Month: February 2018

Here at Get Ahead VA we are privileged to work with a wide variety of clients, ranging from will writers to window cleaners, financial consultants to fashion designers. All of our clients are motivated and driven business owners with clear plans for business growth. They recognise the value of outsourcing, passing onto others the tasks that either they lack skills in or that drain their valuable time.

Here’s 60 seconds with one of our clients, Warren Knight, a writer, speaker and technology entrepreneur who came to Get Ahead VA looking for both communication and technical assistance.

What situation was your business in when you came to Get Ahead VA?

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When it comes to working with virtual assistants (VAs), there are all sorts of myths out there that can make it seem like more trouble than it’s worth. Fortunately these simply aren’t true, and VAs can actually provide plenty of benefits to your business.

Do you want to know more about what working with VAs is really like? Here are 5 of the biggest myths about VAs: debunked.

Myth #1: Anybody can be a VA

Many people think that, as long as you have a computer and an internet connection, you can be a VA. This might be off-putting to people looking to hire a VA, who might be concerned about working with someone unqualified, unprofessional or likely to disappear halfway through a job. Of course, this isn’t true. Being a VA is a business that requires investments of money and time, and therefore professional VAs take their work very seriously. Furthermore, VAs who work for agencies such as Get Ahead are thoroughly vetted to make sure they have the skills to reliably deliver high-quality work.

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With so many options available to market your business online – from emails to blogs to social media – it can be difficult to keep up. But if you’re struggling to organise the content marketing for your business, there is a solution: the editorial calendar.

Editorial calendars have been around for decades. They were originally used in print media (e.g. newspapers, magazines) to keep track of articles through every stage of creation, from the initial idea to publication. Nowadays the editorial calendar can be applied to many different things, including every platform on which you market your business. In short, if you create content, it can go into an editorial calendar.

So how do you go about making one of these invaluable tools? Read on to discover everything you need to know about creating an editorial calendar.

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One of the easiest ways to cut down costs when you’re setting up a new business is to work from home. Money can be tight for a brand new business, and the last thing you want is to splash out on office space when all you really need is a computer and an internet connection.

However, if you’re used to working in an office, it can be difficult to adjust to this new way of working. Some of the biggest concerns associated with working from home include feeling lonely or isolated, becoming less productive and lacking the self-discipline to consistently do a full day’s work. But with predictions claiming that 60% of employees will regularly work from home by 2022, it looks like this style of working is here to stay.

Fortunately there are plenty of things work-from-home newbies can do to adjust. If you’ve just started a new business, or you’re an employee who has been offered remote working, here are 6 ways you can adjust to working from home.

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Getting a business off the ground is a huge achievement, but after that exciting period of initial growth you might find that you start to lose momentum. This is normal for a business moving from start-up to stability, so how can you get through it and make sure that your business continues to grow?

The answer could be freelancers. Whether you’re working with individuals or an agency, freelancers, contractors and virtual assistants could be just what you need to build on your achievements and develop your business. Freelancers offer all sorts of advantages to business owners: they can be hired as and when they’re needed, they come with all the required skills, and there are plenty of excellent workers to choose from so you’re bound to find someone who’s a good fit.

Are you interested in finding out more? Here are 5 ways freelancers can help to grow your business.

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Valentine’s Day is big business – in fact, in previous years the UK has spent close to £1 billion on gifts and cards to celebrate this day of romance. So what is your small business doing to take advantage of the mid-February boom?

It might seem like the market is already flooded with big Valentine’s promotions, but there’s still plenty of room for small businesses to get involved. A strong Valentine’s marketing campaign can not only bring you new customers, but also give your regular customers a reason to return. And it’s not just about the loved-up couples – there are lots of exciting ways to market to Valentine’s cynics too!

Whatever your small business, there’s still time to pull together an effective Valentine’s marketing campaign. Ready to get started? Here are 7 of our top ideas.

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