Q. |
When
did you go into business for yourself? |
A. |
July, 2005. |
Q. |
Why
did you decide to go into virtual assisting? |
A. |
After several long months of fruitless job searching, I came upon an article about the virtual assistance industry and was enthralled! A chance to work from home and do the kind of work that I like best. |
Q. |
What
is your background in your field of expertise? |
A. |
Twenty+ years of work as an administrative/executive assistant, 10+ years of office management experience. I am proficient in most software packages, time management, event planning, etc. |
Q. |
Did
you research the industry before launching your
business? |
A. |
Yes. After reading the article, I researched the Canadian support networks (www.cvac.ca, www.cvan.ca) and joined the discussion groups to ask questions about peoples experiences in starting their businesses, their niche markets, where to best market myself and how, etc. |
Q. |
Are
you a member of any trade organizations? |
A. |
Elite Office Support, Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection, Canadian Virtual Assistant Network, International Association of Virtual Assistants Organization, International Virtual Assistants Association, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Cobourg & Area Chamber of Commerce. |
Q. |
What
do you enjoy the most about being self-employed?
|
A. |
Working from home without the need to commute. Being able to finish my daily work load and be able to stroll up the hill to look down on Lake Ontario. Far less stressful than being in a corporate environment. |
Q. |
What
do you enjoy the least about being self-employed?
|
A. |
Self-marketing (I’m still learning this), uncertainty about finding work. |
Q. |
Do
you have employees? If so, do you have any positions
open, including subcontracting opportunities? If
so, how would someone inquire? |
A. |
No, no employees or sub-contractors. I have liaised with other V.A.’s should the need arise for sub-contracting but have not had the work thus far. |
Q. |
Do
you have family members that help you out with your
business? |
A. |
Not per se. My partner occasionally proof reads or comments on project work (a clear eye is always good). |
Q. |
What
is your specialty or niche, if any? |
A. |
I am still learning my niche. I have enjoyed the opportunity to talk with coaches in various areas and would like to continue on “that road”. |
Q. |
Do
you have any client testimonials you would like
to share with us? |
A. |
Existing testimonials are available on my web site – www.dailyplanetvirtual.ca/clients.html or in writing as required. |
Q. |
Why
should I hire you as my VA? |
A. |
My biggest (personal) complaint has been the steadily deteriorating state of customer service (at least here in Canada). My hope is to be able to offer exemplary customer service to my clients so that they can come away from our dealings with the satisfaction of “getting their monies’ worth”. No one should need to pay for services that they did not get. |
Q. |
Who
would be your ideal client? |
A. |
Again, I am hoping to establish a niche market in the coaching industry. |
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. |
My long term goals are to enhance my knowledge of HTML and web design. This is a field that I particularly enjoy but require further experience and education in. As to branching out, I simply enjoy the aspect of communication with people elsewhere. Being self employed and working from home…communication with other people is vital. |
Q. |
Is
your office in your home or do you rent space? |
A. |
At home. We have an unused family room (where the air tight fireplace is). It has a huge window that looks out on the Northumberland Hills towards Lake Ontario… It’s like having a penthouse office! |
Q. |
Do you find it hard to stay focused if working from
home? Is your office completely separate from living
spaces? |
A. |
My office is not completely separate from the rest of the house but isolated enough that I can stay focused.
|
Q. |
It
is well known that though working from home can
be very rewarding and flexible, it also has some
serious stress-inducing capabilities, such as a
tendency to work far more than your general business
hours due to the close availability of your office
and eagerness to please clients. Has this presented
a problem for you? If so, how have you handled it?
|
A. |
Only a few times have I had to go beyond regular office hours to complete a project. This presents no stress for me as I have more than the average person’s leisure time during the day if my work load is complete for that day. |
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)
Research the industry well. See what other VA’s have to offer.
2) Offer the skills that you know best. Better to do that than be a “jack of all trades”.
3) Join as many VA networking forums as you can find. It is a “life saver” to have the support of your associates (especially during the start-up phase of your business).
|
|
For further information, please
feel free to contact Jef:
|
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