Exciting Happenings over at The Virtual Legal Assistant

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It’s been a while since I’ve put up a post. Well, there is a lot happening, just wanted to drop a quick post to let you know of the latest happenings over here at The Virtual Legal Assistant.

Re-Launched / New Services!

The Virtual Legal Assistant website was recently re-launched.  We are offering new services to the virtual community and I’m beyond excited!

For Clients:  You can get your hands on some of the best virtual professionals (legal and non-legal) in the business.  Simply submit an RFP and off you go!  Our network of virtual professionals is simply awesome!  If you’d like to work directly with me, click here to learn more.

And if you’re looking to facilitate a virtual event, be it a webinar, teleseminar or telesummit, we offer that too!  Check out our virtual event services here.  Don’t even think of handling the details of your next virtual event without professional help – trust me, its a lot more than just booking a bridge line and telling your twitter followers.  Get a free consultation with me here.

For Virtual Assistants:  coaching, placement and lots of cool virtual events all year long – some free and some paid. Join our community and grow your business!  I have an exciting virtual Bootcamp coming up and this week long event is specifically designed for new and emerging virtual assistants looking to get to the crux of what it takes to be successful in the virtual space.  For further bootcamp information, click here.

I want to thank everyone for helping me stay sane while I build and grow not just as a business woman but as a human being. Big shout out to favorite baby sister Melanie for your unwavering support.  What can I say?  I know everyone wishes they had a sister like you!

Further details on the virtual re-launch party to come shortly.

Questions?  Don’t hesitate to contact me.

To our success!

Filed Under: Business, News & Events, News & Events Tagged With: , , , , ,

Marketing for VA Business-Building Success

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Free Teleclass
Thursday, March 10, 2011
8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST

RSVP Here For Teleclass Information

Summary:
How do you go about marketing your VA business? An important part of marketing your VA business is to be sure your marketing is doing the job for your business that result in more clients and more revenue.

Our special guest for this teleclass is Donna Toothaker – Virtual Assistant, Coach, Speaker and Author. Donna will provide a wealth of information on Marketing for VA Business-Building Success.

RSVP Here For Teleclass Information

Attendees will learn:

  1. Consistent and compelling marketing for the growth of your company
  2. How to motivate and address prospects in your marketing materials
  3. The ONE big thing that prospects want you to do for them
  4. How to create an easy (yet effective) marketing plan
  5. How to get clear about who you market TO

About Our Special Guest:
Donna started her company, 1stVA, during the initial growth of the virtual assisting industry. Her passion for helping others thrive and expand their businesses has made her a sought-after online marketing VA for entrepreneurs worldwide.

Donna has been an integral ‘educator’ of the benefits of virtual team building for entrepreneurs to create a successful enterprise. Donna walks the walk and has built her own team of virtual professionals who support her company. Today Donna passes on the valuable information she learned throughout her years as a successful VA to others.

Free Offer and Recording:

  1. Participants will receive a free offer and a recording of this information packed teleclass.

Please call in 10 minutes early so we can start on time.

We start at 8:00 p.m. EST sharp! 

RSVP Here For Teleclass Information

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Are You a Minimalist Virtual Assistant?

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One of my many goals is to become a Minimalist.

My current obsession with this topic/lifestyle prompted me to write this post.  A minimalist, as defined by modern day practitioners is someone who simplifies their surroundings and removes the unnecessary stuff to make room for what’s really important.  Well, that’s the gist of it. 

Attempting this lifestyle is my goal and a major struggle.  I have a big house and lots of “stuff” and I go from “let’s donate all this” to “oh no, I need/love this”!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am by no means a hoarder.  But though I want to simplify my life, I have to admit, I love my things – heck, they are nice!

Here are five simple ways to becoming a minimalist virtual assistant.

  • Focus on the essential
  • Don’t buy what you don’t need
  • Declutter your home/office (that includes your desktop)
  • Donate, throw away or sell what you don’t need
  • Manage your time

 I’ll keep you posted on how this goal is coming along for me. 

 Are any of you living this lifestyle?

 Picture Source

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Weirdest Interview Questions

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Just read this interesting article on some of the most peculiar interview questions and I have to say, after reading these questions, it made me happy and proud to be my own damn boss!

  1. If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?
  2. How many ridges are there around a quarter? (Reportedly from Deloitte)
  3. What is the philosophy of martial arts? (A spokesperson for Aflac, where this question was used, says she hopes the candidate quoted Kwai Chang Caine from the 1970s TV show Kung Fu: “I seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions.”) (WTF!)
  4. Explain to me what has happened in this country during the last 10 years (Reportedly from Boston Consulting)
  5. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 how weird you are (Reportedly from Capital One)
  6. How many basketballs can you fit in this room? (Reportedly from Google)
  7. Out of 25 horses, pick the fastest 3 horses. In each race, only 5 horses can run at the same time. What is the minimum number of races required? (Reportedly from Bloomberg LP)
  8. If you could be any superhero, who would it be? (Reportedly from AT&T)
  9. You have a birthday cake and have exactly three slices to cut it into eight equal pieces. How do you do it? (Reportedly from Blackrock Portfolio Management)
  10. Given the numbers 1 to 1000, what is the minimum number of guesses needed to find a specific number if you are given the hint “higher” or “lower” for each guess you make? (Reportedly from Facebook)
  11. If you had 5,623 participants in a tournament, how many games would need to be played to determine the winner? (Reportedly from Amazon)
  12. An apple costs 20 cents, an orange costs 40 cents, and a grapefruit costs 60 cents. How much is a pear? (Reportedly from Epic Systems)
  13. How many traffic lights are in Manhattan? (Reportedly from Argus Information and Advisory Services)
  14. You are in a dark room with no light. You have 19 grey socks and 25 black socks. What are the chances you will get a matching pair? (Reportedly from Convergex)
  15. What do wood and alcohol have in common? (Reportedly from Guardsmark)
  16. How do you weigh an elephant without using a weigh machine? (Reportedly from IBM)
  17. Why do you think only a small portion of the population makes over $150,000? (Reportedly from New York Life)
  18. You are in charge of 20 people. Organize them to figure out how many bicycles were sold in your area last year. (Reportedly from Schlumberger)
  19. What’s the square root of 2000? (Reportedly from UBS)
  20. How are M&Ms made? (Reportedly from USBank)

 Source:  BNET

Filed Under: Business, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

FireStarter Weekly Webinars for New Virtual Assistants

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If you’re interested in the VA industry, recently launched your VA practice or if you’re looking to work as a VA Sub-Contractor and you’re completely overwhelmed with all the (mis)information out there, confused about pricing or don’t want to spend a boat-load of money getting information, then register and let’s get you moving!

Here is a snapshot of this information-packed Webinar:

Get Moving!
• The top ten things that must be put in place BEFORE launching your VA business
• The 6 Keys to Virtual Assistance Success
• Setting up your Business Processes

The Virtual Assistant / Client Relationship
• Starting / Ending the Client Relationship
• Rejecting Clients: Top six reasons to reject a prospective client
• Damage control and managing expectations
• Five keys to client retention

Show Me The Money!
• Setting fees and getting paid
• How to set up value-based fees
• Establishing YOUR unique value
• Top five questions to ask before giving a quote

General
• Recommended Resources/Reading
• Education/Certification/Bartering/Associations
• Referrals and Testimonials

What’s included in this Webinar:
• Members only forum (free info, free webinars, lots of networking)
• Clear, coherent tools and info to get you moving

• Unlimited email access to me for 30 days
• Discounts on mentoring services
• Employment opportunities

Webinar Schedule:
Wednesdays – 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST

Cost: $99.00

About Aretha Gaskin:
Aretha Gaskin is an entrepreneur, speaker and highly regarded Virtual Assistant with 15+ years combined legal and non-legal administrative experience and leads a team of U.S. based Virtual Assistants providing virtual admin support to small businesses nationwide. Learn more about Aretha by clicking here and here.

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Personalized Consultations for New Virtual Assistants

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My one-on-one personalized virtual consultations are designed to help new Virtual Assistants navigate the waters of the virtual world.  The consultations are information-packed and highly affordable.  If you’re interested in the VA industry, recently launched your VA practice or if you’re looking to work as a VA Sub-Contractor, this one-on-one personalized consultation is for you!


Here is how it works:
This is your allotted time and this call is customized especially for you. We will cover the things that have you stuck and not moving forward. Here is how it works:

• You make your payment (below) by clicking on the Buy Now link
• I email you some paperwork to be completed and returned to me asap
• You let me know the top 10 things you would like to discuss on our call
• I create a customized one-on-one consultation just for you

• We schedule a date/time (1.5 hours) at a mutually convenient time
AND OFF WE GO!!

What’s included in your one-on-one consultation:
• Members only forum (free info, free webinars, lots of networking)

• Clear, coherent tools and info to get you moving
• A digital recording to review at your leisure
• Scheduling flexibility – day/evening/Saturdays
• Unlimited email access to me for 30 days
• Discount on mentoring services

Cost:  $150.00 (1.5 hrs)


About Aretha Gaskin:
Aretha Gaskin is an entrepreneur, speaker and highly regarded Virtual Assistant with 15+ years combined legal and non-legal administrative experience and leads a team of U.S. based Virtual Assistants providing virtual admin support to small businesses nationwide.  Learn more about Aretha by clicking here and here.

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Mashable and TED

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I was very excited to see that Mashable has added a dedicated TED (Technology, Education and Design) channel on their site. TED has really garnered a powerful reputation for gathering together the brightest minds for its conferences and then allowing the rest of us to participate through watching their presentations on video. Mashable, the foremost site for all things social media, has added the channel to capture top-notch speakers who are focusing on that topic.

I snagged one of the videos. Clay Shirky is an expert on the social and economic impact of emerging Internet technologies. This presentation is all about social capital and how we are “all in this together”. Enjoy!

How Cellphones, Twitter, Facebook Can Make History

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Saturday’s Success Story: Daniel Brusilovsky

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calendar, I came across an event called Teens in Tech Conference and, in it, was a small blurb about its founder, Daniel Brusilovsky (or Daniel Bru). Not only is he the founder, he’s a writer for TechCrunch (one of the hottest tech blogs out there) and a marketing manager for a mobile video startup called Qik. Oh. He’s 17.

I’m not really done, yet, with his list of activities. He’s the Executive Producer and Host of Apple Universe podcast, advisor to instant group messaging service Tatango (founded by 22 year old Derek Johnson), and to at least three other young companies as well. He’s a speaker at events like MacWorld too.

Right now Daniel is a high school senior in Silicon Valley (no big surprise there) who is struggling to decide whether to go to college or not. There’s no longer a  pat answer to that question especially for the young tech savvy kids. A lot of his success has come from being well-connected and asking for what he wants, getting involved in social media early and being a trend spotter. Here are his three tips for being an entrepreneur:

  1. Don’t give up
  2. Innovate
  3. Persist

Here’s to youth and confidence!

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Customer Service Brands

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A few of these brands are personal favorites and others are consistently recognized for their outstanding customer service. After years of automated phone hell, it does seem that customer service is beginning to improve slightly. Or maybe that’s just me. In this economy it is one way for big brands, and YOU, to stand out. Here are some fine choices

1. Southwest Airlines. WHO among us is not enjoying the whole “We Love Your Bags” campaign from SW Airlines? Brilliance. The marketing firm who put that one together should be very well rewarded. Definitely a fine example of pointing out a unique feature and selling it to death!

2. Panera Bread. I give Panera kudos because, unlike stingy Starbucks, they give their WiFi away for free and they did it early on. They know what Starbucks hasn’t figure out still: people almost always buy something when they go in to work or study at a place with free internet.

3. Verizon Wireless. Despite no iPhone yet, Verizon customers are very loyal. They provide great customer service which is a chief complaint about AT&T.

4. Virgin. Whether airlines or cell phones or music, Sir Richard and his brand have a strong following and fan base.

5. Nordstrom. This high-end department store consistently wins on the customer service

6. Zappos. Zappos has built its whole brand, from the beginning, on the premise of over-the-top customer service. From surprise shipping upgrades to unlimited talk time for customer service reps, they know what they are doing and their bottom line reflects this.

7. Ace Hardware. Proving bigger is not always better (is it ever?), Ace has beat out Lowe’s and Home Depot for customer service in reader polls.

8. Amazon.com. From free shipping on only $25 purchases, a wealth of choices and quick repairs when mistakes DO happen, Amazon has been a consistent performer in customer service.

9. Ford. By not taking bailout money or a salary, Ford built a strong reputation for caring for their shareholders, customers and country.

10. Apple. Notorious for giving people products that they are excited about, Apple wins for design, word of mouth and flat out appeal.

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Great Client Meeting Spots

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When you are a solopreneur or freelancer like myself, there comes a time when you have to meet with current or potential clients. Meeting at home can work for some business people IF you have the right set up, no rowdy kids or pets and the privacy and classy environment to make a good impression. For many people, that just isn’t the case. So where can you meet and what are the criteria for a good spot?

It is quite possible that you or your client will need to whip out a laptop and hook up to WiFi so that can be an easy way to eliminate potential meeting places. No WiFi? No meeting. Unless of course you have MiFi. Clearly you want some quiet and some privacy. One great suggestion from an article in Fast Company is to meet at a friend’s office. Maybe you know someone who still does corporate or who has office space that you can use for an hour or two.

One of the best choices are the community rooms at libraries and cafes like Panera Bread. These are usually free and you can reserve them in advance and they offer the quiet and privacy you need. They usually have free WiFi as well. If the meeting is more casual, you can simply do someplace like Starbucks, though I would avoid them during the immediate after-school hours.

Finally, there are meeting spaces for rent like Office Suites PLUS but they can be pricey. Best to save those for that really important client you are dying to snag and impress. They offer great amenities and services, though for each of these (like a projector if you are doing a PowerPoint presentation) there is an upcharge.

No office to meet in is one of the trade-offs of being self-employed, but it is increasingly common and more likely to become so as technology and the economy increase both the ease and likelihood of working for yourself.

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