I am so happy to be a Virtual Assistant…
I have just returned from my first Australian Virtual Assistant Conference and I am pumped. The conference confirmed what I already knew, I belong to a very special industry. Every person I met was open, honest, super friendly, brilliant, funny, and super smart business owners. I have never worked in an industry where so many people are willing to help and offer support. It doesn’t matter if we are in competition with each other – we are all unique!
The minute I walked into the conference I knew it was going to be special.
A warm welcome came from our MC Mariette Rups-Donnelly. I instantly felt like she was my long lost friend from another life. Her professionalism and upbeat style got the day off with a memorable start. Our first speaker rocks up in a pair of jeans and a pair of thongs. Who is this dude? Well this dude was bloody brilliant! Nick Bowditch rocked the room and for all of us social media virtual assistants we hung onto every word. Yes I got to meet someone who works for Facebook. The inside goss is that the terms and conditions of Facebook covers is about to change. So if you have more than 20% text, your phone number, address, or any call of action – you had better change it fast. Dr Nataliew Shepherd, Pam Brossman, and Terri Bell all shared some amazing advice from what type of communicator I am, what digital tools to leverage in my business, and the terms and conditions I should be using in my business.
Robyn Henderson – the networking legend took over the stage and shared some great advice on networking and LinkedIn. You’ve got to GIVE recommendations before you can expect to receive any.
I was very lucky to receive Robyn’s signed book on networking. Thank you!
The day was flying past way too quickly. We had the very lovely and positive Christine McKee teach us how to focus on each task and how to segment our day to get tasks complete. Rosie Shilo who many of us know from the Virtual Assistant world took on a very brave subject about outsourcing. I believe Australian Virtual Assistants have amazing knowledge and value to offer the Australian Business community. Each and every VA who provided support and gave their opinions – well done. I know each and everyone of us can kick some Australian Virtual Business arse!
My little stash I scored from AVAC2013
The following day started off with the amazing Donna Toothaker flying in from Canada. She shared some very powerful and critical keys for us to move from hourly based to value based business. This week I will be moving Virtually Organised to packages. I know you will love them.
Risk Management and Threat Assessment has a new meaning. Thank you Phil O’Brien for your great tips. I now have a can of fly spray on my desk. Charly Leetham was the next speaker and boy does she know her stuff. She is the guru of gurus for anything WordPress. I have added Yoast and will be adding my privacy policy soon. Did you know that you should only use your keyword 3 times in every 100 words?
The day flew past just as fast yesterday with Marianne Broeng talking about CRMs, Elissa Farrow explaining project management and Dana Skopal providing tips on time management and how to get the right balance. I missed the last speaker due to the long drive home but I bet it would have been just as good as the rest.
I would love to take this chance to thank everyone who made the 2 days a very successful conference.
I know I have made lots of new friends including ones who sneeze, ones who live far away, ones who have been in the industry for a long time, and all the newbies.
I can’t wait to see you all in 2014!
I also think we are a pretty good looking bunch of women. Thanks for the photo Kathie Thomas.
Jodie