I’ve been asked “What information does my virtual assistant need and how do I organize all of it?”

As a virtual assistant for almost 2 years I have seen how important it is to be very organized. Any small business knows this, but if you run your small business from home, then its even more important.

 Outsourcing to a virtual assistant is crucial if you find yourself overwhelmed with “too much growth” and not enough time in your week to complete important projects.

Here’s a sample of what I use when starting a relationship with a client. If you are searching for a virtual assistant, feel free to  print this list and keep it pinned to your office wall for future reference.

Remember, your virtual assistant should be able to help you get organized. Don’t feel that you have to have everything already organized BEFORE you contract with a virtual assistant.

Let’s Begin:

Open a new excel spreadsheet, give it a name, and then save it in a new folder (this will save you time from having to search each time you need to access it.)

 1. Make a list of all your press release and article directory usernames and passwords

2. List all articles and press releases that have been submitted; include the date and topic for each

3. Did You outsource your article and press release writing? Write down that persons contact information

4. Write down the contact information of your hosting company

5. Make note of your CPanel username and password

Just a final thought:

Organization is just as important as communication when it comes to building a successful relationship with your virtual assistant. If you have been in business for any length of time you know how fast you collect accounts, usernames, passwords, and a million useful links so having all of this information together in place will make your life and business run more smoothly!

 Good luck with your organization and remember, its never too late to start gathering all that information.

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Stephanie Fish is the owner of Buckeye V.A. virtual assistance for the physical product seller. I invite you to take advantage of my free 30 minute consultation to see if my services will compliment your business. If you are serious about building your business without sacrificing your family, please contact me at buckeyeva@gmail.com

Here are some ways that online businesses help with the “going green” movement:

1. They don’t drive to and from work/home/daycare.
2. They control what and how much to print.
3. Utilize a virtual assistant instead of an “in house” assistant.

Are there anymore ways that an online business can help the enviroment?

 ”Do I really need to outsource?” The only way I can answer this is by asking you a few questions.

1. Have you seen a growth in your business?

2. Do you feel you are stuck-in-a-rut?

3. Are you so consumed with fulfilling orders that you don’t have time to restock your online photos, grow your social network or get publicity?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you need to learn “how” to outsource and “what” to outsource.  

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Stephanie Fish is the owner of Buckeye V.A. virtual assistance for the physical product seller. I invite you to take advantage of my free 30 minute consultation to see if my services will compliment your business. If you are serious about building your business without sacrificing your summer, please contact me at buckeyeva@gmail.com

Let me explain, as a virtual assistant I know that not all small businesses need to outsource, but I would guess that the majority of small businesses will eventually need to take this next step. The problem that I’ve seen in the past is a small business owner might wait until they have become so over whelmed with their business that they either (1) give up, sell the business or just close it or (2) try to stuff an exorbent amount of tasks into a very small time span and hope the virtual assistant can pull off a years worth of work into 30 days.

 Whether you’ve outsourced in the past, are presently seeking or plan to outsource in the future here is a “Don’t Waste Your Money On A Virtual Assistant” check list:

1. Plan: What would you like to do for the next 30, 60, 90 days to grow your business? Do you need to have a press release and some articles written? Do you need to set-up or add content to your blog? Do you need to get your website out infront of your target market?

2. Prepare: Do you have a current list of account information readily available to you and your virtual assistant?  Do you have a list of questions for your virtual assistant? What about concerns for your business?

3. Pause: If you said “no” to any of the above questions, don’t worry! Your virtual assistant should have a set of questions for you during your initial consultation that should help you sort out all of the important information to get you started on your new relationship.

4. Party:  Rejoice once you have found the virtual assistant that fits your business perfectly, I’m sure you won’t want to let them go. 

Communication is key in all relationships, even business relationships. As a virtual assistant I try to keep in touch by updating my clients on a weekly basis. This has helped us move through many hoops and reach new levels for her business.

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Stephanie Fish is the owner of Buckeye V.A. virtual assistance for the physical product seller. I invite you to take advantage of my free 30 minute consultation to see if my services with compliment your business. If you are serious about building your business without sacrificing your summer, please contact me at buckeyeva@gmail.com

If you would like to read more about what we learned, what was taught and who the speakers were please visit this post from Michelle Waters

May God Bless You!
Steph

When we got outside the van wouldn’t start. So we had to wait about 1/2 hour for my husband to come home and give us a jump.

We got to Applebee’s, sat down, ordered ice water with lemon and an appetizer sampler to share. Then it happened! My 8 yrs. ( she’ll be 9 on Sunday) went into a seizure! She’s on medication and hasn’t had one for about a year, but this was no seizure we were used to! I’ll spare you the details, but a woman from the table behind us came over to help me open my daughters airways, the ambulance was called.

We spent the next 7 hours in the E.R. before she was cleared to come home, it turns out she has an ear infection (and her ear doesn’t hurt?!) that started the seizure.

I’m so thankful we weren’t far from home, we have good medical help within reach, and we are all home together.

My 3 oldest daughters were so brave and they held up very well. My 8 yrs.old said she’s “not ever going to Applebee’s again!” LOL

May God Bless You!

Steph

This is a very important and valid question that needs some serious consideration. As a virtual assistant for small business owners I have seen how frustrated the business owner has become when they have summer plans that do not include your business, yet you know you “have” to continue working.

There is an answer to this question and it’s called “outsourcing”.  There are a few things to take into consideration before you outsource:

1. What are your summer goals? Make a quick list (nothing fancy, this is for your eyes only) of everything you want to work on or accomplish this summer. Include spiritual, health/fitness, alone time, family/friends, sports, fun reading time, etc.

2. How many tasks do you need completed? Will these be on a daily, weekly or monthly basis? Are these repeated tasks?

3. How many hours do you want to “free up” for your summer plans?

4. Do you need to start working towards your holiday sales goals? Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be looking ahead to the end of the year!

May I suggest something that works for me? Grap your calendar, a large tablet, ink pen and your favorite beverage and go sit in your favorite quiet spot. Start making a list of your goals and be honest with yourself with how much work you can accomplish without sacrificing your summer.

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Stephanie Fish is the owner of Buckeye V.A. virtual assistance for the physical product seller. I invite you to take advantage of my free 30 minute consultation to see if my services with compliment your business. If you are serious about building your business without sacrificing your summer, please contact me at buckeyeva@gmail.com

1. Organization: Take your “mental” to-do list and place it on paper! Take all of your thoughts and write them down. Keep this list in a visual area so you can add to it. Look at your calendar for the summer months (June, July, August). Now write down specific tasks that need to be accomplished each day. For instance, customer service/help desk needs to be checked periodically throughout the day, check phone service for customer messages, check business email, add new inventory, ect.

2. Outsource: Look at your calendar again, which days do plan on not being in the office. Decide if you want to take your laptop or if you are going to be “unplugged” for that day. The tasks that need to be done daily can be outsource to a virtual assistant.

3. Own your time: If you have children home from school, decide how much time you want to spend inside of the office and outside with your family enjoying the beautiful weather. Ask yourself which tasks can be done while your family is sleeping or entertaining themselves.

4. Auto-Responder: Set-up your mailing list so it sends itself out on a regular basis, most mailing lists can be post-dated so you can prewrite your messages, then the software sends the  messages out at the predetermind date and time. Your mailing list is a great way to build customer awareness of your business and to build customer relationships.

5. Blog: Post date your entries, this will keep your content fresh (which the search engines love!),  and in the end you stay connected with your loyal (and maybe new) readers.

Summer time should be a time for you to reflect and renew your well being, enjoy your friends,family and the weather. Don’t run yourself ragged, take advantage of the many services offer by the many qualified virtual assistants this summer and keep your business from falling by the wayside. 

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Stephanie Fish is the owner of Buckeye V.A. virtual assistance for the physical product seller. I invite you to take advantage of my free 30 minute consultation to see if my services with compliment your business. If you are serious about building your business without sacrificing your summer, please contact me at buckeyeva@gmail.com

Here is a list of potiental traffic driving actions you can take:

1. Start your own blog and add it as a subfolder (by accessing your CPanel) to your website (ex http://www.yourdomain.com/blog)

2. Get involved with other blogs and leave honest comments, not spammy type of comments

3. List your blog in blog directories

4. Submit articles to article directories (or pay a professional ghost writer to write your articles)

5. Write a professional press release (or pay a professional to write your press release)

6. Exchange links with other online business owners with complimentary businesses

These are just a few of the many things you can do to drive traffic to your product selling website and hopefully increase your sales.

Until next time!