My Virtual Assistant Blog

| Home | About | Services | Fees | News | Testimonials | Contact | Blog |

Blog Posts Thursday 17 December 2009 – IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Friday 16 October 2009 – SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS Thursday 02 October 2009 – FINDING THE RIGHT VA Wednesday 02 September 2009 – REVAMP YOUR RESUME Sunday 23 August 2009 – TAKING TIME OUT Thursday 09 July 2009 – THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKING UP Tuesday 09 June 2009 - MAKING AN IMPRESSION Friday 29 May 2009 - 10 COMMANDMENTS FOR REDUCING STRESS Tuesday 05 May 2009 - IT'S ALL ABOUT NETWORKING Thursday 23 April 2009 -  FAST GROWING INDUSTRY Thursday 09 April 2009 -  "A WHAT..?!" Blog Comments Nic Dale on Finding The Right VA Paul Meyer on It's All About Networking Virtual Office Assistant on "A what...?!" Mark on "A what...?!" To make a comment click here

Thursday 17 December 2009 IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS I’m from 'My Virtual Assistant' and my name is Marion Jackson, I’m the one you call when you need to take some action! When your work is right on top of you and you are feeling down, Don’t be sad, just call on me and I’ll make a smile from your frown. I can help you with all sorts of things, like your reports and documentation, Research, databases, newsletters and a PowerPoint presentation. It doesn’t matter where you are and I don’t need your office space, ‘Cos I can help you anytime, right from my very own place. So, what do you do when you need some help with sorting out your systems? Is your office in a shambles?  Could you use some extra assistance? Just give 'My Virtual Assistant' a call, before you lose all control And let me take your troubles away and help you reach your goal. I’m Marion from 'My Virtual Assistant' and I really do love what I do, I’m here to take care of all the details, so that you don’t have to! My Virtual Assistant would like to wish you and your family a fabulous Christmas, full of laughter and sunshine! Have a happy New Year and all the best for a wonderfully prosperous 2010! | Top | Friday 16 October 2009 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS As an entrepreneur, you need to possess self-confidence, along with a never-ending sense of urgency in order to develop your ideas. To succeed, you need to be far-sighted, accepting things as they are and deal with them accordingly. Time management is crucial, especially understanding the need for leisure time, which is just as important as the amount of time spent working. A smart entrepreneur will be quick to change direction when they see that a plan isn’t working. More importantly, you must recognise your weak points, acquire the necessary skills, and put your business back on the right track. The importance of working smart is realising that it’s not the quantity of work you do, it’s the quality and how well you do it. | Top | Thursday 01 October 2009 FINDING THE RIGHT VA So, your workload is staring to pile up and you’ve been thinking about working with a Virtual Assistant (VA), but how do you find the right one..? The first thing to consider is what you want your VA to do for you. What kind of work can they help you with? Does it matter where they are located? Have a look at your potential VA’s website, view client testimonials and examine their profile. What ‘real world’ work experience and skill set do they have? Focus on the VA’s professional ability. Make sure you understand how their fees work and what their payment terms are. Chat to your potential VA on the phone or if possible, try and arrange a face-to-face meeting so you can start establishing rapport. Once you are satisfied with your chosen Virtual Assistant, make sure you outline your project details clearly and specify any deadlines. Providing clear instructions for your project will reduce the chances of any misunderstanding or errors. Remember – A Virtual Assistant’s role is to support you and your business, by taking the pressure off you, so you can spend more time working ON your business instead of IN it | Top | Wednesday 02 September 2009 REVAMP YOUR RESUME! All the redundancies out there at the moment means the job market is pretty competitive. No matter how great a candidate might be, if their CV is poorly laid out then it probably won’t get a second look from an employer. It doesn’t have to look like a work of art, in fact, the simpler the layout, the better. So, who do you know that’s looking for a job and could do with help revamping their CV? After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression! | Top | Sunday 23 August 2009 TAKING TIME OUT I’ve recently been away on a South Pacific cruise and I have to say, it was fabulous! Waking up every morning in a different place and not having to hang around in airports, makes cruising a wonderful way to travel. Completely relaxing and totally rejuvenating. Having been a travel agent for a number of years, I’ve had more than my fair share of sitting on planes, so travelling by cruise ship certainly made a lovely change. On that note, when was the last time you went on holiday? Maybe you can’t afford it, or are you just too busy to be able to take time off work? Yes, I know there’s a recession on, but you don’t have to have a big lavish overseas holiday. A relaxing break away somewhere in New Zealand will do the trick nicely. If you need help with your personal or business travel arrangements, remember, I was a Travel Agent for over 13 years, so I can help you with that! And if you’re too busy for a holiday, it sounds like you might need the help of a Virtual Assistant… ;o) | Top | Thursday 09 July 2009 THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKING UP I have just spent a few days without a computer, as the motherboard in my machine decided to give up the ghost. Obviously, when you are a Virtual Assistant, your computer is your livelihood and not having one is a potential nightmare. My saving grace is that I back up my work on a regular basis and I am lucky enough to have wonderful, extremely understanding and supportive clients. I am pleased to say, that along with the fast and very efficient help from Warrick Ward from Eclipse Computers, I am now up and running again and I’m the very proud owner of a shiny new computer. I am back in action and ready to assist you ‘virtually’ once again! If you need any IT help, I can highly recommend Eclipse Computers. Email: warrick.ward@eclipsecomputers.co.nz or visit www.eclipsecomputers.co.nz | Top | Tuesday 09 June 2009 MAKING AN IMPRESSION They say “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Whenever you meet someone for the first time they will always size you up straight away.  How you are dressed, how you talk and how you carry yourself.  All of these things will create an image of you in someone’s mind that can be difficult to shake. Keeping up your appearance is a full time job.  They say you should dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.  This means you should always look smart, clean and well presented - even on Casual Friday!  Make sure your hairstyle is modern and tidy, and your breath is always fresh.  It’s a good idea to keep a spare jacket handy, so you can throw it on should an unexpected client meeting arise. You can also be judged on how you set up your workspace.  Make sure your desk never looks like it’s been hit by a gale.  All of your papers should be properly filed in a cabinet, or at the very least, in a neat stack on your desk.  Keep your floor space clear of any files or paperwork.  Your desk should be clean and devoid of clutter, crumbs and too many personal items.  While you might have a memory like an elephant and a fabulous work ethic, having a messy desk won’t inspire confidence in you from your peers. If you have any certificates, work related awards or other important documentation, make sure they are framed (where possible), organised and in plain view. The way you present yourself is important.  If you do it well you will increase the level of confidence your boss has in your abilities.  No matter how hard you work or how efficient you are, if you appear sloppy you could miss out on that well-deserved promotion. | Top | Friday 29 May 2009 10 COMMANDMENTS FOR REDUCING STRESS 1   Thou shalt not be perfect 2   Thou shalt not try to be all things to all people 3   Thou shalt not leave things undone that ought to be done 4   Thou shalt not spread thyself too thin 5   Thou shalt learn to say "No!" 6   Thou shalt schedule time for thyself and thy supportive network 7   Thou shalt switch off and do nothing – regularly 8   Thou shalt be boring, untidy, inelegant and unattractive at times 9   Thou shalt not even feel guilty 10  Thou shalt not be thine own worst enemy but be thine own best friend Written by Dr Sarah Myhill, a UK-based fatigue specialist To make a comment click here | Top | Tuesday 05 May 2009 IT'S ALL ABOUT NETWORKING I recently attended my first business networking meeting – what a buzz!  Being in a room full of friendly, like-minded people, all wanting to introduce themselves and in turn, find out who I was and what I am all about, was energising and exciting. The speaker was relevant and inspirational, and certainly got me thinking more positively about my place in the business world. In the business world, you succeed through networking, since the most important information flows through people.  Having hung around almost exclusively in offices with other business-minded people from all walks of life for more than two decades, I have found myself in a position where I didn’t have to begin my business networking completely from scratch. But don't be deceived.  For all intents and purposes I have had to start again, learning an entirely new language and set of rules. There is no room for quiet reserve, polite phrasings and a contemplative stance because, in the business world, this could indicate signs of indecision and lack of interest.  The norms in the business world are gregariousness, assertiveness, being talkative and engaging! Of course, you can never tell when a good referral is going to happen.  It’s a case of ‘what goes around, comes around’, or ‘pay it forward’.  If you help others, they will help you.  It could be as simple as referring a name to someone, but the result of that referral could be life changing, like finding a fabulous new job or making a romantic connection. Wherever you are, if there are people around, you should be building your network at every opportunity and work on adding interesting people to your ‘list’.  It might be months or years before you receive any help, but when it happens it will be worth it.  Be careful about asking for significant help straight away.  People don’t respond well to aggression and the feeling that the only reason you are interested in them is to get something from them. Keep it light, keep it friendly and who knows were it might lead you. Happy networking! Photo by Rodolfo Clix, Brazil | Top | Thursday 23 April 2009 FAST GROWING INDUSTRY Back when I was working at my 9 to 5 job, I remember having ideas of starting my own Virtual Assistant business.  I was sure that a lot of the things I did in the office could effectively be done ‘virtually’ (apart from making the coffee!) I dug out the phone book to see if I could find any other Virtual Assistants already operating in my city.  I couldn’t find an actual listing for ‘virtual’ or ‘online’ assistants, so I checked out ‘Secretarial Services’ and came across a large number of listings under this section. Initially I thought there might not be much point setting up my own Virtual Assistant business, what with all this competition around, however I am starting to realise there is more than enough work and enough clients to go around.  After doing a bit more research, I also discovered that there aren’t very many actual virtual assistants in New Zealand.  In fact many New Zealanders wouldn't know what a Virtual Assistant does. I once read somewhere that “Virtual Assistance will be one of the top technological breakthroughs to occur in the world by 2010 and that VA’s will be a widely accepted means of business support.”  Interesting. Each Virtual Assistant has their own unique set of services on offer, depending on their experience, skill set and background.  The best thing is that fellow VA’s are just part of one big team and not competitors at all.  They are all ready and able to help each other out if things start to get too busy.  It is an industry full of friendly, courteous people who are generous with their time and knowledge, all of whom are familiar with working in the corporate world. A Virtual Assistant’s clients can come from anywhere - networking at local business meetings, word of mouth referrals from existing clients, via friends and family, or from ex work colleagues.  A client can be an individual, small business owner or someone who is part of a large organisation.  They can be located anywhere in New Zealand, or the world for that matter, as long as they have access to a computer.  In fact, a Virtual Assistant can quite easily work during the day for a client who is, say, located somewhere in the UK, while that client is sleeping.  This means that productivity for that client increases because they are not sitting around waiting for work to be done.  Any work is completed and ready for them when they wake up in the morning!  How cool is that?! With the large number of cottage industries in New Zealand, having access to a Virtual Assistant makes perfect sense.  No longer do small business owners need to sit in their offices feeling overwhelmed by all this stuff they have to do, wishing they could offload it to someone they trust, but not knowing who to turn to. The Virtual Assistant industry is growing fast and it’s an industry that can’t be ignored.  So, don’t be afraid – give My Virtual Assistant a call today! Photo by Michal Koralewski  http://www.dobrytato.pl | Top | Thursday 09 April 2009 "A WHAT..?!" Since starting my virtual assistant business, I have encountered a similar question from many people when I mention what I do. When I proudly announce, “I’m a Virtual Assistant”, I am often met by quizzical and slightly confused faces.  However, once I start to explain my place in the business world any questioning looks quickly turn into ones of nodding and understanding. This is only because many New Zealanders have never heard of the term ‘Virtual Assistant’, and although we already have a number of VA’s throughout the country, it is still a relatively new concept in Godzone. So, for those that are still a little unsure, I thought I’d start off my first blog by providing a definition of a Virtual Assistant (as defined by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce). “A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is a solopreneur who specialises in providing ongoing, one-on-one, collaborative-style administrative support. Like other professional service providers, Virtual Assistants operate remotely from their own places of business and utilise today's technology to deliver their services and communicate with clients. Virtual Assistants are first and foremost administrative experts. Virtual Assistants sometimes offer additional, separate specialties that fall under creative and/or technical services. Virtual Assistants come from a variety of business backgrounds, but the single-most important qualification the industry expects of its peers is at least five (5) years administrative experience earned in the real (non-virtual) business world working in upper-level capacities such as administrative assistant, executive assistant, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, office manager/supervisor, etc. From this level of experience, a Virtual Assistant is expected to possess the skill sets, training and business knowledge which are the hallmark of a truly qualified Virtual Assistant.” I hope that clears things up! Definition from the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce Photo by Jean Scheijen  http://www.vierdrie.nl | Top |

|Powered by joshiba kiosk | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use & Services Disclaimer | Tags | Associated Links | Site Map |