Revolutionary Spotlight - Dawn Riley: VA In Paradise
Owner: Dawn Riley
1. How long have you been in business?
My virtual doors have been open for 7 months; however, I have been offering administrative support virtually for 3 years now.
2. Why did you start your business?
I wanted to have the flexibility to be home for my family and still generate an income.
3. What types of businesses do your service?
Currently I am supporting a few businesses within the Construction Industry and also a few Mid-level Executives.
4. What is your niche?
Small Businesses/Busy Executives
5. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned since opening your virtual doors?
You have to set good boundaries with your clients.
6. What resources can you not live without?
My laptop, cell phone, Microsoft Office and my air card. With these I can work virtually anywhere!
7. What’s the best part about being a VA?
To me the best part of being a VA is the flexibility that I have to be here for my family when they need me.
8. What’s the greatest thing you’ve done for your business?
Without a doubt hiring a designer for my website.
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself with just the right amount of clients so that I have financial freedom in 5 years.
10. What the biggest obstacle you face in your business?
My biggest obstacle in the beginning was marketing. I was not satisfied with the website I had initially created. How did you overcome it? I hired a designer to create a website for me and now I feel more confident directing potential clients to my site.
11. In your opinion, what’s the best feature of the Revolution?
I love the fact that the Virtual Assistant Revolution is a small community full of experienced and successful VA’s who are willing to share and coach you along to meet your goals.
An Open Invitation…
Register for the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention
If you are unable to attend industry conferences and forums this year, don’t fret! OIVAC is right around the corner. For 3 days, Thursday, May 15 through Saturday, May 17, 2008 (US), 8 a.m. to 12 midnight EDT, we’ve scheduled 38 seminars, conducted by professional VA and non-industry experts. Convention attendees can network with friends and even make new acquaintances; participate in the annual industry workshop and browse the exhibitor halls. In addition, visitors can join in the International Virtual Assistants Day(IVAD) celebration, witness the awarding of the Thomas Leonard Virtual Assistant of Distinction and Janet Jordan Achievement awards, and be eligible to win enough prizes and giveaways to fill a suitcase (if we were traveling, that is).
OIVAC 2008’s theme, “Pathways to Successful VA Practices: Using Communication & Technology to Enhance Business”, highlights various communication and technology resources virtual assistants can use to enhance productivity and increase profits.
This “live” yet virtual environment can be experienced from the comfort of your own home via any Internet connected computer. Imagine attending a world class event without incurring travel/ airport hassles, airfare costs, hotel bills, fatigue or exorbitant registration fees or most important, precious time away from your home, family and business!
And everyone is invited!
This year’s schedule includes topics both emerging and veteran VAs can benefit from. We’ve assembled experienced and knowledgeable speakers, offering informative presentations that can positively impact productivity and increase business. For example:
Jonathan Bailey ~ Dealing with Plagiarism: A Realistic Guide to Fighting Content Theft. An overview of how to protect your writing, images and other media on the Web including techniques for preventing, detecting and stopping copyright infringement.
David Beard ~ Insurance Guide for the VA. Participants will receive a how to guide to the essential insurance coverages required by professional VAs to make sure they stay in business and maintain their incomes when faced with the unexpected.
Anita Bruton ~ Creating a Company & Personal Profile that Attracts Clients. Learn five important points that will help create an engaging and polished profile as an effective, attention-grabbing marketing tool.
Jeff Herring ~ The Article Solution - Endless Waves of Prospects, Publicity and Profits. Discover how to write, submit and market your articles for endless streams of prospects, publicity and profits.
Christina Hills ~ How to Automate Your Business (or Your Client’s) with Autoresponders. Learn how using email marketing with Autoresponders and Broadcasting can help you automate your business by letting the computers do your follow up for you.
Annie Jennings ~ Create A Website To Showcase Your Talent, Land BIG New Clients & Build A Powerful Community. Annie Jennings shares the secrets of creating a website designed to propel you to the next level of success.
Andrea Kalli ~ Offering Podcasting and Audio Services to Your Clients. Learn why you should offer podcasting and audio services to clients for business marketing purposes and the various ways clients can use podcasting for their business.
Paul Wagner ~ 7 Smart Ways that Outlook Can Save You 4 Hours. This webinar will show you how to better serve your client by using more of the amazing power of Outlook to build and grow both your businesses.
Kathryn Williams ~ Providing Virtual Assistance to Corporate Clients. Participants will learn how to access the lucrative corporate market and practical strategies that they can apply in they own businesses.
And many, many more.
Visit the Speaker’s List for a complete breakdown of presenters and topics. Visit the OIVAC Seminar Schedule for dates and times.
OIVAC 2008 is right around the corner. Register now, you won’t want to miss it!
Lynn Cox - April Revolutionary Business of the Month
The Revolution would like to publicly congratulate Lynn Cox of Cox Virtual PA Solutions for winning Revolutionary Business of the Month for April!
Lynn has been a member of the Rev since June 2006. Lynn is always there with a virtual smile for each and every member of the Revolution.
Congratulations Lynn!!
Here is what our membership had to say about Lynn:
Lynn’s business has shown tremendous growth in the past year. She has pushed past many obstacles in order to establish a thriving, successful business. She’s a shining example of the amazing things that can happen when a person refuses to give up.
I’ve always been impressed with Lynn’s love for technology. She’s always first to try out the latest and greatest programs and computer systems that most of us are too nervous to try.
Lynn is continually finding ways to broaden her knowledge base and skill set, with her newest endeavors being desktop support and bookkeeping. She is a well-rounded virtual assistant with much to offer her clients and colleagues.
Lynn has shown that you can overcome anything and make lemonade out of lemons with her business. She’s faced some tough times both personally and within her business, but she’s never given up. She identified the problem areas, sought advice, and implemented plans. And now, she’s laying the ground work to be a household name in the UK with her new venture. Her persistence truly makes her revolutionary!
Lynn is always ready to come up to the plate to give advice and share openly and honestly what has worked for her and what has not.
Lynn’s love for technology is infectious. Not many would be willing to give new systems and new ways a try but Lynn takes on the challenge with a fervor and her efforts do not go unnoticed.
Lynn is one of those who always see’s the glass as half full vs. half empty. Her strength and persistence and her ability to rise above any challenge is inspiring to the Rev membership. Continue on in greatness Lynn!!
Set the UK on fire Lynn!
Becki and Heather
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.
Writer and Marketer Help Infopreneurs Generate Cash
ROANOKE, VA – “Everybody’s doing it!” says Heather Jacobson, successful Internet marketer and virtual business owner. “It’s just a matter of time before you’ll be doing it too.” “That’s right, I’ve done it multiple times and I can’t wait to do it again!” says Laurie Dart, successful author and virtual business owner. What is IT? Writing e-Books, that’s what. Jacobson and Dart have put together an e-Book to help infopreneurs generate passive income. The Everyday Guide to Writing and Marketing Your e-Book Wisely combines their years of experience and education into an easy to use, easy to follow guide to help you write, publish and sell your own e-Book. Read more
Time to get rolling….
It’s been almost a year since we’ve posted on this blog….and that’s entirely TOO long.
So we’re going to vamp it up again. 
Be on the look out for a peek inside and meet some of our Revolutionary members!
Until next time…
Heather
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