Tag: virtual assistant

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Time Saving Tools for Freelancers

time saving tools. Picture of someone working on a computer

When it comes to running your own business, you probably find yourself wearing many hats. If you work solo, it may also feel overwhelming to handle all the tasks needed to run a business. We are always trying to save time and money. So here are my favorite time saving tools for freelancers!

If you have not already read it, I highly recommend checking out Carrie’s article on Time Management Strategies for Virtual Assistants. She discusses some great techniques and practices in that article. It is a wonderful place to start.

What else can you add to your toolbox though? There are so many tools, websites, and apps out there! In my line of work, I have a few favorites I have come across and would love to share with you, along with some additional suggestions for using your time wisely that you may not have thought of. 

Time is Money

When you are an independent contractor, business owner, or in a sales position, you know time, is in fact, money. Time is also one of the things we all have in common. We each have the same 24 hours in a day.

So how do you maximize that time? Does it ever feel like you are getting less done than the person next to you? Or do you wonder how someone gets everything done they do in a day? I definitely have had this feeling! What you may not realize, is that person probably has help (aka is outsourcing), and they are working smarter, not harder!

Outsource what you can

Start by making a list of what your tasks are. Include both your professional and personal obligations in this list, because all of these things take time out of your day. When you look at that list, are there some things that make more sense to outsource to someone else?

If you are just starting a business, you may be thinking “I cannot afford to outsource”. On the surface level, this may be true, but remember—time is money! In the few hours it would take you to clean your house for example, would you be able to make more money than it costs to hire someone to clean for you? If so, outsourcing your house cleaning is more profitable than doing it yourself. (Best money spent in my opinion!)

Are there items listed in your professional category that someone else could do faster than you? Or are there tasks someone could do for you, while you spend that precious time making more money? Then hire a freelancer or a virtual assistant for those items!

When considering this option, think about the things only you can do, what you do best, and what is the most profitable. Then, look for help for the rest.

Use pre-made templates

As a Type A person who tends to be particular, I had a hard time letting other people do things for me at first. Then I remind myself of what we talked about above. I also came to realize the plethora of resources that were already out there for me!

Chances are when you are working in your own business, you will need certain documents, such as contracts, proposals, spreadsheets, trackers, etc. You could spend time creating these, or you could use templates that are already created for you.

If you are a virtual assistant or freelancer, we have assets for you! Our assets include an independent contractor agreement that you can download and use over and over. A simple Google search had me looking at eForms, which also looks like potential option, but another Google search shows me that it’s not actually free. So be careful where you find your forms, though you shouldn’t have trouble finding something. If our resources do not match what you need or are looking for, send us a request!

Let technology be your friend

So far we have covered some time-saving tips, outsourcing, and using templates that are already created for you. Now let’s talk tech! Depending on your age and expertise, using websites and apps for your business may either be second nature or intimidating. Once I jumped on the technology bandwagon, I was hooked.

Using tools and apps can help you be more organized and efficient. There is a plethora of websites, services, and apps out there, and what will be most helpful for you may vary based on your business. (Mine is focused on design, branding, and social networking.) I am going to share my Top 3 picks that have helped me stay more organized, efficient, and focused.

1. INVOICING

When I started freelance design, I created my own invoices and emailed them to customers. I kept track of what had been invoiced, sent, and paid on a spreadsheet.  This involved more work (and time) on my end, and I do not know why it took me so long to go digital.

Some of the most popular invoicing services are incorporated into websites you may already be using for your business, such as Quickbooks, Paypal, and Square. These services allow you to easily create, send, and track invoices.

One of my favorite features of Square, for example, is the ability to schedule reminders if the invoice is not paid. I can set it, and forget it! I also love that you can add your own logo, messages, discounts, or fees to invoices. Another feature I love is the ability to request a shipping address, which is great for my online jewelry business!

2. CREATING GRAPHICS

As a designer, I have a love-hate relationship with Canva. I love it because it makes creating digital and print graphics easy and accessible for the general public. I hate it because I am sure it has taken away some of my freelance design business—that is how easy it is to use!

Canva offers pre-made templates that you can edit and download. There is a free version and a paid version, depending on your needs. The paid version, or Pro as Canva calls it, offers premium content and extra design tools, such as erasing the backgrounds, creating Brand Kits, access to stock photos, videos, and more.

If you have multiple people working on a project, you may also want to check out their Canva for Teams option.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULING

In my line of work, a large part of my business is online, specifically on social media. Not only am I planning and creating content for myself, but I also need to share it with others.  All of this became so much easier and more efficient when I discovered Cinchshare!

When I started my social networking business, I was creating content on a whim. Having a resource such as Cinchshare helps me plan ahead. By focusing about an hour of my time, one day a week, I can sit down and schedule my social media content for the whole week, or more. It helps me focus, plan, and get it all done efficiently, allowing me to spend less time on social media and more time on other priorities.

Cinchshare is also wonderful if you have a team, especially in the social networking/direct selling industries. You can set up entire online events, including photos and content, and share with others! If you want to try it before you buy it, there is even a 14-day trial.

Which app or service are you most excited to learn more about? I encourage you to always be open to learning new things. While it can feel intimidating at first, learning about the services and technologies out there can save you time in the end!

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Tips to Get Support in an Atypical Job

family is working together

You may be wondering what an atypical job is. For the sake of this article, I define an atypical job as anything outside of the traditional 9 to 5 or hourly-based positions. More specifically, my focus is on roles where there is not a guaranteed income.  

Some examples of this include freelance work, virtual assistants, online coaches, and social networking. As the remote workforce continues to grow, it is important to discuss this pain point that many of us have faced in the gig economy. 

I will give you a little inside view into my personal experience with feeling a lack of support. Then I can walk you through the steps I took, and give you tips to get support in an atypical job.

Feeling unsupported

To give you a little background, I have held atypical positions for the last 5 years. I have been a 1099 employee, a freelancer, and am in a social networking business. A negative of this is that payment is not guaranteed. You have to make sales. You have to find freelance work. And you have to build relationships, all of which take work!

The benefit of all of these positions is that they give me flexibility in my schedule, and I am able to work from home. However, in setting my own hours, I was often working at odd hours at first. If my husband and I did not have plans, I would sneak away for an hour or two to work at night or on weekends. 

As this continued, I noticed eye rolls when I mentioned going to get work done. If I had an event scheduled, I could sense his frustration. I blew it off for a bit, but as it continued I started to feel resentment and frustration too. Here I was working to bring income to our family, and felt completely unsupported or appreciated!

Playing the long game

We sat down and had a big heart-to-heart. Through that conversation, I realized there were two factors that my dear husband did not quite understand—time and money. 

My husband has always worked from 9 to 5, or rather 7:30 to 4:30 in his case. Coming from a traditional work schedule, working nights and weekends was foreign to him. He felt as if I was choosing work over spending time with him, not fully understanding that I was working at peak hours when my clients were available. 

When it came to the money aspect, my husband did not understand working without getting paid. He has always worked hourly or salaried positions with set pay. In his head, when you went to work, you would get paid for it. Based on his personal background and experience, he could not comprehend sitting down to work for free. As many of us know, that is not always the case, especially when it comes to sales positions, be it real estate or having an online jewelry boutique. Work is put in to build relationships. Time is spent networking, gaining customers, and getting exposure (whether it is online or in person) before the paychecks come in!

His frustrations were valid in some ways. He had no insight into the type of work I was doing. I had to explain to him my side of things, the process of building a business, and why I was doing what I was doing.

Tips to Get Support in an Atypical Job

As I was venting to one of my mentors one day about the situation, she asked if we had sat down and talked about it all. Of course, we had! To help, she shared a few tips she learned along the way too that helped her gain support and respect from her loved one. This list is a compilation of things both of us found helpful in our paths.

  • Communication – I will start with an oldie but a goodie! Communicate, communicate, communicate. In my experience, I had to get to the bottom of what was really bothering my husband about my type of work. That came out through honest and open communication, and asking questions.
  • Set Office Hours – Part of what we discovered in sitting down together and talking, was that the unpredictability of my hours was frustrating us both. This tip came from my mentor—set up consistent office hours and availability. In my role, this involved scheduling events too. By setting up a few consistent nights I was available for events, we also knew which dates were available for us to do things as a couple or family. This applies if you have children too. If they know it is mommy’s office hours, maybe, just maybe, there will be fewer interruptions from them. Having consistency in place can help you all manage expectations of each other!
  • Use scheduling tools – As a social networker, I was hopping online a lot at night and on weekends. After learning this bugged my husband, I searched for more options to work during traditional work hours while still being present online when I wanted to be. And I discovered there are a lot of great tools out there! Utilizing these tools allows me to schedule things ahead of time and be present when the whole family is home. My favorites to use for scheduling social media posts or pre-recording live presentations without being live (yes that is a thing) are Cinchshare and Streamyard. The great thing about Streamyard is that you can stream in multiple places at once too!
  • Create common goals – This tip seems super simple, but I realized my husband and I had not sat down to discuss WHY I was doing what I was doing. What were our goals, both financially and for our desired lifestyle? By sitting down and discussing these together, he became a part of the plan! He got a say in what our goals were and we could discuss the time required to reach them.
  • Share progress – Whether it is with your partner or your children, get them involved. How much money did you make this week? How close are you to your goal? Print out a tracker and have your kids help you fill it in. (Create your own or check out Carrie’s Goal Tracker!) I found that sharing my progress as I worked towards these shared goals was extremely helpful! Previously my husband had seen me putting time in but never heard about the results. By seeing progress, even if it was one foot at a time ahead, he had better insight into the process. Plus, by sharing progress they are more apt to encourage you to hit that goal!
  • Celebrate achievements together – Add to the fun by celebrating achievements together as a family! Did you hit your monthly sales goal? Celebrate with a special family dinner or movie night. Did you earn that incentive? Gift it to your little helper. You can even set a family reward in place when you hit a big milestone. Do something that fits your family, and make it fun!

Which of these tips resonates with you the most? We all have different lifestyles, goals, and family dynamics. Your husband or partner may be super supportive, but you may feel a lack of support from other loved ones. Hopefully these tips will help you come together to set common goals and get the support you need to achieve them! 

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How to Add to Your Income

counting money; how to add to your income

Is your wallet feeling a little lighter? Do you need to add to your income? It seems like everything is increasing in price these days except wages, creating an income gap for many households. 

While we do not have direct control over the raises we are seeing from our bosses, or the economy for that matter, we do have some control as to how to increase the amount of money we are bringing in. For many people, the answer is adding an extra stream of income. Let’s look at some ideas on how to bring in extra income, where to find these opportunities, and how to figure out what’s best for you!

Check your current income or wages

Before we look at exploring other streams of income, it is important to double-check your current situation. Self-employed? Consider increasing your rates or prices. You want to stay competitive and in line with others, but it is important to be properly compensated for your goods and services. 

Ask yourself—Are your rates too low? Have you built up your experience and expertise but kept your rates and prices the same? Do some market research. Be sure to check other similar companies or service providers and compare. You do not want to increase prices without merit. It is also important to know your worth though!

Employed by a company? Do your research, and check if you are being properly compensated for your work. If there is a disparity between your salary, the work you are doing, and what others are getting paid in similar positions, have a thoughtful conversation with your boss or the human resources department. 

Bring in examples of the contributions you are making to the company and the impacts you have made (financial or otherwise). Do not expect to get a raise right there on the spot, but there is nothing wrong with having a conversation. You will convey that you are goal-oriented. My favorite question to ask is how to get there. For example, ask the question, “What do I need to do to see a ___ increase within the next _____(6 months, year, 3 years, etc)?”

Ideas to supplement income

Once you have established that your rates, prices, or salary are in line, it may be time to explore ways to add another stream of income. More than ever before, we are seeing people start side businesses. As people see success in these side gigs they often become their full-time business! 

Interested in starting your own business, are looking for some additional income, or just want to explore what other options are out there? Let us take a quick look at some ideas on ways to bring in some additional income.

  1. Find a part-time job. Look at the time you have available and see what type of part-time job might work for you. This could be remote work or in person.

  2. Freelancing is a great way to use the skills you already have to make a side income. Ideas for freelancing include design, branding, photography, coding/programming, writing, marketing, and accounting.

  3. Explore social selling opportunities. Also known as, direct sales. While this can be considered a love-it-or-hate-it category, it is a flexible way to bring in additional income. There are a lot of options out there and they are always hiring!

  4. Find companies that offer home-based work opportunities in flexible time frames or hours if needed. More and more companies are offering work-from-home options.

  5. Become a virtual assistant! If this sounds like an option you might be interested in, check out our FREE email course that will have your virtual assistant business started in 5 days! 

Did this list get your wheels turning? 

Where to find opportunities

Now that we have identified some areas of opportunity, the next question that may come to mind is where to find these opportunities. Here are two suggestions to help you get started. 

Good old-fashioned networking is always my first recommendation. As someone who has found most of my jobs and career opportunities through people I have known and networked with, I highly recommend reaching out to people. Let your network know what you are looking for, and spread the word! 

Check remote job boards, such as Upwork, The Mom Project, and LinkedIn. In most cases, you can filter your search by what you are looking for, helping you to hone in on the right opportunity for you. For an inside look at Upwork, read our Freelance Site: Upwork review. 

How to know what is best for you

Once you start out on this path, you might find a lot of options and job posts. A few things you want to consider to help you narrow down your focus are to think about what your passions are and what opportunities will give you the best ROI, or the best compensation for time spent.  

In addition to income, you also want to consider other goals in looking for additional work. Do you want to build your resume? Are you trying to explore an industry further to know if you want to make a switch? Is a better work-life balance part of the equation? These should be additional factors in your search.

Are you starting to see all of the opportunities that are out there for you now? My biggest recommendation is to just get started. Start the search, have conversations, and be open to opportunities. You may be surprised at what you find. Action is the best step when you are feeling fear or helplessness, so jump right in and get started!

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Most important resources for a new virtual assistant

Free resources for a new virtual assistant

Are you a new virtual assistant? Maybe you’re a virtual assistant wannabee? Good! You’re in the right place! I’ve been a virtual assistant for close to 6 years! I’ve tried many-a-tools over the years and I’m going to share my list of most important resources for a new virtual assistant!

Thankfully, there are sooooo many apps out there that are free! I have chosen to pay for a few along the way, but you don’t need to do that getting started.

How do you even begin to figure out what you need?

You’re going to figure out what you need as you go. You’ll start to work on something, you’ll Google it, and you’ll find new potential resources. Maybe that’s even how you found this article!

You’ll figure out what you need, literally based on your needs! If you’re trying to design an image for a Facebook post, you’ll Google something like this: best free image creation apps.

What’s first on the list? Canva. YESSSSSS!!!! I 100% agree! If you haven’t tried Canva, you have to! I used the free version for years. I enjoy the perks of using the paid version, but I promise you’ll be happy with the free version of Canva!

Most important resources for a new virtual assistant

Canva aside, my two favorite resources are Trello and Clockify. Let me tell you about them…

Trello

Trello is an amazing free app that you can use to keep track of your projects and your clients. I have this app open all day long and skip around to whatever I’m working on.

It’s broken down into Boards, Lists, and Cards.

A Board would be your client. Inside each board, you have lists. My lists are titled Credentials, Daily to-do, Ongoing tasks, Brainstorming, etc. Then for each list, you can add multiple cards to fill out the list. Within a card, you can add links to anything with a URL, you can add attachments, and you can chat with people who you’ve added to the board.

Trello also has a mobile app (I’m on android but I’m sure iPhones have it as well). It’s very handy to be able to look things up on the go!

Clockify

A way to track your hours is a must! I used a time clock app on my phone for the first 5+ years of my business!

A couple of years ago, a client suggested I start using Clockify. I looked at it, but I was so used to my time clock app that I couldn’t get into it.

I kept on using the app on my phone until just recently. I was having an issue with the app and my go-to solution when I have a problem with my phone is to uninstall the app and reinstall it.

I don’t recommend doing that!!🤦‍♀️

When I went to re-install it, the app was gone!! I understand that’s probably why I was having an issue, but, I was still quite disappointed that I lost my favorite app!

I tried several other time tracking apps that day, all on my phone. None of them were worthy!

Queue the solution! Clockify!

What I love about Clockify

What I love about Clockify is that it’s a Chrome extension. So I don’t even have to log into the site to start using it! But don’t worry, if you don’t like extensions, you can use the website.

I spend a lot of time on business activities that aren’t billable. Sometimes at the end of the day, I feel like I haven’t gotten anything done. That can be a very crushing, defeating feeling.

But I have this handy timeclock that I can click on and keep track of EVERYTHING! I set myself up as a client and I now know where my time goes. It might not be billable time, but I’m still being productive and it’s important to see that!

I hope you discovered something new and useful! Let me know what you think! Do you have a free resource that you swear by? I’d love to hear about it!

 

 

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Intro to Client Portal

Here's why freelancers should use client portal

I want to share a quick introduction to Client Portal. Have you heard of it? It’s a WordPress Plugin that was created by my client (there’s the first half of my disclosure;-)) Laura Elizabeth. You see, I’m a virtual assistant and Laura is my client!

So not only am I using it, but I’m working on the back side of it. I have quite a grasp of how it can be used by all different types of businesses. But since Laura created it for herself to use with her design clients, she has a very large design audience. What I want to focus on is how freelancers such as myself, can make use of Client Portal.

Top 3 reasons Freelancers should use Client Portal

  1. Professionalism
  2. Organization
  3. Convenience

1 – Professionalism

Think to yourself – what does my business process look like to an outsider? That outsider being a new potential client. What do they see? Do you give them a contract? Are your invoices and documents neatly organized? Now think about what your competition is doing.

Impress clients with your organization!

What if you present a portal as soon as you get off the phone with a potential client? Just a follow-up – “thank you for your time” message.

Hey, Potential Client ABC, I set you up in my system just in case we decide to work together. When you get inside my client portal, you’ll see our preliminary discussion, which you are free to add comments to if you feel I didn’t understand something exactly as you intended. You’ll see some grayed out sections which will become active if and when we start working together.

This shows Potential Client ABC that you are a professional, serious about your intentions to work with them, and organized!

2 – Organization

Client Portal will allow you to organize all of the documents that you use for your clients. I am a fan of both Dropbox and Google Docs. But I find I’m using Google Docs more and more. So what I’m doing is linking my doc right into the portal.

I can work on the doc from my Google Suite. But anytime the client wants to look at it, all they need to do is log in to their Client Portal.

I also have a link to their invoices. I’m still using PayPal to create my invoices, just like I always have. But I’m adding the URL to my client’s project.

So again, I look incredibly organized and professional. AND my client only has to go ONE PLACE to see everything that I’m working on for them – it’s so convenient!

3 – Convenience

I have a small handful of clients right now. If you’re a freelancer, you likely have a small handful of clients too, or maybe more. I have them all lined up in my Client Portal dashboard in WordPress. As I work on things for my clients throughout the day, I can easily switch to their project if I need to make any changes, like adding a module to keep track of a new project they just assigned to me.

But for the most part, I’m just working along like usual. The difference is that everything I’m working on is linked to their project. So any time they want to see what is current, all they have to do is log in to their secure project (password protected and private to each of them individually) and they can see the current version of basically everything we’re working on together!

I’m receiving fewer emails because my clients know they only have to look one place to find what they’re looking for. It’s convenient for them and I spend less time out of my day looking for something I sent them two weeks ago!

Do you want a Client Portal Discount?

Lucky for you – I have one! Follow this link to see more details about Client Portal and to purchase your copy today! If you follow my link, I will get a little kick-back for telling you about it, but it doesn’t change your price (and there’s the second half of my disclosure). If you’re gonna try it anyway, please help out a fellow freelancer and use my code!

When you get there, use discount code CARRIESdiscount to receive 10% off!

If you have any questions about Client Portal, you’re welcome to email me at carrie@yourvirtualassociate.com. Or you can send your questions straight to support@lauraelizabeth.co. Maybe I’ll still be answering your questions!