Questions about becoming a VA

I have received an email like this one countless times but not with quite so many questions. I thought maybe this was a good one to use for a post on my blog for those who are interested in reading more about what a Virtual Assistant does and how they became a Virtual Assistant.

Here are the questions from that particular email and my answers. These are only a few of the questions I have received over the years so if you have more questions, feel free to comment on this post and I will reply with another post on this subject if there is enough interest.

How hard was it to get started? That depends what you mean by that. If you have the equipment (computer, printer, office equipment, software, etc.) and the education/certifications/degrees or knowledge to offer the services you want to provide, then the next part is advertising, networking and marketing. However, if you feel you do not have enough of the right education or training, there are many Virtual Assistant training programs online that are affordable. I didn’t take any classes to get started however I worked as a legal secretary/legal assistant for nearly 15 years before I began working as a Virtual Assistant. As far as some of the other services I offer, I picked up some online classes here and there for graphics and web design. There is so much online support for Virtual Assistants through the many groups and websites that if you have what it takes and are persistent, you will succeed as a Virtual Assistant.

What kind of services do you provide? Some of the services I offer are listed below:

	Custom Letters and Certificates
	Correspondence
	Desktop Publishing
	Internet Research
	Administrative Services
	Resume Services
	Web Design/Maintenance

How much time do you spend working on a daily basis? Weekly? Right now I am working approximately 6 or 7 hours per day unless I have to put in more time to meet deadlines. I spend one day per week doing (unbillable time) bookkeeping, filing and just catching up with my own work but the rest of the week is devoted to client work (billable time). I try to work when my children are in school and make time for them when they are home. However, that doesn’t always work out the way I want but I try to always make time for them.

How many clients do you take on at one time? The amount of clients I have at one time is something that goes in spurts, so to speak. I have never had to look for someone to help me yet however I try to have a backup system should I get really busy to where I need help to meet deadlines.

How much do you charge? My rates really just depend upon the service I am providing. It depends if it is a job charged out by the hour or by the project. Web design is also charged by the different services the client needs for their website. I charge a flat fee for custom letters and certificates.

How do you go about advertising? The first thing to remember is to carry a business card with you everywhere you go and don’t forget to give them away too. Always use your signature for email and message forums as a way to bring clients to you too. You can advertise a little or a lot, depending upon your budget. I did a lot of free online advertising wherever I could. Network, network, network. Word of mouth is another thing that is great (sometimes it’s who you know). Joining local groups like the Chamber of Commerce or BNI or groups like that can be a big help in getting your name out there as well. I have also added my name to the yellow pages, as my budget allowed. Testimonials on your website are one more thing to consider too.

Can you give me an estimate on how much you made your first month? Year? This is a tough question as I began working over 6 years ago and only part time. I had small children at home and had to work around family schedules which wasn’t so easy back then. I was very fortunate that to be able to do that as my husband was making a good income at the time.

How do you do your taxes? We have used Turbo Tax online for the past several years for our taxes. Because I work from home, my income and my husband’s income are all figured together and it balances out most years for me so I haven’t paid quarterly taxes yet but if the income should increase for me, there is always the option to pay quarterly taxes so that you don’t have to pay them all at once at the end of the year.

Is it hard work? I don’t think of it like that. I like what I do or I wouldn’t choose to be a Virtual Assistant. The hardest part for me was when my children were too young to go to school yet and I had to juggle family time and work time.

Do you stress out a lot or not at all? The only stress I remember was trying to get the time to work when my children were smaller and wanted my attention too. Now that they are older and can understand why Mommy has to work, things have balanced out better for me. I have so much family support that I can enjoy what I do and I do love my job!

Do you have time to spend with family or to travel? Yes, I always plan time for my family. They are my reason for working from home and scheduling my own hours so that I can work around school hours and be there for them.

If anyone has any other questions about becoming a Virtual Assistant, leave a comment for me and I would be more than happy to post again on this subject.

Also, please feel free to visit my website at Amy’s Office.

Wishing all the up and coming VA’s lots of success!

Amy

What kind of digital camera do you use?

I need to upgrade to a better digital camera and need some suggestions and/or opinions on different digital cameras. I would be using it for business as well as family/personal use. My husband is a weather buff too so he would like one that takes good clear images. He has his own weather station and spends a lot of time on it. I also would use it for children’s programs, recitals, concerts, etc. I hope to get a new camcorder one of these days too but first I need a good digital camera. Any suggestions or recommendations?

And the winner is….

Celebrate Around the World…

Virtual Assistant High Heels Day!

July 9th, 2008

We will celebrate this special day every July 9th forthwith with all proceeds going to March of Dimes.

If you would like to show your support in a monetary fashion, please also visit the March of Dimes website and submit your donation in “Honor of Virtual Assistant High Heels Day”.

There was a draw on Monday, July 14th for whoever entered by sending us their picture. Winner will receive a copy of Michelle Jamison’s ebook on CD entitled The Virtual Assistant’s Guide to the Multi-VA Business. Thanks for this donation by Michelle who is a special friend to us here at VAnetworking.com and is also celebrating 10 years in business and as such wants you to share in the celebrations.

Winner is Amy Goble of Amy’s Office…
Amy L. Goble of Amy’s Office

To learn more about Virtual Assistant High Heels Day, visit Virtual Assistant Networking’s High Heels Day website.

Virtual Assistant High Heels Day

Celebrate Around the World…

Virtual Assistant High Heels Day!

July 9th, 2008

• Are you a Virtual Assistant (VA) who works from home and misses the high heeled corporate days?

• Want to rally together and show the world that Virtual Assistants are here to stay and ready to take over the corporate world?

• Do you wish to support a really good cause that benefits the kids?

Join in on the fun today as Virtual Assistants from around the world celebrate… Virtual Assistant High Heels Day!

To learn more about Virtual Assistant High Heels Day, visit Virtual Assistant Networking’s High Heels Day website.

Business is good…

I have been super busy with business in the past couple of months. I have been working on the Glendive Chamber of Commerce website as well as a few others. Just last week, I landed four new clients, mostly web design/maintenance and a resume client too. So all of a sudden, I am busier than ever but what a great feeling that is too. And the best part is all the support I have received from my family (and friends). The only difficult moments are when my two youngest children decide that they want to go with me so I am finding that it seems to work better to have the clients come to my office rather than me going to their office, if at all possible. My husband will make sure that the house is clean and the conference room (my dining room) is ready for my meetings. My children will go downstairs or to the library before the client arrives so it has been really great. And when I am busy with deadlines, my husband will even do cooking and bring my lunch to me in my office if I don’t have time to eat before another meeting. A friend of mine has taken the kids with her on occasion too, just to allow me the time needed to meet with my client without distraction. It’s so great to be able to count on family and friends when things get hectic or chaotic at times. I didn’t always have that much family support but as the years have gone by, I have gotten more respect for what I do and more family support and I am so grateful for that.

Administrative Professionals’ Day

This week is Administrative Professionals’ Week and Wednesday, today, is the day to recognize the Administrative Professional who is so dedicated to your business needs.

Administrative Professionals Day formerly known as Secretary’s Day is an unofficial secular holiday observed on the Wednesday of the last full week of April (i.e. April 26, 2006; April 25, 2007; April 23, 2008), to recognize the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals.

National Secretaries Week was created in 1952 through the work of Harry F. Klemfuss of Young & Rubicam, in conjunction with the National Secretaries Association, now known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). His goal was to encourage more people to consider careers in the secretarial/administrative support field. Using his skill and experience in public relations, Klemfuss promoted the values and importance of the job of administrative assistants. In doing so, he also created the holiday in recognition of the importance of administrative assistants.

The official period of appreciation/”celebration” was first proclaimed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer as “National Secretaries Week,” which was held June 1-7 in 1952, with Wednesday, June 4, 1952 designated National Secretaries Day. The first Secretaries’ Day was held in that year by the National Secretaries Association (now the IAAP), with the support of an association of corporate groups.

In 1955, the observance date of National Secretaries Week was moved to the last full week of April. The name was changed to Professional Secretaries Week in 1981, and became Administrative Professionals Week in 2000 to encompass the expanding responsibilities and wide-ranging job titles of administrative support staff.

Over the years, Administrative Professionals Week has become one of the largest workplace observances. The event is “celebrated” worldwide, bringing together millions of people for community events, social gatherings, and individual corporate activities recognizing support staff with gifts of appreciation. In the United States, the day is often “celebrated” by giving one’s assistant flowers, candy, small gifts, lunch at a restaurant, and time off.

The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), the sole official sponsor of Administrative Professionals Week and Administrative Professionals Day, suggests that employers show their support for the holiday, and their staff, by providing training opportunities for their administrative staff, whether through continuing education, self-study materials, or seminars.

Administrative Professionals Day is a registered trademark with registration number 2,475,334 (serial number 75/898930). The registrant is the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Professionals’_Day

For more information on Administrative Professionals’ Week, visit http://www.iaap-hq.org/APW/apwindex.htm.

Don’t forget to honor that special Administrative Professional with flowers, a gift, lunch or maybe even the afternoon off!

Illness/Death/Family Emergencies

My apologies for not having kept up with my blog. My mother-in-law became ill and was in the hospital for a couple of weeks before she passed away. She was 83 years old and had lived a good and long life but she was also a smoker which made it that much more difficult for her lungs to handle the illness. My husband also came home sick from work one night. It turned out to be a nasty case of influenza. We have all taken a turn with influenza in our household. So with the time needed for personal reasons, I have been very busy trying to get caught up on things. I hope to take my own advice though and work through time management issues so that things don’t fall too far behind when things like this happen. These are things you always need to be somewhat prepared for, however, death and illness are always unexpected, no matter how prepared you may think you are. I guess that’s why the backup plan is always something to have worked out in case of emergencies such as these. Normally when I am super busy, my backup plan is to delegate work to my family and in this case, that was not even a possibility. I know that I am not the first Virtual Assistant to have this kind of thing sneak up on them when they are unprepared so this is a good reminder for those of us who haven’t already got a backup plan in place. I was fortunate this time in that I did not have any immediate deadlines however it still puts a person behind when you lose 10 days of work time.

Organization is Key

I have worked very hard to stay organized. The toughest part for me is to keep my family out of my office and to leave my office supplies in my office. I found a really great article for WAHMs for getting organized and hopefully staying organized.

Organization tips for WAHMs

Work At Home Mom Tips For Getting Organized

Do you have piles of papers on your desk? Is there a stack of receipts shoved in your drawer? Do you ever find yourself looking for a phone number that you just know you wrote down somewhere? If you are suffering from a lack of organization, here are some suggestions on how to tackle it.

It is no secret that having a disorganized work area is counter productive. By getting organized – and staying organized, you will be able to get more work done in less time.

If you are computer-friendly, you may be familiar with the program Outlook. You can use Outlook to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client phone numbers and email addresses and more. You can even synchronize your MP3 player to Outlook and keep all of your info with you wherever you go!

For those that are not as technology advanced, you can still get organized by using old-fashioned paper products. If you do not have a planner, get one! There are many kinds of planners to choose from, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a client database to keep track of phone numbers, emails and other information. You can do this by getting some 4″ x 6″ index cards and a recipe box.

April 15 is a day that many Americans dread – it is the due date for your taxes! An easy way to keep track of recipes is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done.

By taking some time each day to “take care of the little things” you will stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!

I use my planner and technology both but I wouldn’t be without my planner and my laptop computer. I find it works well to look at my planner the night before and again the next morning to know what my day looks like and to make sure nothing is overlooked. Best of luck getting and staying organized!

Amy

Congressional Award of Merit

I was all excited thinking that I had won an award but it turned out to be a scam. A scam from Congress, no less.I got a message awhile back from a staffer of Congressman Tom Cole. This was not the first call I have received about this same topic of discussion. Apparently, they wanted to present me with an award called the Congressional Order of Merit for being a small business owner. I did return the call and got a recording of sorts. I was not impressed. They went so far as to offer me a dinner with the President as well as being on their business advisory council for the NRCC. For a “donation” of a few hundred dollars, you get this “award”. They pushed for my answer but I told them I would have to think about it and call them back at another time.

I knew that Tom Cole was not in my state’s congressional delegation and something just didn’t feel right. So I googled Tom Cole and from the first page of results, it was apparent that he was a real congressman, from Oklahoma. But why would a congressman from Oklahoma want to present something to someone in Montana, especially someone who had just recently moved here from North Dakota?

To contact your state congressional delegation, click the links below.
–Contact your Represenative
–Contact your Senator

The unfortunate thing is that the do not call registry does apply to politicians.

Time Management

From what you can see by my blog, time management is lacking. I haven’t written many posts here and it is only due to my inability to manage time well with a busy family and a busy schedule too. Time management sure is a tricky thing at times when you have younger children. My children age from 19 all the way down to 4. I have 3 children still at home. Eric is 15, Charlie is 7 and Sydney is nearly 5. The boys are in school now but Sydney is only in school 3 afternoons a week at this point. And even teenagers at age 15 can make your schedule difficult at times. I read a really great article on time management and thought I would share…

WAHM Time Management

Manage your time working from home

Many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it isn’t so simple. There are children to take care of, a house to clean, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook and dishes to wash. Oh, and then there’s that business to work!

It may not be easy, but it isn’t impossible, either. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to “get it all done!” One thing every WAHM should have is a planner. Schedule your family time first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It is very easy to procrastinate when you are a WAHM.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you, designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered.

You might also consider outsourcing some of your activities. If you find that you are spending too much time on responding to email, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market”. And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few “cook once, eat twice” days. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make two and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break- WAHMs included!

I wish I could afford to hire a Virtual Assistant however that is my job title and so I will continue to use the planner and delegate duties to family members and stay organized and pray that all goes well every day!

amy