Take Your Virtual Assistant Business to the Next Level

by Donna Toothaker

The fall is nearly upon us, and sure – this is the time of year when the air cools down, the sun sets earlier, and we prepare for the dormant winter season.  But in business, fall is also a time of new beginnings.  The new “school year” cycle signifies a clean slate, a time for learning, and growth – even for those of us who graduated years ago.  Harness the renewing energy of this cycle to reinvigorate yourself and your business, and end the year on a high note.

Give your business a fall cleanup.  Do papers and files cover your desk like autumn leaves on your lawn?  Time to toss and file.  Clean up your computer desktop, too.  Not only will it be easier to find necessary documents, but your computer will run more efficiency.  A crowded computer desktop is often a prime culprit when your computer is running slowly.  Clear out your e-mail inbox (often easier to delete in big chunks if you sort by sender), unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters (physical and electronic), and turn off social media notifications that tend to pile up.  Dust your office and your computer.  Let no flat surface, physical or virtual, go untouched!

Give yourself a report card. Give yourself and your business an honest month-by-month assessment for the first half of the year.  Have you followed your business and marketing plans?  What goals have you reached or exceeded?  Where are you falling short?  Based on what you have learned from your assessments, what changes can you make right now to end the year on a high note?

Give yourself a boost.  Re-inspire yourself!  Take a class toward a certificate, or attend a seminar or workshop. Buy a frame that will house that certificate you will earn, and motivate yourself as you study by envisioning it on your wall.  Be sure that the class or seminar you attend will take you a step forward in your evolution as a CEO, even if it feels “beyond” you or outside of your comfort zone.  Stretch yourself!  Even better, sign up to give a presentation or teach a class in your area of expertise!

Don’t forget your own self-care. Just as fall is a time for cleaning up your outer environment, in many cultures, fall is a time to cleanse your inner environment as well.  Invigorate and strengthen your body, and immune system, with a wellness makeover, to keep stress, and illness at bay in the coming winter months.  Choose from all the nutritious foods that are plentiful during the harvest season, and drink plenty of water. Get active with healthy activities like yoga or daily walks in the crisp fall air.

Reconnect with friends and family to boost your spirits. Find solo time to reconnect with yourself.  Think about the reasons why you were inspired to start your business in the first place, and envision yourself living your best life, doing work you love, on your terms.

This fall, take time to reclaim your office space, review your year to date, reinvigorate your ‘resume’ and health and wellness routines, and reconnect with what is important.  You will end your year on a high note, excited and ready for the year ahead.

Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visit http://www.stepitupva.com to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.

{ 0 comments }

by Donna Toothaker

As you are contacted by potential clients, how often do you find yourself being haggled, or “talked down,” offering discounts or extras, or offering a la carte services or hourly rates to sign the client on?   Are you attracting price-conscious clients, who inevitably end up demanding more for less, and sucking you dry?  If so, take a good look at your marketing materials.  You are probably selling hours for dollars, rather than selling value, and it is causing you to attract the wrong clientele.

To attract the right customers, sell value by offering full-service solutions to your clients’ needs.   Three big drivers for customers are:

Saving money. Everybody wants to spend less on the things they need, but that doesn’t mean you should cut your prices to attract clients.  Show them how spending on your service solutions can save them money.  An obvious angle is hiring a contractor (VA) rather than a full-time employee with benefits.  Buying a complete package of your services is also a better value than hiring several different contractors to provide the different services, which often proves more costly.

Saving time. Offering comprehensive service packages is of significant value for time-strapped entrepreneurs, or start-ups that need help systemizing or building an online presence from the ground up.  Again – by purchasing a complete service package from your company, they save a significant amount of time – time they would have otherwise spent searching for database specialists, project management specialists, web designers, SEO specialists, article marketers, or copywriters…or trying to figure out how to do it all themselves. 

Making money. By signing on with your company, a potential customer is signing on a team.  By doing so, he or she now has the ability to use the money and time they are saving (by hiring you) to focus on building their business, increasing their income, and concentrating on being the CEO instead of managing the day-to-day details.

Infuse these three drivers in your marketing materials to sell the value people get from working with you. By selling complete service solutions, you are selling value, not hours for dollars.  You will attract better clients, and instead of selling your services for dollars, you will be working on satisfying projects and living your dream, while you help your client do the same.

Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visit http://www.stepitupva.com to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.

{ 0 comments }

by Donna Toothaker

As a CEO, you have people working for your company, running the day-to-day and handling client work so YOU can grow your business.  Your team is perhaps your most important investment, and as any investment, your team requires care and attention in order to provide you with a great return.  Here are four important steps to strengthen and empower your team, so you can SOAR to success, together!

Selection Building an empowered team begins with selecting the right team members.  Hire individuals whose specialties compliment each other, and whose personal work and communication styles are a good fit for you, your clients, and within the team itself.
Team members who are consciously chosen for their specialties and their “fit” will feel appreciated from day one, knowing that they will use their skills and talents, and that they are liked and accepted by the team.

Objectives When you take the time to clearly lay out your objectives and expectations with your team, and create a structure within which your team members can work to meet these goals, they will feel comfortable, confident, and empowered to work their individual magic within that structure, and contribute to the overall success of the business. Establishing basic rules for getting the work done is also imperative. Team  members need to understand how they are to proceed, when and how decisions will be made, how issues will be addressed, and how results, and success, will be measured.

Autonomy Give each team member ownership of his or her role in the team, and take great care not to step over those boundaries.  Part of having a successful team, and being a successful CEO is to acknowledge the talents and experience of each member, trusting that they can do the job to your specifications (or beyond your expectations), and letting go.  Micromanaging your team members is a sure-fire way to lose good talent.  On the other hand, giving them the freedom to use their creativity to use their skills their way, and encouraging them toward achievement, may lead to new discoveries and opportunities for business to grow in new directions, while giving your team a feeling of true job satisfaction.

Recognition Take the time to express to individual team members – in person or in a hand-written note — just what their talents mean to you and your business.  Recall one or two specific incidents in which they really went above and beyond for you, and thank them.  Throughout the year, make it a point to thank them for a job well done.  Put team events on your calendar, like a teambuilding day outside the office, an appreciation dinner, a holiday party, and a company outing.  Calendar and acknowledge team member birthdays and other special days, but also celebrate the “small victories” that happen on a daily basis.  Just simply acknowledging the efforts of your team members can be a huge morale boost.

Choose your team members wisely.  Give them structure, and the freedom to use their skills and talents within that structure.  Encourage them toward achievement, and consistently recognize their efforts and successes.  Invest in your team, and SOAR to success!

Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visit http://www.stepitupva.com to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.

{ 0 comments }