Tag Archives: Online Business Manager

Imposter Syndrome and How to Overcome it as a Virtual Assistant

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I can’t actually do this”? Or, “People think I’m good enough, but if they only knew. It’s not that I’m qualified, I’ve just been lucky before and that’s why I appear successful.”

These are the lies that imposter syndrome tell us. And these lies keep us from taking that big step (like becoming a virtual assistant) and rob us of potential happiness (like the freedom of life a virtual assistant enjoys). But, once you recognize imposter syndrome in your life, you can work towards taking down that beast and living confidently as the treasure you are.

Putting a Name to the Monster

Isn’t it funny how just having a name for something instantly makes it less scary? Shout out to psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who came up with the term imposter syndrome in the 70s. At the time, Clance and Imes believed the feeling was a uniquely female experience. Of course, since then the psychological community realized men absolutely can feel imposter syndrome (but it is much more common in women than men).

Clance and Imes described it as that feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.”

This terrible sinking gut feeling is found in highly successful people who are motivated to achieve, but live in fear of being exposed as frauds.

Do you see the irony here? It’s those who should be the most confident that doubt themselves the most.

Imposter syndrome is often confused with a few other things, so let’s clear that up right now. Imposter syndrome is not humility (which is an accurate view saying your worth isn’t more than someone else). Imposter syndrome is a warped and false view of your “lack” of success and ability. You’re not failing to express your talents out of humbleness, but out of self-doubt. You believe your talents aren’t worth talking about (even though they are).

Imposter syndrome isn’t just being a realist (which involves a calculated hesitation to taking a chance by weighing the risks and benefits). Imposter syndrome is a paralyzing fear preventing you from acting, which undermines your own success because you’re convinced you can’t (even though you can).

Imposter syndrome rears its ugly head to keep you from being all you can be. It stops you from expressing initiative at work, pitching ideas, or even starting a new career. It’s like a bird who clips her own wings before she has a chance to fly because she’s falsely convinced she can’t.

Imposter Syndrome and Success

Remember, imposter syndrome occurs in highly successful people. Our brains have to reconcile the poor view of ourselves and our objective success, and it does so in two ways.

It tells us we just got lucky. It wasn’t our hard work, talent, and ambition that got us that success. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time (which, by the way, is why you shouldn’t take a chance now because your luck may run out).

Or, it tells us our success is overblown. Our hard work, talent, and ambition aren’t really that great. Other people make a way bigger deal than they should (and because of it, you should really feel like a fake and an imposter for believing you’re capable of achieving more).

Imposter syndrome is a terrible, agonizing feeling. And the worst part is we don’t (and shouldn’t) have to feel this way!

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Here’s the good news about imposter syndrome: you don’t have to live with it! It will take a bit of time and effort, but you can live a life free of imposter syndrome.

Recognize you’re not alone. Please, take comfort in the fact that you’re not the only one struggling here. Heck, even famous people like Maya Angelou, Kate Winslet, and Tina Fey all vocalize to the media that they deal with imposter syndrome. You’re definitely not the only one feelings these feelings right now. And there are plenty of people who came before you, took on the beast, and came out the other side victorious.
Don’t try to fix it with success. Sometimes people think the way to overcome imposter syndrome is to pursue more accomplishments. But, the underlying root of imposter syndrome is not being able to accurately internalize your own success and abilities. Simply piling on more success won’t do anything to make imposter syndrome go away.
Stop telling people in your life what you think they want to hear. Part of imposter syndrome is feeling like a fake. When you give the answers to your boss, co-workers, family members, etc. that you think they want to hear, you just add to feelings of being a phony.
Identify when you fall into the trap. If you start thinking imposter syndrome thoughts, take a moment to stop, recognize it, and then re-frame your perspective. Maybe you’re thinking “there’s no way I can become a virtual assistant. Who would hire me with my lack of experience? I know a business has so many people to choose from, and I simply can’t compete.” Take that thought and shift it to be more accurate, like “While I haven’t done a specific virtual assistant job before, I completed very similar work at my old job. I do have the writing and analytical skills needed to do this type of work. And with this course, I’m getting the job-specific information I need. I can do the work of a virtual assistant, and do it well.”
Read through others’ experiences. It’s important to not fall into the “I’m the only one feeling this way trap”- it leaves us feeling powerless and stuck. Read books like “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, which discusses common fears of women in the workplace. Or read these celebrity quotes on imposter syndrome.
Physically write your success. Make a list that you can re-read when you’re experiencing imposter syndrome thoughts. Include not only your success, but what you did to achieve them in order to combat any “it was just luck” false thinking.
Place yourself in positions of applying your expertise. By actively sharing and discussing what you know, you’ll be able to see that you know more than you give yourself credit for. Volunteer as a mentor to someone else in your industry (or even someone interested in your industry). Join industry-focused Facebook groups and answer questions and offer advice. You’ll quickly see that you know more than you realized.
Reach out to loved ones. It’s scary, but it’s important to share with others what you’re going through so they can be a support system. Try to find people in your life who feel the same way. It’s therapeutic to talk with others who understand from experience how it feels. Get one or two cheerleaders who can talk down your negative self-talk with reminders of your capabilities and successes.

Imposter syndrome is a terrible thing to feel, but it can get better! Know that you are capable, you are smart, and you can do this!

Until next time,

Jessica

You Need to Train Your Virtual Team

Most businesses provide company training to their in-house team members: explaining the details of company branding, ideal methods of communication, and the proper procedures for projects. Yet, most fail to provide this training to their virtual assistants.

Why?

Think about it. Businesses recognize the importance of articulating how things are done in the organization, which is why trainings in the corporate world can take weeks. Yet, few entrepreneurs provide this guidance to their online team.

Sure, virtual assistants can get by without this training. They’ve worked for a variety of clients and know how to handle the tasks you assign. But they aren’t mind readers-they don’t know how to handle the task in the preferred way of your business unless you show them.

Why You Should Provide Training

Yes, your time is stretched thin right now. That’s probably why you hired a virtual assistant in the first place! It’s easy to want to avoid organizing a system together, documenting processes, and explaining them to the VA. But think long term.

You’re limiting the growth of your business by failing to provide this training. Time is wasted as the virtual assistant reinvents the wheel and figures out how your business runs. Remember, they’re working with several clients and each one works differently. They’ll be able to figure your business out. But it will take more time than a bit of training would.

Training your virtual assistant will help you get the most out of your partnership, which helps your business run more efficiently.

What the Training Should Include

The training should cover everything your in-house team members get, and possibly more. Remember your virtual assistant isn’t in the office, so they aren’t being exposed to how the company functions on a day-to-day level. It’s harder to understand the company values, branding, etc. when you’re not experiencing them in person (which is why training online team members is so essential).

Articulate the method of communication within your business. Which avenues of communication are acceptable (email, phone calls, texting, Skype messenger, Facebook messenger, etc)? Are there appropriate contexts for these channels (for example, texting is acceptable only for after-hours communication dealing with a time sensitive project)? Is internal communication as formal as external communication, or can it be more conversational? Setting clear guidelines for communication helps avoid misunderstandings, over communicating, and under communicating. When communication runs smoothly, your business runs smoothly.

Describe the company brand. What words describe your company’s voice? What sets you apart from competitors? What company values are most important? Are there acronyms or abbreviations for your business name (and if so, when are they to be used)? When your virtual assistant understands the identity of your organization, it’s easier for him/her to create on-brand work (without resorting to trial and error).

Explain how file saving and sharing works. Are completed works to be sent by email, uploaded to a cloud service like Dropbox, or both? Should images be saved as a JPEG or PNG? When are documents saved as a PDF?

Go over the proper procedures for each project. Remember, the virtual assistant is working with several clients and each one has their own set of preferences and procedures, as does your virtual assistant. A broad term like social media management can mean anything from creating a few posts a month to creating a thorough multi-page digital marketing strategy. Start by describing clearly the end result and time commitment for the project. Discuss the steps along the way (and any checkpoints where you’ll touch base). Explain any particular methods you want them to use, especially if there are particular ways of doing things that may not be universal. Describe what needs to be documented, what needs to be sent to you or another team member, what needs to be saved and where, etc. It’s important for the virtual assistant to understand how and why your company approaches projects in these ways, so be sure to allow them to ask any questions. You want to be on the same page just like you would be after training an in-house team member.

Providing your virtual assistant training like you do with in-house team members is important to the success of your business. You’re setting up the team member for success, helping make their work more efficient and productive. It does take time, but in the long run providing this training saves more time than it takes.

If you’re ready to expand your virtual assistant team, consider Alpine Small Business Solutions! We’d love to help with any business building task you need, from administrative work to social media management. Reach out with an email or phone call today.

How to Maximize Your Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant can be a lifesaver. He or she can help you grow your business by tackling tasks you don’t have the time, energy, or experience for. Does it get any better?

Yes, it can! Don’t just use a virtual assistant. Maximize your virtual assistant. Make an already productive part of your business even more productive with these tips.

Find the best tasks to delegate. Using a virtual assistant is like using a jack of all trades. Any task you can imagine, they can handle. Choosing the best tasks to pass on, however, can make your work with a virtual assistant more efficient. The ideal task is one you and your team lack the time/energy/experience for that the virtual assistant has the competence for. Usually these fall under the realm of administrative tasks (like scheduling or addressing envelopes). But don’t underestimate the value of using a virtual assistant to handle social media, blog writing, and other aspects of digital marketing. If they bring experience in that industry, they can really help your business grow. You can use our delegator worksheet to find the best tasks to delegate to your virtual assistant.

Ruthlessly evaluate the necessity of the task. Once you think you’ve got a task to pass on, examine it. As Timothy Ferris, author of The 4 Hour Workweek says, “never automate something that can be eliminated, and never delegate something that can be automated or streamlined.” Is this task crucial to your business or can you eliminate it? If it’s crucial, can you automate it? You don’t want to waste money on tasks that don’t need to be done, or don’t need to be done by a virtual assistant. If it’s vital and cannot be automated, then you can assign it to a virtual assistant.

Make the process efficient before delegating it. Examine the process used for the task. Are there any unnecessary steps you can remove? Is there any way to make the task less time consuming? Can you batch tasks to make the process more productive? The more efficient the process, the less money it will cost you for the virtual assistant to accomplish it.

Organize relevant information into one place. Make a document with all the passwords, step-by-step instruction, and provide an example if possible. The virtual assistant won’t need to waste time searching through multiple file locations, and you won’t need to spend time explaining the details of the steps. And when you have a VA do these tasks for you. Have them write the steps and document as well. Having a little handbook of how-to do your business. Then if you ever need someone else to pick something up, there is already documentation on how it is done.

Make sure one other person can handle the task. Someone else, either another virtual assistant or a team member, should know how to complete the task. Remember that how-to manual you are creating? In the event the virtual assistant gets sick, you’ll be able to re-assign the task. That way your business process doesn’t get derailed since you can quickly readjust the assignment.

Use the right tools. Communication tools, document sharing tools, and project management tools can make a huge difference in productivity and time management. Check out our post on the tools. Find something that you like and will use to help increase your productivity. There are lots of great tools out there, but the best is the one that you will consistently use.

A virtual assistant is a great asset for your business. If you’re ready to expand your team, reach out to Alpine Small Business Solutions today! We’d love to help with any aspect of business building, just give us a call or send us an email.

Harness the Power of Delegation! 9 Tips for Delegation That Makes Your Life Easier

Delegation is a word that can strike fear into the hearts of managers (especially Type-A “I can do it all” managers).

But here’s the problem.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. And yes, you’ve probably heard that cliché phrase. But it’s true. If you’re not delegating, you’re hurting your business.

By not delegating, you’re wasting time on simple tasks instead of running your business. By not delegating, you’re wasting your team member’s potential to learn or master skills. By not delegating, you’re not leading to your full potential.

Yes, it’s scary to hand over the reins to someone else. But it can turn out great when you understand when and how to delegate effectively.

When Should I Delegate?

The task does not need you. Take a page from Facebook’s team strategy: done is better than perfect. If someone else can do it 80% as well, delegate. To find tasks, do a time audit for a week. You’ll see how you’re spending time (and which simple tasks are draining your time). Delegate anything that can be handled well by another team member.
The task does not need you in the future. Delegation is best viewed as a long-term strategy. Examine your time audit for often repeated tasks and identify ones you can train someone else to handle. Sure, the first time it’ll take longer training and delegating than doing it yourself. But in the long term it is more efficient to pass it on.
The task is better accomplished by someone else. Some tasks are better suited for another team member. Maybe they offer more experience, insight, or skills. Or maybe they can provide a fresh perspective that you can’t. The more you understand your team, the more you’ll be able to identify which tasks they can handle better than you. It’s a bit humbling, but also liberating to realize not everything is best done by you.

Once you’ve decided to delegate a task, there are techniques to better delegation. Check out these tips to harness the power of delegation.

Before You Approach the Team Member

Define the ideal scenario. What should the end result look like? What should the team member gain from the delegation (are they learning/mastering a task or simply getting a task done to move the business forward)? How much involvement should you maintain?
Create a timeline. Know when the task absolutely must be completed, and set the deadline before it. You’ll want a little breathing room, just in case time is lost redirecting the team member or correcting mistakes.
Select the best suited person. The person needs the motivation, resources, knowledge, and experience to complete the task. He/she should be set up well for success.

When You Approach the Team member

Articulate what results and timeline you expect. It takes less time to be clear upfront than for the team member to attempt, realize they don’t understand, then come back and ask questions. Encourage him/her to ask any clarifying questions.
If possible, tie the task to a company goal or value. It’ll make it easier for someone to push through mind numbing tasks if they know the why behind it.

While the Task Is Being Accomplished

Provide checkpoints during bigger projects. Monitor the progress to ensure the team member is on track. Check in at various points and provide opportunity for the team member to ask questions and receive guidance.
Avoid micromanaging. If you spend as much time checking in as you would’ve doing the task, you’re not saving time (and likely stressing out your team member). Give the team member the information and support, then step back and leave them be.

After the Task Is Done

Don’t get frustrated if it took longer than you would’ve. Remember, delegation is a long-term strategy. Your team member developed new skills. You were able to spend time on other more pressing tasks. It’s still a win-win.
Always give feedback. Don’t just take the finished project and move on to assigning the next one. Show you appreciate the team member’s work. Praise what they did well. If necessary, offer guidance on what they should’ve done different (which will save time if there’s a similar task in the future).

Delegation is a great resource for business managers. But delegation isn’t only an option in-house. You can delegate some tasks to a virtual assistant. Data entry tasks, for example, can be outsourced to free up your team members’ time. Consider using Alpine Small Business Solutions for your small business needs, from administrative tasks to assistance with short-term projects. Just send us an email or give us a call today!

3 Step Recipe to Building a Kick Ass Team That Matches your Core Values

Think of your ideal virtual business like a delicious brownie. You’ll need the right amount of different but complementary ingredients like flour and chocolate. These are the positions and skill sets of your employees. You’ll need the right cooking process, like the stirring and heating; these are the actions taken by you and your employees. And you’ll need a good recipe to guide you to the end result; this is an articulation of your core values for your organization to uphold. When the ingredients and process match the recipe, you get a delectable brownie. When your employees and their actions match your values, you get team authenticity and trust.

Why is cohesion of core values so important? First imagine what happens when conflicting values are at play. Employees who value efficiency over relationship building won’t engage authentically when a boss encourages small talk among the team. A company that values timeliness will encounter conflict with an employee who sees deadlines as suggestions. Employees utilizing different values when handling customer service issues will undermine company consistency, which will negatively impacts the company brand.

These issues can become even more common and even more impactful with a virtual team, which by its nature works apart as much as it works together. While employees collaborate on projects, the majority of the work and communication occurs online. A need for consistency and cohesion is stronger when employees are scattered across the earth.

Now imagine what happens when employees are in sync with the organization’s values. Everything becomes easier! There’s no conflict over clashing values. Employees all prioritize the same values when making decisions, creating cohesion and unity among the team. The common understanding of the organization’s values helps build a consistent brand. The end result? The delicious brownie.

So how do you get this delicious brownie? You need a recipe, the ingredients, and the process.

Step 1: Articulate Your Core Values

This is the writing the recipe stage, where you’re figuring out what you want the end result to look like. Explicitly stating the core values is the guiding direction to the authenticity and trust in a team, just like writing baking steps is the guiding direction to a delectable brownie.

For some inspiration, check out these core values from big organizations.

Starbucks “Contribute positively to our communities and our environment”
Procter and Gamble “We have a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo”
Quicken Loans “Responding with a sense of urgency is the ante to play”
Wells Fargo “Exceed the expectations of internal and external customers-surprise and delight them”
Zappos “Embrace and drive change”
Google “It’s best to do one thing really really well”

Step 2: Find Team Members With Those Core Values

This is the ingredient gathering stage. Hire individuals who embody your core values. Granted it’s tough to know from an interview whether someone holds the same values. But there are some ways to find out. Question their references and ask for specific examples of values at play. In the interview ask the individual to articulate their top three values. Describe a scenario where values are at play, and see which the interviewee prioritizes.

Step 3: Establish and Reinforce Those Core Values

This is the stirring, mixing, pouring, and heating of the brownie batter stage. Here are several steps you can take to reinforce values in your organization:

Articulate in writing the organization’s core values and distribute to employees. Write out the top values and provide examples of them at play. If your company values time with family, for example, write out how employees should not hesitate requesting a day off to care for sick child.
Model the values you want your employees to adopt. Be sure to showcase through your own actions the core values. Whenever possible, explain the thought process behind your decisions. For example, saying reliability is a key aspect of our customer service so disciplinary action will be in place if too many deadlines are missed.
Be intentional with communication. When we lose nonverbals (like tone and posture) in online communication, we attribute more meaning to the nonverbals we are left with (like emoticons, punctuation, and phrasing). If you want to create a more relaxed atmosphere, throw in smiley faces to the emails. If you want a more professional atmosphere, keep conversation concise and formal. Let these expectations be known.
Focus on the process, not just the results. Bosses who narrowly focus on results don’t care how it gets done, just that it does get done. Employees internalize this mentality and will often lose sight of company values (learning and improving one’s work, positive collaboration with team members, etc.) while they work for the results. As much as possible, reinforce values in your employees’ process.
Praise examples of employees’ modeling the values. If you value timeliness and an employee consistently turns in work on or before the deadline, reference this work ethic in an employee of the month dedication or a “gold star” email.

A virtual team is a great opportunity to run a business with more efficiency and employee freedom, but it does come with challenges. We can enable you to tackle those hurdles through our many services, from online business management strategy and implementation to administrative services. Give a call or shoot us an email today!

What You Need to Know 5 Differences Between a General and a Technical Virtual Assistant

Looking for a lifesaver in building your business? A virtual assistant is the answer, with their ability to help you achieve work life balance and the variety of ways they can help grow your business. Virtual assistants perform tasks business managers do not want to do or should not be focusing their efforts on (like handling customer service inquiries), lack time for (like email marketing), or are not as knowledgeable in (like social media). A virtual assistant costs less than hiring an in-person employee given they do not come with employee related expenses (like paid vacation or insurance) or require you to provide and office and supplies.

Virtual assistants are a great solution to your business building needs, but before you hire one it’s important to understand the difference between the two prominent types: a general virtual assistant and a technical virtual assistant.

Traditional Office Job Comparison

Think of a general VA as the traditional secretary, receptionist, and assistant position. This is the one who the office would die without, who knows where everything is an how it all works.

A technical virtual assistant is more like the IT staff, graphic design team, and marketing team. They have more specialize skills.

Typical Tasks

A general VA is a jack of all trades, offering a range of services. They can be assigned nearly anything (including tasks assigned to technical VAs), but typically include projects like bookkeeping, scheduling meetings and travel, billing and accounting, handling customer questions and concerns, database entry and building, document proofreading, and organizational tasks like file uploading and storage.

A technical VA is more of a specialized worker, offering a narrow selection of services with more experience in each arena. They often, but not always, received training or certification in a given area (like SEO optimization). Their tasks can include website creation and management, social media management, email marketing, graphic design, and hardware and software issues.

Number of Assistants Hired

Generally, an office will hire one or two general VAs to handle the administrative tasks.

Larger organizations may hire multiple technical VAs, such as a web developer, a social media manager, and a graphic designer.

Responsibilities

A general VA focuses more on internal business aspects, ensuring the company runs smoothly by completing day to day administrative tasks.

A technical VA focuses more on external business aspects, ensuring the company is portrayed in a positive way to the target audience by completing marketing tasks.

Compensation

The compensation for a general VA as opposed to a technical VA varies depending on the rates set by the individual or the VA firm. Usually, a technical VA sets a higher rate given they offer more specialization, training, and experience.

How to Decide

Smaller businesses just starting out with a VA can benefit from a general VA, since they offer a breadth of service options. As the company grows, you can add on a technical VA to handle more specialized tasks.

There are some virtual assistants that offer a mix of this, or have a team that they work to help you’re your needs. While it may seem hard to justify the high upfront cost of adding a virtual assistant, keep in mind virtual assistants are a better bargain than an in-person employee and they free you up to focus business building tasks (like developing a new product instead of spending hours going through emails). VAs allow you to be more efficient with your time and money, making them a solid investment in growing your organization.

Ready to hire a VA? Contact Alpine Small Business Solutions today. Our experienced team of VAs are ready to help you expand your business.

5 Free Tools to Build Your Virtual Team

When you manage a virtual team, the Internet is your lifeblood. Communication, collaboration, and completing projects all happens (at least in some part) online. Fortunately, there’s an online tool to assist you at every stage of work. Here are our favorite tools for building your virtual team.

Communication

Skype: You need to talk to your team, from going over project details to bouncing off ideas. Skype offers text, audio, or video communication for one-on-one or group conversations. You can tailor your communication to your team’s needs (oh and you can even send files!) Team members can download Skype for their computers, tablets, and/or mobile phones.

Project Management

Asana. Asana is great for organizing collaborative projects. Members can make a project, then create and assign tasks in a to-do list format. Tasks can be delegated to one or more team member and can include deadlines, descriptions, and files. Tasks can also repeat (for example, social media engagement twice a week for a certain client). Team members can also view only the tasks assigned to them. It’s a great way to keep track of the many tasks your team needs to complete. The free version allows unlimited projects and tasks for 15 team members. Need even more? Of course, they have an option for that.
Trello is a great visual tool for managing the steps within projects. It’s like a virtual board where you create columns (like “to do this week” or “blog ideas”). You add cards in each column, which you can easily move around. Labels, due dates, attachments, checklists, and other team members can be added to the cards. The free website and app allows for an unlimited number of boards, cards, and teams.

Document Sharing

Google Drive. Google Drive is so easy to use. Documents are autosaved and stored in a cloud. You can grant access to members of your team for different documents, and they can make edits directly into the document (and these edits can be viewed by everyone). No more downloading, uploading, and trying to remember which version is the most recent. You can easily organize documents into folders, and the free version provides 15 GB of storage.
Dropbox has several different levels of options from free accounts to business models depending on the size you need. There are easy sharing links available and you can make folders public or private. It is a great way to store all those files that are too big to put anywhere else.

Scheduling

Trying to schedule a meeting can be a head ache. You send out an email with times
you’re available, get back five lists of times, and spend minutes trying to find the overlap. Doodle allows you to make a checklist of dates and times you’re available. Each team then clicks the bubble of times they’re free. At a glance, you can see which time slot fits every team member. Scheduling can now take seconds.

These five tools are a great starting point to growing your business while on a budget. But there are many more you should be taking advantage of! Check out my guide “32 Free Business Tools to Elevate and Grow Your Business When on a Budget” for a more extensive look at the tools you should be using.

As your team grows and your needs change, there are many paid apps that are wonderful additions to your business as well. Make sure you are forward-thinking and find tools that can grow with you.

Looking to grow your virtual team? Reach out to Alpine Small Business Solutions! We’d love to help with any aspect of business building, from administrative tasks to social media management. Give us a call or shoot us an email today.

Six Easy Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

First you might ask what a virtual assistant is. Well let me enlighten you, a virtual assistant provides services to individuals, organizations, or companies, but he or she works online and remotely instead of going into an office. It allows you to live life on your terms. May entrepreneurs have realized the growing demand for a virtual assistant. You are able to set your own hours, goals, and priorities. You have flexible hours which truly is great when “life happens.” You have no commute, well aside from getting your coffee and walking down the hall to your office. You determine who you work with, and you get to meet and interact with some incredible people as you develop their business and client base. I could go on and on about the incredible perks of being a virtual assistant. But how do you become one? Let me share our Six Easy Steps with you.

Plan Your Business

This is the basic first step to making yourself a legitimate business. You need to know if you are going to be a sole-proprietor or an LLC, or something else. Most virtual assistants run an LLC. You need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row for your accounting and banking and have the general setup for legal requirements in your area. Go do the research. Develop your business plan and model. Get your business license and start diving in.

Decide What to Charge

This is likely the first question anyone is going to ask you. This is a very personal step that you have to be confidant in and fair. You are running the business and you are in charge. Don’t be ashamed or apologetic about people paying you to provide your services. You can charge by the hour, by the project, or have retained rates or even a combination of them.

Define Your Services and Keep Learning

You have to know what you are going to sell. What are you good at and what do you have to offer people. Once you know what your business is there for, you can learn more and expand your services. I cannot tell you how important it is that you keep learning and stay on top of new developments not only in your industry but with new technology and ways to work. If you keep your skills up to date then you’ll have a more varied ad valuable skill set and will be worth more money. Plus, there is always something to learn and keep learning within the virtual assistant world.

Get a Website

This is a no-brainer. In a world that revolves around technology and as a virtual assistant people need to be able to find you. This allows you to display yourself in a professional appearance, and gives you a chance to highlight your skills and an opportunity to display yourself in a more professional appearance.

Get Involved in Social Media

Social media is a common task you will likely be asked to help with or a service you want to offer. Join the groups, get in the conversations. There are some great virtual assistant groups out there to get to know. You can check out mine as well- Hell Yes Biz. As a virtual assistant you should submerge yourself in the latest trends of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Periscope, YouTube, Instagram, Blab, Google +, and so many more. Relationships are key, being involved in social media with your peers is one of the best ways to find clients and network.

Work for a VA Service

You need experience. If you are just getting started it can be tough trying to find clients, but consider working for a company that matches VA’s with clients. This is proven to be helpful again when you are just starting out and have not established your cliental base quiet yet. This can also go with working along with other VA’s. Checking out their website, seeing what they offer and get an idea of how it might work for you. Remember those groups you joined, make sure you connect with people in there. They may have some great recommendations for you.

Summary

Figure out what you are good at and what you enjoy. Notice how I said good, and not best at. The important thing is you have skills that your clients need and are willing to pay for, don’t doubt yourself. Becoming a VA allows you so much freedom and flexibility within your day to day life, who you work with, what you day looks like, when you are available when you are not. I love what I do. Make sure you do too! For more information or help getting started contact me today!

3 Tools for Virtual Assistant’s to Send a Contract

Isn’t it exciting?! Whether it is your first or 100^th client it always feels good to get that relationship started. You know you sealed the deal when that contract is signed.

Although a contract won’t always prevent a client from reneging on your agreement, it definitely helps to prevent any confusion as to what you have been hired to do. This not only helps cover you but it also protects them. This can be anything from timeframes, your payment agreements, what your fee does and does not include as well as defining confidentiality. Having a contract is a concrete way for you, or your client, to review the original agreements if there is ever a misunderstanding or need for clarification.

So how do you have someone sign something if they are thousand miles away? What if you need it in a timely manner? There are several great tools out there to send contracts. Here are a couple that we would recommend.

E-Signature

E-Signature is an easy-to-use tool that brings a multitude of benefits to businesses and consumers. This software enables users to fill out and sign documents online, from your home, office, or using any web browser. This saves time, helps with the efficiency, limits the paper trail, saves your money and hassle on postage, and protects security and privacy, and so many other benefits. This can be anything from a contract, non-disclosure agreements, employment applications, forms, to dozens of other business documents. It is a simple upload and send to your new client.

Hello Sign

HelloSign allows you to sign documents, request signatures from up to 20 different people, and once the document is fully executed, everyone gets a copy delivered to their inbox. This is one of the best if you need multiple people in different locations to sign. You are able to see and track your document progress with status notifications that keep you in the loop. They have a team management tool that allows you to add professional touches such as branding, a logo, taglines and so much more. To keep documents safe, secure, and private, they use SSL encryption during the transit. So there is nothing to worry about except how to knock the socks off your new clients.

Right Signature

right-signature Right Signature enables you to close more deals in less time, reduce paper and in expenses, avoid fax (who faxes anymore!) hassles, cut cycle time from weeks to just a few hours. This allows you to create a robust digital professional document. With its easy-to-use design, it allows you to fill out the form and sign with a handwritten mouse signature, mobile signature, self-service documents, reusable templates and much more.

You can see that the main idea between all of these services really is the same. You can see which one fits your needs best. These are just a few of many tools you should implement to your business for your protection as well as your clients. Not only does it make you look professional, but the contract is a key to your safety as a new business owner. These resources allow you to send your contracts or terms and conditions to clients all around the world, so set your sights high. When you take your business seriously others will as well.

Onboarding your First Virtual Assistant Client

Congratulations on landing that first client! Now what do you do with her? Good question. It is smart for a virtual assistant to have a systematic approach to how he or she handles clients. Make sure you have everything set up in a way you feel comfortable and can explain the process to a new client who may be working with a virtual assistant for the first time.

Get to know your client. I have a profile sheet that I have all my clients fill out. It helps me get to know what they like, how they communicate, and all the details I need to do my job. I need to really know their business. This profile sheet helps me get to know clients business, how to access their account (passwords and login info sheet)

Assess the client’s assets. One of the most critical parts of your onboarding process is assessing your new clients existing campaigns. You’ll be able to get a good understating of what they do and do not have in place. The more prospects you work with, the more you’ll realize every client is different. Despite if they are in the same area of work, each one is at a different point in their maturity continuum, and they each have a wide range of assets to work with. You will want to make sure you have ALL access necessary to review their assets. This gives you a great chance to test those passwords and access. Organization is going to be key, but making a list of everything you find, both positive and negative will lead to opportunities for improvement (think upsells in the future). When you are able to review your findings, look for opportunities to position yourself as an expert.

Schedule a kick-off call. This could be a great platform for you to give a good first impression. It is important for you and your team to come across as experts and confident. You want your clients do feel confident not only with you but with the team as well. This call is a great time to review whatever package or service they have purchased now that you have had a chance to really dive in to their assets. Make sure you have any clarifying questions answered and information available. Tell the client what to expect from you and what you expect from her.

Get to work. Usually now is when you can really start to dive in and show your client how awesome you are. Here is where I will remind you to under promise and over deliver. Do not over extend yourself, and deliver on what you promise.

Check in call. Working remotely can make a relationship a little harder to develop. This just means you have to put effort in to making sure the client is happy and loving what you do. This call is designed to be a one-on-one conversation between you as the VA and the primary decision maker. You want to make sure you are able to talk too and are comfortable and have established with the person who is cutting the checks. Schedule this call with the purpose to gather feedback on the engagement and relationship thus far. Make sure you stay connected.

Business is human. People want to do business with people. Having a system in place will give you confidence, knowing you have a strong foundation supporting you; this will help put your clients at ease and make them more comfortable. Remember, by setting aside time to work on your business and create documented systems and processes, you are not only improving your business, but you are growing and importing as a service provider.