Work at Home Resources March 16

You’ve done a great job of sharing resources online and I enjoyed visiting your website. My only comment is that being a virtual assistant is not as easy as some would make it out to be. I’ve run into some horrid situations lately where folks got in over their head — lacking the experience to handle projects or meet deadlines. All too often I find inexperienced young women trying to work as Virtual Assistants — women lacking the knowledge and ability that comes from years in the conventional work environment. While I feel this is the wave of the future, I also think folks need to be honest about their professional experience and abilities. Otherwise, the ensuing problems will turn the market against the idea of virtual assistants. As with any profession, there simply is no shortcut to the knowledge that comes from personal experience.

I have to agree with Karalyn, any field has those that get in over there heads and they turn those uding them against the service, making it hard for those who are really good at it to get work. Be honest with those who are hiring you about your skills and give them a value for trusting a newbie. This will build up experience you can use to grow your VA business.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I Do know how hard it is to be a VA But I also think of it as any other business its work. I don’t think any business is a walk in the park it is all hard to do and you need to know what your doing in order to be successful with this.

Karalyn I totally agree people need to be completely honest about what they can and are not able to do. If they don’t they are only going to burn themselves in the end.

I do apologize if I made it sound like it was easy. Like I just mentioned No business is a cake walk and needs honesty and true hard work.

Tamara: I don’t think you made it sound easy. My comment was simply meant to remind people that any job requires a skill base and the willingness to be honest about your abilities and shortfalls. My sense is that sometimes when we are looking for a business we can run from our homes, we have a tendency to overlook such details. It can be a bit easier to walk away from a mess because one doesn’t have to face others on the team on a daily basis.

Just as an aside, in my personal experience I have found word-of-mouth is the best advertising in the world. I seldom advertise in any fashion these days. Instead I have built my client base on referrals from existing clients. One only has that option if he/she provides excellent service and consistently meets the needs of clients. I think if everyone approached his/her business with that concept in mind, success would follow and disappointments would be few and far between.

Keep up the good work. You provide great resources here. Life is tough — raising children in this day and age is something none of us are truly prepared for. Making a living on top of it requires determination. Although my children are grown, I try to provide local “Mom Support” to many of the young folks with whom I come in contact through my work. Your blog covers a lot of ground and I enjoy reading it.

Karalyn Oh Good I thought that maybe I made it seem that it is. I think word of mouth is best especially for VAs That is how a lot of the ones I know do it.

I agree a lot of times we look at the perks and not necessarily the actual work involved. I honestly think when looking in to starting any type of business talk to those in it for tips. They may not share their suppliers and things thats fine but they may share something that you didn’t realize. I know that some of the craft work at home moms getting serious details like suppliers or even an idea of a supplier its not easy and often not possible. So knowing that when trying to get information talk to several people

And thanks for your helpful feedback