This year I chose to join a well known organization in the virtual assistant industry, IVAA. This video shares what you can gain from doing the same. Looking forward to networking with you there.
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Listent To Virtual Team 360
A Subcontracting Team Member’s View: Virtual Team 360 – 016
Carol created Essential VA Solutions after a 20 year career assisting small business owners with their bookkeeping and administrative tasks in the manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and retail management sectors.
During this time, I developed extensive experience in business planning for small business start-up and expansion.
Through my focus, organizational abilities, and commitment to lifelong learning, I proved myself to be a reliable, trustworthy, and skilled partner in business relationships.
I bring this same dedication to the small business owners that I serve through my own company today.
I seek clients who are self-employed, sole practitioners whose businesses are growing and are finding themselves overwhelmed and pulled in many different directions. People who are comfortable communicating via email and/or internet and delegating work.
Strategize Your Legacy With Sara Oblak: Virtual Team 360 – 015
According to her high-achieving clients, Sara Oblak Speicher is a business strategist and performance mentor who brings serenity, peace and confidence back in their businesses and lives.
Those online entrepreneurs say that she creates fun and ease in developing structures so that they can earn more with less work; that’s how they can perform at their best – from their zone of genius, and get paid $10k, $20k, $30k and more for their services, with ease and integrity.
And, in case you didn’t know:
After moving from a medieval town of 10,000 in Europe to NYC to play NCAA D-1 basketball, barely speaking any English, and after getting MBA degree, Sara went on to start her business in 2011 when she lost her job the same week she found out she was pregnant.
Today, she is a wife and mom to two little ones, an international best-selling author, and is on a mission to help her clients multiply their revenues and build out sustainable businesses in a way that is fully aligned with their strengths, core values, and lifestyle.
Find out more and apply for your call with her at www.saraoblakspeicher.com
Here’s to your success, expansion, and peace of mind ~
Subcontracting Turned Up A Notch: Virtual Team 360 – 013
The moment Christy Haussler realized it was time to make the leap and become an entrepreneur, she was in her car, driving to work, listening to podcasts to pass the time. Christy spent hours commuting back and forth to an office for a job that didn’t fulfill her, and decided it was finally time for her to make a move and give her own business a try. The first thing she did? Take the first step, and then another and then another.
Today, Christy’s company — Team Podcast — provides production and strategy for more than 40 shows and produces about 200+ episodes a month. Her business is steadily growing, she lives in a city she’s happy to call home and she spends her time doing work she loves.
On this episode of Virtual Team 360 she discusses how many more clients she is able to serve using the subcontracting concept.
Taking Your Virtual Biz To Next Level
I’m taking the time at the end of this year to look back and see what’s happened with my business. I ask myself what fell short of my expectations, what worked really well, and what improvements I want to make going forward. My continuous goal is to keep taking my business to the next level. It may be a matter of investing into my business or finding free quality resources. I never want to stop improving, and the best way to do that is to use my 20/20 hindsight.
One of the most successful aspects of my business has been the Virtual Team 360 podcast. I was very fortunate to have the wonderful Denise Griffiths coach me and assist me in starting this. A valuable lesson from this is the advantage of having a coach or accountability partner. It’s a simple choice that brings remarkable benefits. Are you utilizing your business contacts? Look for opportunities to connect – you never know where it might lead!
I just hired another coach, Christy Haussler from Team Podcast, to help me continue to grow my podcast. All of this has supported me as I expand and given me the freedom to create some resources for you! I’m not going to spill the secret yet, but very soon I’ll have some tools and resources for you to download and listen to. These were designed to help you succeed and grow your business. Among other things, I talk about goals. With the new year approaching, you’ll want to set goals that you can then review at the end of the year!
Now, one of the first things I do after evaluating my year (and that I recommend you do as well) is take a look at my budget. You should examine your recurring costs, and see if there were any large purchases or investments you made for your business. Perhaps there’s something you need to account for going forward into the next year. I’ve been fortunate to have an increase in income which led to the hiring of my latest coach. Is that something you can budget for yourself? My experience has been so positive. It’s great having someone to brainstorm with, who has unique ideas and specialized experience.
Soon I will have a new resource I’ll be bringing to you will have an impact on the way you run your day-to-day operations, as well as affecting the big picture. It’s exciting whether you have a virtual assistant business, manage a team of subcontractors, or are looking to become a subcontractor yourself. It has helpful items to help you get into the industry quickly, and start things off efficiently. Best of all, I’m providing it to you as a free giveaway!
Have you reviewed your year? Do you have any exciting news for the coming months? Your experiences are valuable and I’d love to hear from you!
Passion Gets You To Success
This morning I was watching the show “The Profit” and it got me thinking about why I enjoy it so much. “Shark Tank” is another one of my favorite shows, and what I discovered they have in common is that these are very accomplished business owners whose passion has brought them great success. They were driven by something specific, and it kept them going through the trials that every business owner endures.
So, today I want you to think about what drove you to start your own service business. What passion drives your decisions? Sharing your enthusiasm will actually bring more clients in versus pitching them a particular service or product. I’ve shared this before, but allow me again to share a little about my own passion.
The promise of a full-time income was not what drove me to this sub-niche. It was the possibility of supplementing my current income. I wanted to take my kids on vacations, be able to buy those extra little things for myself, and give more to charity organizations than I’d been able to before. Sometimes it’s seemingly small things like this that make a big difference in one’s enjoyment of life.
Those three things drove my passion. I wanted to serve others. That is what’s neat about this sub-niche. In addition to working on my own business, I have a hand in helping others become successful in theirs. I assist them in creating a successful business that has been built from the heart.
You can see why it’s absolutely vital to identify your passion and allow it to drive you. When there’s no energy in your body, or your mind even, to keep growing your business, this zeal will carry you on regardless. You might think of a mathematician who hasn’t eaten or slept for hours, but hardly notices because they are completely consumed with solving an equation. Their enthusiasm is so intense that it carries them through any physical discomfort.
Now, I’m not asking you to skip meals or sleep while growing your business! I am encouraging you to find your why. Meditate on why you started this business. Developing a small business is no easy task. So, there surely must have been something that urged you on regardless.
Was it to bring in enough income to quite your full-time job? Perhaps you needed to buy a new house or car. Or maybe your child, or aged parents, got sick and needed care at home. Think about what it is that wakes you up, ready and eager to start your day.
Now share it with others, and the clients will come! Tell your story on your website, in social media, and on forums you visit. Don’t be afraid to shout it out. This drums up interest in your business, because it shows a human side. That’s what people relate to. In the end, it’s not about being an expert, or that you provide this or that. It’s how you jive with your clients. Identify what it is you are, what you stand for, and you will be able to connect on a personal basis.
Have you identified your passion? Share it in a comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
A Client From My Own Backyard
All businesses, including my own, face the challenge of actually finding clients and customers. In my virtual assistant business, I’ve had one particular client for 4 years now. The stability of that is great, but I’m always seeking out others that I can help. Recently, I was pleasantly surprised when I found a new client in my own backyard!
It’s amazing how small a world it is. You never know who might be looking for someone to help grow their business. This new client is in direct sales. She’s not someone I was even aware of. I was lucky enough to meet her because of the network we are both part of: Women Helping Women Win. I’ve talked before about how vital it is to network, and this is proof of its importance.
I found out that she needed a virtual assistant to help her with back office tasks. Despite the fact that we’re in the same area, I’m still working remotely from home, as that’s what works best for both of us. I’m sticking to tasks that I normally provide, which includes web research, bookkeeping, Excel spreadsheets, and other administrative tasks that are essential to a small business.
Something I learned from this is that yes, it’s important to go outside of your comfort zone when looking for clients. At the same time, don’t miss what’s right in front of your face. It could be a neighbor, a friend of a friend, an acquaintance – if you’re always looking for new clients, the possibilities will be endless.
Be aware of what you’re truly passionate about. That gives you purpose to carry on even when you don’t have as many clients as you might like. That passion will show, and make others more interested in what you’re doing. So, where was your closest client? Were you surprised when you found them? Share your own story!
Canadian Virtual Guru: Virtual Team 360 011
We are a virtual service company offering a full range of administrative, receptionist, social media and web development services. All our assistants are Canadian and we service Canada and the US.
We offer Pay-per-tasks, Virtual Assistant Packages, Virtual Receptionist packages and with that we also have web designers, bookkeepers, social media marketers, transcriptionists and more. Everyone that signs up get access to the project management system where they are able to delegate and monitor all work being done, they can even add users and seperate accounts for seperate projects.
The company was founded by Bobbie-Jo in 2012 but she mainly worked as a VA herself, she started subcontracting about a year later but only to 1 or 2 other Va’s. It wasn’t until 2015 that Bobbie realized she could do something more with this business and turned it into a subcontracting and multi-va source for clients and started her search for business partners. At the end of 2015 she found her business partner match with David who has the same vision. David is now the CEO and Bobbie-jo is the COO / Founder and in charge of operations.
Streamline Your Subcontracting Team: Virtual Team 360 012
Tess Blankenship builds and grows better virtual teams helping entrepreneurs reach their revenue goals. Knowing what to hire out, how to work and using performance data to build rockstar teams. Spending over a decade focused exclusively on contracting virtual teams across the globe for big business, she’s sharing the secrets. To keep her business running strong requires a big mug of coffee, a good pastry and a dose of the outdoors.
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