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Vanessa Determines Her Services, Niche and Rates
Filed Under Baby Boomers, Home Office Basics, Vanessa Andruz
Vanessa Andruz and I are excited! Book 4 of “The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant” is now available. And it’s a doozy!
Ever wonder what types of services Virtual Assistants can provide? Or how to find your niche? Or, and this is the BIG question for most VAs – how to decide what to charge for your services?
Vanessa had those same questions when she was starting her VA business. Each VA is different – there’s no absolute answer that will apply to all, but reading how Vanessa answered those questions may give you some help in answering them for own business.
Not only does Vanessa Determines Her Services, Niche and Rates include a listing of 300 services that VAs can provide (with the appropriate training, of course), but she’s also included a template of her Client Contract – ready for you to use with your own clients (after checking with your lawyer, of course).
It wouldn’t be a Vanessa e-book without her suffering some angst over her family. You’ll never guess the niche her mother suggests Vanessa pursue! Or, maybe you can guess, if you’ve read the first three e-books in the series.
Anyway, it’s fun – it’s informative – and it’s a great buy. That reminds me – it’s also on sale! Through September 30, 2009, Vanessa is giving a 10% discount on your total order of her e-books. So get them now and save!
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Two Amazing Women
Filed Under Baby Boomers, Melodee's Musings, Women Entrepreneurs
I talked with two amazing women today – Lucinda Cross of Corporate Mom Dropouts and Gwen Orwiler of Discover Your Dharma.
Lucinda (a business midwife 
) helps women become successful entrepreneurs while balancing the other parts of their home life. We just talked on the phone for a little while, but by the time we were done, I was completely motivated to start a project that’s been rattling around in my brain for months. (More about that later.) Lucinda does “Business Birthing”, coaching, and has some great events – like an Incubator that provides comprehensive support for start-ups or new projects. Check out her events here.
Gwen is an engaging Baby Boomer who coaches other Boomer Women seeking their ENCORE career path. She’s a joy to talk with and had me laughing through the entire call. (What do you mean I have an accent? Wisconsinites don’t have accents! ) We had a great time discussing how Boomer Women Entrepreneurs are going to take over the business world. You can check out her Boomer blog here.
It’s interesting how an email, or a chance (?) stop at a website can be the start of a wonderful conversation. Have you had that happen to you?
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5 Reasons Why Baby Boomers Make Great Virtual Assistants
Filed Under Baby Boomers, Virtual Assistance
The perception of Virtual Assistants is that they’re young mothers who want to work at home to be with their small children. Some are, of course. But there are plenty of Baby Boomers (including myself) who have become VAs. Here’s why we’re successful:
- Experience. Besides having administrative, creative or technical experience, Boomers have a number of years of life experience. We’ve learned to take care of ourselves, our partner, our children, and anyone else who enters our life circle. Our clients get the advantage of our experience and our confidence in our skills.
- Lots of Networks. We’ve been networking, personally and/or in business for years so we have a built-in support network as well as a prospect list to help us market our business.
- Empathy. We’ve lived through good times and rough times. We’re able to understand what our clients are going through – we’ve been there ourselves!
- Fearlessness. We no longer sweat the small stuff. We’ve learned that we can do more than we ever felt possible, if we only give it a try.
- Sense of Humor. If you’ve lived as long as we have, you know that it’s important to laugh and enjoy what you’re doing. After all, that’s the whole point of life, isn’t it?
What other reasons can you think of for Baby Boomers success as VAs or in other businesses?
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Introducing: Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant
Filed Under Baby Boomers, Home Office Basics, Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistance
I wasn’t sure if this day would ever get here, but it’s finally time to introduce everyone to Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant!
Vanessa was an Executive Assistant at the SafeRight Insurance Company in Washaketa, Wisconsin for over 20 years. She decided that she had enough of “corporate life” and decided to start her own business.
Vanessa asked me to help her create a series of e-books chronicling her amazing journey from employee to successful businesswoman and I am thrilled to do so.
Vanessa, is there anything you’d like to say to other women who are thinking of becoming a Virtual Assistant?
Yes, Melodee, I know that even though we’re going through some difficult economic times at the moment, the Virtual Assistance industry is a viable business path and it’s growing every day. I’m so glad I started my business, and I hope that these e-books will prove to be a resource for all of you who are thinking of starting your own.
Can you tell us a bit about the first two e-books that are now available?
I’d love to! The first book in “The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant” series is called Vanessa Has a Dream. It tells what happened one winter day which started me on my wonderful entrepreneurial adventure. I’m not advising anyone else do what I did that day, but sometimes you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do! You know what I mean?
Actually, I think I do. What about the second e-book?
The second e-book is called Vanessa Becomes a Virtual Assistant. This is where I describe how I named my company – which my mother actually helped me with, if you can believe it! – and about the legal structure I chose. I also discuss how to research licensing and zoning issues for creating a home-based business.
That sounds very helpful. What type of information will be in the rest of the series?
It’s going to be so great! I’ll describe how I chose my niche market, how I’m marketing my business, tips on networking, and a bunch of other interesting stuff!
How can people download these e-books?
All they have to do is go to my website and select the e-book that they would like to download. The first e-book is FREE! And the second is only $4.95, which I think is an economical way to learn about the legalities of setting up a business.
I think so too. Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
Oh, yes! I almost forgot to say that each e-book has a number of Internet links to some practical and constructive information. The links go to websites and e-books that I used to research each leg of my journey and I’m sure they will be helpful to everyone.
Thanks for stopping by, Vanessa. I’m looking forward to assisting you with the rest of the series.
Thank you, Melodee, for helping me to write the e-books. And I have to thank Rachel Rasmussen of Rescue Desk for her wonderful research assistance, and Dixie Lang of Dalton Unlimited for her amazing editing. I couldn’t have done this without you all. Bye!
I hope you enjoy the series and that it’s useful to you. Vanessa and I would love to hear your comments and suggestions.
Oh, and do me a favor? Don’t say anything to Vanessa about her being a fictional character - she’s a bit touchy about that.
Thanks!
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Questions About Baby Boomer Retirement
Filed Under Baby Boomers
Are you really ready to retire? Or are you just tired of the commute, the office politics, the endless meetings, and not having a say in how you spend your day? Do you enjoy working but would like to take a day off without having to ask for permission? Do you need to feel like your contributions are valued? Would you like to travel occasionally and take your job with you?
Baby Boomers are either hitting or getting close to retirement age, but they aren’t ready to be sent out to pasture just yet. As Entrepreneur.com notes, Baby Boomers are quickly becoming an entrepreneurial tour de force.
Virtual Assistance is one home based entrepreneurial choice that you can make. Take your expertise in any of a number of niches (real estate, administrative support, marketing, writing, etc.) and become your own boss. And since your business is mainly virtual, your computer becomes a traveling office that allows you to visit your children and grandchildren in another state while keeping your business on track.
Stop in here each week or better yet, grab my RSS feed cause I’ll be talking about how you can set up your Virtual Assistant business, where to find clients, and how to enjoy this great time of life!
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