CBC Radio Interview

I was interviewed today for the morning program for CBC Prince Edward Island. The interviewer, Mitch Cormier, asked me a lot of questions about the Virtual Assistant industry and about my practice. Even though I was nervous, he said it would sound great on air. My business name and website will be noted and hopefully the interview will be available online.

If you want to listen for it go to CBC Radio One PEI between 6a.m. and 8:30a.m.AST (5a.m.-7:30a.m.EST). It will either be on tomorrow or Monday.

All of this came about due to my press release (see earlier post). Mitch Cormier picked it up through a Google alert. So get your press releases out there. If you need help, get in touch and we can work on a press release that will get you noticed.

My First Press Release

The following is my first ever press release:
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Virtual Assistants In The News
The Virtual Assistant industry is catching the eye of the national media.

The Virtual Assistant industry is being highlighted in the national media once again. In the May issue of Reader's Digest, an article on ways to make extra money states, "If you've got word processing, transcription, bookkeeping, public relations or website design skills, you may want to try life as a virtual assistant." The article goes on to quote VA and author, Diana Ennen whose book, "Virtual Assistant -The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA", is a must-have manual for every Virtual Assistant.

In an upcoming episode of the "Today Show", another VA will be featured. A film crew will follow her through a "typical day" in the life of a Virtual Assistant.


"The Virtual Assistant industry is growing rapidly and having it noticed by the press will only help its growth. People will learn what a VA is and either want to become one or hire one."


The Virtual Assistant industry has been featured in national publications in the past. TIME, Businessweek, The Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today have all published articles about Virtual Assistants.


According to Darrell Williams, owner of Right-Hand-Man Virtual Assistant Services, "The more exposure the Virtual Assistant industry gets, the better. Explaining the concept of a VA to potential clients is half the battle. National press exposure makes this so much easier."


For more information on Virtual Assistants and what they can do for you, visit www.righthandmanva.com.

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Virtual Assistant Articles.

I've looked through the Internet and found a few articles about
Virtual Assistant's
published in magazines and newspapers.
Here are the links:

READER'S DIGEST
TIME
BUSINESSWEEK
MY BUSINESS MAG
IQ
MOTTO
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
USA TODAY
ENTREPRENEUR

I will search for more and post the links here when I find them. If you know of anymore, especially from outside of North America, please add a comment with the link included.

You're a Virtual Assistant? What's That?

When I tell people that I am a Virtual Assistant, they look at me like I have 2 heads. I then try to explain that a Virtual Assistant is like an Administrative Assistant working from home. Then they kind of snicker.
I am trying not to say "work at home". When people hear this they think of someone sitting in their pajamas, watching the soaps, and working at the same time. Now this may be true of some people, I am pretty sure it is not the norm. When I work at home I still have to get up and get dressed and go to work. I just don't have as far to go.
The next question they have is, "Well, what exactly do you do?" This is where I have the most problem. I tell them that the clients I have had in the past have had me doing everything from formatting books for printing to sending e-mails. Some people still don't get it. They seem to have in their minds a picture of Homer Simpson from the episode where he gained so much weight that he HAD to stay home and work.

Well, I am still working on my "definition" of a Virtual Assistant that I can quickly and easily give to people when I want them to understand what I do. It's great the industry is getting coverage in magazines such as "Reader's Digest", in newspapers and TV news. It will definitely make it easier to explain as people become more aware of what a Virtual Assistant is.

New Website is NOW HERE!

I finally have my new website up and running. You can find it at www.righthandmanva.com I will still be blogging here, but it will become more of a resource blog for VA's and their clients.

Don't forget about the OIVAC Podcasting/Blog Tour! It's stopping here on April 28.