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You Can Find Good Paying Jobs on Freelance Marketplaces

Posted on November 25, 2012June 13, 2015 by Pam

Jobs are a dime a dozen on freelance marketplaces, but you can find good paying jobs. What can you do to increase your chances for ensuring that the job invitation you receive is legitimate?

Believe it or not, when my partner and I started freelancing in 2006, even though we were new, we did get buyers (or clients) inviting us for an interview. For just starting out, I would say we didn’t do too bad. Our specialty at that time was transcription. Through our persistence, we were actually able to find good paying jobs. That’s not to say the road was not a little bumpy, but the clients posting the jobs at that time had a good grasp of what someone should be paid.

Find Good Paying Jobs

Over the years we’ve slowly seen job offerings from a wide selection of countries globally. Your highest concentration of jobs being offered are from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, U.S., Canada, and the UK. Along with that concentration came the gradual disintegration of fair pay for an honest day’s work. For people in the U.S. and Canada, it’s common to see buyers posting jobs and demanding that independent contractors bid low, and I mean, VERY LOW.

Don’t misunderstand me. There are still jobs in the freelance marketplaces that will pay you a decent pay — but you’ve got to be on your toes, do your homework, and protect yourself from unscrupulous employers. Here are some lessons we have learned over the years that have increased our chances for bringing in good pay.

• If the job posting sounds just too good, it probably IS too good. This is where you really need to do your homework. Do they list their company name or any name at all, or can you glean any information from the search engines and/or places like the Better Business Bureau? Do they have any history in the freelance marketplace
• Depending on the freelance marketplace site you use, fixed rate jobs can spell trouble with a capital T — unless you have the option to request escrow.
• If you see a job posting and you declined it for one reason or another and it keeps getting posted, if you didn’t like it the first time, the chances are you won’t like it the third time around. 🙂
• Your gut instinct is the best judge of what you should or shouldn’t bid for. Pay attention!

Finding good-paying jobs on freelance marketplaces is difficult but possible. Have patience and perseverance — and above all, have a positive attitude. Good Luck!

SMB Change Management – Why You Should Embrace It

Posted on March 7, 2012November 17, 2022 by Pam

Small Businesses have so much going for them, and I applaud every single one of you for being entrepreneurial in spirit. You have taken the first step to fulfil your hopes, dreams, and goals. But, what would you do if you were suddenly confronted with change? SMB change management is not for the faint of heart. Would you embrace change or run from it? Continue reading “SMB Change Management – Why You Should Embrace It”

Cloud-based Project Management with Trello Increases in Popularity with Virtual Assistants

Posted on February 17, 2012April 9, 2015 by Pam

As more and more virtual assistants look to save money while increasing communication and collaboration with fellow team members and clients in order to provide on-time delivery, they look to the Web for a cloud-based project management tool that is cost-effective and versatile.

One virtual assistant collaboration solution that Borlok Virtual Assistants has recently been introduced to is Trello. Trello is a cloud-based project management tool that virtual assistants can use to organize their projects with clients. So let’s take a look at some of the benefits of Trello.

Cost effective

As we as virtual assistants need to be concerned with our expenses and watch every dollar that goes out of our business, Trello is cost effective. As a matter of fact, you don’t need to pay anything to enjoy the versatility of this powerful virtual assistant collaboration solution.

Increases organization

I can’t tell you how many times since I’ve been a virtual assistant that I’ve had to learn how to become better organized. Take it from someone who came from a not-so-organized background, this was not an easy thing to do.

Trello tells you in an instant what’s on your plate, what stage of the process it’s in and who is working on it. It can be effective even if you are a solo virtual assistance business.

User-friendly

Once you log into Trello, you start out with your board which is simply a collection of lists. Depending on how many clients you have, you can have multiple boards – one for each client. Your cards are the individual tasks that you need to do for that client in order to complete the project. Add an attachment, embed video, add a member to the card, specify a deadline and make checklists.

Real Time Updates

Trello is entirely cloud-based. Log in to your account from any computer. All team members can see instant updates in real time and you don’t even have to refresh your screen.

Customize your board to fit any workflow

The more I use Trello, the more impressed I am with this cloud collaboration tool for virtual assistants. In addition to increasing productivity within my firm, I can ensure that communication takes place among all members of the board. Everyone who is assigned to a card can instantly be notified of any changes taking place and provide input. Just look at some of the different possibilities to manage daily workflow:

• Event planning
• Personal task lists
• Software Development
• Publishing
• Recruiting
• Sales
• Freelance and Consulting
• Customer Support
• And much more

Cloud-based project management with Trello increases in popularity with virtual assistants – and with good reason. It combines all the tools needed to manage your projects effectively and provide global expert services. However, I would be amiss in this review if I did not bring up some of the disadvantages of using such a collaboration tool as this. While I’ll admit that I’m a staunch Basecamp advocate and awfully new at using Trello, I’m glad to say that I haven’t found any flaws yet with Trello. For the time being, I am thrilled to have found such a useful cloud-based project management tool that can make a virtual assistant’s daily workload a lot easier to manage.

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Pam Lokker is a master writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Revised 4/9/2015

Is Your Small Business Trustworthy

Posted on December 19, 2011March 13, 2025 by Pam

I’ve been thinking the last few days about what attribute I would like my business to be known for. What do people think of our small business? Are we a trustworthy business? What does it mean, and take, to be trustworthy?

Trustworthy has a lot of synonyms that mean similar things; but first, let’s look at the definition of trustworthy. According to the Encarta Dictionary: English (North America) that is included in Word 2007, “trustworthy means reliable, deserving trust or able to be trusted.” Some synonyms are dependable, reliable, responsible, truthful, honest, constant and honorable.

As I work with colleagues in the industry I’m in, it concerns me when I see trust eroding between businesses and consumers.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has conducted four Trust Surveys. In their latest trust survey, there were some alarming statistics. The result of their findings is that there is a significant disconnect between business perceptions and consumer reality. For example, one finding demonstrates that the trust gap is growing:

“Consider that 90% of business executives think customers highly trust their companies while only 30% of consumers actually do.”

I would like to think that Borlok Virtual Assistants (Borlok VA) is a model for other aspiring virtual assistants – whether or not they are just starting out or have been in business for many years. In order to build trust and strengthen a reputation, I need to demonstrate certain characteristics and traits that would show that my business and its subsidiaries are dependable.

As a company that works in the highly competitive online freelance industry, my goal is that our friends, clients, staff and colleagues view us as being fair and dependable, that we have a good track record and that we’re knowledgeable. But, along with those qualities are the unwritten connotations that we are profitable, up to date in trends, skilled and credible.

Ways to Become Trustworthy

So what are some ways that you can ensure your small business is trustworthy? Let’s take a look:

Be honest all the time with yourself and with others – Be sincere and truthful in your dealings with vendors, colleagues and clients and friends. Go above and beyond to foster that precious relationship that you can have with your customers — and everyone else.
Be consistent – To me, this means that our clients should be treated the same; and in our case, that means to provide global expert services with quality and on-time delivery. In addition, provide excellent customer service to ensure you don’t have issues with client retention.
Deliver on your promise – if you say you are going to meet a specific deadline, meet it; but better yet, exceed it.
Say what you mean and mean what you say; then follow through by walking the talk – there’s no room here for being wishy, washy, is there?
Have an open door policy – no one should be afraid to speak with you. Foster collaboration.
Honor your contracts – if you have a non-compete clause in your contract, make sure you honor it. The same would go for a non-disclosure agreement and all other aspects of that contract.

Becoming trustworthy doesn’t happen overnight. It takes working at it 365 days a year. The benefits of being trustworthy mean you get – and keep – more clients and build a solid reputation. So, is your small business trustworthy?
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Pam Lokker is a master writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Updated 1/21/2025

Steve Jobs Left the World Reeling In Shock

Posted on October 5, 2011March 1, 2022 by Pam

Revised 6/2/2017

Steven Paul Jobs, the computer tycoon of the computer industry is no longer with us, but his memory will last forever in the hearts and minds of Mac users, iPhone users, iPad users, and much more.

Steve Jobs was both a computer inventor and entrepreneur. Born in 1955 in San Francisco, California, his driving purpose was to develop products that were both functional and elegant; and he did just that which earned him the respect and honor of computer users everywhere.

It was devastating for the world to hear that Steve announced that he was resigning as CEO of Apple due to not being able to carry out his normal duties due to the ravages of pancreatic cancer. He also announced at that same time that he would remain as chairman of the board.

October 5, 2011, will long be remembered as a sad day. The family announced that Steve Jobs passed away peacefully in his sleep. As you go to Wikipedia today, you will be met with a black and white picture of Steve showing off the iPhone 4 at the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. In addition, you get a full biography of this truly amazing entrepreneur, businessman, inventor, and industrial designer.

As you read Bill Gates’ statement on The Gates Notes, you come to realize how much Steve Jobs meant to fans, colleagues, competitors, and just anyone he came into contact with. “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.” – Bill Gates

We couldn’t agree more Mr. Gates. His effects will carry on for many, many years. We are very honored to have been graced with the incredible knowledge that he possessed. We are also very lucky to have been the recipients of the wonderful technological gadgets that he passed our way.

Rest peacefully, Steve Jobs; and thank you.
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Pam Lokker is a master writer and a virtual assistant professional who enjoys writing. While we are not currently taking on new clients, Borlok Virtual Assistants, LLC has been the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery for many years.

Strip out Overused Consultant-speak Speech in Content

Posted on June 12, 2011July 16, 2026 by Pam

Why is it that when we see a word or phrase that we really like that we grab it and use them forever? Do you ever stop to think about the words you are using in content? Are they overused and full of consultant-speak speech? Well, let’s check out some words or phrases to consider stripping out of your content.

Strip Out Overused Superlatives

What the heck are superlatives? I don’t use them. Are you sure? Do you really know what a superlative is? Let’s check out Dictionary.com for some help.

1. of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme; extreme: superlative wisdom.
2. Grammar . of, pertaining to, or noting the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs, as smallest, best, and most carefully, the superlative forms of small, good, and carefully.
3. being more than is proper or normal; exaggerated in language or style.

Let me give you five examples from random sites that I looked at:

• the biggest benefit
• the best managed
• need us the most
• the most notable
• the least promising

You can use these words – occasionally – but try not overdo it, okay?

Strip Out Overused Buzzwords

Buzzwords are overused a lot in content, even to the point of distraction. Buzzwords are usually trendy words that are specific to a certain group. For example, in the Information Technology (IT) industry, common buzzwords are SBS, MSP, VAR. In the Virtual Assistant (VA) world, one might speak of EA or VA or PA. Be careful that what you are talking about can be understood by the person it is intended for. Spell it out as I have done with IT or VA or leave it out.

Other types of buzzwords that are just used too much are popular words specific to a particular industry. Have any of these examples cropped up in your content writing?

• Thinking outside the box
• value-added
• alignment
• win-win

If you tend to use the words above, you would be better served to use alternative words in your content or leave them out altogether.

Strip Out Pronoun Overabundance

There are better ways to write proposals than using an overabundance of ‘I’, ‘you’ and the rest of the pronouns. In my opinion, it doesn’t show any creativity and is extremely boring. Quit it!

You want people to read your content, right? Well then, now is the time to strip out overused consultant-speak speech in that content. Get rid of overused superlatives and buzzwords and leave the pronouns back in your office

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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Client Retention Is Critical For Small to Medium-Sized Businesses

Posted on June 5, 2011April 10, 2015 by Pam

Nowadays, client retention is critical to the well-being of Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs). It’s not always easy to work with those clients that ask for the moon but give you impossible demands that eat up your time and money. So what can you do with those cantankerous clients, especially if they get ticked off at you? Let’s take a look:

Client Retention Is Critical

Give careful thought on whether to keep them or set them free.

Sometimes, it’s hard to tell which customers are the best. We know right from the get-go that we’re going to have trouble with a particular client. You just get this tightening in your belly as they speak with you during your free consultation that maybe they could be trouble. For goodness sake, pay attention to your intuition. Most of the time, your intuition won’t lead you astray.

If those cantankerous so-and-sos get too ornery, it’s going to take you bucking up and deciding whether they’re just too much trouble to make it worthwhile to continue the relationship with them. It’s okay – if your decision is to let them go, go ahead. Just make sure you weigh all the risks.

Set their expectations early.

Unfortunately, we’ve only had to learn this through hard knocks through the years. Set realistic expectations for them and get their expectations of what they want from you. Doing so will hopefully keep you from wanting to kick yourself in the butt because you neglected to do that.

Don’t burn your bridges.

If you decide to let a client go, or even if they decide to leave your services, make sure that it is in an equitable way. Burned bridges can cause unnecessary stress and hard-feelings that could develop into something more serious like bad-mouthing of you on the social media networks or even lead to lawsuits.

Stroke the feathers of the good clients and keep them happy.

Client retention is critical to the success of your business. Make sure that your client relationship management is above reproach. A happy client can be a long-term client.

To many times, SMBs will stroke the wrong feathers. What I mean is that they will bend over backwards for the brand new client while they let their old clients fall by the wayside. Folks, that’s just plain silly — your older clients are your bread and butter; they have been tried, tested and proved to be reliable. Now why in the world would you want to go mess that up?
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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Virtual Assistants Need To Get Smart With Article Distribution

Posted on April 24, 2011June 16, 2023 by Pam

Do you realize that first quarter is gone? Did you achieve your goals for article writing? If not, it’s time to get smart with article distribution. How do we do that, though? Let’s take a look.

First of all, it’s a good idea to implement an overall action plan for your writing. Write down your goals for 2nd quarter, if you haven’t already done so. You don’t want to lose any more time than you already have. Then get busy writing.

Once a virtual assistant has the articles written, what is the best way to distribute them far and wide on the Internet. My recommendation would be to use a proven model for your article distribution. This model should be comprehensive, as well as being easy to use.

DYA has developed a model that incorporates all the finer points of ensuring that virtual assistants get smart with article distribution. Below I’m going to break it down for you.

To Spin or Not To Spin

Now before you bring up that I said before that spinning was not a good thing to do, I’ve since found out that spinning can actually have its uses — if you do it the right way.

Preparation Tools

There are many things we should do to make sure we not only get smart with article distribution, but also stay smart. One way we can do that is by careful preparation.

Distribution and Reporting

What wouldn’t we all give to have our articles show up as a feature article on well-known sites. Don’t think it’s possible? I can attest that it is possible. This happens with continuity in bite-size morsels – a little bit at a time.

Good article distribution can drive traffic to your website or blog site. Now more than ever, virtual assistants need to get smart with article distribution and implement a well-thought-out plan of action to get the best results. This process within this article is just one way. Whatever method you use, you need to start now. What are you waiting for?

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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. She is co-owner of Borlok Virtual Assistants, the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Updated 6/16/2023

Master SEO with These Top Research Sources for Content Writers

Posted on April 17, 2011October 30, 2024 by Pam

Mastering SEO is no easy task. Content writers must use top research sources to create high-quality content.

Before sitting down to write, a content writer typically needs to explore various sources, digging through reliable information to present content that informs and engages. But where do we start? How do we ensure that our research is both thorough and credible? Continue reading “Master SEO with These Top Research Sources for Content Writers”

3 Things a Virtual Assistant Can Do to Post Quality Content to the Web

Posted on April 16, 2011June 10, 2015 by Pam

Virtual Assistants can find themselves in a bind and not be able to find the time for writing articles due to their clients’ demand on the VA’s time. Do you know any other ways to post quality content to the Web? I do. Let’s check it out.

I’m sure you have all heard me lament that I just don’t have the time to write articles anymore. You see, as a virtual assistant, my clients are my priority. With working from dawn to late in the evenings, there just aren’t extra minutes in the day for personal writing. I had to find 3 things I can do to post quality content to the Web and do it fast!

Post Quality Content

Share

Did you just read an article on the Web and really, really like it and you think your clients or colleagues might enjoy it? Share it through one of the popular bookmarking and sharing services that you can find on the Internet. There are some that you can get a share button to add to your popular Web browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Safari. Reading an article pertaining to your niche? Share it!

Talk it up in social media

Okay, so maybe you don’t have a lot of time to write an article. But, if you can take five minutes out of your day, you can post to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or some of your other favorite social networking sites. Here are a couple of benefits for doing that:

1. Increase your brand image:

It stands to reason that the more you post, the more chances you will have of having your logo, photo, business, etc. visible in the eyes of the public. Seeing can lead to their talking YOU up (watch out; it can work in reverse also) and spreading their feedback.

2. Become more widely known as an expert in your field

If you continuously offer valuable input on Facebook Pages or to your social media in response to questions pertaining to your niche, the chances are very strong that they will look to you to solve their needs in the future. You will gradually be recognized as a go to person for help in solving issues.

Offer input in forums

In my opinion virtual assistants or anyone that has a niche that they write about should have at least one forum that they are a member of. Why? Here are just three benefits of becoming part of a niche forum:

• Sharing opportunities

After all, if you like horseback riding (yup, that’s me), then you want to be able to talk with other people that have the same interests and get new content for writing blog posts or articles when you get more time.

• Brainstorming opportunities

If you have an idea, you can bounce that idea of another member or even all members of the forum and ask for advice on what the members think. It’s a great way to receive, give, exchange, recommend (I’m sure there are more words I could think of to describe this if I thought about it, but let’s go on.)

• Networking opportunities – The more people you know and like you and hear of your virtual assistant services, the more they will spread the word to their business associates. Who knows? You could gain some new clients yourself in the process as their business associates come to you for services you offer.

A virtual assistant has to be alert to new opportunities to take advantage of managing their time. There are several ways you can post quality content to the Web, even though you may not be actively writing articles or blog posting. Some of those methods can take as little as five minutes. Good luck!
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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. She is co-owner of Borlok Virtual Assistants, the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Should Virtual Assistants Be Concerned with Google’s New Algorithm

Posted on March 9, 2011September 18, 2023 by Pam

Everyone has been talking about it. Since Google changed their algorithm, there’s been a lot of concern whether or not article writers and virtual assistants should stay away from writing good wholesome articles altogether.

So what is Google’s purpose?

Google is intent on improving ranking for article writers. What will happen is that quality should take a big step up. I’m sure you’ve noticed trying to search in your favorite search engine for a term and getting very low-quality articles. Some of them don’t even pertain to the search keyword(s) you typed in. Google believes that this is just the start and readily admit that new updates will be coming down the pipeline that should improve quality even more.

What Is a Content Farm?

According to Wikipedia, a content farm as it relates to the World Wide Web “is used to describe a company that employs large numbers of often freelance writers to generate large amounts of textual content which is specifically designed to satisfy algorithms for maximal retrieval by automated search engines. Their main goal is to generate advertising revenue through attracting reader page views.” Unfortunately, many of these content farms can promote articles of low quality due to excessive spinning or poor writing abilities.

How will this affect article content distribution sites?

Places like Distribute Your Articles (DYA) believe that content farms are in trouble. DYA has always encouraged their members to always submit original content. Their coaches are put through an extensive training program so they are comfortable recognizing errors that can cause an article to be rejected by publishers and site owners. Included in the training is how to correctly apply Article Alchemy™ technology. The end result is that the article writer can rest assured that their articles have been intensively reviewed to make sure that high quality is maintained.

Other content distribution places are raising the bars in their review process to ensure that they are not penalized by Google with a low rating. This will include places like EzineArticles who has recently announced several changes they have implemented to improve their ranking. One of the biggest changes was to increase the minimum length of articles from 300 to 400.

So what is my strategy going to be for me, as well as my clients? I will follow the course of DYA and recommend to my clients that we only submit original content to multiple sites, depending on the client’s memberships. However, my advice to them will also be to blog, and post their articles on social media like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Do I believe that Virtual Assistants (VAs) should be concerned with Google’s new algorithm? I would more say that VAs should become aware but not necessarily concerned. So, for me, that means business as usual. What do you think?
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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.