virtualjill-blogpost

Hello 2012 & Goodbye 2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:51:44 +0100

Thank you for visiting Jill of Virtual Assistants last blogpost for 2011. It's been a challenging yet rewarding year where time was spend re-inventing and re-strategising a brand new chapter in this exciting journey of life!

Affirmation to end 2011 - "We are the product of the choices we make NOT the circumstances that we face" - Roger Crawford - Priceless!!!

Today, I anxiously await news from London on the birth of my new nephew or niece. How cool is that, possibly a New Year's Eve and even New Year baby. What an absolute blessing he|she will be hailing in the New Year. I believe I'm more excited than the mother-to-be, hee, hee :-) Well, I have a huge role ahead of me as an aunt, to dote especially as our birthdays will be only 1 week apart. The new grandma to be is patiently waiting for news and ecstatic to be in London to welcome her 2nd grandchild.

Well, everyone, hope you having an awesome New Year's Eve patiently waiting to hail in an exciting and promising New Year 2012 which also happens to be a Leap Year :-)

Take care and chat again in 2012!

A Few Thoughts for the Day & Weeks Ahead - Weeks #46 - #47

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:48:04 +0100

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Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+I allows you to type italics in documents, paragraphs, sentences in Word and across applications.

Affirmation for the week: To continue making a difference in people's lives whether at work, home or through social interaction!!!

Quote: "You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." ~ Christopher Columbus

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

True Friendship - Bonds That Tie: Week #45

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 06:37:27 +0100

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Quote: 'Never give up on life for your faith, hope, love, peace, joy and belief will see you through the many challenges and hurdles you will face.'

Today, as I sympathise with my girlfriends over the death of their incredible father, I am reminded of the phrase 'True Friendship - the bonds that tie forever.' I've been away from home for close on to 10 years yet I return as the prodigal friend welcomed to open arms and hearts. Their father treated everyone as his own child welcoming you into the family home. He adored his 3 daughters and smiled even through the hard times and pain with cancer. What struck me was the love they shared and memories. Isn't it great to have memories :-)

During this sadness, they receive a telephone call informing them that the Funeral Director who recently left their home had just been hijacked and badly beaten. Ironically, the policeman in the car behind her didn't get out to assist or even chase after the hijackers. When asked why he hadn't helped, his response was something like 'it's not my job, the foot patrol officers should have been here.' We couldn't help but laugh through this experience as it reminded us where we live! I however couldn't help but make the comparison to life. Through all the sadness there must also be gladness for as much as life interrupts there must be humour in it!

The day started out beautifully however by the time I left there were showers of blessing, a tribute to a very gentle soul and great dad. I experienced what true friendship meant which is rare yet here it wasn't a case of 'out of sight, out of mind.' They thought of me even though I was gone for a while and their father remembered me fondly. Their mom even had a broad smile when she came out of the mourning room and it was hugs and kisses. I will treasure these precious moments forever and am grateful I can be here for my girlfriends now.

Before You Judge The Book: Weeks #37-44

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:38:25 +0100

Thank you for visiting Jill of Virtual Assistants blog.

Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+I allows you to type italics in documents, paragraphs, sentences in Word and across applications.

Affirmation for the week: To still continue reinventing myself on this very exciting journey called LIFE!!!

Quote: "You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." ~ Christopher Columbus

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

Before You Judge The Book

I recently returned from a trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in Africa. As a heartburn sufferer, I was looking for an antacid and couldn't find one or should I say I spent the next hour or so frantically looking for an antacid :-) It would have helped if I had simply tossed the drawer I keep the antacids in as they had fallen under the wire cutlery basket. The story however is not about the antacid rather how I realised what an addict must go through looking for a quick fix.

From that day on I promised myself that I would never judge an alcoholic, drug or gambling addict ever again as I felt for a split second what it must feel like looking for that fix. I wish Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous continued success with the programs they run as it cannot be easy!

9/11 Remembered 10 Years On - Week #36

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:13:11 +0100

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10 Years ago in August 2001, I was in transit from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I had finally decided to relocate to New York to marry my then boyfriend and live happily ever after.

Well, I still remember the day one of my colleagues came over to my desk and said 'Arlene, we just heard the news that the Twin Towers in New York had been bombed by terrorists.' I stared at him in disbelieve as if to say 'you got to be kidding, I'm supposed to leave for New York.' Of course my first thought was 'OMG I need to contact Jude to see if he is okay.' By the time I made contact with him you could hear the angst in his voice and utter devastation, confusion and chaos! Of course, I didn't make it to New York until 2005 and by then it was too late. The course of events on 9/11/01 was forever going to change my life!

This weekend I watched the movie World Trade Centre with Nicolas Cage and whilst it is a re-enactment of 9/11, you cannot help the heart-wrenching tears as you imagine how that day was for many experiencing it right there in New York and the family and friends who watched in disbelief from across the world. You realise just how precious life is and how important it is to make the most of each day you are blessed to wake to another new day filled with challenges and opportunities.

All I can do is take my hat off to the many law enforcement personnel who so selflessly gave of themselves that day many losing their lives and to the many heros who came to assist many of whom also lost their lives and you appreciate how many human beings there are out there who still give their all even if it means loss of their lives. God Bless America and its survivors!

Judging A Book By The Cover_Lessons Learnt - Weeks #27 - 30

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:45:18 +0100

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Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+S allows you to open up the 'Save As' function across all software applications.

Affirmation for the week: To suffer fools for just a while longer.......

Priceless Quote: "Before you judge a man walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares, his a mile away and you've got his shoes." ~ Bill Connelly

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

Judging A Book By The Cover

I recently had the displeasure of being interviewed by the CEO of a well-known wildlife society. Why displeasure? Because he diplomatically called me a racist citing my retrenchments as possibly blaming black people for getting high profile jobs over me. He could not be further off the mark and from the truth and why? Because he judged the book by the cover. He encountered a polished, well-groomed person and just assumed she came from a privileged background.

Now I could have told this CEO that I was a child from the 1980's boycott and I could have told him that I lived in the area where my comrades were gunned to death, mere teenagers killed in cold blood because they were fighting for a cause they believed in, the release of Nelson Mandela as he represented freedom for many of us which alot of us are enjoying today, Thank You Madiba. Just as Dr Martin Luther King did for the oppressed in America so many decades ago. I also didn't tell the CEO that had it not been for a little girl opening her parents lounge window and calling out to me giving me the opportunity to jump over their fence and through the window, I could have been one of the teenagers that day who got killed or injured in one of the worst uprisings. I got teargassed and shot with rubber bullets and I swear my father wanted to kill me but I refused to stop fighting for such a profound cause so that my kids and their kids would grow up with equal opportunities and more importantly drink from the freedom fountain of life! A few of my comrades from my high school were incarcerated and had to study for their matric exam behind bars but they passed due to the diligence of the teachers who went to give them lessons after the normal school day ended. A few of them today are successful lawyers and businessmen. Many have become casualties of that era and few others have achieved success despite the odds stacked against them.

What I also didn't tell the CEO as I didn't feel he was justified a response was that the people who retrenched me were white directors not black as he incorrectly assumed and their reason was because I was an affirmative action candidate and they felt I had a greater opportunity of finding employment than my white counterpart. Now most people would play the racist card but I refuse because of their fears and insecurities..... What I did tell the CEO during the interview was that I refuse to live the blame game playing the race card as how would I live a happy and fruitful life and what example would I be to my kids, family, friends and peers. I can only imagine how emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually draining this must be for people who do play this racist game. I have friends from all genres, cultures and races and we connect on an intellectual level.

Out of all this sadness have come many opportunities because I choose to live my life as a person not because I belong to a certain culture or race. I occassionally re-read some excerpts from Dr Martin Luther King 'I have a dream speech' because you slowly realise that people fear charismatic people and this fear is what leads to feelings of insecurty which then leads to persecution of the person's spirit. In his case, it led to his untimely death!

I was able to create my own virtual business and today I am successfully doing motivational speaking to my peers. I am transferring my skills to my peers by facilitating practical workshops. From the age of 6 I was rounding up the children from the area to teach them everything I learnt in school that day using my blackboard and chalk to the horror of my father :-) I'm not too sure why my father was always so horrified.... I always knew I wanted to be a maths and physics teacher and little did I know that one day I would realise my dream, 20 years later but I am realising one much more powerful where my passion has gone much further to one of motivational speaking and facilitation in an area I love and am familiar with, empowerment of assistants in the workplace, in their personal lives and socially!

This is an excerpt from one of my peers who also does motivational speaking and facilitation:

"I have recently had the pleasure of sharing a platform with Arlene at a conference in Johannesburg. I frequently speak at events around the country and I can confidently say Arlene's conference was well conceptualised and the speaker topics complimented each other. Arlene is a passionate motivational speaker which allows her to inspire others to reach for the stars. Her empowering approach will add immense value to your company's operations and leave a lasting legacy' What has impressed me most was Arlene's ability to chair and summarise the important elements from each of the discussions. I can recommend her unreservedly and look forward to our next venture.”

And that's what I'm into on this most exciting journey in life, making a difference and building a lasting legacy for generations to come!!!

From Freaky 2010 to 360 Degrees 2wice Reversed: Weeks 1 - 26

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:01:26 +0100

Thank you for visiting Jill of Virtual Assistants "under construction" blog post for 2011. I look forward to catching up soon.

Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+Alt+Delete allows you to open up the Task Manager function across applications.

Affirmation for the week: To embrace change with all that you have and all that you are, you just never know what will happen if you don't take the risk and turn the corner or cross the bridge as the opportunity may just be there lying in waiting!!!

Quote: "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~
St. Francis of Assisi

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

The author of this blog is so excited and overwhelmed she doesn't know how to translate the events of the past 6 months into words that encapsulates every moment since her relocation and unexpected business opportunities that were not even thought of as part of her initial business plan. That is how LIFE UNEXPECTED is and she cannot wait to write about it :-)

Merry Xmas ~ Happy New Year 2011 - Week #52

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:55:28 +0100

Thank you for visiting Jill of Virtual Assistants final blog post for 2010. I look forward to catching up in 2011!

Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+O allows you to open documents in Word and across applications.

Affirmation for the week: To appreciate the little things in life!

Quote: "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~
St. Francis of Assisi

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

Merry Xmas ~ Happy New Year 2011

Before I join my family for the Xmas afternoon festivities. I would like to close my blog for 2010 with a wish to all my current clients and all my new clients. May you have a Blessed Xmas and close the year with memories of all the good times, the challenging times and reflect on the highlights.

May New Year 2011 hold the promise of many new and wonderful things to come!

God Bless and I look forward to talking to you again in the New Year

http://bit.ly/g0DKFi

VACOC - Week #51

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:25:40 +0100

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Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+C allows you to copy words, paragraphs, sentences in Word and across applications.

Affirmation for the week: To accept the things I cannot change and change the things I can!

Quote: "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character" ~ Albert Einstein

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

Today, I am publishing an article from our Founder of VACOC (Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce), Danielle Keister. Over the past year you would have read some of her most informative articles on my blog. It is an honor and privilege to belong to such a prestigious organisation and to be hosted on the directory. I trust this article assists all our many clients out there to fully understand the role of the Virtual Assistant and the immense value they can bring to your business. Happy reading!

Virtual Assistant Association for Administrative Support Consultants

The Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce is a Virtual Assistant organization dedicated to the unique business needs of the solopreneur administrative consultant. Our community is passionate about helping each other grow stronger, more financially successful practices that bring us greater personal happiness, freedom and client satisfaction.

Welcome! I'm Danielle Keister, founder of the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce. I started this organization as a way to give back to my profession and help other administrative consultants find the kind of success I've achieved in my own Virtual Assistant practice over the past 14 years.

This is a wonderful profession to be in. I literally have to pinch myself just about every day when I marvel at the wonderful life I get to lead being self-employed, doing work I love and working with just the clients I enjoy and who value and appreciate what I have to offer. While I might pinch myself in gratitude, it was no accident that I get to live the life I lead. It is a direct result of intention and consciousness about what I want for my life, how I choose to live, what I am here to do and what actions and understandings in business lead me to those things.

At the same time, it's not exactly easy to make a real living in this business when you first start out. It took me many years to get where I am today. But it doesn't have to take you as long. This site and all its offerings are geared toward helping make the path much quicker and easier for you.

Who We Serve

The Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce is a Virtual Assistant organization especially for administrative consultants in solo practice who are serious about their profession and view what they do as a highly-skilled craft. We believe that by helping Virtual Assistants become better business people and run more sustainable practices, we not only elevate the profession overall, we also better serve clients. The stronger we all are in business, the better we then educate the marketplace. As a result, Virtual Assistants will have a wider range of more informed industries seeking our administrative support, which benefits everyone in finding clients and commanding professional fees.

While much of the information and resources offered here is helpful to all kinds of service providers and business models, our particular passion is helping administrative support specialists in solo practice—we call them Administrative Consultants—overcome their unique challenges in earning well, creating successful businesses and still having time for life. If you are an administrative expert, this site and organization is especially for you!

What is an Administrative Consultant?

An Administrative Consultant is a Virtual Assistant who specializes in the expertise of ongoing (monthly) administrative support to clients she (or he) works with in a one-on-one, collaborative relationship. Because of their expertise and focus on administrative functions, an Administrative Consultant can also provide clients with advice and guidance on setting up administrative systems, analyzing workflows and improving operations. Administrative support itself is a specialty and expertise all its own.

What is NOT an Administrative Consultant?

An Administrative Consultant is not an online business manager. Administrative Consultants are skilled administrative experts. They work hands-on in personal, one-on-one relationships with their clients. While they provide actual support and can also provide administrative advise and guidance to clients, they are do not manage any client's business. It is always the responsibility of clients to manage their own businesses, and they alone are responsibility for their business's success or failure.

An Administrative Consultant is also not a secretarial service. A secretarial service is a business that focuses on piecemeal tasks and project work, which is the antithesis of administrative support. Administrative Consultants, by contrast, are in the business of providing ongoing administrative support in personal, direct one-to-one relationships with their clients.

Administrative support is a niche, specialty, expertise and profession in and of itself. It therefore deserves to have its own organization to represent the interests of just those folks who specialize in skilled administrative support.

Why the Term "Administrative Consultant?"

Because it better describes us solopreneurs who are specifically and primarily in the specialized business of administrative support. Plus, as a business owner, you are not anyone's assistant, gopher or flunky. As an administrative support specialist, you are an expert in your own right, and you deserve a more respectable title that more clearly conveys your expertise and how you help clients.

The Virtual Assistant term only confuses people. It creates misconceptions that make establishing a business-to-business relationship much more difficult than need be and causes a whole host of misunderstandings and misalignment of expectations. The word "assistant" itself inherently puts you in a subservient role in the eyes of clients. The only context they know for "assistant" is that of employee—and we all know how problematic that misconception is! And because of its ambiguity, it has become the garbage dump term of anyone doing anything and everything and, thus, has come to communicate nothing clearly at all. As Seth Godin would say, it's a meandering generality instead of a meaningful specific.

As an "Administrative Consultant" clients immediately understand what your specialty is and see you as a peer and expert. An Administrative Consultant is taken more seriously and receives more professional respect.

What is Administrative Support?

The best way to describe administrative support is that it is the collection of ongoing tasks, functions and roles that keep a business organized, moving forward and humming along smoothly. Understand that administrative support is an ongoing relationship—a symbiotic partnering between client and Administrative Consultant—because the work itself is ongoing. It is not merely one-time or occasional piecemeal tasks and projects (that is a secretarial service), although Administrative Consultants do quite often provide other services and project work in addition to their administrative support.

Take a look at the video below to better understand what administrative support is all about:

What Is a Solopreneur?

Contrary to how most people understand it, a solopreneur is not someone who works alone and does everything themselves in their business. As a solopreneur, it simply means that you are the craftsman in your business and the one who works directly in one-on-one relationship with your clients. When clients hire you, it's for your brain, your critical thinking and your unique blend of skill, experience, expertise, talent and chemistry, and it's you they expect to be working with. But just as every business owner needs support, so do you. Solopreneneurs often have their own staff and/or independent consultants who support them and carry some of the behind-the-scenes load so that they have more time for working directly with clients and developing the business.

What We Stand For

As a Virtual Assistant organization, the VACOC stands for quality, substance and excellence. Hey, you can't grow if you aren't expected to think bigger and do better. We are about challenging Virtual Assistants and Administrative Consultants to stretch outside their comfort zones, think in new ways, and view who they are and what they do as administrative experts from a completely new and innovative perspective.

We are also about—simply put—community and providing a space where business-minded comrades can help each other grow in a spirit of camaraderie, not competition. And it really is about communication and conversation. This organization is not some thinly veiled disguise that hides the ulterior motives of a purely sales-driven organization. In our community, it becomes immediately clear to you that we are motivated by ideals of excellence and a passion for the profession and helping administrative experts grow in their business knowledge and professional self-esteem. This is a heart, passion and soul-driven association.

As a Virtual Assistant, what are some of the things you'd like to achieve?

A full roster of monthly retainer clients?
A financially profitable, self-sustaining practice?
Ideal clients who are enjoyable to work with?
A business that earns enough money that you could quit your day job?
A Virtual Assistant business that earns more than you ever made as an employee, perhaps even a six figure income? (Dare you dream? Yes!)
To make more money working less hours and with fewer clients?
The time and freedom to enjoy life beyond your business?

These are ALL things you can achieve with the right information, enlightenment and business consciousness! But make no mistake—most of what you've learned and read elsewhere so far is keeping you from doing these things. Hey, what's the point of anything if the only way you can make a living at it is if it consumes your entire life and keeps you from enjoying family, friends and all those other pursuits that make you a more interesting person and a better service provider, right? Because success is only success when you are both earning well andprofiting in terms of time and freedom to also enjoy a full, well-rounded life beyond your business.

And that's what we're here to help you with! The Virtual Assistants who join our ranks are driven and committed to making their business a success. They are tired of working themselves to the bone and still not making any money. They understand that overcoming these challenges requires them to raise their business consciousness and rethink and redefine their role as adminstrative experts. They want to learn how it can be done better, easier and more efficiently with greater profitability and superior client service. They want to talk about real business and learn proven strategies for marketing, finding clients, navigating the consultation process and setting foundations in their business that will lead to true growth, freedom, financial success and personal satisfaction. If you are ready to be challenged to think in new ways and grow your business to an entirely different level, it is our sincere pleasure to support you.

To your success!

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Pay What You Owe - Part 2: Week #50

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 21:31:44 +0100

Thank you for visiting Jill of Virtual Assistants blog.

Tip for the week: #WordJill Tip: Ctrl+C allows you to copy words, paragraphs, sentences in Word and across applications.

Affirmation for the week: To accept the things I cannot change and change the things I can!

Quote: "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character" ~ Albert Einstein

Your Virtual Assistant, Arlene de Waal

Pay What You Owe - Part 2

Last week I wrote about VA's who sub-contract other VA's and then renege on payment. Well, this Transcriptionists and Virtual Assistants group in South Africa reneged on payment then promised again on email to make payment this past Wednesday December 15 only to renege on payment again. It is disgusting to think that our very own VA colleagues stiff us like this without any remorse!

My reason for writing about this is to inform other VA's who consider sub-contracting for this Transcriptionists and Virtual Assistants group in South Africa to be weary and to demand full payment upfront as you are going to have to run after your money and then there is no guarantee that you will be paid. I haven't been paid to date despite promises in writing! It also takes you away from your clients as you spend a lot of time, effort and resources chasing your own money. Of my clients have commended me on my high standards of ethics and excellence and it felt great knowing that I was standing up for a cause!

I can of course not divulge what my next step will be as some of the Transcriptionists and Virtual Assistants of this group in South Africa subscribe to my blog and as they say 'forewarned is forearmed'. I will however write a part 3 of this once I have resolved this issue so that the VA's in South Africa and even those abroad know they have recourse and not to let these people get away with murder. Who knows they may still pay me but I won't hold my breath :-)