What’s keeping me busy…

Now that I’m 6months pregnant with our 3rd child, I’m trying to lay low and be as domesticated as possible. I’m having a difficult time recently and the husband says I should just rest and contemplate on things. I’ve started to finish all my contracts as VA but since I just started my coaching campaign, I can’t just leave the internet and stay offline. Its better to have one business going left so I’d funds coming in. I just wish I’d have more coaching sessions so it keeps me afloat. 

Things in my personal life have also been (I can say) getting better. Torn and burnt relationships may be coming to a good close just before the year ends. Only sad thing i, that the hubby has decided to once again try his luck with his application for a post in Papua New Guinea (where his uncle is based). I’m not sure if I’m ready for that. I say yes just to let him feel everything’s okay, but I have my apprehensions. 

Anyway, that’s what I have been up to. Not much but still  

Skype changes

I’m frankly quite disappointed of the changes on Skype. I’ve been using Skype ever since I started my  VA business and have relied a majority of my phone calls on it. But now as I tried to renew a subscription, there has been changes like I would have to pay for my own number even if I already have a subscription, which by the way, have increased prices. 

I wish they’d bring back what they used to charge and the policies that came with it. It was much better then. I was actually hoping that they will bring better services to their subscribers but at the rate they’re going, I might as well get myself a MagicJack.

Business babysitters

 I encountered this term while surfing the internet. And it really struck me since this is what being a VA is all about. Its not just about assisting the company owner and their clients, but actually taking care of the whole business for them so they are worry-free.

Like when they want to go on a vacation or have an important meeting, someone just has to be there to take care of their existing business/customers. What usually works for these clients is answering phones, handling emails, and taking care of their customers, whatever their inquiry or what assistance they might need for the day. Bigger clients usually get permanent or regular VA services as business babysitters as their business grows. Some even delegate important stuff to their VAs as they grow more confident with each other.

How much do business babysitters usually charge? I would personally want a weekly retainer as this is more secure for me and for my clients. But if you have lesser tasks like answering emails, check the usual rate for this job in your industry. You might also want to check other VAs who do the same and what they charge. Normally, its based on experience and location. US based VAs charge higher than those from the Philippines or from India.

Promote your services as early as possible and as much as possible. This increases your chances of getting more clients and more business. Flyers usually don’t work when you’re offshore like me, so a website, a blog, an international ad usually does the trick.

Goodluck!

What is your support system?

As a virtual assistant who’s been practicing for more than 3 years now, there were many times when, people and even family, would ask me if I’m okay with what I’m doing and if I’m earning well. If you must know, even call center agents have a certain hype here in the Philippines. Most people would think that call center employees have nothing better to do or can’t get a REAL job. I tell you, I’ve been in that business for some time also and I consider that as a major turning point for me. I honed special skills that I’m using now for my business. I say business because I consider myself as an entrepreneur. I sell my services of being an assistant. And I totally believe that I am good at it. 

In previous posts, I’ve discussed the pros and cons of being a virtual assistant. One of the major cons would be the support system. Since most people don’t know about this industry, there’s a stigma that this is just some part time gig. I say not. This is as legit and stable as any business. What’s good about this business is you don’t need a big overhead capital since you’re using your own skills as the main entree. 

This is one business where you can find those who truly support you or those who never believed in you and your abilities. In the first few years, you might not be able to pick out the ones who really care from the ones who actually think you’re nuts for giving up a corporate office career, but you just might see who you should stick with when you finally have the chance to think about it, in say, 2-3 years! *wink*

Ways to free your time

You have heard a lot of people telling you on how to be productive, like speed up tasks, multi-task, disregard distractions or being efficient. Here’s my two cents worth on what works for me big time :

1.       One goal at a time

Many of you, like me, have a lot of goals at a time. We think of many things that we want to do and our numerous ambitions that we’d like to get accomplished. If you are like me, I’m the kind of person who thinks I lack time in doing all that I want to do. And now that I’m nearing the dreaded 3-0, I’d like to them all. BUT.. gurus say that we have to drop one of our goals or put them aside for later. We have to focus on one goal at a time so we can accomplish lots. I don’t know about you but I definitely agree on this.

2.       Do you really want COMMITMENT?

I’m not saying this because I don’t want to commit. I just don’t want to get myself tied up to something that I may not be interested in in a few weeks, months or years. I say this, drop a commitment if this is the case! Its better to drop it than be forced to do it and do it without passion.

3.       Trust and delegate

Yes, I know the feeling of being a perfectionist that you’re forgetting to delegate. In formal terms, this is autocratic leadership. But recently, I’ve learned that if you do not learn to trust, you’ll be sorry in the end. Delegate the ones that are time-consuming but can be done by an associate. Then you can spend your time in other important tasks.

4.       Just say NO

Many of us have this tendency in saying YES to everything, whether it be a commitment, a function, an event, a project or a task. What we don’t know is that these “little” things turn out to be tedious and require a lot of our time and energy. Also, if you keep saying YES, its more likely that you end up with less free time and less quality time for your family or for yourself.

5.       Be happy

You have to be happy before you can make yourself successful. Do things that make you happy and not forced activities. Do otherwise, and you’ll end up being stressed and drained without accomplishing much.

So, what can you do today to free up your time?

Another Casino Post

VA Business is not doing too good lately probably because of the economy, and yes, my recent blow-up (I’d rather not talk about this here) on the personal side, was anything but bad luck to my business. Due to this fact, I had so much time in my hands that I was able to take care of the kids more often and do some internet surfing for stuff that interest me. 

This is where the casinos come in. On my previous post, I wrote about how this particular “hobby” fascinates and intrigues me. So I went and researched more about it. 

By definition from Wikipedia :

The term “Casino” is of Italian origin, the root word being “Casa” (house) and originally meant a small country villa, summerhouse or pavilion. The word changed to refer to a building built for pleasure, usually on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo. Such buildings were used to host civic town functions - including dancing, music listening and gambling.

The precise origin of gambling is unknown. The Chinese recorded the first official account of the practice in 2300 B.C., but it is generally believed that activity of gambling, in some way or another, has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleon’s France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment based on the games of chance.^[4]

One of the first known casinos was the Casinò di Venezia, established in Venice Italy around 1638.^[5] and is still in operation.

So that’s the history of casinos eh? Told you it was fascinating. Who would ever have thought that people from our ancient history would think about gambling and casinos as part of their recreation. Come to think of it, gambling and taking risks have always been a part of what makes our lifestyle. Our businesses take risks, our personal lives take risks, and even our simplest choices are risks. 

I hope you enjoyed my post!

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Gambling : a part of my everday

For the longest time, I have been wanting to go to casinos. I had the chance to go to one a few years back and I enjoyed. Although most of the time, I was only a spectator I wasn’t sure if I had a good hand at gambling so it was always something that I put aside. 

Thinking about it, it made me realize that I do gamble everyday of my life. Whether it be on decisions concerning the household, work, children, relationships or just about anything.I have always gambled. Gambling was always a part of my life. I risked myself financially, emotionally, mentally and physically. 

Recently, I’ve seen those ads about online casinos and online gambling. And I am very much tempted to play. If only we had enough extra moolah to get me going on this new hobby, I would’ve been addicted to these online slot games. 

Maybe next time When I’m permitted financially (wink, wink)

online slot games

What you need to know to be a VA

Many have asked and now is the time to answer it all. 

This is just the first part, the basics of what will be discusses in my training class for freelancers and VAs. Read on…

First topic would be FINANCES. Money is always an important issue for all people, not just for freelancers. Many of you might be used to getting a regular paycheck weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. This time you have to get used to having days when you don’t have clients and no moolah is coming in. What do you do? Make sure that you have enough money in your bank account so that when you don’t have projects coming in, you still have enough to get by. 

Second is your WORKPLACE. If you would like to work at home (like many of us), consider the environment. Is your house quiet enough so you can focus? Do you have kids roaming around and throwing tantrums every now and then? If so, you need to find your own place where you can work. My suggestion is to rent a nearby place and share it with other freelancers. Split bills such as rent, electricity and other utilities. 

Third would be your RESUME/PORTFOLIO. Build your resume/portfolio like life would depend on it, because it actually will. Your resume/portfolio will either make or break you. The first few months/years/projects would probably be your building blocks. Make it good. Improve and learn during the process. Another great tip would be to not to lie in your resume. List only that things or companies that you have worked on or worked for. Don’t exaggerate. Be truthful. 

Fourth is HOLIDAYS. If you are from the Philippines like me, consider the holidays that your client has. If you work for them fulltime, make sure you set it straight the first time. Tell them and ask them what holidays you are willing to take.  BUT, having a good vacation is crucial to stress release. I personally would like to get a few extra days off to unwind, clear my mind, refresh and recharge. 

I hope these tips once again helped you. Take my class to get more of these. See yah!

Freelancing/VA business training class

One of my new clients has made me realize that I’m not utilizing everything that I know and am capable of. Due to the fact that I’m in a lucrative industry and that I’m preparing myself for other ventures in the near future, I am now planning to go back to training and tutoring. This time, I will prepare something that I can do online or in the office. 

For my readers who have been missing my posts and tips, this training class will definitely teach you how to do it right. Sign up now! Email me

Writing your cover letter

Its been a while since I last updated this blog. All because of a personal family matter wherein we had to move out and rent our own place. All for a good cause. I’ve also been busy with a family business that we opened just recently.

So what do I have for you today? As a virtual assistant, cover letters are but important. These are our make- or-break when it comes to our jobs.  Let me write, based on my experience, the things that would make your cover letter, stand out from the rest.

1. Spelling and Grammar

Imagine a prospective client reading your cover letter and seeing too many spelling and grammatical errors. Major fail! So don’t look stupid. Check and recheck. 

2.  Tone

Business tone is always best. It will send the message that you are a professional. Don’t use chat/text speak, and jargons that your prospective client might not know. 

 3. Make a checklist

Be sure that you cover all bases on that checklist. Here’s my short-but-sweet version on how my cover page/letter should be like :

- introduce yourself

- tell the client of what you can do; sell yourself

- ask questions

- provide samples of what you have done; links/URLs or design portfolios

- how efficient are you? how fast can you give good results?

- do you have the right equipment? if so, what are they? software and hardware

- closing statement ;  contact info

I hope these helped you think twice about sending that cover letter you’ve prepared. Again, check and recheck for errors. Keep your letter short but enough to say how it’s best to get you over the other VA applicants. Goodluck!

Manila Assistants

After years of being a virtual assistant, I finally ventured into the business of outsourcing. Manila Assistants is another brainchild. Its still in the startup process but years in the business has made me welln experienced and with a good know-how of the industry. I am partnering with a relative and we’ve set up atmall center right in the midst of the Metro. 

Please visit our site : http://manilaassistants.com

We cater to almost all your needs. We would also like to bring in local clients to widen our expertise. We offer virtual assistance, secretarial services, accounting and bookkeeping, web programming, search engine optmization, content and article writng, marketing, designing and more!

Email us at : info@manilaassistants.com

Manila Assistants - for all your AFFORDABLE outsourcing needs!

We take care of your business for you!

How Twitter helped my business

I’m not a tech geek but I know my way around the Internet. After a few days of tinkering with Twitter, I finally found a possible solution on how I can market my virtual assistant services. So how can you Earn Money from your Tweets?

1. Make an account on Twitter

2. You can opt to join Tweetlater for easier posting

3. Look for Twitter directories and add people targeted to your niche.

4. Post, post, post!

Try these ideas and see if it would work and help your business.

Benefits in getting a Virtual Assistant

I wanted to share today the benefits for clients in getting a virtual assistant. So why exactly would you have to hire one? Let me enumerate the top reasons :

• Pay only for the time used for your business
  
• No overhead costs like physical office, computers, equipments, office supplies, etc.
• You do not pay for vacations, time-off, sick leaves, maternity leaves, health benefits, coffee breaks, government taxes and mandated benefits.

 So getting a virtual assistant would definitely help you and your business. Hire now!

More advantages

I’ve been contemplating on my business for the past few weeks. Thinking as to why I decided this was the best job I ever accepted. And here’s some reasons why :

1. I don’t travel from home to work, therefore saving time and money.  
2. I don’t spend on office uniform or business clothes
3. No traffic!
4. I get to spend more time with my family
5. Laid-back feel in my home-office setup, therefore, less stress
6. No politics
7. Flexible working hours (maybe or maybe not)

Just a few of what I consider as my perks on this job.  

Now Accepting Paypal Payments

The best way to pay. 

International.

Secure.

Hassle-free.

My Virtual Office

As I have mentioned on previous posts, I have been in this industry for quite some time now, and as preparation, I’ve made a substantial investment for my virtual office. I’m always on the lookout for new programs and constantly upgrades or change my setup. 

• Desktop -  Pentium 4, 120GB HD, 1.5GB RAM, Windows XP Pro SP3, Combo Drive
• Laptop - HP Compaq Presario V3000, Intel Core Duo, 80GB HD, 1GB RAM, Windows XP Home
• Notebook - MSI Wind Edition U100 LXP8 Intel Atom N280, 1.66ghz, 2gb RAM, 250gb HDD, Windows XP Home
• Wireless (WiFi) Network - Apple iPhone3G 16gb
• Printer - EPSON 3-in-1 printer, scanner, photocopier
• Microsoft Office 2007
• Quickbooks Plus 2007
• AVG Pro Antivirus; Spybot Search and Destroy
• Dropbox
• GoToMeeting
• FireFTP
• Messenger/VOIP - Yahoo, MSN, Skype (voicemail and forwarding available)
• Internet Connection - DSL 1mbps; Backup - Globe Wireless Internet

Always check on this list for updates.

Virtual Services : For Hire

Since I have been in this business for quite a long time now, I would like to start marketing what I have to offer :

I have set up a team of virtual assistants who’s working with me on projects. The team comprises of content writers, personal assistants, web designers, bookkeepers, web developers, project managers, etc.

Low, low fees! As low as $4-5/hour!!!

Send me an email for an RFP on your project! =)

More on this post SOON!

Going local

I have been thinking of a really nice start-up business for this virtual assistance thing. I have high hopes and am very optimistic on the ideas I have. I wish I could find some time to have it on paper and finally launch it. Interested? Email me. 

What to Never Forget

As the title goes.. let’s never forget these things when being a virtual assistant : 

My being a virtual assistant has taught me a lot of things especially about discovering things about myself. People often mistake this job as a regular employee-in-an-office sorta’ work. Well, let me tell you this.. it is not.  Always consider this as a business. As YOUR business. Here’s how it works : You get clients who you assist in certain aspects and they pay you for your services, which is your business. The business of providing services to clients. You may have to work for just 1 or 2 clients at a time, depending on their requirement and your agreement with them. 

Now that you consider this as your business, it would be easier for you to work on a professional level, not whine about little things like payment (well, this is big LOL) and schedule. Let’s discuss schedule. Normally, if you want to work for US companies, you HAVE to work with their schedule. Which is mostly night time for us. So what do you do? Test the waters. See if you are able to work nights and sleep in the morning. Let everyone in your household know your current work time and tell them what hours they can and can’t disturb you. If at all possible, don’t go back to your normal hours during the weekend, as it would definitely affect your weekdays or at least your Monday. What you can do, if this is not possible, you can take a really long nap on the afternoon of Monday, just so you can go back to your usual supposed body clock. 

 Another important thing… Clean your desk. Don’t think that because you work at home, you can do whatever. A clean desk would definitely make a difference when it comes to working. You would feel better, therefore, work better. So get up and clear that work station.

Let’s have these things work out for you first.. then we’ll go to the more gory details like payment.. next time See yah! and Goodluck. 

Recent Happenings

These times are not very good for me as a virtual assistant. I mean, I still have a job, but a lesser paying one and something that pays only once a month. As compared to the previous job, which gave me thrice the money that I’m earning now plus it paid me weekly. I could say that recession and global crisis has indeed affected me and most of those like me. So here may be some tips that would work for you and me , to recession-proof our jobs and our lives: 

 1.) Think of it as your business. Make sure you earn profit on top of the capital you’ve invested like your computer, electricity, taxes, health benefits (if applicable), internet connection fees, labor (of course!), and other miscellaneous stuff (scanner, printer, software, etc)

2.) Sell yourself. Sell your business. Be visible to the industry. Make sure your target market see your works and how efficient you are. Make a website about it if you must.

3.) Broaden your horizon. Be open to ideas and new jobs. It’s never too late to learn something new so don’t limit yourself to what you just know. 

4.) Study new things. Whether you enrol in a class or just do trainings and webinars over the internet, get your skills up to date and increase your valuability. 

5.) All it takes is attitude. Some virtual assistants never make it far if they are or have become whiners. Lets all be professional and show our “boss” what he’d miss if he won’t get our services. 

6.) Increase your friends list. You’ll never know when you’d meet the one who would give you the best job you’ve ever had. Do social networkig, or just about anything to make more friends. 

 7.) Make your resume look good. Just like how you would like to see yourself during interviews. Make it professional and full of pertinent details. Don’t put unnecessary stuff that your probably employers would see as desperate or not up to par. 

These are just some few tips I would like to share for those who are interested to enter this kind of job or maintain it.