Have you recently been laid off from your job in the corporate world?

Are you looking for a way to profitably stay home with your children?

Would you like to make a second income from the comfort of your home?

Or maybe you just need to jumpstart your current virtual assistant business?

If you said YES to any of the above, let me show you how to (kick) start your own profitable home-based Virtual Assistant business quickly and easily.

STOP puttering and dabbling around trying to get your Virtual Assistant business up and running! Instead, I’m going to give you the opportunity to invest just a few hours a day in a proven system that will have you up and running in JUST 1 MONTH.

IMAGINE, within 30 days you could:

• Have your own professional Virtual Assistant website optimized to rank HIGH in the search engines
• Have your entire business/marketing plan FINISHED.
• Know exactly what to do to attract targeted clients HUNGRY for your services.
• Be “networked” with some of the best VAs in the business.
• Have a clearly defined niche that will give you a fierce competitive advantage.
• Work from home with NO MORE commutes and stresses of the corporate rat race.
• Begin to attract a following of prospective clients through the social networking world.
• Have all your promotional materials designed and ready to market your business.
• Easily jump on the blogging bandwagon to being promoting your products, services and expertise.
• Have the freedom to take holidays or time-off from your work whenever you like.
• Find the much wanted time for you and your family again being your own boss.
• Have the confidence AND practical tools necessary to go forward as a profitable, highly sought after professional Virtual Assistant!

Sounds unbelievable doesn’t it? WELL, it’s not and I’m ready to help you along the way offering you not just valuable sound advice but the motivational power to achieve success in your new business.

Hi, for those that don’t already know me, I’m Tawnya Sutherland, a well-known and successful veteran Virtual Assistant since 1997. I’m the founder of the largest social network for Virtual Assistants online today (with over 17,000 registered members at VAnetworking.com). I’m also a Certified Internet Marketing Business Strategist who has helped online businesses turn their clicks into cash since 2000. I’ve coached and motivated 100′s of VAs get their businesses up and running sustaining their online presence.

And, my Virtual Business Start Up System (VBSS) makes it even easier to get started online. It gives you a guided step by step process eliminating the road blocks that come from not knowing how or where to begin.

I’m not going to go into all the fine details as you can read all about it here:
http://www.VirtualBusinessStartups.com

Oh, and while you’re there, download my F.R.E.E. VA Startup Checklist to get your virtual business up and rolling as a gift from me to you.

Now you may be asking yourself, why am I emailing you today? Well, I’m testing out a few new Virtual Assistant books to possibly add to my VBSS. And I thought, what better way to find out what the public likes by letting them read these ebooks and then send me their feedback on which ones they loved most.

So, I put together a Special VBSS VIP package just for you…

LIMITED TIME OFFER: (expires July 12, 2010)  Anyone who orders my VBSS will receive a Special VBSS VIP package from me which includes ebooks from these expert authors in the Virtual Assistant industry:

• Tina Forsyth – Online Business Manager eBook
• Cindy Greenway – Virtually Successful eBook
• Karri Flatla – Alpha WAHM Blueprint eBook
• Alyssa Gregory – VA Secrets Revealed eBook
• Elayne Whitfield & Janet Byer – How To Build Successful VA Business Intl eBook
• VAnetworking’s Partnering With a VA eBook

PLUS: You’ll receive a 3 month Get Featured Membership at my new site Shelancers.com that premiers this month. Within that membership you’ll receive 12 Special Reports/eBooks, our Expert Audio Series, other resources/discounts AND a Get Featured Listing in our Shelancers Directory where clients will find you at the top of the list!

PLUS PLUS: You’ll receive VAgear which is exclusive to our Virtual Assistant social network at VAnetworking.com

• An official “I’m a VA” golden hat exclusive to our social network
• An official VAnetworking Sunglass Holder

That’s over $300 in product on top of what you already get in the VBSS but ONLY if you order before July 12, 2010.

ORDER NOW: http://www.VirtualBusinessStartups.com

AND don’t forget about my personal 100% satisfaction guarantee. Try it and if you don’t like it, send it back to me! You NOW have positively no risk whatsoever so why not pick up your VBSS system to success at this unbelievable price today! So,  if you order now, you’ll receive over $300 in bonus product!What are you waiting for?

To Your Virtual Success,

Tawnya Sutherland

PS: Watch my video presentation here on How to Become a Virtual Assistant

PPS: Pop by my website to download your FREE 48-page sampler of my Virtual Business Start UP System (VBSS) to see for yourself. Then, take advantage of the 100% satisfaction guarantee and order your VBSS today at http://www.VirtualBusinessStartups.com

Note from Tawnya: Today we have a special guest blogger, Sharon Williams, founder of the Online International Virtual Assistant Convention (OIVAC).  Sharon gave me her take on a  couple of questions VAs have been asking me lately…

Thanks for kicking off OIVAC’s annual VA blog hopping and podcast tour. Over the next 30 days, Sharon Williams, OIVAC Chairperson, will travel the blogosphere responding to questions about the VA industry and how virtual assistants can become a “value-add” benefit for potential clients. She will also discuss the upcoming VA convention (May 20-22) and the benefits of attending. Feel free to add comments or additional questions. Sharon will come back and respond. Okay Tawnya, let’s begin. What’s your first question?

1.   Is the downturn in the economy affecting the VA industry?

Yes! The downturn has had positive and negative effects. I’m sure VAs without a written business plan and concise marketing strategy are experiencing difficulty, because they haven’t “planned” for situations such as client loss or slowdown. Additionally, many entrepreneurs are “price shopping” resulting in “cheap” being the major determining factor when choosing a virtual assistant, instead of “value-add” which takes into consideration an individual’s knowledge, skills, experience and abilities.

Secondly, many VAs are “discounting” their services, in the belief this will attract and retain customers. However, they fail to realize that by under pricing services they are actually digging a deeper hole for themselves, because they aren’t making enough income to support their household/lifestyles. When the economy takes an upswing, it will be very difficult to raise their prices proportionately for a low paying client.

On the other hand, VAs with foresight, flexibility, a targeted customer base, sensible marketing plan, and appreciable skills, will continue, at a minimum, to sustain their business and in many instances increase profits. Why? Savvy business owners are looking for ways to reduce costs, develop alternative resources, and continue providing valuable-add services to their clients, and VAs (if positioned properly) can fulfill these demands.

If a VA’s income is decreasing because of the economic downturn, I recommend the following:

• Evaluate the situation, conduct research and identify services clients are seeking.
• Confer with current clients, to identify new responsibilities you can assume.
• Become efficient (even an expert) in sought-after skills.
• Develop a marketing strategy for your new target audience, to pull those customers into your business funnel.
• Become a valuable asset to the client.

The state of the economy will not matter if the VA possess marketable skills, knows what their ideal client wants, and positions themselves as the value-add; a viable contributing member of the team.

2. Some VAs tell me I’m not a VA because I offer additional services over and beyond my administration skills, i.e. marketing, blog maintenance, shopping cart, etc.  Am I not a VA?

Absolutely! Tell the naysayers to step into the 21^st century and smell the roses.

Seriously, the Internet and new technologies has allowed (even forced) VAs to expand their skill sets, knowledge and training, to offer services entrepreneurs are requesting. Years ago (and even now in some circles), a virtual assistant (in the purest form) was identified as a person solely providing administrative-related services. However, during the industry’s 15 year evolution, we have witnessed the launch of many innovative technologies, resources, etc., and admins (even those in corporate settings) have to adapt to the times and stay abreast of the latest and greatest.

Even traditional corporate admins are responsible for company blogs, marketing campaigns, websites, etc. If a person wants to be a purist, fine! But don’t berate VAs that see beyond the horizon and understand the times and work environments change; and are willing to change with them. So yes, you are a Virtual Assistant – working virtually, providing support services from a remote location or your home office.

3. Is social networking changing the way VAs find clients?

Yes it is. Dating back many years (I don’t want to tell my age), an efficient way to reach clients was the traditional “Yellow Pages” or by “word of mouth”. Now “word of mouth” still works, but online social networking is a good communication tool that has opened many doors, and allows VAs to reach a larger audience, in an informal setting.

VAs have opportunities to regularly initiate conversation amongst peers and potential clients, showcase their authentic self, establish and promote their brand, and monitor and control the dialogue.

However, a downside could be that VAs are “hiding” behind the social networking craze and aren’t attending local events or meet-ups. They may soon forget the concept of “meet and greet” and holding longer than 140 character or two-paragraph conversations. So, ever so often, attend a local networking activity, where you can hone your pitch and “press the flesh”.

While social networking is the newest way to make a connection, next year a new craze may begin, and social networking will become an afterthought. You must stay prepared.

Do you remember 8-track tapes or 3.5 inch disks?

4.  Why should VAs attend conferences in our industry?

I am asked this question often, and my standard reply is, “it’s all relative”. What I mean is, if you want to stay abreast of new technologies, services, niches, and trends, (and network with peers), you should invest in your business. Attending industry events offer great opportunities to achieve these goals.

Participants are able to associate a name, a voice, an experience – with their counterparts, and develop long-term relationships and even joint venture partnerships from the formal and informal interaction.

Finally, based on your individual budget, attending conferences (and OIVAC) allows you to explore subjects that perked your interest or reinforce your knowledge and skills. I highly recommend that VAs participate in industry events – to learn more about our industry, its evolution and trends that can put more dollars in your pockets.

Well, that’s all for today. I hope these responses are helpful and look forward to all of you joining me in the Land of Oz, when we visit Ms. Lyn Prowse-Bishop at Executive Stress Office Support tomorrow.

Sharon Williams is President of The 24 Hour Secretary and Chair of OIVAC. Don’t forget to stop by OIVAC and check our lineup of savvy business owners. Visit the schedule and register for the Technology or Business/Marketing Tracks designed to propel your business to its next plateau.

There’s nothing more frustrating for a Virtual Assistant than feeling that they’re not contributing or doing a ‘good job’ for their client.

In most cases Virtual Assistants want long-term and profitable client relationships … yet have no idea how to get there.

This happens for many reasons … but primarily it’s because Virtual Assistants have no clue what their clients really want.

This really isn’t the fault of the Virtual Assistant.  In many cases, the client has never shared what they really want and need from their VA.  They just expect it to happen.

That’s why my friends Cindy Greenway and Tina Forsyth have asked Andrea J. Lee, an Entrepreneurial Futurist, to share with you what clients really want from Virtual Assistants (and have a hard time finding).

This is one of the most important calls Cindy and Tina will host to date.  And it’s free for you to listen in.

REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE

This FREE call will be held on Tuesday April 6, 2010 at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern. To get the call-in details, go to YOUR AFFILIATE LINK and click on the popup to be taken to the opt-in box.

You may be experiencing a breakdown in your relationship with your client. You’re doing everything you can, you’re even putting in extra hours (at no extra cost to your client), yet your client has become even more difficult.

Andrea will share with you exactly why this is happening and what you can do to save or release this business relationship. Once you know what clients really want, you’ll be able to better assist them.

You don’t want to miss this … visit their registration page to hold your spot now.

Helping others get started working from home means that I get my share of questions from new online entrepreneurs.  Today is different day for me as I get to ask Karri Flatla, author of Alpha WAHM Blueprint: An Empowerment Guide for Work-at-Home Moms,  the questions.  She offered to answer three burning interview questions about her recently released book and becoming the work-at-home entrepreneur you’ve always wanted to be.  Hope you enjoy her answers to my questions below….ENJOY!

1. How do I bring my spouse on board with the idea of working from home?

This is such an important yet perhaps overlooked question women should be asking! In my book, Alpha WAHM Blueprint, I actually make a confession around this very topic; that is, I did NOT try to bring my husband on board at all in the beginning. In fact, I alienated him, and it’s only been in recent years that I’ve authentically made efforts to join forces with him (instead of forcing my vision on him).

When I first started my business in 2005 I was rebelling against the loneliness—and boredom—of staying at home with a new baby. While my husband worked hard on his own business, I winced at the thought of being “just a mom.” (Believe me, there is no such thing as “just a mom!”). But I was naïve and I wanted something to call my own again.

So I marched forward with my business plan, hardly consulting with my husband at all.

Big mistake.

What I should have done was shared my curiosities about becoming an entrepreneur and discussed how that might “look” and feel in our new and growing family.

Starting a business—especially a business from home with children around—is full of unknowns. Don’t keep your partner in the dark! Your decisions as a wife, mother and soon-to-be entrepreneur impact everyone you love in more ways than you can possibly imagine at this exciting, all-encompassing, yet-oh-so-fragile time in your life as a budding entrepreneur.

It may sound trite, but communication is king when it comes to building your marital alliances! And trust me, you’re going to need all the support you can get during this (ad)venture!

2. I keep getting distracted by domestic duties (laundry, cleaning house, etc.) when I know I should be working (the kind you get paid for). How do I avoid this?

As a Type A gal who worships “clean,” I can relate. But in my home, dirty dishes and piles of unfolded laundry have simply become a part of the domestic landscape. And guess what? The world keeps on spinning …

Seriously though, here are some tips to ensure domestic duties don’t drive you to (unprofitable) distraction:

• Clean it once and clean it well. That means if the kids get crumbs on the floor at lunchtime, resist the temptation to sweep until the little mess-makers are in bed. As long as the counters and dinner table are wiped and dirty dishes are in the sink, you’re golden.

• Contain the mess. My house felt much less chaotic when I finally removed the kids’ toys from our main floor, which is where we eat and where I work! The lion’s share of toys is now in the basement rec room, and that’s where they generally stay. Just make sure your kids know that certain areas of the house are “no-toy” zones and stick to it.

• Sometimes good enough is good enough. I don’t care if you work from home or not, being able to eat off the floors does not define you as a mother; it certainly doesn’t define your success as a WAHM. Leave a bed unmade and the clean clothes unfolded for an extra day if it means you can, uh, put that important project to bed a little sooner.

• Don’t go it alone. It amazes me how many women still shoulder domestic duties that their spouse and/or children could and SHOULD be helping with. Teach your children when they’re young to be respectful of the environment in which they live and share with others. A 5-year-old can clean up her toys at the end of the day and bring her dirty dishes to the sink. A 10-year-old can learn how to wash his own clothes and yes, even fold them too. And for goodness sakes, why are you ironing your husband’s shirts? Let the man dress himself; he did it before you came along and got by just fine. (If he didn’t always match, so what?)

3. I miss the real-time social life of an office environment. How does one still find that working from home alone?

Some women tell me that this is the one reason they’re not sure about starting a work-from-home type of business. They believe that flying solo will be lonely and even de-motivating.  Here’s the thing though: you’re only as lonely as you choose to be.

As a dyed-in-the-wool introvert who works from home, I’ve had to get out of my comfort zone (that being the computer screen) and seek out opportunities to socialize, online and offline. I have friends I meet for drinks or coffee maybe once a month here in my hometown, and it’s such a refreshing change from twitter and Facebook. Even if I think I’d rather stay home and vegetate on the couch, I put on some lipstick and head out the door anyway. Once I’m there and see a smiling face or two looking back at me, I’m so glad I made the effort. (And my husband and kids always survive a night without me!)

But I also have forged some online friendships that I cherish every bit as much as my offline ones. (Hi Tawnya!). Granted, making friends online can be a little more protracted because it takes more time to get to know someone without the face-to-face communication. However, between Skype, email and yes twitter and Facebook, I can honestly say it’s a rare occasion that I can’t “reach out and touch someone” when I feel the need.

You just have to make the effort; share some of yourself; show that you care; and be the kind of friend you want in your own life. It’s really that simple.

If you’ve not picked up Karri’s book yet, Alpha WAHM Blueprint: An Empowerment Guide for Work-at-Home Moms, I highly recommend doing so.  It’s a MUST read for anyone wanting to be that ALPHA work at home entrepreneur.

More and more women are choosing to work from home as a way to blend their professional passion, their desire for wealth AND their role as a mother.

Yet the self-help industry advises women to compartmentalize—to strive for “work-life balance” in order to achieve a sense of meaning and order in their lives. This advice leaves the modern work at home mom feeling frustrated, lonely, and confused. Why? And what can you, the work-at-home mom do about it?

Finally the guesswork’s been taken out of becoming a successful empowered Alpha WAHM (work at home mom).

Karri Flatla, author of Alpha WAHM Blueprint: An Empowerment Guide for Work-at-Home Moms, has agreed to answer three burning interview questions about her recently released book and becoming the work-at-home entrepreneur you’ve always wanted to be.

Check back here on Tuesday, February 16th for her interview at and leave a comment to enter Karri’s Comment Contest Giveaway.

The winner will receive a free copy of Karri’s eBook: 99 Web Marketing Tips and Aha! Moments to Grow Your Online Business (Rocket Science Not Included).