Working for someone else and working for yourself is as different as day and night. I suddenly realized this having worked in the corporate world for over 25 years compared to now being an entrepreneur.
It is quite an adjustment to become accustomed to not having to answer to anyone or feeling inferior to a superior. I call this conditioning yourself into a mindset of an entrepreneur. It is not an easy transition, but well worth the transformation.
Your client is not your boss, but your equal. This type of relationship fosters a mutual respect for each other to the point where you can even brainstorm on certain topics or issues. Sure your boss in the workforce may have attempted to show you mutual respect, but there was always that element of inequality that existed.
Having an entrepreneur’s mindset gives you the freedom to express your ideas or creativity without being worried about being stifled or causing confusion in the office or the boardroom. An entrepreneur’s mindset gives you more confidence in yourself and your capabilities. It can also build your self-esteem, especially for female entrepreneurs. Women in the workforce have come a long way, but there is work yet to be done.
In today’s economy, being an entrepreneur is rapidly becoming the norm. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, self-employment rates have been growing at an average of 4.5 percent annually. With all the layoffs, especially among baby boomers, that percentage will increase. Age discrimination still exists; therefore, it will be difficult for them to find employment, forcing them into becoming entrepreneurs.
Overall, thinking like an entrepreneur rather than an employee is a process, which takes time. As I mentioned before, it is a conditioning that takes place. It is not easy, especially for baby boomers after so many years in the workforce; however, it can be done. Enjoy the ride!
From the mindset of an entrepreneur,
As I mentioned in my previous post, virtual assistants (VAs) are professional administrative experts offering a service. Yet, there are potential clients who ask for a cover letter and resume.
In the virtual assistant industry, providing a cover letter and resume is not the standard. Generally, this is not the standard for any service provider. Do you ask your accountant, lawyer, plumber, television repair person, dentist, doctor or any provider of the services you may require for a cover letter or resume? Then why would you ask a Virtual Assistant for these documents. We are service providers too.
It is the norm to ask VAs for references; even though, you wouldn’t ask any of the aforementioned service providers for that information. However, we are more likely to use their services if they are referred to us.
Another point I mentioned in my previous post is the business world is conditioned to think of us virtual assistants as administrative assistants; as employees. We are not employees. We are independent contractors.
Do you want a Virtual Assistant or an employee? If you want an employee, than a cover letter and resume are required.
As an entrepreneur and small business owner, you’ve probably heard the term “Virtual Assistant (VA)” and know what it means. However, there are still misconceptions that exist. I’m going to attempt to clear that up in this blog post.
“A Virtual Assistant is a professional who specializes in providing administrative support and expertise,” says Danielle Keister of Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce in her blog post. To read more of Danielle’s post, click here. The business community is still conditioned to think of virtual assistants as administrative assistants. This type of thinking can devalue the true worth of a Virtual Assistant; therefore, potential clients tend to focus on the cost of the services rather than the value a VA can bring to the table.
Since VAs are professional entrepreneurs, they are quite versed in business operations, marketing, bookkeeping, etc. As Danielle points out in her blog post, a Virtual Assistant can help you move your business forward. This is a very valuable skill to any entrepreneur and small business owner.
The qualifications and skills that virtual assistants possess as a professional enable them to be experts in their fields, as well as in their profession as an entrepreneur. You receive more than administrative support, you have someone you can consult with, bounce ideas off of, brainstorm with, as well as utilize some of their business practices. If it works for your VA, it may work for you in your business.
These are just a few examples of the value your Virtual Assistant can bring to your business. The benefits you reap as an entrepreneur from this type of business relationship outweighs any fees that you may perceive as being expensive.
If you choose to work with offshore virtual assistants to save a few bucks, you will not receive this type of value-added service, mainly due to cultural differences.
I hope this helps clear up the misconceived notions that yet exist. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments.
As an entrepreneur and small business owner, you are aware of the importance of using social media networking as a marketing strategy. You also realize how much time is involved in social media networking. I can spend an entire day on Twitter alone networking with other entrepreneurs. In order to save you some valuable time, virtual assistants can help you with your networking efforts. Keep in mind, virtual assistants use the same social media networking techniques and know their way around social media sites. A virtual assistant can set up your social media profiles at various sites, as well as filter through posts for any relevant information pertaining to your business. On Twitter, a Virtual Assistant can check your DMs (direct messages) and your replies (posts directed to you) to see if there is anything you need to respond to. A Virtual Assistant can also post pertinent information about your company and products and/or services. Larger companies are starting to use Twitter to communicate with their customers about their products and/or services, in addition to getting their feedback. Another feature of Twitter is you have people following you and people you choose to follow. A Virtual Assistant can research the ones following you to see if they are viable potential clients. In addition, s/he can search for possible clients for you to follow on Twitter.
As you know, social media networking allows you to create business relationships, as well as give your prospective clients the opportunity to learn more about you; therefore, it is necessary for you to spend some time networking on these social media sites. However, virtual assistants can help you save a huge amount of valuable time; time you can use to focus on your clients. Virtual assistants can help you with social media networking also.
Since I live in Southern California, I never think about being snowed in because of inclement weather. I can’t even fathom it since I have never lived in that type of climate. However, I am aware that in severe weather, businesses are sometime forced to close; whereas, in other cases, businesses can remain open, but some of the staff may not be able to get to work because of the road conditions.
However, one way businesses can economically survive during periods of inclement weather is to work with virtual assistants. The administrative tasks will be completed no matter what the weather is or if the business remains open or not. This can save companies money or, at least, reduce the amount of money that would have otherwise been lost. Another domino effect is the cost to the economy. Jill McLachlan of JMVA in the UK stated that in her country, according to Federation of Small Businesses, the cost to their economy may rise to $4B, because of a recent snow storm. Approximately 20 percent of the staff could not get to work.
The same holds true for parts of our country that deals with this same type of weather. Businesses may want to consider having virtual assistants as a backup to their regular staff for these situations in order to economically survive inclement weather. Small businesses who work with virtual assistants on an ongoing basis never have to worry about their projects and/or tasks being completed during harsh weather. Virtual assistants do not have to commute to their clients’ offices to provide the administrative support they need in order to keep the operations of their businesses going.
With all of the recent layoffs, more and more people for various reasons are opting to start their own businesses rather than seeking employment. These new small business owners will require some type of administrative assistance and are turning to virtual assistants for their administrative assistant needs. Due to the increase popularity of virtual assistants, I feel it is necessary to reiterate the working relationship between a client and a Virtual Assistant.
When working with a Virtual Assistant, it is important to remember a Virtual Assistant works “with” you not “for” you. Clients don’t hire virtual assistants (VAs), they retained their services. Clients don’t interview VAs, they have consultation sessions. Virtual assistants are not employees; they are small business owners as Minda Zetlin points out in her blog post titled, “Why You Need to Hire a Virtual Assistant.” Although, I don’t agree with some of the terms that Minda used, she discusses valid reasons why small business owners need to hire a Virtual Assistant. Click here to read Minda’s blog post.
Although the Virtual Assistant industry has existed for nearly 10 years, due to downsizing and layoffs, VAs are suddenly in high demand. However, clients and virtual assistants need to recondition their concept of what a Virtual Assistant really is and what they do or don’t do.
When working with a Virtual Assistant (VA), there are some simple communication processes that can be put into place, which will help to make a Virtual Assistant/client working relationship a success.
Communication is the key; just like in any type of relationship. If you are retaining a VA services on an ongoing monthly basis, it is a good idea to give your VA some type of schedule listing the projects and tasks you need completing, along with anticipated completion dates, for the entire month. This way, if your VA has other clients, he or she can schedule your tasks accordingly ensuring that you will have your completed tasks in a timely manner.
Another suggested method of communication is a check-in report that you and your Virtual Assistant complete weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. The report will have the same set of questions that both of you will answer; for example, how has it been working with me for the past several weeks, what have you enjoyed most, what have you enjoyed least, is there anything you’d like to discuss, etc.? You may think this is too time-consuming, but it is highly recommended in order to have a successful working relationship.
One other method of communication, of course, is e-mail. It is less intrusive than the telephone and takes less time, which allows your Virtual Assistant to stay on track and focused. Needless to say, at times, a phone call will be warranted.
A client’s and my working relationship have been quite successful due to implementing the above-mentioned methods of communication. They leave no room for assumptions. The key is communication.
As an entrepreneur and/or small business owner, one of the decisions you make when starting your business is which portion of the market is going to be your niche. In order to choose your niche ask yourself, “where in the market will my products or services fit?” Has a new market been created, because of changes in technology or society, which has a potential demand that is not being met? Once you have answered these questions, you have chosen your niche.
In your niche, you will find people with shared characteristics (market segment). The factors (characteristics) that determine market segments are geographic, demographic, behavioral, and psychographic (attitudinal). Your advertising message and marketing strategy will be based on these factors.
It’s ironic how people are more alike than different. The aforementioned factors will affect how a group of people will behave. We tend to be creatures of habit, which causes us to be “sitting ducks” for advertisers and marketers. We leave clues, based on our needs, wants, and mental files, that tell where we live, how we shop, what we buy, and how we spend our leisure time. The same holds true for the market segment you choose to target with your products and/or services. They will have similar needs or wants and behave in similar ways.
In the market place, there is an area or subset where your products and/or services will fit (niche). In the market place, there is a group of clients who can use your products/or services (market segment). As an entrepreneur and/or small business owner with limited advertising and marketing budget, it is important to choose a niche, as well as a segment, in the market.
If you would like to add your signature to your online communications; for example, email signature blocks, email marketing campaigns and/or blog posts, check out http://mylivesignature.com. You can create an electronic version of your signature in five simple steps, and it’s free. It is much simpler than scanning your signature. With the increased level of identity theft, this is also a way you can protect yourself. An electronic signature is not the same as your actual signature. Therefore, your signature cannot be copied for the purpose of stealing your identity.
If you are a Virtual Assistant, you can create an electronic signature for your clients to be used in their correspondence. It is especially useful for business letters, which will be used for merge projects. Your clients will not have to sign each and every letter.
Whatever digital content you may have, you can personalize it by adding an electronic signature.
Obviously, we as entrepreneurs and small business owners do not have large marketing budgets like big corporations. However, blogging is an affordable marketing tool. Are you blogging yet? I recently read a blog post, which emphasizes the importance of blogging when trying to brand your products, services, and/or company. The blog post is entitled, “Social Media Works for Small Business.” In it Ryan Moede also talks about how to use social media tools as marketing strategies.
On the other hand, one of my favorite bloggers, Grant Griffiths, wrote a blog post called, “Blogging is More Than Just Simply Marketing.” He talks about how we can use blogging to engage our clients in conversations regarding our products or services, as well as other important discussions.
Blogging presents us with the opportunity to level the “marketing playing field” with large businesses. It doesn’t cost us anything but our time. You can also outsource your blogging project to a Virtual Assistant who specializes in writing and has experience in blogging. Are you blogging yet?
Rita J. Cartwright, Owner
RJ’s Word Processing Services
Your Business Success Is Our Success
http://rjswordprocessing.com
866-651-3073
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