new virtual assistant Archives

What to do First in Your Virtual Assistant Business

August 10, 2018 By Alicia Jay Leave a Comment

Starting your virtual assistant business can be exciting but overwhelming.

What do you do first?

Where do you get the info that you need?

Who do you trust to get information from?

I cover all of this and more in today’s video:

Links to video references:

To work on scheduling your time, creating a business plan and goals, get the Ultimate VA Business Planning Blueprint: https://www.newvaadvice.com/plan/

Legal aspects of working on your business: https://www.newvaadvice.com/2015/03/19/legal-aspects-running-va-business/

Free checklist to help you set up your business: https://www.newvaadvice.com/free-gift/

Trusted websites and VA industry sites: https://www.newvaadvice.com/2012/08/30/websites-virtual-assistants/

Learn about my coaching options and get my help in setting up your business: https://www.newvaadvice.com/va-mentoring-products/

Need help navigating the startup phase?

I’d love to work with you to take the overwhelm out of setup and planning, streamline the process and boost your confidence! I offer group and one-on-one coaching options. Set up a free consultation with me today and we’ll discuss how I can best help you succeed!

Best of the New VA Advice Blog 2014

December 30, 2014 By Alicia Jay Leave a Comment

I’d never considered writing a “best of the best” for the year type of post before. But then I saw that Kelly McCausey at SoloSmarts sent out a little challenge, asking readers to put together a top 10 list of their favorite posts from their blog for 2014.

Instead of just choosing my favorites, I really wanted to cover your favorites. So I took a little trip into Google Analytics and came up with your top 10 favorite blog posts at New VA Advice for 2014.

Here they are!

♦This is a guest post series on taking care of your health while working from home.

The Healthy Work at Home Woman Series

♦This is a series of posts where I had a cross blog conversation with another work-at-home solopreneur mom about time management, illness, work/life balance, income streams and everything in between.

A Peek Into the Lives of Two Work at Home Moms

♦This post is about a handy little tool that turns your email signature into free marketing for you.

Cool Tool: Wisestamp for Email Signatures

♦The series posts seem to be quite popular! There is a set of them where I interviewed successful virtual assistants and asked them for tips and advice for someone just getting started. These two posts in that series were very popular:

Start up Stories: Michelle Mangen

Start up Stories: Tess Strand

♦This post talks about what we cover in the live version of the General Transcription Bootcamp course.

General Transcription Bootcamp: Learn a Valuable Skill to Increase Your Business

♦I think the title of this next post makes it pretty self-explanatory.

What Tools Do You Need to Start Your VA Business?

♦In this post, I give some action steps to get you moving forward if you’re stuck while building your VA business.

What’s Holding You Back?

♦These last 2 posts are some of the oldest on the site, but still some of the most popular. I update the resources in them every couple of months.

Websites to Help Virtual Assistants

Forums and Groups for Virtual Assistants

There you have it! Do you have any posts you would add to this list or any thoughts on what you’d like to see more of in 2015?

Integrating Your New Virtual Assistant Career with Your Home Life

April 3, 2014 By Alicia Jay 6 Comments

Today’s guest post is written by my friend Allie from Ramblings of a WAHM. She’s shared her awesomeness with us here before and today she’s sharing a little more.
You are ready to start your new career as a virtual assistant. You have trained to be a virtual assistant, you have the knowledge, you have a site, you’re on social media and you started an email list. You are all ready for the next step of integrating your new career with your home life.

You will need to start with carving out a place for your tools of your trade aka your home office space, then be sure to discuss your plans with loved ones, next give to yourself and others, and finally be patient with this integration.

Your Home Office Space

It is extremely important to have a space all for your work. Creating this special place can set the right atmosphere and frame of mind for you to perform.

The space does not need to necessarily be an office but that is the best route for you can simply shut the door and concentrate. Yet many times we simply need to carve out a niche in your home that is set aside just for work. This can be a special table area or desk in the living room or a corner of your master bedroom. The key is that it is only for you to concentrate on your tasks that will bring in an income.

Setting Up Boundaries

Now that you have a physical location to work in you will need to be sure the rest of your family knows this space is off limits. Make it clear to children that this is mom’s special place and nobody else uses it.

You will also need to communicate and discuss with your loved ones- family and friends alike- that, yes, you are home, but this is not the time to call you or drop by. Clearly state to them that you are busy at certain hours or times of the day. And that this is not just a hobby or phase, you are serious about finding clients and bringing in an income.

Also set boundaries for yourself as you work from home. Be sure you make rules for yourself that there will be no personal email or social media reading when you are working. And that when you do feel distracted or tired, take a healthy break by taking a walk or have a healthy snack or meal.

Give to Yourself and Your Loved Ones

This is not just a transition for you but also your loved ones. They want you to be happy and respect your boundaries so be sure to spend quality time with them during your off hours.

And never neglect yourself. Take care to eat well, sleep well and take time to take care of yourself. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to be of healthy mind and body while working for yourself. You will cross times of stress and will need to fall back on your health to get you through.

Be Patient with this New Lifestyle

Do not rush things and be open with the integration of your new career with your home life. You will sometimes learn from trial and error like broken boundaries or not giving time to rest but that is all part of working from home.

Allie owns and writes Ramblings of a WAHM blog where she strives to help the whole work at home mom find perfect integration between her work and her life. She knows that when mom prospers, everything she cares about prospers also: her family, her life and her business.

Interview with John Hardy, Virtual Assistant

November 16, 2013 By Alicia Jay Leave a Comment

You might be familiar with my series Start up Stories where I interview successful virtual assistants and ask them some really personal questions about how they got started in the industry. It’s great to learn from those who have been doing this a lot longer.

But what about someone who started not all that long ago? What about someone who’s just a little further along the path than you who is making this happen and has clients?

Well, here you go. I interviewed John Hardy, who has been a virtual assistant since 2011, via Google Hangout. I asked him about how he got started, who supported him along the way and how he landed his first client. He was more than happy to share his story in the hopes of helping someone else.

Check it out now!

Two ways to watch:

Click the link here and watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Zze2S3-Ng-E

or watch embedded video here on this page:

We All Need Somebody To Lean On

November 13, 2012 By Alicia Jay Leave a Comment

First, let me just say how much I love this song. And now it’s stuck in your head, isn’t it? You’re welcome! 😉 So you’ve just started your Virtual Assistant business or you’ve had one for a little while but you’re struggling. Are you feeling any of these things?

Maybe you’re overwhelmed by all of the things on the multiple to-do lists you now have as a business owner.
Perhaps you have all of these ideas but you’re not sure where to start.
Maybe you’ve seen the term “target market” over and over but you’re just not sure who that is for you.
Perhaps you just need a little motivation and inspiration to keep you going. It can be lonely working from home!

Let me tell you right now that I’ve felt ALL of these things in the course of my career as a Virtual Assistant, especially when I first started out. The hardest part for me was not knowing anyone and being unsure of who I could trust for advice.

Unfortunately, there are so many scammers out there just waiting to take advantage of a newbie. Plus, I didn’t really have any money to sign on with a coach to help take me to the next level. I learned a lot on my own by trial and error and eventually found some people online that I trusted and admired. But that took some time, a little bit of side-tracking and some dead ends.

I don’t want anyone else to feel this way. I want you to know that you CAN do this! You are smart and talented. You have some awesome skills…and you can offer them in a way that no one else can but you. Do you need to hear this today? Then give me a call!

This is you talking to me. Camels are cool, right?

Yup, you can chat with me during a mentoring session and we’ll talk about whatever you want as it relates to you and your Virtual Assistant business. I’ve been where you are, so I get it. I’ve also been there while not having a lot of money, so I wanted to make these calls affordable.

You can start with a completely free 20-minute call to get you moving in the right direction.

You can choose a 60-minute planning call where I’ll help you hone your focus and create a plan that works for you.

You can also check out the Mentoring Page on my site for more group and one-on-one coaching options.

Can’t wait to chat with you soon! 🙂

Don’t miss any tips or news from New VA Advice! Sign up here and I’ll visit your inbox. You can also keep the conversation going in my supportive, private Facebook group filled with VAs (and would-be VAs) just like you. See you there!

The Importance of Having a Mentor for your Virtual Assistant Business

September 7, 2012 By Alicia Jay 2 Comments

When you first start out with your Virtual Assistant business it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There is so much information out there about setting up your website, marketing, social media…the list is endless.

We all need somebody!

How do you know what you really need to do and where do you find the information that you need? Finding a mentor is a good place to start.

Why do I need a mentor?

They can show you the ropes. They can point you in the right direction and give you resources from trusted people.

They’ve already been there and done that. You can learn from their mistakes—and accomplishments.

Who should be my mentor?

You want to look for someone who is ahead of you on the business path.

They should be successful and have already had some struggles to get where they are now.

Look for a person who is where you want to be.

It should be someone with a complimentary personality that you would feel comfortable working with.

Where and how do I find my mentor?

Research

Let’s look at my situation for example. I found my mentor Loretta Oliver and took her Transcription Crash Course. I fully ~~stalked~~ investigated her online and asked around about her reputation. I heard nothing but good things about her. I checked out what she was up to with her businesses. When I saw how much she has accomplished I became thoroughly excited at the thought that I might be able to achieve half of what she’s done.

Contact

I knew this was a person that I needed to connect with. After taking Loretta’s course and then working with her on transcription projects (which I still do to date) I sent her an email. I think it said something like, “OMG! You’re my mentor!”

Ask

In retrospect, that was probably not the best way to approach the subject. I’m lucky because she’s awesome and she didn’t run for the hills screaming. It’s more customary to first see if the person is offering mentorship (people do this for free and for fee) and then ASK the person—not tell them. Like I said, my situation was a little different. Loretta doesn’t offer a mentoring program at this time so don’t get any ideas;)

However, this is definitely a service that I offer at New VA Advice. You can schedule a free call with me to see if we’d be a good fit, work with me for just an hour to get a plan in place, or we can work together in a group or one-one-one setting. There’s an option for all situations and budgets. Check out my mentoring page today and find your best option.

Don’t miss any tips or news from New VA Advice! Sign up here and I’ll visit your inbox. You can also keep the conversation going in my supportive, private Facebook group created just for VAs. See you there!

Forums and Groups for Virtual Assistants

August 28, 2012 By Alicia Jay 12 Comments

(This post originally appeared on my other site, Transcription e-Services.)

Whether you’re new to the Virtual Assistant field or a seasoned veteran I’m sure you’ve learned that we could all use a little help sometimes. I’ve decided to compile a list of my favorite virtual assistant groups and forums. The inspiration from this post came from reading Vernessa Taylor’s guest post over at Growmap entitled Virtual Assistants: Step Up Your Game.

Get connected!

In my experience, groups and forums can be really helpful. There are lots of benefits.

You can get advice from others who have already been there.

You can learn tips and tricks on everything from time management to retaining new clients.

If you’re already established you can still benefit. Give back to the VA community and help the newbies. Remember, you were in their shoes once!

It’s also never too late to learn something new. Forums are always filled with class/training announcements.

It’s a great way to network and connect with others in your industry. You may even find a partner or subcontractor.

Here’s my little list of helpful groups and forums in no particular order. Most contain links so you can stop by right now!

Forums:

LinkedIn Groups:

International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA)
LinkedIn Virtual Assistant Community (LVAC)
VA Outsourcing Resources
VAlinkedin

Facebook Groups:

Virtual Assistant Empowerment Facebook group (This is my group, and I’d love to see you in there!)

Yahoo! Groups:

There you have it. You can start out by picking one or two of these sites and getting involved. Most of them are free to sign up, however, the paid ones are well worth it. I frequent some of these regularly. If you see me, say hi! Do you have any groups or forums to add to this list?

Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you sign up.

Don’t miss any tips or news from New VA Advice! Sign up here and I’ll visit your inbox.