Interview with VA – Tracey Lawton

Tracey Lawton is one of our own VAs that posts regularly on the yahoo site. She has some great insights to share about the VA aspects of coaching. I hope you enjoy learning about Tracey as much as I have.

I reviewed your website and subscribed for the free report, very nice on both counts. Did you start your web presence with a one-page website as you have now? No, my main website has always been traceylawton.com. The one page site only came about very recently as I started to develop my niche further and plan on how I wanted to grow my business.

Please talk about how you developed and maintain your web presence. It started off with traceylawton.com and I now have several one-page websites; one for the ezine sign up and two for my two main products:

The Complete Office Organization System – www.completeofficeorganizationsystem.com

The Complete Article Tracking Toolkit – www.completearticletrackingtoolkit.com

I’m also about to launch a third site for my fixed-term membership program, which will be coming later in the year (September 2008).

I only do basic SEO on my sites, but I do make sure that I have the title, description and keyword tags all correct for each page, and then make sure that all pages are linked so that a search engine spider can follow all the links through. For example, even though on my ezine sign up page the only thing you can do is sign up to my ezine, you can get to this page from my blog, which in turn is linked to my website.

What were your first steps in establishing your coaching practice? It evolved as my business developed. For about the first five years I was providing solely one-on-one virtual assistant support to clients, and then got to the stage as my list grew bigger and my ezine was on a regular publishing schedule that clients were coming to me saying that they didn’t necessarily want to partner with me as their VA but they would love some one-on-one time with me to talk about running their businesses, and it just grew from that. From there I started to put info products together, and the coaching side of my business grew too. I have always loved teaching and interacting with people, so this is now forming the main part of my business.

What are some of the more common tasks/projects you perform for coaches? I am very specific in that I’ll only work with coaches who are looking to develop a multiple streams of income business, so therefore they need autoresponder support, shopping cart support, website updates etc.

Tell me about some of the more creative (or unusual) projects you’ve worked on. I’m currently working on a membership site for one client; I’m getting this all set up for them and will be their membership co-ordinator, and I’ve also managed one client’s affiliate program. I love working on both of these projects because it’s providing me with new challenges and I’m constantly learning about the world of internet marketing!

What are some questions a coach should a coach ask when interviewing a VA? Before they approach a VA a coach should know where they need the support and what skill set they are looking for in a VA. So, when it comes to having their initial consultation with a VA they already know what they are looking for and are checking to see that the VA’s skill set, experience and knowledge matches that criteria.

How do VAs normally charge for services? Monthly, by project, hourly? Each VA practice is different and you will find that all three pricing structures are present within the VA industry. Personally I only work with clients on a monthly retainer basis.

If a coach wants to “test drive” a VA what are some projects you would recommend starting with as a way of realizing a VA’s abilities? I really don’t think this is a good approach to take. If a coach has done their due diligence (see question previously on what coaches should ask a VA), then there will be no need to undertake any kind of a “test drive”. When a coach approaches a VA it is generally common practice for the VA to offer an initial complimentary client consultation. This is a two-way street where the VA is checking to make sure that the coach is a good fit for their business, and vice versa.

What do you find most challenging about your field? That the VA profession is seen as a professional industry in the same way that Attorneys and CPAs are viewed. There are a lot of misconceptions around that ‘anyone’ can do admin work, which simply isn’t true. A true virtual assistant will be looking to partner with their client and will want their client’s business to succeed as much as they want their own business to succeed. We will have many years’ administrative experience and knowledge at a high level within organizations (I personally have over 20 years administrative experience), and can therefore guide and support our clients on the best ways to organize and run their businesses, thereby creating long-term successful businesses for them.

What are some pitfalls that other solo-preneurs should be on the lookout for, and how can they be avoided? I think the biggest pitfall is not staying focused. There is so much information out there for solopreneurs that it is easy to become distracted and sign up for the latest program or product. What you need to do is decide what you want from your business, how you want it to grow, and stay focused on achieving those goals. This also leads to time management issues – before you know it you could have wasted an entire morning just reading all your emails, newsletters, latest ‘hot’ product info etc.

What would you say is the one most important thing you’ve learned being an entrepreneur? That it is up to me how I run my business and to stick with the standards I have set for my business, even if it means turning away paid work because that client would not be a good fit for me or my business.

We all have slow/down days, how do you self motivate? I actually take myself right away from my office and stop thinking about it all for a while. Then when I come back I usually come back to my business in a totally different frame of mind – it works every time!

Have you ever hired a coach or VA yourself? If so, what did you discover? Never hired a VA, but I have worked with a coach. It made me realize that if you are to grow your business you absolutely need to work with a coach as they will provide you with direction, and give you the motivation, encouragement, and confidence to do what it is you need to do to take your business to the next level.

What have you discovered to be great time savers? Time wasters? Time savers – systems, systems, systems! Time wasters – not having a system! That may sound a bit clichéd but it is absolutely true. When you don’t have systems in place you very quickly become overwhelmed and frustrated as you don’t know what to do first, where to go next etc. Having systems in place takes away all the overwhelm and frustration, you mind becomes clearer, and it is much easier to work on your business and those all-important income-generating activities.

What do you want potential clients to know about you professionally? That I am the office organization expert for solopreneurs!

and personally? That I am a mom and run my business from my home office, so have a lot in common with a large majority of solo business owners. Generally we do what we do because we want to create a better work-life-family balance, with the emphasis being on the family.

What sustains you personally? My family.

Who are your supports? My family, and I am a member of a few different online networking forums which support me in my business.

Kim Woodworth, M.A, is a Parent Coach working specifically with parents and the unique issues they face. Do you want to have more energy for yourself, your spouse, and your children; and to experience fulfillment in your role as a parent? Contact Kim to discuss the possibilities. http://www.ourcasa.com/