Great New Book: The Commonsense Virtual Assistant

Filed Under Books R Me, Virtual Assistance

Sue L Canfield recently released her book, The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee. Today, she’s stopped by my blog.

Why did you write this book?
My husband, Joel D Canfield, and I co-authored the book to help newer and aspiring virtual assistants understand what it takes to run a successful business. Over the last two years, I found that many newer and aspiring virtual assistants were asking for and following my advice on how to run their business. Though they had the skills to be a virtual assistant, many had no idea how to run a business, write a business or marketing plan, how to market, and other basic business skills. Since my husband had already written a book for small business owners on how to be the best foundation for their business, we decided to add to the material and focus on the virtual assistant industry in our new book.

Tell me about yourself
I’ve worked as an administrative assistant for over 25 years and began my virtual assistant business in 2005 before I even knew there was such a thing. This past year I added virtual assistant coaching to my services to help newer virtual assistants succeed in their businesses. My husband and I work together from home along with our five-year old daughter in Roseville, California.
 
What qualifies you to write this book?
Joel and I have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. My success as a virtual assistant is in large part due to the advice I received from Joel. Our success in our businesses provides testimony to our qualifications.

What is the book about?
The book helps virtual assistants to understand that they are now business owners, entrepreneurs, no longer employees. Successful business owners need good business sense and a good understanding of what it takes to run a successful business. The book provides basic, commonsense information every entrepreneur needs to know along with advice specific to virtual assistants.

What do you want the readers to get out of the book?
The most important concept I would like my readers to understand is that they are now business owners and what that means. After reading the book, readers will have a clear understanding of how to set rates, manage their time, and market their business.

How can the readers contact you if they want further information?
Joel and I can be reached toll-free at 877.771.7746 or by email at Contact@BizBa6.com. They can also visit our website at http://www.bizba6.com.

How much does your book cost?
$19.95.

Where can the readers purchase your e-book?
They can visit our website at www.bizba6.com.

Sue, thank you for stopping by my blog.
You are very welcome. Thank you for having me.

About the Authors:
Joel and Sue have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. They operate BizBa6 Small Business Support Services and love not only their work but the life it allows them to live. This book (Joel’s third business book, Sue’s first) shares how they think about business–it’s a ‘why to’, not a ‘how-to’ because it focuses on how people think and what they want–not just your clients, but you, too.

Book Summary:
So, you want to be a virtual assistant. The virtual assistant industry is growing rapidly. Just about anyone can say they are a virtual assistant. You have a computer, internet access, and the desire to work from home. Voila! You’re a virtual assistant. But is that enough to succeed as a virtual assistant? Do you have what it takes to run a business? Yes, a virtual assistant is a business owner. Successful business owners need to have good business sense. As a business owner, you, the virtual assistant, need to understand what it takes to run a business. Pick up your copy for $19.95 at http://www.bizba6.com.

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Exploring A Career As A Virtual Assistant

Filed Under Books R Me, Virtual Assistance

Exploring A Career As A Virtual Assistant
Virtual Book Tour Stop #1

My VA colleague, Jessica Maes, has just launched her book Exploring A Career As A Virtual Assistant and she is currently on virtual tour to promote it! Jessica operates a busy Virtual Assistance practice from her home office in Madison, WI. Additionally, Jessica has taught a class at the University of Wisconsin through the Minicourse department called “Exploring A Career As A Virtual Assistant” since early 2009. The class has had great response based on the ever growing interest in the Virtual Assistance industry and the current job market conditions that have people exploring their career options more vigorously than ever before. Jessica wrote the book so that people beyond driving distance to the University can learn much of the same information she shares from the comfort and convenience of their own home. After all, this is a book about working virtually, so sharing the information offsite is a natural fit! You can read a free sample from the book by clicking here.

As part of this tour stop, Jessica is available to us today to answer your burning questions about the Virtual Assistance industry! Post your question by leaving a Comment below. Jessica will respond in the Comments section so be sure to check back!

To celebrate the book’s launch, Jessica has a few goodies to offer us. The first is a 20% discount off the purchase of the book. Simply use the promo code THANKYOU during check out.

The second is that one lucky ready will receive a free copy of the eBook version of the book! To be eligible to win, you simply need to post a question about Virtual Assistance in the comments section of this post. The winner will be chosen at random and announced here in a couple of days.

The book is currently available for immediate download via an eBook format and in hard copy. To purchase the book, click here.

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Escape from Cubicle Nation

Filed Under Books R Me

I just finished reading “Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur” by Pamela Slim. I recommend it to anyone thinking of leaving the corporate life to be an entrepreneur.

Pamela tells it like it really is – the emotional side of starting your own business as well as the practicalities. The following chapter titles will give you an idea of what you’ll learn:

As an escapee from cubicle nation, I know how scary it can be to go out on your own. Pamela also understands that feeling, and her book may be the inspiration you need to plan an escape of your own!

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My Stroke of Insight

Filed Under Books R Me, Melodee's Musings

Yesterday was Independence Day and I was tired after a hard week of Virtual Assisting so I spent the day reading a book: My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

This book has been sitting in my “to be read” pile since it was published in 2006, waiting patiently for a day when I had the time and the brain-power to devour it. Yesterday was it.

Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist – a brain scientist – who suffered a massive stroke one morning in 1996. She describes her thoughts and feelings as the stroke quietly stole her access to the left hemisphere of her brain. She lost the ability to communicate with the world around her, but gained an overwhelming feeling of peace and “oneness” with the universe. It took eight years for Jill to repair her brain, but she was never again the person she was before her stroke. She believes the stroke was one of the best things that ever happened to her.

Here are some of my favorite passages from this amazing book:

My entire self-concept shifted as I no longer perceived myself as a single, a solid, an entity with boundaries that separated me from the entities around me. I understood that at the most elementary level, I am a fluid.

If the boundary between what you can do and what you cannot do is not clearly defined, then you don’t know what to try next.

My stroke of insight would be: peace is only a thought away, and all we have to do to access it is silence the voice of our dominating left mind.

Although there are certain limbic system (emotional) programs what can be triggered automatically, it takes less than 90 seconds for one of these programs to be triggered, surge through our body, and then be completely flushed out of our blood stream. … If, however, I remain angry after those 90 seconds have passed, then it is because I have chosen to let that circuit continue to run.

If you have any interest in neurology, or consciousness, or know someone who has suffered a stroke, this is a must read!

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Organizing Your Life, Your Way! E-book

Filed Under Books R Me, Home Office Basics, Virtual Assistance

Virtual Assistant Janet Barclay of Organized Assistant is a qualified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® practitioner. She used her knowledge of Personality Type analysis, statistics from two surveys, as well as data collected from her workshops to compile the information provided in a very interesting e-book: Organizing Your Life, Your Way!

What Type are You?

In the first part of the e-book, Janet gives an overview of the 4 personality type preference areas which combine to form the 16 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® personality types.

I was sure I could pick out my preferences easily. After all, I’ve spent over 50 years becoming acquainted with myself.

Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I)?

Prefer written communication (I)…avoid crowds and seek quiet (I)…Introversion, obviously.

Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)?

Live in the future (N)…enjoy new experiences (N)…Intuition, of course!

Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)?

Analyze information (T)…task-oriented (T)…this was easy – Thinking.

Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)?

Orderly lifestyle (J)…enjoy starting things (P)…work before play (J)…desire to have many experiences (P)…hmmm, this wasn’t quite as easy as the others.

Fortunately, Janet goes through each of the 16 personality types, listing their strengths and challenges. And – what I like best – she lists comments from real people within those personality types. After reading the comments, I knew my final preference was – Judging.

That makes me an INTJ. Cool, huh?

So What?

Now that I knew my personality type, I could look over Janet’s suggested “Preferred Time Management System” for that type and adjust my own system to be more effective.

Get yourself a copy of Organizing Your Life, Your Way! then stop back and let’s compare personality types :-)

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May is Get Caught Reading Month!

Filed Under Books R Me, Melodee's Musings

Reading is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Always has been. I tied for first place (darn you Gary Olson!) in a 4th grade contest by reading 101 books during the school year. I especially liked the Little House on the Prairie books that year. It’s great that there’s a month that promotes the idea that you should Get Caught Reading! As you can see from the photo, my nephew and niece (Erik & Elise Staff) “got caught reading” in their PJs :-)

These days I read all sorts of things – books, e-books, magazines, e-zines, blog posts, cereal boxes (although they’re not nearly as interesting as they used to be) and whatever else I can find. I just read a fantastic series of books – the Weather Warden Series, by Rachel Caine. The first book of the series, Ill Wind, grabbed me right away. Of course, reading about a female character that can control the weather and see auras, who drives Mustangs (very fast), loves the color purple, and hooks up with a seriously hot djinn – well, what’s not to like? I whipped through the seven books in the series and am waiting impatiently for the next book to come out in August.

For May, I’m going to finish listening to The Joy Diet by Martha Beck on CD (very inspirational), and then listen to The Power of Less by Leo Babauta which is going to help me streamline my life and free me from clutter! I also have a library book called Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness by Alva Noë. Then I’m hoping I’ll have time to read a book given to me be a good friend who understands my fascination with molecular biology – Abraham Lincoln’s DNA and other Adventures in Genetics by Philip R. Reilly. (I do love my science!)

And, of course, there will be lots of blog posts and cereal boxes mixed in during the month.

I’m always on the lookout for good stuff to read, so tell me – how are you going to celebrate Get Caught Reading month?

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7 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me

Filed Under Books R Me, Melodee's Musings

I was tagged by Janet Barclay to post 7 things you probably don’t know about me. It was a tough assignment since I’m not a very exciting person, but I finally came up with some “fun facts”:

  1. I have a fantastic son, Chad Reuter, and a wonderful daughter-in-law, Heidi Normandin. They moved to Denver in July so I’m looking forward to visiting them in March! Chad is a Senior NFL Draft Scout for NFLDraftScout.com. (He loves his football.)
  2. Like Janet, I have always been a voracious reader. I can remember reading Little House on the Prairie books over and over when I was young. Of course I watched the TV series over and over also. :-) Nowadays I read books about business, science, science fiction, the brain, “how-to”s, self-helpers, and some fiction (Janet Evanovich rocks!). I’ve got stacks of books lying around the house waiting to be read.
  3. That leads into the fact that I’m a wannabe writer. I’m going to try to get rid of the “wannabe” part by creating my own series of e-books about Virtual Assistance. They should start being available in January, hopefully.
  4. I am a neutrino geek. If you’ve never heard of neutrinos, they are the coolest subatomic particles you’ve never seen! There are billions of them flying through your body right now, but they’re so small they almost never hit ordinary matter. Don’t worry, I’ll be posting more about neutrinos later. (Bet you can’t wait :-) )
  5. I’m addicted to Spider Solitaire. The Deluxe Mac version. (Well worth the $15.) You don’t even have to move the cards to where you want them to go – you just click the card and it moves itself! My best time for a one suit game is 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Beat that :-)
  6. I have the complete set of Upstairs, Downstairs DVDs. My favorite PBS series of all time.
  7. I’m a Trekker from way back. I’ve even been to a few Star Trek conventions. I didn’t wear a costume or anything. Well, just a Star Fleet Academy T-shirt and some Bajoran earrings.

Well, that’s my list. Now I’m going to tag Rachel Rasmussen, Jessica Maes, and Rita Cartwright. Are you gals up for the challenge?

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New Online Marketing E-book Release

Filed Under Books R Me, Virtual Assistance

Rita Cartwright of RJ’s Word Processing Services has released a great new e-book called “Online Marketing Tools for Today’s Small Business”. I enjoyed my copy so much that I’ve decided to host Rita’s Virtual Book Tour here on October 28th!

Entrepreneurs and small business owners in any industry can use this e-book as a reference guide. Whenever you need fresh online marketing ideas or need online marketing information, you can refer back to this e-book. Nowadays, we are so overwhelmed with information, Rita wanted to simplify the search for online marketing techniques by organizing some of that information together into one location, her e-book. Pick up your copy today at the low price of $3.98.

Rita’s background in marketing and experience in conducting her business online qualify her to write an e-book on the topic of various marketing tools and strategies. Having to operate on a shoestring marketing budget, provided her with necessary knowledge and skills, which were required in order to implement these same strategies into her online marketing plan. For more information on RJ’s Word Processing Services and Rita, please click here.

Rita J. Cartwright is a Virtual Assistant and owner of RJ’s Word Processing Services and has been in business since 2002. In 1998, she received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing from Arizona State University with a minor in Spanish. She is also a member of Virtual Assistant Networking Association and Oceanside Chamber of Commerce. In order to offer her clients quality service, Rita continues to enhance her skills through various teleseminars and webinars, as well as network online and offline with fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Stop back on October 28th to see my interview with Rita. NOTICE: Rita will be randomly selecting a participant at each of her tour spots to receive a free copy of her e-book! To qualify, you’ll need to post a comment or question on this blog on October 28th. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by :-)

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