The Weight of Credibility
I was recently summoned for jury duty.  Part of me wanted to just do it and get it over with; the other part of me feared a long, drawn out trial with possibility of being sequestered (an experience I did not want to repeat).  I reported to court as requested, really demanded, and was chosen to participate in a robbery trial.  We were assured it would be a short trial, 2-3 days, and it was.  When we, the jury, gathered to deliberate, one of the issues discussed was the credibility of the witness.  Did we believe her?  A weighty decision given that none of us knew her previously.  We had to base our decision on the brief interaction in the court room.  That made me think – how i

Sign on the Dotted Line
To be successful in business, you need to sell a product and/or service.  Some virtual assistants (VAs) do both; currently, I only sell services.  To that end, I actively seek clients in need of my services, word processing, project coordination, social media maintenance.  The vetting process between VA and client differs with each person and situation. I met a potential client at a Chamber function.  I educated him about the VA industry and my business.  He expressed interest in my services and I found him to be sincere and a good fit for me (the interview process is a two-way street).  We discussed his goals, my ability to assist and of course, my rates.  The deal was alm

Volunteering
I like to help – hence being a Virtual Assistant (VA) is a great fit for me.  While getting paid for services rendered is necessary from an economic standpoint – sometimes you do things simply for the feel-good factor. Volunteerism is an opportunity to assist a community, a cause or a movement.  The payment is the feel-good factor in helping a community, cause or movement.  In the VA community, 2 of the professional organizations I belong to are sustained by the VAs willing to volunteer their time and knowledge to assist other VAs.  The payment is paying it forward – the feel-good factor. I volunteer –

Vision Board
I have a great coach – she’s been in the Virtual Assistant industry for close to 20 years.  Our sessions are always educational – sometimes a little painful if I’ve been slacking (lol) – but definitely informative.  She told me to create a Vision Board – a physical representation of my long term goals; something that will inspire me and help me over the bumps and bruises of building a business. My vision board consists of various pictures and scenes from the web that capture my wishes and plans for the future.  I have a map of the Caribbean Sea and the various islands – moving to a warmer climate is a priority; I also have 2 doves in

CopyCat/CopyScape
I’m fairly new to the Virtual Assistant (VA) industry…I opened my business in August 2008.  The VA industry is growing and more people are acquainted with the term and its definition.  Still, it is common to have a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) page on your website which outlines, amongst other things, the general definition of a VA. I recently received a message from another VA stating that my FAQ page duplicated hers – practically verbatim – I was a copycat.  She was notified of this infraction through copyscape.  I immediately responded that I would look into the matter as I don’t recall where I got the verbiage and did n