Dear Shama, I was an administrative assistant for over 15 years, and now I am ready to start my own business-at least I think I am. I want to start a virtual assistant business but I am not sure exactly how to go about doing so. What do I really need to start such a business and how do I market myself? -Lost Virtual Assistant in Plano, Texas Dear Lost Virtual Assistant, I don’t think you are lost at all! I think you have chosen a great way to take your experiences and turn them into something more profitable. Just the other day someone asked me-What is Secretarial Services? A virtual assistant business would be a great example of such a service. Let’s break your question down into parts. First part-How do you start? Well, you already seem to have set an intention to do so which is really the… read more

Recently I made a big purchase on eBay, only to receive fake goods. I contacted the seller, and the seller has offered a full refund but continues to protest that his products are real. A couple of observations here- 1) His auction page states a no return policy. If the goods are indeed "real" then why bother offering me a refund? 2) I found many people complaining about the same seller on various discussion boards. There are two dilemmas in this situation. One is mine as a consumer-Do I accept the refund and say nothing more? or Do I go through the appropriate channels and report this seller so others can be forewarned? He also has a dilemma-Does he keep selling the products that he now KNOWS to be fake? (I had them appraised by an expert) or Does he continue to leverage his power seller status to fool people?… read more

Today is Blog Action Day. Every year one topic is chosen and bloggers around the world are invited to weigh in. This year’s topic is the environment and I want to share with you three simple ways you can help the environment through your daily business rituals! 1) Change those Margins!- Did you know that just by changing your standard margins by half an inch-you can save thousands of trees? There is a grassroots campaign going on right now to convince Microsoft to change their default margins. You can do your share by simply changing your default margins. Not only will your business save paper-you will help the environment! (If you don’t know how to change your margins-go here.) 2) Recycle your Printer Cartridges- Want to help the environment AND feed the poor? Give your printer cartridges to Food for the Poor. They collect used printer cartridges and deliver them… read more

Public speaking is a great way to obtain new clients and further establish your expertise as a service professional. You can go about this in two ways. First, you can speak at meetings or events hosted by others. Second, you can host a seminar yourself. If you choose to do the latter, here are five ways how to publicize a seminar. 1) Do a Webinar!- If you really want to do a seminar, but find yourself struggling with the logistics (location, finding the right time, etc.), go with a webinar instead. Your participants can call in, listen to you deliver the seminar, and follow along with your slides. An added bonus to hosting a webinar is that you can save it as a podcast and let even more people listen to it later. 2) Partner Up- Publicize your seminar through businesses that offer services complimentary to yours. For example, if… read more

The Coaching Virtual Assistant shares How to Overcome the Top Five Objections of a client here. Jay Hargis at HRCleanUP shares Fun Friday facts. Heather Juma at Girls Who Network write- Life Can be Risky! Stefan Töpfer at The Small Business Blog proclaims Work-Life Balance is Shifting.

This post has been inspired by the Young Go Getter contest and their partner Orange 32. There are many ways to leverage your business cards to market yourself, but in this post I will be writing about three innovative business card marketing strategies. 1) Leave them as Bookmarks! Every time you check out a book from the library or pick one up to browse at the local bookstore-leave your business card in it as a bookmark. This works especially well if the book is related to your business topic. For example, if you are an interior decorator, you can leave your business cards in the self-help decoration books. If you are a career coach, you can leave your business cards tucked between the pages of "Resume Magic." This is a great way to reach out to your target market-without being too loud. 2) Free Cookies…and a Business Card?- Every Christmas,… read more

How to create and manage a business blog? I have been receiving this question a lot lately, so I thought I would address it here. If you are an independent service professional or a professional services firm, there is absolutely NO excuse for you not to have a blog. The most common excuses are these- 1) I don’t know how to create one and 2) I am not sure if it is for us. Let me address number two in the most simple manner possible-Creating a business blog is the right move for your business, and I really don’t have to know WHAT your business is in order to assert that. As for excuse number one, I will provide you with three simple steps on how to create and manage a business blog. No more excuses! 1) Figure out what you want to convey- Every business should have a blog,… read more

Dear Shama, I have been an accountant for the past fifteen years, working at a big firm. Now, I want to start my own business. I feel ready in the sense that I am confident in my abilities. However, money concerns come to mind. I have a family and don’t want to risk not being able to support them. I have heard that starting an Accounting firm takes a lot of money. How do I get funding to open my own business? -Calculating in Denver Dear Calculating in Denver, First, congratulations on wanting to go the entrepreneurial route. I am glad that you are trying to launch in the right manner and thinking ahead. I am not sure where you heard that an accounting firm takes a lot of money, but I know many accountants who started their practice with a few hundred in their pocket. For beginners, I would… read more

The fastest way to raise funding is to rob a bank. But aside from being highly unethical…it is also illegal. So, let’s examine three legal and ethical ways of raising start-up capital and cutting costs. 1) Barter- Our ancestors used this system efficiently for centuries before money was created and you can too! Give away your services to others in exchange for theirs. For example, if you own a web design firm offer web design services to your accountant, your housekeeper, your lawyer, the milkman, etc. Not only will it build up your portfolio, you won’t have to pay in cash. Two pieces of advice-1) make sure both parties understand the expectations, 2) get it in writing. 2) Share Resources- This is a fun strategy that some of the biggest businesses use as well. If you and a colleague have similar needs, consider sharing resources. For example, if you could… read more

At first the idea of not listening to customer needs shocked me, but the logic soon made sense. This innovative idea of ignoring what customers say comes from Anthony Ulwick’s What Customers Want. The idea is to ignore what they want, and instead, focus completely on what they NEED to get the job done. It boils down to three main concepts that very well could change the way you do business. 1) Ignore What they Want- Customers don’t always know what they want. They only know what they THINK they want. This is true for all consumers. I may go into a shoe store and think I want some open toe shoes when what I really want is shoes that let my feet breathe. Customers often assume their needs can only be met one way, and that is what they convey to you. This is why so many companies and… read more