Q. |
When
did you go into business for yourself? |
A. |
I started in the Virtual Office business in 2000 with our Virtual
Office in Dublin (www.dublinmaildrop.com) and have now set up a Virtual
Office in Berlin. |
Q. |
Why
did you decide to go into virtual assisting? |
A. |
It started small, but I thought it would be a nice thing to run on the
side which I did for a few years, however, I began to run it more like a
business in the past few years. |
Q. |
What
is your background in your field of expertise? |
A. |
I learned as I went along and the best thing one can learn, is to learn
from ones mistakes and also to begin offering services people require. |
Q. |
Did
you research the industry before launching your
business? |
A. |
Yes, the best research can only be done online. I saw a gap in the
market and went for it. But you constantly have to be carrying out
research and marketing your services/products. |
Q. |
Are
you a member of any trade organizations? |
A. |
I am a member of the IAVOA. |
Q. |
What
do you enjoy the most about being self-employed?
|
A. |
I like the freedom of being self employed - being able to make your own
decisions. |
Q. |
What
do you enjoy the least about being self-employed?
|
A. |
When I have a bad financial month, I wonder if I would be better off
with a 9 to 5 job. |
Q. |
Do
you have employees? If so, do you have any positions
open, including subcontracting opportunities? If
so, how would someone inquire? |
A. |
Our service is run by myself and one other individual. |
Q. |
Do
you have family members that help you out with your
business? |
A. |
No but it may occur in the future. |
Q. |
What
is your specialty or niche, if any? |
A. |
Our specialty services are mail fowarding which enables clients
worldwide to have a business presence in Dublin or Berlin at a fraction of
office rental costs and without having to be physically in either city. |
Q. |
Do
you have any client testimonials you would like
to share with us? |
A. |
We have hundreds of clients in over 40 countries worldwide. Our main
client base is in Europe and North America, however we are engaged in
efforts to expand into Asia and especially China. We have hundreds of
satisfied clients who renew their contracts each year and I am delighted
when we get new clients who have being referred to us by another client. |
Q. |
Why
should I hire you as my VA? |
A. |
We pride ourselves on the service we offer and the best way we see in
expanding our market is simply through 'word of mouth', which is better
than any advertising campaign. We offer a one to one service with our
clients who, as myself, hate call centres etc -we respond to their queries
swiftly and we are constantly updating our services to be two steps ahead
of the competition. |
Q. |
Who
would be your ideal client? |
A. |
Oh, thats a difficult question. Maybe a head of state. It would be a
great advert in itself. |
Q. |
What
are the long term goals you have for your business?
(i.e., do you intend to expand, focus on a specific
niche, branch out to more countries, partner with
other VAs, etc.) |
A. |
Our goal is to expand our services and expand our client base
worldwide. As I said before we would like to tap into the Chinese market
as this is a huge market with over 20% of the worlds population there -
nearly twice that of Europe. |
Q. |
Is
your office in your home or do you rent space? |
A. |
Our offices are in rented offices in Berlin and Dublin. |
Q. |
Do you find it hard to stay focused if working from
home? Is your office completely separate from living
spaces? |
A. |
No. |
Q. |
If
you had to give 3 pieces of advice to someone wanting
to start a virtual business, what would they be
and why? |
A. |
1)
Do research - see who the competion is in your region - examine
their services/products and prices and see if you can offer a prestigious
service.
2) Have a website designed detailing all your services/prices,
etc.
3) Don't expect too much too soon - it takes time, effort and
patience to be sucessful.
|
|
For further information, please
feel free to contact Alan:
Contact
Information |
| Contact: |
Alan Clerkin,
Proprietor |
| Tel: |
0049 308 1878659 |
| Fax: |
0049 308 1878659 |
| Email: |
Email Me |
| Web: |
My Website |
| Mail: |
Berlin, Germany |
|
|
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