14 Opportunities and Ideas to Help Add Additional Income During the Pandemic

Hello loves! I wanted to share some information that may be helpful for those that recently were laid off and/or you are looking to supplement your income during and beyond the Convid-19 Pandemic. Like many online business owners, I have a unique birdseye view because of the work that I do and the business I run. None of it is a secret or a ninja trick, and much of it you already have likely heard about, so most of it is just a re-iteration.

I have compiled a list of 14 opportunities and ideas to help add additional income during the pandemic for yourself and your family in these times of uncertainty.

As we start to do more and more delivery and curbside shopping, eating and etc… we will see that we simply do not have the force to support it. Here are places that you can look into if you are looking for work.

1) Grocery stores are hiring and their services are in high demand. Check into Clicklist and Instacart shoppers particularly

2) Doordash and Uber Eat Drivers – Even Pizza Delivery as well

3) Talk to your local marijuana dispensers and liquor stores – See about helping them with their curbside services…and in some cases delivery options

4) Amazon warehouses are hiring as well as drivers and customer service agents. Amazon alone is providing over 100k jobs

5) Become a secret shopper. I know that times are different right now, but there are many online secret shopping opportunities, for instance, customer service secret shopping with Expedia. The restaurant and retail store options won’t be available (unless they pivot) is my guess, but there are other opportunities. Let me preface that this is NOT a huge moneymaker, but it is great for supplemental income. https://www.bestmark.com/ I always had fun with secret shopping and I think you could too.

If you are looking at making some extra money in the online sphere here are some pretty great options.

6) For online work look into https://jobs.sykes.com/ , these are customer service jobs that you can do from home. You must have a dedicated phone line (not a cell phone) and highspeed internet.

7) Working Solutions is another home-based customer service opportunity as well – www.workingsolutions.com/

8) United Health Care for those that work in more of a medical field, they are hiring to help with the influx of calls that are coming in.

9) If you have a special craft, like content writing, graphic design, etc… you can look into www.upwork.com or www.guru.com and if you make and sell your own goods, look at facebook market place, www.etsy.com and www.ebay.com.

10) I realize that the stock market is a pretty scary place right now, but it also offers a lot of opportunities. Stocks are at a record low right now. The market will not be this unstable forever and it is guaranteed that there will be a boom (just don’t know when). The beauty of that is if you can get in at a cheap buy-in, like now, it could provide a huge return in 6-months. Only look into this if you feel empowered to do so. You can start up through Robinhood, which is a free platform for buying and selling stocks in the stock market. It is pretty intuitive and if you use this link you can earn free stock to start your journey with. Truly investing in stock (if you have the means) now might set you up for life. It could be like buying Amazon in 1997 if you get my drift! For Robinhood, though, it doesn’t require any investment right now, just sign up, get your free stock and start dabbling. Use this link to get your free stock >>> https://bit.ly/freerobinhoodstock-jg

11) For those that are toying with taking their business or ideas to Facebook, I have a free mini-training “8 Ways to Revive your Facebook Business Page Organic Reach” that you can take. It is a tiny bit outdated, but the content is still very relevant. www.va.alpinesbsolutions.com

12) If you are looking to take your vision into an online setting and getting serious about taking this time to pivot instead of panic, I would like to offer up some of my time to help you brainstorm. While I do have limited time, I still would like to offer up my own time as a resource. I am offering free 30 minute consults for a limited amount of folks (no strings attached, just value, value, value) the rest of the month. Private message me if you are interested.

13) I am also working on some additional free training and webinars to help people with making supplemental income online or to finally start your own online business journey. If you have a topic you would like me to touch on or have someone in the community talk about, please private message me or put your request below.

14) Lastly (for now), I would love to create a container for those interested to network together and join in on the opportunity to join think tanks, masterminds, engagement circles, and other self-promotion threads so we can all build each other up, stay connected, and love one another.

Do you have things to share or add to my list, please do? The more the merrier. The more information we can put out there the better. I will continue to harvest more ideas around this as the days and weeks unfold.

For those that are in a position to help, please help people, offer your time and what resources you can. This is a time to band together, practice impeccable hygiene, be compassionate and remember we are all in this together. Do not lead in fear…keep being amazing and I am rooting for those that are having a hard time. Please share with someone that you think might benefit from this information as well. I love you!

The Ultimate List of Delegation Do’s and Don’ts for a Virtual Assistant

Delegation is another one of those virtual assistant buzzwords that people love or hate. Those who mastered the delicate art of delegation sing its praises. Others shudder when they think of delegation, either because of a terrible experience or because they can’t imagine it actually working for them.

Here’s the thing. Delegation is great for any virtual assistant in any situation. Delegation is a powerful tool for freeing up your time and energy, finding someone better suited for the task at hand, and using your company’s limited resources better. It is often the first step in major growth for your business.

Of course, delegating for the first time can be nerve wracking. But, you have a lot of control over the end result with how you delegate. Follow these delegation do’s and don’ts for a positive (and quite possibly life-changing) delegation experience.

Delegation Do’s

Do Articulate Priorities. If your virtual assistant must choose between making the deadline or taking a bit more time to submit a quality project, which do they choose? Is the underlying goal of the delegation to train the virtual assistant to take over the task (so they should bring any questions to you to learn the correct process the first time around)? Or is it to free up your time (so they should work on trying to fix the problem on their own first)? Your virtual assistant will need to make decisions regarding communication, time commitment, etc. Making sure they understand your priorities will help them work for you better.
Do Create Guidelines. Be sure your virtual assistant knows their expected time and effort commitment. You don’t want to be caught off guard discovering the employee spent several hours on a task you expected to take thirty minutes. Establish clear boundaries for how long they should work on this project in relation to their other normal duties. Set guidelines as well on the line of communication. If your virtual assistant has questions, do they go directly to you? Is there a chain of command they should follow? When (if ever) is it appropriate to contact you outside of office hours regarding the project? Communicate expectations clearly from the start to avoid misunderstandings or lost time.
Do Provide Support. The sink or swim strategy is not a great leadership approach. Do what you can to empower your virtual assistant to succeed. Provide examples of the task or comparable work. Gather up all the login information into one place. Check in at certain points to see how they are doing and provide opportunity for them to ask you questions. Giving this support helps set up the virtual assistant for success.
Do Let the Virtual Assistant Feel Comfortable Saying No. We may think the virtual assistant is ready for greater responsibility. But, if they genuinely do not feel ready it may be a bad experience for them. Try to build up their confidence and remind them that you feel they are ready. If that fails and they still are uncomfortable at the thought of the project, find a new virtual assistant. It is not worth the anxiety it will cause your original pick.
Do Discuss the Experience After They Finish. Take a few minutes to talk with the virtual assistant about how things went. See if there is anything you could have done differently to make the experience better. Ask if they are comfortable doing the task again. If the Virtual Assistant made mistakes, use this time as a learning opportunity to gently guide them. Finally, thank them for their work and find something to praise about their output.

Delegation Don’ts

Don’t Micromanage. The purpose of delegation is for you to no longer deal with the project! Even if this assignment is a training opportunity, you still need to provide your virtual assistant with enough space to learn on their own. Virtual assistants know when their boss does not trust them, which can really undermine their confidence in their own ability. Showcase your belief in your virtual assistant by taking your hands off the reins, and keeping them off.
Don’t Underestimate the Project’s Timeline. When giving your virtual assistant a deadline, be cautious about underestimating the length of time the project will take. It may only take you a week, but your employee may need to do outside research adding a day or two. Or maybe your virtual assistant hits some unexpected roadblocks, requiring you to take the time to provide guidance or assistance. Always estimate more time to provide a buffer in case things don’t go as smoothly as planned.
Don’t Delegate What You Should Be Doing. Yes, everyone can and should delegate tasks. But not every task can and should be delegated. Some tasks do require your expertise or insight. Be selective in what you delegate, keeping the important tasks on your to-do list.
Don’t Delegate Because You Hate the Project. No one likes the boss who uses delegation to avoid doing unpleasant tasks. Good leadership means being willing to do the menial, the unappealing, and aggravating tasks for the good of the business. Delegation is about making your company more efficient. Passing off tasks because you hate them, not because someone else should be doing them, is a bad management strategy. It’s tempting, but your employees will lose respect for you if you do it.

You can make or break your delegation experience. Implementing the “dos” and avoiding the “don’ts” prepares you and your employee for a mutually beneficial experience. Your employee can learn or hone their skills while you get to remove something from your plate. If you are new to delegating, you can start off small. You will be surprised at how useful a tactic it can be in managing your business!

Maintaining Your Sanity While Working From Home as a Virtual Assistant

Working from home as a virtual assistant is a massive blessing. But sometimes, bad habits can sneak up and make it a curse. Suddenly, we’re frazzled workaholics with a glaze over our eyes. Suddenly, it’s 3pm and we haven’t left our bed or showered. Suddenly, we’re never fully present with our families and are always glancing at our emails.

The work from home life can be whatever you make it (that’s part of the appeal, right?) But sometimes we make it into an exhausting and draining experience- when it doesn’t need to be!

Maintaining your work-life balance while working from home takes some proactivity. Ironically, we need to set boundaries to enjoy the freedom of this lifestyle. Below are some action steps you can take to proactively make your life as a Virtual Assistant working from home as stellar as it should be.

Create a Regular Schedule

You’re probably thinking, Jessica that’s exactly why I don’t want to work a 9-5! I want to set my own hours and be a free soul working when I please.

And that’s great. In theory.

What actually happens when we fail to structure our day isn’t the balanced relaxed utopia we imagine. It’s a day where work sticks its tentacles where it doesn’t belong. We don’t disconnect from work, and it dominates our thoughts during dinner, during playtime with your kids, during your resting time. Before you know it, you’ve slid into workaholic habits never being able to turn off your work brain.

Creating a regular schedule isn’t about setting rigid 9-5 work hours. It’s about being intentional about separating your work time from your life time. It ensures you stay productive while working…and then leave it at work when you’re finished. When there’s no set lines between work and life, usually work takes over.

A virtual assistant doesn’t need to set 9-5 regular hours. Maybe you work in the mornings and late evenings when you’re most productive, and schedule a workout or social lunch during your afternoon energy lull. You can plan your day so it works best for you. And each day does not need to be the same. Maybe on Playdate Tuesdays you work from 8 to 10, then 12 to 6. That’s fine! The important thing is clear boundaries of your time.

And please, please, please schedule a cut off time for work! Whether it’s 5 or 8, you must have a designated “no more thinking about work” time. It’s amazing how quickly you will get drained when you lack an end working time for the day.

Designate a Work Area

Just like you need boundaries with your time, you need boundaries with your space. Find a place in your house that’s just for virtual assistant work. Ideally, it will be a separate room. But, if you don’t have the space for a full office, that’s okay. Maybe you can set a desk in your bedroom or the living room. What’s important is you have somewhere to go with minimal distractions.

When you’re setting up your virtual assistant work area, treat it like a real office. Fill it with supplies. Use a desktop calendar. Hang up photos of your family and decorate it. If it feels like a sterile box, you won’t want to work there. Showcase your personality to make it more inviting.

Designate a No Work Area

There are places in your home you shouldn’t work, like the dining room where the family gathers for dinner. Make sure there are clear areas where no work (or thoughts of work) are allowed so you can be fully present during family and relaxation time.

Take Regular Breaks

Sometimes, we get so into our flow we don’t realize we’ve been working for hours straight. The best way to fight stress and burnout is proactively, so it’s important to avoid this work grind. Schedule breaks into your day. Maybe it’s 10 minutes every hour with a half hour lunch break. Maybe it’s the Pomodoro method, where you work for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break. Play around with different strategies and find what works best for you.

Leave Your House

When you work from home, there’s a weird resistance about leaving. Maybe it’s the effort of gussying up to go out in public. Maybe it’s the drive time that could be spent working or resting. Maybe it’s Newton’s third law: an awesome virtual assistant at home will stay comfortably at home unless acted upon by an outside force.

Make sure you don’t become a hermit! You can meet up with your traditional office worker friends for lunch. Grab a happy hour with friends. Enroll in a weekly yoga class. Do something to make sure you leave your house at least three times a week.

Establish Boundaries with Your Family

This isn’t about becoming one of those scary “don’t you dare interrupt me while I’m working” work witches.

It’s about protecting the time you work and protecting the time you’re with family to make sure you’re fully present in each one.

Talk with your family members about what your work from home arrangement needs to look like. Go over when it is, and isn’t, appropriate to interrupt you at work. Go over when it is, and isn’t, appropriate for you to leave family time to go work. Make sure every family member feels heard, and is comfortable and clear with the conclusion you agree to.

Dress Like You’re Going to Work

But Jessica, isn’t one of the best parts of being a virtual assistant being able to work in PJs and sweats? Comfort for the win!

Some people (very few mind you) can work in grunge clothes without it affecting their work. Good for them!

But most of us experience a little phenomenon called “when we wear lounge around clothes, we tend to work in a lazier mindset”

Dressing for work helps shift your brain from relaxed mode into work mode. You can still rock a comfortable outfit, but try a step above the old ripped PJs.

Of course, if you’re work isn’t affected by what you wear then wear those PJs with pride!

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 virtual assistant 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 virtual assistant 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 virtual assistant 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 manner.

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 as a virtual assistant. 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 as a virtual assistant 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!

What is Facebook Live? 6 Tips on How Virtual Assistants Can Use It

While Facebook Live has been available for a while for elite users, the tool finally made its way to the average user. Facebook is beginning to push for users to take advantage of this great tool, even altering the Facebook News Feed algorithm so Live Videos rank higher. As a result, the tool is growing in popularity in the marketing world and is becoming a new resource virtual assistants needs to take advantage of. Using Facebook Live is relatively simple, but there are a few tricks of the trade to ensure the live videos meet a virtual assistant’s goals.

What is Facebook Live?

Facebook Live allows users to share live video from their mobile devices. The option is included in the iOS app so there’s nothing you need to download. Individuals create a Facebook Live video from their personal account, and virtual assistants can create this video and then share it to their organization’s page.

Mark Zuckerburg’s goal for Facebook Live is for the tool to offer “a way for people to have a more authentic and intimate experience sharing about their lives.”

This goal, of course, fits right into a marketer’s efforts to humanize their organization and foster relationships with their audience. Virtual assistants can use Facebook Live in a variety of ways: sharing a daily/weekly message, hosting a question and answer session with someone, sharing breaking industry or company news, sharing industry secrets, walking audiences through the steps of a how-to, product or service demo, providing a behind the scenes glimpse, the list goes on and on!

7 Tips on How to Use Facebook Live

Part of the beauty of Facebook Live is the opportunity for spontaneity by organizations-but that doesn’t mean virtual assistants should abandon any planning or strategy! Virtual assistants can be intentional about how they create videos to ensure they gain the most marketing bang for the buck when they create scripted or spontaneous videos. The tips below will help you be as effective as possible when creating Facebook Live videos, and follow the timeline of before the live video, during the live video, and after the live video.

Identify the focus and purpose of the video. You don’t need to write a script word for word, but as with any social media marketing effort you do need a clear understanding of why you are doing it. Ensuring your video has a clear and concise focus prevents it from becoming a convoluted rambling video that will bore audiences. Articulating the purpose of the video helps shape the direction of the video, and provides a foundation for measuring whether the goal of the video was met.
Inform followers of an upcoming live video. Make sure your followers know you are planning on streaming and what time they can expect the video with a simple post (“live streaming our fundraising event in an hour”). To kill two birds with one stone, you can later tweak that informative post to make it the description of the video when you create it. You can even have viewers subscribe to know when you are going live.
Pursue variety in the video itself and among the videos you create. In each video, vary your voice and use front and back cameras to change up the scenery to keep your audiences engaged. Utilize a variety of topics and structures when you create videos. Just like you wouldn’t follow the same Facebook post structure each day, don’t fall into a predictable video pattern either.
Interact with followers. During the live streaming, viewers can send in comments. When relevant, acknowledge individual users and answer their questions or respond to their comments. Give them a personal shout out! This is a great, simple way to really strengthen that relationship and show your organization’s devotion to its consumers.
Include a call to action. Always. Always. Always. In your marketing you want your customer to DO something. Give them a task. Give them somewhere to go. Every social media effort needs a call to action, and live videos are no different. A call to action can be as simple as encouraging people to visit a website, sign up for your newsletter, or send them to your lead page. But use a call to action to keep the relationship going.
Edit the video. After the video is published, go back and make sure the thumbnail, category, and call to action clearly represent the video’s focus. Always be thinking of your brand. Does this video match what you want to represent?
Play around with various broadcast lengths and times. Just as you should be with post creation, vary up the length of video and the time you stream to see when your audience is most responsive.

Make sure you go Live often and be creative. Have fun with it and enjoy getting to know your fans!

Facebook Live offers many different uses for virtual assistants to reach their audience in an engaging and personable way. If you know you want to take advantage of this great tool, but aren’t sure how to get started or want guidance, Virtual Assistant Roadmap is here for you! We’d love to help guide you through Facebook Live video (or any other aspect of business building). Just shoot us an email!

Why Facebook Groups are Better than Your Virtual Assistant Facebook Business Page

Facebook page likes should not be a key metric of social media marketing success. Surprised? Most marketers are. A virtual assistant can mistakenly over value the number of page likes, and end up wasting too much time building this number when they should be focused on more effective ways of measuring marketing success.

The Problem with Facebook Page Likes

Facebook is continually decreasing organization’s organic reach, making it harder to reach a sizable audience without paying. As a result, the audience who actually sees your posts is a fraction of your total Facebook audience. Total Facebook page likes, then, provide little insight of the success of your virtual assistant marketing efforts.

Sure, you want as many followers as possible. But the mere total number of followers does little to reflect your relationship marketing success, which is the driving motivation behind social media marketing. Total page likes show you the number of people willing to connect with your virtual assistant organization, but does little to reflect your effectiveness at actually reaching and connecting with them. Growing your follower count, then, should not be a driving force behind your Facebook marketing efforts.

Granted, consistent posting on Facebook is still a necessary aspect of social media marketing. Organizations still gain marketing benefits from Facebook, but it is weakened by the limited organic reach. Posting from your virtual assistant business page to your followers is an important aspect of reaching your audience, but it should not be the only aspect.

The Better Tactic

Insert Facebook Groups. These see fantastic online reach since they aren’t saddled with the algorithm-driven reach reduction that business pages are. Groups are joined by individuals interested in that topic, so when you post in a virtual assistant group you’re posting to a great targeted audience.

You can join already established groups or create your own, and there are benefits to both.

Joining an already established group opens you up to getting your virtual assistant business name seen by new contacts, such as leaders in your industry or potential new customers. You can showcase your value to these individuals by answering questions with your expertise or sharing valuable content from your virtual assistant website. Consistent quality posting can translate into new valuable connections.

When you join a group, take some time to familiarize yourself with the group’s tone first. See the general style of writing (formal? casual?), length of post (short and to the point? long and in-depth?), and topics to make sure your posts will match. Be sure to join a few groups and post consistently, rather than joining several but rarely posting. To see the benefits of groups, you’ll need to be active and consistent in them.

In addition to joining relevant groups, you can make your own. The benefit of making your own group is you can reach individuals wanting to connect with your organization more effectively than you can reach individuals from your virtual assistant business page. But you shouldn’t repeat posts from your page in your group since individuals in both will see their newsfeed cluttered with identical content. You can post the same content sparingly, but make sure it’s on different days and worded differently. You want to make sure there is value for individuals to be involved with both your page and your group.

Measurement of group involvement can be done through a variety of ways, including analyzing engagement on your posts or visits to your virtual assistant site from links posted in the group. Metrics that come from group activity paint a more holistic picture of your marketing success than just page likes, making it a more effective analytic of your social media marketing efforts.

Want to take advantage of Facebook marketing, but need some guidance? Virtual Assistant Roadmap is here for you! We’d love to assist with this or any aspect of business building. Reach out with an email today!

How Do I Structure My Virtual Assistant Business?

There are many steps when starting a virtual assistant 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 an LLC.

What is the difference between an LLC and a Sole Proprietorship?

As a virtual assistant 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 virtual assistant 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.

Onboarding your First Client as a Virtual Assistant

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 a virtual assistant 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 to come across as an expert and confident. You want your clients to feel confidence in you. This call is a great time to review whatever virtual assistant 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 as a virtual assistant 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 virtual assistant business, but you are growing and importing as a service provider.

6 Best Practices When Working with a Virtual Assistant for the First Time

Have you been thinking about hiring a virtual assistant? Are you at the beginning stages of exploring the idea of expanding your team to help run your business online? In this week’s blog, Jessica Granish, leading expert in the virtual assistant industry offers some sage advice on this very topic. Jessica has 13 years of experience in creative, social and technical virtual assistant tasks. Jessica helps heart-center and conscious business owners put all the pieces together for their business to run like a well-oiled machine in an online environment. She also is a virtual assistant trainer, as well as thought leader that educate online business owners about the power of delegation and how to successfully and efficiently build a team that is in alignment with your core values and in turn creating authenticity and trust for a long lasting partnership. In a nutshell, Jessica, helps you gets sh*t done so you can focus and shine in your zone of genius.

Start thinking about expanding and getting assistance now: One of the biggest frustrations I hear from business owners is that they wish they would have hired someone sooner…or at least started the process sooner. It is daunting and overwhelming when your to-do list becomes a mile long. Get ahead of the curve; don’t let the stacks of tasks pile up. Don’t fall victim to being a prisoner in your own business where it stops you dead in your tracks. You know that feeling of being so overwhelmed that you just take a nap!? Try not to get to that space. A virtual assistant is there to help create less stress and more time for you to focus on your passion, you know, the whole reason why you went into business for yourself to begin with. All seasoned and reliable virtual assistants have processes and procedures to bring you on board with ease. You should feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders when you start with your perfect VA.
Don’t feel like you have to hand everything off all at once: It may feel like you are handing the keys to your empire over and for some that might be scary. You and your awesome new virtual assistant should work together to identify and prioritize the most important tasks. I suggest starting at a foundational level. This is so that your business is sturdy and strong. You don’t want to play a game of Jenga with your business. In many cases, people don’t even know where to start with delegation. If you are one of those business owners who have no idea where to even start, I suggest using a great tool that I built called the “Delegator”. It is a way to help identify where delegation could help with your sanity. You can access the form here >>> http://www.alpinesbsolutions.com/the-delegator/
Let go of the negative mindset: I realize delegation can seem hard at first. I teach this and can get in the same mindset that many have. You know that negative mindset of, “I want to save money, so I will do it myself”, or “if it is going to get done right, I should do it myself”, or “it is going to take too long to bring someone on board and teach them the ropes”. Don’t fall victim to these statements. Growth is all about letting go of those blocks. The art of delegation comes with great rewards that you will soon realize and will look back and wonder why you didn’t seek support sooner.
Focus on your zone of genius and let your virtual assistant focus on theirs: If you are just starting out with building your online presence you will find yourself inundated with new tools and terminology to help run your business in an online environment. This can seem daunting and can be extremely overwhelming and time consuming. You don’t need to know how to do everything to be successful. Being able to let go, release and trust in the ninja like skills of your virtual assistant, can change your entire business in a very positive and wonderful way.
Make sure that your virtual assistant matches your core values: This is one of the most important things that a successful and long term virtual assistant relationships can have in my opinion. If your core values are in alignment everything else just flows so much easier. You can usually tell on the initial conversation with a virtual assistnat if the synergy is there or not. I suggest to all my clients that you don’t focus on all business in your initial conversations. It is super valuable to talk openly about what makes you both burn with passion inside as well. You can learn quite a bit from digging deeper and creating a more personal connection too. Now, don’t get me wrong, passion is important, but their credentials are extremely important too. A nice balance is a wonderful way of matching core values. Having this alignment with your virtual assistant will in turn create authenticity and trust. It is a beautiful thing.
Communication is key: Need I say more? All great relationships let it be professionally or personally start with great communication. Creating expectations and sharing your communication style is super important. When starting your business you will want to set those expectations with your clients, your vendors and your team. Communication is a foundational piece to building authenticity and trust as you grow and expand in your zone of genius.

I hope that this was helpful for someone reading this that may be on the fence. I also just released a new blog recently titled “5 Reasons Why Hiring a Team Will Cost Less Than Doing Everything Yourself”

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 virtual assistant 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.

Tag: How to Become a Virtual Assistant