Is the Virtual Business Startup System All You Need to Start a Virtual Assistant Business?

Recently, a local woman emailed me about starting a Virtual Assistant business part time. She had a question about the Virtual Business Startup System:

Will the VBSS give me all the information I need to start a Virtual Assistant business?

I purchased the VBSS when it first came out over 4 years ago and even then it was everything it promised to be, and more. A lot of goodies and extra business tools and resources have been added to it since its debut.

But going back to four years ago, I had been trying for a year to get a Virtual Assistant business up and running on my own. I ran smack into obstacle after obstacle:

• What services should I offer?
• What should I charge?
• How do I write a business plan?
• How will I get my first customer online?

I had run a home business before, but it turned out that starting an online business was surprisingly different than anything I had previously done.

The first thing I appreciated about the system was that it really was everything it promised to be. I had invested a lot of money in this, so naturally I was skeptical. I was going to hold Tawnya Sutherland to her money back guarantee if it wasn't everything she said it was....

But once I looked through all the templates, coupons, and oodles of information she had packed into that box, I knew I had nothing to worry about it. It was everything she had said it would be, and more.

Another important thing the system did for me was help me pinpoint which VA services I could offer right now, and which I could leave along for now and offer at a later date.

Here I had been thinking I had to cram all the knowledge I could into my already overloaded brain before I could call myself a VA! Not true, I discovered. I could start right then, with the skills I did have, and add the rest as they developed over time.

Besides that, the biggest help it provided was the website templates, the website hosting package and the domain registration for my first website. I had to know a little bit of HTML to get my spanking new website just the way I wanted it, but that was something I wanted to learn anyways. (And about that first VA website I built from a template - even my hubby's web savvy friends said it was pretty spiffy.)

And then came the test of how robust this program truly is.

Shortly after I purchased the system and set up my VA business, I was invited to attend a networking lunch with other VAs in my area. Yikes!

I was so nervous. I didn't even have my first client yet. From visiting the other VAs' websites and reading their bios, I knew that most of them had years of experience.

What would they think of me... a brand new VA who built her VA business out of a box?

To my surprise, and my relief, I fit right in! Because of all the information packed into the VBSS , as well as the conversations I had participated in at VAnetworking (membership comes included with the VBSS), I looked and talked just like one of them.

In fact, my first client came out of that meeting, as a referral from another VA.

Will the VBSS give you everything you need to start your VA business?

Only you can answer that. But for me, the answer is yes. Definitely yes!

The thriving VA business I proudly own today has grown from the solid foundation I built when I decided to purchas the Virtual Business Startup System.

Turn Your Business Card into a Business Weapon

Do you have a business card for your Virtual Assistant business? Most of my networking is done online, but once in a while I meet someone who asks for a card. I've learned to keep them with me at all times. You never know where your next customer will come from!

Here's another tip I recently learned about giving out your business card: Never give your card to someone who hasn't asked for it first. Have you ever been to a networking event where everyone passes out those cards? How many of those cards do you actually keep?

Business cards are expensive, so you'll save yourself money (and the recipient time from having to recycle it!) if you only give it out to those who really want it. Wait until they ask. ;-)

I designed my own cards with a template in the Virtual Business Startup System, then had them professionally printed.

Colleen Davis has some more good ideas for printing your cards and the most effective ways to use them.

How To Turn A Business Card Into A Business Weapon by Colleen Davis

Business card printing is not merely a tool in introducing yourself to other people. No sir. In truth, custom business cards can be turned into a very powerful business weapon that will help your career as well as your business to achieve success. To transform your business card into a business weapon though, you must first do a few important changes into your business card strategy.

1. The right weapon for the right job: Now you may not know this but business cards can be geared in different ways depending on your objective. There are advertising business cards for sales product promotions, corporate business cards for deals with colleagues and of course there are also personal business cards for friends and family. You will need to determine which business card is exactly what you need. This will define how your business card will be designed, and how it will succeed with your objectives. So choose the one that should get you nearest to your goal.

2. Good quality equals good results: Another tip that should turn your business card into a potent weapon is to use good quality materials in the production. Expensive textured paper, with a glossy sheen and smudge free inks are quite impressive. People will respect such quality with ease and that should give you better results in business deals and with social business networking itself. So as you can see, with the advantage of high quality, business cards can be quite effective at convincing people of the sincerity and the power of your business deal.

3. Continuing innovation: You must also know that weapons are always changing and people are always trying to come up with some innovations on existing ones. The same is true with business cards. You must continue changing and recreating your business card design, so that they will always look new and fresh. Try new materials, new formats and new techniques to make sure that your business cards can take advantage of the prevailing sense of style. You should also try to update yourself with prevailing design trends so that you can apply them to the design as well. This should maintain the competitiveness of your business card so that it can still remain as a potent weapon at all times.

4. Use it or lose it: Finally, the best way to turn your business cards into a business weapon is basically to use it. You must not let your business cards remain lying on your desk, car or your house. Always try to give it away to probable business contacts, investors and customers as well. If you do not distribute them and use them, then there is little point really in making them. So use your color business cards or you will loose them as you business weapon.

That should be all the information you need to turn your simple business cards into powerful weapons of trade. Use the weapon wisely once you make it. There are a lot of opportunities and problems connected with it. Good Luck!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

For more information, you can visit this page on business card printing and custom business cards

How to Convert Articles into Audio Recordings

Here is a nifty way to help your clients get more exposure from content they've already written: Convert it into audio! Courtney Chowing has written an easy to follow procedure for converting written content into audio. While she writes specifically about PLR, this technique can be applied to any written content.

Courtney recommends using Audacity, an open-source software for recording and editing sounds. It's very easy to figure out... even for a non-techie like me... but if you're going to be doing a lot of recording, you should consider investing in a good microphone. This is the one I've been using, and I've been happy with the sound. I just position the microphone a bit below my mouth when I talk so I don't sound like Darth Vader. Although... that would probably impress the kids.

Convert Your PLR into Audio by Courtney Chowning

When purchasing PLR, or private label rights, content you are not limited to just using that content for writing purposes. You can use it for audio as well. By recording the PLR content you can offer your readers something new and really catch their attention.

To record your PLR content all you need is a PLR article, computer microphone, and the free program Audacity. Audacity will allow you to record and edit your audio file. Before you start recording your audio file you should practice a couple times. You don't want to sound like you are reading from a script. You want your speech to be clear and to sound friendly and welcoming.

The audio you can create can be used in a number of different situations. You can add it to your blog as a blog post, add into an existing podcast, use the audio as your podcast, offer it as a freebie for your mailing list, etc. If you create a series of audio on a particular subject you could even sell the audios as an information product. The list could really go on and on. The point is that by using audio files you can add a new and exciting element to your blog or online business.

Creating audio files is just one example of using PLR content in a form other than writing. You can even use your chosen PLR content in a video. The concept is the same as using the PLR content for an audio but you are recording an image of yourself speaking instead of just your voice.

By re-purposing the PLR content you purchase you are making the most out of the money spent and also adding value to your blog or online business. Purchasing PLR content can help grow your business in more than one way.



Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com