What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: Systems and Strategies for Sustainability

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“The first time I tried to work from home full-time (years and years ago), I kind of failed at it.”

Those are the words of one of my favorite WAHM gurus, Sagan Morrow.

Sagan went on to share the fact that she LOVED freelancing and working from home, but once she took the leap to freelance freedom she discovered that she didn’t have the systems and strategies in place to maintain a stead living from. Temporarily, she went back to the 9-5, regroup, made the leap again is creating a new business from home that continues to flourish.

She brings up an EXCELLENT point within the sharing of her success story. Working from home if not all butterflies and unicorns and clients don’t happily sprinkle you with fairy dust…or always pay their bills on time. Your newfound gig as a work-from-home pro can be especially difficult the first few months (or years) if you don’t have the tools in place to help it fly right.

Thaleia Maher from Something2Offer and I have joined forces to co-create a series this month called What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant. She and I have had so many valuable discussions about being virtual assistants and working from home that we decided to get serious about this topic and create something that will really help readers understand what a VA is, and move forward in their quest to become one.

These are just a few things we will be covering on Franticmommy, and Thaleia’s Something2Offer blog:

• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: The Basics
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: Finding Clients
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: Picking Your Niche
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: Systems and Strategies for Sustainability 
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: Tools and Skills
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: How VA and Regular Employees Differ
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: When to Know it’s Time to Hire a VA
• What it Takes to Be a Virtual Assistant: I’ve Hired a VA: NOW WHAT?

SO, today and I am going to share some of the Systems and Strategies to keep your Virtual Assistant on track and blooming.

Systems

As a work-from-home pro, I discovered very early on that I needed to be hyper-organized and stay way AHEAD of deadlines. There’s also a plethora of tools I use to keep my deadlines, scheduling, planning, billing and workflow on task. Here are a few of my favs:

AWeber Email Marketing: More than just an autoresponder, Aweber is a huge cog in the machine of your VA biz. Aweber has all the tools you need to send emails the right way and email is perfect for keeping your brand top of mind and staying connected with those who make a purchase, read your blog or meet you in person. And when you join the community where email automation began, you get access to all features and a team that’s 100% devoted to your success. Aweber has email automation, templates and more that will help any business create and send beautiful, engaging emails in just a few minutes.

Freshbooks : Freshbooks it a pretty sweet accounting and invoicing site that makes both less painful. It’s completely FREE for your first three clients. You can track expenses, create time sheets and log hours on projects. I really appreciate and use the Timer feature as well. It’s a way to keep real-time records of when projects start and end. Bring up the Start/Stop Timer tab, pick what task you are performing for which client, and start the Timer. When your done, click “Log Hours” and it automatically logs your time for you to share with that client for later billing.

Trello:  Trello is a free tasks/project management application that can teams or businesses keep projects organized and flowing in real-time. I LOVE Trello and use it for the majority of my clients. I talked about Trello at length in this previous blog post and if you are a blogger, team leader, or virtual assistant this application is totally worth looking into.

Website hosting, where you buy domain names, ideal for any type of site. BlueHost also makes it sure seamless and easy to start a WP.org blog. You can buy your domain name, buy hosting, start your WordPress blog and even have a matching email address in place in less than an hour.  A very reliable service, the BlueHost customer service ninjas have saved my bacon on many occasion. I’ve used both GoDaddy and HostGator and I much prefer BlueHost.

Hootsuite: Skype may be your BFF, but Hootsuite runs a close second. Hootsuite is a social media dashboard that allows you to connect to multiple social networks from one website. This free platform allows you to schedule Tweets, LinkedIn updates, Facebook posts, and now even Google+ updates way in advance leaving you free to do other things…like sell stuff or take care of clients. HS is free, but there are upgrades for-pay versions as well. http://signup.hootsuite.com/signup-pro/

PicMonkey: By now, you should know that images rule social media, including blogs. Images catch the reader’s eye and raise the chance of engagement by as much as 44% (Source: ROI Research). Photos and images on Facebook generate 53% more Likes than the average post. (Source: HubSpot). Creating fun and “shareable” images is quick and easy with PicMonkey, and their basic account is free. I love this site because it is a simpler alternative to PhotoShop for creating eye-catching images with text that tell a story, pique interest, and pull the reader in to want to know more.

Optin Monster:  A WordPress plugin, OptinMonster is the most robust customer acquisition and lead-generation solution for businesses. OptinMonster allows you to convert visitors into subscribers and customers. It enables you to create professionally designed opt-in forms without writing a single line of code in 60 seconds flat. Build, publish, and test great looking optin forms that are guaranteed to maximize your subscriber growth and lead generation efforts.OptinMonster integrates with MailChimp, Aweber, ConstantContact, MadMimi, and more.
Basically it is a super fabby way to create eye-catching pop-ups on your site that don’t annoy, but do convert. LOVE this tool!

 

 

 

 

I discovered bullet journaling by accident. It is a ridiculously easy system for keeping track of to-do’s, goals, and tasks.

The Bullet Journal is more of a system than a product, and it can be tweaked to fit just about any lifestyle. In its simplest form, all you need is a cheap spiral notebook. I began Bullet Journaling using a yummy hardcover quadrille pad-style book that I scored for free at a blogging conference. Basically, you can adopt the system (outlined here) in any notebook of your choosing.

Strategies

When I think of business strategies, I think of things I can do for business success. It’s the daily tactics and habits that I do that keep my biz growing and evolving. My THREE biggest and best tips that I can give to any solopreneur are:

1. Stay AHEAD of deadlines. Procrastination is the enemy.
2. NEVER stop prospecting. Even when you are lose-my-mind-busy, prospect for new business opportunities or clients daily.
3. Never stop learning. When you own a business, learning new things never ends. What you know makes you a better business owner and service provider.

One of my favorite places to prospect new business is Upwork.  Upwork has been one of my “honey holes” for quality work for years. Formerly Elance, UpWork is a bidding site that allows you to use your mad skills to bid on opportunities to write for clients. UpWork also has an app that I truly have come to rely on and love. It keeps me in close connection with clients and potential clients since my iPhone is with me wherever I go. There are a couple of downsides to Upwork, though. One is the slew of bottom-feeder clients who want freelancers and bloggers to write for ridiculously low rates (it’s gotten better tho) and also the fact that UpWork tales 20% of your pay until you reach $500 (then it drops to 10%). But all in all, it is still a great place to score some work!

Training and Learning Sites

VA Solutions is an excellent Resource for new or current Virtual Assistants. I get asked A LOT what training I need to become a VA. I can promise you that the training never stops. I am constantly taking courses and classes that will help me be a better VA. Virtual Assistant Solutions is a never-ending treasure trove of kick-butt good training. Founder Tawnya Sutherland runs a tight ship, and I am a huge fan. :). Sign up or get started HERE.

WAHM.com: Great resources, articles, and job forums for all work-at-home professions.

VANetworking.com: VA Networking is the premier place to go for the training you need to be a VA. Owner Tawnya Sutherland has built a fantastic business that strives to create a community among VA’s and offer the education virtual assistants need. She also offers a VBSS  Virtual Business Startup System, which I highly recommend to anyone serious about creating a profitable VA business.

VAClassroom.com: Another great resource for ongoing education and training for VA’s.

Now go forth and be fabulous!

ONE MORE THING! Grab this freebie, too!

My FREE VA Starter Kit

There is tons of “getting started” info, from what kind of gear you’ll need to the best places to find clients. Did I mention it was free?

More Resources for Your Side Hustle Journey

MOM BOSSING

MOM BOSSING: The Freedom to Create the Business You Love is a book filled with personal stories, resources, support, wisdom, and encouragement from a solopreneur who has worked as a mom boss. This step-by-step guide shares the truth, fears, tears, and cheers of being a mom who is building a business empire on her own terms. If you are looking for a new career for the “second half of life,” venturing into direct sales, rocking a home business, or dreaming of leaving a dead-end job, this book provides the building blocks needed to move forward with a healthy dose of humor authenticity. In many ways, this book could also sport the tagline of Building a LIFE on Your Own Terms.

I was lucky to have Becky Flansburg join us at Multicultural Children’s Book Day when we first began our nonprofit. She was the “head elf, ” meaning she did everything from project management to helping us get sponsorships. In the early years, we couldn’t keep her busy for more than a few months a year, even though that was very part-time. Becky’s contribution to the team helped us grow our nonprofit, and, in turn, we could keep her busier. Now, as a “mom boss,” Becky shares her journey and wisdom for moms who want to try solopreneurship.  It’s particularly helpful for anyone who wants to become a VA (Virtual Assistant).~author and mompreneur, Mia Wenjen

Also available on IndieBound.com.

 

FREElance FREEdom: Creating the Work-From-Home Life You Crave

Have you ever dreamed of working from home on your own terms instead of being confined to a corporate cubicle or windowless office? Have you ever dreamed of earning a steady and honest income while having plenty of time for friends and family?

Lucky for you, it is all very possible. I have successfully lived this life for over 12 years, and I can’t imagine supporting my family (and following my dreams!) any other way.

This robust 90-page e-book and resource guide contains a treasure trove of excellent information about working from home (on your own terms), all rolled into a handy read-at-your-own-pace guidebook.
Whether you want to pursue a career as a freelance writer, virtual assistant, graphic designer (and more) this Resource Guide will provide the insight, tools, guides, advice, and strategies applicable to any freelance business. If you want the basics of getting started without support and coaching, this eBook is for you.

For anyone looking to start their freelance career, or up their game, this book is the perfect place to start. Jam-packed with actionable items and details about even handling unruly clients, well-meaning visitors, and kids while working from home – this book has it all! Highly recommended!~author and mompreneur, Carissa Andrews

 

 

For those who are contemplating the freelance lifestyle but need a guidebook with baby steps, this is your manifesto! Becky Flansburg shares her tips for balancing a freelance career with a family including the nuts and bolts such as the online tools she uses for networking and running her business. Becky is a gentle and realistic cheerleader for anyone who wants to work at home as a solopreneur.~Mia Wenjen

FREElance FREEdom is Available on Kindle

Also available on IndieBound.com.

Available in Paperback on Amazon: mybook.to/FREElanceFREEdompprbk