Making your virtual assistant business your own
I don’t know about you but for me and my virtual assistant business I have been doing a lot of thinkin’ and asking a ton of questions.
Where is my business currently at?
Where do I want it to go?
How do I create a business model that works for both me and my clients?
There has been a theme in the newsletters and blog posts coming to my inbox lately….
1) The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau, after a recommendation from a friend and colleague I checked out the book and Chris’ website. The book by the way immediately landed on my “to-read” list and I highly recommend signing up for his newsletter and downloading his free eBook, “A Brief Guide to World Domination: How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World”.
2) Karyn Greenstreet of Passion for Business has been writing thought provoking articles on her blog, RoadmapToReinvention.com about not copying the business models but create your own. In looking at her business transformations in the past, her success came from stepping out of her comfort zone and creating something different. This is another resource I highly recommend checking out – follow the feed from her blogs and sign up for her FREE monthly calls, I always get something out of what Karyn has to say about business and what she has learned.
For many if not most VAs we have created the standard, normal run-of-the-mill virtual assistant business. We get the website up and running, find a niche, start marketing and perform the work.
Recommended Training: VA Classrooms Internet Marketing 2010
VAClassroom.com is offering great courses right now that I encourage anyone interested in Social Media and/or Internet Marketing to take a close look at. Newly updated for 2010 the information offered and the training available will give you a solid foundation for specializing in your virtual assistant business.
I personally took the Internet Marketing Course when it first was released and was greatly impressed the breadth of information covered. There are tutorials showing you how to set up and install Google Analytics, examples and tools on conducting keyword research and finding affiliates for affiliate programs… all of these give you the training you need to offer strategy and suggestions to your clients and to use in your own business.
A well rounded understanding of internet marketing will help you as you develop your skills in social media marketing, blog marketing, web analytics and affiliate programs. I found it opened up quite a few doors and showed me different options that I could focus on as a virtual assistant… as well as showing me areas I do NOT want to focus on as a VA. Affiliate Marketing manager is not at the top of my list after going through this training LOL!
Internet Marketing is such a huge topic that in many ways this program can only scratch the surface and there were times I found that frustrating, I wanted more information and more in-depth training. But as I said, in many ways this really only scratches the surface and is a great starting point, a sound foundation for taking your training to the next level.
The training comes in a variety of styles including a review and resources for each lesson in PDF form and a wide variety of videos. Each lesson has a video plus special segments focusing on a particular tool or concept. Each lesson is in an easily digestible chunks that allow you to move forward at your own pace. The assignments are not complicated but are thorough enough to make sure that you do understand the training and can take what you are taught and apply it in a real world situation.
To be honest I’m a bit addicted to their training courses, finished Traffic Geyser training earlier this year… in the middle of Podcast Marketing and participated in the Ning training and I’m sure that will not be the last class I take with them. So If you have any questions on this program or any other programs through VA Classroom please feel free to ask I would be happy to share my experience and feedback with VA Classroom.
**Note: These links are affiliate links.
Blog Design Bootcamp – Yes!
One of the best classes I have taken in is the Blog Design Bootcamp from Erin Blaskie.
I had been working in WordPress and customizing sites for awhile by the time I ordered the course but there were several areas I was not comfortable in. Through her course I have become at ease with taking a theme and customizing it to what I need. This has been a huge benefit in my work with my clients. Being able to get into their site and make the necessary changes and not wait for the web designer has added to my billable hours and fun to my work day.
Through this class I have learned that I really like blog design and after this class have taken on quite a few design projects that I am very proud of.
Here is big bonus from the class that I didn’t realize I would get – learning more about Photoshop ™. This is another program I had a working knowledge of but the tips and trick she taught just made it easier and more practical to use in my day to day work with clients.
Another huge benefit has been learning to set up and design a website that I can customize for my own business, I was able to transform the theme I had purchased into a look and feel that I love.
She offers 10 hours of training from Understanding the Basics to Delivering the Design to Your Clients. The next class starts soon on February 1st and I highly recommend attending.
For this program I purchased the Home Study version but live and interactive would be a great way to go. The only potential con on this program is the timing – 5 nights, 2 hours per night. For some this might not be a con but a pro! Get the training quickly and applying it immediately is great fun.
If you are looking to set up and maintain your own website or start offering this as service to your clients, I highly recommend Erin’s Blog Design Bootcamp!
**This site is just one example 
*NOTE: The links in this review are affiliate links for BSETC.ca
Learning & The Virtual Assistant
Learning is fun, who knew?
If you would have told me that back in Junior High or High School, “yeah right!” would have bee my answer. Strange thing happened… I got to college and suddenly learning became harder but a lot more interesting.
Okay, so not all the classes were fun. I’m sorry but Survey of Art? Just was a dark room where the teacher showed slide shows of art, and I must admit…. I fell asleep a couple of times.
After college, wow, I had time for hobbies! Started reading all sorts of, GASP, non fiction books…. to learn something new. On my own, not a homework assignment. Then, when I had internet access in my home! Well that is when my entire world changed. Learning was fun, it was interesting and it opened up entire new worlds.
For me, one of the biggest draws to the world of Virtual Assistants was the opportunity, the excuse and even the need to continue learning new skills.
The trouble I have had however is:
- What training do I need?
- What program is best?
- Is this a good price? a good value?
- What instructors are the best?
- Where to find specialized training?
This blog is designed to share with you the resources I have found, reviews of the courses, ebooks and programs I have purchased. My hope is to share with you what I have learned, what my journey has been, in the hopes that it will help as you make decisions for you and your virtual assistant business.
I welcome your feedback and suggestions on what you would like to hear more about.
