For those of you who haven’t noticed, I am taking a break for a month or two.  My health conditions have been lacking lately, and it’s difficult for me to keep up with things as I once did.  Also losing my health insurance last year and now being basically “uninsurable” is taking its toll on my finances due to all of my medical conditions.

I am also going back to work full time next week–not for the money, because I’m actually taking a pay cut.  But for the health insurance.  The company offers some coverage for some of my pre-existing conditions and it will cover anything new diagnosed.  So that’s better than nothing.

I am keeping some of my current clients on part time while I work full time, but at this time I will not be taking on any new clients while I recover and get better.  I will post again once I am taking new clients on a part time basis.

I wish you all well.

Do you have an ezine or newsletter you email out to your client base?   If you’re marketing online, it’s one of those things that you simply MUST have.  But are you getting the most out of your subscription list and ezine?

Here are some tips to help you with your ezine:

• Make sure you are sending at least twice a month if not more often.  Monthly ezines don’t cut it in today’s competitive world anymore.
• Make sure you are keeping your ezines filled with short articles but filled with useful information.  Long ezines make your readers wander, and not enough content will cause them to not trust you.
• Make sure your ezine carries over your brand from your website.  If your ezine looks nothing like your website or other products, it will be hard for them to relate you to your own site and products!
• Use images in your ezine (even free clip art!) to help bring your stories to life.  Just like with blogs, studies have shown that articles with images make a stronger impression on readers.

If you need someone to help you send your ezine to your list, format your ezine each time you send it, and/or design your ezine template in html, then contact me today to see how I can help you as your virtual assistant.

I am experienced with sending ezines and newsletters in a variety of software and services including aWeber, Constant Contact, 1ShoppingCart (and all its other names), WebValence, and Full Partner.

Is your website not enough for your business?  Do you need something that makes you feel and seem more real to your visitors?  A blog is the best way to go to bring a personal touch to your business without spending tons of time reaching out to people individually. 

Since I have set up blogs for myself as well as several of my clients now, I want to officially offer this service to those in need.  You can choose from four packages to fit your need and budget. 

Check out today what I can do for your blog!

How much time are you spending adding things to your shopping cart, setting up autoresponders for your products and programs, or dealing with small email customer service request issues?

If you are doing any of these things for your own business, you are wasting too much of your most valuable resource–time!

And when you run your own business, time is money.

How much do you make an hour? It’s probably much more than the $25 or less (if you go retainer) per hour that I’m offering to take those items off your plate for you.

It’s not about control. It’s not about your capabilities. It’s about doing what makes sense for the future of your business.

Contact me today to see how I can help you master your own time as your virtual assistant.

I’ve been helping many offices go paperless in 2008, and you could be one of them!  Having a paperless office is a relief of time, space, and money.  Not to mention that when all of your files are stored (and backed up!) electronically, you can search for and find them more easily.

I can scan all your paperwork in for you and set up a great filing system to help you find those papers.  Also, I have several recommendations for GREAT backup services where you can backup your files to a service in the event that something goes wrong with your PC, CD, DVD, or wherever else you’re storing your documents at your office.

Email me today for my special “Going Paperless in 2008″ rates that are a huge savings off the cost of my typical scanning services based on the volume of papers you want converted.  I can convert your documents to PDF, DOC, JPG, PNG, TIF, GIF, XLS and more.

Be rid of clutter and be paperless! 

The question I get asked most often by prospective clients is, “What tasks can you do to relieve from my plate?” Well, I know my website is pretty comprehensive with its listing, but sometimes people do better to see it all listed in bullet style without details. So here if you’re overwhelmed, look and see what I can do for you:

General Secretarial
Travel Arrangements
Email Customer Service
Calendar Maintenance/Reminders
Digital Transcription Services
Resume Updates/Preparation

Online/Internet Businesses
Shopping Cart Setup
Shopping Cart Management
Autoresponder Setup
Autoresponder Management

Bookkeeping
Recurring Billing/AR
Bill Paying/AP
Bookkeeping (recording only) in QuickBooks Pro 2008
Light Collections (Mailings/Calls)
Purchasing (software, online services, products, membership renewals, etc.)
Payroll (ADP)

Documents
Document Conversion (,example: PDF to Word)
Document Scanning
Document Creation (Forms, Flyers, etc.)

Marketing
Website Updates & New Pages
Post Blog Entries
Newsleter/Ezine Preparation & Distribution
Blog Setup/Customization
Article Submission

Managerial
Manage a Virtual Team (supervisory)
Manage a Membership Program

So call or email me today and find some relief from the tasks you don’t need to be doing! heather@theathomesecretary.com or 678-621-0354.  If you mention this blog, you’ll get 5% off your first invoice (if non-retainer) or 10% off your first month’s retainer!

Well, I’ve finally completed the development of my new 12-month training program for virtual assistants who are wanting to start or emerge their VA business.  AND I’ve made it more affordable than any other VA training program on the market!

What does that mean for you?

1. Tons of rich information and worksheets and goal sheets that include tasks to help you build and expand your VA business.
2. Access to lesson material via PDF and MP3.  You can download the MP3 files and listen to them on your iPod or burn them to a CD to listen to in a car.
3. Live Sessions - One live Q&A Call each month and one live Online Lesson Chat each month with full transcript (and MP3 of the Q&A Call) provided.
4. Access to a private members only forum where you can network and get support from other people in the same stage as you!
5. Access to handy files that will help and enhance your VA business.
6. Discounts on all Secretaries on Demand products and services (with the exception of the membership fee).
7. Free bonuses and surprises throughout the year.

There are two levels to my new Moving Toward Success Program–Basic and Platinum.  The Basic includes all of the above, and the Platinum adds on private coaching each month with Heather McMillan!

For the first month of the program’s release, I am letting people sign up at special introductory prices that will remain with them for the duration of the program.

If you sign up right now–it’s $24.95 per month for Basic membership and an amazing $44.95 for Platinum membership.

Clients who sign up for this program after May 25 will be required to pay $29.95 per month for Basic membership and $79.95 for Platinum membership. 

URGENT!  Registration will close completely at all price levels once we get to 200 members, so that I can serve everyone in the program.

So register now!

You are overworked!  And you want to have time to enjoy the nicer weather that Spring can bring.  You need to delegate some tasks to a virtual assistant!  And I’m here to take those tasks from you so you can find that delicate balance between work and family or work and leisure.

I have some great retainer packages available on my website.  So check those out, and then give me a call or an email to get my contract and start delegating today.

Here’s a summary of some of the services that I provide:

• WordPress Blog (posting supplied content, customizing existing themes, setting up initial blog on your server, adding SEO plugins and registering for Feedburner.)
• Aweber administration (from signup boxes including complex ones with options to setting up your autoresponder programs where you provide the content)
• Constant Contact administration (using and customizing their templates to creating one from scratch with your already existing web page/web theme and more)
• 1ShoppingCart administration - I use it myself and I have four clients that I also use their 1SC accounts.
• QuickBooks Bookkeeping - Let me keep track of keying in all your expenses and income and running your monthly reports!  I have QuickBooks Pro 2008 and I’m familiar with QuickBooks Online interface.
• Webpage Updates - I know html, dhtml, css, xhtml, and more.  Let me relieve you of the headache of updating your site.
• Desktop Publishing - Need flyers for your next speaking engagement or a PowerPoint presentation or a registration form for your next course or program?  I’m the person you want to design those for you!   My forms are raved out because of their professional and yet still simplistic and easy to understand layouts and formats.
• Professional Adobe forms that your clients can fill out and print or email to you.
• Excel Spreadsheets - I can create the spreadsheet you need!  My knowledge in Excel is advanced as I can work with pivot tables, nesting functions, and graphs.
• And so much more!

Just remember, that I don’t offer telephone services with your customers/clients (no customer service or direct client contact), but I do know virtual assistants that do!  So let’s get started today, and you’ll be amazed at how much better you will love your business when you don’t have to be buried in it 24/7.

New for 2008, I am offering the service of recording conference calls for anyone who needs it done digitally.  The file will be an mp3 file.  The audio clarity depends on the clarity of the audio of your conference calling software, so choose wisely!  A couple I have had good experiences with for my clients are:  http://www.thebasementventures.com and freeconferencecall.com.

Now these both also offer recording services as do many others, so why would you need me?

First, there are some conference call services that do not offer recordings or have much to be desired by their recordings (either quality or accessibility).  With mine, I offer you a secure site (with login and password for YOU) to retrieve your audio file.  I have no size limits on the audio file.  And I can retrieve it from my backup drives for up to six months after the call!

Also, I’ve hosted and been a listener on many conference calls where the primary recording didn’t work properly or was interrupted or simply didn’t record at all!  You don’t want this to happen and realize it AFTER the call is over.  Re-recording a call to sell on the internet IS costly, because it consumes YOUR time.  If I’m providing a backup recording for you, you never have to worry about losing one audio file–as you’ll always have another.

You need to provide me with the number to call in (U.S. & Canada only) for the conference and the time and date of the conference.   I will call in about 5-7 minutes prior to the start of the call (so please have your moderator there already at that time).  I do not offer call moderation services.  I simply hit record at the start time and return to hit stop at the end.  If I notice the conference is still going on at the end time, I will let the recording continue but you will be charged for extra minutes other than what you’ve paid for up front.  I use my computer to call into the conference and special software to record the conference.  No other noises from my environment or my computer (other software) will be picked up on this recording–ONLY your call.

I offer one time prices as well as monthly prices for those who do continual calls throughout the month.  And calls can be recorded any time Monday through Friday 6:30 AM EST (call start time) - 10:00 PM EST (call end time).  Weekends are available with at least a two week notice and at a higher rate.  Please inquire.  All payments must be made in advance of services through PayPal or Credit Card (Visa, American Express, Master Card, Discover).

Here are my two rate options for conference call recording:

1)  One Time or Sporadic Pricing:  This is for calls you need recorded once or infrequently.  The rate is $0.10 per minute of the call and includes all of the above (minimum of six months storage, secure password protected access,  mp3 format).  This is a whopping $6.00 for a one hour call!

2)  Ongoing Pricing:  If you have more than one recorded conference call per month, this package is for you.  It is paid up front, but gives you a set number of hours for a flat rate.  Here are the rates:

2-3 hours per month: $10.00 per month
4-6 hours per month: $21.00 per month
7-10 hours per month: $38.00 per month
11-15 hours per month: $55.00 per month

DIGITAL TRANSCRIPTION OF CONFERENCE CALLS

I also offer transcription for any of these recorded files with a guaranteed 3 business day turn around time for the transcripts (delivered in MS Word format–please specify if you want it in Word 2007 format).  Transcriptions are $1.00 per audio minute transcribed ($60.00 per audio hour) payable when ordering a transcription.  Faster turn around times are available at higher rate–please inquire.  I have over five years transcription experience, three of those working with digital transcription (corporate/general).

How many things are you doing that you could delegate to your VA to help you free up your time?  You’d be surprised how many clients I’ve found who still insist on doing things that they could and should be delegating themselves.  That’s extra time you could have planning for your next creative business venture, spending with your family, spending more time on prospective clients or marketing, or interacting with current clients to keep the momentum and loyalty up.

So for your New Year’s Resolution for 2008, you need to sit down and write down all the things you do each day of the week.  Look over them closely and honestly distinguish whether it’s something you HAVE to do or if it’s something you SHOULD let go of and delegate to your VA.  You’d be surprised at how much more productive and relaxing your daily life can be once you correctly analyze your tasks.

Your goal for the new year should be DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE!

Save time today.  Use a VA!