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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.

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

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.

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

Great tips Chuck! Thanks for sharing!

We all know how much energy and focus it takes to startup and run your own business. It usually means long hours, a lot of multitasking, and juggling projects, not only for clients, but growing and supporting our own business as well. I know for many of us, I am certainly included, that elixir of the gods called coffee is a staple in our days. But, there are days coffee just isn't getting it done. This let down has had me seeking an alternative lately, or at least balance. I don't know that I would ever give up my coffee, but I said the same thing about cigarettes too, and now I'm smoke free. I want to give a few tips to use if you ever find yourself in the same boat. 1. Get a routine! They really aren't that boring. Over the past few years there has been a lot of research into the value of routines. Guess what? Us adults need routines just as much as our kids or pets rely on them to be happy, healthy, and enjoying life. Several years ago Charles Duhigg published a book, "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business". This book has spurred many into looking at their habits and replacing them with more productive ones. It has also ignited the topic of routines in the blogosphere. I won't go into exhaustive detail regarding all the benefits and the science behind routines, but i will give a couple articles by Danny Forest, a writer on "Medium." In his 2018 article, Danny gives a great example of an effective daily routine. Then this April of 2019, Danny updated his series on routine to give more of the principles for the importance of a routine. Put simply, if you need motivation for the day, want more productivity, and more consistent awesome results from your day, make it routine! 2. Sometimes you just need a nap! In our formative years, we call remember going to our cubby and getting our nap mat, spreading it out as our mom, daycare worker, or teacher turned down the lights. Being a dad, I knew it was not going to be a great evening if my kids didn't get their nap in the early afternoon. So what changed for adolescents and adults? Actually not much physiologically only socially. Our society has come to believe that a nap takes away from being productive and it's childish to need a nap. Oh, wow! Society has it wrong again. Studies show that if everyone would continue throughout life to take those afternoon naps, societal productivity would increase dramatically! lifehack.org published a blog article written by Nicholas Garcia that explains how all that actually works. Oh, and after you read the article, pull down the shade, grab the throw cover on the couch, and take a productivity nap. make it part of your routine, you deserve it! 3. The third tip for today, exercise! I know, I know we have calls to make, email campaigns to develop, invoicing to process, engage with our social media followers, booking flights, hotels, and rental cars...the list is never ending. You can tackle it better when your body is ready it! The Harvard Business Review actually put it this way, "Regular Exercise Is Part of Your Job". Well in our case, it is part of our business! The one activity that you can include in your routine every day that will have the greatest lasting impact on your business success is exercise! Don't believe me? Google it!!!! As a matter of fact, I decided I would do that for you, click here.(I'll invoice you my billable hours!) 78,800,000 results and the first three pages of the results are related to habits and routines. The one thing that is consistently included in the lists, EXERCISE! Did you know that it's not just those articles that support exercise and fitness? VAnetworking.com stronly supports it as well through virtualassitantfitness.com! If you would like to get started in making the biggest impact on your business, get the Healthy Virtual Assistant Fitness Planner. You're not alone either. Be a part of a community that is committed to making their business as wildly successful as possible right here! Have a Fantastic VA Day!

Thank you Tawnya for all the great ideas! I have had some ideas for repurposing this, but you have definitely given me a few more ideas to pursue. I truly appreciate the addition as an affiliate, and I will be diving into the Affiliate Marketing Track very soon. I have so many aspects of my startup I am working on right now, and the ideas for what could be done with this business are really coming at a blistering pace. I believe I should partner with other VAs to help get things moving quicker.(My wife says I need to sleep sometime...LOL) I have a truck load of questions for the upcoming VAInsiders Group Coaching webinars! You're welcome Julian! I am glad I could help with a little inspiration to be a better you! And hopefully these tips can help you be more efficient, exceedingly effective, and execute with excellence!

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.

Welcome to the forum Charles!

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

Yes, congrats on your first client! I remember when the doors shut down on the computer service company I was working for leaving all the customers hanging. What I did was contact them all and offered to finish their jobs for free for them. A couple of them ended up keeping me as their Virtual Assistant and that's how I got my first clients.

Great points Chuck! Routine, naps and exercise are all things I try to incorporate into my life but it's not always easy especially the exercise. That's probably because I'm not a lover of sweating though lol! This is a great article and I wonder how you are repurposing it for your business benefit? For example, at the end where you mention my VA fitness site you could add custom affiliate links (I'll make you an affiliate and when you log in you'll now see affiliate tab. Also there is a whole training track in your VAinsiders membership on Affiliate Marketing you can do to learn more of how to make passive money that way). You could then turn this into a blog post, break it up into social media posts, turn it into a YouTube video, put into your newsletter and/or autoresponders as more content for your list. Just some ideas as I'm big into repurposing content.

Hi Madina, welcome to VAnetworking!

Hi Chuck, welcome to VAnetworking! That is awesome that you were able to bring on a past employeer as your first client. Wahoo!

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.

Thank you for pointing where to start! The link is of great help as I am also just starting to build a career as a Virtual Assistant. I've set up a test website for my VA business and the free resources on the link will surely guide me to find clients and grow my business. Looking forward to more learnings and earnings!

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and to the world of VA's. I have been working hard the last month to get everything up and running for my VA business. All that is missing is my Social Media set up and launch. And I can't for the life of me wrap my head around how to even start. This is harder than designing a website and creating content. I will be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram but I have never even used Instagram or Twitter personally. What are some good resources on how to get started or what a good first post would be? Thank you in advance!

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?

Thank you, Tawnya!

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 have been trying to start my VA business for so long that it is ridiculously crazy. Now that I am being told twice a month that I have to move I am stressing to get things done. I remembered today that I had an account here and my friend Regina said this is a really good place for support and networking. I am trying to create my Facebook business page and am feeling so stuck and in a fog. Trying not to overthink things but it happens. Could really use some help! Thank you.

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 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.

Hello! My name is Jesica. I'm a 38 years old Spanish woman currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. I've recently joined this group because, after several years' experience in the Customer service & Service Delivery in different countries, I've decided to pursue my dream of traveling the world while working remotely. I don't have children and my partner is a traveler by nature, living around the world working with his paraglider. I also speak 4 languages perfectly and I've lived for quite a few years in 3 different countries (Ireland, the US, and Portugal). Day by day, I feel more passionate about this new profession, wanting to learn more and more about this business, enabling my organizational, practical and communication skills to thrive and the most important thing: be part of this VA community. Regards, Jess

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

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, (1 year) 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 am about to launch 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.

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

What do you think?

Hi and welcome to our network! You have great experience behind your belt and you should do well in this career as a freelancer/VA. Congrats on almost getting your website finished as that is a huge accomplishment in the beginning stages. Pat yourself on the back! I hear you about the roller coaster of emotions you are going through right now. We never stop worrying about our babes right? Hunting scorpions, now that's a first I've ever heard anyone doing here, ugh...I am not a bug fun so wouldn't have fun doing that HAHA! Enjoy the boards!

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

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

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.

Thanks, This is helpful.

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

Site Builder is where my website is. And I really love it. So, while I can't use the images from there some place else, it suits me for now. The customization is amazing for free. I've got exactly what I need. I've done a lot of comparison. And some of the cheapest sites have poor customer service, some of the more high-end ones are too expensive, and I just can't stand WordPress. I know lots of people find it useful & simple. But I can't customize it the way that I want, not with the free version. So I've found what makes me comfortable. I need to be able to manage, maintain, and also not be frustrated w/the design. I can't be productive if I'm sitting for an hour trying to figure out how to get things to look the way I want them to. I don't like tons of time spent "troubleshooting". It's a serious drain on my energy.

I got only 40 hours in a week and it was really hard for me to maintain a plethora of clients, what i do is just focus on the big ones and excuse the others.

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.

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 and welcome! So looking forward to getting to know you and seeing your business grow in the future. Enjoy the archives and if you have any questions, just ask

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.

I am thinking about switching to Wave and am currently using Quickbooks. Any thoughts on which one is better?

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!