As we drive our business into 2015 and reflect on where has January gone?
Ponder the great New Year’s resolutions, justify why they were unreasonable in the first place. We are left with where we usually find ourselves at the beginning and flow of our business year. And that is this month we are devoting our Newsletter to CHANGE.
I for one love CHANGE, it is exciting, and can be a little edge sitting as we embrace life and put into action those CHANGES that we really need or decide to put into place in our lives. But then, being the successful entrepreneurs and business owners that you are you are probably salivating at this thought.
The dictionary defines CHANGE as transform, convert, inter-change, to become altered or modified or even to switch.
A few thoughts on change:
- We need to stay on top of developing new skills to meet the changes in our consumers and business practices.
- Change is a reality of business practise and we must adapt to remain competitive.
- Stick to your plan.
- Always remain flexible and be prepared to change, ask (survey) your clients frequently for feedback. This will assist you to meet their needs.
- If you need help and can’t find the answerASK. This is where like- minded groups and mentors become invaluable.
- It may be that you may need to pay membership fees for access to a wealth of information
Guess one of the biggest changes we have undertaken together would be to create and operate a business that creates the income we need and is flexible around our lifestyle and needs. We have decided to share a story with you from one of our board members and newer VA’s. In this edition we have asked Deb Shepherd from Virtual6degrees to share with you some of her beginnings and journeys with you.
Your Challenges:
What circumstances made you look at becoming a virtual assistant?
The Job Services Agency that I was working for came to the end of its government contract, not renewed therefore no position. I live in rural East Gippsland, Victoria which is one of Victoria’s food baskets primarily producing; beef cattle, sheep and market gardens. Other work is partially reliant on tourism, hospitality, retail, aged care and childcare. Local government, education and the hospital.
What challenges did you face before you started?
Sceptical people around me worried about income, what if the business isn’t successful?
What is your advice to people who are thinking of starting up as a virtual assistant?
Find like-minded groups and mentors, so that you are not alone. Start with what you know and build your skills with your interests.
Resources and links
This year one of the changes on our website and in our newsletter is we aim to provide you with some resources and possible links to assist you in the growth of your business. If there is a particular topic or resource you would like to have more information on please pop a question in our forum and we will attempt to address this and provide you with some assistance on these areas.
This month’s we have included some helpful resources that complement our topic of CHANGE and we hope that this will assist you in your knowledge base.
We would love some feedback on this area of our newsletter and again invite you to comment on our forum.
Here goes we have found some links on CHANGE
The NAB currently have a great write up on change if you go to this link. There are also some other blogs which provide a wealth of information.
Business Balls also has some great up to date information on CHANGE
Just a note for the newbies starting out in business. Don’t forget to add
Social media buttons on your signatures templates to your clients. This can be a great way for you to spread the good news of your business, and how it is flourishing. Don’t let the social media of this world miss who you are and the unique services that only your business can offer.
Thanks Deb for reminding us of this vital source we must use in our business.
Love to hear about your change on our forum, Have an awesome month
Judy Small
Memberships Officer
Avaplus