March 2004

Client/VA Spotlight featuring Dawn Nichol and Angee Robertson

by Sharon Broughton

Dawn Nichol and Angee Robertson have been working together since early last year. They truly enjoy working together and have great fun every day. Dawn shared with me that she is amazed at Angee's ability to anticipate what she might need and her talent for looking ahead at how to make her business run even better. "She treats my business like her own. I'd be lost without her....!" said Dawn. Dawn and Angee connected a while back when Angee took a class Dawn taught that was specifically for VAs.

About Dawn

Dawn Nichol, owner of www.solopreneurzone.com, is a coach that works with Solo-Entrepreneurs on creating a business that is profitable and sustainable. Most Solopreneurs feel overwhelmed with everything necessary to get a business up and running and how to "put themselves out there." She helps them define their ideal client and target market, then develop plans to connect them with their niche in a way that suits their personality.

The only thing Dawn dislikes about her business is the paperwork, which is what brought her to Angee. The thing she likes most about her business is the opportunity to watch others' businesses grow. "It's incredible to see someone realize their dream and to be even a small part of that," said Dawn. Her two favorite things about working virtually--not having to wear anything that matches and having clients around the globe.

Dawn stays busy and up-to-date by being an education junkie! She has taken coaching classes from two schools and has a background in training/development and financial planning. She loves to dabble in a variety of topics because her clients' lives aren't one-dimensional.

About Angee

Angee Robertson is the owner of Assistant Extraordinaire (www.assistx.net), a virtual assistant business that assists women's organizations and coaches, who have a specific ideal client. Angee graduated from Assistu's (www.AssistU.com) 21-week training course, where she continues to help other VAs achieve their dreams and grow their business as the program's Internship Coordinator.

She provides her clients with administrative support, freeing them to focus on the reasons they started their business. She provides support in areas such as contact management, client follow-up, on-line registration, desktop publishing, e-zine development and web site design/maintenance--just to name a few. She has had her VA business for two years and she understands the importance of building relationships with her clients to help them further their business and also allows her full creative expression!

Angee's favorite part about working virtually is that no one can see her in her pjs and she doesn't have someone standing over her shoulder! The only thing she dislikes is having no co-workers to talk to during the day. She misses the casual conversations she used to have in the corporate world. She especially feels this sense of autonomy since all of her clients are virtual.

Favorite Books

I asked Angee and Dawn about their favorite books and Dawn shared with me that her favorite business book is "The E-Myth" by Michael Gerber. Dawn commented, "His perspective on business ownership helps Solopreneurs create a business that serves them, instead of the other way around." I must admit that it is one of my favorites also. I think it is a must read for any solopreneur.

Angee's favorite is "Fresh Brewed Life" by Nichole Johnson. Angee said this about the book, "This book made some huge impacts on my personal life and caused me to make some major decisions that affected the course of my family relationships. It has encouraged, challenged and inspired me in my Christian faith." Whew, that must be some book!

Their Great Tips!

Dawn's one great tip is to make the process smoother and develop systems for doing the work you do. We just aren't wired to be organized or systematic! However, it saves an incredible amount of time and frustration if you create systems and processes. Then, a VA can easily support you and your focus can return to your core product or service.

Angee shared this fabulous tip with us, "I have been interviewing clients who use a virtual assistant for a project I am completing. I am conducting these interviews so I can better understand how clients use VAs and what information would help them to use a VA better. During my research, I have discovered a common theme with all clients. Clients have to put systems in place before they can turn work over to someone. When I use the term systems, I mean when they complete a project, they need to write down the steps it took to complete it. This will keep the results consistent and will help them to better explain what they need to a virtual assistant. When a client knows what h/she does in his/her business, they will more likely turn the work over to someone else. If h/she doesn't know, how can h/she tell their VA how to help?"

Sounds like their tips are awfully similar! Which is probably why they get along so well--they are on the same wavelength when it comes to Client/VA relationships. I want to thank Dawn and Angee for sharing with us their businesses and some personal insights!

About the Author

Sharon Broughton, owner of Simply Sharon Virtual Assistant, has been in business since 1997 but didn't know she was a VA until 2001 when she discovered Assistu and their amazing training course. She currently has a full practice in Sacramento, California, and refuses to go back to the corporate world. Sharon can be reached at www.SimplySharon.net.