I pride myself on being resourceful, looking for sustainability in how I spend my time and resources, and mindful that the decisions I make today WILL have consequences for those living long after I’m dead.

It has been painful to watch how business and political leaders over the last 28 years, but especially during the last eight years, continue to make short-sighted decisions. It has been even more painful to witness the inability of those who know better to get control of the situation.

Many remote service providers and small business owners have shared that we are struggling with the same economic issues that have slowed business to a crawl. Some colleagues are returning to more traditional networking, including local chambers of commerce, in an attempt to build their client base.

Whatever choices we make to maintain our existence, we need to be creative, fearless and confident. Entrepreneurs are the creative artists of the business world. Propelled by our passions to solve problems, we’ll survive and ultimately thrive.

Google Apps

You may wonder, especially during these interesting economic times, why I would want to pay for something that I could get for free…

Simple. Because you can’t brand typical Gmail. Sure, you can “sort of” brand it by placing your business name before the @gmail part and you can set it up to “send on behalf of” your business email, but it’s still got the stigma of a freebie account. It makes you look like you are less than serious about your business.

I only wish the cool Glabs stuff available for Gmail would be made available on a quicker schedule for Google Apps. That’s a bit bothersome.

You get much MUCH more space with a Google Apps account. Google Apps offers 25 gigs for a paid account, whereas Gmail only offers 5 gigs.You can easily upload all your email accounts to this one place, and enjoy the benefits of an archive of all emails from all time.

The apps version allows you to change the CNAME records on your hosting account so you can send from Gmail and “originates” from your website domain. Not an simple automatic setup, but once you do the steps, it’s bulletproof.

The joys of Gmail are many. It’s got a kickin’ search feature (you would expect no less from Google, right?).

You may, like me, be one of those “nested folders” people with your email. That’s “old-school” once you have Gmail or Google apps. With creative use of tags and the search, there’s no need… in fact now WAY… to use folders anymore. That may rock your email world for the first few days, but you quickly begin to wonder why in the HECK you had all those folders within folders and how you ever found anything that way.

I keep a backup of my mail on my computer by using the download feature (without removing the items from the Google server) into my resident mail program. I don’t send and receive from that resident program, but I know that I have a backup of all my mail, should something unforseen happen. Within just a few minutes I could re-upload it all.

I like web apps, but I’d not want to rely on them without a personal backup. I’m just too paranoid for that.

My iPhone is set up to fetch my email and I can send and receive with ease, while on the go. I use Google Apps mail as my primary contact management database too and pull down a copy in vcard format once a month as a backup.

The nice thing about using Google Apps is that you end up with a branded email that isn’t tied to a particular host, a particular computer or a particular operating system. Universal email is now on tap from anywhere! And when you work remotely, that’s really nice. It’s good to be mobile and flexible. Once you have a connection to the Internet — ANY connection to the Internet — you have access to your email and your contacts.

I’ve tried, tested and used a plethora of email programs, services and software over the years. I can’t imagine changing to anything else. Google apps mail trumps the competition. It’s just too convenient, mobile friendly, and too easy to search to have any real competition right now!

(Photo courtesy of seabreeze)

A virtual team is a number of Virtual Assistants with complimentary skills who are committed to the goals of a team and for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. The team consists of the VAs with the right mix of skills to do the job assigned. The teams’ performance and goals go together. They develop a common approach to how they will work together to achieve their purpose and hold themselves accountable for the projects outcome.

Virtual teams make a lot of sense if you know how to build and lead one. I’ve had the opportunity to build and lead more than one Virtual Team. I’ve even certified with one group. A well developed virtual team is like a network organization. The team should be put together with the following in mind. The structure of a well put together virtual team is; Project Team manager, Team leader, putting a team charter in place, using a work flow chart and using a reasonably priced project management software. Communication is vital to the success of a virtual team. Not only should there be, at least monthly, communication between the client and the project manager, but also between the project manager and team leader who in turn communication with the virtual team on a regular basis. Following these simple guidelines can be the difference between managing a successful or a failing Virtual Team.

Large and small corporations alike, have teams of employees who were hired to do a specific job, so why not a virtual team. Each Virtual Assistant has advanced knowledge of the services and technology they have acquired, or are proficient in, and bring that to the virtual team. Whether it’s a service or software application where you are certified, which a lot of VAs are today, or if you have years of hands on fundamental experience, Virtual Assistants working together as a team is an exceptional and innovative idea.

I know many times I’ve gone looking for work by checking out the RFP’s at a few of my virtual associations only to find a perspective client is looking for two or three services that I offer and an additional three or four that I don’t offer. This is where a virtual team comes into play.

Clients can delegate projects to a Project Team Manager, who in turn will put together a team. A large team for a large project and a small team for a small project. Virtual teams give clients the assurance that not just one person is doing all of the work, thus allowing for a better finished product. A good Project Team Manager will make sure that each team member has a back up in place. Clients save time and money on recruiting, interviewing, and assembling the team.

Remember, you still have all of the perks of working with a Virtual Assistant, no overhead. VAs have their own office space, equipment and software. I think most VAs will be working on virtual teams in the very near future.

So, to reiterate that old saying; “Two (three, four, five) heads are better than one.”
Think Virtual Teams.
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This article may be reprinted, as long as it includes the following author box
“About the author: Kathy Zengolewicz, founder of The Virtual Independent Contractor (http://www.thevirtualindependentcontractor.com) and author of informative Virtual Assistant articles and VA Startup Assistance is dedicated to helping Virtual Assistants in their business with emphasis on helping the new VA get the proper documentation to be successful. Contact her at kathy@thevirtualindependentcontractor.com.”

Logos play a big part in branding. Once you have a logo you need to use it in creative ways to gain maximum exposure in your advertising. Your logo needs to describe what your business is all about. Once you have a logo you’ve taken your first step towards branding your business.

Branding is whom you are, whom you want to be and it will become an attestation or a declaration of how clients perceive your business, and how you perform within that business.

You may be wondering why branding is important. A brand is a representation of your business personality. It goes beyond a name and tagline. Aside from the services you offer, a brand is the most important facet of your business. Choosing just the right tagline and logo are important to successful branding. You’ll need to use visuals, auditory, and textural methods in your brands.

A Strong brand will make the difference between being noticed or overlooked. Your brand is a promise to your clients, a promise to deliver every time you take on a project. It tells them what to expect from your services and sets you apart from your competitors. It’s also a foundation for your marketing communication.

How should you create your brand. Be distinctive and do something different. This will take some brainstorming. Finding a mentor will help you to get the creative juices flowing. Create a mission statement. We are all in business to make a living. We all want to be successful. When creating your mission statement concentrate on how you will achieve that success and how you will define that success.

Create your ethics statement. I think this is essential for Virtual Assistants since we don’t really see our clients face to face. When creating the ethics statement, or code, concentrate of what basics are for your business ethics.

Make sure to describe what you are branding. A great way of doing this is by using your logo. Are you a writer? Maybe you can have a pen, pencil or an old fashioned typewriter on your logo. Or if your niche is Internet Research, try placing a small magnifying glass along side of your business name and other information.

Start using your logo as soon as possible. Use it on everything from your web site to all of your advertising and communications, including signatures on networking forums. When advertising of marketing, be consistent. Don’t advertise one time as “The Best VA in Town” and then the next time as “The Best Virtual Assistant in Town.” Be unwavering, use the same colors, theme, symbols and even fonts on all of your materials.

Networking is an important part of a VAs life. This is how you get to know each other and earn the trust of your fellow VAs, which in turn can help your reputation as a virtual business or company.

The secret to success in branding is repeat, repeat, repeat. Be persistent. Put your logo on every page of your site. The more people see it, the more they will remember it. Whatever you do, don’t lose an opportunity to brand. Always keep it in the back of your mind. If a new opportunity arises, ask yourself “what’s the best way to use this opportunity to my advantage” and then do it.
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This article may be reprinted, as long as it includes the following author box
“About the author: Kathy Zengolewicz, founder of The Virtual Independent Contractor (http://www.thevirtualindependentcontractor.com) and author of informative Virtual Assistant articles and VA Startup Assistance is dedicated to helping Virtual Assistants in their business with emphasis on helping the new VA get the proper documentation to be successful. Contact her at kathy@thevirtualindependentcontractor.com.”

Our first Mentor series is now on week eleven! The final session will be held next week. As the first Mentoring session is winding down, we wanted to ensure that those who have requested slots in the next session, are able to sign up early.

We have just announced the line-up for this second session which will begin March 2nd and will be held in the evenings (7 p.m. EST) to include those future outsourcing professionals unable to attend during regular business hours.

This 12-week program will meet for one hour per week to offer essential information to those new to providing services remotely. This series has recruited some of the most experienced names in independent outsourcing to offer the information you need to get your business running smoothly and quickly.

Our classes include:

• Change is Good
• The Startup VA: Dos and Don’ts
• Financial Planning
• Importance of Contracts
• Branding
• Web Presence
• Face-to-Face Marketing
• Data Security
• Scheduling and Organizing Your Time
• Subcontracting/Bartering
• Social Networking
• Successful Selling and Marketing

The Mentor program offers the information that the “old hands” wish they had known when they first started. Our goal is to help you shorten the learning curve, start out making more money and endure fewer costly mistakes.

Each segment will provide a presentation and the opportunity to ask questions and make valuable, personal contacts with peers entering and already established in the outsourcing industry.

Space is limited and registrants are taken first-come, first-served. Learn more about the RemoteProfessionals.com virtual assistant mentoring program and register today.