Revolutionary Spotlight — Angela Smith
Owner: Angela Smith
1. How long have you been in business?
I officially launched my business in August 2006, but I landed my first client several months before that.
2. Why did you start your business?
I established my virtual assistance practice in order to combine my diverse interests and experience into a single tailor-made career. You can’t do that in the corporate world!
3. What types of businesses do you service?
I work with a lot of other virtual assistants on a subcontracting basis, and in working with their clients, I get to work with just about every type of business under the sun. The variety certainly keeps things interesting.
4. What is your niche?
My niche is proofreading and editing, but I offer a variety of administrative services as well. I really enjoy learning new skills and polishing the ones I haven’t used in a while.
5. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned since opening your virtual doors?
Here’s the most important lesson I’ve learned so far: It’s great to get advice from others, but ultimately, you have to go with your gut instinct when making decisions. Only you know what is truly best for your business and your life. Even if you don’t get it right the first time, you’ll continue to learn from your mistakes.
6. What resources can you not live without?
I couldn’t live without my two favorite VA forums: the VA Revolution and VANA. Both groups have provided me with the camaraderie and support that many solo entrepreneurs yearn for.
7. What’s the best part about being a VA?
The best part about being a VA is having the ability to work from home, of course! I enjoy running my own business and having the opportunity to mold my own future. Plus, I love being involved with a huge network of virtual assistants from all over the world!
8. What’s the greatest thing you’ve done for your business?
Joining the Revolution was one of the best things I’ve done for my business–and no, Becki and Heather didn’t pay me to say that! I know I wouldn’t think nearly as BIG if I hadn’t joined the Revolution.
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I look forward to developing a business that isn’t totally dependent on the number of billable hours I have available. We all have only 24 hours in a day, but I’m always looking for innovative ways to serve higher numbers of clients with less time.
10. What is the biggest obstacle you face in your business? How did you overcome it?
Client work always takes top priority, which makes it difficult to find the time to develop all of my new business ideas! I’m not sure there is a way to completely overcome the time restraints that each of us deals with. It’s just a matter of finding the time to work on my business.
11. In your opinion, what’s the best feature of the Revolution?
Revolution members are very serious about their businesses, and the motivation really rubs off. When we put our heads together, we can be downright dangerous!
Angela Smith is the owner of Accu-Assist and author of Online Networking for the Newbie. Angela specializes in proofreading and editing e-books, newsletters, articles, and Web content. She also provides a variety of general administrative services to small business owners and self-employed professionals.
Browsing the Web — The Open Source Way
How are you surfing the web?
My guess is about half of you reading this are using Internet Explorer to browse websites. While this is ok, you might actually have a better experience with Firefox. Not only can you have a better experience, you can also be more productive. The following is a list of extensions I use to help me be more productive when surfing on the web. Don’t get me wrong, I still get lost reading too many sites. If you have any self-discipline tips for that, let me know 
Built-in
Before I get to the extensions I use, let me highlight some of the wonderful built-in features of Firefox. If you have never used Tabs when browsing, you are truly missing out. Once you tab, you’ll never go back! There are a couple of different ways to open a link in a new tab. First, you can right-click on any link and select Open Link in New Tab. My favorite way is to hold the Control (CTRL) key down and click on a link. This will open it in a new tab and allow you to keep your place on the page you were browsing.
Firefox gives you full control over your RSS Feeds (those orange feed icons that allow you to read all your favorite blogs in one place). You can subscribe to feeds using Firefox’s built-in Live Bookmarks or you can add the feed to another feed reader you use.
Extensions
Because Firefox is open source, there are a ton of ways you can extend it — personalize it for you and how you work.
- Do you do a lot of research on the web? You have to check out ScrapBook. ScrapBook allows you to capture whole web pages, little snippets of information, or an entire website. It allows you to add notes to what you capture and to organize it in folders for different research projects. When I say capture — it actually downloads the web page (images and all) to your computer. When you look in your ScrapBook, you are viewing the page as stored on your hard drive. It stores the information for the original site if you need to go back and see any updates.
- Do you blog? Do you blog at more than one blog? Then you need ScribeFire. In ScribeFire you store your account information for various blogs (or possibly your clients’ blogs!). While you are browsing, you might come across something you want to reference, link to or quote. You can open ScribeFire from within Firefox (it’ll appear at the bottom of your screen). You can still browse while you are filling in your title and content. When you are finished, be sure you have the right blog selected that you want to publish to — then click Publish! You can also assign categories here, save drafts or just make notes.
- Do you find yourself getting into the more technical aspects of design or development for your clients web pages? Then you need to have the Web Developer’s Toolbar. Maybe you need to know approximately how big a graphic is on the screen. You can show the ruler from the Toolbar and change the size to measure anything on the screen. Maybe you are checking for missing images? If you select the Broken Images option, it will give you a list of the images that are missing. There are many, many tools on the Toolbar so go check it out!
- Have you ever need a picture of a web page? Download Screengrab! You can grab an entire web page (even the parts you’d have to scroll to see) or just the part you can see in your window. You can include your browser window or not — it’s up to you. When you grab a web page, you will save the picture as a graphic file. This is great for showing a portfolio of projects you’ve worked on or simply to show someone how to do something.
This is just the start for Firefox extensions. Take a look around the Firefox website and find out what other cool things you can do with Firefox.
Happy Browsing!
Lisa B.
Open Source Maven
How to Leverage your Corporate Blogging Strategy
By Chris Baggott
I came to blogging in 2003 the way most marketers did. I was looking for something to build my personal credibility as an expert in my industry. I wanted to get speaking engagements at conferences, be a voice for best practices in my industry, and if I was lucky, get invited to write a book.
By 2006, all of those things had come true. I was presenting at nearly 50 events a year and was invited by the Wiley publishing company to write a book, “E-mail Marketing By the Numbers.”
The blog was very helpful to me personally, and the industry visibility clearly drove more opportunities to my company. But along the way, I found a benefit to corporate blogging that was unanticipated and much more powerful.
The blog ranked well in organic search. Not only did it rank in the top of search results for select keywords, it also converted at a higher rate than the ads my organization was paying for.
The reality of blogging is this: The more you do it, the more opportunities you have to engage in dialog. This is the epiphany that led me to study blogging as a measurable marketing tool.
Generally, as organizations come to realize the SEO benefits of blogging, blogs will move from a C level activity to something that is widely encouraged among all employees.
This influx of human generated content will help with search optimization by creating increasing volumes of fresh, updated and keyword-rich content. Widespread employee blogging also helps increase conversion. If the social networking phenomenon has taught us anything, it’s that people want to deal with people a lot more than they want to deal with institutions. Of course empowering employees to blog has an element of risk that will need to be controlled, and that might ruffle some feathers of more traditional bloggers.
In the short history of blogging there has been almost a snobbery of what the right way to blog is.
What’s right for citizen journalism, however, is rarely right for organizations. The real challenge will be whether corporations can take a tool like blogging and adopt what’s right and good about it (as well as unbelievably effective) without corrupting it into just another spamming tool.
Chris Baggott is an award-winning blogger and the co-founder of Compendium Blogware, an Indianapolis-based company that helps organizations improve their SEO through its simplified blogging software. He can be reached at chris@compendiumblogware.com.
Analyzing Your Website Traffic
Analyzing your web traffic statistics can be an invaluable tool for a number of different reasons. But before you can make full use of this tool, you need to understand how to interpret the data.
Most web hosting companies will provide you with basic web traffic information that you then have to interpret and make pertinent use of. However, the data you receive from your host company can be overwhelming if you don’t understand how to apply it to your particular business and website. Let’s start by examining the most basic data – the average visitors to your site on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
These figures are the most accurate measure of your website’s activity. It would appear on the surface that the more traffic you see recorded, the better you can assume your website is doing, but this is an inaccurate perception. You must also look at the behavior of your visitors once they come to your website to accurately gauge the effectiveness of your site.
There is often a great misconception about what is commonly known as “hits” and what is really effective, quality traffic to your site. Hits simply mean the number of information requests received by the server. If you think about the fact that a hit can simply equate to the number of graphics per page, you will get an idea of how overblown the concept of hits can be. For example, if your homepage has 15 graphics on it, the server records this as 15 hits, when in reality we are talking about a single visitor checking out a single page on your site. As you can see, hits are not useful in analyzing your website traffic.
The more visitors that come to your website, the more accurate your interpretation will become. The greater the traffic is to your website, the more precise your analysis will be of overall trends in visitor behavior. The smaller the number of visitors, the more a few anomalous visitors can distort the analysis.
The aim is to use the web traffic statistics to figure out how well or how poorly your site is working for your visitors. One way to determine this is to find out how long on average your visitors spend on your site. If the time spent is relatively brief, it usually indicates an underlying problem. Then the challenge is to figure out what that problem is.
It could be that your keywords are directing the wrong type of visitors to your website, or that your graphics are confusing or intimidating, causing the visitor to exit rapidly. Use the knowledge of how much time visitors are spending on your site to pinpoint specific problems, and after you fix those problems, continue to use time spent as a gauge of how effective your fix has been.
Additionally, web traffic stats can help you determine effective and ineffective areas of your website. If you have a page that you believe is important, but visitors are exiting it rapidly, that page needs attention. You could, for example, consider improving the link to this page by making the link more noticeable and enticing, or you could improve the look of the page or the ease that your visitors can access the necessary information on that page.
If, on the other hand, you notice that visitors are spending a lot of time on pages that you think are less important, you might consider moving some of your sales copy and marketing focus to that particular page.
As you can see, these statistics will reveal vital information about the effectiveness of individual pages, and visitor habits and motivation. This is essential information to any successful Internet marketing campaign.
Your website undoubtedly has exit pages, such as a final order or contact form. This is a page you can expect your visitor to exit rapidly. However, not every visitor to your site is going to find exactly what he or she is looking for, so statistics may show you a number of different exit pages. This is normal unless you notice a exit trend on a particular page that is not intended as an exit page. In the case that a significant percentage of visitors are exiting your website on a page not designed for that purpose, you must closely examine that particular page to discern what the problem is. Once you pinpoint potential weaknesses on that page, minor modifications in content or graphic may have a significant impact on the keeping visitors moving through your site instead of exiting at the wrong page.
After you have analyzed your visitor statistics, it’s time to turn to your keywords and phrases. Notice if particular keywords are directing a specific type of visitor to your site. The more targeted the visitor - meaning that they find what they are looking for on your site, and even better, fill out your contact form or make a purchase – the more valuable that keyword is.
However, if you find a large number of visitors are being directed - or should I say misdirected - to your site by a particular keyword or phrase, that keyword demands adjustment. Keywords are vital to bringing quality visitors to your site who are ready to do business with you. Close analysis of the keywords your visitors are using to find your site will give you a vital understanding of your visitor’s needs and motivations.
Finally, if you notice that users are finding your website by typing in your company name, break open the champagne! It means you have achieved a significant level of brand recognition, and this is a sure sign of burgeoning success.
Becki Noles
Virtual Assistant Revolution - Co-Founder
Virtual Accuracy Companies
Virtual Assistant Training
Things are not always as they seem
It’s happened again!
In the past week or so I’ve received two, separate, “forwarded”, “forwarded” (ad infinitum) emails from people “I think” I know—and if I’d look close enough I’d probably find a recognizable name or two; one email alluded to a “killer virus” poised to attack, the other to a “dying child”, complete with picture!
You know the kind; the ones that can cause all kinds of anguish and distress to the head or the heart—and for very different reasons.
The email that discussed the “virus of all viruses” apparently has the potential to latch onto your email and that of all your friends and colleagues and kin, too, before it might burn out your hard drive. If you make the wrong move and click on the link to open an attachment! Or it may even poof in your face. Strangely enough, this email included documentation that the ever-looming virus had been verified at snopes.com.
Of course the email about the dying child included a picture of the cutest, sweetest little girl, and, disturbingly to me, asked the “passers on” to add their name and town to the bottom of the email and then forward it to “everyone on your email list”.
Because, whoever originated the email wanted to see from how far around the world the email could go. It worked, too, since the email I received had people and locations listed in places like Africa, Australia, lots of the states in the United States, and Canada, too. In fact, the locations were too numerous and the pages of the email were too many to read through.
There also seemed to be a more “”sinister” reason—m-o-n-e-y, although I was not being solicited directly for my own funds.
The “buck stopped with me”
Since both of these email missives had somewhat of a false ring to and about them from what I’d read in recent years, I chose to delete them both without any other action. Except, to tell the person who sent them to me, who then felt bad!
I did, however, take a “little trip” afterward over to Google, my favorite search engine! There, I learned that the specific virus “flavor of the day” warning was, in fact, false at that, and would not cause all, any or even a tiny smidgeon of the havoc mentioned in the email.
Nada! Zip!
And, the email about the little seven year old girl who was dying of cancer and a brain tumor was also a hoax. The sad, sad, sad thing about this hoax was that the narrative in the “chain letter” used a very popular charity/foundation as the benevolent “contributor of money every time the email was forwarded”. No wonder recipients were so many and all over the place.
In fact, if one were to check that Web site, you’d see a list of names of other “ill” children that have also been used in this fashion.
So what?
Well, this!
It’s easy to get caught up in such hype, and there’s rarely anything that plays on one’s alarm ringers and sympathy and empathy more than “doom and gloom” for what could or would happen.
It’s also unfortunate there are those in the big realm of the Internet who, for whatever reason, think it necessary or important to abuse the good will of others.
Thus, as watchful keepers of our Internet business, it’s imperative for us all to remain vigilant and mindful of the things that come our way—whether it’s via our email Inbox or some other means. Actually, it’s no secret some of the “invaders” could also reach us by such things as a download from a favorite Web site. Or, perhaps because we register for something at a Web site.
If it’s too–this …
Then I want to continue to be astute enough to be alert, and to recognize when something just doesn’t seem right if it’s made it to my Inbox or anywhere near my computer. For, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…it probably is something that requires us to take a few extra measures.
Because I’ve found, by its very nature, that an Internet business can be vulnerable it’s imperative to continue to remain vigilant.
And just for the record, like Scarlett, I’ll save any talk about the abundance of “email solicitations” from a specific country that ask me to use my bank account for what may be “unseemly“ activity–and the “toll free” calls from the “breathers”, for another day!
Virtual Assistants - Nice When Someone “Gets It”
I shared this post on my blog and wanted to share it here too:
As a virtual assistant I spend so much time trying to explain to others the value in working with a Virtual Assistant. I recently read a blog that explained the values really well and wanted to share it with you.
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Allena Tapia of freelancewrite.about.com.
My writing business is moving into young adulthood, and instead of wondering where my next project is going to come from, I’m looking for more money, more projects and more clients. The only catch is, I don’t want to work any more hours.
Ahh, there’s the rub.
The “secret” here is not so secret at all. Of the 28 hours I spend behind the desk, only approximately 14 are billable hours. That’s a dismal 50% billable rate. I simply must increase my billable hours to 75% of my total time, which will increase my income by 25%, with no time adjustment on my part. How?
By hiring and training a virtual assistant.
Fully one half of my hours are spent on administrative tasks like seeking clients, pitching clients, producing Letters of Agreement or contracts, maintaining websites and blogs, invoicing, answering questions and updating spreadsheets. Look at that list again. Every single one of these chores could be farmed out to someone else.
There are a lot of hang ups when it comes to hiring virtual help. As a freelance writer, I understand that. But each of these issues can be solved.
1. Can’t afford it you say? Let’s look at it this way: if you bill at $70/hour and pay a virtual assistant $30-40/an hour, by regaining those billable hours, you’re netting $20-40 more per hour.
2. How can I be sure I’m getting quality help? Well, how do you help your clients to feel comfortable hiring you sight unseen? You probably provide a portfolio of work, with client references and a track record showing at least a couple years of service. Look for the same thing.
3. I want to pay a fair price. Virtual Assistants (VAs) work on much the same system as freelance writers. You won’t be the only client, and you’ve got to accept that. I’ve estimated a rate of $30 per hour to hire a VA. You’ll want to do your own research. Consider what administrative assistants make in your area, and take into account your own billing structure when setting your pay rate. Be open to what the VA suggests, or visit the International Virtual Assistants Association.
4. What about training? This question goes deeper than what’s on the surface. Another way to increase your productivity and your billable hours is to automate your processes. For example, once you’ve found a system that works for you in procuring new projects, or in invoicing and billing, document the details in what will become your business manual. This manual will then become your training manual.
5. I can’t deal with the down time. Down time should be built into your schedule. Successful businesses need a time to relax and recharge after completing big projects- think of the day after taxes are due at a CPA firm, or the day after Christmas in the retail industry. You and your team need to push and give to meet deadlines and bang out quality projects, but you also need to regroup after success. This downtime is the perfect opportunity to bring on your VA. Suspend new projects, and dedicate your time to high quality training, keeping yourself available for questions and doling out your VA’s responsibilities in manageable increments.
Investing in a new addition to your team won’t be easy. Syncing your schedules, dealing with miscommunications and ironing out expectations are all challenges that you will meet together. But doing so will take a load off your shoulders, increase production, and boost your bottom line.
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” - Henry Ford
Allena Tapia is a freelance writer and editor. She helps new freelancers get started in the business at freelancewrite.about.com.
Technology…
It never ceases to amaze me with the latest and greatest in technology how we can falter on the simple things. We have so many gadgets and gizmos to help us with getting more things done in a shorter amount of time but are we really focusing on the important things?
For example, I saw a commercial tonight for a new car that has a cell phone built into the dash board. It helps us talk, hands free, while we drive. It helps us communicate on long car trips or when we’re just running out to pick up a few things.
Another example, is the new toy that I just got… the Palm Treo 680. Yes, I sat in the airport and checked my email, responded, chatted through instant messenger and talked on the phone all from the palm of my hand. It was great.
But then, I stopped to think. What would I be doing if I weren’t able to communicate right now? What would I do to pass the time?
I’d be reading. Perhaps I would be taking in the new sights or walking around.
You see, everytime something is introduced to help us save time, we cram something else in there. We use the microwave to cook meals, allowing us a few more minutes to work.
We chat through IM so that we can work and chat or carry multiple conversations at once.
Each new gadget leaves us wanting more, and still complaining that there just isn’t enough time in the day.
Think back to when there were no answering machines. What did you do when you missed a call? Nothing because you didn’t know that you missed it.
Prior to cell phones, what did you do when you were out of the home? Nothing. You waited until you got home or back the office and checked messages and then acted on it.
You’re all still alive.
Take some time away from technology. Take some time away from cramming so many things into a tight spot and continuing to add to the chaos.
Go ahead. Today, take an hour where you don’t answer the cell phone or email and see what else you can do to fill that time.
Chances are, you’ll enjoy it.
I know I do.
Until next time…
Heather
Revolutionary Spotlight — Cynthia Clark
Owner: Cynthia Clark
1. How long have you been in business?
My official launch was January 2008
2. Why did you start your business?
Basically I was laid off in the corporate world and decided that I didn’t want to go through the hassle of looking for a job at my age.
3. What types of businesses do your service?
Small businesses as well as speakers, entertainers, coaches and evangelists.
4. What is your niche? (Your specialty?)
My niche is ‘phone support’ and ‘calendar management’
5. What is the most important lesson you have learned since opening your virtual doors?
When you are trying to get a potential client, just because you have a few conversations with them does not mean ‘you’ve got the job’. I had to learn how to take rejection and move on.
6. What resources can you not live without?
The Internet, I have to have it. My DSL was down for a day, and oh my God, I was lost
7. What’s the best part about being a VA?
I only have to answer to me, and I appreciate ‘me’ so therefore, there is no doubt that I have given 100% to each and every task with much appreciation.
8. What is the greatest thing you have done for your business? (Hiring a web designer, coach, etc)
Follow the lead of veteran virtual assistants, hire a coach.
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself making a comfortable living doing exactly what I love doing. Maintaining my business and not taking on more than I care to.
10. What the biggest obstacle you face in your business? How did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle to me at this point is getting my name out there to more people. I think I am headed in the right direction.
11. In your opinion, what is the best feature of the Revolution?
Without question 1) the forum, I love the close knit group of men and women on ‘The Rev’ - 2) The conference room, here you can get together and hear some of the voices of the people you network with on a regular basis.
For more information, visit Cynthia on the web at http://www.cynthiasvirtualsolutions.com
Open Source Content Management Systems
Many times in your virtual assistant business, clients will ask you about setting up a blog, a forum, or maybe even a wiki. Of course you can ask for opinions in the Revolution, but occasionally you’ll need to test drive some options. Instead of installing a bunch of different software on your own web server, you can visit the Open Source CMS Testing site. On this site you will be able to test drive many different types of software to find out which one best suits your clients’ needs.
A content management system (CMS) can include a blog, a forum, a member directory, file download area, file upload area, link directory, and much more! Or a content management system can just be a blog. Be sure to list out what requirements your client has before you venture to this site. If your client has no need for a paid membership directory, then Joomla may be overkill.
Tip: Content management systems are sometimes confused with customer (or client) relationship management (CRM) software. These two types of software do entirely different things. Think of a CMS as controlling all the content you want the public to see on a website. A CRM helps you track information about individuals and helps you to keep in touch with them on a regular basis.
Lisa B.
Open Source Maven
WordPress Maven <– Coming Soon!
Don’t Forget Your Sweetie!
Valentine’s Day is this Thursday, February 14th. If you are self employed it is very easy to get caught up in working late hours. Let’s be honest here, when you own your own business, there is always something that needs attention. Well this Thursday, February 14th…Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided that it’s my husband that needs my attention. He’ll probably be shocked to see me away from my computer. I have a really nice evening planned. While I was planning this great evening, it dawned on me that my husband and I used to have a weekly date night and well once the baby came and I started the business, our date nights just weren’t high on the priority list. Well…I’m reinstating them not just because it’s Valentine’s Day but because I want to. So when was the last time you had a night out with your sweetie? If your business has been getting more attention than your loved one lately, now is the perfect time to make a change. The calendar will help you out this Thursday, but the they rest of the year is up to you!
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