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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!

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.

Hey we have a great trend going here! Danielle is an Innovator that collaborates with the Maker (me), who collaborates with the Visionary (Tawnya). This is the start of a really creative team!

I think keep the descriptions simple, don't give them too many options or things to think about. Provide a pay pal buy button under each service description and a call to action like 'download my FREE working with a VA ebook' or "You may also like my book editing services <<click here>>" the link would then lead to the next service description. Do this for all your service options on your home page. Which would have an icon or image for each with short description that opens to a new page with the service details, buy button, freebie ebook and call to action or upsell for another service. >image/ icon >title e.g. transcription services >short dot point description of service >PayPal buy button >link to download ebook >link to another service offering hope that helps amber

Most clients I've talked to don't want to see a long laundry list of services you can do for them. It is not only overwhelming reading through the long list, but time consuming and doesn't help the client's decision making process to hire you. Continue reading buttons are seldom clicked on according to web usability statistics. What does help them decide is a paragraph on how you can help them with their bookkeeping or social media marketing. What problem of theirs can you solve with your services? Shorter is better. Get to the point of what your services can do for the client and that's all you need.

Thanks Danielle!!

I have this rogue touch screen that sparks off clicks when touched by air. I have to disable it through the device manager. Long story short, once I left this forum open and went to bed. A fly or some insect must have landed on the banner ad for Tawnya's "Ageless at Last" product. When I got up in the morning, YouTube was tearing through a playlist about women's facial products. Now not only does YouTube think I have a thing for women in facial masks, I get retargeted for beauty ads LOL. This was 3 years ago mind you so I think YouTube finally got the hint and glad it now pauses videos when left dormant. Just thought I'd share this odd story. It may help you if you think your computer is being remote controlled by a hacker, and it's just a clicky touch screen going wild.

Virtual Assistants, Service Providers, Freelancers … Grab FREE ACCESS to 10 resources to kick start your service-based business! No matter what stage you are at with your Virtual Assistant service-based business you’ll want to JOIN our FREE VA Member Lounge today! Inside our VA Lounge you’ll find numerous resources (videos, checklists, ebooks, etc.) that you can implement this very minute to help you find more clients and grow your VA business. CLICK HERE to gain access today!

Hi Rachel and welcome! Smart move setting up your VA business while you worked part-time and wishing you the best with your new career. If you have any questions, just ask us!

Those links help tremendously thank you. !

I agree, what a wonderful niche for you and yep, very lucrative!

Welcome to the forum! Podcasts are huge and really think it could be a lucrative niche for you.

Hello, AJWoods! My name is Cathy Strine, owner and operator of All Things Administrative, LLC. I incorporated just over three years ago and for awhile I did work with a VA who did my bookkeeping. She was awesome and saved me lots of time and headaches! I reclaimed that task when one of my larger retainer clients reduced her workload. I've got my bookkeeping under control now but I've often thought of contracting with a VA for various other duties. So my question to you is- what is it you like to do? From your limited situation, with what tasks are you willing to help other Virtual Assistants? Looking forward to hearing from you- Cathy Strine, VA All Things Administrative, LLC

You can use your personal one for your business acting as yourself. They do have business pages but I'd just recommend using the personal one to meet connections. https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/linkedin-pages

Gothceltgirl, I completely agree. Right now I have a free website and do plan to upgrade to a paid one as soon as possible, and as soon as I can. But the free Wordpress, I can't even stand. Everyone talks so highly of the paid version so I do plan to check it out as one of my options when transferring to paid but until then, I'm happy with my free one. I tried Site Builder but felt like I couldn't customize it as much as I wanted to, but that was a while back. I wonder if they have changed the options.

I say "I" now on my website. I used to use "we". Do you plan to expand your business and have a team? If so you might want to write your copy based on that so you don't have to change it later.

Hey there! Welcome to VAnetworking.com --> The Social Network for Virtual Assistants. I am so excited that you have decided to join the friendliest social network on earth for Virtual Assistants. Let me give you a quick intro of who I am. I am Juli and I have not been in the Virtual Industry that long, (3 years) but by being your moderator, I can relate to some of your challenges that you might possibly face that I might have gone through. I was unemployed looking for way to pay off my student loan debt and how to make money at the same time. I saw an AD on my local TV explaining how to make money online, that educated me a bit on how to make money online but through one of those freelancing sites. I was still not satisfied with only working from that platform so I went on Google and found ways how I could make money online, and this is how I found the forum and joined. Fast forward a year later I have a business in place and I have launched my website. So I have gone through the path that you now are on. Enough about me and more about you! One way to get to know you better on the forum is through your first introduction to us. I will outline some tips on how to get you started on the forum. First you can do a quick introduction about yourself and this can be done by clicking here http://www.vanetwork...al-Busi-f4.html If you are like me and don’t like to talk much about yourself here is a breakdown to use as a guide to ease those introductions jitters: Your Name: Your Website URL (if applicable): Years in Business: Description of your Business, including any specialties: On a more personal note: What City/Town/State/Country are you from?: Are you married? How long?: Any kids and how old? Hobbies & Interests: How did you hear about us? We love to know how you heard about us so please let us know! i.e. Google search (what keywords did you search?), article in magazine (name of mag?), word of mouth (who?), etc. Please feel free to browse around and get to know others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to private message me or any of the other moderators here or contact us at our help desk Until then, can't wait to see your growth here and your accomplishments. Best wishes.

I'm new here too. Welcome.

Welcome to VAnetworking! I agree with Tawnya as to creating graphics to see how long they take you to create so you can build your pricing structure.

Wow! So glad you love horses!! I have owned horses for 19 yrs and counting. Part of my efforts as a VA would go to support the purchase of a farm as my original farm at to be sold when I divorced.

I just signed up my first client, very small retainer one hour per day, but i am a firm believer in starting at the bottom work your way up, Super excited........................

Hi Jason, welcome to VAnetworking! Looks like your FB cover photo appeared blurry because you posted the mobile link. I've updated your post for you. As Tawnya said, you'll want to post engaging content consistency on your Facebook Page.

Welcome to the forum Hannah! I agree with the suggestions Tawnya gave. Awaiting on your response to see if their is anything that I can add. All the best.

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 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

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

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.

I use the WD ones, I own about 5-6 or them. I actually have the 4TB one in my wishlist to order at some point as I want another one. This is the one I buy. I've had no issues with them (am on a Mac). I also own these cases to keep them in for traveling and even just at home so that they don't get damaged. I haven't tried the seagate ones, I'm sure they are fine though too.

Hello. My name is Laweesa McCray and I am seeking advice on becoming a virtual assistant.

Hi Everyone, Name: Bettina Website URL: No website yet; currently in the process. Years in Business: None; getting ready to start my VA Business Description of my business: My VA business will focus on services for chiropractors, since I have a background in the healthcare industry. My services will include: data entry, proofreading/editing, PowerPoint presentations, blog-related services, social media ad set-up/management, calendar management, and Facebook group management. What city/town/state/country am I from? I am originally from the Chicago area, but now reside in the Los Angeles area. Am I married? Not yet, but I am in the near future! Any kids? Not yet, but working on it! Hobbies and Interests: I love to read, go bike riding with my significant other, and I'm also a history buff! How did I hear about VA Networking? Through the Google search.

Hello everyone! I'm Chuck (Some call me Charles, that's okay too). I am just getting started in the virtual world of assisting as one of those rare males in this profession. I don't have a business URL yet, but I am working diligently to to get that up and going. I have spent the last 20 years helping businesses become better through leading up as an employee, informal business coaching, and advising on system/process implementation to improve different aspects of business. My business is general virtual assistance helping small, medium, and large businesses Maximize the BIG THREE Es of Business, Efficiency, Effectiveness , and Execution! My education is management information systems and psychology. This education coupled with my experience in the military and the business world helps me to assist others accomplish what needs to be done in a technological world where change is the number one crippling factor. I specialize in business systems, social media implementation, web design, and tech support. My wife and I currently live in Vero Beach, Florida. I am originally from Lenoir, North Carolina. We have been married for 26 years and have two kids away at university. Our daughter is studying veterinary medicine at the University of Louisville, and our son is in the masters program for classical vocals and composition at the Boston Conservatory. YES, we are extremely proud of them! Being the nerd that I am, I am actually turning my hobbies into a virtual assistant business. My hobbies are actually web design, social media profile initiation, and business coaching for friends, family, and associates. So, I figured since I do this stuff in my free time, why not go professional and get paid to do it! Like they say, "If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life." This does lead me to a question though. Has anyone else experienced burn out, or other pitfalls, from the psychological shift in doing something as a hobby but now having the responsibility of getting paid for it? I would love to hear your thought or experiences around this. Please leave a response, because I really don't want to get headed the wrong direction! Thank you all for being here. We can all work together to make one another better! Chuck Kanupp

I want to start my VA business providing services to Chiropractors, since I have a background in the healthcare industry--I actually worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. How would I market my services to chiropractors?

Pricing can always be a difficult question. In my practice, I charge at an hourly rate. I find the hourly rate model to be flexible enough to suit a diverse set of clients. Perhaps if I had an ongoing relationship with a client and could get a better sense for their specific needs week after week, only then do I think it would be beneficial to set a flat fee arrangement.

Amber that was so so so helpful thank you so much. Amber do you have a link so i can see how your looks and Tawnya thank you so much im going to check hers out now :)

I highly recommend Lastpass and it's free

Great advice by Amber! Maybe people will share their services pages here for you to see what others are doing. Here's my daughter Danielle's service page and how she set up hers.

My all time favorite picks are: 1) Project Management - Asana 2) File Sharing - Google Docs 3) Messenger - Skype

Thanks, This is helpful.

It's been awhile since there has been a new post in this section, so let's get it going again! Whether you are new to graphic design or a veteran, what are your favorite programs and tools? There are SO many programs out there and some are specialized, so go ahead and choose your favorites. I'll go first! 1. Adobe Illustrator - This is by far my favorite program. I use this strictly for logos, icons and creating 2D graphics from scratch. Illustrator is great for creating vector graphics, which will let you retain their size without losing quality. There is still sooo much more I need to learn about it as it's ever changing. 2. Adobe Photoshop - My second favorite program for editing images and enhancing photographs. Auto batch editing in Photoshop is also a dream. You can create all kinds of things in photoshop! 3. Canva - Canva is an awesome alternative and great for businesses. I use canva to make tons of social media graphics, infographics, e-books and more. It's very user friendly and a great starting point if you are new to graphic design. Those are pretty much the only 3 that I use, because I can do everything I need to do in them. There's also InDesign, which is great for posters, e-books and various layouts. I haven't gotten into it much, but it's highly recommended. Let's hear your favorites!

Hi Cyndie, These are high quality jobs priced in range of approx $25-65/hr depending on the niche. We typically get 8-17 RFPs per week on average. Typically 12% of our members will read the job posts then 3% of that will apply to them. With only 500 members there isn't a ton of competition for the jobs. Let's do the math: 12% of 500 members read the RFP post = 45 members 3% of 60 people apply for the job = 1-2 people will have interest and actually apply for the position My point is there is not much competition for the jobs. Many of our members already have full client bases and others are members for the extra training and coaching/accountability that the VAinsiders Club offers.

I've done something similar with clients in the past. I bluntly asked them, how much could you afford monthly for a Virtual Assistant? Once they gave me the amount I wrote up the best services I'd offer them that would help their business the most that month (give them the best bang for their buck).

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.

I love how easily I can stay on top of my business using just my iPhone! Do you have an iPhone yet? If you’re like many owners, you most likely access your iPhone for a variety of personal and even some business uses. You probably use the GPS to find your way to appointments. I know I’d be lost downtown Vancouver if it wasn’t for my Maps App! Maybe you use a financial application like Mint to stick to your budget. You might even use a note-taking application to track ideas. However, chances are your iPhone is underutilized. Read full blog post here

Darrell, they gave you great suggestions. Since I am the queen of cheap, I have to tell you that most of the things you need can be gotten for free, either because there's a free version of the software, or with Open Source (www.opensourcemaven.com has a great list). This is the list of what I use. All of it was free. AVG 7.5 Ad-aware SE Firewall (came with the computer) Diskeeper Lite Adobe Reader 7.0 eFax Messenger Zoho CRM PDFCreator Instant messengers (Skype with Pamela, AIM, Yahoo, MSN) Switch (for switching audio to another format) TimeStamp and MyHours WinZip (evaluation version) Extract Now (opens some programs WinZip doesn't) WinAmp and Windows Media player NVU HTML editor Folder Marker (unneccessary, but fun) Open Source Office Suite Plus, your computer comes with stuff installed so take a good look at your list of programs under the Start menu. Free doesn't always mean you get the best programs. Free is good in the beginning when you don't have money coming in. If you are going to spend money, I'd recommend you start with the Microsoft Office. Open Source is fine "for now" but Microsoft has so many bells and whistles that you will love it.