Early in 2017, I decided to ‘properly’ invest in my business. I wanted to up my game and to do that I knew I needed to learn from people who were better than me. So I bought a 2-day ticket to the Expert Empires event in London. I wanted to see Gary Vee and Ryan Deiss and didn’t spend that much time researching the other speakers… big mistake.
Recently I spent the day watching remarkable people give remarkable presentations at TEDx Brighton. I always make time for events like this because I love exposing myself to new ideas, they make a huge difference to my life and business, and I always come away from them enlightened and full of inspiration. And this one was no different.
Like a handshake, a business card can say a lot about you as well as the type of business you operate. Because it’s often the first point of contact for potential clients and therefore needs to create the right impression, I’ve put together a list of the most common mistakes I’ve seen when collating cards so you don’t unwittingly make them.
Unless you live on the moon, I’m sure you’ve heard of the changes to the new EU data protection laws, commonly known as the GDPR. These changes came into force on 25th May 2018 and affect every business whether it’s in the EU or not – so that means you AND your clients. Here’s what you need to know and how to comply.
If you’re looking to set up your own Virtual Assistant business then you may be considering buying my DIY VA course. The course is really popular because it not only shows you how to become a Virtual Assistant, but also how to market yourself and then work better once you are one. Here are the questions people ask most often.
Although I’ve written about how to say no to those negative saboteurs called naysayers, what I haven’t done is give you examples of the things they might say to you so you know what to say no to! Whether you’re on the receiving end of a negative comment or the one thinking them yourself, it definitely helps to have a good response ready.
Picture the scene. I’m 17 years old, it’s around 8.45 in the morning and I’m on a bus on my way to work. It’s one of my very first jobs out of school, I work from 9 to 5.30 every day in a huge airless room at a faceless call centre in a massive building with hundreds of other people. As I look out of the window, the bus passes a tree in the park… and it suddenly hits me.
Although I had often outsourced the occasional one-off task, I was actually doing everything myself and only started regularly working with a VA after I broke down in tears after spending most of the week dealing with a host of support emails instead of getting any real work done. That was the moment I knew it was time to get some help.
Because you don’t need any formal qualifications to become a Virtual Assistant, there’s often confusion and misunderstanding in the VA Handbookers Facebook group around what being one entails, and it’s sometimes described as being an ‘easy side gig’, I thought I’d explain what it actually means to be a Virtual Assistant.
One of my favourite sayings is “you’re the sum of the five people you spend the most time with”, so if the people around you are negative complainers who always find a reason why something can’t be done, they will eventually bring you down to their level and you’ll never reach your full potential. This is why you need a Mastermind or Accountability group.
