specific about the task or project. This includes time constraints,background and other details. You may send a rough draft of a blog post on ‘best dogs for women’ and you want it to be posted just before Mother’s Day, thinking it might draw customers to your pet store to get Mom a truly unique gift. Knowing what you’re trying to accomplish with your project/task might not seem important, but it helps your virtual assistant to be able to visualize what it is you want their work to accomplish for you.

Elaborate- Always elaborate when giving instructions. For example, instead of saying “Please post this to the blog” you say “Please post this to the blog, with a picture of a puppy, place hyperlinks where I’ve indicated and block quote the information I’ve placed in italics. Place it in the pets category and do a spelling and grammar check” Of course as you work together over time you’ll be able to shorten that to “Please post with puppy pic in pets category and do the normal checks and insertions.” But don’t take anything for granted. As a VA we don’t want to overstep by changing what you’ve written or inserting links, pics, etc unless you’ve directed us to.

Example- If applicable and at all possible, give your VA an example or template to refer to. This is especially useful when having documents drafted, formatted or converted, but applies to other tasks as well. If you’re looking for your VA to create an e-book cover, send them several examples of covers you like, pointing out the details you’d like to see in yours.

By using these suggestions you will not only give your virtual assistant a clearer picture of what you need them to do for you, you may also save time, as your VA will most likely have less questions concerning the task/project. Help your VA to see what you need by using S.E.E..

Are You Ready for a Virtual Assistant?

6 Tips for Clients of Virtual Assistants

Tina Hilton — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:10:02 +0000

As a virtual assistant, I pay particular attention to comments, both good and bad, concerning people who have worked with a VA. And while I love the success stories I read, I also find a great deal of helpful information in the VA horror stories that surface from time to time. Stories of miscommunication, sloppy work and misrepresentation helps me distinguish my business from others who lack the professionalism required to be a success. But it doesn’t just point out the shortcomings of some virtual assistants, it also helps me see where some VA clients are falling short as well. Below are six things I’ve noticed that clients are confused about which can cause them to have a bad VA experience.

1. Do your homework. Don’t hire the first virtual assistant that answers your tweet, comments on your blog post or comes up in a search engine, unless that VA truly is a fit for you. Virtual Assistance is like anything else, there is no such thing as a one size fits all virtual assistant. A VA that is perfect for your friend or colleague might be a horrible fit for you.

2. Know what you want to delegate. Virtual assistants provide a myriad of services that can help free your valuable time, help you save money and increase profits, but if you don’t know where your needs lie, you can’t expect them to know either. That’s not to say that as your relationship with your virtual assistant grows that they won’t be able to spot ways you can improve your business, however if you have no clue how they can help you, neither will they.

3. Communicate clearly. It is your responsibility as a client to be clear and precise about what you need done. Virtual assistants are not mind readers. It’s just as frustrating for the virtual assistant when they do a task for you, only to find out they’ve wasted time due to unclear instructions. When giving directions, be specific, even if it seems like a no-brainer to you.

4. Realize that things may start out a little bumpy. This is the learning curve. You’re learning how to work with a VA and they are learning about working with you. They may not be overly familiar with your industry, so industry terminology and practices might need to be learned. If it’s a little rough at first, don’t immediately presume it’s not going to work. If after a month or so it’s not getting easier, then you might want to consider looking for a VA that fits better.

5. Respect your virtual assistant as a business professional. Always remember that they too are a business owner and treat them with the same respect that you would other professionals you work with. Too many business professionals think of a virtual assistant a subordinate when they should in fact be seeing them as a business equal.

6. Remember that your virtual assistant is not an employee. For some reason this seems to be a difficult concept for many people to understand, including new virtual assistants. According to IRS rules concerning independent contractors, you can not have what is called behavioral control. What this means is that you can not control what will be done, how it will be done nor dictate the hours that said work is to be done in. As a client you may only control and direct the result of the work, not the means and method of how that end result is accomplished. I see so many people seeking a virtual assistant who say that the VA MUST be available during certain hours, give detailed reports on just how the work was done or give strict instructions on just how the work is to be completed. These individuals are looking for the financial benefit of an independent contractor ( no taxes, benefits, etc.) while still expecting the control they would have with an employee. Not only is this not the way virtual assistance works, it can get you in big trouble with the Internal Revenue Service.

If you keep these six things in mind while searching for and working with a virtual assistant, you’ll increase your chances of forging an incredibly successful situation that will benefit both you and your business.

A Virtual Assistants Guide to Constructing a Web Presence Part IV- The New Networking

Tina Hilton — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:12:09 +0000

In this, the final installment in our series on building your business web presence I want to introduce the use of additional social networking sites and opportunities. In our last installment we discussed using Twitter, which seems to be the latest media darling, but there are plenty of other social networks that can help you to make connections. Below you’ll find a limited list of sites with a short description.

LinkedIn- This is a business oriented networking site that allows you to connect with other business professionals. When signing up you create a profile in which you list your professional experience and accomplishments. You can then connect to people you know, former co-workers, employers and associates and then connect to their connections and people they know. LinkedIn states that their mission is “to connect the world’s professionals to accelerate their success.”

FaceBook- Probably the second most popular social networking site right now. You can sign up and make ‘friends’ with friends, family and others. You can share what you’re doing, your latest blog posts, etc. You can also create business fan pages that allow ‘fans’ to interact directly with your business via comments called ‘wall posts’. You can add videos, podcasts, links and more. This site is not as business oriented as LinkedIn, however they have made recent changes to make it more business friendly.

MySpace- MySpace is similar to Facebook, however I’ve found a younger demographic there. This is the site musicians seem to prefer as well.

Ning- Ning allows you to join or create your own social networking site. Ning sites are customizable for your needs and include the ability to create a forum, groups and much more.

Meetup- Meetup says it helps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world. Take your networking offline by finding groups that interest you or fit your business and joining the group. Or start your own group, plan and advertise in person meetings.

These are just a small sampling of the social networking sites. You can find a more in-depth list here, where you’ll even find some some very specific networks.

And don’t forget the ‘old school’ networking option. Before networking sites began popping up, many of us were interacting on forums. You can find forums in just about any area of interest you or your business may have. A couple of great ones for virtual assistants are VA Networking and the Virtual Assistants Forums.

As you can see, there are many options available to businesses that will allow them to build a web presence. It can simply be having an active and informative website or they can add to that by using blogs, Twitter and other social networking options. And with the outsourcing possibilities available today, there really is no excuse for not having one.

Curious about Virtual Assistants?

Tina Hilton — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:15:12 +0000

Have you read about virtual assistance, maybe even thought that it sounded interesting, but you’re not quite sure exactly how it works or how you might be able to use it? And with the economy the way it is, maybe you’re even more curious as to how it might help you save money or become more profitable. I believe that virtual assistance is an option that many businesses should be exploring, but that perhaps because they don’t quite understand how it works or how they can make it work for them, they are missing out on just the thing they need.

This is why I’ve made the decision to lower the price of my e-book ” An Introduction to Virtual Assistance for Businesses”. The e-book explains what virtual assistance is and how to find a VA that fits your individual business needs. It includes checklists, forms and my popular “100 Ways to Utilize a Virtual Assistant” to give you ideas on just what projects you can have a virtual assistant complete for you. And you can get it here for just $9.95. And for a limited time, readers of Home Office Warrior and my own blog get an additional $5.00 off the price by entering the phrase BIZSALE into the discount code box.

And if you follow me on Twitter, you can get it for even less. Just sent me a message @TMarieHilton and ask for the special Twitter discount code.

Twitter should be… Twitter is… Twitter isn’t for… The Rules and why you should ignore them

David Billings — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:37:45 +0000

One of the most interesting social aspects of any social media outlet is the progression from almost no users to a bazillion users. It goes something like this:

New social media outlet launches.
Users try to figure out what it is, they’re just messing about. Hey, fun.
Users bring their friends because they want to mess about with others, too.
Users start changing the original intent of the outlet, according to their needs and how they think.
If it’s truly useful or just plain awesome, new users arrive in droves and start asking what is this thing all about and how do you use it?
People start creating rules for how it’s “supposed to work.”
Everyone claims to know the answer when the reality is… there is no answer. Everybody is making it up as they go.

Back in December I wrote a post about Twitter Rules.

My view hasn’t changed (except that now I don’t do the auto-DM anymore by personal choice). It’s interesting that since then the amount of people who claim to know the correct, “approved” way of being active on Twitter have multiplied. Use Twitter for three days and you’re an expert. I love the internet.

If you’re new to Twitter, there are some great blogs that will hold your hand through the basics and give you suggestions about how to use it for various purposes. That’s awesome. People sharing their experience and tips is what good social media (and the internet) is perfect for.

Then there are the Rules. Try not to break them, or you will be cast into social media limbo forever without friends or clients.

“It’s not about the numbers.”

“It’s about the numbers.”

“You can’t possibly interact with 10,000 followers in a meaningful way.”

“I follow everyone who follows me.”

“I hate the auto DM.”

“Auto DMing won me three projects!”

Yowza. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? How can you follow twitter rules that change every other tweet? Who’s writing the rule book?

Guy Kawasaki says that it is about the numbers if you’re marketing. Seth Godin doesn’t use Twitter, at which some people gasp in awe and then start rethinking their entire existence (should I shave my head, too? Maybe that will bring me business. I just don’t know…. is it my sweater? My e-mail app?).

Seth Godin doesn’t watch television, either. Ready to throw out your set? Hmm, thought not.

What does it all mean? How can you keep track of all the changes in the unofficial Twitter rule book?

Duh, you can’t.

Before Twitter, before Facebook, before e-mail, before “authenticity” became a 2.0 buzz word, before telephones, the way to market your product or become part of a community was exactly the same as it is now.

Be true to yourself. Be yourself. Get to know people. Support them. Respond to them. Learn from them. Help them with your product or service if it’s relevant to them.

Rules are meant to be broken by those who understand where they came from. The people who desperately try to seek out and adhere to the latest rules will consistently be unfocused and reeling from all the contradictions.

Move on. Do your thing. Keep it goin’. Don’t sweat the rules so much, k?

David Billings is an illustrator, animator, and writer. He is the head dude, lead rule-breaker, and creative director of Sparky Firepants Images.

Sparky Firepants Images is focused on creating unique and wacky images that help kids have fun while they learn new stuff. A unique perspective on children’s publishing and the business of illustration can be found on his blog, Art is Work.

David lives with his wife and children on an alpaca farm near beautiful Mount Hood, Oregon.. No, they don’t really smell that bad. The alpacas, that is. The family typically smells very nice. They don’t own a television but embrace the internet via satellite.

A Virtual Assistant’s Guide to Contructing a Web Presence- Part III- Twitter Tactics

Tina Hilton — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:32:50 +0000

If you’re thinking about or working on building an online presence for your business, I hope that Part I and II of this series have given you a good foundation to build on. In this installment, I’ll discuss adding more ‘customization’ to your presence by using Twitter. If you’ve been hiding under an Internet rock, Twitter is the social media darling that allows users to communicate what they are doing, reading, watching and thinking in 140 characters or less.
To many newbies to Twitter, it might seem a bit useless, redundant and senseless. After all, it’s not all that different from instant messengers is it? At first glance, maybe not, but in this case first impressions are wrong.

Hey, don’t feel bad if you’ve checked Twitter out and didn’t understand what the big deal was all about. I signed up several months before I actually started ‘tweeting’, because the possibilities weren’t clear to me at the time. After all, why would people I didn’t know be interested in what I was doing? And how could sharing that help me in my business?
Luckily, I didn’t let my first impression keep me from experimenting with Twitter. I’ve found it to be an invaluable source of helpful information as well as a wonderful networking tool. The fact is, I’ve come in contact with amazingly talented people whom I probably might never have even heard of without the assistance of Twitter.
So just how does it work?
You should know right up front, Twitter probably isn’t going to make you tons of money directly. But indirectly it could very well be responsible for increased income due to leading new clients/customers to your business and through learning from others. Twitter is all about connecting. I’ve found the following advice to work best for me.

Be Yourself- The first step is signing up for a Twitter account. Should you sign up under your business name or your own name? You can do either, however I would suggest using a picture of yourself, not your business logo. I’ve found that Twitter works best by being yourself, both the image you’re displaying as well as in your messages (called “Tweets”).
Don’t Follow the Leader…Unless They Interest You- You’re next step will be finding others to follow. Find people who interest you or who are involved in things that interest you. One way to find people to follow is to do a Twitter search for something that interests you and see who’s talking about it. Follow them if they seem interesting and then see who they are following or who else follows them. Don’t follow someone just because they are a ‘celebrity’ on Twitter or otherwise, unless you truly find them interesting.
Share, then Share some more- Now you need to start tweeting. You can tell everyone what you’re doing, reading , watching. Just make sure that you mix the ‘I’m getting ready to watch LOST” tweets with plenty of ” Reading about using sandwich boards to market yourself ” and make sure you share the link to the article. If someone you’re following tweets something you find interesting, retweet it. (a retweet is the exact tweet of the other person with a RT in front of it). You may think you’re the only one interested, but trust me, there are others out there just like you. It’s all about sharing information and sharing of yourself. And yes, tweeting about your latest blog post or business special is considered sharing.
It’s Not About Numbers- I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to argue this with me, but I don’t believe you need thousands of followers in order for Twitter to be useful. If the people you follow and those that follow you back are interacting and providing useful information and tools for one another, then Twitter is working for you. Period.
Be Helpful- Offer your help whenever possible. That could be as simple as answering a question. Or perhaps someone you’re following has the perfect answer for one of your followers. Interact, and offer your help whenever you can. I’ve found the Twitter community to be the most helpful place I’ve ever been involved in, and that includes ‘in person’ communities I’ve belonged to.

You may be asking, this is all great Tina, but just how is this going to help me build an online presence? Trust me. The more you participate with your Twitter community, the bigger it grows, the more your name, face and business will be recognized and shared. I think you’ll find it’s a great tool for building your online presence.

Next week: More Social Networking

A Virtual Assistant’s Guide to Constructing a Web Presence- Pt. II- The Beneficial Blog

Tina Hilton — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:52:37 +0000

Last week I explained that if you’re interested in building an online presence for your business, the one element you had to have was a website that draws your visitors back repeatedly. I gave several ways to do this, one of them being a blog. A blog can be an invaluable building block for your online presence. If integrated into your website it can help provide the ‘fresh’ content that we spoke of in last weeks post to keep your site from becoming stale and ’static’. But don’t jump in over your head just because everyone else is doing it.
You should be sure that a blog is the right fit for you and your business. First of all, you should understand that a blog is something to be updated regularly, not sporadically. There is a ton of really great blogging information for beginners over at ProBlogger in the ‘blogging for beginners’ area as well as Blog for Profit’s Building a Successful Blog series.
If after doing a little reading you feel that a blog is the right thing for your business, then you’ll need to make some vital decisions. Are you going to write it, or will you hand that task over to someone else. Perhaps there is someone within your company who could do it, or you could work with a ghost or shadow blogger. There are strong opinions about letting someone else write your blog, but in the end its your decision. When making that decision, you need to decide if you want your company blog to reflect your ‘voice’ or if someone else’s ‘voice’ would be just fine.
What content are you going to offer there? This is where you should think about the needs of your customers or clients. What information might they be looking for that will keep them coming back to your blog for more? For example, one of my clients is a title company, they began a blog in which the owner answers real estate related questions. This serves several purposes, first it allows him to ‘advertise’ this service when he does closings, gives classes or is in other marketing opportunity situations. Second it keeps his visitors coming back to see what questions he has answered and possibly ask their own, and third, it gives him an interesting way to add fresh content on a regular basis. And this is just one idea of what you can do with a blog.
Don’t overlook having guests ‘appear’ on your blog. Get your employees, co-workers, associates and peers involved. Chances are you know someone who has something interesting to contribute to your readers. You can even interview them and post the interview on your blog. A podcast is also a great addition on occasion, letting your visitors actually hear your voice.
If you and/or your business is involved in the community, take pictures at the next community event you’re at and then post them on the blog. As you take pictures, let everyone at the event know that you’ll be posting pictures on your blog. You’d be amazed at how many new readers you might gain.
Thinking of offering a new product or service? Run it by your readers first by asking for feedback on the idea. You can set up a poll or simply ask for them to leave comments. Use your blog as a way to truly speak and listen to your readers.
You can see why a blog can be a powerful tool in building your online presence, but it should be utilized only if you’re committed to keeping it up to date and useful to your readers. A blog is just an option in building an online presence and we still have several more options to discuss.

Next week: Try Twitter

Get out!

David Billings — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:41:45 +0000

No, seriously. Get out of here.

Oh, wait! Read the rest of this first. Thanks.

So I’m working at home all by my lonesome. The view is pretty, I’ve got access to snacks and coffee. I’m on Twitter (too much, probably), so I’ve even got little conversations going.

So why do I start feeling down? What’s with the inner struggle, the questioning of my abilities, wondering about my effectiveness?

Recently I’ve discovered the answer.

Most of the time when I work with my clients, I never even meet them face-to-face. A lot of my interaction is with someone on the other coast via phone, iChat, or e-mail. It works for them, which is the important thing. I do have a few local clients that I am fortunate enough to meet in person. Mostly I work in my studio away from the things of man.

So I’ve noticed that every time I get out and meet a client, a business partner, or even another illustrator I come back feeling refreshed and ready to take on new stuff. It’s not even that we always talk about refreshing new stuff I could work on or apply, sometimes it’s just local microbrews.

Using a small bit of logic and reasoning I’ve deduced that getting out sometimes is healthy for me and my business. There are (of course, you couldn’t see this coming?) a few things I try to remind myself on the way out the door:

1. It’s about them, too. Whoever I’m meeting with. They have plans, thoughts, and needs that aren’t related to me at all. Respect that.

2. Shave. I know, I know; “this is Portland.” I still shave.

3. Bring something to offer. I don’t mean like a casserole. I mean like a thought, some information that might be valuable to the other person.

Thats’ pretty much it. No major rules here. It’s just about being a human and meeting other humans outside the confines of your computer. It helps, it really does. Besides just getting that essential interaction, you might pick up some valuable info for your business. You could even (crazy) create a brand new relationship.

Now you can go. Go on, get out!

David Billings is an illustrator, animator, and writer. He currently runs two businesses from his home studio near beautiful Mount Hood, Oregon.

Sparky Firepants Images (http://sparkyfirepants.com) is focused on building kids’ brains to ginormous sizes while they have a crazy time. David creates fantastic, colorful images that complement books and educational media for preschool and elementary-level kids. A unique perspective on children’s publishing and the business of illustration can be found on his blog (http://sparkyfirepants.com/blog).

He also uses his technical expertise in creating corporate graphics and presentations to consult with and assist presenters of all types, keeping their audiences rapt with attention. Prepared Graphics (http://preparedgraphics.com) focuses on helping individuals and small business owners with great content who don’t want to mess around with that PowerPoint stuff.

David lives with his wife and children on an alpaca farm. No, they don’t really smell that bad.

A Virtual Assistant’s Guide to Constructing a Web Presence- (Pt. I- The Foundation)

Tina Hilton — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:17:58 +0000

Building a web presence for your business has at least one similarity to building your home, you have to have a solid foundation to build on. The foundation for your web presence is your website. It’s the one item you must have. And as I’ve mentioned before, it can’t be a simple page sitting on the web with your business name and contact information. Once upon a time on the Internet that would have made visitors happy, but not anymore. Today’s web surfers are looking for an interactive experience. By interactive I mean that your web visitors want to be able to interact with your business in several ways.
First, they want to be able to contact you from your website. This can mean offering them an e-mail address or a contact form of some sort that allows them to connect with you while still visiting your website.
They also want information. Details. You should share information about your business, yourself and even your employee’s if you have them. The more information you share, the more familiar your visitors are going to feel with your company. Familiarity means that the next time they are looking for what you’re offering, chances are better that they’ll think of you.
Keep it fresh. Your goal should be to keep your visitors coming back, the more often they return, the better chance you’re going to get their business or they’ll refer your business to someone they know. If you’re not adding something new to your website on a frequent basis, they’ll have no reason to return. A blog, pictures of your business taking part in community activities, a newsletter posted to the site, links to other relevant information, these are all excellent ways of keeping it fresh.
Give them something of value. Think about your visitors. What are they looking for? Can you give them information that can help them make a decision? Is there a certain age group that are more likely to be drawn to your site? Aging baby boomers might appreciate links to information on getting ready for retirement, whereas if your visitors are college aged consumers the top ten Spring Break destinations might be a better fit. Whomever they are, giving them the information they are looking for makes your site valuable to them.
Are you thinking this sounds like a huge undertaking? It’s not as bad as it sounds. One of the trends in websites is to actually have what is called a blogsite. A blogsite combines an easy to update blog with elements of a traditional website. If you’re not someone who can do it yourself, companies like G2Web Media are building amazing, professional blogsites. You can also outsource much of the updating aspect of your site, hiring a virtual assistant to add pictures and newsletters, a ghostwriter or shadowblogger to keep your blog fresh keeps it from tying up your valuable time.
Whatever it takes, it’s worth the time, effort and cost to have a great website that keeps your visitors coming back for more. It’ll be a strong foundation upon which to build your web presence.

Next Week: Pt. II- Blogging for Business

Take advantage of your solo size!

David Billings — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:42:09 +0000

You are not as big as GM. You’re not as global as Weiden+Kennedy or as massive as Kirkland & Ellis. You’re probably not even close to Jiffy Lube when it comes to manpower.

As a solo entrepreneur, you don’t have gigantic reserves of cash in the bank. You likely don’t have more than five employees (which is still a lot). You don’t have weekly management meetings.

Enjoy it. These are good things, cherish them.

In some ways, you are more powerful than larger businesses by virtue of being more flexible and more agile. I’ll give you an example.

Today I was listening to a teleseminar on marketing. One of the things I heard made me stop and take some quick notes. Lightning struck my brain during the call and I could see very clearly that I needed to take action soon.

When I got off the call, I wrote up a quick action plan. This wasn’t a trip to the moon kind of idea, it was more of a bus ride to Denny’s. However, for my business it could be very big for building relationships. It involves creating a membership “club,” providing secure download pages, and creating a means of dissemination, which in my case is an AWeber account.

About four hours later, it was all implemented. Granted, I have one small technical glitch that will have to wait for my support people to get back to me about, but for all intents and purposes, my new strategy is live.

How long do you think this would take in a large corporation? How many levels of approval would each step in the action plan have to get past? How many people would have a say in what the deliverables of the project should be? Would the project be the same one we started out with?

This is a huge advantage. As a small biz in a home office, you can experiment. You can try out new marketing strategies quickly and watch the results personally. You can try new things, jump around, learn from your mistakes and try again with a better plan.

Of course you don’t want to be rash and leap at every opportunity just for the sake of trying new stuff. You need a solid business plan and some focus. But just think about the fact that you have the option to do that if you want.

Take advantage of the freedom you have with your small size.

David Billings is an illustrator, animator, and writer. He currently runs two businesses from his home studio near beautiful Mount Hood, Oregon.

Sparky Firepants Images is focused on building kids’ brains to ginormous sizes while they have a crazy time. David creates fantastic, colorful images that complement books and educational media for preschool and elementary-level kids. A unique perspective on children’s publishing and the business of illustration can be found on his blog.

He also uses his technical expertise in creating corporate graphics and presentations to consult with and assist presenters of all types, keeping their audiences rapt with attention. Prepared Graphics focuses on helping individuals and small business owners with great content who don’t want to mess around with that PowerPoint stuff.

David lives with his wife and children on an alpaca farm. No, they don’t really smell that bad.

A Virtual Assistant’s Guide to Constructing a Web Presence

Tina Hilton — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:31:04 +0000

Web Presence - (definition) The term refers to an individual or business having an established existence on the World Wide Web , through a Web site, Internet advertising, blog, or a collection of Web files. (Webopedia)

A few weeks ago, on my own blog I wrote a post about businesses that are reluctant to build and maintain a web presence. I’m still surprised at the number of local businesses that don’t even have an active website, say nothing about a Facebook page or Twitter account. There are several reasons these local businesses fail to utilize the tremendous marketing power of an online presence. Some just don’t get it. But others see the potential and either don’t know how or don’t have the time to create one.
The chance of those that ‘don’t get it’ reading my words in this blog post are pretty slim. But just in case a few of you are reading? Newsflash! Computers and the Internet are here to stay. It’s not just techno nerds and high tech geeks that are using it anymore. In case you haven’t noticed, people are even accessing it on the go via Blackberry and iPhone. Your target market is out there and if you aren’t, then they are going to your competitor who is. There is no excuse for not seeing why your business should have a web presence.
For those of you who see the need, but don’t have the know how or time to accomplish it, this one’s for you. Over the next few weeks I’m going to explain how to build a web presence by using a website, networking sites, Twitter and a blog. I’ll touch on what visitors are looking for in a website and how to give it to them, how to benefit from social networking sites, how you can use Twitter to connect with your market and why you should take blogging seriously. And for the time crunched, pointers on outsourcing to get it done, and what a virtual assistant or freelancer will expect from you.
When we get to the end of the series, you’ll see that you don’t have an excuse not to construct your own web presence.
Next week: The piece of the web presence puzzle that your business MUST have.

Are You Like Target?

David Billings — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:28:39 +0000

Saturday found us browsing new car seats at Target. It’s something we would usually order online after careful research, but after buckling our little dude in that morning, we realized we have a giant toddler on our hands. I decided we should just pick up the best one we could find for our needs at Target.

We found just what we were looking for, but the only one they had on the shelf was blue. We wanted the red display model because it matched our car (I know, such a yuppie thing.)

We called a Target team member to see if they had a red one in the back. She was nice enough and checked for us, but came back with bupkis. Nada. Zilch. Strong absence of red.

Okay, bummer, right? Yeah, we survived. We’ll probably just order it online now. But it got me thinking (as you just knew it would). A couple observations about this trip to Target:

The store was really slow. Not a lot of Target shoppers lately, I’ve noticed. In fact, a lot of shelves were eye-sore empty. It looked like a Goodwill going out of business.
No overhead music. Deathly quiet in the store.

So, with these observations noted and considering the current state of the economy, I was struck by the fact that the nice Target lady left us with just, “Sorry, none in the back.”

I was struck with the realization that when Target lays off employees, they will probably be shocked. When Target’s sales suck, Corporate will blame “the economy.”

The craziest thing about this is that there are these tiny, yet incredible, opportunities for the nice Target lady to save her store.

She couldn’t help the fact that there were no red car seats in stock at that moment. However, she could have:

Offered to call another local store to check
Looked at the display to see if the cover could be switched with the one in the package
Asked us a few questions about what we were looking for (besides “red”) to see if there might be another option in stock that could work for us.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that regular, on-the-clock Target employees don’t make enough money to offer that kind of salesmanship or customer involvement.

I’m saying, how can they afford not to offer that kind of customer support?

You see, I don’t care how much money you make per hour. I don’t care that your job is “only part time.” I don’t care that you don’t have health benefits.

As a company, Target is not really saving money by leaving shelves unstocked. They’re telling customers, “We’re anticipating having trouble so we don’t care how we look right now. It’s about us, not you.“

Those tiny, seemingly insignificant things like dirty, empty shelves and silence in the store are things that stick in people’s minds long after they leave (obviously, since I’m writing it about a week later).

Are you listening closely? Good. Hear this:

If you don’t go the extra mile in this economy, you will lose your job, your company will go under, and/or you will not get repeat business from your consulting clients.

If you’re working from home, you cannot afford to just do a job as promised. You can’t rely on simply delivering at expectations. In a good economy, a company like Target may be big enough to absorb a lot of lackluster employees. In a poor economy, it could be their downfall.

It’s just not enough.

There are people close to me who are being laid off as their companies reexamine their profit/loss statements. I sympathize with them, I really do. I don’t mean to make it sound as if they could have kept their job if they just worked harder. It’s more complex than that, sure.

As independent business people, even more important to take those extra steps to please your clients. I’m not talking about offering services at a discount or free (that’s a swear word for consultants). On the contrary, independent consultants should be charging premiums for their work on the basis that they are already saving their clients money simply by being lean organizations without large overhead or payroll to meet. Hiring a permanent employee or large company is going to cost a lot more in the long run. It also costs more to hire someone who doesn’t care about them beyond the invoice.

What are you projecting to your clients? Empty shelves and desperation, or a positive, “it’s all about the client” attitude?

If you can appreciate how this works, you can see how it applies to employees of large corporations. When an employee thinks like an independent consultant, they will offer more to customers without the dangling carrot of a bonus or raise (although those things tend to happen to those people anyway). Rather than working from a position of fear (losing their job), they will automatically be supporting the company in a more positive way by equating the company’s success with their own.

This economy is not simply “down.” It’s changing in a huge, huge way. People can’t afford to be “employees” anymore. Every single working person needs to be independent, even if they have a “contract” that calls them “employee.”

As home office warriors, we’re already ahead of the game. We need to stay ahead of the game by distinguishing ourselves as the highest value support around.

Think about it.

David Billings is an illustrator, animator, and writer. He currently runs two businesses from his home studio near beautiful Mount Hood, Oregon.

David lives with his wife and children on an alpaca farm. No, they don’t really smell that bad.

Hard Work and Innovation Will Help You Thrive in a Down Economy

Do You Want a Jack of All Trades Virtual Assistant?

Tina Hilton — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:19:04 +0000

The phrase goes, “a jack of all trades, master of none” . This doesn’t necessarily instill a whole heck of a lot of confidence now does it? As part of my day, I find myself reading a lot of blogs and forum posts concerning business and especially as it relates to virtual assistance. I recently read a post concerning the myriad of services that many virtual assistants find themselves offering, and why it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It caused me to stop and think about just how that may be interpreted by potential clients and those outside of the virtual assistance industry.
As someone looking for a virtual assistant, would seeing an extremely long list of services cause you to be suspicious of just how good one person could be at all of them? Does it make you more comfortable to see just a small list of offerings, figuring it means they are more experienced in those few items? Let me share a little something with you that may change the way you think.
As a 40 hour a week employee, my most recent job description was ‘title processor’. I processed real estate title files from receipt of the order through to closing and in some cases, post closing. But within the scope of that job description the actual skills I employed on a regular, if not daily basis could be written out like this:
customer service, document creation, research, information gathering, phone support, data entry, filing, troubleshooting, scheduling, receptionist, transcription, office manager, computer tech, software instructor, balancing trust accounts and cutting checks, work coordination, paralegal and these are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I was an experienced title processor, which gave me experience in all of these other items as well. And this was just one of my prior positions. Each position I’ve held has a similar list of skills that were required to do the job well. And we can add to that the things I’ve received training in, like writing, medical transcription, coding and billing and things I’ve learned on my own because I had an interest in them, like blogging and social media.
A virtual assistant brings more value to you because you’re benefitting from all of the knowledge they’ve gained through job, training and personal experience. I don’t offer services that I don’t feel 100% confident in, and I’d imagine that’s the way most VA’s operate as well.
So rather than cringing when you see a long list of offered services, just see it as a better chance of finding services that will fit your needs. Perhaps when it comes to virtual assistance it’s not a ‘jack of all trades’ it’s more like a ‘master of multi-tasks’.

How Exactly is This Different Again?

David Billings — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:54:07 +0000

Welcome to the fantastic secret universe of the home office worker. Check your former ways of working, living, and thinking at the door.

If you’re like me, you’ve come to this new world of freedom from a 9-5 (okay, 8-7) corporate job. In my former career there were things I saw that made me want to hurl my laptop out the window. Office politics, blundering management, new policies that were too broad to be effective for everyone but enforced nonetheless… the list goes on.

Not one to point all ten fingers at The Man – I was guilty myself of some poor practices when I worked in an office. Complacency (sometimes), e-mail avoidance (often), procrastination (daily) were my main corporate vices.

Now that I find myself sans boss, in my home office (studio) environment, I’m starting to get a handle on what it means to be in charge of my every day.

The advantages of being independent are obvious:

No boss hovering around or scheduling impromptu unnecessary meetings
I can plan my day around personal errands, meals, time with family
My studio/office is my own to set up according to my comfort and convenience
I decide what projects I take on, my rates, and how to approach clients

Just about everyone dreams of this world. It sounds like heaven to most people headed toward Independent Land.

While these things are all happy little pieces of this home office universe, I struggled at first, trying to understand how this was different from what I used to do. The only tangible changes were lack of a regular paycheck, no commute, and no co-workers.

Over the course of my first year at home I realized that this couldn’t be simply a shift in location, it was a complete mindset overhaul. I wasn’t just trading in my ties for a t-shirt and wool hat.

I realized that:

Complacency kills, but when you’re on your own it hurts more
I have to find my own “co-workers.” Networking, networking, networking.
Sometimes I have to take on projects that aren’t my ultimate dream.
My family comes first, but they also respect my need to work (it’s our nuts and berries)
My bosses were good at challenging me. I have to find other people to do that now.

I no longer have the luxury of a large company’s sales force to fall back on. If I procrastinate or slack off in my marketing, I will feel the stress a month later.

The reality is that the Deep Pockets Corporation doesn’t exist. People are experiencing layoffs and belt-tightening because of the myth that large corporations have bottomless wells of cash. They act accordingly in their day-to-day “just get me to the weekend” mindset and at some point the bill comes due.

Those corporations are just like my small business, only the scale is different. Which reminds me of another realization:

The reality is, there is no weekend. That’s not a Zen koan, it’s just the truth.

Does that scare you? No weekend? No holidays? No paid vacation?

If you want to be a member of the super secret society of home office professionals, you’re going to have to realize that you cannot shut off your brain at 5:30 PM. You can’t “forget about the office” for the Superbowl.

If you’re going to really make a go of this independence thing, you’re going to have to do more than switch your location and your clothes.

That’s why I say “welcome to a different universe.” It really is.

David Billings is an illustrator, animator, and writer. He currently runs two businesses from his home studio near beautiful Mount Hood, Oregon.

David lives with his wife and children on an alpaca farm. No, they don’t really smell that bad.

Are You Ready for a Virtual Assistant?

Tina Hilton — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:59:59 +0000

There’s been a lot to say lately in the Virtual Assistant world regarding whether the term ‘virtual assistant’ is a benefit or a hindrance to our businesses. As an offshoot of that debate is the question of just exactly what a virtual assistant is. This debate is not new, I’ve let my voice be heard during the discussions now and back in July when I wrote several posts on the subject here at Home Office Warrior. Today’s post comes at the issue from a different angle. Today I venture to say that perhaps the issue isn’t so much about the term ‘virtual assistant’ but more about who is looking for one. More specifically, are those looking for a virtual assistant really ready to work with one?
Interesting concept hmmm?

So just how does one determine if they are ready to work with a VA? I’ve gone into detail in a free guide I’ve written called “Am I Ready for a Virtual Assistant?” a mini guide and checklist to help people determine their readiness. In the three page mini guide I give 7 questions to ask yourself before you go on a VA hunt, and brief explanations as to why each question will help determine your Virtual Assistant readiness.

Your answers to questions about your propensity toward micro-management, your understanding of the difference between Employee and Contractor and the support level you’re looking for all play a part in how ready you may or may not be. And either way it’s ok. Just because you need additional help doesn’t automatically mean you’re ready to team up with a Virtual Assistant.

And that, in my opinion, is why our industry is having such a difficult time with what we’ve chosen to call ourselves. You see, people who aren’t really ready to work with a Virtual Assistant are the ones who seem to be looking for them and driving the demand for cheap, often overseas, assistants. Even successful people, like Timothy Ferriss, have confused professional level virtual assistance with cheap, general online administrative support. Just because Mr. Ferriss is a huge success with a New York Times Bestseller doesn’t mean he, or others like him get to re-define what we are. And I don’t think it’s so much about finding another title for ourselves as it is about educating the public. And part of that education is letting people know that teaming up with a Virtual Assistant isn’t for everyone. It’s a unique collaboration, that not everyone is suited for. But for those that are, they’ll find it to be one of the most valuable tools for business success ever imagined!

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You can download your free copy of “Am I Ready for a Virtual Assistant?” by following this link.