Posts by Caroline
Book Review: The Power Of No – Abbie Headon
This landed on my desk this morning – a fortuitous bonus when my recent OIVAC session included lots of VAs saying “Yes” to horrible jobs, horrible bosses and horrible rates! I really liked this colourful guide to saying “NO!” in all sorts of situations, not just work ones. So if you: Say yes to invites…
Read MoreSVA turns 14!
SVA started in 2005 and is now officially the oldest active virtual assistant organisation in the UK. Just 7 VAs got together with (the infamous!) Alan the Geek in a restaurant in Edinburgh in June 2005. The idea was to promote virtual assistance as a profession and spread the word about how VAs could help…
Read MoreDo I need an office address as a virtual assistant?
We had a few people recently asking why they need their full mailing address as part of the SVA Approved process… There’s quite a few legal obligations which mean you MUST have a contact mailing address on your website: Why virtual assistants NEED a proper mailing address https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses – so if you are selling products/services…
Read MoreFind an Approved VA
Society of Virtual Assistants have over 2,500 virtual assistant members in the UK. We aim to raise the standards of those VAs and help connect them with clients. These rules form the basis of best practice for virtual assistants. SVA pioneered virtual assistant standards in 2007 by establishing what was the minimum that professional VAs…
Read MoreTackling Late Payments
The Small Business Commissioner, Paul Uppal, has been tasked with tackling late payments for small businesses… We all know the pain of juggling cashflow because a client has been late to pay. The knock on effect means you can’t pay your own suppliers – or maybe it means you are late paying household bills? Getting…
Read MoreOIVAC earlybird offer!
Every year international virtual assistant veteran Sharon Williams (The 24 Hour Secretary) pulls in favours from her little black book of virtual assistant contacts and gets everyone online for 3 days in May at the Online International Virtual Assistant Convention (OIVAC). OIVAC Virtual Assistant Conference – what you get: You’ll learn a variety of skills,…
Read MoreAnti Money Laundering Regulations for Virtual Assistants
If you offer bookkeeping or accountancy services, you should be registered for Anti Money Laundering Regulations. Over the course of the last 18 months or so we’ve been working closely with VAProMag and HMRC to achieve two aims for the VA industry: Clarity surrounding who needs to register – including consistent advice when people call…
Read MoreLinkedIn Profile Success
LinkedIn is the most effective social media platform for marketing virtual assistant businesses*. So beyond connecting with everyone you’ve ever worked with, how do you attract more business? LinkedIn Profile Success Tips Well, your profile will pop up when someone searches for specific phrases. How do you make sure that you are using the right…
Read MoreVirtual Assistant Insurance
Virtual Assistant Insurance Over the years we’ve done a variety of articles on why virtual assistant insurance is needed: Virtual Assistant Insurance Claims – what can go wrong? VA Nightmares Policy Bee – our recommended insurer And we included professional indemnity insurance in our VA Standards for Approved VAs who appear on our FIND A…
Read MoreShould Meghan have hired a Royal Virtual Assistant?
Palace reports this week say another of the Duchess of Sussex’s assistants have quit. Rumours swirled of difficult, demanding behaviour. This means the whole team of 4 hired to help her have now moved on in less than a year. Would she have done better with a Royal Virtual Assistant? From a Personal Assistant point…
Read More