Leslie Auman

Editor and Teacher-Author

How I Converted Clients to Retainer Packages

Retainer Packages | Virtual Assistant | Service-Based Business | Are you a service-based business owner looking to uplevel? One way you can do that is by switching to monthly retainer packages. Not sure what a retainer package is? This post explains that and provides information on how a virtual assistant, for example, can transition clients to this new pricing structure. Plus, there are FREE email scripts included as a download! Click through to read this post.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been about a year-and-a-half since I started working from home full-time, running my virtual assistant business as my main focus and source of income. That was back in September of 2016, and I spent several weeks crunching the numbers and thinking about how best to make that happen. Prior to working from home full-time, my virtual assistant business was run on simple straight hourly work, with a flat rate for all services. But, part of my plan to be able to work from home included switching from straight hourly to monthly retainer packages.

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5 Online Business Tools You Need

Online Business Tools | Solopreneur | Business Owner | Make running your business go more smoothly by utilizing a few online business tools that will make your systems easier. This blog post shares five online business tools this solopreneur uses to effectively run her business, so click through to read the full post.

I don’t think you need me to tell you that running a business is hard work. Like, really hard. It’s always hard, but I think it’s especially hard when you’re a solopreneur like me, because you have no one to fall back on, no one to swoop in when you can’t get to something, and no one to tell you you’re doing a good job. With all of that in mind, it’s important to make things easier when and where you can, which is why online business tools are so important.

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How Do I Become a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual Assistant | Virtual Assistance | Virtual Assisting | Have you been wondering how you can become a virtual assistant? This blog post is for you! I share several steps you need to think through and plan for in order to start a virtual assistant business. Click through to read the post in full!

I was just recently asked about this (again), so it seems like a timely post to write! I started my virtual assistant business in August of 2015, after my online acquaintance Meg Bateman commented on my post in a Facebook group I was in (for food bloggers) and told me to consider it. I grew my business part-time on the side while I worked a full-time job, and then, in September of 2016, I made the leap and started working from home full-time with my VA business as my main source of income. I’ve been fortunate enough to be doing that ever since!

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3 Things a Virtual Assistant Is Not

Virtual Assistant | Virtual Assistance | Virtual Assisting | A virtual assistant can do many things, but there are some things that a virtual assistant is not. Click through to read about some things that a VA isn't in order to better understand and work with your VA.

I’ve been a virtual assistant for the Teachers Pay Teachers niche for over two years now. I launched my business in August of 2015, and since then, I’ve learned quite a bit about what types of services I enjoy doing and am willing to offer clients and which services are not my cup of tea. There’s an interesting dynamic between Teacher-Sellers and virtual assistants, because there have been, unfortunately, a couple of virtual assistants who took advantage of Teacher-Sellers in the past and who used their position to steal money from clients without providing the agreed-upon services. As you can imagine, this has caused a certain degree of strain between Teacher-Sellers and VAs in this niche. I’ve done my best to try to remedy that over the last couple of years, but I still see some of that tension coming out in the demands that some clients make upon their VAs. That’s why I’ve decided to write this post – to try to educate a little more about what a client can reasonably expect of their VA versus a few things they shouldn’t.

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Virtual Assistants Are Business Owners, Too

Virtual Assistant | Virtual Assistance | Virtual Assisting | The next time you're looking to hire a virtual assistant, keep in mind that he or she is a business owner, too. I've found that virtual assistants are often written off as people with few skills who are barely worth minimum wage, and I've found that to be largely untrue--not only because I'm highly educated and trained but also because other virtual assistants I know are, too. So remember: Virtual assistants are business owners, too.

I want to start this post by saying that I come in peace. Really, I do. I want to strengthen the relationships between virtual assistants and clients, and that’s my motivation behind writing posts like this one.

But it drives me a little crazy when I see bloggers and other entrepreneurs and business owners talking badly about virtual assistants. I don’t mean in the sense of, “This virtual assistant took my money and didn’t complete the job.” They’re justified in…spreading awareness, let’s say, about that VA’s unethical handling of their working agreement. What I’m referring to is when people make claims that VAs are “just” stay-at-home or work-from-home moms and imply that they don’t have any real skills.

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© Leslie Auman, LLC 2016-Present. Photography by PAW Prints by Patti Wojtowecz. All photographs taken at Picnik Austin.

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About Leslie

I’m Leslie, a former middle school teacher turned editor and Teacher-Author. I’m here to help female entrepreneurs improve their writing and to help teachers around the world save time on lesson planning. I’m glad you’re here!

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