It's been 3 months now...

And I'm on the long slow slog to build up my client base enough so that I earn enough money not to worry as much! I market online and offline at networking events, I run my own networking events too, I've got myself a brilliant business coach, updated my website and am doing courses to improve my skill set - quite frankly it's utterly knackering doing all of this let alone looking after the kids and then actually DOING the work I have in!

But I'm getting there. I'm just impatient I guess and financial pressures mean I feel like I need to be there now. I'm never going back to being employed though - being my own boss, being there for my kids, choosing who I want to work with and having an actual life rocks far too much for that, quite frankly.

Back to the grind now at 8.30pm and I'll be here past midnight... but if I have to it now, then so be it.

It is now OFFICIAL!

It is now official!!! I will be a full time VA from the 5th February 2010, so just under 1 year since my initial 6 month plan but I am still immensly proud of myself!

Now to get some clients in and make it earn the cash to keep me in shoes (and pay the bills).

VERY soon to be VA

I am aware I haven't posted on here for rather a long time now, as I have moved to my RRVA blog, since I started trading properly in April this year. However, it seems appropriate that I say it on here too.

I will VERY soon be a full time VA!!!! Yay, whoop and hurrah!!! Slightly off my 6 month hope, and it will be nearer a year when I achieve my goal but not bad!!!

Suffice it to say by February 2010, mission accomplished! Then to drive the business onwards and make it the success I know it will be.

New client and others promoting me!

This week has been great as I have started working with my first proper regular client who seem to be willing to trust me with both big things and smaller but equally essential things. Big smile on my face!!! I had a brilliant skype meeting with them (and I taught them how to skype at the same time which was fun!!!!

A VA I did some sub work for back in June finally paid me this week too so my bank balance is a little happier.

Also a friend/client who I've helped out has been telling loads of her contacts about me and how fab I am so fingers crossed I hear from one of them soon!!! Must remember to sort out some article writing for her to say thank you but its just the most awesome kind of publicity!!! The free kind of other people saying your brilliant and they tell you about it later... So yep, a great week in R&R VA Services land :-)

Distractions, distractions everywhere!!!!

I am getting sooo distracted at the moment. I think it's coz I've been away on holiday....Just look at the lovely St Brelades Bay.

And I'm away again this weekend, this time to Cardigan Bay. In between I have further market research to do and another press release to write so focusing on actually promoting my business has slipped a bit.

This is a big mistake I know and I'm trying to rectify it ASAP. But then I'm off to the beach with the kids !!!

Building up my client base...

I'm rather pleased that things seem to be on the up at the moment. After careful following up I appear to have a regular client! Don't want to say who yet unless it all goes horribly wrong at some point but yay to me!!!

I also have a client who keeps coming back for another one off job, ooh and could you just do another one too so am hopeful he may become a regular too. We'll just have to wait and see but currently rather proud of my little business and need to get networking again to increase my client base even more.

Fourth Plinth

Slightly random post this but I have applied to be on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, it will be in September I think if I'm selected...will keep you posted!

Check it out if you're interested http://www.oneandother.co.uk/

At the time of writing this there is a guy in a monkey suit up there :)

Clients...

I am waiting to hear whether Set Deisgn have decided to work with me or have me train them in Social Media. Waiting is really hard!!!!! Finding the right length of time to follow up on the meeting and emails with a 'so, do you want to work together?' that isn't too pushy (ie too quickly, before they have had time to think about it properly) or leaving it too long so they have lost interest and moved on to the next idea, is tricky.

Also wanted to follow up with an old friend who contacted me on Facebook re his t-shirt design business in response to a retweet that came up as my status. I'd love to meet up with him anyway but the possibility I could help him grow his business is also great BUT....he seems to have deleted his Facebook profile!!! His comments (and therefore his links!) have gone from my wall and I can't remember the exact name of his company so can't find the website aaaggghhhhh!!!!! Guy if you're reading this by some great chance (Google probably!!) email me please.

Potential client meeting today

I was a bit nervous about this but went in and tried to really listen to what they needed (whether thery realised it yet or not) rather than just go on about what I can actually do. I can do a lot of things, I've been a PA for over 3 years at senior level and in admin for years prior to that but most of it isn't relevant to a shop selling funky design knick knack type things!

They were interested in social media Twitter, blogging, Facebook etc and hoping to raise their online profile to strengthen their sales in our currently difficult climate (one for Nlab's social media for business resilience I think!). I think it went well overall and I'm please whether they choose to work with me or not. I've got to pracitse what I preach for a change! Plus I really do love their stuff and am chuffed they even wanted to speak to me.

So please check out Set Desgin! (I recommend their rude and twisted section for hilarity!!!)

Referals today clients tomorrow!!!

Had a great meeting today with Fred BRookes from Creative Leicestershire. Lovely guy and he gave me some great suggestions for other avenues to market to and in but also good places to keep up with so I keep up with whats going on in the Creative Industries!

He may even refer a few clients my way which would be awesome! An idea that came to me during the conversation as well is to post on my RRVA any interesting calls for funding that are coming up as it would be useful for my client base to know (without having to search themselves!).

I also need to highlight my abilities and experience in finding such funding opportunities and help that I can give in completing the forms and keeping people focused on what the call is for and not just what they want to do!! I'm no bid writer more a bid writing assistant...I'll have to think of a better name.

Plus whilst I was at the Depot I dropped a few postcard flyers in all the post boxes of the creative companies that are based there....you never know I may get a call from that.......

Amplified Leicester event

You really do meet potential clients in the oddest of places sometimes! I attended the Amplified Individuals and Business Resilience seminar on Thursday 18th June at DMU in the interests of finding out more about the uses of Social Media in helping build solid connections to allow my business (and my connections with people) to flourish in difficult financial times.

I was also hoping to find out a bit more about what's after Twitter too! this wasn't so obvious but I met several other small business owners, heard their opinions - both in favour of and vehemently 'not getting it' - on social media. It made me realise that you can be too evangelical about these things but you can also offer VA services to people at these events because you will save them money as they won't have to do it themselves. My time is no less valuable but they do not feel like they are then wasting their own.

The other most interesting thing I took away from this event is that we are still rather immature about how we use such media. It is mostly about being horrible about people, complaining about things and not used (yet) as a force for change. You can see the beginnings of this in the uses of twitter in particular in the Iranian elections, that it has the potential to galvanise people into taking action in the real world as well as the cyber one. It could be a way to get policies changed, to make people listen to or sensible suggestions as alternative ways to do things. And not just complain about them. But we WILL get there, it will just take us a little time

Organising my time

I really need to do more planning! I know its a good thing, I tell other people they HAVE to do it but...when it comes to my own I am as guilty as the next business owner. I put it off because someone else is going to pay me for my time and my own jobs get pushed down the list.



I must stop it! I have updated my filing and am in the process of scheduling my regular tasks across days of the week and including some time off to be with my family and husband of an evening!!!!



I know, I know...how dare I consider it but I do need to look after myself a bit otherwise I'm not on my best form to give my clients the service they need or my children a mum who is awake enough to play with them!

Facebook business page

I'm just in the process of setting up my R&R VA Services Facebook fan page. Won't be in time to get enough followers to get my vanity facebook url but it will be good for business!!!

I'll let you know when it's up and finished and you can all come and massage my ego by becoming my fans hehehe!!

Being helpful ... for free!

I do keep doing this and not in a marketing 'give-something-free-and-hook-them-in' kinda way or a big thing about the fact it's my expertise I'm giving away (well apart from this!) but just because it's a nice thing to do. If it brings me clients then great, but if not, at least I helped someone out.

And also a note on being organised....
I'm currently printing out a few new client consultation forms that I complete as I converse with any potential client for reference and to help identify what they require (as I'm sure all good VAs do) but I just don't want to get caught on an unexpected call with no notes to guide my talk or notes on a client in lots of different places!!!

VAs that Lunch and Night Owlers

These are 2 completely awesome skype groups set up by Claire Lydia Ray of Vomnet-uk for UK/European and Australasian VAs to network, chat and generally help each other out. You can drop in and out of the thread and I have honestly not met a more wonderful, supportive and inspiring group of people. VAs are very supporting of each other whether a newbie or a pro, you got an issue, drop it into the conversation and you get instant helpful comments, a virtual hug when needed and inspiration when you get a difficult/interesting to work with client or project.

I found this group and was invited to join via the VA Twitter community and have particularly participated in Night Owlers which is from 10pm (GMT) onwards every weekday. It's convenient as it in no way impinges on the day job or distracts from my VA activities and the wonderful ladies are helping me to stay determinedly fixed on my 6 month plan and are helping me to believe I can actually pull it off!

If you are a VA in any of the above categories or happen to be around when our respective time zones coincide, I seriously recommend you come join in!!!

Creative Business Networking

I attended the LCB Depot TCB Social tonight and have to say it was great. Some useful but short presentations with opportunities to meet with business services afterwards as well as mingle. I met some interesting new people, people interested in research, people who already know me and friends! So enjoyed myself.

I have been thinking a lot recently about how I should approach these evenings (having been reading The Dream PA's Virtual Assistant Handbook) and I went with just being myself. Helpful, offering advice or to put people in touch and using my local knowledge to point people in the right direction. I hope that this strategy engages peoples interest and leads to paid work. Plus it is much less nerve wracking attending as myself rather than getting worried about representing my company, I mean I AM my company after all!!!!

I went to Creative Coffee Club yesterday too and made some good connections there too. Bring on the next event! The more I do this the more likely it is to pay off!

My USP

Apparently my main USP is, well, me! Which is nice to know but how to market me effectively........

Things are getting busy....

My to do list is getting rather long now and whilst my motivation is still there to keep working towards my Master Plan of full time VA in 6 months my body just feels like this picture. Mmmmm I'd really like to just curl up and sleep for a few days to get back my ability to function properly!!

But with all these new business set ups you just don't get the luxury! So I'm off to Creative Coffee Club tomorrow and then LCB Depot TCB Social on Thursday. I have a computer to back up before it dies on me and a marketing plan to get out of my head and onto paper....well screen anyway!

Oh and a Fabulous networking place to share with you all called Be Fabulous!! Hope to see you in the forums and help inspire each other!

Lots going on!

I've been busy with lots of different things over the last week and am having guilt that I haven't fit in blogging!

I've opened a business bank account, I've set up a meeting with Creative Leicestershire, struggled with some coding and spent the weekend in the total signal dead zone of North Shropshire!

Next big thing on the horizon is the Creative Networking (TBC Social) event on Thursday evening at the LCB Depot in Leicester. My main challenge will be getting people who know me from my day job role to view me in a different light. It could either work in my favour or not....

Top tips

Yep today I received a few from a Business Link advisor. Our meeting was great, helpful and informative if a little one sided (from her I mean, for once I shut up!!).

Hoping to implement some of what she told me (for my bullet pointed list from the meeting click here). I really need to get on with trying to source some funding for my basic equipment needs i.e. get a lovely iMac!!!! Interestingly advisor was a typical PC and went on about limiting my market by going Mac due to compatibility issues??!!! Oh well, no point in Mac evangilising there!!

And then it's network, network, network.....