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Hello and thank you for having me! My name is Hannah I'm in my late-twenty's and I'm just starting out my VA business, I've been doing a TON of research and I stumbled across this awesome site! I've been working in an admin role for 3 years in the financial industry and I really enjoy my work. My husband and I want to have more kids in the near future and I'm really needing and wanting the flexibility of working from home and setting my own hours to make that happen. I've decided on bookkeeping, general admin, marketing & technical support services that I will be offering to future clients. I'm also a notary public in Washington state & have been doing mobile loan signing services for the mortgage industry, my question is should I include that within my website & listed in the services I offer even though I wouldn't be able to provide that as a "virtual" service? My thinking behind wanting to include that is because of the extensive background checks, being bonded, licensed and E&O insured would instill confidence in potential clients that I've got my stuff together and can be trusted with their financials. Also it would be great to showcase that service for potential local clients, but I'm wondering if it'll be too much going on and makes naming my business difficult. Any feedback is welcomed & appreciated Thank you, Hannah

Welcome Elizabeth! You are at the right place! Any advice that I will surely give is to do your pros and cons of what you like doing and what you do not like doing in terms of offering a service. From there it will be a bit easier to know what you need to invest in in terms of certification if any. All the best.

Thanks Tawnya. I'll look into them both

It's imperative that you can explain what you do for a living easily and quickly as friends and family are your hottest referral market as your loved ones love talking about you. Besides if you can't explain it, it will tug on your confidence and bring negativity to your business. The easiest explanation of how to explain what you do for a living I learned at Tracey Blanchfield-D'Aviero's VA Conference wherein she was talking about Anti-Elevator Speeches. If you ever have a chance to go to her conference I encourage you not to miss it so vital to your business education www.vajot.com/thevaconference Here's Tracey's handy template to help you explain what you do for a living. I want each and every one of you to fill in the blanks and share your anti-elevator speech in the comments below: I help ___________________ (who are they?) by ____________________________________ (what specifically do you do?) so they can ____________________________(what can they do if you help them?).

I am a real life (RL) administrative assistant in the legal department at a very large corporation. I have a bachelor's degree in legal studies but have yet to utilize any of the things I learned in four years of college. There's no room for growth here, and the stigma of administrative assistant is haunting me even though I apply for paralegal work internally, I keep getting rejected. The irony is, if I left to do paralegal work outside at another firm, I would make LESS money because this role pays surprisingly well. I am bored and miserable though. How can I market myself as a virtual assistant with paralegal skills? I also have extensive real estate title knowledge. I'd like to specialize in the real estate virtual assistance field so, how do I jump ship?

I have many years experience working in academic sciences admin (within a university Faculty of Medicine). I decided to make this my niche. I am able to do medical reports, transcription, billing and scheduling, etc. I also do science-focused events. I work full time (and I have also been studying!), so I have struggled finding clients - and finding time!. I would really appreciate some tips on finding clients. In fact, though I registered here a couple of years ago, I had not actually ever logged in. I am also looking for information on how to get sponsors for the events. My main website is http://organizedbizness.com/ My VA website is http://organizedva.com/

Fabulous, I love animals as well!

Hi Danielle, thank you. Currently we only have a miniature beagle and a 75 gallon fish tank. However, I love animals and once we have more room, I will drive my husband crazy with all the animals I bring home. In the past, I have had numerous dogs and cats and I have also owned rats.

Thanks for the warm welcomes Tanya and Danielle! Unfortunately, I won't make the call today as I have a prior appointment. I will be on the next one though. Have a wonderful day!

Thank You Tawnya! That is exactly why I searched for this group again. I always had a warm welcome with a good feeling to participate when questions were asked to respond with confidants and feel like I was part of a Great Group of Friendly Professionals!!

Hello, I worked as a VA subcontractor over 6 years ago and than life changed. I did some traveling and no longer have any of my previous documents as a VA. Prior to becoming a VA I have had over 10-15 years Admin/Office Support experience. I am now back and getting set up again. I don't know what has changed with this networking group, so I am asking for assistant. How do get started and go about submitting for subcontracting work? Thank you for your time!

Hi Cindee, welcome to VAnetworking! Roseville is a nice area, I love that they have a Top Golf and go to it whenever I'm in the area. Hope to see you on tomorrow's VAinsiders Call!

There are 2 ways to jump ship and become a VA... 1. Since you make good money I recommend to continue working until you can save enough money to be off work 3 months (that will give you time to work on getting your business up and running without having to worry about finances). 2. Start working part-time on your business now. Work evenings/weekends or whenever you can find time to start putting together all your marketing materials like your website, etc. to get yourself set up, ready to take on new clients. Easy way to do this since you are still working and have monies rolling in would be to invest in my Virtual Assistant Career training program. It will hand hold you through the process and speed up your learning curve. Plus it includes your website! Slowly start taking on new clients along the way. At some point it will be too much working a full-time job and starting up a business part-time and you'll know when that happens. That's when you finally take the leap into full time business and quit that corporate job! If you have any questions, just ask.

Hello! I am very excited to introduce myself! My name is Casey,, I'm a first time Mum of a little baby girl and I'm venturing from my career to begin as a VA. I have over 10 years' experience in Administration, with my most recent experience being in Real Estate. As a Property Manager, I managed 180 properties in my portfolio. As a VA, I am offering data entry, letter writing and mailing service, debt collection, Condition Report writing and Account Management. I look forward to where this journey will take me, and hoping I can stay home with my bub and have the perfect work/life balance.

https://jbvirtualass.weebly.com/ Hi Everyone. My name is Jennifer, I am a brand new VA very exciting times for me. I have 15 years experience in Admin and senior management from catering to microlending. I love admin and pushing myself to grow and always be the best at what I do and just made the decision to put all that energy and loyalty into my own Business. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this platform.

Thank you to everyone .... I have come along way since last week finding the resources I need and appreciating the input from each and everyone of you!! This forum is a wonderful form of communication and feedback. I hope in no time at all I will look forward to creating my VA niche and also helping out on small projects as they come up.

Hi everyone, My name is Toni. So excited to get to know you all! I’m new to the Virtual Assistant business. I currently work from home through a temp agency, but really want to be my own boss. My specialties and 20 years experience are in account payables, invoicing, billing, customer service and debt collections. I would really like to specialize in social media management as well. My husband and I moved from Nv to Northern Id 2yrs ago to live our dream of living off grid. We have 4 children between the two of us, all grown and on their own. My employer from Nv was thrilled to have me work from home through a temp agency when we moved. In order to get our homestead going the way we want, I need to supplement our income more. I love helping people and take pride in my work, this is what led me to being a VA. Being a VA, I can continue to work from home and have time for our new adventure. I came across VA Networking through a search on Facebook.

Welcome to the forum Toni! You will do well.

Myself Larry C. Santos from USA..I am new to this forum..Through this forum i will gain adequate knowledge on various topics that the forum leads..

Welcome to the forum Raychelle! All the best to you.

Welcome to the forum! I understand that at first it can be daunting to find clients. You can visit this link on tips by Tawnya on how to find clients. All the best.

Finding out what motivates me will certainly help me in the long run Solution always exists but we need to find it

Hi Jacob, welcome to VAnetworking! I've been a VA for over 8 years and it's a great career!

Awesome you have Pinterest and Tailwind training. Did you do a training program or just learn under someone else as an apprentice?

Sorry I missed your comment. Where in Idaho are you? We are in the Sandpoint area.

So sorry I missed your comment. I currently offer services for account payables, receivables, customer service, data entry, collections and billing. I just finished training on Pinterest and Tailwind through working as an apprentice. Really excited to implement what I have learned. Hopefully, this will open some doors for me.

Hiya Raychelle and welcome to our network. Looking forward to getting to know you more through your participation here. Enjoy!

Hi all my name is Andrew very new to this VA a TON of information. My poor brain is a little overwhelmed but I will just go through all the infomasion at my own pace. I am always here ill help anyone if i can cos i will need HELP lol thank you all Andrew

Thank you Julian. It really does let me enjoy writing and still working with clients hands on. I am glad to be here.

INTRODUCTION: Your Name: Jodie Michelle Hecker Your Website URL (if applicable): - www.beautybizcopywriter.com and www.beautybusinesscoachtraining.com Years in Business: 10+ However, not online, just offline. Trying to earn money online now. Description of your Business, including any specialties: email marketing, pinterest, copywriting, blog posts, skin care and makeup, social media posting On a more personal note: What City/Town/State/Country are you from?: Gaithersburg MD Hobbies & Interests: swimming, being outdoors, travel, writing, reading, constant learning, finance, hanging out with my grandmother and niece and nephews. How did you hear about us? i.e. Google search (what keywords did you search?), article in magazine (name of mag?), word of mouth (who?), etc. email from Nicole on the net. MY SHORT STORY- I started my beauty career in International television, after taking an online camera media makeup class. I simultaneously worked as a regional artist with some of the top international companies: such as Chanel, Estee Lauder, and Lancome; just to name a few. I went on to get my Esthetican license. At the same time while doing working as a Beauty professional I became very interested in Online marketing and devoured everything that I could get my hands on. You might say that I'm obsessed with learning how the online marketing world works. Till this day I am always learning something new that I can use to earn money online, in addition to making people beautiful offline. My other love is real estate and writing, and look forward to combing the two interest's. In addition to my work, I also volunteer for the American Cancer Society's "Look Good, Feel Better" program. I teach women and teens going thru chemotherapy makeup and skin care tips. This is my most favorite job that I have. I have a family that I love, and love spending time with them. Especially my 103 year old Grandmother. I just love her. I love swimming and gymnastics, and can be found glued to the TV during the Olympics. I look forward to starting and quickly growing my business so that I can make money and have more freedom. Cant wait to meet you Jodie Michelle

Hi Danielle, Thank you. That's awesome that you had a beauty blog. I would love to hear all about it. I am glad to be here, and look forward to learning and connecting with others. Jodie

I use Google Voice but it's only available for the US, although it works in other countries. I used to use Skype and was able to get a phone number and it was fairly affordable. If you have Microsoft Office you might even have a free Skype benefit so I'd check that out. https://www.skype.com/en/offers/office365/

Hello everyone, My name is Elizabeth and I'm brand new to the Virtual Assistant world. I am still soaking up all I can and taking the steps to launch my own business. I am hoping to learn as much as I can from all of you and soon have my own business up and running. Any beginner advice is greatly appreciated. Happy to be a part of such a supportive network!

Hi Elizabeth, welcome to VAnetworking!

Hi Alonda, welcome to VAnetworking! I've spent some time in Arkansas camping over at Lake Ouachita, beautiful area!

Hello Everyone! How are you ? My name is Alonda Sims and I'm from Arkansas. I'm 30 years old and excited about starting a NEW career in Virtual Assisting. I started my company about 2 years ago. I've always had the skills for it but never thought about actually making it into a business until now. With starting this business it is with high expectations that I look forward to having one of the top virtual assisting companies in the WORLD! BIG words for someone as young as me right? Well, I believe in my self and I know that I can do it and especially if I have the right team surrounding me. I believe this industry is meant to help pushing the next person into the next phase of their Destiny and for some pushing them into the beginning phase of Destiny. However, I find that in this early part of my career, what you put in is what you get out. Early mornings and late nights is for those who are hungry for that next level. For me, although I do need the money for bills but that's not why I chose to work as a virtual assistant. I chose this career because I love helping and pushing others towards their greatest potential. I believe that we will share the same hunger however it's up to us on rather we choose to feed each other the knowledge and skills that was given to us.

Hello and welcome to VAnetworking! Hopefully you were able to navigate your way around the website.

Hi Alonda, I am also from Arkansas. Wishing you luck.

I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Maralee and I am very very new to the VA idea. Still going through the free resources available on the site and am getting a TON of information. My poor brain is a little overwhelmed but I am really really wanting to stay home and be able to make my own schedule while having fun and being able to help people. Getting started does anyone have any tips and tricks for free or cheap programs to start out with? As we don't have a ton of money to throw at this, and my hubby is not for sure convinced I will stick with it. Which is kind of fair as I keep getting ideas and run with it for a little bit and then stop So any advice would be so appreciated! Thank you so much!

Hi my name is Sue Ann Walker. I signed up for this virtual assistant because I'm really interesting in learning something new and being able to apply it in my everyday life.

Welcome to the forum Alonda! Thats the drive that will you get you to be one of the biggest VA business there is. All the best.

How long did it take to finish the 3 tasks? You should be making $25-50/hour as a Virtual Assistant. If you are not, you'll never make a profit. Log in to your member area and download the Pricing Formula Worksheet. There is also a video in there to watch to help you figure out your pricing. Being a business owner you really need to know your overhead and profits.

Hiya Elizabeth and welcome! Whatever questions you have do throw our way and we will do our best to answer. Enjoy the boards!

Here are my answers to your questions: Your Name: Julie Smith Your Website URL (if applicable): https://juliesjoyfulsolutions.wordpress.com/ Years in Business: I started in 2014, haven't had any steady clients as of yet. I was on Upworks and decided it is time to change directions. Description of your Business, including any specialties: I create efficient systems for Realtors and Entrepreneurs to keep them on track with their deadlines while providing quality customer service so they can focus on what's important-- selling and growing! - Empower Realtors and Entrepreneurs by helping you achieve your goals - Assisting you with tasks to help you be more productive - Create solutions to overcome the obstacles you encounter to relieve the stress - Process information through well-honed research to meet timely deadlines I received training as a Transaction Coridonator from a Realtor. When you hire me for all your transactions I will: - Verify that all required signatures and initials are on the contract and addenda. - Verify that all required addenda are included with the contract. - Fill out commission disbursement forms. - Open the file with the escrow or title company…And much more! On a more personal note: What City/Town/State/Country are you from?: Angola, IN USA Are you married? How long?: Not married now, was for about a year. Any kids and how old? I have a son that is 18, 2 daughters a 15 and 9-year-old Hobbies & Interests: I love camping, fishing, and reading How did you hear about us? I found this group a few years ago, and I set business aside for a bit then, I re-discovery it through Kathy Goughenour-Expert VA training program.

Hi Toni! Great to see someone else from Idaho! How exciting for you and your family to be living off the grid. Here's to continued success for you in the VA industry

Hi Toni, welcome to VAnetworking! That is great that your employer was thrilled to have you work remotely! What services do you plan to offer clients?

Hi Jullian, You will love our little family of virtual assistants. This is the best positive group to be part of. Thought I would answer your questions. Your Name: Marie Mason Your Website URL: www.cmvirtualassistantagency.org Years in Business: 1 Year Description of your Business, including any specialties: Our premier agency serves coaches and speakers by providing an event team to manage your webinar so you can focus on sharing your message. Services for your event include management, marketing, video production, and bookkeeping. On a more personal note: What City/Town/State/Country are you from?: Charlottesville, VA., USA Are you married? How long?: Married 16 years to my best friend. Any kids and how old? I have one son age 13 years old, and he is a boy. He is smart, funny and a gifted and talented young man. Can you tell he is my pride and joy? Hobbies & Interests: Baking, especially beg for more brownies. dancing gardening knitting Playing TCG games like Pokemon cards How did you hear about us? Kathy Goughenour in January/February 2018.

Welcome to VAnetworking! I don't have any experience in the proofreading and editing industry to answer your question. You may even want to post this again as it's own standalone thread so more people see it.

LOL! I am a web designer and I will not even start thinking about touching anything from scratc, wordpress, whatever for less than $500! If you are going to offer this service you really need to look at design forums no offense but if you do know what you are doing that 200-300 is just shooting yourself in the foot

In the email I state: Attached please find your invoice for the month of XXX for virtual assistant services. To ensure you hold a spot as a client with us for the upcoming month (and don't go onto our waiting list), payment is appreciated by the 25th so we can schedule our clients accordingly.