I know it has been quiet here at VA Mommy, but the world of this Virtual Assistant Mom has been far from quiet! So what is new over here?  Lots of things!

I guess the biggest news is that I am almost 6 months pregnant with Baby #2! Yeah, I’ve been holding that one in on some of you for awhile, but it’s probably a big reason that the VA Mommy blog has been a bit neglected lately. I have really been busy trying to prepare for this new baby’s arrival buy setting up my business to run by itself, retool my team, and really concentrate on putting my family first for the next several months. I thought having one baby was hard, do you think I have any clue what TWO kids will do to me?

Second, today is my Gmail Anniversary!! That’s right, 1 year ago today, I completely ditched MS Outlook and moved completely over to Gmail and haven’t looked back.  I go into my story and the pluses behind it over on my Real Estate Virtual Assistant blog. Check it out!

Last but not least, I am so excited to announce a new training program I am developing (together with some VA friends) the REVA Academy! Being so busy trying to support my real estate clients, I am in definite need for some REVA team members. But my colleagues and I came to the realization that there are just not enough Virtual Assistants out there with real estate experience. So REVA Academy was born! The REVA Academy training program will cover this hot and in-demand skill of Real Estate Support. In January 2012 we will begin a 5 week, high-content, live training program designed to teach Virtual Assistants all that they need to support Real estate professionals.

Mark your calendars for December 13th, when we are hosting a FREE  call on highlighting the reasons the real estate niche is in demand, and a few details on our training program and what we will be covering.  I hope you will join us, so sign up right here and find our more about us at our website, www.REVAAdacemy.com!

{EAV_BLOG_VER:916705689ed31104} Recently, the Mogul Mom had this great post – Are You Getting The Best of You, that had hit close to home for me. As a busy work-at-home Mommy, there are times I am running myself ragged for my family, my clients, my business, and I tend to neglect myself in the process. But it also made me wonder, if ANYBODY is getting the best of ME?

I know in my own experience, if I am not taking care of myself as much, the rest of my world can tend to get neglected as well. I don’t feel so great and that can bleed into how I treat my young son or husband, it can zap my motivation to get things done around the house, and then my business gets neglected because I get bogged down with stress, lack of motivation, etc. It can be a vicious cycle. Like that Mogul Mom post says, “When your well is dry, you cannot give water to anyone.”

What it really comes down to is that if I treat myself well, if I get in tune with my needs, what I really want and want makes me happy, the things around me fall into place. Sometimes, all it takes is to give in to my my creative side making crafty things, other times just snuggling with my 2 yr old on a rainy day does it, kicking back and obsessing over Pinterest, or just listening to the Spa Channel on SiriusXM radio while I work. Some of these little things ease my restlessness, put me back in a good mood and motivate me to do better in all other facets of my busy life.

One other huge part of taking care of me us using the word “No”. In my adulthood, I became the type of woman who thinks she can “do it all”, and that became even stronger once I became a mother. I would hardly turn anything down, and would overload myself with volunteer positions and tasks that were not a priority. But in an effort to make sure I deserved my “Super Mom” cape, I would do it. But I have learned that I HAVE to say no sometimes, and let go of some things that just don’t serve me or my family as well. Doing so is a huge way of taking care of myself and saying “yes” to me. Plus it enables me to do things that are more important, like spending more time with my family.

The blog at Mogul Mom (you can tell I love that site) had a great follow up post on 25 Simple Ways to Nurture Yourself. I recommend trying each one of them at least once a week. I know I intend to.

So how are YOU taking care of you? I would love to know the ways you unwind and take care of yourself. Leave a comment and let me know!

Working from Panera today

Today is one of those days that I am so glad that I picked this work at home business. I really do love being a Virtual Assistant. Today, I decided to have a little bit of a change of scenery. Since I had an outing planned with the Mr. tonight, I packed up the munchkin and his stuff a little early, headed to Grandma’s house (and she rocks!) and set up shop at a local Panera Bread for the afternoon. Love taking advantage of their free Wi-Fi and yummy goodies.

It’s great to get out of the house, and have a change of scenery. And oddly enough, I manage to be a little more productive when I do this. I’ve already finished up several client projects, and started writing a bunch of blog posts that I’ll schedule to go out later.

It is the beauty of being virtual. I can work from anywhere. I can work in my pajamas/work-out clothes. I can work with my son yelling and carrying on in the background while I handle all my projects via email and internet access. I can work while I’m out of town (though my family would rather I leave the laptop at home and  shut off the phone while on vacation). Though operating a small business like this is hard work, it really is one of the more flexible business opportunities out there.

Some days, you just have to get out. Today, I jumped at the chance.

I made it home late on Friday night after returning from Phoenix, AZ and one of the best IVAA Live Summits ever! I came to Phoenix with some ideas in my head, and came back with so much more and plans to really shake things up in my business. I had an amazing time with several of my VA friends including the DVVAAs, and met many more for the first time.

Just a few things I learned:

• From our awesome keynote speaker, Marsha Petrie Sue,  When you run into issues and problems, you have 3 choices in life: Take it, Leave it, or Change it. So what’s your plan?
• Speaker, Karen Gridley really made me reflect on if my thoughts, feelings and actions are really aligned. How am I getting in my own way?
• Learned that I need to refine my processes, especially my lead follow up.
• I need to screen new team members carefully, or “Hire slow and fire fast” according to Donna Toothaker.
• That other VA Mommies of small children like me do not do it ALL. They get help now and then too.
• Never realized how I don’t talk very much while working at my home office. I spent the end of every day at the Summit hoarse from gabbing so much with my VA colleagues. (Sorry if I talked your ear off!)
• My friend, Dana Fortier is a total Rockstar.
• Some VAs have really awesome clients that send them really awesome cake for Administrative Professionals day.

As you can see, I had a fabulous time at the Live Summit and I came back with a motivational fire under me to set some great new things in motion. I also came back with so many new friends in the VA world. I feel so lucky to have met them and look forward to “seeing” and getting to know them in and around the social networks and forums I frequent.

One thing that made my year is that the 2011 Live Summit will be held in Portland, Oregon. I’m not sure if anyone was more excited than me, since I am originally from that area. My family will be thrilled that I have another excuse to come out and visit.

So have I convinced you yet?  Are you ready to invest in yourself and your business to take it to the next level? Then the 2011 Live Summit is one that you can not miss! And don’t use finances as an excuse, start saving! Starting now, put aside $25 per week in a “summit fund”. By the 1st of July you’ll have enough to cover your summit registration. By the 1st of November you’ll have enough saved to also buy your plane ticket. And by mid-January 2011 you should have enough to cover your hotel room too! So start saving, mark your calendars, and I will see you at next year’s Live Summit in Portland.

Is it necessary to have a website in order to be a successful VA? My answer is, YES IT IS!

I get asked that question quite often by new and emerging VAs. My answer is, how can you NOT have a website? With all the free and low cost site blog building tools out there, there is hardly any excuse not to have website.

In my opinion, one of the most important marketing tools a Virtual Assistant must have is a website. You are Virtual, aren’t you? As a Virtual Assistant, you spend a lot of time in the virtual world working on your computer and on the internet. And according to Google, an awful lot of people search online for Virtual Assistants (Approximately 201,000 Global Monthly Searches according to Google’s Keyword tool). If you are serious about your VA business, you need to have a presence on the web and should be towards the top of your star-up to do list.

I know to a new VA, the thought of making a website can be overwhelming, especially if you are not savvy in web design.  But I am here to tell you, there are places where you can build simple no-frills sites for very little cost, if not free. Even if it’s just a one-pager, it is a good way to just get your online presence started.

So if you are determined to design and build your site yourself on a small budget, here are some options.

Free website sources -

• Start with a blog by using something like Blogger or WordPress.com. These free blogging platforms offer a relatively easy to use interface, many design and customization options, and you can get some content up quickly. You can set up a simple site that promotes just the information you need, plus you can get in the practice of blogging regularly.
• Google sites – Everyone love Google. And along with their other tremendous products and applications, they also have a site builder. If you are familiar with Google at all, then their site builder can be easy for you to design and manage and have up quickly.
• 

  Image via CrunchBase

  Using a free site builder like Moonfruit. Moonfruit is a site builder that really does allow you to create and host a simple site for FREE, and with no ads. It’s no joke. There are a few limitations, but you can get up a simple no-frills site quickly and it can cost you nothing. And as your needs get more advanced, you can move up to their other super affordable packages that include more features, space and email addresses.

Low cost website solutions -

• The popular site where many people buy their domains, Godaddy.com, also provides affordable site builder and hosting. For as little as $3.99 per month (depending on how long your contract), you can pick one of their ready-to-go designs, customize it, and have a new site up and running in one evening.
• Affordable site with Webstarts. Webstarts does offer a limited free site plan, but their next package up starts at only $3.94 per month for Pro and $.83 per month for Pro+. Their packages are feature rich and they have many professional site designs that look great and you can have up and running in no time.

The options I outlined above are if you decide to build your site yourself, and you want to do something quick and not too advanced. Of course, there are many more free and cheap site building options out there other than the ones I mentioned above. Just search Google and you will find numerous options.

If  you don’t have the time or the desire to build it yourself and you have room in your budget, you can always enlist the help of another VA or a pro web designer to build it for you. If that is the case, try submitting an RFP to one of the great VA forums or organizations (IVAA, VA Networking, VA Forums) to find the right fit for you.

Now if you still have no website, I am telling you that you have no excuse. Move it to the top of your priority list and get going!

So what is my story? I opened my Virtual Assistant business in January 2005, loving that I found a work at home opportunity that was real and it was a perfect fit for me. After some horrible experiences with previous employers, I loved being my own boss. Both my husband and I thought it would be perfect for when we would eventually start our family. I would be working at home and just be able to be there with our kids. We never actually thought out how that would actually work, we just assumed that it would.

Fast forward 4.5 years. In May 2009, my little Joey arrived and my whole world changed. In the previous months I was on the verge of freaking out because I realized I knew how to run my business sans kids, but had no idea how I would do it with a baby in the mix. Everyone told me that it wasn’t a very easy thing to plan for since all babies are different. But Joey was here, and I was thrust into the roles of being a mommy, a wife, and a VA business owner.

It took some getting used to being in a world of bottles, diapers, sleep deprivation and all that jazz. Add that to the client calling, the mailing projects, client websites, and real estate craziness, it has all been quite a job. I’m an at home mommy, just like I wanted. But I’m also a working mommy, the venue just happens to be at home too. It is a unique situation with no real how-to or instruction manual.

I’d be lying if I told you that it has been easy and I didn’t struggle with trying to do it all. It has been hard trying to juggle the responsibilities of motherhood, marriage, the household and a home business all at once. And even though he is almost a month away from his 1st birthday, I am still figuring it all out.

I am enjoy being a mommy. My son is my whole world and wouldn’t give up motherhood for anything. I am also still loving being a VA business owner, being my own boss, and the flexibility it affords my family.

I am a VA Mommy and LOVING it!

(I’d love to hear experiences from other virtual assistant mommies or mommy business owners, so please leave me a comment!)

Welcome to my new project, VA Mommy. My name is Megan, I am a Virtual Assistant, small business owner, entrepreneur, social media nut, and as of May 2009, a mommy.

Things have changed in my life, and my business has changed. I became a mom and started experiencing everything in a different way. So here I am, starting VA Mommy as a place to reflect and share my experience and advice as a Virtual Assistant business owner, as well as tales from my motherhood experience and being a mommy business owner. I wanted a place where I can talk about it all. This blog will be a mix of business and real life, because well… this is all my real life.

My VA Resources  blog was formerly known as, “The Virtual Perception” (not to be confused the the A Virtual Perception Podcast, which is awesome by the way). My original intent of my old VA blog was to give tips and resources for new and aspiring Virtual Assistants. I enjoyed doing it, but things slowed down over there and life got in the way. I moved the posts and resources over here, now just under a new name and new brand.

I plan on continuing to share resources and helpful tips for Virtual Assistants right along with my mommy business owner tales. And I am hoping to invite other VA mommies along for the ride to share their stories and advice. So I invite you to subscribe and I welcome your feedback, so please leave us a comment!

As Virtual Assistants, a majority of us run our businesses out of our home, be it from a designated office, or a designated corner of the living room (hey, whatever works, right?). One major thing that may not be first mind is just how secure our office is. Working from home may give us a false sense of security, that a small home office network would hardly be a target for internet hackers, criminals, etc. Well you couldn’t be more wrong. Not only is your network security a factor, but is you office equipment and important files safe from the kids and critters in your household? And what about the case of a natural disaster? Would your business be able to survive a hit like that to your home office?

Well this fabulous article, Seven Deadly Sins of Home Office Security, was brought to my attention by my husband and I wanted to share. The article is geared towards anyone that works from a home office, and I think it gives us VA “old-timers” a great reminder, but also is a great resource for new and emerging VAs who are just setting up their home offices. So just how secure, accident proof, fireproof, or otherwise if your office files, equipment and network?

Recently, someone had commented in another network on this recent post, that provoked a few thoughts in my mind. They suggested that perhaps some of the in-person networking tactics were better suited to those in larger cities where they appear to be more willing to pay more for an independent contractor.

Now, this is just my humble opinion, but I think it is a little bit of a misconception that in-person networking or marketing opportunities work better for those Virtual Assistants in “larger cities” versus smaller towns. Not everyone probably agrees with me, but I base it off my own experience.

When I started my VA business 4 years ago, I was living in a VERY small town in the middle of New Mexico. And since I had a very low budget starting out (ok, more like no budget), by using some of the in-person networking opportunities (suggested in my post) and connections I had locally, the majority of my clients came from that very small town. I didn’t even have a website yet! Some of those clients are still with me today and I have since moved many states away.

At first I was really afraid people in my small town would be apprehensive to use me because of the independent contractor rates I was charging. Some people did balk at my rates. One prospect even told me, “I could hire the neighbor girl down the street for $8/hr…”. But I kept at it and I worked hard to demonstrate my value to them. I showed them how I can I can save them a bit of money, and how much TIME I saved them from doing these tasks for them. Prospects turned into clients, who then into raving fans, and through word of mouth I signed on more clients from that very same small town.

As an aside, that person who said could hire the “neighbor girl” for $8 an hour, did so. Just few months later they came back to me and immediately signed on as client. They realized the value of my services and learned the hard way about the old saying “you get what you pay for”. They became one of my biggest fans and sent me many referrals.

Again, I base all this off of my own experience coming from a small town. Perhaps it is because I have narrowed down a niche (real estate). Some networking or marketing tactics may not work for every business, every niche, or every area. But I don’t think you should let the size of your city, township, county, etc, limit your marketing possibilities.

So I guess I what I am saying is from my own experience, I have found that in-person networking can help build your business whether you’re in a large city or small town. So I don’t you should totally count it out.

I would love to hear anyone else chime in and let me know what you think.

This  is first in a series that I want to do of Q&A interviews with experienced Virtual Assistants. The aim is to give new and aspiring VAs insight into how they started their businesses, how they run their businesses and how it fits into their lives. This will be the first in hopefully a long line of Q&A’s with inspiring VAs throughout the industry. And to kick it off, we’ll start with myself. So here’s my story.

Q&A with Megan Barber, Owner and CEO of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions

How did you start your VA business?

Before I started my business, I worked in administrative positions in real estate offices, and as an in-house assistant for Realtors. When the agents I was working for couldn’t afford to use me full-time, I figured that I could do these things for many agents all at the same time. That is when my eyes were opened to Virtual Assistant industry. I found it to be a pretty natural transition from what I was already doing and was excited to be starting my very own business with much mentoring help from my business savvy father. I celebrated my 4 year anniversary in business this month.

How did you figure out what to charge for your services?

I did a lot of research and looking around at VA websites to see what other Virtual Assistants were charging. At first, because I didn’t have much experience, and I was afraid that people would think I was too expensive, I placed my fees on the low end of the spectrum. Even though I was low, I still thought my local prospects would balk at my rates. But I was surprised to find out that people were more than willing to hire me at my rates (especially since I emphasized the “no employee expenses”). I have raised my rates 3 times since  as my services became more in demand, and was confident in the value of my services.

How did you find your first clients?

I was lucky to draw my first clients from the people I already knew. My first 2 clients worked in the real estate office I used to manage and knew of my knowledge and my abilities. I was very fortunate to have signed them within the 1st month of being in business.

How long did it take you to build your clientele?

I must say that the first year in business was a little rough. I got my first to clients, and things stagnated for awhile. But then 6 months after I started, I finally got a website, started joining different networking groups and seriously upping my marketing efforts. Word of mouth from my own clients helped me gain new clients, and my online marketing efforts that reached my clients directly, helped me grow even more. Now I have 8-9 regular clients at a given time, and a few extra projects that come on occasionally.

How many hours per week do you usually work?

For straight client billable work, I have about 20-25 hours per week, sometimes more. But I do still seem to work 40+ hours a week when you add in my non-billable work. That includes my bookkeeping, marketing, blogging, networking, etc.

Do you find being a VA provides you flexibility when you need it, especially with family, hobbies, etc?

It does and it doesn’t. Even though I am running a business from home, it is still a business and I need to treat it as such. It is sometimes hard to keep the balance between business and home life, but I manage.

I am my own boss and I do get to set my own hours and work when I want to. But that also means I need to stay disciplined and make and stick to a regular schedule. I make sure my clients are clearly aware of my business hours so I am not getting calls at all hours of the night. But I also sometimes need to remind myself to turn off the business for the night and focus on my husband and house.  And now that I have a baby on the way, it is becoming more important than ever.

Do you have a specific niche or specialized target market you typically provide services for? If so, what is your niche and how did you choose it?

My particular niche is Real Estate and I only market to and work with those within the real estate industry. It was natural for me to choose this niche because of my past experience  doing admin work for real estate for many years previous. So I started my business and focused my marketing efforts that that target market.

What of your services do you find are most in demand?

In the real estate world, my services that seem to most in demand at the time is Listing Coordination or Listing Marketing. Right now that is probably due to the state of the economy and the real estate market, as some agents have a listing inventory that they need to get sold. But some of my services most in demand have varied over the years.

What do you like most about being a VA?

I love being my own boss and running my business the way I want to. I don’t think I will ever go back to a j-o-b. I like the flexibility that I have working from home, since those working in the corporate world aren’t so lucky. I also love the networking opportunities and the great connections I’ve made with other fabulous Virtual Assistants. Some have become close friends and tremendous resources for helping my business grow and change.

Do you have an advice for new VAs or those thinking about joining the VA world?

If you are thinking of starting a VA business, take it seriously. It is not a “get rich quick” type of thing, and takes some hard work to get started. So be prepared, make a business plan, and check out all the small business resources you can.

Make sure you also get a website started for your business quickly. I have witnessed other new VA’s and they really struggle to market their virtual business without a website. So make that a high priority if you can. And if you are not familiar or comfortable with web design yourself, hire someone to do it for you. It will save you loads of time and money in the long run.

And don’t get too discouraged if new clients and new business don’t start coming your way immediately. Just keep plugging along, marketing, networking, and demonstrating what you know. The opportunities will roll in.