There are many steps when starting a business. It can be overwhelming and scary at first. But you know that you want to start out on the right, legal foot. Some new virtual assistants start out not taking their business serious. If you want to be looked at as reputable, you have to walk the walk.
Every business, big or small, home based or not needs some form of business license to be authentic. You will also want to make sure you set up a business bank account and keep your finances separate. Rules and regulations vary depending on individual state laws, so make sure you research your area. It is very important you are clean on the type of business you have, or the one you hope to build in the future. This will help determine a lot of the legal steps you’ll need to peruse, since there are different types of license and permits. The Small Business Administration is a great resource to help build your business plan. Then you can start to implement those business plans.
So let’s start with the basics. Most virtual assistants operate their business as a sole proprietor or and LLC.
What is the difference between an LLC and a Sole Proprietorship?
As a business owner you will need to determine which way you want to drive your business. In a sole proprietorship the owner is personally responsible for business debts. If the assets of the sole proprietorship or partnership cannot satisfy the debt, creditors can go after the owner’s personal bank account, house, etc., to make up the difference.
By contrast, if an LLC runs out of funds, or is in other legal trouble, the owners are usually held liable. As an LLC owner, you are mainly putting your financial contribution to your LLC, not your other personal assets, on the line. However, as an LLC owner, you may still be personally liable for your own conduct or LLC loans in some cases. You will want to make sure you fully research how these different set ups can impact your personal financial needs.
Taxes
This is a huge portion of what you need to remember if being a virtual assistant or contractor is new to you. Taxes and business expenses are some of the “perks” that come with being the boss. Make sure you are saving and planning on a percentage of your earnings going to taxes. You will also want to make sure you look at all your business expenses, such as printer ink, website hosting, business cards, telephone cost, internet cost, etc., and keep records of them all. You may want to consult with your accountant on any procedures you are unsure of.
There are other business structures that may be a better fit, but these are the typical two that new virtual assistants start out with. Remember to reach out to your community, mentors, and support people to ask any questions.
There are several monotonous and tedious steps you will need to complete before starting your business that are important for the growth and wellbeing of your business, but revel and enjoy this planning time. Following your dreams and chasing a goal are exciting and rewarding ventures. You get to make your business what you want it to be. Enjoy the ride.
Eggs are one of the best 
Fatty fishes are excellent for promoting productivity! Salmon, however, is the best of them all. Salmon has high omega-3 fatty acids content, which is useful for improving memory and mental performance. These fatty acids can help depression and fatigue, which can both inhibit productivity immensely. Fish has also been proven to improve concentration and your overall mood. Other fatty fish include trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, pilchards, and kipper. Although eating freshly prepared fish is the best method, a fish oil supplement can be taken to achieve a similar result.
Avocados are a natural stimulant for promoting blood flow. Consistent blood flow through your heart and brain fires up your brain cells. This is another healthy, fiber packed fat that improves your overall focus. The best part? There’s so many delicious ways to prepare an avocado but their buttery flavor is amazing on their own!
Green tea is a natural energy enhancer and it comes without the negative side effects of other energy sources, such as the caffeine crash you get from coffee or energy drinks. However, the best (and more delicious) way to consume green tea is Matcha. Matcha is unique because it’s the entire leaf ground into a fine powder then made into a creamy tea, whereas other teas the leaves are steeped in hot water. By consuming the leaf as a whole, it provides fiber and polyphenols, a family of powerful antioxidants. It’s also a lot tastier—green tea ice cream is made from Matcha and if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.
Finally, water. Now I know this isn’t a food, but it is important to mention that the amount of water intake significantly influences your health and productivity. Our body is made up of over 70% water and throughout the day, the water in our body slowly depletes. If you don’t drink enough water to replenish the lost liquid, your brain and other functions suffer the consequences. By devoting the energy to ensure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day will give your brain the fuel it needs to be more focused and think more clearly.
This seems like a no-brainer but as a small business owner, it’s easy to put the equipment aside, forget about it and worry about all the other things on your to-do list. Then when push comes to shove, you set up last minute only to find out– %$#@! Technical difficulties! Please get your video, microphone, and programs all set-up well in advance and practice using them with friends and coworkers! That way if you come across any issues you can call over your techie friends to help you set it up and you’ll know how everything works before the big day comes. It is best to make sure you are super confident in the 
Let’s face it, you’re not a jack of all trades, and you are definitely not a designer! Designing and digital marketing are really in-depth processes, and when they are done right, it is very successful! Leave this to the pros to help 
Different States, Countries, and Time zones – Oh my! The number of guests you will be interviewing during your summit may be shocking. Four to Five speakers will not suffice. Expect to be interviewing around 25-30 people in your industry. Trying to 
Unlike podcasts, a virtual summit requires a webcam. High quality helps to engage and keep your viewers interested. While most laptops, desktops and phones do have a webcam built in, they are usually not the best quality. Some smart phones do have a great camera, but lack in microphone quality. Besides, it’s much easier to manage broadcasting when you have a set-up at your computer station. Trying to do it all mobile proves to be a challenge.
Webcams almost always come with a built-in microphone, but again the quality will never be as good than if you invest in a separate USB microphone. A microphone is just as important as your video; what good is a virtual summit if nobody can understand a word you are saying? You do not need to dive into professional recording equipment for this. Just look for a microphone that is recommended for podcasts and gaming with noise cancellation.
It doesn’t matter what video editing software you use. It is up to you to use whatever tool you feel most comfortable working in. There are complex video editing software costs hundreds of dollars, but there are many free options as well. If you have a Mac computer your computer already comes with
You might have to get creative in how you sell your all-access pass because your customers will need a way to log-in to the membership site. An example could include adding these customers to a separate mailing list and giving them a log-in and password to the membership site. This same mailing list could be used to market a new product/service as mentioned in the last article.
An all-access pass is to your virtual summit as Netflix is to tv shows. This is the most popular way you can increase your revenue via virtual summits. Some people will not able to attend your virtual summit during your limited broadcasting event due to a busy schedule, sickness, or anything else life throws their way. However, these customers still crave the information!
In essence, your virtual summit is an event. This is an amazing opportunity for companies to financially support you in exchange for publicity. There’s a few ways in which you can implement this, either by displaying their logo on your home page or making mention during your interviews.
After your summit is done broadcasting, you will have a shiny, new, email list of followers! They will be enthusiastic to learn more about your topic and seek more of the content you offer. This is absolutely a great opportunity to influence this email list and 
It’s the paradox of the entrepreneur life. You hold autonomy over your schedule, but you should use that autonomy to set restrictions. Ask any successful entrepreneur and they will tell you a schedule is key (not convinced? Check out
If you are lucky enough to have a storage area, pack it to the brim with discount supplies. If you haven’t already, make sure your supplies are organized and easily accessible.
Productivity hacks are great. They let you work smarter, not harder. Pick a few new productivity tricks to try out this school year. You can even pick a new trick each month to continually make yourself more effective.
As an entrepreneur, you are already stretched pretty thin. I get it! The last thing you want is another item on your to-do list. Fortunately, this one really does only take a few minutes a day. If you need to, download the LinkedIn app on your phone so you can update it while waiting in line at the grocery store or during your commute.
At some point each week, make sure you are completing the following tasks.
Each month, take the time to accomplish the following tasks.
Each quarter, take time to comb over your profile and make any necessary tweaks.
The cost per impression tends to be among the lowest for promotional products compared to other methods of advertising.
For raising awareness among the target audience, promotional products lead to
They say
Previously, a reply would involve a tweet beginning with “@username” and then the user’s message. The username character count went towards the 140-character limit. If a few users were involved in the conversation, the character total quickly got eaten up. It also made it difficult to actually see the message content since it was after a long string of usernames
Twitter’s goal is to make conversations easier to follow, allowing users to focus on the discussion of the tweets and not the lists of those in the discussion. 
In the past few years, 
Ask yourself if everything needs to be done. Then ask yourself again. Much of what we do can be automated or streamlined. Can you batch tasks to get them done more efficiently? Is there a low-cost service you can invest in to automate these repeating tasks? Is the output on a task really worth the time and effort cost? Ruthlessly evaluate everything on your to-do list and then eliminate, automate, and streamline.
Taking a few minutes to write everything down makes a world of difference. Seeing everything in black and white makes it instantly less stressful. A list can be tackled. A list has an end point. A list means we are no longer wasting precious mental energy trying to keep track of everything in our mind. Writing it down helps us “clear our heads” and see the full picture, allowing us to more effectively strategize.
You can spare fifteen minutes to 
Now that you have returned to the grind, ready to tackle your projects, it is important to proactively