Posts Tagged ‘ virtual assistants ’

Ten Tax Tips for Virtual Assistants

January 15, 2011

Virtual assistants are independent contractors, which means they have to handle their own taxes. This may seem like a daunting task but it’s not too difficult if you’re organized. Here are a few tax tips for virtual assistants. 1. Keep all of your receipts. As a virtual assistant working from home, there is a good chance you will have a few deductions when you do your taxes. Don’t throw away any receipts for any business-related expenses. 2. Document everything. You should always make sure anything related to the exchange of money is documented. Get everything in writing and keep meticulous records of all the money spent and earned through your business. 3. Use software. It is a good idea to use software to track all of your financial transactions related to business. Quicken and other personal finance software can help avoid accounting headaches and keep running totals handy. 4. Take advantage of home office tax deductions. If you work from home, you may be eligible for a home office tax deduction. You can deduct expenses such as office furniture and your computer if they are used for your business. 5. Obtain an EIN. An EIN, or employee identification number, serves

How to network effectively

October 18, 2010

Networking is a beneficial way to gain new clients for your virtual assistant business. It may seem daunting to speak to people you just met about your services, but it can be highly effective in educating others on what you can do for them. If you never tell anyone about what you do, they won’t know! So you have to tell people! Online Join forums for virtual assistants and other occupations of those that work at home. This will allow to you learn more about the business you are in. Many people love to speak with those that are in similar lines of work. They congregate on these sites to share advice, information, and opinions. You can also gain clients in this way, as they will sometimes visit these communities to outsource projects. Offline Let people offline know about the services you offer. Just because virtual assistants work primarily online does not mean local business cannot use your services. Many do not currently have a web presence, and you can help change that by maintaining a site for them. Many local business owners wish they had someone to do miscellaneous office tasks, but may not realize that virtual assistants even

Tax Mama Did It Again!

September 21, 2010

Keep READING for important Announcement & Invitation to a Webinar by Tax Mama! Hey I know you don’t like the topic of taxes, but when you run your own business they are very important. First of all you don’t want to follow bad advice, secondly you don’t want to pay more than you are legally required to pay. I highly recommend and suggest that you get in line to purchase Tax Mama’s, Eva Rosenberg’s newest book: Her handy checklists at the beginning of each chapter lets you know whether you need to read that chapter, and then exactly what to do to organize yourself so that you don’t miss anything. You’ll be less afraid of an audit, and you’ll know how to do things the right way, the legal way, and the way the IRS wants you to do them. So get in line, get this book! You won’t be sorry. OH and guess what… Tax Mama is giving us a VERY SPECIAL class. You can invite your friends, even if they’re not a VA this will be relevant to most service providers. This is NOT an affiliate link. She’s just agreed to a cut rate and I wanted to

Different Ways for Virtual Assistants to Accept Payments

September 20, 2010

When it comes to running a virtual assistant business, you will have to determine which methods you want to utilize to accept payments. Since most of the work will be done remotely, it would be wise to offer methods that allow you to get paid remotely as well, via the Internet. However, some companies still prefer to do business with old school ways, and may not work with you if you do not have a payment method that they prefer. In the end, it is up to you to choose how to accept payments for your services. Checks Once a common method of payment, receiving checks in the mail is considered outdated by some. Some virtual assistants still offer this payment method to their clients. The downside is that you may have to wait up to a week to receive the check once it has been mailed by the company paying you. There may be additional waiting time if the check is for a larger amount that will take time to clear you bank. Checks also come with the possibility that they will bounce, leaving you unpaid for the work completed. However, with checks you avoid high PayPal fees and

Ten Tools for Virtual Assistants

September 17, 2010

There are many tools available to simplify the work of virtual assistants. Here are a few clever tools that can help you to save time and work more efficiently. 1. Skype. Skype enables you to make and receive phone calls through your computer. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your clients without racking up a big phone bill. The service is free but for a fee you can get a local phone number to use as your business number. Calls can be forwarded to your cell phone when you’re not in front of the computer. 2. Microsoft Outlook. Outlook makes sending, receiving, and organizing mail effortless. It also has a calendar feature that offers reminders at set times. It also helps you organize your contact list. 3. WordPress. WordPress is a fast and easy platform for publishing to websites. You can set up your own personal website to promote your business without any knowledge of computer programming using WordPress. 4. MyFax. MyFax is a service that lets you send and receive faxes through email. There is a small monthly service fee but many virtual assistants find it to be cheaper than purchasing a fax machine and taking