The event will feature guest speakers Tina Forsyth, Pam Thomas and Carla Wilson. The topics that will be covered are new technology and the benefits of self care in the ever evolving profession of Virtual Assistance. These are both very timely topics as our profession relies almost solely on communication through technology within our virtual world. I think it is very important to stay current and informed about these changes. Information about proper self care is becoming a universal concern among health conscious people. Learning more about this topic can only make our work day and life better and more comfortable, both mentally and physically.

Now to the part you have been waiting to hear! This event will take place June 23, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and you can register at http://www.nextwave4vas.ca/. The event is being hosted by the 2011 Red Deer College Graduating Class of the Virtual Assistant Certificate Program.

Oh, I almost forgot the best part…it’s free!

I hope to see you there.

Apparently domain names can be big money.  I was of course completely shocked since the domain I had just paid for cost me all of $10.00 for the year.   Yet, believe it or not, I actually began to consider it.  The domain name the company was offering was EXACTLY the name I wanted but when I registered it was taken (now I know by whom).   So, my mind began to race and paranoia began to set in.  I really did want that domain name; I mean it is part of my brand. What if someone else buys it and my whole online identity is stripped from me?   Okay so you can see where my mind is heading.  Totally paranoid! 

This went on for about two weeks, each email I received was more urgent than the last and my deadline for making the decision was coming to a close.  It seems since I had a domain name that was close to the one they were offering, I was able to get first crack at it…providing I met the minimum bid of $397.00 (BTW, I did my research, and yes they were legit).

I was actually torn on this decision, every fibre of my being said “If you buy this for $397.00 you are an idiot”.  Yet I wanted it…I for some reason felt I needed this domain or something catastrophic was going to happen.   

Luckily for me, I have Laura.  Laura my right hand at MJVA, is also my voice of reason.   After weighing the pros and cons with her, it became quite clear that these thoughts running through my brain was exactly what this company was hoping for.  I, of course couldn’t give them the satisfaction and hand over $397.00 for one silly domain.    The bottom line was the domain was only valuable if someone was willing to pay that much for it. My guess is there would only be a handful of people who had some attachment to this domain name.  I got my answer the next week when a representative called me on the phone and said they would be able to give it to me for $99.00.  Ha, I told him I have never paid more than $30.00 for a domain and I wouldn’t be willing to pay more than that for this one.  At this point forget the paranoia, I was just mad.

Of course, there was no way he could sell me it for less than $99.00…and that’s fine, I walked away feeling good about my decision and never heard from them again.  My guess is, in two months from now when they are still trying to off load it, I’ll be approached again, but I’ll stick to my guns.

I do have to say, it was a learning experience, up until this point I didn’t really know how much a domain name would really affect me.  But, for a while it did.   

Apparently I’m not the only one. I read an article once that business.com sold for 7.5 million back in 1999, and sex.com raked in 14 million in 2006.  Can you imagine 14 million dollars for one domain name!  Do you know how many mouths 14 million would feed?  Unbelievable!

My $397.00 seems like a few pennies in the pot compared to what others have actually paid for a domain name.  However I paid for two weeks of groceries with that $397.00, money well spent in my family.

So, I wonder what domain will end up garnering the next big lump sum….

“Do I hear a 100 million for: 

lets-stop-being-stupid-and-do-something-useful-with-our-millions.com?

Of course as always I returned to the never-ending spam and I went right to work on some new projects that I can’t wait to share with you….just not now, but soon!  

I’m also being extremely brave this summer….I’ve decided to go day care free for the entire summer.  I know….what is she thinking right?  Well, I figured since my daughter is now 4 years old, there would be a little less maintenance and I’d find that balance pretty quickly.  

HA…okay, so it’s been one week and already I’m beginning to question my decision.

I have to give her credit though; for the most part she has been finding things to occupy herself while I’m working.  The problem is the way she keeps herself occupied. She doesn’t have the nickname “Hurricane Hannah” for nothing.  My house is open season for her and by the time I am done work, my living space looks like a disaster zone.   The only thing missing is the yellow tape with “Danger, keep out”.   Seriously, no joke, you cannot walk two feet without stepping on Barbie’s head, or getting a piece of lego stuck to the bottom of your foot.   It can literally take me hours to pick up after her…. but it does allow me to work, so maybe the clean up time isn’t that bad.  

The one thing I have really been noticing is how well spent that $200.00/month for Speech Therapy is. Boy, oh boy….does she talk, and talk, and talk, I’ll have to thank her speech therapist for doing such a bang up job! Being that I am the sole focus of her attention all day now, I get her full verbal talents.  My daughter is on continuous play and there is absolutely no mute button.   She’ll talk about just about anything and everything, and she’s always got loads of questions.  

“Mommy are you working on the puter?”  -hasn’t quite got the word computer yet, we’re working on it.

“Mommy is that your paper?” pointing to the paper in the printer.

“Mommy what colour is it?”

“Mommy is Dad at work?”

“Does Mommy start with M?”

 “Mommy, is the sky blue?”

 And those questions were delivered in about 3 minutes flat….so you get the picture!   

 Don’t get me wrong, I am not completely bald yet, there have been some very nice moments through it all such as eating our lunch together, curling up on the couch during breaks and just being more “there” for her.  Something I wasn’t when daycare was present.

 All in all, the first week has been a bit of a challenge and an adjustment, but I guess being brave hasn’t been so bad after all. There are plenty rewards that come along with it.

But of course, my lifestyle does not allow loads of space, after all as I mentioned I have a three year old and anyone who has a toddler knows space is not an option.

However, I do have one place that is all mine, the one place in my house you will not see a toy lying on the floor.  My office!   This is definitely where the least amount of clutter is.  Now I wasn’t always the de-cluttering- home office queen….nope, I was kind of a hoarder at one time. The dreaded “C” word, didn’t really affect me too much. 

 I would pretty much keep just about anything, old magazines (a great article on page 2, that’s about 4 years old), papers with scribbles on them (those scribbles could eventually mean something one day), piles of pens that didn’t work (because I thought one day they just might).  My resistance to getting rid of non-essential and non-working items came to a halt one day when I actually couldn’t bring myself to go in my office.   I found myself hating the feeling of being in there, cramped and seriously starting to feel mildly claustrophobic.

So the de-clutter queen came to be and I went right to work transforming my cluttered, non-functioning, non-productive workspace into a powerhouse of efficiency (ok maybe not a powerhouse, but it’s much, much better).

It was actually a very simple process and one I’d love to share with you.  All you need is two boxes and the willingness to get rid of “stuff”.   If you have a lot of clutter… then get two BIG boxes.

  Label one “Keep” and the other label “Throw away.” 

Your task is to set aside a few hours, put on some comfy clothes, turn up your favourite tunes and start sorting your clutter into the two boxes. Clutter can include the stack of paperwork, pens, business cards, envelopes, etc.  When you’re done, toss the “Throw away” box without a second thought.  Really, not one thought, just toss it away, if it’s paper for your eyes only, shred it, then recycle it.   

 Then go through the “Keep” box and find a permanent home for each item.

This step might require a trip to the office supply store to pick up a filing cabinet for paperwork you need to keep, a drawer organizer for pens and other supplies, possibly a desktop container to hold paperwork you need to keep within reach, and any other supplies that you find necessary for your needs.

That’s it de-cluttering in a few easy steps….simple!

So?  What are you waiting for –get to it!!!

Happy De-cluttering!

Owning Your Value as a VA – Part I

For many VA’s, especially those starting out, it can be difficult to own and honour the value we bring. While we may know and understand it, owning it is a whole different story. So how can you really own the value you bring to a client?

What Value Do I Bring?

For starters there is the savings of not hiring a full or part-time employee. This includes no overhead, such as, office space, computer equipment, software, office supplies along with soft skills or computer training. In addition there is no payroll, benefit plans or other contributions required on behalf of the client. Keep in mind that whatever wage an employer is paying it costs about double to actually maintain that employee.

For the serious VA who is interested in not only providing admin services but strategic and collaborative business support, however that may look for the client, the value scale jumps tremendously.

The Partnership

The biggest value any VA can bring to their client relationships is the collaborative partnership in the success of the client’s business. This is about paying careful attention and listening to the client for challenges, dreams and ideas for growing their business. It’s about seeing and communicating possibilities from a solution standpoint. Having the courage to present ideas, solutions, or a different perspective that the client may be unable to see or hadn’t thought of.

The VA takes on the responsibility of knowing what is going on in the client’s industry and staying on top of the latest trends and technology. Only then can you offer and implement the right solution for your client.

This is what sets us apart from strictly office support services and makes our VA/client relationships so valuable. We are there to support our clients in the growth and success of their business however that may look. You only find this in the Virtual Assistant profession.

Author: Mary-Lou Ashton, http://www.vatp.ca/

 Check out PART II next week!