Finding your niche as a Virtual Assistant

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I talk a lot about finding your niche as a Virtual Assistant here at Virtual Assistant Moms. The reason is that it is very important that you narrow down your services so that you can best serve your clients doing what you do best and “mostly” what you like doing. I say mostly because we all know every job has some “boring” tasks.

But the point is, narrow down your services to a specific target market.

Some people get scared to narrow down their services because they do not want to turn down clients. When working for yourself it can be frightening to turn down a client because you don’t know when or if you will find a new client.

But keep this in mind, if you’re busy with clients doing things you don’t enjoy with clients that aren’t in a niche that you respect and enjoy, then you won’t have room for your idea client. By being picky and only working with people you really want to work with, on projects you really want to do, you keep yourself available to those ideal clients.

The interesting thing is that if you do this, you will find that you attract so many more clients that you love, and people will respect you when you turn them down and send them to someone who is a better fit for their business. Surround yourself with other Virtual Assistants in other niches (and even your own niche) and you will discover the wonderful reciprocity that exists in the VA world.

Proud to be a Virtual Assistant? Show the World By Wearing Your VAdala

I’m so lucky to be a WAHM

I feel really fortunate to be a work at home mom. Lately there has been reason for me to be around the house and available to my family.

Even though it sometimes requires that I work later into the evening to meet a client’s deadline, in order to care for my family, at least as a Virtual Assistant business owner, I have that Choice.

That is the greatest thing about having my own business is the amount of choice I get each day in all that I do.

I choose my clients.

Through a process of interviewing I am able to pick and choose who I work with just as much as they are able to pick me.

I choose my hours.

I can work around my family, get them to the doctor, keep the house in working order, (sometimes) and cook healthy meals at night. (most of the time)

I am able to engage in life long learning, reading materials important to my career, go to graduate school, and truly “have it all”. (just not at the same time)

I am very, very fortunate indeed. What do you love about working from home?

Virtual Assistants Vision, Values and Happiness

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Being a Virtual Assistant often requires us to do what others consider mundane tasks – such as organizing a database – and sometimes the people who hire us to do them do not understand that it is OK with us that some tasks are boring and mundane.

It’s OK that some tasks do not give us great pleasure or make us happy.

When I have to do some tasks that I really do not enjoy, and there are a few, instead of focusing on the task and how it makes me feel, I focus on the results of the task.

The results of the task are what bring satisfaction. For instance, I am satisfied after I have deleted excess data out of a database because it makes my client happy.

My client feels more organized, and I feel happy about that.

Does that make me strange? I don’t think so.

Many people get pleasure out of what they are giving and providing for others – and it is perfectly fine if this is what makes you happy.

In fact, it is likely that if you are able to feel satisfaction from these types of tasks because of the results of the task you will have a better career, more clients, and feel over all more successful.

Work is about so much more than money. Yes, we need money to pay the bills, but ultimately research shows that people do not stay in jobs just because of the money.

Aside from money people like to feel useful, creative, and appreciated. People often take less money to get these benefits. Don’t take less money than you need to survive, but don’t set yourself up to work for people who do not share your vision.

So, if you are a Virtual Assistant you can create a situation where you feel useful, creative, and appreciated by not accepting clients who do not share your vision and values. If you are someone who hires Virtual Assistants you can remember that yes, the VA needs to be paid, but she also needs to feel appreciated and valued.

Juggling or balancing?

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Do you juggle work and family, or do you seek more of a balance?

When I started Virtual Assistant Moms I thought of myself as a juggler, juggling all the different hats that I wear:

The Mom Hat
The Wife Hat
The Student Hat
The VA Hat

I’m sure you can add some Hats into that mix.We all have them, and we all wear them, sometimes two at once.

Then all the header/logo nonsense happened and my husband said: “Why do you have a woman juggling anyway? I’ve never seen you juggle, but you do balance quite well.”

Until then I had not thought of it that way.

But do we juggle, or do we balance?

And what’s the difference?

Juggling implies tossing a bunch of stuff up in the air and hopefully catching it before it hits the ground.

Balancing implies giving equal consideration to each part of your life as needed to keep you on your path without falling off.

I invite you to look up the definitions on dictionary.com as well, because you may be as surprised as I was that the definitions for juggling and balancing have a lot of other implications as well.

To me, balancing sounds much better than juggling. It sounds less stressful than juggling. While sometimes I slip into the juggling act, I am always striving for balance.

Balance is what will give me the most satisfaction in my career and in my personal life. So, that is what I am going to try to achieve during 2010 and beyond.

Will you join me?

Explaining To Your Family That You Work Too

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One of the biggest deterrents to your work day at home can be your family. It is a proven fact that most women’s families have a very hard time realizing that Mom is working and should not be disturbed when she is doing so. Frequent interruptions can really take a bite out of your work day and cut your productivity in as much as half if not stopped.

So how do you convince your family that you work too? First, don’t expect miracles! It will not happen all at once. It is usually a gradual process. Children will need to be reminded that Mom is working and it is not the time to disturb her. Having a set time every day to work will reinforce this issue. If you have a home office that you can close the door so that you can have some privacy will help in this matter as well. Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door as a visual reminder for family members when you are working!

Explain to your children that Mom is working and the hours that you work. Have playtime scheduled so that the children can look forward to time that Mom can be with them and enjoy their time as well. Children like routine so once they get into a routine they will eventually learn that work time is quiet time. Being consistent and firm about work time will help you and your children adjust to your new schedule quicker as well.

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Finding your niche as a Virtual Assistant

I’m so lucky to be a WAHM

I choose my clients.

I choose my hours.

Virtual Assistants Vision, Values and Happiness

It’s OK that some tasks do not give us great pleasure or make us happy.

Many people get pleasure out of what they are giving and providing for others – and it is perfectly fine if this is what makes you happy.

Juggling or balancing?

Do you juggle work and family, or do you seek more of a balance?

But do we juggle, or do we balance?

Juggling implies tossing a bunch of stuff up in the air and hopefully catching it before it hits the ground.

Balancing implies giving equal consideration to each part of your life as needed to keep you on your path without falling off.

Explaining To Your Family That You Work Too

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