Ah, networking. 

The bee in the bonnet of many an entrepreneur. 

Today I’m sharing with you why I quit my formal networking group - from period pain to the pressures of money changing hands, all with practical tips for you to consider before you sign on the dotted line and join a group. 

In this episode, I mentioned another Podcast you might be interested in listening that goes into much more depth on the benefits and drawbacks of joining a networking group - so here it is! 

Business Networking By Design by Kellie Briggs #018 My Experiences with BNI

Connect with Ashleigh here:

Email:[email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/armspeakup

Instagram: @earwokemedia

You’ve got a new laptop. 

You’ve got an internet connection. 

But… now what?

Where do you even begin with this whole online business gig?!

Today we’re talking about the first steps to starting your online business as a VA and the common miss-steps we make like turning our business into another version of our corporate life and saying YES to everything. 

In this episode we’re covering three things you need to have sorted before you get your first client:

1. Your online presence
2. Your business operations
3. Your skills

Having each of these mapped out will save you oodles of time, money, prevent burn out and disaster. So, what are you waiting for?

"Little girls should be seen and not heard."

"You shouldn't be talking about that."

"Stop being such a gossip."

All those iterations we hear growing up tell us over and over again that we shouldn't use our voices and speak up. But they aren't true. Our voices SHOULD be used to speak truth to power an we should be confident in our own unique sound. 

But hat happens if you hate the way you do sound?

What if the idea of hearing your own voice played back to you makes you so sweat through your clothes and your belly churn? 

Stick with me kid I gotchu. 

[email protected]

www.facebook.com/armspeakup

Instagram: @earwokemedia

Join our free Facebook Community here: bit.ly/podcasterscollective

Hannah is a thought leader and mentors new Virtual Assistants to begin their digital nomad lifestyle. 

Hannah isn’t your typical Virtual Assistant. 

She’s quirky, she hasn’t been home for more than a decade, she’s got strong political views and causes she cares about and she doesn’t buy into the straight-white-dude-teaching SEO-in-Thailand hype.

She’s feisty, wise, and lets her freak flag fly loudly and proudly. 

If you’ve ever been worried that you won’t be accepted by the cool kids in the business, this is for you. Hannah is here to help you embrace your weird and how it magnetizes the right people to you.

Bonus Live Recording at the 2019 Artful Business Conference with Dawn Lewis from The Craft Room Podcast!

Welcome to The Craft Room Podcast, and if this is your first time listening, a special welcome to you. A few weeks ago I attended The Artful Business Conference in Adelaide here in Australia.  I love this conference … it is for people with creative businesses, and at any given time you can be sitting next to a writer, a jewellery maker, a yoga instructor, an accountant, a business coach, a graphic designer, a bridal accessory designer, a virtual assistant … it’s just amazing! While I was there, surrounded by so many incredibly creative people, I thought I’d ask a few of them three simple questions. I had an idea of how this episode would go, but the answers that these incredible women gave me were not at all what I was expecting.  In hindsight, I don’t know why I was expecting run-of-the-mill answers … I should know by now that creative people are going to give me creative answers.  They did not disappoint … they actually knocked me back on my heels, and this episode is going to be different, and so much deeper than I had intended!

Craft is seen to be this frivolous thing that women do, faffing about with fabric, yarn and thread.  But that’s far from true. First of all, craft is not exclusively for women, and what crafters do is so much more than making pretty things to pass the time. Absolutely we make tangible things.  We can give them as gifts, use them to keep warm, decorate our homes, sell them for some extra cash … and those are all fine reasons to engage in crafting activities.  But the real reason we craft goes so much deeper than that.

Today I want to introduce you to five wonderful ladies who were feeling game enough to answer my three quick questions.  You’ll hear me ask each of them …
1. What’s your day job?
2. What is your craft / creative pursuit of choice?
3. What do you get from this? 
Some of them I have known for a few years, some for a few months, others I just met. Some are older than me, some younger, some about the same. Some enjoy the same crafts as me, others are into things that aren’t quite my scene, or that are still on my to-do list. All of them are amazing at what they do professionally, and having seen some of their work in person, it’s not surprising that they are great at what they do creatively as well.

In this episode, our host Ashleigh Rae interviews Hannah Dixon about money. Hannah starts the episode off with informing us about Virtual Assistants and the issues they have with underselling and underpricing. She explains why she believes VA’s have this mindset, and shares her opinion on the matter. Hannah gives us some advice on setting our prices, and what we need to consider.

Hannah gives us her formula to help us calculate what our rates should be, and encourages us to embrace our prices. She also talks about living out of our means and making more money than we think we should, because there’s nothing wrong with profit. Both Ashleigh Rae and Hannah assure us that, with our businesses, taxes are a good thing, because that means our business is successful!

Hannah shares with us her first freelancing gig, how the experience was, and how it shifted her mindset. 

Who is Hannah Dixon?

Hannah is a Virtual Assistant, a Mentor, and a strategist. Considered a thought leader, she has helped over 8,000 millennials have a location independent business.

Connect with Ashleigh here

[email protected]

www.facebook.com/armspeakup

Instagram: @earwokemedia

Join our free Facebook Community here: bit.ly/podcasterscollective

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people, and I would like to acknowledge them as the traditional owners of this land. I would also like to pay my respects to their elders; past, present, and emerging.

This podcast is a production of Ear Woke Media

Hello VA's and Podjunkies, 

We're back after what feels like an age with a quick update for you on what's happening - the big news and the evolution of business and podcasts. 

Enjoy this little snippet, and prepare for some stellar interviews and a special bonus episode from the Good Girls Don't Podcast coming up soon! 

Want to Get in Touch? 

Email [email protected]

FACEBOOK COMMUNITIES 

The Bravery Collective 

The VA Collective 

Ear Woke Media is on Instagram and Facebook

Our host Ashleigh Rae is joined by Craig Bull in another installment of The Money Series, to talk about the awkward, often neglected topic of Cash Flow... 

About Craig:

He's awesome. 

But for real, here's what you need to know - this guy knows his stuff. 

Craig holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and has qualifications in Finance and Economics. He has 9 years of experience in public practice, and currently is the Senior Accountant and Client Manager at Knox Taxation.

Craig explains to us what cash flow is, the importance of cash flow, and how it affects the economy. He helps us out by giving us some important advice about structuring cash flow in our own businesses. He discusses the advantages that accounting programs provide us for payment systems, and names a few for us, like Quickbooks, that can help us with things like reminders. Craig advises us to be upfront about the prices from the beginning, and gives us tips about organizing our invoices, possibly uploading them into programs, and having up to date accounts.

Ashleigh and Craig both agree that it’s important to make sure that what you’re charging is an appropriate amount for you and your services. If you’re doing a great job, then it won’t matter that your prices are higher, and this helps with your cash flow in your business. Craig gives us a few helpful pointers in determining the prices we should set for our services, and what we should be considering.

Ashleigh ends the episode advising us about managing our money, and Craig has some useful insight to add. If you’re interested in learning more about cash flow, tune into this episode! And if you’re interested in more of the Virtually Awesome podcast, and connecting with the podcast, check out the links below!

Extra Awesome Sauce

“Cash flow revolves around money, so it’s when you receive the money, and it’s also your outflows as well. To have good cash flow, you need to have more money coming into your bank accounts and less money going out.” - Craig

“The advantages of going into some of these cloud software that you can get access to these days is that there’s a whole range of ways you can pay.” - Craig

“Your client, they’re gonna be so much happier going in knowing what they’re in for and what they can expect, rather than getting an unwelcome surprise.” - Ashleigh

Connect with Craig:

https://www.knoxtax.com.au/craig-bull/

LinkedIn - Craig Bull

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-bull-b585004b

Connect with the Ashleigh:

[email protected]

www.facebook.com/virtuallyashleighawesomeservices

Click Here to Check Out The Podcast Start Up Program

Click Here for Artful Business Conference Tickets and Info

This Podcast is produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri People and we would like to acknowledge them as the traditional custodians. We also wish to pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. 

Ashleigh has returned from Perth and starts out by sharing some of her experience and some things that she has noticed. She encourages business owners to travel for business, even if it’s only a short distance.

Ashleigh Rae also talks about business people and the fear of charging, and encourages us to charge a price that’s fair to us, and assures us that it’s okay for our prices to change. She shares with us how she started with her business, and what she looked at.

Our host tells us the two ways to charge: by the hour and outcome-based, and the method that she prefers to use. She encourages her aspiring VA listeners to check out the VA Launchpad, which is a 12-week program.

Awesome Nuggets:

“What I noticed is this amazing energy and freedom that comes with realizing that travel can be a really beautiful part of your business.”

“I decided that there was absolutely no way in hell I was ever going to be paid less than what I had earned in my last job.”

“No matter where you’re at, it’s not all profit. You do need to leave some left over to reinvest back into your business.”

Learn More About the VA Launch Pad:

https://vapodcastacademy.thinkific.com/courses/va-launch-pad 

Join the Virtual Assistant Collective FB Community

www.facebook.com/groups/vacollective

When you receive any kind of Government welfare benefits, how do you feel about it? Are you proud to share that as a source of your income, or ashamed and like you could NEVER say how you pay your bills?

Today we're diving into the Dark Side of Money: Debt, mistakes, receiving welfare benefits and the stigmas that surround it. This episode might bring up some uncomfortable truths and feelings for you, and if it does please take the time you need and seek the support you need to work through it - and know that this podcaster is here cheering you on to be your best, awesome self. 

Come and play in the Podcasters Collective:

www.facebook.com/groups/podcasterscollective