Monthly Archives: October 2009

October 22, 2009 – 10:00 am

2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey Update

The 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey has been humming right along and I thought I would give everyone a more official progress report. As of this posting, we’ve made it well past the halfway mark with 564 participants. We only need 436 more Virtual Assistants to complete the survey to make our goal of 1,000.

This is where your continuing help and promotion will be critical. As you know, all Virtual Assistants who participate will get a free copy of the survey results report. That report will not be compiled until we’ve reached our participation goal. Now that September is over, I’ve got to get back to other things. I will continue to give periodic updates (mostly via Twitter), but not every day like I was. So I’m depending on you all to keep spreading the word so we can reach goal and get the report out to everyone as soon as possible.

I also wanted to say “thank you!” once again to everyone who has continued to send out those mission critical reminders and updates about the survey. Your help has been instrumental in making this huge task such a great success! Keep’em going and feel free to use any verbiage you need from the survey page or press release to remind all your VA buddies and colleagues to take the survey and spread the word.

Luv you, guys!

609 participants–only 391 to go! Take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey and spread the word!

Your thoughts? Post a comment!

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged Virtual Assistant Industry Survey | Comments (0)

October 14, 2009 – 10:00 am

Dear Gritty VA: How Did You Arrive at Your Figures?

Dear Gritty VA:

I recently purchased the Virtual Assistant business forms offered on your website. I am currently working on developing my business plan for my start-up Virtual Assistant business. In one section of the business plan, you list some industry statistics, specifically an estimated number of established Virtual Assistants. Where did you get that information. I have never attempted any type of market research and analysis before, and to be honest, I am at a complete loss and have been stressing over my lack of knowledge. I don’t even know where to begin. –TD

Oh dear, don’t stress over this stuff! Truly, in the scheme of life, it’s not that important. Let me ask you this: are you doing the business plan for your own purposes or are you intending to use it to seek funding and loan assistance? If it’s for your own purposes, then definitely I want to put you at ease.

First, let me answer your main question on how we arrived at the figure we provided. Back in 2006, my interns and I took on the HUGE project of taking count from Virtual Assistant directories and search engine results. Honestly, I don’t know how we survived that “little” task, LOL. We literally looked at every single VA organization and website we could find and took census.

And we didn’t just take things at face value just because it showed up in results or was listed in a directory or someone called themselves a Virtual Assistant. We deducted from our count any site that was no longer active, and specifically did not include anyone who wasn’t actually a Virtual Assistant (someone who is in the business of providing administrative support to clients) who we determined to be more accurately in another field altogether (e.g., we often found people calling themselves VAs when in fact their entire business was specifically focused on Web design or transcription or bookkeeping–which are completely different categories of business from Virtual Assistance).

So give or take the relatively few anonymous VAs in the world who didn’t have websites or listings, our count really is the most accurate number of those in the industry, increased exponentially to account for the three years that have elapsed since. In two more years, we’ll take another census of the industry and get those counts updated again.

But getting back to your agonizing, LOL, how many VAs there are in the world is of absolutely no consequence for you and your business. It just does not matter. That kind of research and info is only necessary if you are submitting a formal business plan for the purposes of funding or loan assistance. I hereby give you permission to shed not one more bead of sweat on that.

Here’s how I would want you to refocus your thinking on the whole business planning thing… Going through that exercise is very valuable because it gets you to think about and plan things, work ideas and policies out and such, in your business that it might not otherwise occur to you. And of course, you should never, ever just follow a template. You still have to apply your own set of circumstances, your own goals and ideas, as well as your own critical thinking.

The Virtual Assistant business plan template I developed is specifically designed to not only give folks a professional format to follow that they can actually use for funding purposes if they ever need to, but also to get your own creative juices going–not substitute them–and show you a model where you can create multiple revenue streams, passive income and information products all in supplement to your premium craft and trade of ongoing administrative support.

But beyond all that, business planning should most importantly be about what you want for yourself and your life. Your business should serve you and your life first. Your business planning should then be approached from that angle. If you think about it from that perspective, it becomes clearer which parts of the formal business plan to focus your energy and attention on and which parts, not so much. Not to mention, you might be able to have a bit more fun with it.

After that, your highest priority should be on determining a target market on which to focus and doing the homework and research on who they are, what they are doing, what’s important to them, what they need most and where their common challenges and obstacles are. The intersection between your interests and theirs is where you’ll find your sweet spot.

Don’t forget to take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey and spread the word!

1 Comment

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Business Savvy, Dear Gritty VA, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged Virtual Assistant Business Plan | Comments (1)

October 8, 2009 – 10:00 am

David Letterman Extortion Plot: Ignorance is for Morons

By now, I’m sure everyone has heard about the David Letterman extortion plot. What I think is interesting is how people have drawn conclusions about things they couldn’t possibly glean from the monologue he gave about the circumstances. They make things up in their own heads; draw conclusions based on nothing except their own imagination. Are we a nation of uneducated peasants? The stupidity of it all just floors me.

Now, to be absolutely clear, I’m not defending Letterman. Having workplace relationships (romantic or sexual) is stupid and ill-advised. He’s an unmitigated jerk-off for cheating on the heart of the woman (women?) who loves him and possibly thought she was in a committed, monogamous relationship. Engaging in this behavior also exposes him as a target for just this kind of thing, as we’ve seen.

But, at this stage, based on what little details we know, he hasn’t done anything unlawful. We absolutely do not have the kind of true and complete knowledge of the facts to assume anything. And he didn’t admit to anything other than he’s “had sex with women who work on the show.” So what. He’s just a celebrity. Heck, he’s just a man. Who cares if he’s a hypocrite. He’s not the Pope and he’s not the president. Last I checked, he was a comedian. It’s his job to poke fun of others in the same situation he now finds himself in.

Beyond that, how people conclude that he committed sexual harassment based on his monologue is beyond me. It becomes obvious that they don’t know what sexual harassment is (and shame on the HR consultant who should know this). So let me enlighten you:

A boss, manager or other superior having a romantic or sexual relationship with a subordinate does not automatically constitute sexual harassment.

It’s not against the law to have a consensual relationship with a subordinate. There is no wrongdoing unless the relationship has been coerced with threat looming over the subordinate’s position or career and they bring a claim of sexual harassment against the superior. If the reports that have come out thus far are true, no one has ever filed a sexual harassment claim against him and he didn’t violate any company policies against workplace relationships. Until a victim actually steps forward and states there has been unwanted, coerced sexual harassment, we don’t know that there has been any.

I guess my point is, don’t be an ignorant dummy. Get the facts before you go flapping your lips about stuff you don’t know anything about. Don’t make them up.

1 Comment

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Personal Musings | Tagged David Letterman extortion plot | Comments (1)

October 7, 2009 – 10:00 am

Dear Gritty VA: Should I Pay a Fee to Find Clients?

Dear Gritty VA:

Hello! I’m in the beginning stages of starting my own Virtual Assistant business, but the information on the Web is a tad overwhelming. I’m well-qualified with eight years of administrative experience within various fields (marketing, accounting, constructions and the military). I have so many questions!!! My first question is how do I find a niche and is it necessary to my business’s success? Where do I find clients and should I pay a fee to do so? –MT

Generally speaking, I would say no to paying a fee to find clients. I’m guessing that you are referring to job referral sites and such, and those places just do not bring the kind of clients with the proper mindset to pay professional fees. Mostly they are looking for project work sourced out to the lowest bidder. You can’t build a VA business like that and they’ll have you working for $1-$10 an hour. Seriously. If that makes sense to you, you of course have that option, but if you’re truly looking to build a business that will yield a livable income or better, you’ll want to save your time, energy and efforts for better avenues.

Determining a target market (another term for niche) is one of things you can do to make everything less overwhelming and give you some direction as far as finding clients. When you know who you are directing your message to, you can write a clearer, more compelling message that will resonate with them. When you know who your audience is, you can create your offerings specifically to meet their needs, which in turn will make them more attractive to clients. When you know who your market is, you don’t have to wonder how to find clients. You simply figure out where your target market hangs out online and off, and then look for opportunities to network and interact with them. Knowing who your intended market is will make all the work of figuring out what their common interests, goals and challenges so much easier.

There’s not really a secret to determining a target market. Some people start with what they are familiar with, meaning they might choose a target market because they’ve worked in that particular field or industry before, they know what it’s about, how those businesses are run and can easily identify the kind of administrative support they can give to professionals in that field.

Some people might choose a target market because it’s one that already has established history of working with Virtual Assistants. For example, the coaching, speaking, real estate and legal fields are industries with a long history of utilizing Virtual Assistants. Those industries are already familiar with ours, they know the drill, so to speak, and you can be pretty sure there are plenty of clients to go around and they will be easy to find.

Other people might end up with a wild card–a client who works in an industry they weren’t familiar with before. In those circumstances, they might find they really have an affinity for the field and the kind of work clients do and really enjoy working with folks in that industry.

You might switch target markets several times throughout the life of your business, but the point is to start somewhere as it will give you much needed direction and focus for your efforts all the way around. In choosing a target market, the most important criteria it must meet are:

It must be an industry that has a need for the solution you are in business to provide;
It must be an industry where there are plenty of clients who have a need for your solution and who are easy to find and network with;
It must be an industry/field where the business owners are making enough money to afford professional fees (you can’t work with people who can’t afford you).

467 participants so far–533 to go. We’re almost there! Take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey and spread the word!

Your thoughts? Post a comment!

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Business Savvy, Dear Gritty VA, Marketing, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged Finding Clients, Gritty VA, Virtual Assistants | Comments (0)

October 6, 2009 – 10:00 am

I Saw a Mermaid!!! (er, Merman)

LOL, at least I thought I did at first.

I was taking an evening walk along the beach yesterday, and I saw something bobbing in the water about 100 feet or so offshore. It wasn’t bobbing in an inanimate way. I knew it was something alive, but it didn’t move like any seal or whale I’d ever seen. As I strained to see what in the heck it was, I realized it was a man!

He wasn’t wearing a wetsuit as far as I could tell so the first thing that came to mind was that maybe he was overboard. But there weren’t any boats or kayaks around so where did he come from, I wondered. He wasn’t flailing or calling out and didn’t seem to be drowning or anything. As I kept watching, I could see that he moved very leisurely. He’d bob for few minutes, then roll languidly onto his back and swim a few yards down-current. Then he’d pause again and just look around. A few times, he pulled his whole torso out of the water like an orca “spy hopping” and then slip straight back down under the water entirely. Just when I thought I must have imagined the whole thing, as he couldn’t possibly be under that long, he’d pop back up to the surface several yards away from where he was before.

I was dying of curiosity, needless to say! The temperature of the Puget Sound waters here runs in the low to mid 40s. This guy was insane in the bra-ain, LOL. I mean, seriously, you can die of hypothermia out there in no time flat. Who knew how long he’d already been in there!

So the investigator in me had to get to the bottom of things. I followed him along the shore for about half a mile. Before reaching the Point, where the currents get REALLY bad, he started heading for shore. And there he emerged, dripping wet, no wetsuit whatsoever, just a t-shirt, shorts and flippers with wetsocks underneath.

He looked like your average Joe: In his mid 30s or thereabouts, not particularly handsome or memorable in any way, a little paunchy. In fact, his name WAS Joe. I know that because being the nosy person I am, I had to get the scoop and marched right up to him once he hit land and started asking him questions, LOL.

Apparently, he’s been doing this for awhile. I asked how on earth he could do that, go that far, for that long, without a wetsuit and not get hypothermia. He said he hadn’t had any special training, just decided to do it one day and has been doing it ever since. He said you eventually become conditioned to the temperatures and if conditions are right, can actually stay out there about two hours. He added that, of course (pointing to his belly), a little insulation doesn’t hurt. I asked him where he starts and what he was going to do now (because he was totally drenched and there aren’t any towels on the beach, ya know). He said usually he would just swim back, but the currents were bad right then so he was just going to walk.

So I thanked him for the entertainment and told him to stay safe, and we shook hands and went in our opposite directions. I think stuff like that is just so cool. How neat to just decide to do something and then just go do it, no matter how crazy it might seem. He really was like a merman. Imagine how peaceful and spiritual, even, it would be out there, just you and the sea. I think it’s also beautiful that ordinary people are never as ordinary as they might outwardly appear.

Rock on, merman!

I only had my Flip with me, and not my good camera, so I couldn’t zoom in too much, but here’s a little video:

We’re almost there! Take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey and spread the word!

3 Comments

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Personal Musings | Comments (3)

October 5, 2009 – 10:00 am

A Wee Bit o’ Straight Talk for Clients

Here’s an article I wrote and published today in “The Portable Business™.” If you’d like to subscribe, go here:

Continuity Is the Name of the Game

linkingarms Virtual Assistance is all about continuity, where ongoing administrative support is the name of the game (“ongoing” being the operative word here). Administration isn’t a project. It’s not something that is done once and presto! you’re done. It is a collective group of ongoing tasks, functions and roles that keep your business organized and running smoothly. This is precisely what separates Virtual Assistance from piecemeal secretarial services.

Said another way, Virtual Assistance is a relationship. In order for it to work—indeed, for the magic to happen—it requires the active participation of both client and Virtual Assistant. This means you, as the business owner, are an integral part of the equation. If you are absent from the relationship, it won’t work and you will end up dissatisfied. Following are three critical ingredients you must bring to the table to ensure you get to experience the most fruitful and rewarding aspects of working with a Virtual Assistant:

1. Show up regularly. Your participation is needed. A Virtual Assistant can not care more about your business than you do. If you disappear on your Virtual Assistant for long periods of time, and then all of a sudden show up on her doorstep with a flurry of requests that you need done yesterday… well, that just isn’t going to work. A Virtual Assistant has other clients to serve who are just as important as you. Don’t expect her to disregard her previously scheduled commitments; you’ll have to wait your turn.

2. No dumping. I’m not going to beat around the bush here–Virtual Assistance is not about dumping on your Virtual Assistant and then walking away, leaving her with a mess to sort out. You will be required to follow some sort of process or procedure for submitting work so that it can be managed effectively and accomplished in the most timely manner possible.

3. Be respectful. A Virtual Assistant is not your hired help. She is an administrative expert and collaborative partner. Business owners who can’t extend common courtesy and mutual respect are not a good fit for working with a Virtual Assistant. You show your respect by:

Paying on time without any hassles;
Making your meetings with your VA a priority, showing up prepared, and canceling with appropriate (not last second) notice when you can’t;
Answering her questions and returning your feedback and input in a timely manner; and
Observing the policies and procedures she has in place that allow her to give great customer service to her clients (all of them, not just you) and make her business (and yours) run smoothly.

RESOURCE: For more tips on creating a successful relationship with a Virtual Assistant, be sure and check out the VACOC’s Client’s Guide to Virtual Assistants.

We’re almost there! Take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey and spread the word!

Your thoughts? Post a comment!

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Business Savvy, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged Straight Talk for Clients, Virtual Assistants, Working with a Virtual Assistant | Comments (0)

October 2, 2009 – 10:00 am

There is No Flubbing

So I was having a great time with the girls yesterday in our chat, and we got to talking about consultations. One gal, who is super sharp AND super neat AND super cool, was lamenting how she “flubbed” her first consult. And I’m thinking, flub? What’s to flub? This isn’t a test. You aren’t on stage. You won’t get any brownie points for being perfect. And I told her as much, LOL!

But I know what she meant. She felt like she let herself down. Well, I say, she didn’t flub anything. So she she had a consult, and she wasn’t as smooth as she would have liked. Big deal. If I could show you a movie of all the bad consults I’ve had over the years, where I was tongue-tied or I said something I wished I hadn’t or I wasn’t as confident and polished as I’d hoped to be… you’d be rolling in the aisles. But I’m much better now, thank you veddy much. And that only came with practice.

There are going to be a ton of consults you do where you’ll absolutely bomb. But that’s the thing–you can’t ever bomb at these things. The world won’t come to a screeching halt. Much to your chagrin, you’ll live to see another consult, LOL.

Seriously, though… these “practice” consults, as I like to call them, are absolutely necessary and worthwhile. Every single one of ‘em. You get better every time. And you learn something valuable with every one. You HAVE to have these experiences. It’s the ONLY way you will grow from them. They are what is going to lead you to becoming the smooth, polished administrative expert and old hand at these things who knows exactly how to lead her process and connect with her right clients and forge the solutions that are going to help them move forward.

So don’t be hard on yourself! Do your best to relax and look upon the people you consult with as lovely acquaintances in the road of life. Maybe you’ll end up working together and knowing each other better. Maybe you won’t. But if you look at it like this, no matter how things turn out, you haven’t lost a thing. And trust me, one day you will laugh at how terrible you were (or so you thought), and smile proudly at how far you’ve come. You’ll have a lot more fun in the process, too.

We’re almost there! Take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey and spread the word!

5 Comments

By Danielle Keister | Posted in Business Savvy, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged Client Consultations, Virtual Assistants | Comments (5)

October 1, 2009 – 10:00 am

2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey Halfway There!

At 413 participants so far, we are almost over the halfway hump of the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. That’s not too shabby considering we started about two weeks late!

As you may recall, we’re shooting for an ambitious goal of 1,000 participants (last year we had 604). To get there, we’re calling on all Virtual Assistants to set aside a half hour (and actually, survey results show us that it takes the average respondent only 18.39 minutes) to complete the survey. Your input is vital to pull it all together–the survey is for you guys after all!

So we’re leaving the survey period open until we get there. The sooner we hit that 1,000 mark, the sooner YOU get your complimentary copy of the results report for participating. That means, not only do we need you to participate, we also can use all the help you can give in continuing to get the word out and remind folks to get in there.

Feel free to borrow any text or images you need from that survey page and put those shout-outs on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn accounts and on the Virtual Assistant forums and listservs you participate in.

If you’re a Virtual Assistant, you simply must take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. Stand up and be counted!

Your thoughts? Post a comment!