My dream a long time ago was to start my own typing business. I decided to follow that dream and try to achieve this. I left my job in the corporate world in 2001 to start up on my own. I had no idea if this could be done, how to do this, I thought I had no business knowledge. When I started up in 2001 the first thing I did was research, this is something I would advise anyone to do before they pack in your job in the corporate world I would also advise you to start up part time rather than do this the way i did it. I would spend days, months marketing and advertising, days upon days, I just kept going. In those days advertising was for free, so if you could advertise there, I was advertised, I cant tell you where, but I never stopped looking for places to advertise. My first website was with geocities, a free website. Then I met Joan Masterson, I asked Joan many questions, and build my structure/procedures and decided how I was going to run this business, I think my first client was someone wanting a CV typed up, I had advertised in some newspaper. The one thing I believe in and have always done is marketing and advertising and networking as much as possible, even now as I run a very successful full time business I still advertise to show that my business is current and to keep my company in the limelight and being seen in the corporate world. It was hard when I started out to get clients, first you had to get out there, as you do today and been seen and I was seen eventually, and slow but surely my business took off. My website has been my best advert and marketing tool.
One person that I have admired for years is Kathie M Thomas at http://www.vadirectory.net/. I was so impressed by what Kathie was doing at that time, Kathie was my inspiration to carry on. I have always had a very positive attitude within my business, I have always had confidence in what I am doing, I knew I could do this, somehow, no matter what, I just had to keep ploughing away. And today all that marketing, advertising and networking has paid off for me. So my word of advice is keep going no matter what, If I can do it you can. My dream has come true, I am working my dream.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
100 posts
Hi ive just realised I have reached 100 posts on my blog, what an achievement, I did not know I had 100 posts in me to write. Interesting, I hope you enjoy reading these posts and that sometimes you get something out of them. Here is to my next 100 posts, Ali
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Do you live in your Office
Yes I sometimes feel as though I live in my office, I am in it for long hours at a time, more so than any other part of my house. Does anyone else spend as much time in the office?
In the corporate world we work set hours, here working for yourself, its all hours and more. How to get round it, you can't as you need to build your business on a continual basis. I can only think to take regular breaks and walks, out of the office, even a wander around the garden is a break, stretch your body, your arms and legs, move your head around a few times. If you have a laptop you can at least go into another room and sit and type, or even sit in the garden in the summer. Go make tea take regular breaks. That is one of the reasons why its good to make your office comfortable as you spend that much time in it. Make sure you have a comfortable chair, I sit on my office chair much more then i sit in the lounge. I spend far too much time in this office of mine.
In the corporate world we work set hours, here working for yourself, its all hours and more. How to get round it, you can't as you need to build your business on a continual basis. I can only think to take regular breaks and walks, out of the office, even a wander around the garden is a break, stretch your body, your arms and legs, move your head around a few times. If you have a laptop you can at least go into another room and sit and type, or even sit in the garden in the summer. Go make tea take regular breaks. That is one of the reasons why its good to make your office comfortable as you spend that much time in it. Make sure you have a comfortable chair, I sit on my office chair much more then i sit in the lounge. I spend far too much time in this office of mine.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Nine to Five (9 to 5)
I have been thinking a lot lately on how can anyone in this type of business work 9 to 5.
If you feel you can, please let me know.
If you have a full time VA business with many clients, I think and feel you have to be there when your clients need you, if you are not available that client can move on elsewhere to another VA, who will give them the service they require. I believe in providing my clients with a quality service and that includes working the hours they need me.
Its hard, its tough and I have children 13 and 9 and a hubby.
As a VA you must meet your clients deadlines, you cant just say I will do it tomorrow, things do not work like that, you have to be available when you reasonably can be. My clients appreciate this and let me know they are appreciative of my working the hours to suit them. But with doing this I have now retained my clients for years.
I do get help and assistance from other VAs with my work, as I do, most of the time have overflow. My children and hubby are very understanding of my work and give me their full support and assistance as I need it. I think without this I probably would not manage. I work better under pressure so I thrive when I am hectic, its the way I like to run my business, somehow I manage it all, how, often I dont know, but things get done.
A lot of people think when you are working for yourself, you have it made, you can work when you like, relax when you like, be there when the kids come home, spend time with the kids, and go shopping when you like. YES WELL. That does not happen when you run your own business, you find, you work many more hours to grow that business and often you are the only person within that business who knows everything about it so you have to be available and with a VA/Transcription business you do the work as well as everything else, so there is no time. Being a VA is not the being at home and spending time with the kids this is not that type of job. Its about work and building a business. In today society where money is in short supply and salaries are low and a recession is hanging around, you have to work.
I am very interested in how other VAs work their hours, how they manage running a full time business with many clients. Drop me a comment and let me know or email me, I would love to hear from you.
If you feel you can, please let me know.
If you have a full time VA business with many clients, I think and feel you have to be there when your clients need you, if you are not available that client can move on elsewhere to another VA, who will give them the service they require. I believe in providing my clients with a quality service and that includes working the hours they need me.
Its hard, its tough and I have children 13 and 9 and a hubby.
As a VA you must meet your clients deadlines, you cant just say I will do it tomorrow, things do not work like that, you have to be available when you reasonably can be. My clients appreciate this and let me know they are appreciative of my working the hours to suit them. But with doing this I have now retained my clients for years.
I do get help and assistance from other VAs with my work, as I do, most of the time have overflow. My children and hubby are very understanding of my work and give me their full support and assistance as I need it. I think without this I probably would not manage. I work better under pressure so I thrive when I am hectic, its the way I like to run my business, somehow I manage it all, how, often I dont know, but things get done.
A lot of people think when you are working for yourself, you have it made, you can work when you like, relax when you like, be there when the kids come home, spend time with the kids, and go shopping when you like. YES WELL. That does not happen when you run your own business, you find, you work many more hours to grow that business and often you are the only person within that business who knows everything about it so you have to be available and with a VA/Transcription business you do the work as well as everything else, so there is no time. Being a VA is not the being at home and spending time with the kids this is not that type of job. Its about work and building a business. In today society where money is in short supply and salaries are low and a recession is hanging around, you have to work.
I am very interested in how other VAs work their hours, how they manage running a full time business with many clients. Drop me a comment and let me know or email me, I would love to hear from you.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
2010 Afrivan VAimpact Award Winners
African Virtual Assistants Network(Afrivan) VAimpact 2010 award is finally here, thanks to all those who took upon themselves to nominate deserving individuals for this year award. VAimpact yearly award is till in it infancy stage and we might not be able to provide all the perks and incentive of awards, but I believe it no excuse not to honor deserving Virtual Assistants in and around Africa for their hard work.
Afrivan hope is that as the yearly award progresses, we will have companies to sponsor the award, provide business incentive and business opportunity for award winners.
It’s my honor to present to you this year 2010 Afrivan VAimpact Award Winner, you all truly deserve it for all your hard work, dedication even in the faces business challenges and set-backs.
These award from Afrivan is to encourage you to keep on keeping on and to give more sense of feeling that you can achieve and attain whatever you set your mind and energy to accomplish in life. The sky is no longer the limit to what you achieve, the only limitation will be you and the people you surround yourself with if you allow that to happen. These award challenge you to do more for yourself and well as for others.
Visit their full bio to get to know them as both individual and business owners and leave words of encouragement on the comment page for them.
Full Name: Alison Mary Fourie
Business Name: AMF Typing Services cc
Years in Business: 9 Years
Business Website: http://www.amftyping.co.za
Location & Country: Johannesburg, South Africa
**************************************************************
Full Names: Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn
Business Name: Be Virtual Assistant Wise
Years in Business: 15 months
Business Website: http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com &
Blog: http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.co.za
Location & Country: Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
Continue Reading More of Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn Bio
Afrivan hope is that as the yearly award progresses, we will have companies to sponsor the award, provide business incentive and business opportunity for award winners.
It’s my honor to present to you this year 2010 Afrivan VAimpact Award Winner, you all truly deserve it for all your hard work, dedication even in the faces business challenges and set-backs.
These award from Afrivan is to encourage you to keep on keeping on and to give more sense of feeling that you can achieve and attain whatever you set your mind and energy to accomplish in life. The sky is no longer the limit to what you achieve, the only limitation will be you and the people you surround yourself with if you allow that to happen. These award challenge you to do more for yourself and well as for others.
Visit their full bio to get to know them as both individual and business owners and leave words of encouragement on the comment page for them.
Full Name: Alison Mary Fourie
Business Name: AMF Typing Services cc
Years in Business: 9 Years
Business Website: http://www.amftyping.co.za
Location & Country: Johannesburg, South Africa
**************************************************************
Full Names: Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn
Business Name: Be Virtual Assistant Wise
Years in Business: 15 months
Business Website: http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com &
Blog: http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.co.za
Location & Country: Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
Continue Reading More of Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn Bio
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