Leaderboard

Hi Everyone, Happy Mother's Day weekend this weekend. While working on making some changes for my Webinar Production Agency. I pieced together a new mission statement. Let me know what you think. Our premier agency manages all aspects of our customer's webinars and podcasts to take the tasks off their plate so they a focus on sharing their message. We provide an event team to assist with event management, moderate chat rooms, marketing, video production/editing, and bookkeeping. We put you in the spotlight so that your message can shine.

I'm sorry, for some reason I didn't see this before now. Yes, I used Canva. I'm quite enjoying Canva, although I still think Photoshop is better. There are some things you just can't do in Canva.

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

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

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.

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!

Thanks Tawnya. I'll look into them both

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 apologize for not seeing your poll yesterday. I like the layout and graphics of the first one the best. If I could give some pointers. When choosing your color (colour) palate, it can be useful to view your design across several devices. This is usually only discussed in the aspect of web page layout and responsiveness, but with the multitude of not only screen sized, but also screen resolutions, the material the screen is made of, the preferred setting of the device user, I find it useful to view my designs across many different devices. With that said, I would recommend adjusting the huge of your pink background if you are going to use the white text color. Your design looks fine on a LCD computer screen and an iPad with bluelight filter on. But, there is significant white bleed from the text into the background when viewed on an LED computer screen or a smartphone that is not configured to filter blue light. I have just started a Canva account if you wanted to share your logo file with me my profile is @ChuckKanupp. I would be pleased collaborate with you. Cheers!

Thank you for the welcome and the feedback! I truly appreciate the support. The amount of information and guidance I have already gotten from being here is absolutely astounding. Marie, thank you for introducing yourself and the support. Charlottesville is a beautiful area. I do hope you and Tawnya had a well deserve Mother's Day. (I Googled Mother's Day in Canada to make sure I was correct to include Tawnya) My decision "redesigning your career at this stage" in my life so far is a blessing in disguise. My wife and I recently (3 months ago) purchased our new home. Last month I lost my job of 7 years due to "seasonal downsizing". My wife and I took a hard look at our options. She is a career nurse that makes a relatively good income, but not necessarily enough to carry our current expenses alone. So, what to do? I have looked into getting another job, and there are a lot of postings in our area business administrators, executive assistants, administrative assistants, and small business owners are looking for personal assistants. One evening, while I was preparing a cover letter, my wife asked me if I knew how my previous employer was planning to distribute my workload? That one question coupled with what I was seeing for job postings was a EUREKA! moment. At that point, my cover letters became introduction letters for my services as a virtual assistant. Even though my previous employer was not posting an ad to refill my position, I knew he was going to need help, so I sent an email. My previous boss is now my first client! Tawnya, thank you for your response. It helped me in defining my why. I want financial freedom for my family! I will NOT be put in this position again! My plans and dreams for the future are HUGE, but that is fuel for my fire. I don't expect the journey to be easy, but it will be fun!!!

Hi Chuck, Welcome to our virtual assistant community. You are not the only male in this group. One of our admins in this group is Mark Hunter from Australia. And we have a supportive network here. I am from Charlottesville, Virginia. I am married. We have a 13-year old son. I started in 2017 with just an idea of being a virtual assistant. And with the help of Tawnya, Mark and so many wonderful people in the VA insiders group I am moving right along. Bravo for redesigning your career at this stage in your life. Our network is supportive and willing to help cheer you on. To your success. Cheers, Marie Mason PS. Happy Mother's day to your family. Also, my son's name is Charles.

I've always had issues exporting my videos in Camtasia on my Mac. I finally asked Camtasia how to fix the quality issues and here is the article they referred me to. It has fixed my issues so wanted to post it in here in case anyone has this issue. https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/115007279948-Camtasia-Mac-Exported-Video-Had-Faded-or-Incorrect-Color

I just recently joined the VA workforce. I'm interviewing for positions now. I am optimistic that I will land my first client soon and begin creating my portfolio of work! ______________________________________________________________________________________ Visit my site at - https://rhosecellahdasalla.wixsite.com/website

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

I am definitely backing away from this for now. I need to earn some real wages first. This is something I could come back to but honestly I really hate MLM type stuff. According to them I can earn a lot, as long as those I recruit don't surpass my level. I've never been very good at getting ahead w/stuff like that anyway. I'm going to reach out to some people I know. I also made some flyers to put up wherever I can. So hopefully I'll find some real clients/work soon. I'll be posting & writing new posts for my blog as well.

Thank you, Amber. It does help.

Layla, go into the accountability area in your VAinsider membership and start listing everything you think you need to do. Also list some of the critical money marks you have to achieve (and by when) and we will help you with a gameplan to get past these roadblocks you are having.

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!

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

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?).

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

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 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.

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.

Depends on what you're looking for to be honest. Are you looking for speed? Then Western Digital Black are the best of the physical hard drives. But they may be too much to be bothered with if you're just looking for something for business because their cost is fairly high but not as high as a solid state drive. I have a 2 terabyte one in my gaming rig. It's been several years though and I'm surprised it hasn't died on me since I'm very hard on my computers. Seagate would be my second choice after Western Digital. I believe Seagate offers hybrid setups though. That means part of it is an SSD (Solid State Drive) and the other part is a standard physical drive. I don't like these because the SSD tends to be very small and many programs still won't let you determine which drive to install on so it makes it fill up faster. My laptop has a 256gig SSD and it's much much faster than my WD Black but has less space. It's also brand new and more expensive than the WD Black. If you are looking to work with a standard non gaming physical Hard Drive then either Western Digital or Seagate would be fine. Standard drives don't have anything special about them, it's just personal preference. You will get that "whir" noise when it spins up. SSD are more expensive but they're faster and completely silent. I'm good with computers and build my own (except for laptops. Those are a special circumstance since they're so different). If you have any questions, I'm happy to help. I can even walk you through installing it yourself if you like. It's surprisingly easy but it's not a done and go thing. It needs to be tested to make sure it doesn't burn out after three days.

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.

Great tips Chuck! Surely needed that for myself. All the best!

Hi Madina, welcome to VAnetworking!

Welcome to the group Chuck and just know you aren't the only male in this industry. My last survey showed 7% are male although you are still definitely a minority. Here's a post on male VAs which you may find interesting. The best job in the world is one that you love so I see with your skillsets that being a VA should be perfect for you. My husband loves motorcycles and is a motorcycle mechanic and on his weekends he is out in the garage working on his bikes LOL! Fact is, if you love what you do, you'll do it and if you can make money doing it, BONUS!!! I think everyone at some point no matter what they do gets burnout throughout life. The reason for that is usually not that you don't like what you are doing but more that you've lost your purpose/reason. I used to work to put food on the table for my 3 kids but once they grew up I had to find another reason to pump my veins with a passionate cause. Every now and then I find I achieve my goal and have to find another one. Like for years I was single so needed to work to keep my independence so that was my reason. Nowadays I have my home, a husband, etc. so need to find another reason once again else I'll experience burnout again. I'm only saying this because my coach and I talked about it yesterday and here I am again needing to find my reasons. My whole point is that it's normal in different stages of life to feel a bit burnt out, you just need to refocus on your NEW WHY.

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?

Maybe you need to make a list of things you want to get done and set some goals for yourself. Just work on one of the tasks at a time until it's completed so you don't get overwhelmed.

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.

I am going to share with you some broadcasting software tools that I have come across that might help you or someone else in the group. Broadcasting Software Review Hi Mary, I like using a couple of tools. A. One is https://www.loom.com It allows you to create 100 videos for free and provides you tools to edit them. You can choose between the following: · Audio only · Video only · Or you can screen share and see a video of you on the corner. The paid version allows you to do unlimited videos and it has a low cost to it. B. Another tool you can use is: https://stageten.tv/ · You can easily create live shows with remote guests. Video feeds from phones, cams, screen share, and game streams. · Connect with your audience and live stream to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch. · Stand out from the crowd with multi-cam shots, custom graphics, video clips, and unique stream formats. Not sure about the pricing. I think they do have a free version or a trial C. Here is another tool www.zoom.com I love using zoom too because it allows you to have a free version. The free version Meetings Online Meetings, Training & Technical Support Video Webinar Marketing Events & Town Hall Meetings Conference Rooms Build Collaboration-Enabled Conference Rooms Zoom Phone The next generation enterprise phone system Business IM Cross-Platform Messaging & File Sharing · You can connect with your calendar · You can schedule meetings onto zoom · You can also stream to YouTube and Facebook live · You can also do a whiteboard and draw or type a text and screen share it. D. Another great tool that has advanced features https://belive.tv Here are some great features for it. · You can do solo videos · Interviews or · Talk shows · Boost brand & Engagement using custom logos, frames, and colors · Stay organized · Screen share your presentation and bring photos from your Facebook album to your broadcast · You can also share it on Facebook live or Twitch · It has a free 30-day trial · The prices are reasonable · I think Tawnya has started using this one recently Hope this information will help you in selecting what tool works best for you. It depends on who your audience is. What social media platform they hang out in. And what tool will serve you best? Something to keep in mind. As your needs grow then you will want a tool that can grow with you.

I have been following up with two emails instead of three. I am unsure how to remove my emails from potential clients spam folders. I do not think I have an email campaign as I am responding to RFPs. I hope this is making sense

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

Yes, they have a great deal right now, hoping to get in on that before it goes away. I was thinking more long-term, hopefully by then I'll be earning money & can take the increase in price.

It's like exercising. If you can find a way to exercise that you love doing ie) playing hockey then you'll do it all the time. Glad you found a website program that works for you as that means you'll use it to it's fullest.

This is what I use and have never had a virus: 1. Windows Defender which comes FREE with Windows 10 (kept updated) 2. SuperAntiSpyware - I have the paid version so it runs in the background but the free version works too as long as you regularly keep it updated. 3. Malwarebytes - I also run this which might be overkill

Sorry I missed this question... I've been using retainer pricing with my clients all along for the past 20 years and never have any issues with them not liking it. My clients don't have the same tasks each week so it's hard to do packages for some of them. Working on hourly retainers that they prepay upfront works for us both. They get a bit of a discount paying upfront and I don't have to race around the end of month. Here is an informative blog post I wrote on pricing your virtual assistant services.

Client onboarding is basically a phrase someone made up so they could sell you products surrounding that process. Onboarding a client is fairly simple and usually goes in this order: 1. Get them to pay your retainer upfront (usually online through Paypal). 2. Get them to sign your contract (I do this after I get their payment as once they pay it's easier to get them to sign as they want you to start working for them right away). 3. Talk to them on the phone to get pertinent contact information (contact info, passwords, etc.) to help you service them. 4. You can also send them a document stating your business protocols (hours you work, how you'll communicate with each other, how payments are made, holidays, sick-time, etc.) Each VA has different protocols. As you can see, there isn't much process to prepare to onboard a client. The hardest part is getting them to pay and sign that contract.

Hmm good question. What services are you going to offer? You really don't need much to start up besides a computer and internet. You probably want to get a contract written up at the very least. I'd also recommend outlining your operating procedures such as, how clients can reach you, when you'll be around etc. There is a sample contract here: http://vanetworking.con/free. You probably already have access to it. You can take that one and edit it to make your own. You'll also have to figure out how you want to be paid, what system you will use. Maybe PayPal? And also your rates and packages. What have you done so far?

I have a client who's Quickbooks online is so messed up I have no clue how to fix it. When I first took over there was years of income that he has put in undeposited funds. I moved all that out into the proper place and now it seems even more messed up. One of his client looks like he has over 300K in credit and another looks like they are behind when they are not....HELP??!! Need an expert!!

Hi TJ, welcome to VAnetworking! Sorry for the delay in welcoming you. We just wrapped up our week-long conference so am finally catching up at the forum. Let us know if you have any questions about starting up.

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

Hi Theresa, welcome to the forum! There are some amazingly helpful people and resources here - I'm sure you'll learn everything you need to know as long as you have the time to take it all in. It can be overwhelming at first, but I promise it's not only fun it's worth it. ------------------------------------- When you ask about other ways to network, are there ways you have tried already or are you completely new to networking? I'm guessing you've told at least one friend or family member you're going to start a business and work from home...so you did network with at least one person. Unless your business is a secret (I've seen it happen) in which case you may not have networked at all. The best way to start networking is to work out what you will say when people ask you: What do you do?With this question, what you want to communicate is some of your services. Try to figure out what the other person does before they ask you this and you can tailor your answer to the needs of that person. If you have never networked before you may want to put together an elevator speech. You can find more about elevator speeches in this thread (including a super-helpful fill in word document from Candy B.) What are your rates? Right after you talk about what you do there are some people that want to dive right into the rate discussion. Don't let them. Tell them your rates or packages vary depending on the services required and that you'd love to set up a time to talk further so you can see if you can help them and then you'd be happy to provide them a rate. Unless you have time to educate the potential client about rates and how $30 is not expensive right there at the networking event, you're going to want to save the discussion for a later time. How long have you been in business?Especially for new business owners, you do not want to answer this with a perky, "I've been in business a week and a half!" That doesn't build trust or make the potential client feel all warm and snuggly. Respond that you have been in the secretarial industry for x number of years and it was a natural transition to do it for yourself rather than someone else. This showcases your experience, not when you applied for your business license. Can you do X for me? Sometimes people will ask you on the spot if you know how to do something. Be careful, because you want to make sure you aren't getting sucked into giving free advice they can then go home and tell a cousin, friend, or mom and have them do the work instead of you. Be friendly and helpful, but don't give away the farm. Oh, and if you don't know how to do what they're asking, never just say "No." That shuts down the relationship. Tell them you don't take care of that but you know someone that does and you'd be happy to provide a referral. Then they will see it as a favor and it gives you a chance to follow up with them to see if they need your services. (If you don't know someone to refer them to, come to VANA and ask around, we have people that can do just about anything between all 8,500+ of us!) While these may be the most popular questions that pop up at networking events, they are certainly not the only questions that arise. As you become more confident talking about your business you will get so that you know what people are asking for and be able to answer, but the only way to get to that point of comfort is through practice. Lots of practice. As for the car wrap, I've never met anyone that got a client from car wrap...people just don't make split decisions about outsourcing secretarial work when they're driving down the road and stop at a red light. At least, not in my experience. If anyone has experienced anything different I'm sure they'll let you know!! Hope this helps. Also check out the links in my signature line to get some helpful starter tips on how to use the forum! You're going to have a blast here, just get ready and hang on for the ride!