With soaring gas prices fueling the strong need to work from home, now is the perfect time to become the business owner you always dreamed about. Think how great that short commute to your home-based office would be for those of you who can no longer afford to travel. You not only save money, but you get to experience the thrill of being your own boss and earning the kind of money you know you are worth.
One of the top businesses to start at home today is virtual assisting. Virtual Assistants are highly skilled professionals who provide service from a home office to anywhere in the world. Through the use of high-speed Internet access, e-mails, fax machines, mail services, as well as many web-based applications Virtual assistants handle such things as publicity, Internet research, word processing, event planning, real estate transactions, legal briefs, medical transcriptions, proofing, editing, publishing and so much more. The Virtual Assistant industry is growing at an amazing rate and is regularly featured in such renowned media outlets as Time Magazine and CNN News.
And just who are using VAs? Just about everyone from corporate professionals to doctors or attorneys who rely on these professional assistants to keep their businesses running smoothly. Not to mention the authors and online shops that use VAs for their marketing and publicity. Putting their many years of knowledge and advanced training to work for them, these virtual assistants can take over administrative duties while executives concentrate on increasing profits'it?s a perfect fit!
How do you get started? Easy. Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker's book, Virtual Assistant - The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA (Another 8 Hours Publishing) and the new accompanying VA The Series Workbook Edition provides you with everything you need to get well on your way to a successful new career. This book has already helped thousands of administrative professionals start their business and now with the help of the Workbook Edition, others are soon to follow.
Also here are a few tips on getting started in your VA business:
DO - Decide on a targeted market and initially focus your marketing efforts in that area. By developing a ?niche? in your field, your reputation spreads quickly and soon you become a recognized expert.
DO -- Be creative about where you can find business. The Internet offers a large variety of potential for clients just waiting for you to contact them. Actively network and don't limit your marketing to simply placing a few ads in newspapers or the Yellow Pages. You want to find where there might be a need- and go fill it.
DO -- Write a complete business plan and marketing plan. Too many leave out this vital step and waste valuable time unorganized and without a clear-cut goal and direction for their business. When starting a business you will have tons of ideas floating around. You need to materialize all these and put them into a workable plan of action.
DO -- Develop a website that looks sensational. Your website is often the first connection a potential client has with your services. It must immediately let them know that they are dealing with a professional. Your site must then have the POWER to draw them to you and contact you. Let them see that you value quality by the look and feel of it. Additional tips include letting them know what services you offer and why you are qualified to offer those services by mentioning your experience and education. Be sure to include points on why you stand out among the rest and are the BEST! For example, if you have been featured in articles, radio shows, etc., have them listed with the dates.
Start today and experience the financial freedom you've always wanted.
There are literally hundreds of online survey companies. Most of them are not legitimate ways to make money, although a few of them can earn you a few bucks. These companies target stay at home moms who want to make a few extra dollars while taking care of the kids, the unemployed who want to make a few extra dollars while watching dozens of daytime court TV programs, the elderly who are not afraid to use the computer and teenagers who think they know everything, but aren't yet wise to the ways of the world. And let's not forget the very greedy people of low intelligence who think they can get rich by answering a few simple questions to which a five year old can respond.
These people are prey to unscrupulous methods used by some online survey companies. These scams include the following:
1. The fee for joining. There are some sites out there who charge a ?fee? to join. They promise you an opportunity to earn up to $100,000 a year, sitting home at your computer taking surveys. The fee is usually less than $50. These sites are always a scam. If it was possible to earn $100,000 a year doing surveys online, the roads would be empty because no one would be going to work. Everyone would be home, in front of their computers, earning easy money. These sites prey on the greedy and/or lazy people of little intelligence. By the time they figure out that their ?get rich quick? scheme isn't working, they're out $50. It's not a crime to be greedy, lazy or stupid. And, unfortunately, it isn't a crime to prey upon them in many cases. These sites are careful to add ?disclaimers? stating that not everyone will earn this amount of money. They promise nothing, but include testimonials on their site from people with no last names who claim to be living the high life from the comfort of their homes. They usually have photos of flashy cars and huge houses on their websites. People need to stay away from these sites like they would avoid the bubonic plague. Unfortunately, PT Barnum was right when he said that there was a sucker born every minute. Which is why these sites continue to exist.
2. The cell phone scam. In this popular scam, you'll be asked for your cell phone number to ?confirm? your membership. Seconds later, you will receive a call on your cell phone. The call will end up costing you anywhere from $1.95 to $4.95; depending on the company. These companies don't usually end up charging you too much because they figure you'll never miss a couple of bucks. But it adds up for them and that's how they make their money. They will then periodically send you text messages telling you you've won a prize and to claim it, you simply need to reply to the text. This will end up costing you more money. Do not give out your cell phone number to any website.
3. The Switcheroo. In this scam, you will be participating in a survey and then be directed to another website. They will ask you to show an ?interest? in obtaining more information from one of their marketing partners. You will continue to answer ?no? and keep getting more offers; the survey will never end until you answer ?yes.? Now this scam might not cost you any money, but it will cost you time. Because when you say that you are interested in learning more about health insurance, expect to receive an average of 10 calls a week from telemarketers trying to sell you health insurance. And the insurance they are trying to sell you is a lot more than you can expect to pay than if you contact an insurance agent in your area. I know this for a fact as I've actually done price researching. And the telemarketing company will ask you for both your social security number as well as your bank information (so they can send in a deposit with your application). It's dangerous to give out such information to anyone over the phone; legitimate companies will send you any information you require by mail.
4. The phone bill scam. You'll sign up for a survey company and provide your telephone number. Then you'll proceed in completing a survey and receive an offer for a free issue for a magazine. You'll think to yourself - what's the harm? You'll give your name and address for the magazine and hardly notice when a fee for a year's subscription shows up on your telephone bill,. If you read the fine print, however, you will see that when you provided the company with your name and address to receive your ?free? magazine, you authorized them to bill you via your telephone bill. They figure that you won't even notice the extra $12.95 attached to your phone bill. And many people don't.
These are just four of the scams that I've actually encountered during my foray into the world of online survey participation. I consider myself a half-way intelligent person, but I got caught for $1.95 for the cell phone scam and $12.95 for the magazine subscription. I've also been called about 20 times so far by different ?health insurance? company representatives who requested my social security number and bank information over the telephone. These companies have yet to send me anything by mail. Luckily, I know better than to give such information over the telephone.
Online survey taking can be fun, but be careful. Do not give out your cell phone number under any circumstances. Do not give out your social security number or bank information. Do not ever express any interest in receiving information from health insurance providers. And avoid the ?online education? inquiries as well. Do some research prior to joining any company, do not pay a fee, and beware of anyone or any website that promises to make you rich.
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Both Diana Ennen & Aman3118 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Diana Ennen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Book Reviews, Home Businesses and Family. Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA. and publisher of the fiction book Sledgehammer,. Diana Ennen's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
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