Author Interview About My Ebook!

Filed Under Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistance

****** Blatant Self-Promotion Alert!!! **********

SellingBooks.com has posted an interview with Melodee about my ebook: The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant!

Personally, I think they should have asked me to do the interview, but I’m just a fictional character…what do I know!

Anyway, if you’re an aspiring author, or just thinking about writing a book or ebook, SellingBooks.com has articles to answer all your questions.

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I’m Taking Over this Blog!

Filed Under Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistance

I know Melodee’s been busy lately with the Home Page Construction Company, but that’s no reason to let her Virtual Assistant blog sit idle for months at a time!

Vanessa AndruzSo – I’ve decided to take over this blog. I’ve even changed the name of the blog to Vanessa’s Virtual Assistant Blog. (How long do you think it will take Melodee to notice that?)

I’m Vanessa Andruz. I’m a Baby Boomer, Virtual Assistant, daughter and ex-wife.

My clients tend to be women entrepreneurs who take their business seriously. I love to help them create and maintain their websites, ezines, autoresponders, shopping carts and lots of other “techie” stuff.

I think Virtual Assistance is a calling, as well as a business. Helping a client grow their business is what I love to do!

If you feel the same way, subscribe by RSS feed or email. I’m going to be making some changes to this blog over the next few weeks - do you have questions about Virtual Assistance that you’d like answered? Just leave them as a comment or, heck, just email them to me (I took over Melodee’s “Send me an email” in the sidebar, too!).

It’s time to be bold! It’s time to feel the fear and do it anyway! (Hmmm…that sounds suspiciously like a book title…)
It’s time to grow your business!

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How to Start a Successful VA Business

Filed Under Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistance

Hi! Vanessa Andruz here. Melodee’s really busy at the moment, so I’m taking over her blog to announce my new ebook!

I’ve combined my previous ebook series, plus two more info-packed sections, into one comprehensive “How To” ebook for all you aspiring VAs out there.

Vanessa Andruz ebook

Here’s what you’ll read about in The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant:

Want to know more? Check out my website: www.VanessaAndruz.com.

Another way to learn more about starting a VA business, is to sign up for Jessica Maes’ F*R*E*E teleclass being held on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010.

Jessica MaesJessica  launched Maes Consulting, Inc. as a Virtual Assistance practice in 2005. In addition to working as VA, she also teaches and consults about Virtual Assistance. She’s written a book explaining Virtual Assistance titled: Exploring A Career As A Virtual Assistant, as well as a home study program titled: Launch Your Virtual Assistant Business In 30 Days (OR LESS!).

She’ll be discussing the ups, downs, ins and outs of starting and running a Virtual Assistance business!

And Melodee will be part of the teleclass, talking about her VA business. She’ll also be telling everyone about my adventures–unfortunately, I won’t be able to make the call.

Sign up for Jessica’s F*R*E*E teleclass here. (Even if you can’t make the actual call, you’ll be given access to a recording of the call–but you have to be signed up to receive it!)

Don’t tell Melodee that I told you . . . but she & Jessica are offering a fantastic ebooks discount to those signed up for this teleclass . . . Shhhhhhh!

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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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Vanessa Andruz – Virtual E-book Tour

Filed Under Vanessa Andruz

I talked with Vanessa Andruz, a Virtual Assistant colleague of mine, about her e-book series in an earlier post. “The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant” series chronicles Vanessa’s journey from an Executive Assistant at the SafeRight Insurance company to the successful owner of her own Virtual Assistance company. Not only do you get great information on starting your own home-based business and tons of resource links for your own research, you also get to know Vanessa’s family and friends. It’s an amazing “how-to” manual mixed with a dash of fiction!

Vanessa now tells me that her Virtual E-book Tour is starting next week. Here’s a list of the blogs on her Tour schedule:

Vanessa will participate in an interview on each blog. You’ll be able to ask her questions about the e-books series in the comments section, so be sure to stop by.

Knowing Vanessa as I do, I’m sure they’ll be very interesting interviews. :-)

If you’d like to have Vanessa visit your blog in the future, just email her. I’m sure she’ll be happy to stop in for a visit!

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Vanessa Sets Up Her Home Office

Filed Under Home Office Basics, Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistance

Are you thinking of becoming a Virtual Assistant?

Would you like some help in starting your VA business?

If so, go to www.VanessaAndruz.com and check out the first three e-books I’ve written in The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant series. The series takes you step-by-step through the process of starting a home-based business. By the end of the series you’ll have a completed business plan and be well on your way to having a successful VA business.

The e-books also chronicle the journey of Vanessa Andruz – an Executive Assistant who became a VA – and all the adventures she had while setting up her business.

Vanessa Andruz, owner of Andruz Business Solutions LLC, joins me today to talk about the third e-book in the series which was just released. Vanessa, why don’t you tell my readers about it?

I’d love to, Melodee! It’s called Vanessa Sets Up Her Home Office. Think your readers can guess what it’s about? (laughs) Just kidding. It’s about how I created a well-equipped VA home office, of course.

I’d never started my own business before so I spent a lot of time researching things like – the type of business structure I should use, what equipment I needed, the best internet access for where I lived, how to arrange the room to make it feng shui compliant, and lots more. The e-book contains all my research notes and links to the websites I used for my research. It even contains a link to download my notes for easy reference while setting up your own office!

I’m so glad you let me help you with this e-book, Vanessa. It’s very instructional. And it’s fun to read about the other things that were happening in your life during that time.

Oh, Lordy. You’re talking about the “gift” I got in the mail from my mother, and the heated conversation I had with my ex-husband, aren’t you.

And don’t forget what happened to your father at the Sedona Retired Welders Golf Invitational.

I felt so sorry for him! (giggles) But it was kinda funny.

Thanks for stopping by, Vanessa. I know you have a Virtual E-book Tour to organize so I’ll let you go. Send me your Tour schedule as soon as it’s available and I’ll post it here for my readers.

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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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