virtual assistance Archives - Page 7 of 17 - Denise Riches

VA Superpower: Research

One of the first key things I learned when I became a virtual assistant in 2016 was, “people will pay you to do things you love to do because they either don’t like the task or they just don’t have time to do it themselves“.

This fact blew my mind back then, and it still does today.

When my clients ask me to take on a research project, I crack my knuckles and get ready for some fun, because it’s something that I love to do. And not even just for clients, but also for myself. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe someone wouldn’t like to do that themselves… but I get it.

Because there are tasks I don’t enjoy doing either (don’t ask me to chase invoices, for example!).

Types of Research Projects I’ve Done

So, you may be wondering what types of things I’ve been asked to research.

One of my first projects was to research a Canadian holiday to Banff, Alberta for a U.K. client. She wanted to travel to Canada with her husband, and wanted to know the best time of year to go, what types of wildlife were in the area, sites to see, restaurants to try, and gas stations that were close to their hotel (I researched hotels, too). It was an epic opportunity to brag about Canada and all we have to offer (and of course, you cannot come to Canada and NOT have a Tim Horton’s coffee!).

Another client wanted to share inspiring quotes from well-known people, so that I could recreate those quotes to images in Canva (another one of my favourite tasks). There were, of course, stipulations with those quotes. They needed to relate to her coaching business, and spark some deep thoughts.

I’ve also spent time researching days of the year for clients. Did you know that just about every day is a special day for something? It’s true – check out Days of The Year. I take these dates, and plan out a month of social media posts, with related images and text. This is definitely a fun project!

Most recently, I’ve been working with a spa and wellness consultant who works with luxury, five-star hotels. Not only do I wish I was getting massages and spa treatments at these gorgeous locations, but it’s so interesting to learn about other parts of the world.

In Conclusion

Whether it’s where to go for a vacation, or looking for types of content to share on your social media channels, I’m happy to take on those research projects – which will, of course, tick one more thing off your to-do list, allowing you more time to focus on what you do best!

A more in-depth method of figuring out what you can outsource is my free VA Delegation Worksheet, which you can download here.

My job is to make sure that the job gets done. Let’s book a free consultation call and discuss how, together, we can move your business forward.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Click here to download your copy of 10 Things You Can Outsource Now.

Spring Cleaning Your Business

🥳 Sing it with me:🌷

🎶 It’s the most productive time of the year! 🎵

Spring cleaning: love it or hate it, it has to be done. AND, once it’s done, your productivity will shoot through the roof! Spring cleaning isn’t just for your house (but if it’s warm enough, DO throw those windows open and air out your home!)

Spring cleaning can (and SHOULD) be applied to businesses, as well. Here are some great places to start:

Your blog

Remove old blog posts from circulation.
Update blog posts that are still relevant.
Update your website plugins at least twice per month.

Your social media

Refresh your social media images and captions if you use a scheduler.
Update your business hashtags, making them CamelCase.
Reword/update your CTAs (calls to action).

Your inbox

Update your O-O-O (out of office) to safeguard your time. USE IT.
Strive for Inbox Zero. Failing that, get a grip on using labels and folders. Better yet, set up rules so that specific contacts are automatically labels upon receiving email.
Review old emails and delete/archive any that are no longer relevant.

Your files

Clean out large hidden files from Google: click on your storage used/capacity at the bottom of your inbox/Google Drive folder. Review/remove files that are no longer necessary.
Decide on a central location for ALL of your documents and files, both personal and business. ie: If you have some in Google Keep, others in Trello, and some in OneNote, pick one and move everything there.
Review online documents you’ve shared with others; make them the owner and remove yourself, if applicable.
Review online docs shared with you; remove yourself if applicable.

Other

Review saved posts/articles on Facebook, OneNote, Evernote, etc. Action them or delete them.
Create an online document that contains all of your testimonials. Store this in your central location!
Create an emergency procedure in the event that, God forbid, something happens to you. Your loved ones will know exactly how to wrap things up for you.
Review your saved browser bookmarks, remove or reorganize them.
If you don’t have a backup system in place for your website and your files, research and implement one.

These are just some of the things I do in my own business, and I can help you with yours.

Book a free consultation call and let’s discuss how, together, we can move your business forward.

I look forward to hearing from you!

How to Prepare Your Business to Hire a VA

“I know I need help, but I’m not sure what I need help with.”

Does that sound familiar? If this is you, you’re not alone.

When I speak to potential clients on our consultation calls, the conversation sometimes starts this way. I pick up on this right away and start asking questions about their business, the types of tasks they do for their business, and what tasks they would prefer not to do themselves.

The thing is, you can’t possibly delegate if you don’t have a plan.

My advice is to pick a few (1-3) tasks that you could use help with RIGHT NOW. I offer a free Delegation Worksheet that my clients have found helpful – grab it here.

The next step is to find out if your virtual assistant knows how to do those tasks, and going beyond that if they’ve worked with your specific software/application for that task.

This is important because while, for example, Active Campaign is much like any other email marketing application if your virtual assistant has only ever worked with MailChimp, it’s important that you provide training in order for your VA to complete the tasks you’ll be assigned. This training can be provided by you, via a video walk-through, Youtube videos, or even the application’s own help pages.

Passwords

If you’re having your VA log into your accounts, you’ll need to share password information with them.

Some clients are nervous about this – after all, haven’t we all been advised not to share our passwords with ANYONE?

Here’s the honest truth, if you want to get the job done, but don’t want to do it yourself, there is simply no other way to get around this.

Using an application like LastPass is a great way to securely share your password information. You can choose whether your VA sees this information or not, based on the settings you choose. Plus, you can rescind your information when you and your VA part ways.

Communication

Choosing how you will communicate with your VA is important:

email
weekly calls
WhatsApp
Trello or similar project management applications

Having this setup, or at least decided on, ahead of time is super helpful.

Patience

Weren’t expecting this, were you?

Initially, there may be some snags. And by this, I mean specifically with your VA logging into your accounts for the first time. It can be a little frustrating, and maybe a bit scary when you receive emails about an unfamiliar login attempt.

While it may not be normal for you, VAs aren’t new to this. We often experience these mini-roadblocks as we try to get set up. Verification codes are the worst, because there is usually a time limit for them, and if we can’t receive them before the process times out, we have to start all over again.

From my own personal standpoint, I would love to be in a WhatsApp chat or even a Zoom call while logging into a new client’s account for the first time – this way verification codes can be received immediately and I can get on with the work 🙂

Also, this is a new partnership, and it may take a month or two to figure out what working together looks like.

In conclusion, the more organized my new clients are when we enter our work relationship, the smoother everything goes after. It’s great when my clients have put some thought into the HOWs of getting started, but if in doubt, it never hurts to ask your VA what they need from you.

I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful!

Ready to get started? Let’s talk – book a free consultation call with me.

4 Things You Should Know About Outsourcing

A new year or a new season is the perfect time to reorganize your life and determine your priorities. In this post, I’m going to talk about four aspects of outsourcing (here’s a hint, outsourcing is what my clients pay me for!).

What does ‘outsourcing’ mean?

There are a few ways to describe outsourcing:

hiring an outside source to complete a task
getting the job done but not necessarily doing it yourself
giving the task, project, or assignment to someone who may be more qualified

Sometimes, you don’t want to do the thing, or you don’t have the time. Other times, outsourcing means having someone who is more qualified do it.

What are the benefits of outsourcing?

When you think about it, we kinda outsource all the time. Fellow moms, I know, do, for sure. Having the kids take out the garbage or shovel the driveway, and asking your spouse to help you with a do-to list. It helps you to tackle the to-do list quicker, right? Here are some other benefits:

frees up time to do something else
sometimes it can be cheaper to have someone else do it
adds flexibility to your life
allows you time to focus on your flow, your genius

Essentially, outsourcing means that you regain time, time that you wouldn’t have without a little extra help.

What could you outsource?

You could outsource just about anything, these days. You can hire a housekeeper. You could take your laundry to a wash-and-fold service. When you order take-out food, you’re outsourcing the cooking. Grocery delivery counts, too.

But what about in business? Here are some great ideas:

bookkeeping
social media updates
blog/website updates
general administration
product sourcing
internet research
ghostwriting
sound/video editing
SEO
creating processes/SOPs
email marketing

By outsourcing, you can easily gain hours in your day, week, month, and year, just by outsourcing some of those tasks that either don’t interest you or just turn out to be a huge time-suck.

Guess what?

I can help!

Book a free consultation call with me to see how outsourcing to me can benefit you and your business.

3 Ways to Feel Connected During Covid

There’s no denying that Covid has hit us all hard. As we stare at the probability of another lockdown, it’s possible that you may be feeling isolated and lonely.

It’s human nature to feel connected, even (or especially) during a period when we need to practice safe social distancing. Feeling connected is good for our mental health and our mood.

Here are three ways to feel connected with others:

Pick up the phone

Simply put, having a phone conversation with friends, family or colleagues can do wonders to boost your mood and feel connected again. Be sure to check in on others frequently, your call may make their day as well as your own.

Chat with the neighbours

It’s so important to get fresh air, even during the winter months. While you’re outside, say hello to your neighbours. Walk around the block and say hi to people you pass. A simple, “Good morning!” can put a smile on your face.

Organize a virtual coffee

Skip the coffee shop and organize an online meeting for you and your friends/family. With so many terrific options (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, Facetime, Google Meet, Google Duo, etc.), you can easily set up a face-to-face call.

I recently set up a Zoom call with two of my friends for a virtual coffee date and it was so much fun to catch up.

If you’re missing family members at family dinners, arrange it so you’re having dinner at the same time while video conferencing.

Just because we need to be safely socially distanced doesn’t mean we should feel lonely or isolated. It’s so important to stay connected, especially during these hard times.

Stay safe. Chat often.

Looking for help with your admin? Book a free consultation call with me.

How to Use Google Drive

Intro

Google Drive is basically an extension of your computer’s hard drive, allowing you to securely store your files and manage them from any device. A free Gmail account grants you with 15G of space to get started, with very economical options to expand your storage space.

Backing up your files to a cloud-based storage system, such as Google Drive is just a smart idea.

Getting Started

Google allows you to open your files from any Google app just by clicking on the 3×3 series of dots in the top right-hand corner. Alternatively, you can visit drive.google.com and sign into your account.

This is your “Drive”, where you can set up file folders and create documents such as spreadsheets, Docs, Forms, and Slides. Here is where you organize it just like files on your computer’s hard drive, dragging and dropping to move files around.

Also note that you have the ability to colour code folders, making organization even easier.

File Sharing

Google Drive is the ultimate tool for virtual teams working together, because it encourages collaboration. Several people can be working on the same file at the same time, with changes being made in real-time.

To share a file or folder, right-click the file or folder you wish to share. You will see two sharing options, “Share” and “Get Shareable Link”. Click on Share and a small window will open (where you will again have the option to get a shareable link). This is where you can input the email address of the person you’d like to share the file with. Clicking on Get Shareable Link, and Google will generate a link that you can send to the person you wish to share it with.

Special note – not all file-sharing permissions are the same. You can choose to allow others to View or Edit, depending on your needs. You can also revoke someone’s access, just by clicking on Advanced, and removing the person.

Viewing Files Shared with You

If you click on “Shared with me”, you will see all the files that others have shared with you. This is handy if you’ve lost the file-sharing invitation email that you were likely sent when they shared it with you. These files will remain here until you choose to remove them. Removing files here doesn’t delete the file for the file owner, it just removes you from the people the file is shared with.

Trash

Files in Trash should be reviewed on a regular basis, especially if you’re trying to stay within your free file storage limit. Anything you delete from Google Drive will be here, and if you REALLY want to remove it for good, you’ll need to empty your Trash. Trash counts against your storage space, so this is an important step.

Extras

As someone who works virtually and doesn’t like to leave anything to chance, I strongly recommend backing up your Google Drive, and to do that, you will need to visit Google Takeout: takeout.google.com.

You can choose to back up pretty much anything in your Google account, but Drive is what’s important here. To do this, deselect everything, then select Drive. Scroll to the bottom and click Next Step. Select Export Once, choose your file type and the file size (Google will adjust if you’ve picked a size it cannot accommodate). Click Create Export. I recommend downloading this file as a zip file and uploading it to a cloud-based app OTHER than Google Drive, such as DropBox. You’ll receive an email, verifying that your archive has been requested. It takes a few minutes, maybe several, depending on how much data you’re backing up.

It’s also, in my opinion, important to know how to find the largest files taking up space in Drive. This is a great way to find sneaky files that are eating up space so you can decide on whether you need them or not.

To do this, go to your Drive, and click on the space used under Storage. Drive should automatically list from largest to smallest. If you aren’t sure if you need the file, you can right-click on it, and select Preview. You can choose to keep or delete them. Don’t forget to Empty Trash when you’re finished this step.

I hope you’ve found this article helpful!

What would you do with an extra ten hours a month (or a week)? Book a free consultation call with me and let's talk!