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Archive for Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistant Forum Blog Post Winner

By MOAImport · Comments (1)
Monday, February 8th, 2010

I belong to Virtual Assistant Forums which is a wonderful support group and resource provider for all things Virtual Assistant.  The information shared there does not just benefit virtual assistants, but small business members as well.  There are many threads and discussions about best business practices, resources, how to work with a virtual assistant and so-on.  Of the great services that VAF provides, it allows you avenues to build on your skills.  One such area is a blog area and they run a monthly blog challenge. The way it works is that you join the group, receive the monthly topic and post.  All posts for the month are judged by a VAF member and the person who meets the criteria wins.  Which in January was me!

The January topic was If you could meet anyone from the past or present or future who would that be and why? This was a tough one because there are so many people that I would love to meet.  However in the end I chose my mother-in-law and if you would like to know why you will need to read it here.

Thank you to VAF for allowing me to be creative, build on my blogging skills and be part of a great like-minded community.  If you are a virtual assistant, aspiring virtual assistant, small business owner or someone who just loves great resources, be sure to check out the Virtual Assistant Forum community.  There is no need to register for any of the public areas and lurkers are always welcome.

All the best,

Lee Drozak, Owner My Office Assistant

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Categories : Small Business, Virtual Assistant
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The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee.

By MOAImport · Comments (3)
Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Sue L Canfield recently released her book, The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee. Today, she’s stopped by my blog.

I met Sue through Virtual Assistant Forums and  love the advice that she shares with so many others.  This is where I first heard of Sue’s book to help aspiring virtual assistants.  Sue asked for tips from the members and mine were chosen as My Office Assistant is mentioned in her book.  That however is not the reason that I am hosting Sue on my blog today.  I am doing that because she is a true professional who is willing to share her knowledge as well as ups and downs of small business with aspiring virtual assistants.  So let’s find out a little about Sue and The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee.

Why did you write this book?

My husband, Joel D Canfield, and I co-authored the book to help newer and aspiring virtual assistants understand what it takes to run a successful business. Over the last two years, I found that many newer and aspiring virtual assistants were asking for and following my advice on how to run their business. Though they had the skills to be a virtual assistant, many had no idea how to run a business, write a business or marketing plan, how to market, and other basic business skills. Since my husband had already written a book for small business owners on how to be the best foundation for their business, we decided to add to the material and focus on the virtual assistant industry in our new book.

Tell me about yourself

I’ve worked as an administrative assistant for over 25 years and began my virtual assistant business in 2005 before I even knew there was such a thing. This past year I added virtual assistant coaching to my services to help newer virtual assistants succeed in their businesses. My husband and I work together from home along with our five-year old daughter in Roseville, California.

What qualifies you to write this book?

Joel and I have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. My success as a virtual assistant is in large part due to the advice I received from Joel. Our success in our businesses provides testimony to our qualifications.

What is the book about?

The book helps virtual assistants to understand that they are now business owners, entrepreneurs, no longer employees. Successful business owners need good business sense and a good understanding of what it takes to run a successful business. The book provides basic, commonsense information every entrepreneur needs to know along with advice specific to virtual assistants.

What do you want the readers to get out of the book?

The most important concept I would like my readers to understand is that they are now business owners and what that means. After reading the book, readers will have a clear understanding of how to set rates, manage their time, and market their business.

How can the readers contact you if they want further information?

Joel and I can be reached toll-free at 877.771.7746 or by email at Contact@BizBa6.com. They can also visit our website athttp://www.bizba6.com.

How much does your book cost?
$19.95.

Where can the readers purchase your e-book?
They can visit our website at www.bizba6.com.

Sue, thank you for stopping by my blog.
You are very welcome. Thank you for having me.

About the Authors:

Joel and Sue have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. They operate BizBa6 Small Business Support Services and love not only their work but the life it allows them to live. This book (Joel’s third business book, Sue’s first) shares how they think about business–it’s a ‘why to’, not a ‘how-to’ because it focuses on how people think and what they want–not just your clients, but you, too.

Book Summary:

So, you want to be a virtual assistant. The virtual assistant industry is growing rapidly. Just about anyone can say they are a virtual assistant. You have a computer, internet access, and the desire to work from home. Voila! You’re a virtual assistant. But is that enough to succeed as a virtual assistant? Do you have what it takes to run a business? Yes, a virtual assistant is a business owner. Successful business owners need to have good business sense. As a business owner, you, the virtual assistant, need to understand what it takes to run a business. Pick up your copy for $19.95 at http://www.bizba6.com.

All the best to Sue and all the aspiring Virtual Assistants,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Guest Post, Virtual Assistant, Work from Home
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More Great Business Resources

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Here are five more resources that help me in with my everyday business.

Log Me In – Simply install LogMeIn on the computer you will be gaining access to, log into your account and select the add computer link.  This is an easy way to share access to your computer or a client computer

Free Conference Call – Free Conference Call is simple to use, and requires only your name and email address for your account.  This is all you need for a conference call number and dial in for immediate conferencing which is available 24/7.  You also have free recording options so that you can listen to what your attendees are saying without having to stop for note taking.

Send this File – Need to send a large file, it is easy as entering an email, selecting the file and clicking the send button.  No size limits to worry about you can verify sending and receipt of any item.

Survey Monkey – This truly easy to use program will allow you to get the feedback that you need from your clients or colleagues.  This powerful survey designer lets you create surveys with dozens of types of questions.  And customization is a snap by adding your own colors, styles and logo.

Echo Sign – Echo Sign – This is my favorite “go green” product.  What I love is that I can have my contracts signed by the client and then sign them myself and return to my client and now I have a safe backup copy.  And the e-Signature function is my favorite. The recipient could sign right on the screen — in two clicks or less!

I hope you can use them as well and keep looking for more to come. Do you have a favorite you want to share?

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Small Business, Technology, Virtual Assistant
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Organization is Key for this VA!

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Friday, August 21st, 2009

This was my second interview with Darlene this month and we talked about everything from this dang blog and restructuring my services to my obsession with organization.  I am thrilled that I got to have another conversation with Darlene about myself and my business and hope you enjoy it as well.

Here is what Darlene had to say:

This month’s VA Spotlight is Lee Drozak of My Office Assistant. This is Lee’s second time on A Virtual Perception. Previously she shared her insight on a variety of topics during the 2nd Edition of the VA Round Table. This time the focus was on Lee and her business. She shares how she has overcome her love/hate relationship with blogging, talks about her business and how she splits her time between business and family. We also discuss the ever important topic of Business Ethics. Lee is an inspiring business owner, full of resources and wisdom that each and every one of us can learn from. Oh, and Lee is super organized too!

A Virtual Perception, is an audio podcasts that provides business resources (and more) to Virtual Assistants and other business professionals.   There are so many tips that would benefit any small business owner I suggest that you check them out.  And for those thinking about working with a VA, you can get some insight into the industry and what to look for in your new VA

Listen to my interview here: http://mypodcastharmony.com/avpnew/episode-34-organization-is-key-for-this-va/

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Categories : Organization, Small Business, Virtual Assistant
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Partnering With Your Clients

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Thursday, August 13th, 2009

When I first consult with new clients I let them know that my philosophy is to work with you, not for you.  I explain that if I have a clear idea of your vision or mission I can help you achieve your goals.  These are some of the topics and questions that I review on my initial consult:

What can you tell me about your company that is not available on your website or in your promotional materials? This usually opens up discussion on how they started, got to where they were at, some of their challenges and their general business philosophies.

What are your greatest business challenges that are holding you back from devoting time to your clients? Often times potential clients do not realize that some business tasks are being forgotten or being pushed further down the to-do list.

If you could choose one area of immediate need, what would it be? This will make the business owner prioritize and you would be surprised at how many actually think one need is vital when in fact it is not.

Where do you see your company in five years and what, if anything, will stop you from reaching your goals? If I know your vision then I can help you to achieve it.  I have a diverse range of skills and you may be calling me for bookkeeping but my organization and planning experience will help you launch a new campaign.

What is important to you? I like to know if it is spending more time with their family, growing their business or even having time to breath.

I feel that in order to be your virtual business office, I need to know of all your needs and wants.  I also want to know about you and your vision so that I can help you achieve your goals.  And in return I will achieve mine, which are growing My Office Assistant and using my skills to make you more successful.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Outsourcing, Virtual Assistant, Work from Home
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Refocus Your Marketing Plan to Include Social Media

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

I was recently asked how my business was doing in this economy.  At first I answered it was doing well because my services are geared toward helping business owners get more office and administrative tasks completed while saving costs by not having to pay employee costs.  But the more I thought about this I came to the conclusion that my business is growing because I reevaluate my marketing plan based on current economic conditions and new technology trends.

Social Media for your small business

With the quick emergence of social media I have learned to embrace which medias work for me to show what I do and how well I do it.   Here is how I work with the medias that I am comfortable with.

Twitter: I use Twitter to connect with colleagues and know what is hot in my industry, find resources that I need to keep me at the top of my game and keep in touch with some great virtual assistants.  I also choose those I follow based on what they can offer me and what I can give back to them.  I re-tweet to help those find answers that they are looking for, inspiration for those who find they are in need and to pass along other helpful information.

Facebook Business Fan Page:  While I love my Facebook personal account to reconnect with past friends and acquaintances, I use my business fan page to pass information that I find helpful to small business owners and all my friends and fans in general.  As a general rule I pass blogs I have read that contain useful information, free software of the day and discussions on topics I see quite often.  And for my friends, the daily fact of the day so that “I now know”.

Linked In: My profile is all about me professionally including my history, books I find worth reading, groups that are interesting to my business and information I feel is helpful to other professionals.  This means that I will answer questions that I am qualified to answer, participate in discussions that I feel my input will help others and connect with individuals who are professionally interesting to me.

Forums: Forums are actually my favorite of all the social medias.  I find that they tend to mix business and personal because while you are giving and receiving you also get to know the participants a little more in depth.  I am often participating in Virtual Assistants Forum because I can find out what the needs of my colleagues are, provide helpful information and participate in a “talk” section that is a little more about those who are members.

There are many avenues of social media and it is not about how many you are signed up for but how much you are contributing.  When choosing media, choose what works for you as a business owner and those you will actually participate in after initially gaining your account.

The biggest thing to remember is that social media is for marketing purposes but it is more about building relationships.  Use them wisely by not doing the hard sell and let those in your networks now that you are an expert in your field.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Networking, Small Business, Virtual Assistant
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Five great business resources I have found

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Thursday, August 6th, 2009

I chose a one from each business area that may make your day just a little easier.

  1. OneNote – I am an organization freak and love to be green as well.  My OneNote notebooks hold all important information for both business and personal.  If you are tired of paper but want flexibility to put whatever you want in your virtual notebook, One Note is for you.
  2. Stickies – This little (FREE) program allows you to post stickies to your desktop.  There are also options to add alarms, sleep the sticky for future dates, be attached to a web site, document or folder, and customized.
  3. GIMP – the best open source software alternative to Photoshop.  There is a little learning curve but once you get the gist you will love this FREE alternative.
  4. Enterprenuer.com – From starting a business to keeping it running this source offers you the best articles, community area for your questions and a great resource section.
  5. Help a Reporter Out – By getting quoted in publications you get your business and name out there.  And who could not use a published source as referral for your knowledge.  HARO, as it is known, sends a morning and an afternoon email to find material on topics that reporters address.  Caution if you are inundated with email now this may not be for you, however if you are looking to expand your name or brand what a better way than to help a report out.

There are a lot on my list so look for my suggestions again.  Check back again for more suggestions that will help you stay organized, efficient and help you with your business.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

Comments (0)
Categories : Organization, Small Business, Technology, Virtual Assistant

I've got a new set of services coming

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Monday, August 3rd, 2009

I am big on learning especially when it pertains to business practices.  I love the fact that there are so many resources available to us and even wrote a previous post on free education sources.  I am now taking two college classes to get as much information as possible for some new services that I am going to be offering.  These courses are supplemental to what I have already learned, some of the free resources I have found on the internet and my general experience in the service area.

Some professions require that you have XX hours of continuing education for licensing and certification requirements.  My profession does not require such, but I feel to stay at the top of my game and offer you the best that I can, I need to continue learning through many avenues that are available.

So while you will have to wait for the official announcement of my new services, you can rest assured that I will be well prepared and knowledgeable by taking these extra steps of continuing my education.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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Categories : Education, Personal Growth, Virtual Assistant

Professional web site evaluation

By MOAImport · Comments (2)
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Recently I took advantage of an offer to have an evaluation of My Office Assistant website.  My reasoning was two fold, the first is that I am going to be doing a site redesign to incorporate some new service offerings and hone the ones that I am offering.  The second was that while I was happy with my site, I thought it was missing someting and could not figure out what.

Well I was so right about the second and as I got into my consultation I soon discovered that I had designed my site from my perspective and not the client.  I was so bent on keeping it prettied up that I failed to take advantage of the prime above the fold space.  I was also providing information that I thought was beneficial when in fact it was not.

I was glad that I took advantage of the offer because now I will do my redesign correct from the beginning and not need to make tons of revisions to make it SEO efficient and client friendly.

I guess my point is those designing their own site should have an evaluation done but more importantly, when in doubt get an expert to confirm what whether what your gut says is valid or not.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

Comments (2)
Categories : Best Business Practices, Small Business, Virtual Assistant

Ethics and Integrity in Your Business

By MOAImport · Comments (1)
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

A question was posed on one of the forums that I participate in about the ethics of colleagues in the VA industry.  It did not take me long to devise a response and now I would like to share it with you.

I will start by saying that integrity, honestly and confidentiality are highest on my list of best business practices.  There is no room for compromise on these values and this is the decision I make on working with others as well.

I actually started many years ago through freelance and telecommuting when it was a new concept.  There were very little rules and standards but the ones in place where strict and stringent, so I got my start working virtually by the ground breakers who truly wanted to prove that it was a concept to be embraced.  However, the technology was not as it was today and the anonymous nature of many avenue was not available.

With today’s economy and many people looking for money making opportunities in these hard times I think the perception of our industry is a quick make extra cash with little or no work, only basic skills.  This could not be further from the truth since we are business owners and need to work as such.  As many new VA’s come and go this is definitely a step back for the industry and now we must work even harder to legitimize what we do well.

Unfortunately, this is not exclusive to our industry and that is where personal integrity and ethics come to play in its finest.  There is a fine line and you just need to trust your instincts when choosing to work with others, both clients and colleagues alike.

I don’t know if standardizing the industry is the answer since people without ethics will find their way around this as well.  I would certainly welcome an industry wide set of standards and practices but we should individually have them to begin with as we open our doors.  However, I think we need to continue to police ourselves as an industry and those who can and will shall be weeded out by those who cannot and won’t.

This is not a concept exclusive the the VA industry so you thoughts on ethics in your industry are welcome.  How to you strive to provide ethics and integrity to your business?

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

Comments (1)
Categories : Best Business Practices, Personal Growth, Small Business, Virtual Assistant, Work from Home
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