From Transcription to Virtual Assistance

I promised to write about how I evolved from being a transcriptionist to a virtual assistant. So here it is...

Just like how I became a transcriptionist, I was pushed to the virtual assistance niche. After a year of doing transcription, and maybe not doing it properly, I started to have ringing in my ears. It might have been due to the bad quality of my headset, or it might have been due to the numerous bad audio files I picked up from the work queue.

Whatever it was that caused me to hurt my ears, it must have been God's work. A door was closed. I could not abuse my ears, so there was no question that I had to stop transcribing. But a window opened. I found job postings at Craigslist and replied to a few ads that I felt I qualify for.

After going through some Skype interviews, I finally got hired by an internet marketing company in the UK. The task was to create one-way backlinks from high PR sites to their site. Uh-oh... What's PR again? And what is a backlink?

Fortunately, the boss only needs someone who can communicate well, dedicated to her work, with stable internet connection, a fast learner and honest. So I qualified.

It was quite an experience, learning SEO and internet marketing hands-on. Like I learned it as I went along.

And then one day, the boss asks, "Do you know how to prepare a wireframe?"

My reply... "Is that the one used for eyeglasses?"

So the boss sends me a link to a site showing what a wireframe is and how to prepare one. Then he sends me a Word file that has information about a business that I'm supposed to prepare a wireframe for. And that was it.

As I accomplished more tasks, I gained confidence that I could learn more and do better. So I started to accept more projects, more clients.

When a client asks me to convert M4A files to MP3, I look for a free software that will do that. If I'm asked to take still photos from a video, I find out how I could do that. And so it was an interesting journey with every client, and I enjoyed, and still enjoying, every minute of each trip!

One thing that I can never stress enough is the importance of honesty. While it's true that I accepted projects involving tasks that I had no prior experience with, I've always admitted that fact to the client. My strongest point has always been the ability to learn, and learn fast. And staying true to my work ethic.

Driver Mommy

A few nights ago, my kids were given a new experience they are likely to talk about for a long time.

Mommy drove the car.

It's not really a first time experience. I've driven Bea to the emergency room one night when she accidentally inserted something in her nose. I've driven Xia to and from school when she was still attending a regular school. And Jude had experienced being in the car when I had to take it in and out of the driveway.

Oh, and there was that time when my husband had a few drinks at a friend's house and letting me drive us all home was the responsible thing to do.

But a few nights ago, it was different. the drive was longer than any of the other times I've taken the driver seat as Mommy. It was late and my husband was coming home from a long trip and there were no longer rides from the city to our place. Since we don't have a yaya, I had to take the kids with me all the way to the city to pick up my husband. It was a revelation to hear the kids talk about their perceptions about their parents.

Daddy drives the car, because he's the daddy. And Mommy only sits in front with Daddy, she's not a driver.

And so all the way to the city, there ensued an argument on who drives better. The girls, of course, were Mommy's fans. And Bea was only too eager to share how fast Mommy drove that night we went to the hospital.

But Jude would not accept that. Boys are better drivers, they are faster, all the time, and they overtake other cars.

Of course, Mommy was not doing that, because she's being careful. Oh, But Mommy cannot drive a Hummer car, only a Toyota. But Mommy can drive any car, because she knows how to drive. No, Hummer cars are for boys. But Calleigh drives a Hummer in CSI Miami. She's a girl...

You get the picture...

Investing on a Home Business

In response to a query from old colleagues about the start-up cost of setting up a virtual assistance business, I'm writing about it in this blog so I won't have to repeat myself in case someone else asks.

I've written about how I got started, the circumstances that led me to get into a home business, and what I did to jump-start what is now a full-pledged career. Those are the intangibles. So here now are some tangibles.

Equipment. We had to invest on a high-end computer, and a fast and reliable internet connection. Well, the fast and reliable was, and is, not within my control. So let's leave it at having a steady connection. But if you have a choice, like if you're living in a city where there are two or more providers, shop for the most reliable service, don't even think of the cost. These days, they are almost level in terms of cost, but not in service.

The computer, in 2006, cost me Php25K. It was not branded, just an assembled unit, with all the specs I needed. My present PC now is branded, which cost me Php32K. And I now have a branded laptop that serves as back-up when I really need to be somewhere else but can't put off work. Then there are the peripherals, like speakers, a headset, a microphone (if your headset does not have one) and a web cam. A scanner and a printer are also must-haves. And if you're considering transcription, you'll need a pedal. Got mine as a gift from my mother-in-law. So unless you have a mother-in-law as supportive and as generous as mine, list that down as part of your investment, too. The pedal was $80 way back then.

Taking care of your investment means you also need to have a UPS and an AVR. The UPS is costly, but believe you me, it will be worth it. Think of how much time you'll save and how much heartache you'll be spared when the power goes off a second before you could press "save" after you've typed in pages of notes. Yes, it will be worth it.

Software. I'm sure you have the complete MS Office Suite. If you don't have it yet, then don't just sit there. Go get it! Word and Excel are the most basic. Powerpoint will serve you well for presentations, and Publisher worked well for my desktop publishing service. Access is great for database, although more often than not, I just use Excel, too. Very recently, I started using MovieMaker. It's cool! And I'm learning Photoshop. Uh, not so cool there. But I'm getting results. So I guess it's kinda cool, too.

You don't really need to buy expensive softwares. You just need to know what you need, then look for free downloads. ExpressScribe is free, for those thinking of getting into transcription. I use FTP Commander for my file transfers. And Google Docs, too. Plus, clients actually provide software. So it's not really a problem. You just need to be a fast-learner.

When I first started out, the hottest thing online was medical transcription. So I invested time and money for training. I enrolled in a medical transcription course while my son was still in the hospital. The training was flexible. We were allowed to do it on our own pace. So I just fast-tracked mine. It was actually a crash course in medicine, with all the specializations. Dermatology, pulmonology, gynecology, urology, and all the other -logies in medicine. There were 15 modules. We learned everything from physical examination to surgery. And for every specialization, there is pharmacy, and that's where I had trouble. But, I passed anyway. The good thing about taking that course was while my son was still in the hospital, I was learning about his condition, so that when the neonatologist or the neurologist tells us that something needs to be done, we were actually making informed decisions.

The course cost us Php27K. Add to that the transportation and meal expense.

But, and here's a big but... I never got into medical transcription. I did general transcription. Business transcription - conferences, interviews, podcasts, webcasts, speeches, focus groups - but not medical transcription. The closest thing I got to medical transcription was when I did a series of interviews for a medical program for the University of Western Ontario.

Do I regret ever spending that much money, time and effort for a training I did not put into practice?

No. Because that training more than prepared me for all the things I'm doing now. And I have evolved. I no longer do transcription. Not at all. I'm finding my niche in social media and search engine optimization and internet marketing. I did dabble a little in article writing, but it's too draining for me.

So there. Starting a home biz? Assess your skills. Decide on what you love to do for the long haul. Then make some investments. Oh, I forgot my desk. I had one made, not bought at the store, because I want my things to be where I want them to be. So I had one custom-made for my needs. It cost me about Php8K.

How I evolved from being a transcriptionist to a virtual assistant, I'll write about next time. And how to look for clients. For now I have to do the laundry and start with my girls' school activities.

Come back soon!

Lauro Purcil

Yesterday, I was again blessed to be with a person I very much admire. I was at the UP-Ayala Technohub to sign the incorporation papers of the Overseas Filipino Council International - Philippine Chapter, and was really thrilled to see Mang Lauro again.

I met Mang Lauro in cyberspace sometime in 2007. And then in a "getting-to-know-you" dinner arranged by the OFCI president Anita Sese-Schon, we finally met in person in 2008. Mang Lauro is blind and has speech impairment. But anyone reading his posts in the various fora he's a part of would never think that he is. Very rarely would you see a typo in his postings, and he is one of the most eloquent persons I know.

Very recently, he attended a UN convention in New York as the Philippines' candidate to the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He was allowed to bring with him an assistant but he graciously declined. He went to New York on his own! And yesterday, he arrived at the Technohub in a taxi on his own. Amazing!

Mang Lauro holds a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines and is considered as one of the icons of Filipino PWD advocacy.

Meeting Mang Lauro has been a humbling experience, and he has since been a source of inspiration for me to pursue volunteer work. Looking at his pictures from the UN Convention yesterday, my heart swelled with pride that I am even acquainted, much more friends, with a person as remarkable as Mang Lauro.

VANetworking Webinar

I started my day early today. I again received an invitation from Tawnya Sutherland, founder and CEO of VANA, to attend a free webinar with Karri Flatla.

It's all about writing loveletters. Well, not quite, but I'd like to think of it that way.

Karri Flatla is a marketing strategist, copywriter and coach to online entrepreneurs seeking growth and action in their businesses. Do I sound like I just quoted direct from her website? Gosh, I forgot what her site address is, but I'm sure I'll locate it somewhere in the pages of my doodles.

So anyway, her topic is about putting words to a blank page, putting ideas into action and mindset shift for getting un-stuck in business and into growth mode.

Which was exactly what I have resolved to do just very recently. Stop analyzing things too much, take action! You cannot expect any result when you're not willing to act.

She offered a scholarship ticket to be given to the person who will submit a short essay on why he/she deserves that scholarship ticket. I hope to have the time to sit down and write that essay.

But for now, I have deadlines to beat and children to teach.

The joys of a working mother!