What is WordCamp? WordCamp is two full days of up to date WordPress workshops, talks with developers and designers, and the chance of meeting like minded users. For a WordPress lover, this is pure heaven!

 Now, this year was particularly interesting as somehow our reserved hotel room disappeared at the last minute!!  You are correct, hotel room reserved 3 month in advance – gone!

We arrived in Montreal around 8am, checked in our bags, paid for our room, and went on our merry way to attend the Conference.  We returned around 4 pm, tired and looking forward to a long shower and cold drink…At that point we were told by the owner (this was a B&B reservation) that his son had made an error, and had given our ‘reserved’ room to another party.  We still had a room….but nothing as we had expected.

Needless to say that yours truly was far from being pleased!  All I can say is a big Thank You to Frances, as she was way more diplomat than I could have ever been, and managed to take care of this issue in a prompt and ‘civilized’ way.  We surely will have to look into better ‘Customer Service” for 2012!

Regardless of the above, the Saturday evening get together at one of the local pub with the WordCamp attendees, was simply fantastic, as our little group had the unexpected visit of Mr. Mullenweg at our table! 

Imagine, Matt himself re: Creator of WordPress sitting at our table, sharing stories and a few drinks!

Does it get any better than that?

Not in my Geeky world!

Really looking forward to the 2012 WordCamp! 

Well, as far as I am concerned, it takes all of the above and much more.  You see, I love to write.  As a matter of a fact, it used to be one of my best assets. Yes, I use to write to my heart’s content and more.  That was something that I really enjoyed.  Use to loose myself in the beauty of the word, and how a well turned sentence could have so much power.

With time, and the power word here is “time”, I lost the taste for writing, forgot to create a space in my life where I would communicate my thoughts to paper.  Somehow, “I got in the way” and forgot how gratifying it was in itself.

I mean, look at the state of my poor blog posts.  Three, that’s it.  Three blog post in the matter of what… Two years?  Do I have any excuses?  Can I hide my head in the sand and pretend it will al l go away?  Well, maybe I could, if my job was not so attached to the internet!

Again, why does one write a blog post, if not to promote themselves, their services and everything that is attached to their online business?  Honestly, I’m the first one to tell my customers that they have to write, and write some more if they want to promote their business….and look what I do?

Excuses?  I only have one, and this is called “working with awesome customers that keep me very busy!”  Do you like my excuse?  It’s the truth!  And yes, this is the only reason that I will admit to!  With this said, could I take an hour or so per weekend and update my blog?  Yes, yes, I could.  And Yes, I will.

Now, don’t go thinking that this is a 2012 resolution thing.  Nope, if I do that, I will never keep up with it.  I just know it.  To be nice, let’s call it a “Goal” and let’s put aside all the excuses I could muster up like…

Come to think about it, this last excuse is pretty lame. Why?  The ‘busy’ thing is what I do for a living.  It’s my passion, my everyday adventure.  It’s Virtual Managing Associates, it’s my business.  So, where’s the problem in writing about what I know so well?

I think I’ve settled the issue in one sentence. There are no excuses, only time not well taken.

Now, if only I could put this into words…

This one took me a few moments to figure out.  What?  Are you saying that I sit at home all day doing my nails and playing games on the web?  To be honest, I felt like answering worst than this, but being in polite company, I moved on.

Regardless of the above, the statement in itself does ask that maybe a clarification of  “What Do I Do All Day” be put forth.  In other words, as a Virtual Assistant, working with no supervision from a “Boss” what do I really do?

Well, to put it simple, when 6 pm rolls around and I realize that I am still working, I also wonder. In other words: Where did the day go?

Working as a Virtual Assistant does not mean that it’s free game here. On the contrary, you are your own Boss. So what do you think happens? You work and you work hard because your company represents who you are! It’s your dream, the reason for the 10 second commute in the morning. It’s your life, and your pride.

If you have taken on the challenge to become the best VA there is and by the same token offer exceptional services, you do not need supervision. Why?

Because it means that you are responsible for your own actions. You set deadlines and you respect them. You are proactive, organized and most of all have a deep sense of duty.

So, with this being said, I ask you, do you think your Virtual Assistant is really working?

“This blog post was written in May of 2010.  Seems like yesterday!  Have I changed my mind about the above?  No.  If you are serious, and really love what you do for a living, working as a Virtual Business Support Specialist  is not a ‘job” but a passion. ”

Why do I say that?  Well…Let’s just put it this way.  In this past week, I’ve had a few issues that needed to be addressed, which meant dealing in “real time” with Customer Service representatives.  I’m not taking emails here.  No.  What I am saying is picking up a real phone.  Yes, moving away from my pc and talking to a ‘live’ human being.  Oh…the pain of it all!

I know, I’m ranting.  But then, let me ask you one thing… Is Customer Service a lost art?  Is the virtual so prevalent that it has changed what used to be called common sense and a certain degree of savoir faire?

The way I look at it, in this age of faceless websites and lost emails, would it not be natural as a business owner, to offer your customers a personalized service that makes them feel really appreciated?

What happen to the Mom and Pop business approach? The village corner store attitude where they knew their customers by name? Yes, this is 2010…So?

Is offering your clients excellence in service an experience from the past? Is respect for your clients and honesty in what you offer a bad word?

Times have changed… And as I sit here, still muttering to myself about the uselessness of the phone calls I made in this past week, I know one thing. I, as a Virtual Assistant and Business Owner still believe that offering quality and a personalized service to my customers is not a choice, but an obligation.

My customers are my partners; they work with me because they believe in not only who I am, but also in the quality of the services they’ve come to expect. They know they are special, and rightfully so!

The way I look at it, give your customers the same service that you would expect, and then go beyond. The excellence and attention you provide on a daily basis will not only create a long-standing business relationships, it will also become the pillar of your successful business.

“Another old blog post! Hey, I only have a few posted on this site, and I want to keep them! As for my point of view about the state of Customer Service in our day an age…that will be another blog post!”

Regardless of the route we take, finding the right name can make our company the talk of the town, or spell disaster in the future.

Now, I am positive that some of you reading this post are right in the middle of this dilemma.  You have more than a few names on hand, all as good as the last one, and you simply can’t make up your mind.

Well, let me tell one thing.  Been there, done that. And how long did it take me to make a decision?  To be honest, it took me close to a month to find the proper name for my Virtual Assistance Company!  Why?  For one thing, how do you describe in a few words the Virtual Assistance concept?  Remember, it’s always easier if your company name spells out well the type of services you offer!

So, with this being said, here are a few guidelines:

Create a winning business name. One that is easy to spell.

So what name did I choose?  Virtual Managing Associates.  Easy to spell?  Well yes, as far as I am concerned.  But then that’s me, and I write this name at least 10 times a day!  But is it easy for my present and future customers?  That another point!  Either they remember the name because of its length and somehow it hits them, or it’s a no go!

Your company name needs a visual element. It should explain what you do.

What pops into you head when you read Virtual Managing Associates?  Anything at all?  Are we a company of many because “Associates” is plural?  When choosing your company name, you have to be very careful of the spelling. In this case, “Associates” should be “Associate” as there is only one person managing this company!

Does my company name say that I am a Virtual Assistant?

Not really.  What it does say, is that my company works through a Virtual environment.  It also says that I offer my services as an associate, that manages my customer’s projects.

Your business name should be short

Obviously, I should have read that part!  On the other hand, using the VMA acronym has served me pretty well!

With this in mind, remember one thing.  Your company is your future.  It’s you.  It’s what you believe in.  It’s how you will represent yourself for years to come.

To your Business Success!