Hello - new member

[VirtuallyMindful]

Hello,

I'm Holly and recently created a virtual assistant business, A Virtually Mindful Assistant. I was a high level executive assistant for 10 year and like many people was laid off. I would love not to go back to working for someone else and the 9-5 grind. I also work as a notary public & loan signing agent in the Los Angeles.

My biggest challenge, I assume like most, is finding clients. I have a few part time clients, but it is not sustainable. I've done a lot of the online marketing strategies, groups, social media etc...

Looking forward to learning!

[cbscreative]

Welcome, Holly. Congrats on starting your own biz. It is addicting, so be warned, the further you get from that grind the more nauseating it will be to even think about going back. You've found a great place to learn from experienced business people. Stick around, enjoy the resource, don't give up, and getting laid off could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum Holly. Finding that early core of clients to make the business sustainable can be a challenge and can take some time. The good news is you can get there if you keep at it. We're full of marketing ideas here so feel free to ask us anything you want. Most of us have been exactly where you are now so we can share experiences as well.

Looking forward to getting to know you better and thanks for joining the community.

[Spider]

Welcome aboard, Holly. Networking, networking, knocking on doors and networking. If you haven't found Meetup.com yet go there - there will be networking groups in your area you can join. Until you have a full client list, be a joiner! Join everything!

[jamesray50]

Hi Holly. Welcome. You're in the same boat as me. I was layed off after 14 years working as a bookkeeper for a CPA firm. Now I have started my own virtual bookkeeping company. I only have one part-time client, but I'm sure more are on the way. I haven't been too aggressive yet at my marketing. I'm a caregiver for my parents, they moved in with me right after I was layed off, so working at home is really the best solution for me. This is a great forum for bouncing ideas off of and asking questions.

[VirtuallyMindful]

Thank you everyone for your warm welcomes! The one thing I have not done a lot of is going to specific networking events. I do a lot of activism and
have a great network of people, but haven't gone outside that, which clearly I need to do.

[vangogh]

Glad we could offer the warm welcomes. You definitely want to step outside your personal networks. Some people do well with networking events and weekly groups and some people find they aren't the greatest. I think it comes down to yourself and the specific group or event. You can also network with people online, which makes sense given your business.

Regardless of where you network you do want to keep connecting with others.

[Business Attorney]

Hi Holly, let me add a somewhat belated welcome as well. We have a couple of other virtual assistants in our group, so you have people here who are dealing with the same issues you have.

[KristineS]

Welcome Holly. Sorry I was a bit late chiming in, but I'm no less sincere for being tardy.

[KarenB]

Hi Holly,

Welcome! I'm a fellow VA.

I looked at your website and you have some pretty amazing skills to offer!

When I first started out about five years ago, this was one of the first forums I joined. (Well, the forum was under a different name then, but the folks are the same.) It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

In terms of other networking strategies, I'm not sure if you've heard of the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA), but that is an international forum of virtual assistants and you can learn a lot of great tips for marketing there too. The membership (http://vanetworking.com) is free, but you can also upgrade if you'd like to be able to bid on RFPs (requests for proposal) that clients submit. I often refer my clients there when they ask for a recommendation for a service I don't provide.

Best of luck to you and Happy Holidays!

Karen

[cbscreative]

Hey, welcome back, Karen!

[Blessed]

Hi Holly! Glad to have you be a part of our group here and good luck with building your clientele!

[brookeandcamera]

Hello Holly! I am new here too. I am also constantly on the look out for new clients. I have a referral program where I offer a discount to existing clients when they refer new clients, and that has helped to more than double my business.