Simmons Virtual Assistant

Start Today

2008-05-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

How has it been 5 months since my last post? The time this year has really flown by.

How are you doing on your goals? I find that if I don't write down my daily tasks that I won't accomplish everything that needs to be done. Do you find the same?

Once you write down your daily tasks then start writing down your daily, weekly and monthly goals. Keep track of your financial and emotional status through your goal writing (ie from day one to the end of month 3). Just to see how things are going for you. What a change you will find!

So...what is the next step? Write down your daily tasks for tomorrow and your weekly goals for this week. Keep doing it daily and see how your life and business take a turn for the better.

Keep me posted. I love to hear feedback!

Jo Simmons, Brandon, South Dakota is the owner of http://www.simmonsvirtualassistant.com/. She has been a virtual assistant and owner of her company since 2005. She loves helping her clients grow their businesses so they can achieve their goals. She is the past founding Managing Director of eWomenNetwork for South Dakota and has been a leader in several networking groups. She has a BA in Human Services and believes in the “giving first” philosophy.

Do You Have Your Team Ready?

2008-01-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

Are you an entrepreneur that is ready to go and build a business? Do you have a product, service or home based business ready to get off the ground? Before you can start to do this do you have your "team" in place? By team I mean a group of people who understand what your business is and supports you and is able and ready to give advice when needed.

No this doesn't mean a friend or relative who doesn't understand your business. You need a mentor, someone you can count on to give you support and feedback, both critical and good feedback on how you are approaching your business. You cannot build a business alone and it will not grow successfuly with out the help of others.

Two other points of contact you need to keep in close contact with are a good CPA and a good attorney. Again they must understand your business and understand where you want to take your business. If you need to hold meetings with your team then do it. You want everyone on the same page as you.

Remember, failure is part of growing and learning, but if you have a good team around you the less likely you are to fail.

Jo Simmons, Brandon, South Dakota is the owner of www.simmonsvirtualassistant.com. She has been a virtual assistant and owner of her company since 2005. She loves helping her clients grow their businesses so they can achieve their goals. She is the past founding Managing Director of eWomenNetwork for South Dakota and has been a leader in several networking groups. She has a BA in Human Services and believes in the “giving first” philosophy.

Networking for Business Goals

2008-01-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

Are you keeping your New Years Resolutions? How are you attracting new clients and or customers?

A great way to get out there and get your name out is through effective networking! Do you know you can attend most networking meetings at last twice before having to join? This way while you are attending them you can determine if they are a right fit for you. Even as a guest you will be able to give your 60 second speech about your business. Take advantage of this! While you are talking make sure you are giving the highlights of your business. Also remember to "give first" to others. If you know of someone who could benefit from someone else's business be sure to pass that information along.

We all benefit while giving first to others. Another example of giving first is through volunteering. So many organizations need help through volunteers. You never know who you might meet while volunteering.

So give these a shot and see what happens. Through networking like I described above I once built a database to over 1000 names in 4 months.

Good luck to you!

Jo Simmons, Brandon, South Dakota is the owner of www.simmonsvirtualassistant.com. She has been a virtual assistant and owner of her company since 2005. She loves helping her clients grow their businesses so they can achieve their goals. She is the past founding Managing Director of eWomenNetwork for South Dakota and has been a leader in several networking groups. She has a BA in Human Services and believes in the “giving first” philosophy.

Goal Setting for your home based business

2008-01-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

Have you started thinking of what home based business you want to start? Have your written down goals of how much you will need to start the business and how much money you would like to make to get out of your W-2 job? These are things you must do in order to achieve success.

Goal setting is all about writing down your dreams and how you will achieve them. Make them attainable.

For example:

1. By March 30, 2008 I will have 3 new clients working with me. To achieve this I will advertise on marketing sites like Craigs List, wahm.com and others weekly. I will talk to at least 10 people a week either online or offline about my business. I will follow up with everyone at least 5 times to make a connection.

If you say you are going to make $50,000 by the end of the year, but don't write it down and all of a sudden it is October and you haven't even come close to that amount you will get burned out and say that goals don't work.

But they do work if you WRITE THEM DOWN! I never achieved anything without writing down my goals. My business ran stagnant until I started writing. Now I write goals for my daily goals, my weekly goals, my monthly goals and my yearly goals.

You can do it! Now start writing!

Jo Simmons, Brandon, South Dakota is the owner of http://www.simmonsvirtualassistant.com/. She has been a virtual assistant and owner of her company since 2005. She loves helping her clients grow their businesses so they can achieve their goals. She is the past founding Managing Director of eWomenNetwork for South Dakota and has been a leader in several networking groups. She has a BA in Human Services and believes in the “giving first” philosophy.

Starting off Right

2008-01-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

Life is good! Always remember to have a positive attitude! How are you going to win at your home business without a positive attitude? I learned this concept years ago and carry with me today. Customers and clients are sometimes hard to deal with. How you win at this is by having a positive attitude. Remember these 3 concepts and you will succeed:

1. Always listen attentively. Listen before you speak and get a feel of what your customer is saying to you.

2. Be open and honest with your customer. Are they hard to deal with? If so let them know. If you don't understand something, let them know. The better the communication between you and your customer the better rapport and more business you will get.

3. Be flexible. I am in the midwest on Central Time Zone and most of my clients are in different parts of the country. Being virtual means you get to work from home and your clients can be from anywhere. However, you have to adhere your hours to their needs; especially when first starting off. But as you grow your business you will get a good feel of what your clients need and what hours are most beneficial to your business.

So go forth and prosper in your business as a virtual assistant! Remember it is your business and it is up to you on how you will grow it.

Life is good!

Jo Simmons, Brandon, South Dakota is the owner of www.simmonsvirtualassistant.com. She has been a virtual assistant and owner of her company since 2005. She loves helping her clients grow their businesses so they can achieve their goals. She is the past founding Managing Director of eWomenNetwork for South Dakota and has been a leader in several networking groups. She has a BA in Human Services and believes in the “giving first” philosophy.

Are you ready?

2008-01-03T12:39:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! This year is starting off on the right foot! I am on a weight loss journey with 3 others and joined Weight Watchers 7 weeks ago.

So are you ready to start a VA business? What have you done to get started?

One of the first things you need to do is find out what your niche is? Do you have a certain strength that you would like to help others with? For example, graphic design, marketing, website development, basic administrative tasks?

Take one step at a time. It is an exciting time right now and you are on the right foot ready to get started!