Virtual Harvest

June 2008 Colorado VA of the Month

2008-07-02T15:13:02Z

I am honored to announce that I was featured as Colorado VA of the Month for June 2008. To read the feature click and open the /files/36314-33716/June_2008_CO_VA.pdf">pdf file. You may also visit the Colorado VAs Web site. ...

Approaching Two Years

2008-07-01T14:23:21Z

Wow! It's amazing how time flies. I have been busy developing my relationship with another major client. It has been very exciting. Virtual Harvest is approaching two years in business.I have expanded and now offer services that involve: Microsoft Access data entry Microsoft Publisher document development FrontPage Web site content development Outbound calling Please contact me if your project needs include these programs. Upon request, I can also send you an information packet that includes my resume. For more details on my other services and how I may be able to assist you, please see my article on: "Why Hire a Virtual Assistant versus an In-House Secretary?" I am also building a team that can assist me in these services as needed. Please remember that I am connected to organizations that offer an even wider range of specializations. I would be happy to extend or find referrals for you. Plus... I am excited to announce that I have open and flexible business hours both day and evenings out of the Eastern Time Zone. ...

Keeping Up With Technology - Part 5 - Speeding Up Your Computer

2007-12-20T22:17:35Z

As technology advances, so do our expectations for our computer performance. The average life a computer is only three to four years. What can we do to maximize the speed of our computer as it ages with the speed of these advances? The following is a troubleshooting checklist:¨ Run disk cleanup and defragment the drive. The disk defragmenter is located on PC's under the Control Panel. Click on Administrative Tools then Computer Management. The disk defragmenter is under the Storage option. Disk cleanup can be added as a Scheduled Task. Scheduled Tasks are located also under the Control Panel. ¨ Run a full anti-virus and anti-spyware scan. The computer picks up changing types of viruses through the Internet. It is vital to the computer's performance to maintain an updated anti-virus and anti-spyware scan software on the computer that serves as it's immune system. Just like human viruses, computer viruses mutate and change to penetrate computer systems. These viruses can cause a range of damages from simply clogging up the computer to causing a complete crash of the computer's hard drive. For this reason, it is encouraged to backup the computer frequently for easy restoration and to minimize the loss of data.¨ Delete old network connections. To find out if the computer is attempting to connect to shared hard drives that may no longer exist, go to the Windows Explorer. Click and delete on any ...

Happy Holidays! :)

2007-12-20T22:24:01Z

I have just wrapped up my projects with a major client. My availability has opened up. Please contact me about more information on how I can help you with your projects.I have also relocated to Georgia. One of the greatest advantages of a virtual business is that you can operate from anywhere. The following is my new contact information:PO Box 1562Blue Ridge, GA 30513303-330-1104 Check back in the coming weeks as I am working on additional articles to post. ...

Virtual Harvest Turns One!

2007-07-30T19:48:43Z

Virtual Harvest is celebrating it's first year in business!

The past year has been a wonderful learning experience setting up and getting Virtual Harvest started as a virtual assistant business. As the business owner, it's been a great experience so far and I am only looking forward to growing more with Virtual Harvest. I am restructuring temporarily and only accepting short term job opportunities.

Please feel free to contact me and check my availability. If I am unable to help you, I can refer you to someone that can meet your needs. ...

Keeping Up With Technology - Part 4 - Networking Online

2007-05-05T09:37:06Z

As small business owners and independent professionals, sometimes we get so focused on meeting the needs of our clients that our business marketing and networking needs fall to the back burner. It is very difficult to figure out the right formula of time between the needs of clients and business development. With an online business, it is important to stay consistent with blog entries and networking with others online. I am learning just how easier said than done that is! I continue to build my online networking avenues. It can be overwhelming to learn them all and stay active in them all. It is taking some time to figure out which ones are the most effective and worth my time. You can explore them with me and see which ones may help your business the best. The first few are very similiar in their setup and what they have to offer. They offer free classifieds along with a networking community. You can set up a profile and chat in online forums. You may get bombarded with emails to connect with others in the community. You also have to be careful as some may want to sell you their product or service, but that is why is it called networking. AdlandPro DirectMATCHES - the Business Space version of My Space. BizPreneur Other networking sites: LinkedIn - free site ...

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant versus an In-House Secretary?

2007-02-11T10:36:44Z

Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) versus an In-House Secretary can be beneficial to you in many ways. If you are a small business owner, independent professional, or entrepreneur, it makes perfect sense. I have already wrote an article on "Why Hire a Virtual Assistant over a Temporary?" for your short-term, office overflow, and other occasional projects. The following are my list of benefits you can have to hiring me as your VA: You'll Save Time - You can focus on the core of your business while I can help you with the more routine tasks. You'll Save Money - No need to worry about paying associated payroll taxes and benefits. Please open my /files/36314-33716/5_Virtual_Harvest_Cost_Comparison.doc">Cost Comparison Spreadsheet for more details. You'll Save Space - I work from a fully equipped home-based office. You'll Have Access - You can travel with your business anywhere and work with me using the latest telecommunications technology. My services are available across the nation and internationally. You'll Get Reliability - I will work hard to meet your needs efficiently, accurately, and professionally. If there is a task that I am not familiar with, I will either work to learn it or use my networks to find someone that can. You'll Get Availability - I have extended business hours for evenings and weekends for your convenience (Mountain Time Zone). This is a benefit to you as most ...

Keeping Up With Technology - Part 3 - Free to Low Cost Services

2007-02-11T09:31:57Z

In Part 2 of this series, I mentioned free services related specifically to blogging. There are numerous other services available for free to low cost out there that are utilized by not just virtual assistants - but everyone in the business world. I am not very experienced on most of these services, nor am I endorsing all of them. The following are just the results of my research. Please feel free to provide feedback in my comments section on your experiences and any other services you are aware of.Conference Calls: Free Conference utilizes long distance phone numbers. 1-800 numbers are available for a fee. You may also buy recordings of the conference call for additional fees.Press Releases: MediaSyndicate, PRWeb PRWeb provides you with the opportunity to make donations. The more money, the better and more widespread the release.Copyright: Copyscape allows you to obtain copyright information on your Webpage, etc.E-Newsletter: Constant Contact is an email marketing solution that is free for up to 50 email addresses. The fees increase to increase your email list.Web sites: GoDaddy.com As you can see, GoDaddy.com is hosting my Web site for free. I just have to put up with the banner at the top, which is perfectly reasonable for a start-up business. It cost me less than $10.00 to register my domain for a year. They provided template options for me to set up no more than ...

Keeping Up With Technology - Part 2 - Benefits to Blogging

2007-01-27T19:18:41Z

Blogging is becoming more and more popular at explosive rates - both in business and personal worlds. Churches and missionaries also use blogs to post reports and updates. It is a medium that is crossing generations. MySpace is one of the most famous and controversial sites. It is a way of staying in touch for everyone. There are a number of good benefits to blogging in the business realm. 1. Connecting with clients and customers. Blogging provides a place to post updated information on products and current events. It is a modern and electronic newsletter.2. Public relations and marketing. Blogging is a way to provide samples of work and products. It is an excellent area to express your expertise on topics related to your business. It can serve as a great place to post frequently asked questions.3. Increasing search engine optimization (SEO) and rankings. Search engines like Google and Yahoo gather and rank their information on sites that have current content posted. The search engines crawl your links and URLs connecting you literally to the world in the World Wide Web. There are a number of services that offer to "ping" the search engines to announce your update. A couple of free services include: Ping-o-Matic! and Pingoat. You can fill in your blog information, check off the search engines you would like to be pinged, and bookmark the page for ...

Keeping Up With Technology - Part 1 - Introduction

2007-01-06T12:07:00Z

The Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) definition of a VA begins with the statement, "A Virtual Assistant (or VA) works independently at an arm's length, via the Internet, utilizing the latest technologies..." During my University of Virtual Assistants training, I was amazed at what is out there and the advancements in technology. I was especially surprised to learn what services are available for free.Over the course of the next couple of months or so, I am going to explore the technology used by VAs more. Technology is an area that is always developing. It is an ongoing learning experience for everyone. The speed of technology is so fast that it is hard to ever really be "up to speed" on it. While it will take more experience for me to claim to be an expert, I will share in this series what I am learning. The technology that VAs are using is not exclusive to the VA industry as they help many types of professionals around the world.For some people, learning new technology can be uncomfortable as it takes them out of their comfort zone and presents weaknesses. For others, like myself, it can be exciting learning something new as it opens up more possibilities to work with others. As we become more and more of a global community and as our businesses expand more and more around the world, it is essential for better communication to use the latest technology ...

Happy New Year 2007! :)

2007-01-06T12:01:20Z

I am looking forward to this year and building Virtual Harvest. Stay tuned for updates and new virtual assistant services available. If you would like an information packet, please contact me. It is freshly updated with the logo and ready for mail out. The packet includes a brochure, menu of services, cost comparison spreadsheet, sample work-for-hire agreement, and my resume. ...

Check Out Virtual Harvest's Identity!

2007-01-06T12:02:02Z

I am excited to announce the logo for Virtual Harvest: I would like to thank Shari Shipman of Smart Solutions for all her creative help. Shari created an identity and look for Virtual Harvest beyond my imagination! She produced a high quality business card and brochure to help in my marketing efforts. Shari, thanks bunches! ...

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant over a Temporary?

2007-01-06T12:02:35Z

Many companies decide to work with staffing agencies and hire temporaries for their short term projects and office overflow work. There are advantages now to hiring a Virtual Assistant or VA instead. Just a few of them include:~ With a temporary you are not guaranteed the same person and likely have to spend time training different individuals over and over.~ With a VA you get familiarity of operations, consistency of quality, continuity of expectations, and more productivity. ~ With a VA there's no staffing agency fees and coordination with a third party. Companies can work directly with a VA to schedule and negotiate services to meet their business needs. ...

Submitting to Search Engines

2007-01-06T12:03:08Z

It doesn't matter if you are in the Virtual Assistant business or not. Whatever your business or interest is, it is likely that you want to optimize your presence out on the World Wide Web. The benefits of marketing and advertising are obvious. So how do you go about that? There are many articles and experts out there that can help you. Just type in the keywords "Search Engine Optimization" and all kinds of related information will pop up. You can surf around to your heart's content, but it can be overwhelming. It has helped me to participate in the forums on VA Networking. A lady who calls herself "Tiny Queen" has written an excellent article, "Tips on Submitting to Search Engines." It is very concise and informative. ...

Do you need a Virtual Assistant Coach?

2007-01-06T12:03:42Z

I would like to focus this entry on bragging on my coach, Cheryl Callighan, with University of Virtual Assistants. Since July 29th I have been taking the Virtual Assistant Training Program. We are about half way through to completion. She has been absolutely great! She has been able to answer all my questions and has provided a wealth of resources and tips. The course is well developed and organized, while tailoring to my needs. She utilizes conferencing calling with an online meeting site for presentations and demonstrations. With the training, she offers one-on-one coaching by phone or e-mail. I highly recommend her as a coach.Right now, we are discussing marketing. I have been especially curious about how to market online. As a virtual assistant, my services are open to clients across the country and internationally. To add to my previous entry and give a sample of her tips, the following are several online specific marketing tips we discussed today:1. Develop e-mail signature block with complete contact information and website.2. Promote website with business cards, brochures, etc.3. Interact in virtual assistant and related field forums.4. Subscribe to list serves.5. Post services and website to online directories.6. Maintain blogging.7. Integrate RSV feeds.8. Post services to Craigslist, etc.9. Respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs).10. Send press release. ...

Virtual Assistant Marketing Tips

2007-01-06T12:04:29Z

This past week I attended a breakfast with the Colorado VAs. Great bunch of ladies! I had a wonderful time. Our topic of discussion was marketing tips. We went around and everyone had a chance to mention at least one tip they had on marketing. As a newbie, I was vigorously taking notes. The following are the tips that were mentioned:1. Referrals / Word of Mouth - do a good job for one client and it could multiply to more.2. Interacting with the Colorado VAs.3. Distributing business cards wherever possible.4. Attending networking events (i.e., Small Business Association and Chamber events/training).5. Volunteering to help on field committees.6. Send thank you cards at close of project with extra business cards.7. Follow-up with potential clients (no more than 3 times).8. IVAA RFP referrals.9. Post services on Craigslist.10. Search engine optimization of website.11. Blogging on COVA blogs.12. Networking with local community organizations.We also discussed... how do you define your target market? Ask the following:1. Who is going to best use your services?2. Where is your experience?3. What would be a clear service fit?Thank you ladies for the warm welcome and support! Do you have any tips you would like to add? ...

Transitioning Blog

2007-01-06T12:05:04Z

To coincide better with my website, I am transitioning my blogsite to here. My old blogsite was at www.virtualharvest.blogspot.com. While it was serving it's purpose temporarily, I thought it would be more appropriate to incorporate this matching blogsite with more features. As I am just getting up and running, I am still making adjustments and getting everything set up. I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have. Thanks! ...