Small Business Success Telesummit 2010
Join me for FREE at the Small Business Success Telesummit 2010 in January. Listen in as 12 small business experts (including yours truly!) share our best business-building secrets, AND answer your questions live!
This class starts January 25th, 2010 and is a 3 week extensive training program. I will show you how to write articles, write press releases, learn the best tips on article distribution and press release distribution, prepare media kits and proposals, and also get book reviews and product reviews. These tips will help you not only add a PR niche to your virtual assistant business, but also help you in every avenue of getting publicity.
With each New Year, there’s that heady scent of change in the air… But to breathe in the sweet smell of POSITIVE change, you have to take key steps to create it.
It’s a fast-paced world out there nowadays. So it’s super-duper critical to stay a step ahead of your competition. You can’t do that if you don’t stay on top of what’s new.
Embracing business-growing change means getting your marketing house in order and your processes down pat… AND it means learning to use the latest, most forward-looking ways to grow your small business in 2010 (think social media, online PR, and more).
That’s why I’m inviting you to join me for F*R*E*E at the Small Business Success Telesummit 2010 in January. Listen in as 12 small business experts (including your truly!) share our best business-building secrets, AND answer your questions live!
Need a preview? Here’s a sampling of what these experts will be covering (complete with live Q&A phone time so you can ask YOUR questions):
This awesome line-up is speaking over three weekdays—and that means at least some of the presentation bound to fit your schedule. Check it out here, and be sure to reserve your spot as phone lines are limited!
We both know that if you want your small business to keep growing (regardless of the darned economy), you need to keep soaking up advice on marketing and running your business more effectively.
So go for it, and join me at Small Business Success Telesummit
I promise it’s going to get your business off to a terrific start in 2010!
Diana Ennen
Virtual Word Publishing
Setting up a virtual assistant business is relatively easy, but it’s important to have a complete plan of action set out in advance. I’m a firm believer that the initial planning phase of a business is crucial to its success. This ensures that you don’t leave any vital steps unaddressed and also prevents any unexpected surprises down the road. Therefore, I recommend first writing a complete business plan for your business. This plan doesn’t need to be anything technical, just how you plan to operate your business including advertising methods, pricing, business hours, equipment and supplies needed, etc.
The next step is to select the appropriate name. Take your time here as you want your business name to be an asset by appealing to your potential clients. Your name needs to clearly express what services you provide and not limit you if you choose to expand your business into other areas. Decide on a name that people would want to call if they have virtual assisting needs.
To operate a business you are required by law to have the appropriate licenses. This is your permit to do business locally. It’s a simple procedure that doesn’t require a considerable amount of time. Contact your city and county officials under occupational licenses for complete details or go online. Most VAs start out initially as a sole proprietorship and then might change later.
Now it’s time to set up your bookkeeping. I find that the most important ingredient to keeping good books is keeping it simple. If it’s easy to do, and doesn’t require a lot of effort, I tend it do it more regularly. You will want to keep track of all your income and expenses. Save all receipts and pay all your expenses out of your business checking account. A software program such as Quickbooks is ideal for our type of business. Not only does it allow you to keep accurate records, but it also enables you to track exactly where the most money is coming from. This enables you to target your marketing efforts more in that area.
Now you must decide how much to charge. Don’t undercharge your services. Many make this mistake. They feel if they price their services substantially below everyone else, they’ll get more business. That’s true–you might get more business, but you’ll also be working outrageous hours and not making the kind of income you should. The average prices being charge today are between $35.00 and $100.00, depending on the specialty. I personally recommend starting no lower than $35.00/hr.
Now you need to get those clients. The key to successful marketing is to tell clients what benefits they will receive by answering their main question, “What’s in it for me?” Keep in mind, you’re not selling your services, you’re selling the benefits of your services. What can you offer them that would make their business run more successfully? An example of this would be accurate dependable service done on an “as needed” basis.
It is also important to have an impressive marketing piece. Your brochures, letterhead, flyers, business cards, etc., should look sensational. Think back on what has caught your eye in the past. Now design your material with that in mind. The most important requirement is that it must be professional and convey that you are more than someone typing documents. Businesses want to deal with other professionals. They don’t want to risk their work, and possibly their clients, on someone who is not. Let them know this is exactly what they will receive when they seek your services. Places such as Vistaprints offer affordable printing.
Once established, word of mouth is your best advertisement. When people get professional, accurate, and friendly service they tell others. If you offer such exceptional service, you can be assured that you will need to advertise only at the onset to get your business started. From then on, your repeat clients, and referrals from them, will keep your business thriving.
Recognition is also a key to success, whether it’s through the press releases, articles, message boards, newspapers, chats, your website, radio or TV, when clients see your business repeatedly, they become familiar with your company and when the need arises, they will call you. Therefore consider where you can advertise that can keep your name out there.
Now that you’ve got the clients, you need to keep them. The best way to do this is to always provide them with more than they ask for. Go the extra mile on all assignments. Let them know that you value their business and are eager to help them succeed.
And finally, enjoy your business. Many start their own business to spend more time with their family. It’s the perfect way to stay at home and still make an excellent income. Firmly set your hours and learn to say no. Remember it’s your business and often your dream come true. By learning your limitations, you can keep it a wonderful experience that both you and your family will enjoy.
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Virtual Word Publishing
Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, available at Amazon and other leading bookstores. She specializes in publicity and book marketing and is president of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/. Articles are free to be reprinted as long as the author’s bio remains intact.
Check out our mention in Forbes ….
We were thrilled to be quoted in Forbes this week. You have to scroll through the video. It’s an article on when to logg off and on over the holidays.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/15/email-vacation-work-remote-forbes-woman-time-business_slide_2.html
Here’s my quote!
It’s best to keep your BlackBerry far from reach on the holiday itself, shares Diana Ennen, author of So You Want to Be a Work-At-Home Mom. One bad piece of news on Christmas morning can derail even the happiest of holidays. “Once I got an e-mail from a client stating that they would no longer need my services because of financial problems. It was a long-term client and a hard blow for my business. I couldn’t shake it all day.” Her holiday was spoiled by that e-mail, even though the client returned.
Holiday Season & Start the New Year On Top
The holidays are upon us. For most business owners that means an increase in sales – or at least it used to. In today’s frustrating economy, small and large businesses alike are facing record lows when it comes to sales. Even those in the service industry are seeing less and less clients. So what’s the answer? Think 10? Try these 10 ways to survive and thrive this holiday season.
Top 10 Publicity Ideas to Market Your Business This Holiday Season
1. One great way to boost sales and awareness of your company is to enlist the help of a publicity virtual assistant. These experts specialize in helping you to get more publicity. They can handle everything from writing and sending out press releases to creating entire media campaigns. Let them write better descriptions for your products, find the best keywords to drive traffic there, do research to find where best to locate your target audience, and then finally handle all your PR needs. Publicity virtual assistants take the time to learn their niche and to develop a relationship with their clients so that they can bring amazing results. See, your holiday sales can meet and exceed last year’s sales after all.
2. Do specialized holiday marketing. It’s not too late to take advantage of all that can be done this year to make more sales. Consider having a Black Friday sale or a Cyber Monday sale. Add a contest to your site. Send out postcards and gift certificates.
3. Article & Press Release Writing and Distribution – Article marketing works. It’s a great way to get more exposure for your business and when done right, can result in front page Google rankings, more clients, & lots of sales. Get active and write a press release about your business making a holiday or New Year connection. For example, share how you are giving back during the holidays, any promotions you have, etc.
4. Get speaking — Set up speaking engagements for the New Year. In January businesses go back to all work, no play after the holidays. It’s a perfect time to get out there and connect with businesses and line up speaking engagements. Also, consider a teleseminar series too.
5. Create a Holiday Blog Tour. If you have products or tips for the holidays, connect with other bloggers. Ask if you can provide some holiday tips. Bloggers are busy this time of year too so they will appreciate the added help. And the best news, you get more exposure.
6. Set up a Google Adword Campaigns – More people are online now because of the holidays. And a lot of those people will be checking out the search engines to find Christmas Gifts. It’s a great time to set up a Google Adword campaign and get that added exposure for your business.
7. Reconnect with ALL your clients and let them know how you appreciate them and perhaps how you can help them with other needs they may not even know you offer. Send a personalized holiday card or greeting. For local clients stop by their office and drop off presents, popcorn tins for the staff and/or their favorite coffee for their afternoon pick-me-up. For potential new clients, drop off a Holiday cup full of wrapped candy with your business card or perhaps get your business name printed on the candy bar.
8. Set up a marketing campaigns designed especially for and around your company or brand. Write down a marketing plan for the year that will focus on brand recognition. Most importantly, make sure your brand represents your company the way it should to your target audience.
9. Update your website. Take a look at your website and see if it is the best that it can be. Pay special attention to your homepage and keywords. Look to the overall appearance, the professionalism of your wording, the explanations explaining the benefits you provide, etc. In fact, everything in your site needs to convince a client to work with you. Now ask yourself, does it do that? Is this something I can be proud of? Too often we throw together a website, just to have it done. Remember this can often be a client’s first impression of you. Is it selling you well?
10. Don’t forget your social networking. Even ½ hour a day can make a considerable difference, Remember to build relationships and share more than sell.
The holidays are a great time to make money, even in this economy. If you’d like additional tips stop by SoYouWantToBeaWahm.com today. Also, share with us your tips for the holidays.
Jill Hart, Founder of Christian Work-at-Home Moms http://www.cwahm.com/ and Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/ have teamed up to write So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business http://www.soyouwanttobeawahm.com/. Start or expand your business today with their help. Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.
Opportunities Abound for the Administrative Assistant To Work From Home
Administrative assistants are moving from the office back into their homes as the opportunities for working in a home-based environment are growing daily. As modern technology allows for the transfer of information quickly and easily, administrative professionals are finding it has never been easier to do the office work at home. Letters, memos and reports are just a click away. Web conferencing, marketing, publicity, and even bookkeeping can be accomplished from virtually anywhere.
Businesses are also realizing that the same work done at the office can easily be outsourced to a home-based administrative professional. In fact, many businesses find they are not only getting the same work done, but also experiencing better results. The home-based administrative professional is highly qualified and trained in the services they offer and therefore excel at these tasks.
These administrative assistants utilize their skills as a virtual assistant—virtual being the operative word. Being able to do work virtually enables these administrative professionals to do all those tasks normally done in the office. With all the downsizing and layoffs, businesses are thrilled to be able to have the support they need at a cost they can afford.
The services being offered by these independent business owners are varied and can be found to suit the job. The descriptions that follow are just a few of the services they can provide:
Press Release Writing & Distribution: Most businesses today could benefit from a great press release, especially when that press release is distributed to their targeted audience. Many publicity virtual assistants offer this service in addition to other marketing tasks.
Transcription services: Definitely in high demand today. Doctors, specialists, hospitals, chiropractors and many more use outside sources to transcribe their files. Lawyers also require this type of assistance in legal transcription.
Document formatting, data input, correspondence, and report writing: Work can be typed and sent via email, file sharing, fax, Skype—you name it. Keeping up with social networking, answering phone calls, managing email messages, and customer relations are more services that can be handled from a home office.
Event Management: Organizing conferences or workshops from beginning to end,is just another thing that can be done from a home office
Writing effective resumes: Resumes that get the attention of potential employers is a skill that is very useful, especially in the job markets of today. With downsizing, layoffs and business closures, landing that new job for many is so very important. On the employer side, a virtual assistant can set up screening of resumes from their home office.
Researching information: Research can be a task that few can spare the time for. With the amount of information available on the Internet, finding pertinent articles and company information can be very time consuming. There are home-based administrative assistants who enjoy this type of work and have developed methods of finding useful information effectively.
Article Marketing: Submitting how-to and informational articles on the Internet is fast becoming a great marketing tool. Articles are included in ezines and newsletters are often picked up by online news outlets.
For more information on partnering with a Virtual Assistant visit Another8hours.com and VirtualWordPublishing.com where you can also get a free informational PR package.
Kelly Poelker of Another8Hours, http://www.another8hours.com and Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com are the co-authors of numerous books including Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, and its accompanying Workbook. For complete information on starting your own VA business or if you need a virtual assistant visit http://www.va-theseries.com. Article is free to be reprinted as long as the author’s bio remains intact.
Start Your Virtual Assistant Business Today
Starting a virtual assistant business is a great work-at-home business and the potential just keeps getting better and better. In fact, some are citing that having a virtual assistant is one of your most important keys to success.
Getting started is easy. Fortunately, it’s not expensive either. First of all you need a complete plan of action set out in advance. This ensures that you don’t leave any vital steps unaddressed and will have a solid plan of action to succeed. You don’t need anything technical, just how you plan to operate your business including advertising methods, pricing, business hours, equipment and supplies needed, goals, etc.
You want to clearly define your business. There are so many different areas you can go into as a virtual assistant so you need to decide with your skills and your experience what is the best for you. Want some ideas of some services you can offer as a virtual assistant? Here are a few.
It’s important to find your own niche and really own it.
Now, that you have your business plan you need to decide on the name of your business. One thing you need to make sure of is that you can legally have that name. Often I’ve seen virtual assistants start their business and just grab a name and call it their own. That doesn’t work well when someone else has already chosen that name, registered it, perhaps trademarked it, and has been using it for years. First check and make sure that no one already has it, then test it out. Is it easy to pronounce when you answer the phone? Does it sell you well? Does it limit you? Five years from now will you still feel proud of that name? Try it out on friends and ask their honest feedback. Also, go to the various boards and mention it too. For such an important decision it’s worth the effort.
To operate a business you are required by law to have the appropriate licenses. This is your permit to do business locally. It’s a simple procedure that doesn’t require a considerable amount of time. Contact your city and county officials under occupational licenses for complete details or go online. Most VAs start out initially as a sole proprietorship and then might change later into either an LLC or S Corporation.
Now it’s time to set up your bookkeeping. You will want to keep track of all your income and expenses. Save all receipts and pay all your expenses out of your business checking account. A software program such as Quickbooks is ideal for our type of business. Not only does it allow you to keep accurate records, but it also enables you to track exactly where the most money is coming from. This enables you to target your marketing efforts more in that area.
Now you must decide how much to charge. Don’t undercharge your services. The Virtual Assisting Industry is a very proud bunch and we want our clients and others to know that when you partner with us, you are getting a professional and one capable of making your business better. Clients will pay well for making their business succeed. Determine what you are bringing to the table. What specialty services such as web design or publicity you offer, and then decide on a rate that is right for you. Today, I believe the going rate is between $25.00 to $90.00 and more. I’d love to see all virtual assistants start no lower than $45.00 an hour, but I know that’s not always possible.
It is also important to have an impressive marketing piece. Your brochures, letterhead, flyers, business cards, etc., should look sensational. I personally love VistaPrints at VistaPrints.com. I can afford to get matching business cards, mailing labels, magnets, and even Christmas cards cheap. This makes me look more professional as I have everything the same layout and because it’s so reasonable, I even have different styles for different clients. Also, recently they added T-shirts to their line of products. They will often have free giveaways of these. I’ve gotten business T-Shirts and the results were exciting.
Now you need to get those clients. The key to successful marketing is to tell clients what benefits they will receive by answering their main question, “What’s in it for me?” Keep in mind, you’re not selling your services, you’re selling the benefits of your services. What can you offer them that would make their business run more successfully? An example of this would be accurate dependable service done on an “as needed” basis. As many of you know too, I have a free booklet and advertising letters I’d be happy to share on obtaining clients.
One of the most important things is to get a professional website. This will enable you not only to get clients through your SEO efforts, but also to show your clients your services and everything about your business. You can’t have the same ole’, same ole’ here. It needs to be unique and impressive. Don’t just tell the client what a Virtual Assistant is? Tell them why you should be their Virtual Assistant.
It’s also important to get listed on directories and with the various VA forums.
Now that you’ve got the clients, you need to keep them. The best way to do this is to always provide them with more than they ask for. Go the extra mile on all assignments. Let them know that you value their business and are eager to help them succeed.
Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker are the co-authors of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and accompanying Virtual Assistant the Series Workbook, and Virtual Assistant – The Series: Working Virtually, A Guide to Working Remotely as an Employee. For complete information on starting your own VA business, stop by http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com. Article is free to be reprinted as long as the author’s bio remains intact.
Home-based businesses are estimated to be a $427 billion-a-year industry. In recent studies it was found that as many as 105 million people in North America alone were working at home. Considering this information, it is obvious that home-based businesses can be successful and authors Jill Hart and Diana Ennen will help you succeed with your own.
So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom details all the basics of starting a business in a spiritual, motivational, and comprehensive manner. From deciding what type of business to start to keeping your family and faith first, this helpful tool details every aspect of establishing a business. With proven success tips utilized by the authors and others who own work-at-home businesses, this inspiration approach will provide you with the resources you need to start your own home-based business.
So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom includes:
* Detailed information on types of businesses to start
* Ideas and assistance for setting up, operating, and marketing your business
* Definitions and descriptions of work-at-home terminology and processes
* Help for developing your Website
* Explanations of the business nuts and bolts, including bookkeeping, taxes, and more
About the Authors
JILL HART is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom. Jill has published many articles and is a contributing author in Laundry Tales, The Business Mom Guide Book, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and Faith Deployed. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies. Learn more about working from home at http://soyouwanttobeawahm.com/
<p>DIANA ENNEN has been a leader and mentor in the work-at-home industry since starting her business, “http://virtualwordpublishing.com” Virtual Word Publishing, in 1985. She is the author of many books, including Virtual Assistant the Series; Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and Words from Home: Start, Run, and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business. She resides in Margate, Florida, with her husband and their three children.
If have questions they are happy to answer your questions anytime. Leave a comment below or email Jill@cwahm.com or Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com
How long have you been working at home?
Jill Hart – I’ve been working at home since 2000. I had to go back to work full-time for a brief period in 2003 when my husband got out of the Air Force. At that point I got even more serious about making my business work and I’ve been home full-time since then.
Diana Ennen – I’ve been working at home since 1985, when my son was born. He’s now graduated college and already working towards his own career. I absolutely love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
What types of businesses do you operate?
Jill Hart – I run Christian Work at Home Moms, http://CWAHM.com“>CWAHM.com, a website full of free resources, job listings and information about home businesses. I also write articles and books (yes, more books to come!) and am a blogger for sites like Time/Warner’s Christian Momlogic.com and a member of the Guidepos ts blogger team
Diana Ennen– I’m the President of http://virtualwordpublishing.com“>Virtual Word Publishing. I’m a virtual assistant and specialize in marketing & publicity. I’ve also written numerous books on how to start a VA business and offer PR and VA Coaching.
Tell us about your book? How do you think it can benefit those who want to start a business?
Jill Hart – The book has been such a “God thing.” He orchestrated the entire sequence of events – from putting Diana and I together as co-authors to bringing us to the right publisher. The book is a hands-on practical guide for anyone who wants to build a business from home. We cover topics ranging from how to select the right type of business for you, to how to get started, to how to market and grow your business.
Diana Ennen – I think one of the best features of our book is that it’s not only informative, but motivational as well. You’ll feel like friends are helping you on your journey to success. Also, we discuss numerous types of businesses to start and provide proven methods to achieve success. We also often hear how starting a business can be so overwhelming. That’s why we pay special attention to all the how tos. We feel very confident our book will help, not only those starting a business, but those already in business wanting to expand it.
What types of businesses are featured in your book?
Jill Hart – We have such a great range of contributors – everything from direct sales companies like Southern Living at Home and Avon to unique product-driven businesses like BSM Media and GrillCharms. These woman are amazing and give readers a great insight into how they’ve grown their businesses in very different ways.
Diana Ennen – We cover everything from direct sales companies to specialized areas such as medical transcription and virtual assisting. Also, Jill shares detailed information on starting a community based membership site. We think you’ll get a lot of helpful tips too from such work-at-home powerhouses as Maria Bailey and Lesley Spencer Pyle.
Do you have any tips for success for Christian entrepreneurs that you’d like to share?
Jill Hart – I think my favorite tip – shared with me by one of our contributors, Tammy Degenhart, almost ten years ago is that working together benefits everyone. She told me, “Jill, what you give to others God brings back tenfold” and I’ve seen that hold true time and time again. It may not be in financial gains and it may not look like what we expected but God is so faithful in that when we work together there is no competition – it’s a win-win situation.
Diana Ennen – Do what you believe in and use your own skills and prior experience to find the business that’s just right for you. Research/Research/Research. The more you research, the better your business. Continue to market and be out there. So many once they find a few clients stop marketing. You need to get out there continually. You then become the go to person when someone needs services or products that you offer.
What are some of the challenges that you see with those starting or operating a business?
Jill Hart – In my experience, I’ve talked with many women who get frustrated because success doesn’t come easily or quickly. Working from home may sound easy, but in reality it can actually be just as hard as working outside the home. There are many unique challenges, especially when working at home while raising children. If women don’t prepare themselves, they can becom e discouraged and disheartened.
Diana Ennen– One of the major challenges I see is losing belief in yourself that you can do it. That’s why I think a faith-based book will be so beneficial. Even when times get tough, you can rely on your faith to forge ahead.
With the economy, do you believe it’s still a good time to start a business? Why?
Jill Hart – I think it’s a better time than ever. The internet is so much more widely used than it was even nine years ago when I began my website. If people do their research and find a company that fits them as well as their budget this can be a great time to break into the work-at-home field.
Diana Ennen – Absolutely. In fact, I think there’s never been a better time. You might have to work a little harder, but it absolutely can be done. Plus, there are so many businesses who need us more than ever because of the economy. For example, with virtual assistants because businesses are downsizing they are seeking the help of a VA to help on an as needed basis.
Your book is written from a Christian p erspective? Tell us a little about that and how you feel that makes it so unique?
Jill Hart – My faith is central to who I am and therefore central to my business. I began Christian Work at Home Moms because I wanted women to have a safe place where they could discuss not only business things, but also talk about an area that doesn’t get talked about a lot in business circles – how our faith affects our businesses. The book is written in a way that doesn’t hit anyone over the head with our faith, but it’s true to who we are and talks about things from the vantage point that we see life – through the lens of our faith.
Diana Ennen – There are so many books out there today on starting a business. However, few have the Christian mom in mind. We provide a lot of scriptures and examples of how you can use your faith to help you. Our hope is that not only will your business thrive, but it might just give a little boost to your faith as well
