What is a VA?

I'm asked, all the time, "What is it you do? A VA? Virtual Assistant? What is that? So just *what* is it you do again?"

Seriously.

All. The. Time.

So here's the professional definition of a virtual assistant taken from my own homepage:

A Virtual Assistant is a professional who provides support out of their own office utilizing their own equipment to other business professionals, entrepreneurs, small business owners, etc, who have a lot of work to do but not enough time to do it. A Virtual Assistant is a business owner, just like you.

Partnering with a Virtual Assistant reduces stress, protects cash flow, eliminates administrative hassles and enables business people to find the success they originally set out to achieve. You eliminate the need to pay for vacation time, sick time, employee taxes, benefits and the high overhead associated with having an assistant in-house.

The short and sweet of it?

Whatever an administrative assistant would do in your office is what I do for you off-site.

Plus some.

There's alot of collaboration involved. Alot of proactivity. Strategizing. Planning. Executing. At Scratchpad Secretaries we not only offer Administrative services, but our Online Marketing and Brand Management services are highly sought after in this day and age of Web 2.0. And our creative and technical side is very busy with website development and maintenance. And then there's our Personal Assistant services...we really have alot to offer!

So that's a Virtual Assistant. That's what we do. And that's just a few of the offerings at Scratchpad Secretaries.

Questions, anyone?

;)

Social Media Series - Linked In Follow Up

Back in June, I wrote about Linked In and I committed to giving it a shot. Well I did, and I thought I'd share what my experiences are to date.

I uploaded my GMail address book and was astonished to find just how many of my contacts were also on Linked In. I sent them a request to add them to my network and am delighted to report that 100% accepted and added me to theirs.

So then what?

Well, next, it's a really good idea to take the time (remember... budget your time for social networking or you'll get sucked into the abyss!) to visit each and every ones' profile pages to see what they're up to these days. Also, the power of social networking lies in the "2nd tier" connections. Who your connections are connected TO. Go through their list. Is there anyone where there may be a potential business opportunity? For you OR your own connections OR someone you may know. This is important. This is how you network.

So that's where I am right now as I delve back into Linked In. I have to follow up and follow through. I have to budget my time to go through my connections to look at their connections.

And perhaps catch up with old colleagues along the way!

Care to share Linked In success stories? Leave a comment letting us know how you found success using this powerful networking tool.

Going with the Flow

You know, I wanted so desperately to have my policies and procedures manual completed before heading to Vegas for the Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children event, if for no other reason, than just to have it done. Not for the event, but just for me. It was a deadline I set. A goal.

But it’s not done.

It’s getting there. I have alot of information jotted down (and in a way that actually makes sense to more people than me!), but it’s not done. And I was mad at myself. I meet my goals. I exceed my goals.

And yet not this one.

Why?

Because it’s a working document. An organic process. Forever a work-in-progress. New ideas will pop up. Things that I might have forgotten about will suddenly appear. I’ll come up with new strategies to streamline certain processes. It’s ever-changing and ever-developing and moving forward. As small businesses should be.

So I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I actually have met my goal and can simply save it as “version 4” and continue growing and developing and moving forward!

So I can stop sweating the small stuff, know that I am, in fact, moving forward and add to it as needed. It's a great thing!

Scratchpad Secretaries has been selected to be in the celebrity gift bags for the 13th Annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children to be held at The Wynn Las Vegas, October 11, 2008. As such, we will be hosting in the Backstage Gift Lounge. If you are attending this prestigious event, pop by and say hello!

Stay tuned for press updates, pictures and video from the event in the coming weeks.

Finding your Niche

Having trouble finding your niche? You know who you want to target, just don't know quite how to get to them?

It's simple: go where they go.

Go Syndicate Yourself!

Not getting the attention you deserve? Need to get a new product in front of a crowd? Have something to say but don't know how to tell the world?

Want to increase your website traffic and back links?

Three little letters, with a huge impact: RSS. Really Simple Syndication. RSS Feeds take the content of your website, turn it into data and transmit it all over the Internet. FOR FREE. This data goes directly to various social bookmarking sites in the form of keywords (or Tags). (Thanks to Steve Renner for the clearest definition I've found to date.) People subscribe to your feed by clicking an icon on your site and they are notified each time you have something new to say. Personally I love Google Reader and have all my subscriptions going there. It's easy to set up and super-easy to manage; it has a straight-forward interface, which is fantastic if you struggle with time-management: it takes you no time to learn this particular application. Ok, there's my Google love for the day....

The 2nd quick and easy way to syndicate yourself is by submitting articles. The longest part of this aspect is actually writing the article! I'm using http://www.ezinearticles.com/ (according to their site, the have hundreds of thousands of visitors a day, and millions of unique visitors every month), and am about to try out two others that Twitter followers have recommended.

Here's the power of article marketing: I've only submitted one article to date (to three different sites), but have seen a spike in website traffic and have received (more than expected) comments, emails, requests to network, and have two more potential clients. All in 2 days. All from one article. And all viable leads. Can you imagine when I submit more, and to more sites?

Sounds simple? It is! It's easy. It's smart. It's Web 2.0. It's global access, literally at your fingertips.

Give us a call today for your free 30-minute consultation!

Let's get you syndicated!

11 reasons to LOVE Canada Day!

Have you ever wondered what having a virtual assistant was like?

Now's your chance to find out!

In honour of Canada Day, Scratchpad Secretaries is having a special promotion. Until July 15 we are offering five (5) FREE Two-Hour Testers of our services! That's right, I said FREE! Bundled with a free 30-minute consultation, this promotion is valued at over 100.00. And you're getting it for FREE!

Here is just a snapshot of some things we can help you with:

1. Blog creation & submission to social bookmarking sites
2. Brochure creation
3. Excel spreadsheets
4. Ghostwriting (blogs, articles)
5. Internet-based research
6. PowerPoint presentations
7. Proofreading and editing
8. Website updating and maintenance
9. Writing bios
10. Writing business letters
11. And more!

Feel free to check out our Services for a comprehensive list, and please, feel free to ask if there is something you need help with but don't see it on our list. There's a good chance we can do it!

Just think... not only are you saving two hours of your time AND money by taking advantage of this limited-time offer, but you could be making money with these two hours as well. Imagine what you can do with two free hours in your day!

Remember, we're only giving away five - one per customer - and only until July 15. So call us or email us today.

We look forward to helping you get your valuable time back!

Pink is the new Green.

It's easier to go green than you think. We're making small strides here at Scratchpad Secretaries, but they're strides nonetheless.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's the smell of harsh chemicals. Wiping counter tops with Lysol all-in-one and then putting FOOD on there? I don't think so! There are many recipes on the net for homemade cleaning products, but I've been using a product for years that's just amazing.

Pink Solution.

It's a fantastic product. I use it to clean my bathroom, to wash my car, to clean the fridge, getting mildew off of the patio and steps, to get nasty stains from grubby hands off of door frames (that nothing else got clean, I might add), and anything else that pops up. It's totally non-toxic and biodegradable.

And I love it. I love the fact that it has no harsh chemicals, that it's biodegradable, that it doesn't hurt your skin (no gloves needed!), and that it's safe around pets (hopefully your child doesn't lick the baseboards when you're cleaning... but my dog used to!).

What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint and lower your environmental impact? Ever think of hiring a virtual assistant? This alone will get you started on the right track. Call us for your free 30-minute consultation!

Scratchpad Secretaries is striving to become a green office. We will continue to post about the latest green products we've found, tips for saving energy and hints for lowering your environmental impact. If you have any tips or tricks, feel free to leave a comment!

The day Google saved my life.

I love Google. I mean I love Google. Did I tell you I love Google?

What's kind of funny though, is up until the end of 2007 whenever I heard various business owners and executives quote Google as their essential website, I never really got it.

Until I totally got it.

I've wasted so much time flipping from one Google application to another. From Google search, to Gmail, to Google Calendar, to Google Reader.. the list goes on. And having so many screens open! It was confusing and incredibly time consuming. And as a virtual assistant, I don't have the time! I'm busy helping you get your time back!

And then I discovered iGoogle. You can completely customize the page to suit your needs and wants. It's fantastic! I have everything I need in one place (now, if they only had a Google Submit to get my articles and blog posts directly to syndication with the simplest click of the mouse. Speaking of which, perhaps I should check out Google Labs to see if they have that up their sleeve.)

So, back to iGoogle. I have Google Reader up front and centre. This saves me probably 30 to 40 minutes a day right there. I no longer have to search my favourites for, well, my favourites. Techcrunch, Duct Tape Marketing, Seth's Blog, Entrepreneur.com, etc etc; I've set up Google reader to automatically show these sites when they're updated. I can quickly zip through for headlines that interest me. My finger is, literally, on the pulse.

Gmail: I've added Gmail to my iGoogle homepage. It saves me from trying to remember to check twice a day. It automatically shows me when I have new mail; I have it right in front of me. Same goes for Google Calendar. I simply click the link and it pops open for me. No more having to log in, open more windows, etc. It's right there.

I have some fun stuff to: local weather, local news, Facebook. There are so many widgets you can add to your iGoogle homepage, I'm still discovering them. It does take a while to set up, to get everything you want on your homepage, but boy, it's worth it! You get that time back in the first day.

How are you managing your time? Or is your time managing you?

This is just one small service that Scratchpad Secretaries can provide to help you get your valuable time back. Check out our list of services for further ways to help you ease your workload overwhelm!

Success. Are you Ready?

What if, just what if, you wake up one morning to find yourself inundated with inquiries for your product. What if your inbox was full with requests for your services. What if you landed a huge client...the huge client? And your ideal client at that!

As a small business owner, are you ready? Sure, you've done well so far, business is trucking right along, you're making money, you're happy with the way things are going. And then out of the blue (or not!), you're business takes off overnight. Massively. You have more business than you could dream of. It's fantastic! It's what you had envisioned from the get go!

But are you set up for handling it? Do you have a plan for this scope of success? Are you ready to move on it now?

Can you imagine if you had to say, "Sorry, your order is just to big for my company." "Sorry, we can't handle the volume." Can you imagine?

So what's your plan for success?

This concept kept me awake all night.

I have a potential client who is interested in outsourcing various special projects and niche marketing initiatives to us. Also the majority of her administrative projects. The scope of this project is huge. I quite enjoy her, I like how she operates, I like how she does business, we have a great rapport, I can see us working very well together, it could be a wonderful partnership. I'm surprised an opportunity of this magnitude presented itself so early in the business. Pleasantly surprised, yet still surprised none the less (why do we always think we have to work ourselves almost to the bone, and slave away 25 hours a day for any sort of success? That sounds like another topic for another day!).

How am I going to handle this workload? What are my plans for this sort of success, that may very well happen ages before I had envisioned?

Well, one thing in my plan is to outsource! When I started this business, I started social networking right away and made some great connections, built some great relationships with other virtual assistants around the globe. This is the perfect opportunity for me to outsource some of my own administrative tasks that are taking up valuable time that would better be served building relationships with clients and potential clients. It will also free me up to take on more work.

Another plan is to have a multi virtual assistant (Multi-VA) business. Partner with another virtual assistant/assistants to be able to handle the workload not just of this potential client, but to continue to grow my business. To take on more clients. And again, I've made some fantastic contacts in the industry, some extremely talented virtual assistants are out there, and I'm looking forward to partnering with some of them as the need arises, to have a long-term working relationship.

Not just for my business to grow, but for their business to grow, and for your business to grow. It's all about how we can better serve our clients.

So what's your plan? Success may be closer than you think!

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

I'm all for bargains. Completely. Love 'em.

The best possible price for the best possible outcome.

But when that doesn't happen, when I don't get the outcome I had desired, I get frustrated knowing full well that I should have just went about it the right way the first time. Did some further research to save me the time and the money. Shopped around a bit more. Got on the Internet, found out what people were saying about this particular product. But I didn't. You know why?

Because it was $13.97 dishwasher detergent.

Last night I was unloading the dishwasher and to my dismay I found that about 1/4 of the dishes were not completely clean. So I ran it again, using the same detergent. This morning what did I find? Same thing. (Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice....) So I have about 100 pellets of high-phosphate detergent sitting under my sink and I don't know what to do with them. That's 100 pellets that I am probably going to get rid of. That's like opening my wallet and shredding money. Sure, it's only $13.97, but it's the POINT of it all. It's aggravating.

Here I am, focussed on going green and yet I bought this harsh detergent that was extremely disappointing and did not have the desired outcome, just to save a few bucks.

I've recently discovered that a very trusted brand has developed a line of green, and economic!, products and dishwasher detergent is one of them. I'm wanting to run out and purchase right now, but I'm going to do my due dilligence first. Research, and research some more. Find out what people are saying. Perhaps see if I can purchase a smaller quantity to test it out.

All of this made me think of you, of other business owners, of my clients and potential clients. Are you doing your due dilligence? Where are you spending your money? Are you getting the desired outcome? Why not?

Drop us a line or give us a jingle. Let's work together to see what's happening with your business; what's working and perhaps even what needs working on. Let's look and your processes and what can be expanded or streamlined. Let's brainstorm to get you headed back in the direction you originally set out on.

Let us Mind your business so you can Grow your business.

Want a test-drive? We have a 2-hour tester available to purchase at a discounted price. Visit our pricing and policies page for more information.

Want a 6 & 1/2 week vacation?

Thought that would catch your attention!

Wouldn't we all like six and a half weeks to ourselves over the summer. Heck, six and a half weeks anytime sounds delightful!

Hiring Scratchpad Secretaries for only five hours per week can give you 6.5 weeks back! You'll gain 6.5 weeks! Imagine what you could do with that. Imagine if you had 6.5 weeks to nurture your client relationships. To follow up on those hot leads that you just didn't have time for. To attend those trade shows you know you should be a part of, but just couldn't swing it with how busy you were. Or imagine how your golf game could improve. Or perhaps you could finally put that pool in the backyard.

Five hours a week. Only five hours.

What can we do to help you? What do you want to give us so you can use that 6.5 weeks in a more productive way?

6.5 weeks.

Imagine.

Blogging for Business

Are you not getting the attention you deserve? Do you need to get a new product in front of a crowd? Have an announcement to make but don't know how to tell the world? Don't even know how or where to start?

You need a blog. And we can help!

A blog is like an online dairy. It can be about, and be used for anything at all. It can be used for personal thoughts and opinions, news, reviews, keeping in touch with family... but we're talking about Blogging for Business.

Quite simply, it's a method of quickly updating content on your website. And the search engine spiders LOVE eating up fresh content! It automatically increases your exposure.

Automatically.

There are many ways to get your blog seen and read by people, not just via the search engines. There's a whole new world out there, Web 2.0, where people are collecting information and sharing it with their friends, contacts, etc. It's a digital word-of-mouth. And you know you can't pay for word of mouth.

At Scratchpad Secretaries, we can set up a Blog for you. Better yet, we can update it for you if you're too busy to write yourself. We can submit it to social bookmarking sites. We can add the RSS Feeds. We can make it happen for you.

Make sure you get noticed. Call us for your free 30-minute consultation!

Social Networking

Facebook. Ryze. Linked In.

Networking associations. Trade publication memberships. Online forums.

So much to do!

But what exactly is it? What is this buzz that is Social Networking. Social Marketing. Social Media?

It's networking.

To infinity.

Six degrees of seperation.

The concept is you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who may be interested in your services. Right from the comfort of your own home/office.

Globally!

You set up a profile, people visit, you add each other as contacts, connections, fans, friends, or whatever it may be called in that particular medium (pretty much, you're making business contacts). Next thing you know, one of their contacts peeks at your profile and adds you as a connection, friend, etc, and we're back to the basic concept of knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone!

There are also various groups you can join within the social networking group (for example, with Ryze I joined multiple groups: Women Business Owners, Small Business Owners, Small Business Think Tank... the list goes on!), and now, what do you know, you're connected to all of this particular groups' membership base. You're shopping your business, globally, from the comfort of your computer and you haven't had to balance appies, wine, business cards... you get the drift.

Perhaps it may just be that you meet alot of interesting people doing interesting things. You grow your network, in whatever way, shape or form you choose. The boundaries are simply not present that exist with traditional networking (and you don't have to suffer the embarrassment of having 1/2 of an appetizer stuck between your teeth!)

You may learn new tools, not just make new business contacts. You learn of new technology. New associations. The latest trade publication. The list goes on. Everyone is wired in. And it's global! It's 24-7. I might pop into one of the groups I belong to on a Thursday night at 11pm, and I'm online with many, many people who are plugged in, starting their day or 1/2 way through their day on the other side of the world.

It's a global marketplace. It's a global community. It's fantastic! It has unlimited potential, and we're just at the tip of the iceburg. How exciting!

I can see why there are virtual assistants who are offering Social Media Management as a service these days. It can be terrifically time-consuming. You can get lost in the networks, groups, profiles, connections.... give me a couple of weeks to delve further, and I do believe I'll be offering it as a service as well. It's not just the latest trend, it may very well be the future.

Won't you be my friend?