“Why has this blog post been so hard for me to get done?”

Here’s what I’ve come up with

• Starting my blog in general took me forever
• Where do I begin? When I began my journey or at present?
• I think I’m thinking too much!

The One Thing I’m Sure Of

I should have listened to my friend, Rebecca, two and a half years ago when she said, ‘Hey, you should do a blog about what you’re doing’ (*might be paraphrased*)

Why “Diary of a Virtual Assistant”

Most obviously, these blog posts will be more personal– a diary of sorts. I like to think of it as my verbal scrapbook.

My idea for “Diary of a Virtual Assistant” is to share my journey with anyone that wants to listen. I’d like to share how I became a VA and how my business grows. Hopefully my successes and failures will help others on their journey.

We are all in this together, so we might as well give each other a hand.

A personal advantage of blogging my journey is that I will have something to look back on as the years go by. I like that idea. In a few years time, I’d like to look back and be able to say to myself “Look at what you’ve accomplished.”

Now What

That all being said, I’m back to “Where do I begin?”

It all started on a cold snowy day back in 1978…(Just kidding, I won’t go that far back)

For now, I think I’ll answer the question…

“How did I become a VA?”

When the idea of a virtual assistant was brought up to me, it wasn’t something I was familiar with. It sounded like something I could do well and enjoy. Work from home; be my own boss; help clients from all different places– I was intrigued.

As the logical person that I am, I figured the more I learned about the VA industry the better. I put my Google search to work.

Whether you are just dipping your toes in to test the waters or jumping right into the deep end, my advice is:

            Research. Explore. Learn.

I think the single most useful resource I found was the Virtual Assistant Forums. This forum is full of excellent information and awesome people who helped me begin planning my journey into entrepreneurship. It continues to be a useful resource for me as my business grows. The awesome thing is: the more I learn, the more I become part of that resource for others! If you are interested in becoming a VA, within any niche, I highly recommend visiting this site and signing up!

My First Clients

I will be the first one to admit that I Got Lucky! My very first two clients were both referrals.

This has been both good and bad:

• Good: I got a chance early on to show my skills and begin building client relationships.
• Bad: It spoiled me!

To Sum It Up

It is hard to create something from nothing! Sometimes everything falls into place and sometimes everything just falls. I look forward to sharing each piece–where ever they may fall.

I’d love to hear from you.

~ Just getting started? Share your questions, struggles, or successes in the comments.

~ Been doing this for a while? Share your story!

I would and have recommended Porter Office Solutions as a company that can take an idea and make it really pop.

–Amy Porter: Prairie Rose Boarding Kennels

It may be putting together a new piece of furniture or installing new computer software. Today it’s adding an admin on Facebook pages.

Over the past few months I have worked with clients on their Facebook pages. Whether customizing the page or grabbing code to add to a website, the most productive way for me to work on a client’s Facebook page is to be added as a Facebook admin.

Out of 4 recent Facebook related projects:

• 2 clients were frustrated with the process
  (one ended up just giving me his log in information)
• 1 had done it before
• 1 I created new

That’s only a 50% success rate!

So, it got me to thinking (and digging around) about how I could make it easier for my clients. If what I found out is helpful for me, it might also be helpful for you. So, I thought I’d share.

Keep in mind: This is what I found worked best For Me (and worked every time I tested it).

How To Add Admins On Facebook Pages

(The Porter Office Method!)

**Note: it is important to make sure that you are on the correct part of your Facebook account, either your Profile Page or your Fan Page. You can tell which page you are on by looking at the top right of your page. The image below shows that I am using my account as “Amy Porter”, my Profile Page. Had I been using Facebook as my Fan Page, this area would say “Porter Office Solutions”.

The purple arrow shows where you can see which FB page you are using. In my case, I’m using FB as my Profile Page “Amy Porter”

Step 1:

–Add your Soon-to-be-Admin as a friend on your Profile Page.
Once this is done, the rest of the steps move along quickly.

Step 2:

–Go to your Fan Page
Check to make sure you are working as your Profile Page.

Step 3:

–Locate the admin panel above your cover photo, Click “Edit Page” and Choose “Admin Roles” from the drop down menu.

Facebook How To: Use the admin panel to add new admins on Facebook pages.

Step 4:

–Type the name of your soon-to-be admin’s user name in the text box. As you start to type a drop down of names should appear, click the name of the soon-to-be admin when you see it.

Type your soon-to-be-admin’s name in this field.

Step 5:

–Choose a role for your soon-to-be-admin

• Manager: has access to all tasks
• Content Creator: has access to all tasks except managing admin roles
• Moderator: has access to manage posts, comments, messages, ads, and insights.
• Advertiser: has access to only ads and insights
• Insights Analyst: has access to insights only

Step 6:

–Click the save button

Step 7:

–Success!

Share!

I hope this post will be useful in making life just a little less frustrating! What other Facebook tasks are frustrating for you? Share in the comments below.

I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you.

Small Business Resource # 1 : Freshbooks

What is Freshbooks?
Freshbooks is an online accounting system mostly used for time tracking and invoicing. It integrates with many other programs such as paypal, authorize.net, batch book, basecamp, and gravity forms (which I just found out and am very excited to learn about). You can get a basic account free. Other account options are available starting at just under $20/month.

Why I love Freshbooks:

• Simple time tracking
• Easy to invoice
• Links to my Paypal Account for easy client payment
• Keep notes on tasks to include on invoice
• Automagical late payment notices

Where to get Freshbooks:
You can find out more on their site: www.freshbooks.com
or you can use My Affiliate Link:

Small Business Resource # 2 : Dropbox

What is Dropbox?
Dropbox is a file sharing program. It is a quick and easy way to share, sync, and keep files safe. I use it most for large files and image files. You can get a basic plan free. Other plans are available starting at $9.00/ month.

Why I Love Dropbox:

• Easily create folders for files
• Able share folders with anyone
• Syncs all shared users
• Eliminates having to email files–one email at a time

Where to get Dropbox:
You can find out more on their website: www.dropbox.com
or use My Referral Link

Small Business Resource # 3 : Hootsuite

What is hootsuite?
Hootsuite is a social media management system. Some of the social networks that can be used include Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, and G+. You can get a basic plan for free. Other plans are available starting at $9.99/month

Why I love hootsuite:

• Manage social media account in one spot
• Easy to add accounts
• can use h
• Use Hootlet to quickly share sites
• Analytics make it easy to see what you are doing right (or fix what you’re doing wrong)

Where You Can Get Hootsuite:
You can find out more on their website: www.hootsuite.com
or you can use My Affiliate Link

Small Business Resource # 4 : Google docs

What is Google docs (Now Drive)?
Drive is among the many Google services available (Google might need to be its own post!). Drive lets you upload, create, edit, and share documents.

Why I love Google Drive:

• Easily share documents with others
• Able to do real-time edits with others
• Great place to keep “living” documents

Where you can get Google Drive:
You can find out more on their website: www.drive.google.com

Small Business Resource # 5 : Open Office

What is Open Office?
Open Office is a document creation suite much like Microsoft Office. You can create documents such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. No sign up or information is required to download the program. I don’t use this program as often as the others, but it is handy to have in my tool purse.

Why I Love Open Office:

• Able to save in whatever format client uses
• Easy to create documents

Where you can get Open Office:
You can get more information on their website: www.openoffice.org


I hope this short list of small business resources will be helpful for you (and your business). Please feel free to use the comment section below to ask any questions you might have.

Share Your Favorite Resource:

What are your favorite resource that make your life easier?

1. I’ve never done it before.
2. I’m not a writer.
3. I’m a fairly private person.
4. Who cares what I have to say.
5. What if no one reads my posts.

Get Over It Already!

These are all true. These are all issues other first time bloggers have thought. These are all issues I’m going to get over. I think my reasons for blogging are starting to out weigh my excuses not to.

Lets face it, if I didn’t try things because I’ve never done them before…I’d still be in diapers, crawling from point A to point B!

My Reasons To Blog

I think we all know the basic reasons people are blogging. Build your reputation. Site traffic. SEO. Creativity busting to get out. I agree with these reasons, but I’m looking for something more.

For me, I just feel like it is the right time to get blogging. My two biggest reasons for getting it in gear?

• As an online business it is sometimes hard to get your personality across. I’d like to make it easier for people to get to know me.
• I’ve learned a few things over the last few years of running my small business. Some of these things would be helpful for others to know. I’d like to share them with you.

What to expect

As I have learned over the past few years, things usually don’t go the way we plan. I do have a general idea of what I’d like to share with you.

• My Journey as a Virtual Assistant
• How-To’s of tasks I’ve learned along the way
• My favorite programs
• Anything that makes business life easier

So, Welcome To My Blog!

I look forward to sharing with you and getting to know you. Say “Hello” in comment box below!

Porter Office Solutions was definitely a great choice to make when building my website. They were fast, efficient, and effective, to say the least. Since my website has gone up I’ve gotten dozens of hits. Choosing Porter Office Solutions was an absolutely great decision when it came to making my website!

-Author Michael Loring: michaelloring.com

Working with Amy on our website was wonderful. She was patient with me as I was learning the new site. Amy and I communicated mostly through email and she was always professional and explained everything in detail as if she would be sitting in front of me. She took the time to give me a “how to” guide so I can refer back to it. Amy’s work on our website was always done in a timely manner. I would love to work with Amy again and would recommend her work to anyone.

–Mindy: on behalf of Mended Little Hearts

She keeps me on task, makes sure I see what I need to see, and brings organization from the chaos that is my inbox. They say we all have areas of expertise, and if I had to name Amy’s, it would be “proactive efficiency” – not only does she keep me up to date, she’s taken the time to familiarize herself with my business needs and goals and is always looking out for ways to help me meet both of those.

I would – and do – highly recommend Porter Office Solutions to anyone needing a Virtual Assistant!

-Rebecca Diamond: RebWebDesign

Amy is consistent, efficient, and very competent in every way- making her my proverbial “right arm.” In addition to typical administrative work, Amy has taken on some of my highly specific music industry tasks, allowing me to spend more time doing my “real” job- creating and performing music.

I encourage you to consider Porter Office Solutions for meeting the needs of your small business. You won’t find a more accommodating indispensable solution anywhere!

–Ginny Owens: GinnyOwens.com