In the current climate that we all hear so much about businesses are finding themselves in the position of not being able to afford an employee.
Or are having to reduce their budgets and staffing levels.
This can mean that the Personal Assistant becomes an ‘expensive commodity’?!
We have now moved the personal assistant into the 21st century and beyond – we are Virtual!
We are GREEN,
We are good for the environment!
We are good for your carbon footprint!
We have our own office,
We supply our own hardware,
We don’t need lunch breaks in your time!
We aren’t in need of supervision!
We are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!

Does your business needs someone to organise the business day?
Make your travel arrangements?
Manage your correspondence, emails, telephone calls, invitations, and quotes? (the list goes on)
Do you have spare time to set up templates for invoices, work sheets, attendance, annual leave or sick lists?
Set up spreadsheets to log your KPI data, formula’s for regular expenses, or fuel usage, mileage?
Manage your business vehicle or fleet servicing and MOT’s?
Cover your telephone answering and response while you are out of the office?
Set up a database of customer or supplier details?
Or how about those business cards you collect at your networking meetings? Are you still putting them into a wallet or box?
Wouldn’t it be easy if they were assembled onto a database that you can access easily?

What is it about your business that gives you pain?

Appoint a VA, they work by the hour, it’s not as expensive as you may think!
We can work for an hour, or a day, or a week?!
We are used to managing other people, and using the computer.
We are the Businessmen’s best friend!
We experienced at what we do, allowing you the time you need to spend on what you do best – Manage your business!
Are you spending your time ‘sweating over the small stuff’?

Networking has many different faces, but is has moved on from the; ringing everyone in your address book type scenario. Though this can be a valid way of letting people you know that you are in business or are looking for new clients, it can also alienate people as they get the impression you are using them for contacts.

Networking doesn’t have to be hard or painful, except possibly on the pocket (it can and usually does cost money to become a member of most networking groups.) There can also be limitations with membership of some groups; perhaps the total numbers of people/businesses are limited, for whatever reason. Take this into account before you pay your membership into a group. A good value networking experience will allow you to meet unlimited numbers of other business owners, without too many rules or regulations (you want to enjoy the experience, or you won’t repeat it!) Take plenty of business cards and literature (if you have any). Be friendly, open and enthusiastic. BE YOURSELF!

On a personal note, I believe competition is good; it keeps the level of services and standards up and ensures companies endeavour to keep prices/overheads down, plus it allows more understanding and support from a fellow member if you are in the same line of business. They can understand your dilemmas and operational issues more easily if they are in the same type of business or market. Another plus to having a fellow member in the same field, is being able to refer excess work to someone that you know, or arrange associate agreements so you have cover in times of sickness or holiday etc.

The art of networking is to meet or correspond with new and regular people via discussion groups, chat rooms, breakfast or lunch meeting, telephone; the list is endless; but don’t just stop at joining a group and then sitting back and waiting for the telephone calls or emails to roll in! You have to participate, respond to topics or postings in forums or chat rooms etc. Let people know that you know your stuff!

BEWARE DO NOT USE NETWORKING DETAILS AS A SOURCE OF NAMES/ BUSINESSES FOR SALES AND MARKETING!

Networking works by allowing people to get to know the person behind a business.

So first, joining some kind of networking group or forum etc allows you to meet people outside of your normal routine. When you have been communicating via any of the social networking sites or forums, support groups etc and have found someone you have similar work ethics too, or similar thought processes or beliefs, you get to like them. From then on you get to know them, build a stronger relationship or friendship, this allows you to trust them.

You now have the recipe for a good networking experience. These ingredients are vital for referrals, who wants to refer someone they don’t know to someone they do? Would you risk telling a good friend, family member or business associate that “you knew someone who”, then later found they were unreliable or ‘worse’?

Offer advice or a shoulder when someone is having a tough time.  Become an expert in your own field. Don’t wait, don’t worry just do it!

Starting a new business in the midst of a recession could appear to be rather a risk.

It is actually a very popular time for start-ups generally. During a recessionary period businesses have to cut back on overheads and take a good, long close look at their staffing levels. Cut-backs become necessary and the job queues get longer, leaving more people trying unsuccessfully to find suitable new employment.

Or maybe they just decide that following redundancy they would prefer to work for themselves.

Either way, there are now 3.5 million people in Britain that work for themselves, why not me?

I have years of life experience that I wanted to put to good use. In my last job I had run the office on a daily basis and acted as PA to the directors, I was answerable only to them. Now I would be answerable to….me.

When the recession hit and the company floundered in the falling exchange rates, as a full-time employee, I was considered “An Expensive Commodity”, rather than a necessity that could help reduce overheads and keep the business running efficiently.

As a full-time employee, this was the case – as a self-employed ‘Virtual Assistant’ I could become a cost saving asset to many businesses that could not afford the time or space of an employee.

I still have the organisational skills, the ability to think on my feet and adapt to the changing needs of the business, and the best bit of all – if the business only needed an hour or two hours a week or one week a month, then that was all they would need to pay for!!

I could work from home and provide my own fully fitted/ equipped office.

Now I had the idea, where to start?

Research – Complete plenty of research on your chosen subject.

- The internet is an excellent source for research, check on business types, services, products for similar to your chosen business. http://www.google.co.uk

http://uk.yahoo.com/

- Local papers/ Telephone directories – is anything advertised along the same business

(if there is another similar business or service can you offer anything different or unique?)

This is called your USP – Unique Selling Proposition!

Using your research you will also need to note the prices and methods of charging for those services.

Make sure when you work out your own rates, that you are not just blindly trying to undercut the competition.

Ask your self why they are charging that amount, have you allowed for all of your overheads. Being self-employed you are liable for your own tax payments, electricity, postage, stationery, telephone, advertising, broadband, sick time – the list goes on DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT! Work out how much you would like to be earning, divide it by the number of weeks, days, hours you want to work and remember your overheads! Now realistically can you earn your desired wage from the charge you had in mind?

(I have a spreadsheet that you can use to work out your average earnings. overheads etc please contact me if you would like a copy.)

Quality is paramount to quantity – and good service (efficient, polite etc is worth paying for) No-one wants to pay a lesser amount just because it’s cheap, you need those customers to come back again and again.

New customers are great and always welcome but you need ‘bread and butter’ customers to keep things ticking over.

Decide on your business name, target market, logo if you want one (though this is not important).

During your research check for other businesses using the name you were hoping to use (unless you have definitely come up with something totally unique!)

How are you going to trade – will you be registering your business and running as a Limited company? In which case you will have to register with companies house. They will also be able to tell you if your chosen name and or logo are already in use. Their website is very useful www.companieshouse.gov.uk

Perhaps you will be running as a Sole-Trader, you are responsible for your own losses, but you can pretty well set up and run with whatever you have chosen to do.

Where do you intend running your business from – home businesses are most popular and the overheads can be reduced, but make sure that you will not be breaking any council regulations, or causing a disturbance to your neighbours.

Target Market - Who are you selling to? (It makes a difference on how you present your product or service)

Budget – Set yourself a budget based on your set-up costs (purchase of any equipment ‘essential’ to the start of your business)

I found that Marketing my business took a greater percentage of the set-up costs of my business than pretty well any other overhead. I believe you need to allow 2/3rds of your budget on your marketing/advertising/networking!

Advertising and Marketing – Very important if you are to succeed in getting your new business recognised!

Advertising in the local press can prove very expensive indeed. Think long and hard before jumping in!

What percentage of your target market will see your ad in the paper?

What paper should you use?

Networking - See the article posted on ‘The Art of Networking’ – remember people buy from people, so let them see the person behind the business.

Website – Do you need one? What image do you want to portray in your website? Look at your competitors. Do you want a tailor-made version, off the shelf template? Get recommendations and quotes – the prices that you are asked to pay can be huge!!! They do not need to be. (And if like me you are setting up on a shoe-string they cannot be!)

There are a lot of things to consider when starting a business, you need self-motivation and good organisational skills and determination. These post has touched on some of the basics.

I have gone through a steep learning curve to get my business up and running, and I guess that learning will be always be on-going. I have completed the initial stages, I am really getting into the networking scene with breakfast meetings and forums etc. I am enjoying myself and from there I intend to make a success of my business  and I am continuing to work on my education by completing my on-line degree in Business and Management with the aim of obtaining my BA with in 3 years and topping it off with Hons. shortly after.