Virtual Gal Friday's
Virtual Assistant Start Up Guide
Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant!
The Practical, No-Nonsense Approach with
Common Sense Advice You Can Use
By Nancy Brown
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Nancy Brown
Copyright and Legal Notices
© 2007 thru Current Date - by Nancy A. Brown at Smashwords, All Rights Reserved worldwide under the Berne Convention. May not be copied or distributed without prior written permission -- if you have this book, in electronic form, and didn't pay for it, you are depriving the author and publisher of their rightful royalties.
For permissions, contact info@virtualgalfriday.net
Legal Notices
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication and accompanying materials, neither the author nor the publisher assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretations of the subject matter herein. The information contained in this publication is strictly for educational purposes and is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. The publisher wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying state and/or local laws or regulations. All users are advised to consult with counsel to determine what state and/or local laws or regulations may apply to the user’s particular business.
The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, both federal and state and local, governing professionals licensing, business practices, advertising, and all other aspects of doing business in the United States or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or reader. The Author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials. Any perceived slights of specific people, or organizations are unintentional.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
****
Dedication
This book is dedicated to those who have supported me while I built my business.
First to my husband, Larry, and my children Anthony and Alyssa, without you all of my business accomplishments would be nothing.
To my past and current clients, who I have learned so much, working with each of you I was able to develop my skills that allowed me to build my business to the level of success I have reached today.
To my fellow Virtual Assistants, the small handful that created the path for me to follow and those who came after me who were the inspiration for this book
The Back Story
My story is not much different from those of other Virtual Assistants. The reason I started my business, Virtual Gal Friday, is because I wanted to be home for my children. I was tired of the lengthy commute, and tired of the office politics.
After temping as an administrative assistant and secretary most of the 90’s, I knew there had to be an easier way. Once I realized how much the agencies were actually charging and what I was being paid, I knew I had to go out on my own and leave out the middle man!
When I decided to start my business, the thought in my mind was to start a Secretarial Service; I had not yet run into the term “Virtual Assistant”. Once I started my research, I found an article posted by Liz Folger of BizyMoms.com and she used the term. After I read her article, I knew she was talking about me and my new business! This was just the beginning of the fledgling VA industry.
It took a couple of years working at night and on weekends to build my business to the level that I could quit my day job and work at it full time. Virtual Gal Friday was operating full time in 1998.
Since then a lot of things have happened. My 2 kids are now both in college! And the VA Industry (and my business) has grown leaps and bounds. Thanks in part to all the great businesses that partnered with myself or other VA’s to really promote the benefits of working with a Virtual Assistant. We can’t forget the growth in technology – now with ‘working in the cloud’ anyone can be Virtual!
Table Of Contents
Do
you have the necessary skills and experience?
Working
Virtually
Workspace
Set Up
Tools
You Need to Get Started
Type
of Business
Building
a Business Plan
Selecting
a Business Name
Daily
Operations
Policies
and Procedures
Emergency
Plan
Time
Management
Timing
Your Work
Invoicing
Develop
a Plan
Press
Releases
Brochures
Business
Cards
Obtaining
Clients
Website
Basics + Using Wordpress
Chapter 6: Client Relationships
Code
of Ethics
Mission
Statements
Client
Assessments
Chapter 1
*Getting Started*
-
Do you have the necessary skills and experience?
- Working
Virtually
- Workspace Set Up
- Tools You Need to Get Started
Important Characteristics Every Entrepreneur Must Have
There are several important traits and values that are common among successful entrepreneurs. Before starting your virtual assistant business decide if you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, and a successful virtual assistant!
Self Confidence – Success in the highly competitive business world requires confidence and trust in oneself. The world of entrepreneurship is not alien to failure and disappointments. You must have the ability to look within yourself and find the drive to pursue your business goals in this aggressive world. Trust your skills and abilities to push your business to success.
Are You a Risk-Taker? –Trust your instincts and act on them, use that self-confidence of yours and take a chance! Great business ideas sometimes start as an instinct which creative individuals acted upon. There is always the risk of loss in any endeavor, and entrepreneurs have just the right confidence to take calculated risks to achieve their objective.
When I started my own business, Virtual Gal Friday, I was definitely taking risk. The day I quit my full time job and started my business was scary and wonderful at the same time! objective.
Know the Value of Money and Be Careful About Finances – You must understand the value of money and the cost of things. Typically, successful entrepreneurs learned how to earn and value money at a young age. Most of them started out by earning loose change as teenagers mowing lawns, doing groceries, babysitting for neighbors, etc.
When I was a teenager I babysat for extra money. My Mom also had a daycare center in our home, and I was able to see how a small business was managed from a very young age. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my Mom was an entrepreneur herself!
Competitive Spirit – The world of business is a very competitive environment. You should be aggressive enough to pursue your goals despite having many rivals and competitors.
The Virtual Assistant industry is highly competitive, but there always seems to be enough clients and work to go around. Don’t be discouraged if a potential client chooses another Virtual Assistant, just push forward and get the next one!
Being honorable with a Good Work Ethic – Although it is a fact that the business world is ruthless; the successful entrepreneur will strive to make every business deal honorable. The mark of a successful entrepreneur lies in a good personal work ethic that ultimately leads to good business practices, excellent reputation and good association with industry peers and business partners.
It’s important to have clearly defined Ethic & Mission Statements, see that section in the book for more details.
Know the Importance of Leisure Time – Hard work and determination are very important values every entrepreneur must have. You should also know when it’s time to take a step back from all the rigors of business and enjoy some downtime with friends and family. Besides, we all do need a little relaxation to refresh the body and mind before plunging back into the challenging (and stressful) world of business.
Obviously, the characteristics every entrepreneur must have are not limited to the ones in our list. Having these characteristics is not a guarantee that you will be successful; however, they will give you the right ingredients for success.
Do you have what it takes to be a successful virtual assistant?
Starting Your Business
Making the decision to start a virtual assistant business can be exciting, but this is also a serious step that requires much dedication and hard work. Plan on working very long days during start up, this includes weekends and holidays. Make sure you have the flexibility, commitment and skills/experience to support these working hours.
There are awesome rewards that come from working for yourself and from your own office: no long drives to and from the office, set your own hours, independence, and the fulfillment of managing your own business.
From Virtual Gal Friday:
When I started my business, not only did I love working from home; but it allowed me to start homeschooling my two children. That’s a priceless reward!
Do you have the necessary skills and experience?
Before starting a virtual assistant business you should assess your skills and experience. Having a computer in your home office is helpful, but if you do not know how to utilize your word processing software or put together basic documents you will have a long road ahead of you.
Elance.com offers skills testing. Take the following tests to assess your skills and you will know where your strengths and weaknesses are and this will give you a base to build upon. You do have to sign up as a member to take the tests, signing up is free.
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Computer Skills
• MS Excel
• MS Word
• MS Outlook
• Telephone Etiquette
• Office Skills
• Test Your Typing Speed at: TypingtTest.com
The more administrative skills you have, the more prepared you will be for a virtual assistant business.
After assessing your skills consider taking take some online courses to gain the administrative skills that you need before proceeding with your business venture. Universal Class (http://www.universalclass.com) is a great place to start.
Never take on a project from a client that you do not have the skills to complete. This will hurt you, your business, and most importantly your client.
Is this for you?
Running a virtual assistant business requires self-discipline, determination, focus, perseverance, and hard work. You must also consider that you will be spending a great deal of time on your own and may sometimes feel isolated. There are many virtual assistant and home business message boards and online networking groups that will help.
Here is a list of the boards, forums, and groups that I recommend:
• VA Networking - http://yep.it/vginside
• Virtual Assistant Ville - http://bit.ly/qVyvmp
• International Virtual Assistant Association – IVAA.org
• Hire My Mom - http://bit.ly/o5USI2
• Home Biz Working Mom -
• LinkedIn Groups: You need to be signed up on LinkedIn to join these groups. There are many groups not listed here, you can search groups in LinkedIn to find more that will fit your needs.
• American Virtual Assistant Association
• National Association of Virtual Assistants for Coaches
• Virtual Assistant Group
• Creative Online Entrepreneurs
• Executive Secretary Magazine
• Virtual Assistant Tips & Tricks
Working Virtually
Virtual Assistants are able to work with clients located all over the world and should always consider their client's time zones and try to accommodate them. Timeanddate.com will help you keep everything timed correctly. This is especially great when managing your client's calendars and scheduling teleseminars.