Virtual Assistant Clinic - VA Elevated...recommend website builders like SquareSpace or Wix because you don't own your content and it's not transferrable if you decide to switch platforms

Virtual Assistant Clinic9 to 5 Escape Plan

Are you so busy working your 9 to 5 thatyou barely have energy for your sidehussle?

Trying to build an online service businessbut you're just not sure where to start?

This 9 to 5 Escape Plan will give you ALL the infoyou need to get started and start working towardsyour OWN success - not anyone else's!

There IS a

better way! It

IS possible to

build your

business

NOW - even

if you work

full time!

The first step is to decide whether or not you wantto start a business. Working as a virtual assistantmeans starting a business and starting a business isnot for the faint of heart, lazy, or folks who want tobe told what to do. It isn't for people who makeexcuses or give up before following through. Who itIS for is for strong and determined people who wantto control their own destiny. It's for people who arewilling to work hard now to reap greater rewardslater. It's for risk takers, dreamers, and doers.

9 to 5 Escape PlanSix Steps to Freedom

StepOne

So tell me: are you in? If this is just an idea you'repondering, something you plan to talk about formonths or even years but never act on, or somethingyou're going to only put part of your effort and yourheart into, please close this guide right now anddon't come back to it until you can enthusiasticallysay "I'm all in." But if you're ready and determined tostart your own business and all you need is theknowledge and the tools to do so, write "I'm ALL in!"on the line below:

Name: ___________________ Date: ___________________

Are you in? _________________________________________

The next step is deciding what niche you want towork within. What type of business are youstarting? (How will you help people? Who will youhelp?) You can start by taking a skills inventoryand/or personality test if you don't already have agood idea about what niche to choose.Remember, when running an online servicebusiness, you are your own boss. The last thing youwant to do is transition from working for someoneelse doing something that you hate to working foryourself doing something that you hate! Use theworksheet on the next page to assess your currentskills which are a foundation that can be built on tostart your business. Don't worry if you don't knoweverything about the niche you want to work within -you can learn as you go! Many people change theirniche altogether or narrow it down so keep in mindthat your niche isn't permanent. But it's important tohave something specific to start from. The mostimportant thing of all is that whatever you selectMUST be something that you will love and will beexcited to do every day. If you don't enjoy it, you willnot be successful.


StepTwo

On the following page, circle anything you have some skillin that you can build on. Don't worry if you do not knowwhat many of these are - you only need one sellable skill tostart with. Alternatively, you can highlight yellow for someskill, orange for intermediate, and red for high skill areas.

Skills Worksheet

What's your least favorite thing to do at work?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What skills do you use most frequently in your currentjob?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What skills have you used in previous jobs, learned inschool or through other pursuits or hobbies?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your favorite thing to do at work?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Appointment Setting

Autoresponders

Blog Commenting

Blog Posts

Booking Speaking Gigs

Booking Travel

Bookkeeping

Branding

Calendar Management

Content Curation

CRM Management

Collections

Customer Service

Customer Retention

Data & File Management

Data Entry

Document Creating

E-learning and Training

Email Management

Email Marketing

Executive Assisting

Formatting and Editing Ebooks

Graphic Design

Guest Blog Submissions

Human Resources Assistance

Image Sourcing

Instructional Design

Landing Page Design

LinkedIn Networking

Logo Design

Marketing Analysis

Marketing Implementation

Online Research

Organization

Payment Processing

Program Administration

Project Management

Sales

Sales Support

SEO/SEM

Set Up For Events

Social Media Analytics

Social Media Graphics

Social Media Management

Spreadsheets

Systems Set Up

Technical Support

Training Materials

Transcription

Troubleshooting

Video & Audio Editing

Webforms

Webinars and Teleconferences

Website Design

Website Maintenance

Writing Procedures

Skills Inventory

Now that you have a good idea of what skills you areworking with, it's time to choose a niche. Its as simple asfilling in the blanks below. As you run your business, youwill most likely get more clear and redefine your nicheseveral times. Don't worry - that is 100% normal. So goon, give it a shot!

Choose a Niche

Here's mine as an example:

My name is Galena.I help newbie and want-to-be virtual assistants learn howto start and rock their own online service business so theycan quit their 9 to 5 jobs, spend more time at home withtheir families, and achieve financial freedom.

Now you try:

My name is ________________________.I help ________________________ type of personwith ________________________ problemso they can achieve ________________________ result.

Once you're clear on your niche, come up with a 30second elevator speech and practice delivering it so you'llbe prepared in case anyone asks what you do!

The next step is getting legal. This means deciding on a

business name and setting up your business structure.

Let's talk about your business structure.

To quote from the Small Business Administration:


StepThree

"Some business types require registration with your state

government:

~ A corporation

~ A nonprofit organization

~ A limited-liability company or partnership

If you establish your business as a sole proprietorship, you

won’t need to register your business at the state level.

However, many states require sole proprietors to use their

own name for the business name unless they formally file

another name. This is known as a your Doing Business As

(DBA) name, trade name or a fictitious name."

Go to the following site to register your business or get a

DBA to operate as a sole proprietor:

https://www.sba.gov/content/register-with-state-agencies.

I recommend choosing a business name and starting with a

DBA. You can wait until your business is more established to

go about setting up an LLC or other formal business

structure.

Name your business. When deciding on your business

name, you want to choose something unique, memorable,

and easy to pronounce if heard from across the room.


StepFour

I don't recommend using your own name because either it

isn't unique enough to be memorable, or it's too unique to be

easy to spell. Use your business name and tagline as an

opportunity to tell people something about your business -

what type of clients you serve, how you serve them, or

something about your brand that they can remember. It's

worth investing the time (or money if you choose my

business naming package) to get this right. You business

name matters! When you think you've got the perfect name,

there are a few things you'll need to research, on page two.

Use the worksheet below to get started:

The _______________________ VA (insert your niche or speciality)

List three keywords about your personality or working style:

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

List three things about the type of client you plan to work

with:

____________________ _____________________ ____________________

Your Business Name Idea(s): __________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/search-trademark-database






Once you have ideas for your business name, you'll need to

check a few things before registering and starting to use

the name.


1. Check to see if name is being used by anyone in a similar

industry,

You'll want to Google the name and see what pops up. If

someone else with a similar business is already using the

name, it's probably best to choose another name so you

don't risk losing customers to that business.

2. Check whether social media profiles and a domain name

are available so you can secure your brand's footing on the

internet.

Try namechk.com to see if your domain and sm profiles are

available. Having the same name across all profiles is ideal.

3. Check with your state to see if the name is registered to

an existing business or available.

Each state has a different website/process for this but it can

normally be found by Googling "business name availability"

and then your state's abbreviation.

4. Check whether the name is trademarked by anyone else

at the Federal Level.

You can search the Trademark Electronic Search System

(TESS) database here: http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-

application-process/search-trademark-database

Create your website and social media profiles. Your

business needs a web presence so potential customers can

see you are serious about it. If you don't take it seriously,

why would they? Getting a website and social media

profiles with testimonials (volunteer for a few small jobs to

get some if needed) will be a HUGE marketing boost.


StepFive

Website Tips:

You don't need to spend 10K on a website when you're just

starting your business. You'll likely change your branding,

services, packages etc. as you go. So when you first start out,

get a simple one-page website or leadpage at a minimum or

buy my VA website template which comes with a step by

step customization guide. Or, if you have time, you can learn

how to use WordPress using online tutorials. I don't

recommend website builders like SquareSpace or Wix

because you don't own your content and it's not

transferrable if you decide to switch platforms.

Social Media Tips:

The most important social media profiles to create will be

the ones where your ideal client hangs out the most.

LinkedIn is the business social media network and comes up

first in Google search so take some time to optimize your

LinkedIn in addition to at least one or two other sm profiles.

It's important to secure your name on the other social media

profiles, even if you don't plan to use them right away.




Once you've decided on a niche, registered your business

name, purchased your domain and locked down all of your

social media profiles, then all you need to do is start

marketing your services and start working!


StepSix Fill out the worksheet below to think about your marketing

plan. Your marketing plan is simply how and where you will

market your services. You can choose to use all of these

marketing channels or just one of them, but keep in mind

that the more time you spend marketing and networking,

the higher chance you have of finding clients. Also, keep in

mind you want to market where your ideal clients hang out

the most. If your ideal client is a small retail business owner,

you won't find them in entrepreneur groups. If your ideal

client is a Lawyer, you might do better on LinkedIn than on

Facebook. Remember, it's okay to work outside your niche.

But you want your marketing materials and strategy to be

hyperfocused on the exact type of client you are trying to

target.

Where does my ideal client hang out online:

Facebook ________ Local Small Business Groups ________

LinkedIn ________ Local Meetup.com Groups ________

Twitter ________ Blogs or Forums ________

Pinterest ________ Google Plus ________

Instagram ________ Somewhere Else ________





Once you find where your ideal clients hang out (this can be

by research or trial and error - it may take a few weeks to

really be certain), set up a marketing plan below. List how

many of each type of marketing strategy per week or month

you are going to accomplish and stick to it!


Commenting in group 1 _______________________________________



Messaging New Potential Clients on Social Media __________

Emailing New Potential Clients _______________________________

Follow Up Messages ___________________________________________

Blog Posts on Your Own Website ____________________________

Sharing Blog Posts on Social Media __________________________

Sharing Promo Posts on Social Media ________________________

Guest Blog Posts on Other Websites _________________________

Commenting on Blogs or Forums _____________________________

Seeking Public Speaking Opportunities ______________________

Seeking Webinars/Teleconference Opps ____________________

In Person Business Meetups - Paid ___________________________

Meetup.com Meetings or Free In Person Groups ____________

In Person Networking with Folks You Already Know _______

Other Strategies: ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________




The last thing is this: it's easy to get overwhelmed and get

off track trying to start your business while working a 9 to 5.

If you try to complete this all in a single week, you'll get

overwhelmed and want to quit. So break it down into tiny

steps that you can take each day. You can build your biz one

brick at a time.


It's as simple as choosing one to three action steps that you

can complete each day between 5 and 9 (or on lunch breaks

or Saturdays). Your 1 to 3 things can take as little as 5

minutes or as much as several hours but what's important is

to keep making forward progress. Write down your action

plan using the template on the last page of this guide. On the

page that follows is an example of how you might use the

template. Print off copies of the template and keep filling it

out each day until these actions become automatic or until

the day you tell your boss you're quitting to build something

of your own!

If you keep moving forward and keep trying and adjusting

even if you do fail, eventually you will be a successful

entrepreneur. Reading this guide is your very first step. It

will take many more steps and a lot of trial and error and

hard work if you're going to start a successful online service

business, but you're doing something you've never done

before - and something few will ever do. So good luck and

Congrats!!

XOXO, ~ Galena





Monday, May 18th

9 to 5 Escape PlanExample Daily Action Plans

One new concrete step I can take to get one step closer to

making my business my day job:

Ask about niches in 2 VA groups on Facebook

Something I need to follow up on from a previous day:

n/a

Something I need to learn/research:

Google common niches for virtual assistants and virtual

legal assistant.

Tuesday, May 19th



Fill out Skills Worksheet.


Check and respond to answers on my Facebook post from

yesterday about VA niches.


Take two online personality/jobs tests to determine areas I

would be happiest working within.

You don't have to make huge progress each day, as shown

above. If you just take 1-3 concrete steps to move forward

through the six steps and then to market yourself,

eventually you will have a successful business!






Date: _______________________

Daily Action Plan

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: _______________________


















Virtual Assistant Clinic9 to 5 Escape Plan

My Facebook Group is a great place to ask questions andget support:http://wwww.facebook.com/groups/vaclinic

Additional Resources:

Affordable Help with Business Naming: http://virtualassistantclinic.com/business-naming

Affordable Help with Logos:http://virtualassistantclinic.com/logos

VA Website Design:http://virtualassistantclinic.com/web-design

Sign up for my Your Daily Vitamin Job Alerts to get VA jobsdelivered to your inbox:http://virtualassistantclinic.com/job-alerts

One On One Individual VA Coaching, Training, and Helpwith your VA Biz from someone who's been there:http://virtualassistantclinic.com/coaching

My New VA course where I guide you through each step: http://virtualassistantclinic.com/miniclinics

Website Hosting: http://www.bluehost.com/track/vaclinic

Documents

Virtual Assistant Clinic - VA Elevated...recommend website builders like SquareSpace or Wix because you don't own your content and it's not transferrable if you decide to switch platforms