Evaluate your current website and branding to identify areas that need improvement.

The first step in updating your website and branding is to evaluate your current assets. Start by identifying areas that need improvement, such as outdated design elements, confusing navigation, or inconsistent branding across different platforms. Take note of any user feedback or complaints you have received and consider conducting user testing to identify any usability issues.

Once you have identified areas for improvement, develop a plan for addressing them. This may involve redesigning certain pages of your website or updating your logo and brand messaging. It may also require investing in new technology or marketing tools to better engage with customers.

Remember that updating your website and branding is an ongoing process, not a one-time project. Regularly reviewing and refining these elements can help ensure that you are always presenting the best possible image to potential customers and staying ahead of the competition.

Create a design that reflects your brand's personality and values, including your logo, colors, fonts, and imagery.

One of the most crucial components of building a successful brand is creating a design that reflects your brand’s personality and values. When developing your website, it’s essential to think about how you want to portray yourself to potential customers. A well-designed site can help build trust and credibility with your audience, while also making it easier for them to navigate and find what they’re looking for.

 

Test and optimize your website and branding to ensure optimal performance and engagement.

Once you have created your website and branding, it is important to test and optimize them for optimal performance and engagement. One way to do this is by conducting A/B testing, which involves creating two versions of a webpage or design element and testing them against each other. This can help you determine which version performs better in terms of engagement, click-through rates, and other key metrics.

Another important aspect of optimizing your website and branding is ensuring that they are mobile-friendly. With more people accessing the internet on their smartphones than ever before, having a responsive design that looks great on all devices is crucial for driving engagement and conversions.

Finally, it’s important to regularly review your website analytics to see how visitors are interacting with your site. This can help you identify areas where users may be getting stuck or dropping off, allowing you to make adjustments to improve the user experience and keep visitors engaged with your brand.

By continually testing and optimizing your website and branding, you can ensure that they are effective tools for reaching your target audience and achieving business goals.

Updating your website and branding is a great way to stay current and better engage with your customers. It doesn’t have to be a huge project, either; small changes can make a big difference.

Take some time to think about where you want to take your business and what kind of online presence you want to create.

You might be surprised at how easy it is to give your website and branding a modern, fresh look.

Don’t forget, when it comes to website maintenance, regular updates are key!

Need a Helping Hand?

Let’s talk. I have multiple maintenance packages to fit your needs.

Schedule A Free Consultation Call

The post Why Regular Updates Are Crucial for Your Website’s Success appeared first on Free My Time VA.

The post Case Study – Mary appeared first on Free My Time VA.

… Maybe you need a Virtual Expert®

 In today’s fast-paced digital economy, the nature of how business is done has changed drastically.  Gone are the days when an entrepreneur with the next million-dollar idea is required to rent a large office space and hire a full staff to bring their idea to fruition.  Today, that same entrepreneur can save time and money by contracting a few virtual assistants to handle aspects of day to day business while they concentrate on refining their money-making ideas and building their business. 

It goes without saying that you get what you pay for in all things, but maybe hiring the best virtual assistants to build your business isn’t enough, maybe you need Virtual Expert®s?! 

Virtual assistant…Virtual Expert®, what is the difference?

Well, in broad terms, a virtual assistant would be someone you contract to help you with very specific tasks of your business.  

Your virtual assistant will rely heavily on your direct input as to what they must do. They can be a very effective and economical way to get things done, but generally speaking, you will still have to expend time and mental resources to guide their work.  

On the other hand, you have Virtual Expert®.  As the name implies, these are subject matter experts in various fields that are available for you to contract with to build your business.   

A Virtual Expert® will take the task you give them and apply their understanding of the subject matter to come up with alternative solutions that you might find suitable to different business applications.  For example, you tell a social media Virtual Expert® that you want a website and they will determine if you need a simple information page, or a custom landing page, or a full e-commerce solution.  They will be able to explain the benefits of not just using a webpage for your advertisement but also other social media platforms that will get the word of your products or services out there faster. 

How else can a Virtual Expert® help me?

While you might have not even thought of it yet, a Virtual Expert® will be able to discuss what kind of customer management system (CRM) you may need, how to develop your sales funnel, what is the best platform for your website and who you want to consider to host it, whether and what kind of cart and transaction processing you will need for your business, and even developing a client email system to keep you and your product first and foremost in your customer’s mind.  And that is just one Virtual Expert®! 

What if you have not just a social media expert, but also an advertising copy expert or a financial accounting expert? 

There is a Virtual Expert® out there to handle just about every aspect of your business needs.  While hiring a virtual assistant can be a cost-effective replacement for an on-site employee, hiring a Virtual Expert® is a much more cost-efficient way of hiring an entire department to help partner with you and grow your business.

How do you find a Virtual Expert®?

A Certified Virtual Expert® has completed all the required course work at Expert VA Training and goes through a rigorous annual board review to be re-certified every year.

You can either look at the database found here and search for people that are a Certified Virtual Expert® or you can schedule a free 20-minute consultation call with me on my calendar https://freemytimeva.youcanbook.me/. I was in the first group to be certified in 2019 and I have been re-certified in 2020. 

On our call, we will discuss the needs of your business, decide if I’m the right Virtual Expert® for you, or decide if a different Virtual Expert®in our group would better fit your needs. 

The post Who needs a virtual assistant… appeared first on Free My Time VA.

What an amazing, fun year this has been. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of it.

The Call

(In case you missed it, read Part 1) My heart was beating a mile a minute. My palms were sweating. I was nervous. My hands shook as I dialed the phone for my scheduled call with the famous Kathy Goughenour. I was sure this would be another failed venture in my journey to becoming an entrepreneur. Another one for the history books along with Amway, real estate investing Ron Legrand’s way, my Realtor adventure while homeschooling, and selling insurance (my broker actually ran away to Florida after only a few months).

A very cheery “Hello!” greeted me after only one ring. I had no doubt Kathy was smiling. This was different. I hate to use the cliche “she had me at hello” but she really did. Kathy is unlike anyone I had ever met. I see why my friend Cindy simply told me, “You need to call Kathy.”

Our long conversation filled me with hope. Kathy asked questions to identify what it was I really wanted to do. Plus, she told me how I could achieve those goals by starting a virtual assistant business. Of course I was skeptical and of course, there was a package to buy. BUT I knew I had to do something and this package involved coaching and support, unlike anything I had ever been sold before.

The First Step

My husband and I talked for days after my call with Kathy. I had a nagging voice inside saying, “You can do this!” It sounds like the path to becoming an entrepreneur and owning my very own business that I have always wanted and never knew I wanted it. Kathy gave me contact information for people who are currently enrolled and a part of Kathy’s tribe. Excitedly, I gave them a call.

I talked with the amazing Robin Carter for hours. She is a real person. Her life story mirrored mine even though she is out in the wilds of Wyoming. Yes, someone actually lives there.

With trepidation, I emailed Kathy to tell her “I’m in.”

I will never regret that email. This last year had been a blast, mostly.

Support

Never in my life have I encountered a support group like Kathy’s Expert Virtual Assistants. My first calls were to talk with the amazing coaches and pick which one I had the privilege of coaching with. It was difficult deciding which one. I chose Lorraine Castle, an author’s assistant. Because in the beginning, I thought that would be my focus too.

I loved coaching with Lorraine. She made starting my own business easy. She was there for any questions and emotional support I needed. She helped me through my first call with a client and celebrated my successes. Lorraine helped narrow down my niche and would go over all my homework with me.

Without her coaching, I wouldn’t be thriving today.  

Life Happens

This past year has had amazing highs and heart wrenching lows. I get really attached to my pets. A feral cat mom died in our front yard 17 years ago. I assumed her kittens died too. We couldn’t find them. But 1 week later 3 little fluff balls came mewling out of the weeds. Because they were so young and tiny, the vet said they would surely die and offered to put them down for us. We stubbornly said no. As a result, we hand fed them formula for weeks. All three lived. Until this year. Only one is left and she is having medical problems now. My once-in-a-lifetime dog that was so smart and such a character lost control of her back half and couldn’t walk anymore. She most likely had bone cancer. I sobbed at the vet’s office as her life slipped away. I can barely type this through the tears blurring my vision. I still can’t say

her name.

My friend, mentor, and bagpipe teacher, Sandy Hain, passed away. Sandy loved going to a restaurant and ordering a stack of onion rings. I can’t even look at a stack without crying. 

Through all of this, plus a few more things that I can’t even think about, Kathy and the Expert Virtual Assistant group was there. As a result, my business is still here, and I am blessed with wonderful clients.

I am so glad I continued working on my business no matter what happened in life. Above all, if it wasn’t for this support, I think my business would be another failure in my history book.

[bctt tweet=”“A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.” ~ James Allen” username=”@VAKateWiley”]

Finding Joy

It takes an effort, sometimes EXTREME effort, to claw your way up from the bottom. It can be terrifying but there is joy at the top. That is where Kathy’s support system went to work for me.

I GIVE UP

Have these words ever passed through your lips or have they bounced around your head and pierced your heart? Sometimes, those words can be good. Where has the zeal for life gone?

Getting caught up in the mundane, it lies at the bottom of the never-ending mountain of dishes and buried under mounds of dirty socks. The endless routine of get up, grab a coffee, get to work, listen to problems, attempt to solve problems, cry over bills, go to bed, and repeat.

The cycle had to stop! Finally, this year it did.

You are the designer of your destiny ~ Benjamin Hardy

To get out of the rut give up

(inspired by Elijah Bossenbroek)

I give up

I give up my self-doubt

I give up hiding behind this mask

I give up wanting to always be perfect, just be

I give up the fear that no one will like me

I give up trying to fit into the crowd, I am uniquely created

I give up my whole life to God’s perfect plan

For I am free

I can begin anew.

This is my new mantra and I love it. I had no idea giving up could be so much fun and so freeing.

You can do it too!

To Be Continued …

This year has been life-changing. Finally,  I have finished Kathy’s course and can now say I’m a certified Expert Virtual Assistant.

I can hardly wait to see what happens in the second year of my business!

Most importantly, what drives me is helping people.

Hearing my client say, “You are a breath of fresh air in this digital world” inspires me to learn even more. Another client said, “Please, I need to go on a vacation I’m so stressed. Can you handle this project for me?”  and I did.

I love my business.

Are You Ready?

Does my story tug at your entrepreneurial heart? I am totally a real person and I have no regrets about starting my business with Kathy. You can call her too.

Don’t let fear hold you back. The support group is here to hold you up.

Go to Kathy’s website Expert VA training (this is my affiliate link and I would receive some compensation from it). Begin your own journey towards a life-changing year.

Live Epically,

Kate

The post My Journey from Stay-at-home-mom to Entrepreneur Part 2 appeared first on Free My Time VA.

My School Years

My Searching Years

The Ultimate DIYer

The Search Continues

My Home Business Year 

So What Happened Next?

The post My Journey from Stay-at-Home Mom to Entrepreneur appeared first on Free My Time VA.

I have researched many ways to free my time and fit in more of what I love to do. I would love to have more time to spend on the “what I love” category! How about you?

[bctt tweet=”“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” ― William Penn” username=””]

My 5 Favorite Ways to Free My Time

Tip #1 – Making Lists

Many of the websites and books that I researched recommend a list. I am not a list person. I really dragged my feet about implementing this technique. Since everybody recommended it, I decided to give lists a try. I began with listing my menu for the week and posting it on the refrigerator. Grocery shopping became so fast I saved hours.  Also, I save time in the evenings when I am trying to plan dinners because all I have to do is look at my menu and I know what’s for dinner. I no longer need to rush around trying to figure out what’s in the pantry. To make list making even easier, I use Onenote on Windows 10 and a Onenote app on my Android phone. Now, I can make a list on my phone and send it to my computer or make a list on my computer and send it to my phone. I have become a list making fiend, something I never thought I would do!

Tip #2 – Setting a Timer

As a homeschooling mom and business owner, this has helped me immensely. There is a 40-minute time limit for math. If we go over 40 minutes it becomes homework. My kids now have an incentive to get math done instead of whining about it. I soon began to wonder if that would help me in business as well so that I would stop procrastinating and whining about having to finish a task that I really wasn’t looking forward to: such as cleaning my desk. When I was talking to another entrepreneur, she said the biggest help for her has been setting a quiet time in the afternoon. She turns off all electronics, closes the door and either reads or reviews her day to tie up loose ends for about an hour. When her quiet time is over, she is completely refreshed to start the next task.

Tip #3 – Using Technology

In this age of information and technology, there are so many useful apps and websites. Need a convenient timer? You can use a timer on your phone or download the Clear Focus Productivity Timer for Android It allows you to name a task and assign a  time limit. Other resources I am currently experimenting with are extensions for Google Chrome. One that I’ve started using is Loom. With Loom, I can quickly record a video showing my computer screen. Instead of typing out an email with a list of directions, I can easily show somebody what needs to be done. Another application in Google that has saved me so much time, is Google Docs. I can quickly send any document or spreadsheet just by sharing it with someone. We can both edit in real time because Google Docs conveniently changes the color for whoever is editing. If you are not the fastest typist, in the tool section of Google Docs, click on voice typing, speak to Google and it types for you. In fact, for this blog post, I simply spoke my mind map (look for a future post on mind mapping) while Google typed. I love www.unroll.me. It takes all of the email newsletters, and ads from websites I signed up on and “rolls” them into one list on their site. If I want to unsubscribe, I click on the box and unroll.me handles it. Going through my Inbox is faster, easier and more enjoyable. When I’m ready to look at the emailed newsletters, I click on the daily roll and they are all there. What are some apps that save you time?

Tip #4 – Compartmentalizing

The time-saving tip that has helped me the most is to compartmentalize my day. What do I mean by that? I divide the day, usually in 20-minute compartments and assign a task. For example, from 8 to 8:20 wash the breakfast dishes. I will not do anything during those 20 minutes except the dishes. Next, I give myself a 10-minute break. Afterall, we all need breaks don’t you think?  From 8:30 to 8:50 could be reading, answering emails, doing follow-up calls, a quick exercise (like a Jessica Smith walking video on Youtube) or time to play with the kids. The kids especially appreciate the time to focus exclusively on them. By using compartments, it has taken the stress and even some guilt away. When I’m doing dishes, I’m not thinking, “oh, I should be answering this person’s email” or if I’m playing with the kids I no longer worry about needing to make follow-up phone calls. Compartmented time allows me to be completely focused on the task at hand and free to enjoy the moment. Distractions are nearly non-existent causing my productivity to skyrocket.

Tip #5 – Delegating

Delegate everything to someone else except what you are strongest at completing. As a business owner, work on what gave you joy in the beginning. All the little things that take up so much time, see if you could delegate them to a virtual assistant or someone you might have on staff. Perhaps you know that your website needs maintenance, updating, and blog posts, but your calendar is full of meetings, webinars and business calls you MUST handle. Delegating allows you the freedom to be the best that you can be while building your business in the way that you know how. As my mentor Kathy Goughenour said, “Delegate. It’s awesome! Just send it to someone and forget about it.”

To Sum It Up …

Are you wondering, “How can I free up my time?” The answer is to use time-saving techniques and delegate those time-consuming website tasks to someone such as myself. I will take those tasks off your list and free your time. Ready to find out how I can help? Contact me now. Schedule your free consultation here.

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