Archive for The Virtual Edge

Creating a Virtual Office – Community College Course

January 3, 2009 at 6:07 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

Interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant? Not sure where to start? Portland Community College (Oregon) will be offering a class on how to create a virtual office, specifically as a virtual assistant (VA). It’s the first class in a series to gain a Virtual Assistant Certificate. The course helps you determine if you have what it takes to start your own business, and then spends several weeks on developing your business plan including your marketing plan and financial statements.

OS-250 didn’t get enough enrollees for winter quarter, but look for it to appear next term. Oh, and by the way, I’ll be teaching the course.

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Offering a class for Virtual Assistants

May 17, 2008 at 1:48 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

Okay, so it HAS been awhile since I posted. What have I been up to? Work, work, work. My practice has been so busy that I haven’t had any openings in well over a year. I still have a steady stream of potential clients, but I refer them to fellow VAs. You know who else I seem to attract:  VA Wannabes, women who want to become VAs and are interested in learning more about the profession.

I’m happy to share information about being a VA. I’ve done a few speaking engagements around town about what it is like. And now, I’m moving into the role of teaching. My VA friend, Kathy Sparks (www.yourvirtualresource.com) has recently opened VA Technical School http://www.vatechnicalschool.com/. I’m honored that she asked me to be one of the instructors.

I have a class coming up soon! Here are the details:

Do you struggle to keep your VA practice full?
Do you wish that you had a more stable practice?
Would you rather spend time working for clients than working to get clients?

My VA friend Kathy Sparks and I have 13 years of VA experience between us. We turn away potential clients every day because our practices are full.

We thought we’d share some of our secrets in a class we’re offering: “10 Ways to BE the Virtual Assistant that Clients Brag About.” Discover how tried and true concepts applied to the virtual business world can enhance your virtual administrative business. We’ll provide lots of examples from our experience with clients.

Thursday, May 22, 8 pm Eastern
Using GotoMeeting, the class will be visual (PowerPoint) and on the phone.

Check out this class and other classes at the VA Technical School http://www.vatechnicalschool.com/.

You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, like more clients!

If you’re a VA (or a VA wannabe), I hope that you’ll check it out. Or maybe you know someone who is thinking about becoming a VA? I hope you’ll pass this on.

Till Next Time!
Kristy

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Sure your email was received?

July 30, 2007 at 9:35 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

One thing that I’ve learned from being online a lot over the last few years: emails don’t always get through to the recipient. I have about 10 email accounts. I troubleshoot email delivery issues for my clients who have tens of thousands of clients combined and broadcast several emails weekly. Emails do not always get through. 

Maybe I’m not telling you something that you already don’t know. But every day I hear from people that are surprised that they don’t get an email that they are expecting. And a few times a month, I don’t get emails that are sent to me. People prove this to me by forwarding the email that they sent to me that I didn’t receive. This used to surprise me. It doesn’t faze me any more. 

Where do all the emails go: spam filters, junk folders, cyperspace? All of the above. Websites go down and mail servers go down, and when they do, sometimes the emails get lost.  

Most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use sophisticated software to make sure that junk email doesn’t make it into your email client (e.g., Outlook). Sometimes their software doesn’t get it quite right, and they screen good email that you want to get. It’s not just the large broadcasts that get blocked. 

With Comcast, my provider, I can view my screened mail via the web. It’s a hassle, and most of the screened mail is junk, but occasionally emails from friends are there and it is very frustrating that it doesn’t make it to me.  

We have the spammers to thank for all of this inconvenience. The lesson I learn from this is that if you don’t hear back from someone after a time, give people the benefit of the doubt: they may not have received your email, really.

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I Love Office 2007

July 30, 2007 at 9:33 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

Have you made the conversion yet? I got a new computer, so I was very excited to add Office 2007. (By the way, I didn’t bundle it with my Dell computer order, instead I bought it separately, and saved quite a bit.)

It was quite a shock making the transition. Here’s an example. I needed to print something in Word. Easy, right? I couldn’t figure it out. That’s right! I was in a hurry and needed to do it fast. I accessed help, and figured it out easily after that, but I couldn’t have figured it out without using the online help.

What do I like? It’s beautiful, logical, and very icon driven. I look forward to figuring out all of the features.

There’s one feature that I’m still getting used to in Outlook, and that’s the preview pane. I’ve never used the preview pane before, but it is very convenient to know what the email is about ahead of time, particularly with the volume that I get. The problem with it though is that it “opens” the email, and so I think I’ve read it completely and dealt with it, although I haven’t. This is more my problem than Outlook’s — I’m just mentioning it.

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Marathon Computer Conversion Session

July 30, 2007 at 9:21 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

It was time to get a new computer. Don’t deny the signs because you know what they are: 

  1. The computer is slower than it used to be.
  2. Programs get hung up and stop responding.
  3. You get the occasional blue screen of death.
  4. You find yourself restarting your computer, a lot.

I was ready and so I took the plunge, but I didn’t want to do this alone. Don’t get me wrong, I can plug in all the parts; that’s not the hard part. It’s all about the data. I wanted to have all of my data, and have room for lots more. But I didn’t want to just copy my old computer to my new one, because then I knew that I would bring all the problems with it.

So I asked my computer technician, (Albee of Faster Connections (www.fasterconnections.net) to help me do the conversion. Here was our strategy:

  1. Back up my old computer completely to my external hard drive.
  2. Buy a new computer, but wipe it clean of all the pre-installed software.
  3. Load the operating system (Windows XP, not Vista!) on the clean computer.
  4. Reinstall all the software that I use, and get all the software updates online.

Sounds simple enough, right? It took two of us 6 hours without breaks! In all fairness, there were two other computers involved and a wireless network connection between them all to sort out.

Boy was I glad that Albee guided the operations, and that I was there to answer all the questions, find software, and make decisions as they came up. I don’t regret for a second the money I spent for this. The result: a fast, clean, and efficiently operating new computer with all my old data intact. Computer nirvana!

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Speaking About Virtual Assistance was Fun!

July 30, 2007 at 9:16 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

In mid-June I gave a speech at the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), Portland Chapter, about virtual assistance. It was invigorating talking about what I do and how I got where I am.

My topic was Being Your Own Boss. I talked about how my background, how I discovered virtual assistance and the training that I received. I didn’t have to tell them about the benefits of being a VA (more independence, working from home, casual attire, etc.).

But I didn’t just talk about what’s great about it. I mentioned the struggles such as getting clients in the beginning. I even shared my marketing plan, everything that I did to get my business off the ground. They were curious about who works with VAs and the type of work that I do.

I imagine that they were surprised when I showed them the software tools that I use the most because these weren’t tools that I knew when I got started. We crunched some numbers too so I could show them about what they could earn, but also reminded them that they would have to pay more in taxes, and they would have to think about how medical benefits would be paid.

Lastly, I discussed what I think the qualities are of a good VA, many attributes that I think my audience shared. But I challenged them to ask themselves if they felt comfortable “selling themselves,” which entrepreneurs must be able to do. I added that I think “sticktoitiveness” is one of the most important qualities that a VA must possess, or any entrepreneur for that matter.

The time passed too quickly, but I was grateful for the opportunity to share what a wonderful career virtual assisting can be.

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Virtual assistant featured on the Today Show

June 14, 2007 at 9:53 pm · Filed under The Virtual Edge

Here’s a great segment that appeared on the Today Show on May 24, 2007 about virtual assistance.

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=fda5aec6-5250-43c2-936f-dfac1ec2033d&f=05&fg=rss

Congrats to VA Karen Reddick!

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Do you want an extended warranty with that (reprise)

June 1, 2007 at 8:26 pm · Filed under The Virtual Edge

Recently, I was contacted by someone who read one of my old ezines (from 2005) posted on my website. She took the time to write, so I decided to repost my ezine here with her different perspective added below it:

 From September 2005:

Do you want an extended warranty with that?

I had been thinking about getting a laptop (notebook) for nearly 2 years and finally I could justify the purchase. I researched the issue, saw a “good deal,” and checked it out. After sleeping on it for a couple of nights, I was ready to buy.

I chose the accessories carefully: compact mouse, flash drive, and a padded notebook carrier. When the helpful sales associate was inputting my order, I was anticipating his question: “Would you like an extended warranty with that?” I gave him a firm “no.”

I don’t remember the exact figures, but there were at least 3 choices of different years and dollar amount combinations. You’ve been there, and don’t you get the idea that you have to make the decision right there and then?

With car rental companies, I give them an automatic “no” to decline all of the extra insurance they offer even though I’ve been threatened with “you’ll owe us the money, not your insurance company,” and “don’t forget how large your deductible is.” I’m thinking that an extended warranty is a form of insurance anyway, isn’t it?

The last time we bought a TV, we researched the issue like we were buying a car. They are that complicated these days, and there are so many choices. Out of fear we bought the maximum amount of extended warranty. When we had a problem with the TV, what we needed wasn’t covered by the extended warranty, but had to be handled by the manufacturer. It got me wondering what was actually covered by the warranty anyway. But I digress…back to the notebook.

Why did I say “no” to the extended warranty with such confidence? I’m not confident, really; I’m taking a calculated risk that makes financial sense and here’s why:

1. Extended warranties are how retailers make their money.
2. I have a manufacturer’s warranty for 1 year.
3. This is a spare computer so I don’t need the loaner that retailer is offering (and charging me for).
4. I wasn’t comfortable that the retailer, rather than the manufacturer, was going to do the repairs. If they could do it, couldn’t anyone?

Now let’s do some math. What do we think that the chances are that I will need to have this notebook professionally repaired (out of house) in the next 3 years (my estimation of its useful life)? Being conservative, let’s say 20%. And let’s say that the repair will cost $250 (25% of the cost of the notebook).

With a 20% chance of a $250 repair, the amount that I should be willing to pay for insurance (a.k.a. extended warranty) is $50 (.20 x $250 = $50). The retailer was going to charge about $185 for a 3 year warranty. I wasn’t willing to pay that much.

I figure that I’ve saved myself a lot of headaches, too, by not having to battle with the warranty company when whatever is wrong with my notebook is not covered for some reason. I’m on my own, and I know it. Maybe I’ll regret it for one product or another, but over time, I will save money.

And knowing that there isn’t an extended warranty with this notebook, I’m taking VERY GOOD care of my notebook. ;-)

 Comment from Lynn G. May 2007:

I was reading your Ezines and had to comment on this article, as I normally don’t comment on other people’s thoughts.   On computers, I think an extended warranty is worth the cost.   I have had a number of laptops that I had an extended warranty where the motherboard went before the 3 years were up.   Due to the costs of motherboards being more than the computer itself, the computer was replaced.  Under the majority of extended warranties the computer will be replaced before repairing it.   I have found this most beneficial because if you get the computer replaced you end up getting the most up to date computer with ALL the up to date programs, plus all the new bells and whistles.   The only advice is whenever taking in for repair, ALWAYS backup your files and in particular the PST (Outlook) or email data.   The best I have found out there for an extended warranty is with Best Buy.   This is JMHO.

 

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Speaking Engagement Moved to June 13th

May 24, 2007 at 6:20 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

Last December I announced that I was going to speak at a local chapter of IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals) in January. The weather had other plans, and the meeting was cancelled due to ice.

The meeting has been rescheduled for June 13th. The topic is Being Your Own Boss: Today’s Virtual Assistant. To register and more information, go here: http://www.iaap-otc.org/index.htm. If you’re local to the Portland Metropolitan area, I’d love to see you there!

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Virtual Assistance Gains Recognition

May 24, 2007 at 6:16 am · Filed under The Virtual Edge

I was asked to speak at our local community college about virtual assistance. The small class called Office Systems and Procedures has a text book that mentions virtual assistance as a career option, and they wanted to hear from someone working in the field. I was tickled to tell them about being a VA and answer their questions. We’ve arrived! And if you aren’t convinced, there’s a novel with a virtual assistant as its heroine too (“Highland Fling” by Katie Fforde).

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