Do You Read?
I’m a sucker for a good book. To be honest, I’m not picky. Give me a good business book, mystery, thriller, romance novel, self-help book, etc. and I am content and good to go. In fact, just this morning, I received an email from SitePoint telling me that for every book I purchased, I could get a pdf download for free. I walked away $80 later with 2 hard copy books and 2 pdf copies and a desire to delve into each as deeply as I can for my own personal benefit and for the betterment of my business.
This got me thinking:
What have you been reading lately?
When was the last time you read a book?
Are you a wide reader?
In a gathering, you can tell who the wide readers are. Wide readers think and speak well. They win the admiration, respect, and good opinion of others.
Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental activities.
Reading is primarily a mental activity. After all, you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the detective thriller you are reading. You use your mind to imagine the pain that the main character experiences as the story unfolds. You bring into play the different arguments and ideas brought up by the author in the self-help book you are holding. When reading a business book you try to see how each idea could possibly play out in your business life.
When you read, you develop a wide vocabulary. A skillful reader has a wide recognition vocabulary. You may not know exactly what every word means, but you will have a good general idea of the meaning of the sentence.
Reading makes you alert and curious about new words. Other readers develop the dictionary habit. Every time they come across a strange word, they try to figure out what it can possibly mean by the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary.
Reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing you to a variety of materials. You learn to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. As in other forms of activity, you learn by actually doing.
Reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Merely grasping the writer’s idea is not enough. You must make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Keep your mind open, understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.
Strategies To Maximize Time
There is no denying in the truth of the saying, “Time is gold.”
You never seem to get enough of time. Even if you are given thirty hours in a day, you still won’t be able to get enough of it. Somehow, some things will come up and you will end up wanting more time. Time is a precious commodity. Once it’s gone, it cannot be recovered.
The fact is: when you are busy, time flies swiftly. But when you are not, time seems to be at a stand still. This is true when you are killing time because there is nothing else to do under the circumstances.
How do you maximize the use of your time? It would be worth your time to consider the following strategies:
1. Check your schedule at the start of the day. Review it in its entirety. You may notice that portions of your day may be hectic, while some may not be too frenzied. Distribute your activities evenly throughout the day.
Keep note pads handy so you can keep track of your schedule. It also helps to remind you of your tasks and commitments. Note pads and schedule notebooks help you avoid overlapping of activities. In case of overlaps, determine which one is priority.
After spreading your schedule for the day and you still feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks to be accomplished, you may have to forego some of them. Re-schedule other tasks for another day.
What you are actually doing is very much like cleaning a closet. When your closet is in order, you avoid being accidentally hit on the head by falling objects upon opening its door. Also, if it is in order, you will likely find spare spaces available.
2. Request for a re-schedule in advance. This is especially true when another person will be affected. Show courtesy by doing this is advance. This leaves time for the person to adjust to the new schedule. Who knows? You may be doing the other parties a favor. They may be in the same predicament as you are, and they will not be aware unless you make it known to them.
3. Be creative. Time is an element when simple creativity can be put to practice. For example, you need to do the laundry but at the same time, you also have to finish a big project. Perhaps, what you can do is to set your washing machine to do the laundry while you work on your project.
You can even do the cooking at the same time by using a slow cooker. It cooks food by itself. You can even check your email or Twitter. Four tasks are combined to one. All it takes is scheduling and a little creativity.
4. When you have to do a certain task for the first time, it is natural for mistakes to happen. However, a first time task doesn’t have to be a blunder. If there is no clear direction on how things should be done, take time to plan it out before you take action. This saves time, energy, and money.
5. Visualize the possible outcome of your objective. Seek out alternatives. Choose the better of two or more alternatives. If there is only one option, do it just the same. Some tasks may appear difficult when you think about it, but not necessarily when put into action. The same thing is true the other way around.
Time is something you could never have enough of. You become wise when you choose to maximize it.
Does living your dream look like you thought it would?
Are you doing what you love?
Is your virtual assistance business filling you with joy or stress? Do you love your clients or do they drive you crazy? Are you offering services that you’re great at and you know you do extremely well? Or are you constantly doubting yourself about the projects you do? Does your target market still fit? Or have you outgrown it?
If your business doesn’t feel good to you, sit back and take a hard look at it.
How’s your target market? You might discover after working as a VA that your original target market doesn’t fit anymore. This can happen. You might get into a few projects and realize you don’t actually enjoy the work like you thought you would. Or, you might have taken on clients outside of your target market that suit you much better.
It’s okay to change your target market! It’s okay to let those energy zapping clients go! It’s hard to imagine when you’re a new VA that you can let a client loose, because you are really enjoying the income, but if it drains you of energy and you hate it, weigh your options. I’ve never had it happen where I’ve let a client go and didn’t get a bigger better one to fill its place. You can always search for subcontracting jobs with other VAs to help fill in any gaps in your regular client work until you make up the hours you ‘let go’.
You might consider reviewing your service list every few months, as well. As you work on different projects for different clients, you’ll find you are always adding skills to your repertoire. At the same time, you’ll discover some services you never want to provide again!
When you’re your own boss, you have the right to change things that aren’t working for you. You’re not someone’s employee anymore – nobody is forcing you to do work you don’t love. Don’t kill your spirit by doing things you don’t love.
You started your business to fulfill your dreams. Is this what you imagined?
Why Do New Virtual Assistants Seem to Want Everything for Free?
Over the past two years we have gotten awesome feedback about our free ebook, 25 Ways to Revolutionize Your Virtual Assistant Business. I’m a little biased, but I think that it’s an awesome resource, as do others and judging by the emails that Dale, Heather and I get every month we remain quite pleased with it even after 2 years.
Yesterday we received this email:
I had expected to find real, concrete information about starting a VA business such as: how much HTML do I need to know to start doing websites, how much should I charge, what do I do about taxes, etc. All I’m getting is fluff!!!!!!!
Hey, I think I’ll start a blog and talk about this kind of stuff!
We responded to this person directly, but the more I think about the direction of new VAs, the more perturbed I become.
When did everyone start wanting everything for free? Did we forget the old adage “it takes money to make money?” I personally spend about $2000+ every year on continuing education for my business. If I’m not up to date on the latest and greatest for my target market, what good am I as a Virtual Assistant? It’s imperative that all VAs continue their education at every turn. Not only does it benefit you, but it benefits your clients, and in the end it makes you more marketable as a VA.
I was a Virtual Assistant before I realized what a VA was. Then when I first heard the term “Virtual Assistant”, I researched the heck out of it to double and triple check to make sure that it suited me and what I was doing in my business. If think you have the skills to be a VA, do a little research about the industry. Buy one of the VA industry surveys here or here.
I love this question:
how much HTML do I need to know to start doing websites
Uh, it depends. If you don’t know how to create a professional website, don’t do it. Spend the money to make money and hire a professional to do it. If you want to learn the upkeep of a website take a class, either online or through your local community college. If you think you have to do website design or coding to get clients you don’t. I know plenty of VAs out there who would never think of offering this service. You can’t be all things to all people, so if you don’t have the skills, don’t take on the task.
how much should I charge
Uh, it depends. What are your expenses? What kind of skills are you bringing to the table? What specialty skills do you possess? What is your cost of living? Do you live in New York City or in New Dheli India? Who are you targeting? If you target the work at home mom crowd, I’m going to have a totally different response than if you were asking me about top producing real estate agents. Rates vary across the board, across the country and across the sea. If you want a free rates calculation spreadsheet, let me know. Or again, buy one of the VA industry surveys here or here to learn more about what other VAs charge.
what do I do about taxes
Uh, it depends. (Do you notice a pattern here?!?!) What State do you live? If you reside in Canada, what Province do you live in? If outside of North America, what country do you live in? Are you a sole proprietor, LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, etc.? Talk to a CPA or your country’s equivalent, because you will be hard pressed to find another VA who is going to give you financial advice like this.
As many of us know, it can be extremely difficult to provide concrete information that works for everyone because there are too many variables. Do your research, hire professionals to help you. Above all, take your business seriously. If you do, you will be richly rewarded.
One last thing, does the table of contents say that the book is going to delve into the above topics? No, it was designed as a “pump you up” ebook, with lots of motivation to propel you in the right direction.
Why Should You Set Goals?
Wonder why some people could not even achieve an inch of what they dream of becoming? Blame it on pure dreaming and lack of setting goals for achieving their dreams.
Setting goals is a very significant part of success and positive accomplishments. It is like scaling a 20 feet building and marking early on what feet you would like to reach at this specific period.
People who set goals literally create a map of their target achievements in life, marking where they should begin, where to pause, where to delve a bit, and where and when to stop. Once this map is created, it allows the map drawer to check where he is in the scheme of things and whether or not he is making some achievements that will take him closer to his/her goals.
By setting goals, people will know how they are doing and what they should be doing to achieve their targets or dreams in life. They will know if they can relax or if they have to double their efforts when they are falling short of what is expected of them.
Goal setting means a person is proactive in dealing with challenges that may affect his/her plans. Being proactive means one is able to outline possible difficulties that may occur as well as the solutions to these difficulties. By doing this, a person is not easily scared or defeated when challenges occur because he has already prepared for them. He knows they can happen and he has prepared a solution or strategy when that time comes.
Setting goals will enable people to track their progress in whatever endeavor they have set out to do. It will help people become more confident in themselves and more motivated to achieve their plans.
However, goal setting is not enough, as this should be accompanied by a positive outlook and self-discipline. A person may have a blueprint of where he wants to go, but if he does not have the necessary discipline to carry out the plan, then nothing will come out of it.
To be successful in goal setting, the goals that one has set for himself should be realistic and based on his/her capabilities, as well as selected and important external factors. Being too ambitious in setting up goals can make the goals unrealistic and difficult to achieve. However, do not also set goals that are too low because this might discourage one’s vision instead of achieving it.
It is also necessary that the person setting the blueprint for his/her direction should also include a time frame within which the goal will be achieved. This way, he is able to determine if he has to fast track his/her strategies or to slow down a bit. Goal setting will also help a person check if he is performing within his/her plans or if he is doing things towards the achievement of his/her plans.
Once you have achieved something, even a little of what you hoped to achieve, then you should always give yourself a pat in the back to keep you motivated. But do not be too complacent with any little achievement, as this may cause you to backslide.
Setting goals can be used in any aspect of one’s life - from one’s personal or family life, to his/her career and finances. Goal setting can be as simple as setting a target weight when you wish to lose pounds or something big, like earning your first million.
When setting goals, it is always important to set standards that would suit your present situation, your capabilities, and other factors that may influence the achievement of your goal.
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.
Such a friendly industry!
I’ll be honest. When I started my virtual assistance business, Mann Made Time, I was worried about the hundreds of other VAs I would be in competition with. If you’re a ‘newbie’ virtual assistant, you might also feel these pangs of worry about all of the other freelance administrative professionals that are more established than you are. You might be worried about your competition. I think it’s only natural for a business owner to worry about their competitors. But…the VA industry is different than any other I know of. I don’t see my fellow VAs as competitors anymore. Not really.
Because our industry is relatively new, we must all work together to educate the world about what we do - the services we provide. If you are a new VA, you might find it strange how other VAs are so willing to help you out when you need advice. At all of our networking forums, you have VAs offering marketing advice. In how many other industries can you find business owners in direct competition with each other offering marketing tips? We mention each other in blogs, leading our potential clients right to other VAs sites. We help each other with press releases and other marketing pieces.
Why? I believe it’s because successful VAs know that there are more than enough clients to go around. Most of us are working hard to promote our industry, and the more great VAs in the world spreading the word about what they do, the more people will learn about us.
I live in Canada’s smallest province, and when I started my business, I was the only VA here. Now I know of three others. When I first heard that there was another local VA, I didn’t think about how that could hurt my business. I thought about how it could, in fact, help my business. One more soul to educate PEI and the world about virtual assistance.
Revolutionary VAs don’t see other VAs as a threat, they try to learn from them and think of ways we can all work together to bring virtual assistance mainstream.
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