Getting Through a Temporary Setback
You finally figured out what you want to do in life. You’ve realized that you don’t want to work for others anymore, you want to work for you. So you opened your own Virtual Assistant business. You jumped through all the legal hoops to register your business, got your Web site up and running and may have even had a few clients come through your door.
Then life happened.
Whether it was a spouse’s job change, family crisis, health concerns - whatever the case, you need to head back out into the corporate world to find a job. You try to avoid it at all costs by pushing yourself to get more and more clients, but it’s not happening fast enough. Luckily, you are able to find employment but want to make sure it’s as temporary as possible to get back to your business full-time. But how do you keep going with your business when you’re working 40 hours or more a week for someone else and taking care of a family?
It’s doable - very doable in fact. But you need to be prepared for some seriously hard work and long hours.
The first thing you absolutely need to make sure you do is take care of yourself. Yes, you are going to be putting in some very long days and most likely working quite a bit on weekends as well. However, you need to make sure you are still getting some sleep each night and making time for your family. Be aware of how you are feeling each day and take some time for yourself when you begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed. It’s okay to take a day off for yourself now and then to rest and re-energize - it will help keep you healthy and motivated. It’s not easy to work long hours to set up a business when you are sick and not feeling well!
Set up a schedule and daily to-do list for yourself. Include not only the hours you work at your job, but also the times you are going to work on your business and even write in time to spend with family and relaxing. Many VAs’ schedules revolve around their families, which means they work during children’s naps, after everyone is in bed and before everyone else gets up in the morning. Getting yourself organized each day, right down to scheduling what item on your to-do list is completed when, will ensure you are much more productive while you are working on your business.
Also, make sure that you do not quit your job before you are truly ready. Make sure that you have a good-sized safety net in place for just in case (many recommend at least three months’ worth of your current salary) and wait until you have a few definite clients in place to take the leap. After all, you are going back to work because you need the income; you don’t want to find yourself in this situation all over again after another few months. Making sure all your ducks are in a row before you quit will ensure that you do not find yourself struggling and needing to find a new job yet again in the near future.
Most importantly, do not be hard on yourself. You have not failed as a business owner, as it can be sometimes easy to think. It is simply a temporary setback in plans, and it has happened to many VAs and other business owners. There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing to find employment while you are working on your business. Things come up in life that are unavoidable and not finding a way to support your family would be worse than getting a job. The important thing is to make the most out of the opportunities you are given and learn from this experience. You will not only come out stronger, but you will appreciate your future business success that much more.
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.
THE BAND WAGON JUST GOT FULLER
It did!
As a small business owner, entrepreneur, et al, you’re like a lot us—looking for ways to market your business and, in the process, gain new prospects and customers.
The latest “fad,” a good one at that, is to “use video” to promote your business. After all, the “spiders” like Google love to feast on them and are inclined to place video highly in their analytics rankings.
So with that incentive alone, you decide to “jump on the bandwagon,” too.
But wait just a minute!
Because marketing with video has become the new “Rubik’s Cube,” or the new “Cabbage Patch” doll, or the new “t-shirt that says ‘I Google myself regularly,’” if you actually do intend to get on the bandwagon, there are a few things to consider.
What is your plan? (It seems everything leads back to a plan.)
Getting your video ready and “taking it to market” is one of the latest Internet trends. Many entrepreneurs, marketers, and even large business owners will focus on the “how-tos;” the how-to of what to say, the how-to of how-to upload the video, or the how-to of where to place your upload.
The important thing is to not just toss some video shots together; the end product will be disappointing to your visitors and to you. Just like your Web site, your video presentation is a reflection of you and how you do business. Thus, it’s better to take your time to produce quality work. Someone has already been first, so now it really doesn’t matter if you come later with better.
Like putting together any worthwhile efforts, you first come up with a list of things to do when producing a video. However, there are also several things to NOT do in your video marketing. And they are the focus of this piece. Such as:
Forget about “safety in numbers” this one time
If you want to attain the most success with your video efforts, you have to go it alone. Sometimes when a person is going to be in a photo or a video, they may be camera shy or feel “more is better;” suddenly, they want someone in the show with them. This is a really HUGE error! The point of your video is to acquaint your visitors and customers with YOU, perhaps your product or service, and with what you represent. Your brand! In fact, in the video you become your brand.
So when your pals are in your video, they are distracting and take the viewer’s eyes away from your product or service, your message, and you. And unintentionally, they may show you up!
In essence, then, your fireworks just fizzled!
It’s time for your commercial
Have you ever wondered why or how sponsors of TV shows pack so much information about their product into 30 seconds of more often than not annoyance? It’s because they realize they have so little time to grab the viewers’ attention before they’re off to the kitchen or otherwise taking a break. Or worse, changing the channel!
Internet frequenters are somewhat infamous for running away from Web sites
How often have you gone to a Web site then quickly scooted away because the page loaded slowly? Your distraction meter kicked in and impatience got the best of you? This seems to happen more and more as Internet surfers tend to lose their tolerance to wait, or they’ve found other diversions that steer them away from what they thought they wanted in the first place.
This means you’ve got to have a video or graphics and audio that will capture your visitors’ attention. NOW! But it’s not good enough to just grab them; you’ve got to have something to keep them there long enough that they realize what you have is something they can’t live without.
You need a P-O-W!
So that as your video begins the first words out of their mouth or the first visual they see must be something concise and compelling. You know, what’s it in it for them?
Do you know the “who” for your marketing
Since you have a target market, it’s best to market your video to that particular audience. Of course, others will navigate to your site and may even stay to view your video. Or maybe not! Those who stay will be interested in learning about your product or service. How you dress, your narrative, your language, how you present yourself in the video should all be geared to the audience you want to pull towards you, the niche you’ve identified for your service.
You can be a star
With a little bit of practice, this reminder and the “how not tos” outlined here will be enough incentive and encouragement for you to be the star of the show as you were really meant to be.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!! Business Ownership is a True Ride!!
One of the biggest lessons I have learned as not only a Virtual Assistant, but as a business owner, is that you can absolutely never plan as a business owner. I know that sounds absurd coming from someone who plans, plans, plans and who preaches being organized, utilizing effective time management and scheduling. However, I have learned a valuable lesson over the last few weeks … expect the unexpected.
How many of us haven’t become a “rider” in the roller coaster of business ownership? Even though I try to plan as best I can, it seems that life likes to throw little hills and valleys in my business. Just when you think you will have some extra time to work on a “secret” project that you have a great idea for, your business seems to begin the steep climb and the client work seems to come from no where. Don’t get me wrong I am absolutely not complaining, but it makes a person wonder how to effectively ride out this coaster and get the most from the ride.
I am a true idea person and every time I turn around another idea comes into my mind. I do take the time to write all these ideas down, but finding the time to implement them can sometimes be the challenge. As a business owner, the client’s needs must come first – because let’s face it without them we wouldn’t have a business nor an income, and for me my family time is just as if not more important than the success of my business. This busyness leaves little time to implement my ideas without sacrificing sleep or family time. So what is one to do?
I finally realized that I can implement these ideas without having to sacrifice my client work or my family or my sleep to get there. I just have to realize that not all my ideas have to happen now. So for those of you out there struggling to find balance remember you are not alone … you just need to learn to expect the unexpected!! Once you embrace this and decide to enjoy your roller coaster ride the ride seems a little less bumpy!!
How Self-Esteem Impacts Our Confidence Levels
Our belief in self has a profound effect on our confidence and on the quality of both our lives and business. Today our focus is on business. If person A believes that he lacks the basic skills to solve problems, ex. marketing, networking, sales, etc. then he may lose heart and give up. In contrast, person B, who may have less ability yet strong self belief, stands a much better chance of being successful. This is because his belief in self gives him the confidence to try and try harder again.
Think back to high school or college. Have you ever wondered why only a few students in a class asked questions? Could it be because the remaining students understood all of the critical points made during the lecture? Or is it because they lack the confidence to ask a question? More often than not, it is the fear that stops students from asking questions. In other words, they lack self-confidence. The only way this confidence can improve is when they start believing in themselves.
This is why belief in self is so important, especially in business. It gives an individual the confidence they need to shoot for the stars. It overwhelms negative thoughts, and drives away the fear of failure. It is the best antidote against lashing out at yourself, which can turn several talented persons into under-achievers. It gives business owners the confidence that they have nothing to loose. On the contrary, they realize that they have everything to gain by asking a question, even if it happens to be a silly one.
Abraham Lincoln is a fine example of a man who believed in himself. He lost every election until he went to the Senate and stood for the post of the President. He did not allow his failures in professional and personal life to erode his self-belief. Had he done so, the history of the US would have been different.
Belief in self gives us the confidence to accept failure. It teaches us the importance of positive thinking. Those who have high self-esteem don’t talk about failures; instead, they try to find out why they did not succeed. They look for lessons that can be learnt from their experience. This is not a simple issue of semantics. It is the power of positive thinking, and it is available to only those who have self-esteem.
Once again it is self-esteem that gives us the confidence to enter a new group, and become a part of it. Those who lack self-esteem are very reluctant to approach a new group. They don’t want to expose themselves to the ridicule of being seen as shy, nervous or ignorant. They would instead prefer to stay in their corners.
In fact, lack of self-esteem stands out like a sore thumb at parties, meetings, conferences and social or official functions. Individuals with low self-esteem avoid introducing themselves to others. They prefer to stay in the shadows, away from the sights of others. However, their colleagues who enjoy high self-esteem dominate the discussions. They are sought after by others for information. They are also invited to other meetings and parties — all because their self-esteem gives them the confidence to open up before a group of strangers. It is the same student syndrome that is reflected in an individual’s working life too.
Lack of self-esteem is one of the greatest myths of introversion. Typically the business owner will blame their introverted personality on the fact that they just “can’t get out there.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. Introversion is just that, a personality trait. It is not the deciding factor in who we are and what we offer the world. If this describes you, then you most definitely need a self-confidence boost.
Nothing will change in your business life until you have self-respect, and the self-belief that you are as good as others. You must realize that you are not the only one who has strong and weak points; others too suffer from the same defects. The only difference is that the others project their strong points whereas you may project your weak points. All that you need to do is refocus your priorities. If you do this, you will find the elusive self-confidence.
Are you struggling with self-confidence or introversion issues in your VA business? Is your business where you always dreamt it would be? If your VA business is suffering in any way, we are here to help you make it into the “im-possible” dream. The Virtual Assistant Revolution is just that a REVOLUTION. We want to help you change the way you think about yourself and your business. Our goal is to show you that there is more to the current state of your VA business. If you want to introduce a new product, gain the skills to offer a new service or if you want that six-figure VA business, it’s yours for the taking and we want to give you the tools to make it happen.
Are You Charging Enough?
As a new Virtual Assistant, we spend the most amount of our time trying to determine the best price for our services. We worry if it’s too high or too low, we worry if the price will attract clients and we worry if we can create a thriving business based on that price. Here are some of the mistakes we make, as Virtual Assistants, when setting our price.
Undervaluing Expertise
We often look at our price and think “no one will pay that”. I know this is especially true for many Virtual Assistants as we worry that we will be judged by others in our field and not for the expertise we provide. Especially since there is so much talk about outsourcing to those in countries where $5-$10 per hour is a huge amount of money. Remember, if you have numbers of years in the field of your business and or an expertise that is in demand, you can feel justified in setting your price higher - especially if you are offering a service that not all Virtual Assistants are able to offer.
We Can Do it Faster
Many of us base our price on how long it takes us to finish the job. After years of doing the task, we become very fast at completing this task. Instead of pricing based on how long we take to complete a task, we should be looking to industry standards (or at the least thinking about the time it takes the average person to complete the task). As a tip start quoting prices based on the actual project- When we tell someone that our fees are $40.00 per hour (for example) they are thinking in their head how long the job takes them to complete. They might be thinking … I don’t have $200 to complete this job because they are thinking that they take 5 hours to complete the task. They forget that because of our expertise we can probably complete the job in 2-3 hours so quoting $75 - $125 will yield you the same amount, but they won’t be as scared by the numbers. Don’t be afraid to offer some average times it takes you to complete different tasks together with your pricing sheet.
We are Running a Business
We have overhead costs, unbillable time and other hidden costs that need to be factored into our price. For example, hiring an in-house assistant may cost $10-$15, but you can guarantee that the overhead costs can easily double or triple that cost. The comparison to our price as a business owner and the price of hiring staff needs to take these things into account. What we charge per hour is not all going into our pockets.
The biggest thing to remember is that in order to ask a price and receive it, you must be confident … it is easier to convince a pending client to work with you and pay your price when you are confident in it. Otherwise a person is likely to think that they can “talk you down”.
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.
I’ve Got Spirit…How ‘Bout You?
I was asked a while ago why I wanted to be a Virtual Assistant and if being a VA is truly where my passion lies. While I have interests in many areas, I reflected on why, when looking for ways to work from home, I settled on the daunting task of opening my own business rather than going to the work-from-home Web sites to look for a “job.” Why would I go out on such a big limb and take a huge chance when I could easily do the same thing for someone else for a steady paycheck?
My answer? I’ve got spirit.
Entrepreneurial spirit, that is. I didn’t really know it though until that conversation. When I was working in the corporate world, I always felt as if there was something more for me. I enjoyed what I was doing, but never felt completely settled and, therefore, I moved around quite a bit. I used to think that I was hurting myself because employers would not see longevity on my resume. I now realize, however, that I was merely setting myself up to own my own VA business. By working in many different environments and industries, I gained a lot of experience that helps me offer varying services and adapt to numerous industries. What a positive spin on something the corporate world considers negative!
I know there are others of you out there that were like me and countless other VAs out there. You’re at your desk each day, wondering why you’re doing what you’re doing…besides that it’s a steady paycheck. You want something more for yourself. You’ve got the spirit, too. I can’t lie to you, there will be resistance, either from your own fear or others telling you it can’t be done. Don’t let fear or others get in your way. Part of the spirit is knowing not to listen to them but to listen to yourself. You know you can do it, so give yourself a chance.
I’ve got spirit. Yes, I do! I’ve got spirit…how ’bout you?
Anything you can do…I can do better!
Notwithstanding their bent toward grandiosity, these words (from an Irving Berlin 1946 tune for the “Annie Get Your Gun” Broadway musical) easily set the stage for the argument that as a Virtual Assistant (VA) you really can do many if not all of the things (just as good as or) better than those performed by an “in-house” administrative assistant, executive secretary or similar personnel.
No, you can’t.
Yes, I can!
Of course, there are many factors, occurrences and mechanisms that must be in place in order for this to be achieved. However, if you have the skills, the knowledge, the experience, the technology, the wherewithal, and especially the sticktuitiveness, there’s really no reason why you can’t accomplish a good many of the tasks like those of your “brick and mortar” counterparts.
No, you can’t.
Yes, I can!
If given half a chance.
Yes, I can! Yes, I can!
In fact, in many ways a VA can surpass the accomplishments of her onsite equivalent.
In addition, as a VA you have the “luxury” of performing the work from home on your schedule. You also have the opportunity to work for many different factions, learning new things and keeping abreast of cutting edge technology as a result. And, you can choose what work (or tasks) you want to do. You “set the rules” so they meet your needs and wants. And you can say how much.
Sooner or later…I can do anything
With opportunities like these, the end result is that you provide quality service to your current clients and those yet to be.
And, in the long run you really can do it for them–for less.
Anything you can do, I can do better…
Recently Added to the Download Section of the Rev….
- We’re continually adding things to the Rev that are not available anywhere else or things that you’d have to pay for elsewhere.
Recently added are:
- Adding RSS Feeds to Wizz RSS (Firefox Addon) — Video Tutorial — 7.5 minute flash based video giving a quick and easy tutorial for adding RSS feeds to Wizz RSS which is a FireFox add-on. The video tutorial was done by Becki Noles for one of her clients, but Rev members can benefit from knowing about the add-on as well.
- 15 Quick Blogging Ideas — Not knowing what to blog about is one of the most common ailments for bloggers. For some, this has caused them to abandon their blog. Others are afraid to start a blog because they fear they won’t have enough to share. To help you jump start the process, here are 15 things you can blog about.
- 21 Strategies for More Response From Your Email Marketing
Yeah, we’ve all heard it.
“The money is in the list.”
“The money is in the list.”
“The money is in the list.”But that’s really only part of the story and here is the real truth:
“The money is in a targeted list of people that you create a trusted relationship with and successfully sell stuff to.”….and none of those 3 things (building a list / trusting relationship / selling) are that difficult to do because:
a. You don’t need a huge list to get a great response.
b. Gaining trust is as simple as being honest and having your audience’s best interest in mind.
c. Using the strategies in this guide will show you that selling is a natural thing.To help you reach that ultimate goal, here are 21 strategies that you can use every single day.
To access these files, simply log in and download!
What? Not a member? Why not join today and get these files as well as many more, worth far more than your $25 monthly membership!
Until next time…
Heather
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