5 Ways to Save Money on Your Small Business Website

I read an article on Small Biz Bee that offered some great tips on saving money on your small business website. The first two tips, 1. Pay less for your domain name, and 2. Pay less for your website hosting, I think are the biggest cost savings mentioned. For example, I used to have my websites hosted with Earthlink Web Hosting, for $20 per month and paid $36 per year to register my domain names. I moved to 1&1 Web Hosting for much more reasonable pricing, and now pay $9.99 per month for a business hosting account and $6.99 to register or renew my domain names. Moving to the right web hosting provider that also offers discounted domain names can really lower your website spending!

If you think moving your domain name and website would be too time consuming or cause multiple headaches, I would highly suggest contacting a virtual assistant who specializes in website maintenance for assistance! A virtual assistant could make this process seamless so that you can save money and also avoid spending any additional time out of your busy day trying to get this accomplished.

Virtual Assistant Spotlight: Interview with Viki Garrison with AskViki

Viki Garrison is a provider of quality business support services. She gives you more time to spend with your clients instead of doing mundane office chores. You can visit Viki at www.AskViki.com.

Please tell us about why you became a VA, what inspired you and how you first came about the industry.

When Ford Motor Company offered educational buyouts, I saw an opportunity to further my education, enhance my skills, help people grow their businesses and stay home with my two young boys.

What’s your number one source for findng new, ideal clients?

First you need to develop plans; business, financial, and marketing. While you are developing these plans, you will also be developing whom your target market is. Now that you know whom to target, it should be obvious where to look for clients and how to market to their issues, needs, and problems. For example, if your target markets were small construction companies; then you would search for forums, groups, newsletters, etc. I use LinkedIn, FaceBook, CraigsList, and the local newspaper. However, do not join forums and groups just to market your services; most clients are looking for solutions to their problems, it is our job as VA’s to develop relationships with people and then show them how we can solve their problems.

Has your ideal client profile changed at all since you first started your business?

Yes, when I first started out I was trying to target too many different markets. By having too large a market, I found I was not reaching the quality clients that I could truly help. While in a coaching session with Sid Kemp at www.sidkemp.com, I realized I needed to develop a list of the characteristics of my ideal client. Such as: type of business, size of business, geographic location, industry, and business core values. The core values of other business owners are important so that you are working with people with similar values.

What is your most important business policy?

Honesty and integrity. By stating and adhering to a business policy, or course of action, most problems with clients can be avoided because the issues of payment, service times, your availability and theirs is spelled out.

Can you describe your new client intake process?

I have questions I go over with the potential client before we even talk about whether or not I (or my team) can help them. The form has questions such as all of their contact info, their hours of operation (this is important if they expect you to be available at certain times and you’re in different time zone), type (industry) of business, web address, what services they are looking for, and any questions they have about me, my team, and my business. I also ask how they heard about us. This helps me to know where my marketing is working or if I have someone to send a thank-you note.

As you’ve fine tuned your business, are there any services you prefer not to offer? How would you handle a request for these services from a new or potential client?

Yes, there are services I do not offer since I do not have the skills to properly provide them; therefore, I have developed a team of three other people whose services compliment mine. For example, I do not know a thing about systems administration, so I refer those requests to my team member who is an expert at it. I am not a graphic artist so if someone needs a ‘brand’ I have that team member contact them. It is better for the client to work directly with the person who will be performing their service, saving the client time and money. Of course, if there is a problem, I can refer to our policy, my agreements with the team and mediate.

Virtual Assistant Spotlight: Interview with Jodi Crosby with Smart VA For You

Interview with Jodi Crosby from Smart VA For You

Jodi Crosby owns and operates Smart Virtual Assistant for You, a virtual administration services organization. Jodi has over 20 years of administrative experience in various roles from Office Manager to Executive Assistant to Controller for a small business. Her mission is to provide exceptional office support and administrative assistance to all of the small businesses she supports. The services provided are completed in an efficient and cost effective way to maximize results. Communication is key! You can find Jodi Crosby at  http://smartvaforu.com.

Please tell us about why you became a VA, what inspired you and how you first came about the industry.

I became a Virtual Assistant for the freedom it allows me to raise our child while continuing to contribute to the household finances. One of the reasons I enjoy being a Virtual Assistant is that I am given the opportunity to help my business partners get back to doing what they love while growing their business.

Can you describe the startup process of your VA practice as you remember it? Please share your biggest triumph and biggest hurdle you had to overcome.

While we were looking to purchase a home, I met a couple of investors that needed assistance tracking down and processing real estate properties. The first couple of years I was content with a few clients and a minimum of hours so I could focus on my family. Once I had more time to devote to a business, I signed up with a Virtual Staffing Agency called Team DoubleClick. After a few months, I was connected with a few clients, some came and some left but those who stayed were a good match. Through the agency, I was offered training in social media and became passionate about the opportunities available thru this outlet. Once I was utilizing social media to grow my business, things really started happening. I still have my original client base, however, my client base has more than tripled since utilizing social media. My biggest triumph was when I partnered with my first social media client. The biggest hurdle is, and will continue to be, balancing work and life and family.

What made you decide to go into the business, and what has your experience been like?

I was motivated to become a Virtual Assistant after the birth of our child. He required a little more hand holding than a typical child for the first couple of years so a full time job with long hours was not a good match for our situation. I am a good organizer and enjoy new challenges so starting my own business seemed like a natural step. How do you define success? A success for me is when I am able to help a business partner succeed and get back to doing what they got into business to do. Providing quality work and having the clients trust me to look out for their business is what it is all about.

What are the top five tools or resources you use on a regular basis in running your own business?

1. My cell phone with internet service, which allows me to receive and respond to email, handle customer service for clients, and do basic internet research all while on the road.

2. EchoSign for quick and legal electronic signatures on contracts.

3. FreeConferenceCall.com

4. Freshbooks.com for time tracking and invoicing.

5. Google Voice allows me to point my business phone number to my home or cell phone or both. It includes long distance for free to Canada and the US. I have three referrals for Google Voice. If anyone is interested, please contact me!

What’s your number one source for findng new, ideal clients?

I would say my number one source for finding new, ideal clients is through word of mouth. The word of mouth can be via direct referrals or recommendations via a social media connection.

Virtual Assistant Spotlight: Coming soon, get your interview here!

I’m excited to announce that the Geeks on Tap blog will feature a smorgasbord of virtual assistants that I will be interviewing. The Virtual Assistant Spotlight will feature those questions you always wanted to ask an expert virtual assistant, but didn’t have the guts to ask! If you would like to be featured, please contact me (by email or through LinkedIn) with the subject “Virtual Assistant Spotlight”.

Are you ready for a clean sweep?

I am a big proponent of the Clean Sweep Program, created by CoachU. Many of my clients are life, business, or personal coaches who often use this program as a baseline for their new clients. Instead of working towards a specific goal, the Clean Sweep Program is a check list of 100 items, which when completed, provide a strong foundation for moving toward your goals. In a way, this program helps you get out of the way of your own goals and dreams, by removing the obstacles that are keeping you from starting on your journey. If you have these 100 items completed (and it is an ongoing process to keep them all completed), you will improve in several areas: physical environment, well-bring, money, and relationships.  Most people start out at 20-30 points, but the goal is to work toward getting 100. You can find the checklist here: http://betterme.org/cleansweep.html

Are you wondering how I would score on this checklist? So far, I’m at 84. My lowest score is 16 in Physical environment, followed by 21 in Money, then 22 in Well-Being, with 25 in Relationships. In fact, I have completed the Relationships section. How well did you do? Some of these are easier than others (my car needs an oil change, once that’s done, I’ll have one more checked). What section do I struggle with most? This one: I have nothing around the house or in storage that I do not need. As a fan of Flylady, I am slowly decluttering our house. My home office and “outside the home” workspaces are clean and decluttered at all times. Our home, however, is not. What areas do you struggle the most in?

 

Juggling a new business: Don’t quit your day job!

One of the frequent questions I’m asked as a virtual assistant is, “How do you know when to quit your job and start your business from home full time?”

My answer to the question is “Why quit?”

Perhaps you may not be fully satisfied with the work you are doing at your current employer, but don’t quit the day job and jump into a new business. There is a great article on Start Up Nation titled “You Don’t Have to Quit Your Day Job to Succeed in Business”.

You’ll find a great discussion of how to run a side business while still bringing in money from your main job. The bottom line is that it takes some multi-tasking skills, but if you can swing it, you can start your “side business” slowly, grow your client base in a more organic (and less stressful) fashion, because you aren’t using the side business to “pay the bills”.

Networking: Meet other Virtual Assistants

Get to know your competition:

A great way to grow your business is to network with other virtual assistants. You might think that they are the “competition”, but really, other virtual assistants will have talents that are different from yours. Everyone has a different “dream client”, so if you are friendly with several different virtual assistants, they are likely to refer clients to you, and you refer clients to them, for tasks that are better suited to a specialist. Sometimes a virtual assistant will have a few “backups”, other virtual assistants who can cover for them during vacations, extended leaves of absence, or just times when the primary virtual assistant is overworked.

Where do I find other virtual assistants?

You can find them several places, especially if you do a search on Google for ‘virtual assistant’. One great place to find local virtual assistants is on the International Virtual Assistants Association forums. The IVAA has an active and lively membership that have taught me more than I can express about running a business from home. Talking to a real virtual assistant will also help filter out the tempting suggestions you may see from scam artists that advertise “how to make money quick online”.

Getting Paid: Use Paypal

In August, I mentioned using InvoicePlace for invoicing my clients. I also have an account with Paypal for accepting payments through InvoicePlace. It’s easy to use, I can keep track of payments easily, and I can forward my paypal balance to a business checking account.

I’m so blippin happy!

One of the great things about working as a virtual assistant, is that I can listen to music that suits my mood and somewhat eccentric tastes. Want to hear what I’m listening to? Blip.fm lets you create your own music station. Listen to my station here: http://blip.fm/runsamok

Go buy your ticket!

It’s October. It’s the time of year when many people go to haunted  houses for that Halloween thrill. We go to haunted houses to be scared. We buy our ticket. We know that something is going to jump out and scare us. We’re expecting the spiders, ghosts, and unexpected goblins, and yet we are still frightened. We still scream. When it’s all over, and we’ve made it through, we walk out laughing and joking, ready to buy another ticket.

In life, when we are faced with a challenge/fear, we know there will be unexpected goblins and ghosts. But, do we buy the ticket and go forward? Do we come through wiser, smarter, succeeding, and ready to buy another ticket? Or do we stop at the front door?

As you are walking through the haunted house, your fears may tend to get bigger, and your commitment to walk through get smaller? You may be uncertain if you want to continue or take one of those exit doors that you see so brightly lit? Yet you muster up your courage and keep walking to the end!

Are you willing to take the journey in life if you think only one or two goblins will jump out?
Do you lose your faith when the odds go higher and there are more unknowns?
Are you too afraid of the goblins and choose to stay off the path of your dreams?
If you do, you are letting fear take over. This will cause your dreams to come to a screeching halt.

Most of us visit haunted houses with friends and there is an expectation that you will get through it all. You’ve made a commitment. You’ve paid the price of the ticket and you want to get your money’s worth.

When you’ve paid for your ticket up front, you will find a way to get through regardless of the fears; your determination is stronger. You know there is an end in sight. You are willing to go those extra steps to complete the journey.

In life, because we can’t always see the end, we don’t fully commit to facing our fears. We haven’t bought the ticket. We let the unexpected ghosts and goblins stop us. We let our fear take over without giving it a try.

Yet, you do have friends that will cheer you on, encouraging you. So, buy that ticket, say “I’m going to do it, no matter what.” Remember, every project has those ghosts and goblins. We don’t know when they are going to pop up, just like we don’t know in a haunted house. In life, the unknown scares us, and we never buy the ticket. How much are you missing in your life because of fear?

Go buy your ticket!