VA Tips & Tricks Blogging Challenge 2014 - G is for Growing your Business

Everybody and everything needs to grow and so your company needs to grow. It is through continual marketing, advertising and networking that your business will grow. You can’t just open up your business and start to work; it does not work like that, ‘You have to do the work to get the work’. Marketing, advertising and networking is always going to be a major part of the life of your business.

You need to grow your client database to bring in enough work to make a profit. Businesses must run making profits otherwise what is the point. Your rates need to be enough that they cover your expenses and that there is a bit left over for profit. You don’t want to just break-even you need to make profits to survive. If you charge low rates and you won’t be in business for long. Often VAs think that if they charge low rates they will draw in many clients, do you want the types of clients that go for the low rates or do you want the type of client that pays you well and appreciates what you and they become regular clients and they know you are a valuable resource to them.

As we grow we need to make sure that our advertising material grows with us. Update your material often, don’t just send out the same advert over and over, create something new each time, maybe boast about a new product you learnt, or a new client you have just got, advertise a new skill you have just learnt, maybe you have joined a new group advertise it., you could interest others to join that group. Send advertisements out regularly.

The same with your website change it often, your website should not look the same today as when you started out, your website grows with you, keep it fresh, updated and keep up with current website trends. If you add new content to your site send out an advert advertising it, send out on your social media platforms and invite people to your site to check it out.

Our businesses have to grow for us to achieve anything, the same as we need to keep up with technology, technology changes all the time, so do we, never let your business go stagnant no matter how busy you are, keep it fresh and ongoing.

I don’t need to advertise for clients, but I do need to advertise to show that I am still in business. Your business name must always be out there to be seen.

Starting up your own VA Business

• Determine what kind of business you want to start, look at your skills and see what you enjoy doing, make a list of jobs you have done in your career, say you did e.g. Typing, Transcription, PowerPoint Presentation etc and that is what you enjoy doing, so start your business by offering the services you enjoy doing the most and expand your business from there as you get to learn and know other jobs.
• Learn about the industry for your business, do Internet research around the world. There are many VA sites worldwide that you can visit to see what the industry is about. Search for ‘Virtual Assistants’ via Google etc.
• Check out the market for your business, study your competition, speak to other experienced VAs, ask how they started up, etc. And if an established VA will assist you as your mentor, grab her and don’t let her go,
• Educate yourself on running a business. Learn what a Business Owner is and what Business Owners do, you have your company books, invoicing, customer liaison, quotations, networking, marketing, debt collecting etc. There is more to running a business than just taking in typing jobs. A Virtual Assistant runs a business/company.
• Join Associations, Chamber of Commerce, small to medium business networking groups, women’s business groups etc for networking purposes, locally.
• Name your business, have a business name that reflects what you are doing and who you are. Design a company logo and a company slogan. This to me was one of the most exciting tasks to do when I started my company, ive been through quite a few logo's since starting and I am now happy with my current logo as it reflects what I am doing.
• Perform a trademark search on the name you choose for your business to make sure no one else is using that name.
• Register a domain name for your website; first check that the name you have chosen is not used by someone else. My domain name is www.amftyping.co.za, the domain being ‘amftyping’.
• Design/Acquire a website/blogging (Example: site http://alison-fourie.blogspot.com/), this is a great marketing tool, you can list your website on search engines and add your website and company details to search engine listings, classified sections, and in directories via the internet worldwide. Your website and blog are your internet advertising tools; they portray you on-line, make sure your content is good and draws clients to you. If it’s not working within 3 months relook at your content and change it.
• Determine business structure (sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation).
• Evaluate your personal budget, know what your budget limits are, and work within these limits.
• Write a business plan, list your objectives and values, create your mission statement, update as your business grows. Set up the way you are going to run your business (Procedures/structures), document it, edit, as you need to, but put it in writing.
• Register your business with the Deeds Office in (for South African VAs only, VAs from other countries must check their own country regulations) Have a choice of company names; check out your company names via the internet, because if you find someone with the same business name you will have to change your name as they were here first.
• Organise your office and office space.
• Order signage, I have a sign attached to my gate with business name and details. Place signage/magnets on your car, as you drive around, you are advertising your company.
• Obtain business tools (computer, printer, fax machine, office supplies, and fixtures, ADSL line, Broadband/wireless connection). (Make sure you have the bandwidth to cater for your job, if you are doing transcription/typing you will receive large files, you need to be able to download and upload these files so you bandwidth must be adequate.
• Order/Create business stationery (business cards, letterhead, brochures, forms etc). You can create your own office stationery via your computer, it saves money.
• Set a launch date.
• Plan a grand opening event; create press releases, flyers, and notices. Send announcements to everyone you know that you are opening your business. Let people know about this, advertise strongly that you are opening your business, let other VAs know, report it on forums, Facebook, networking sites/social media. But get your opening information out there.
• Evaluate your marketing/networking strategy/plan often and do the same with your business strategy/plan as your business changes then make note of the changes and new procedures in your business strategy/plan. Your business plan should be a working ongoing document.