Comments for Home Office Warrior

Comment on Home Office — Advantages & Disadvantages Conversation by Melba Notario

Melba Notario — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:05:08 +0000

Hi! I am newbie in terms of blogging but I thought you should know I created a link for your blog on my personal website. Thank you! Well done on this article!

Comment on Should ‘New’ Virtual Assistants Charge Less? by Nickey Hollenbach

Nickey Hollenbach — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:48:31 +0000

Great post, Tina! And yes, Jamie - you do get what you pay for. A good site for VA’s or people looking to hire VA’s is VANetworking.com - there is a ton of information available on rates and what’s fair in what part of the country or Canada.

Comment on Answering the Question, What Do You Do? by Crystal Coleman

Crystal Coleman — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:05:38 +0000

I agree with you - virtual assistance is a term that is difficult to define and really has to be shaped by the individual business owner.

I spent a great deal of time trying to define virtual assistance for myself and my clients until I had the big ah-ha: it doesn’t matter what what I call myself, it’s what I can do that clients really care about!

In face to face discussions I launch right into what services my business offers and leave the “title” for those that want to know more. My local area is largely unfamiliar with the concept of virtual assistance, so I am even more cognizant of the need to talk about what I “do” as opposed to what I “am”.

Comment on The Value of a Confident Virtual Assistant by Rita Cartwright

Rita Cartwright — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:52:17 +0000

I feel if you are being paid your worth, the quality of your work will not suffer. It goes hand-in-hand. If you are a happy camper, you will do excellent work.

It’s the same in the corporate world. An unhappy employee is not very productive.

I have never won any bids or obtain clients at those freelance sites either. Plus, they are more focused on money than quality of service; therefore, they miss out on the intangible value you bring to the table.

Comment on Social Media, What’s in it for You? by Computer Repair

Computer Repair — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:40:28 +0000

These are all great benefits that you list here. I think that there are still so many great opportunities that can be had with social media, even benefits that people haven’t acknowledged or thought of yet. Social networking only has benefits in my opinion.

Comment on What To Do When You Hit a Business Roadblock by Roxie Hitt

Roxie Hitt — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:57:59 +0000

This is so true and it’s encouraging to read, even motivating. Thx!

Comment on Keeping Track of Virtual Assistant Hours by Ronald

Ronald — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:11:39 +0000

HourDoc is another tool for Time Tracking. http://www.HourDoc.com is right treatment for time tracking of virtual assistants, has to be an easy-to-administer and affordable solution for Freelancers.

Comment on Keeping Track of Virtual Assistant Hours by Lawrence Perry

Lawrence Perry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:54:04 +0000

The major advantage of hiring a virtual assistant instead of hiring a regular office worker is that it comes out cheaper for the company.

Comment on Ask Legal Andrew — Zoning and Permits by M H Counselor

M H Counselor — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:59:35 +0000

I am a mental health counselor, thinking of buying a house in a prof/res neighborhood (I hate paying rent!). The cost of upgrading this house to professional use is more than I can afford at this time. Could I use it as a “home office” until I could afford the renovations? Tutors don’t need any special parking, etc. Do I need to be a “life coach” perhaps, if push comes to shove? It is a quiet business, the only down side is the clients changing each hour, which is usually one car, or two at most. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Comment on Social Media, What’s in it for You? by Tina Hilton

Tina Hilton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:09:35 +0000

You’re welcome, and thank you for sharing your social media expertise with the rest of us!

Comment on Top iPhone Applications for the Home Office Warrior by Matt

Matt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:04:32 +0000

You can also use Scanner PRO - to scan/send documents.

Comment on Social Media, What’s in it for You? by Laura Roeder

Laura Roeder — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:13:22 +0000

Thanks for the mention Tina

Comment on Keeping Track of Virtual Assistant Hours by Jen

Jen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:43:07 +0000

operating a VA biz here in Manila, Philippines is a challenge. i have been looking for a time tracking system but having a hard time choosing which tracking system is the best or more efficient. there’s a lot to choose from. Any suggestions aside from MyHours? Thanks.

Comment on Review of Onebox Virtual PBX Phone System by Adam

Adam — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Go anywhere but Onebox! The customer support (if thats what you call it) is horrific!! When we signed up, a man named “JK” said call him directly with any problem. Please! His advice is in the form of an 800 number and statement saying call customer service!. Not to mention… You do not get notification via text if you have ATT cell phone service. Onebox blames ATT but will not provide alleged case number they have open with them. STAY AWAY!!

Comment on Virtual Assistant Interview Series by Ashley Stoneman

Ashley Stoneman — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:33:14 +0000

Hey, I have assignment that I have doing for one of my college classes and I have to interview a virtual assistant. So, if someone would email me and I will ask you the question for my assignment.

Comment on Review of Onebox Virtual PBX Phone System by Alan

Alan — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:49:51 +0000

It seems like OneBox (J2 Communications) isn’t the only company that claims ownership of the number and charges a port out fee. Both RingCentral and Virtual PDX state in the contract that they own the number, can change it at their discretion, and will only port it out for a fee. See http://virtualpbx.com/agreement/ and http://www.ringcentral.com/tou.html#10. So the moral of the story is read the fine print!

Comment on Home Office Warrior Blog Carnival #5 by Office

Office — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:40:21 +0000

I love working from home and its a lot easier to now say I’m going on holiday and taking work with me. Its so much easier and quicker than 15 years ago

Comment on Review of Onebox Virtual PBX Phone System by Sam

Sam — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:14:00 +0000

FYI, onebox and evoice are all owned by the same people (j2 communications). They also own efax, etc. Look up their rating in BBB… “F”! I’ve been researching services for a while and I’m considering keeping all my “real” lines with ATT just from the hell stories I’m hearing. If anything I might consider gotvmail (now grasshopper) or possibly virtualpbx as neither is owned by j2.

Comment on Review of Onebox Virtual PBX Phone System by Adam

Adam — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:10:45 +0000

I just wanted to chime in with an update. We found RingCentral after our horrible experience with OneBox, and it has been a pleasure. Night and day. Porting out numbers from OneBox required intervention by a FCC rep, but this new company, RingCentral, will allow porting out even their own numbers after a month with them. After the difficulty getting our numbers our of OneBox, this was the major selling point for me, a sign of a trustworthy company. Just thought I’d throw in my two cents for anyone who may be looking. Good luck all!

Comment on Virtual Assistants-7 Red Flags That Say You’re in Over Your Head by Patricia Eales

Patricia Eales — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:19:50 +0000

Hi Tina, great post, you’ve outlined some of the big peeves I have felt when trying to explain to clients why I am worth the higher money I charge as compared to some other less quality VA’s. My 20 years of corporate Executive Assistance, plus having owned my own small business gives my clients the confidence that I will not be just a typist for them, but a partner in their business.

I think we will start to see a shift in the titles that higher quality VA’s use, to distinguish themselves from the pack - Online Business Manager, Virtual Office Specialist and so on.

Thanks again for your blog, very interesting to read!