Important Details New Virtual Assistants Should Remember

A few things you need to keep in mind before embarking on your Work from Home adventure as a Virtual Assistant:


1. Make sure you have an iron-clad contract.
2. Research about your future employer, his or her company and the people you'll be working with.
3. Be prepared for anything and never be afraid to try new stuff. Click away, your computer won't explode. I'm kidding. You have to exercise some caution, of course. But most of the time you have more fun when you get over your fear of clicking buttons. Plus you learn so much neat info that way.
4. Harness your communication skills. Seriously! This refers to both written and spoken English or whatever language you use to communicate with your client(s).
5. Learn about new software by research and practice. Tutorials are cool and FAQs are useful but nothing beats getting down and dirty with your chosen software. Sounds naughty, I know, but at the end of the day, we all learn best by applying what we have read, seen or heard. Isn't technology amazing?


The rest, I leave up to you. If you would like to learn more about VA work and how to become one, I strongly urge you to get mentors. Join us on Facebook and equip yourself with the necessary skills. Welcome to the bright side!

VA Online Seminar & Think Rich Quick Seminar

Mr. Jomar Hilario will be here in Cebu to talk in the first Think Rich Quick seminar on Jan 29-30,2011 (Sat/Sun) (He'll be moving the Manila VA seminar to Feb 5, the next Saturday).

This seminar is identical to the one we held in Manila last year and it's for you:

1. If you're wanting to invest in real estate, but are AFRAID to.

2. If you want to learn more about property online marketing and want more ideas how to do it. This is for you.

3. If you want to be SURROUNDED by successful people and learn HOW THEY THINK. This is for you.

4. Yes, it's not just for real estate minded people, but for success minded people.

5. John Calub will be explaining how you can be a Money Magnet.

6. You'll be learning REALLY new ways to promote properties online.

7. Trace Trajano will be showing you how to invest, buy and sell properties.

8. Trace Trajano will also teach you how to raise money INSTANTLY - in the seminar itself.

So if you're keen on learning from 3 different mentors - and you'll make it a point to be in Cebu- click here to get your seat.(Venue at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City)

After that, I'll be holding a SEPARATE "How to Work From Home as a Virtual Assistant" seminar - tentatively Tue, Feb 1,2011 also in Cebu. It's a whole day VA event so SET YOUR LEAVES NOW.

Now live a marvelous life and see you in Cebu.

Jomar Hilario

P.S. Forward this to Visayas and Mindanao based friends who think like you do (they love success, too). I will not be holding other events in other cities so this is their only chance - come to Cebu, tell them please.

P.S. The Manila VA seminar on Jan 29 is moved to Feb 5,2011, the next saturday- please take note.Get tickets here.

P.S. Speaking of VA, we'll have a VA online tomorrow to answer your questions. Ask your questions here.  And 8pm-930pm tomorrow, Tue, I and the Virtual Assistant will answer them. This is open to those who availed of the VA seminar both live or downloadable. This will help you get inspired to work at home and to pursue the VA career.

Check your emails now for the details on how to access the Q and A (questions and answer) session tomorrow. Reply to me if you did attend a VA event but didn't receive the website details to access the Q and A.

Do You Want to Work From Home?

Well, a lot of us say "yes" when people ask, "Do you want work from home?"

We all think it’s some kind of fantasy (that's impossible) or it's heaven (I wish...).

If you're wondering about the details like what to expect, how much can you earn, and want to know more about how you can do this "work at home gig" then meet one of my favorite mentors.

Listen to the "work at home" expert Jomar Hilario as he trains you on how you can start making steps to leaving your stressful work at the office and just staying in your bedroom all day ... while earning!

Click here to know more.

Here’s the thing, you have two options. You can either attend the VA seminar or you can join the ONLINE version of the seminar.

To find out more about this amazing opportunity, don’t forget to Click here

Try it out. It’s about time you spent more time at home. Make your dreams come true and still have more time to bond with your family!

25 Reasons Why I Love Working From Home

25 Reasons Why I Love Working From Home:

1. I get to spend more time and share meals with my family.

2. Everything I need is right within reach; this makes my workday very easy to handle.

3. I don’t have to wake up too early, get dressed and deal with traffic to get to my workplace.

4. I learn more without getting bored because I can vary my tasks and juggle them all day long.

5. I can choose my clients and am actually working for the most generous client I’ve ever met.

6. I work with professionals who are focused on business and less on personal/office politics.

7. I am a subcontractor for a company made up of professional yet gentle leaders who take good care of me and are constantly working to make sure that we have the best work system.

8. I can go walking, go to church and generally do what I want after work without wasting time going home from the office.

9. When it rains, I’m happy I’m indoors and safe and don’t have to go anywhere!

10. I have come to appreciate the value of integrity, transparency, professionalism, dedication, and am learning how to think like an entrepreneur.

11. I learn new things every single day and you get over your fear of clicking a button or opening a website and generally get comfortable trying new things.

12. I get to spend time on my own blogs after work and actually apply what I am learning from my daily work routine.

13. I am growing as a person and as a professional and have become better at multi-tasking.

14. I am becoming a better content & SEO writer, virtual assistant, task and people manager.

15. I am constantly bombarded by internet marketing and copywriting lessons and I love it!

16. Work is so much fun! No hassle, no worries, no politics!

17. I am right where I want to be – working from home.

18. Working from home is awesome because you learn the value of discipline and avoiding distractions and interruptions.

19. I now have a better understanding of the value of time and task management and having a system that works.

20. I am now more flexible, better at juggling tasks and more detail-oriented. Reports are my friend and my love for analyzing things is very useful.

21. Working from home has made me realize that perfectionism is both a weakness and strength; I just had to draw the fine line between the two.

22. I can define my limits, set attainable goals, while still working independently.

23. Working under less supervision has a whole new meaning when you work from home.

24. I get to learn using so many tools – videos, flowcharts, PowerPoint presentations, Google docs, new and advanced software, iTunes podcasts and so much more. I am also learning about Internet Marketing and SEO, which I can apply on my own ventures.

25. At the end of my workday, I can just log out, turn off my computer or turn on my music player and bond with my family or commune with nature. No commute, no traffic, no pollution, less stress.

So there you go. This is the best job I’ve ever had which is why I am so grateful. In my opinion, it's best to find mentors, people who are willing to share what they have learned with you. Find out how you can work from home wherever you are.

If you would like to learn more about Internet Marketing and being a Virtual Assistant, you should visit Jomar Hilario's blogs. He's the Internet Marketing guru and go-to guide for Filipinos who are serious about becoming entrepreneurs and working from home. He also offers lessons about becoming a Virtual Assistants and Social Marketing.

P.S. Jomar Hilario is actually giving a 50% discount for his one-year online mentoring club. I suggest you check it out if you wish to be successful at this. He'll check your work and guide you for one whole year. How cool is that?

P.S. 2 Don't worry, this is no s-c-*a-m. I know the guy. He’s very good at what he does and you’ll learn how to work from home without leaving your comfort zone. You’ll learn what your strengths are and how you can capitalize on them so that you can work from home too. Read and judge for yourself. Click here.

Lessons In Humility -- A Day In The Life Of A VA-Writer

Working on websites all day can be so much fun. Most of the time, it doesn't even feel like work. It's like surfing the net all day, reading about interesting stuff, learning new things and trying out new stuff. These are the perks that come with being a Virtual Assistant-Writer. Well, my previous contracts used to say Content Writer but now that VA work has become in demand, I've decided to grow and go with the flow.

Yes, being a VA-Writer is so much fun but a warning for those who would like to try it -- never do anything before reading the manual -- online or otherwise. You can watch video tutorials or read the actual rules and policies of what you need to do but one thing that I will always hold close to my heart and mind is this -- our learning curve is dependent on a few things, one of them is the willingness to try new things and the other is the determination to succeed at it. And that could mean a whole lot of research. This is not to discourage anyone, far from it. I just want to write this down in case I forget this golden rule myself.

Even the key to writing great, credible content is research, research, research. Remember when real estate agents said it was about location, location, location? Well for us VA-Writers, it's all about research. You can try as many ways to use new software or install a plugin or two into a website but at the end of the day, not knowing what we're doing could be stressful. I learned this the hard way. The up-side? I just got glowing remarks from my client for a quick turnaround -- conducting an evaluation about our project and writing a report about it. Sure, it was hard work but at the end of the day, knowing that you finally nailed it is such a great feeling. It's too bad it rained today cuz I was oh so ready to head off to church today and give thanks to God for making all things possible.

This is one of the reasons why I so love working from home. Even though it can get lonely at times being cooped up in my room, staring at my computer for hours on end, I just love the fact that at the end of the day, I can just "step away from the computer" and do my thing. Spend time with my family, go to church, go walking around our neighborhood, pay our nearby grocery shop a visit and buy V-cut. lol. Private joke between me and my uncle and aunty. But yeah, I so enjoy working from home because I don't have to waste time, effort and money on travel, I get to share home cooked meals with my family (I don't usually cook but I intend to start soon).

But then, I digress. I just wanted to share this lesson which I learned the hard way -- not doing your research can be harmful even to your own health. The best part about my work is that even though it's not my business, I feel like such a part of our "family." Also, I learn to think on my feet, because no one else is here to do that for me. Yes, I still ask a lot of questions and I keep hoping my client and teammates don't get irritated but that's my way of learning. I love sharing ideas with others and hearing their input on the things we do on a daily basis. Plus, as each system is set up then redesigned, our workflow improves by leaps and bounds. We actually see results.

One more thing I learned, which I should have done in the first place, is not to read every single email that comes along. It can be taxing trying to keep up of who sent what and where this email came from and whatever else happens, at the end of the day, keeping your focus on the task at hand brings you the greatest feeling. Doing things one step at a time does pay. And it's the best way to get things done.

I'm currently using a system where I prepare a Things To Do the day before, then review it in the morning and send it to my client, then do one task at a time, crossing each one off as I go along. Then if I have some pending tasks, it goes into the next day's list, and so on and so forth. So yeah, now I have a system that I'm really happy with. It works for me and I intend to develop this and try to share new tips each day, if I'm not too tired. For now, my eyes are a bit droopy so I'll bid you Ciao until next time! God bless us all! :)

I Received An Inspiring Message in My Inbox

Dear Misty,

As you know there's an upcoming Webinar (online live question and answer) on November 3,2010. Wednesday in the evening. Who can attend? Those who attended the online VA seminar (they did it by downloading the materials) and those who will attend the Oct 29/this friday seminar.

In that webinar our guest is from CEBU, a VA and here's her ENTIRE SUCESS STORY for you to read up and hopefully be inspired to take the steps she took.

See you online or on FRIDAY.

Now live a marvelous life,

Jomar Hilario

P.S. Click here to read up on an actual Virtual Assistant's story.

P.P.S. Click here for more information.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Working From Home

10 Things You Didn't Know About Working From Home:


1. You'll suddenly realize that housewives are totally busy people -with hardly any breaks.
2. You'll be challenged not to work because your cute baby is staring at you, saying "play!".
3. You'll be asked constantly, "What do you want to eat today" by your spouse.
4. If you're not careful, that DVD collection will be your #1 distraction from work.
5. You don't remember when was the last time you took a bath/shaved.
6. You're suddenly more interested in nice looking shorts and pajamas in the mall.
7. Your cellphone isn't getting much use unlike before.
8. When you walk to the neighborhood park, pool, all you see are yayas and their wards.
9. When it rains, you're happy you're indoors and won't be going anywhere!
10. In the hot months, you're happy that you can afford an aircon for your room!
-Jomarhilario.com


So there it is --the honest good and bad.  Find out how you can work from your nice bahay --even if you're already abroad.


Kristina A. Godinez


P.S. Don't worry, this is no s-c-*a-m. I know the guy. Read and judge for yourself.