Where do I find good mentors and/or mentoring groups?
D.K. – Florida, USA
Having a group of like-minded colleagues to support you in growing your business is crucial to your success as a Virtual Assistant. The great news is finding a supportive mentor (or group of mentors) is easy! Following are a few tips on finding a mentor (or group of mentors) to assist you in building your business.
“I’d like to impress upon you right now how realistic it is for you to become a successful self-employed professional. According to Daniel Pink (Free Agent Nation – citing a study by Anne E. Polvika, “Into Contingent and Alternative Employment: By Choice?,” reported in the 1996 October issue of Monthly Labor Review), “Full-time independent contractors earn an average of 15 percent more than their employee counterparts.” Daniel Pink also shows (from a study by Aquent Partners) that, “Independent professionals are twice as likely as W-2 workers to have personal incomes above $75,000 per year.” In fact, the Aquent Partners study shows that one in four Americans is now an independent professional.”
– Michael Port, Author, “Book Yourself Solid – The Fastest, Easiest and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle if You Hate Marketing and Selling” (2006, Wiley) – http://www.michaelport.com/cmd.php?Clk=2626638
Every Virtual Assistant starts her practice with dreams of working from home, on interesting projects, with clients she LOVES, who pay her EXACTLY what her time is worth. So how does one go about making this dream a reality? Simple. By filling her practice with her IDEAL clients.
Please understand, only working with IDEAL clients is far different than just having paying clients. When I first started my business, I didn’t know there was a difference and worked with anyone who wanted to hire me. I learned the hard way, by trial and error, to save myself many hours of frustration by being really selective about whom I chose to invite into my practice. Once I completely embraced this concept, my business completely changed for the better. Continue Reading>>
Today I received the following email and wanted to share my reply with you:
I have been a secretary/admin/and now an executive assistant for a long time. I have increased my knowledge, education, and skills throughout the years. I am considered to be the best assistant in the office I currently work in — and always strive to be the very best…. I don’t plan on leaving my current position — but things can change quickly in “corporate America” so I want to see what it would entail to really be a virtual assistant. My #1 question is how does a person get started in the business? There are enough people doing it now — surely there are some “best practices”. I honestly see it as the future and think it would be a great business opportunity for me.
Continue Reading>>
One of the essential keys to success as a Virtual Assistant is to invest in yourself and your business by continuing to educate yourself. You simply won’t be able to give offer your best to your clients if you don’t stay abreast of popular technology trends.
Most of use the Microsoft Office suite extensively in completing our tasks day-to-day. So, I thought you would enjoy knowing about some free resources that are available to you to brush up on your skills and that you can add to your toolbox. Continue Reading>>
I received the following email today from one of my readers and wanted to share it as many of you may have similar feelings:
I decided to stay home on a full time basis approximately 10 years ago to raise my three children. Prior to that time, my corporate roles, although titled impressively, basically relied on my skills in administration and organization. In the last 10 years I have done some volunteer work and helped a friend with her home-based business. At this time, I feel I, and my children, are ready for me to explore the next phase of my career.
Now that you have been introduced to this amazing opportunity, I’m sure you’re really excited about all of the possibilities. You can see yourself working diligently from your home office (in your pajamas if you like!), on projects you enjoy, with clients you love and having complete control over your life and schedule. And maybe you’ve thought, “Yes, I can do this! Sydni did it and I can do it too!” And then perhaps you thought, “But wait … I don’t know where to start!”
Not to worry! I told you I was going to teach you how, right! So, today, we are going to talk about the Top 3 Ways to Get Started in Virtual Assistance. Are you ready??? Continue Reading>>
I receive a lot of inquiries such as the following:
“Sydni, I am really interested in pursuing a Virtual Assistant business, but I don’t know what services I can offer!”
Imagine this: For the last 4 years, you’ve worked for a Managing Director named Bob Smith. Bob is the Global Head of Commercial Real Estate and he is responsible for the firm’s commercial real estate transactions around the world. He travels 250 days out of the year, keeps a crazy work schedule and is completely addicted to his Blackberry. Despite the fact Bob rarely spends more than a half-day in his office because he’s traveling throughout Asia, Europe and South America, you route his messages, organize his schedule, coordinate his travel arrangements, manage his expenses and filing, update his contacts, write his memos, buy gifts for his family, friends and clients and more. Do you actually need to see Bob to get your work done? Not at all. In fact, if you’re anything like me, you find it easier to work when he isn’t there! (Bosses tend to get in the way when they’re in the office, don’t they!).
Now, if you were running your own Virtual Assistance business, you’d be doing the exact same tasks for your clients. You’d be: Continue Reading>>
Getting your Virtual Assistant business off the ground is a MAJOR accomplishment! If you already done so, congratulations and welcome to the ranks! And if you thinking about it or getting ready to take the leap, just DO it!
Once you’re up and running, you’ll want to focus your attention on making smart decisions and running an efficient, productive business. Today’s article offers three tips on how to grow a successful Virtual Assistant business: Continue Reading>>
An essential key to becoming a successful Virtual Assistant is having the right mindset. Understand that creating and maintaining this mindset will NOT happen overnight. It didn’t happen to me and it won’t happen to you. So don’t get frustrated with yourself. BUT, you can do this successfully if you start with the three steps I outline below:
1. Get Clear About Who You Are, Where You Are and Where You Want To Go
Having clarity about your strengths, weaknesses and goals is a key factor in becoming a successful business owner. If you are not clear on what you’re good at and what you’re not, you won’t know where to focus your attention and when to ask for help. This will keep you spinning your wheels and not making progress. If you have vague goals in mind (i.e., “I want to be successful”, “I want to become a millionaire”, etc.,), it will be difficult to outline specific steps towards accomplishing what you want. Invest the time and money in your personal and professional development, possibly even working with a coach, to discover who you really are, the REAL state of your business and how to lay out the path towards your success. Set your intention and follow the steps you have outlined for yourself to watch your dreams begin to come true. Continue Reading>>