My 5 Favorite ‘Work From Anywhere’ Places

The main reason I started my virtual assistant business (Top Notch Admin) was because I wanted to be able to work from anywhere. I’ve always enjoyed traveling and with today’s technology, I can generate an income and be productive while enjoying a change of scenery and spending time with family and friends. Here are my top five favorite places to plug-in and get the job done!!

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My home office – I loved creating my home office!! It may not be ‘traditional’ but it’s ME and it’s relaxing and comfy.

The back porch – This is where I like to work from if I want to be surrounded by nature, but still be comfortable and feel at home (i.e. sweats and no make-up!). Listening to birds chirp and feeling a breeze while working is bringing the best of both worlds together.

Library – I love, love, love books and the smell of a library!! I probably visit a library a couple of times a week. It doesn’t matter what town or city I’m in, I know where the closest library is and their hours of operation. And although technology is important to working virtually and I keep up with all the latest, I still enjoy holding and reading a good book. 

Beach front café – Location, location, location. There is nothing more relaxing to me than seeing and hearing the waves hit the shore. I seem to be more focused and therefore more productive when the waves are my ‘white noise.’

Best friend’s kitchen – The ambience, the company, the smells….what more is there to say? As long as you can keep interruptions to a minimum this is a great place to work. I seem to stay focused and on-task working here because I know there is going to be a great reward after a good day’s work – quality time with someone who means the world to me!

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Having the ability to ‘work from anywhere’ has made me a happier person and therefore more productive. I know each day I’m going to enjoy my work environment and that makes me more enthusiastic! Don’t you want to partner with a happy and enthusiastic VA?

Let’s talk, formulate a plan and start building a long-term working relationship that is prosperous and gratifying for both of us ~~ Susan

How Dropbox Can Help You Take Your Law Practice Virtual

File sharing is a necessity for your law practice if you have a virtual office or are partnered with a legal virtual assistant. Dropbox is easy to use and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux and has applications available for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry. Because Dropbox syncs your files on any device you use, you can literally access and edit your files from anywhere you have internet access. Dropbox offers both personal and business use plans starting at $9.99 per month.

Of course, because of the sensitivity and confidentiality of client flies here is an article by Legal Productivity on how to secure your Dropbox account.

http://www.legalproductivity.com/technology/secure-your-dropbox-account

I’ve been using Dropbox for two years and have had no problems at all with file sharing or security issues. The days of emailing files to your secretary or legal assistant are over!!

Let’s talk, formulate a plan and start building a long-term working relationship that is prosperous and gratifying for both of us ~~ Susan

4 Benefits of Using a Specialized Virtual Assistant Rather Than a Virtual Receptionist to Answer Your Phone

As a solo practice lawyer in the process of building your practice, having your telephone answered appropriately should be one of your top priorities. After all, this is most people’s first impression of you and your business.  There are a lot of options out there for virtual receptionist services but before you make a decision consider the options of using an experienced virtual assistant.

Cost Effectiveness – When paying for a virtual receptionist most services charge either a flat fee or a per call fee. When using an experienced virtual assistant you can pay a monthly retainer for bundled services and have more tasks completed than just your phone answered. You may end up paying more, but you will benefit by having more time to focus on your cases and billable hours.

Personal Touch and Call Filtering – Having your phone answered by a real live person provides a personal touch that leaving a voice mail can’t do.  It also saves you the time later of having to return calls that could possibly be a waste of your time like wrong numbers, sales calls or recorded messages.

Experience and Knowledge – When choosing a legal virtual assistant you are getting an expert in the area of law firm administration and therefore your callers will feel they have a knowledgeable person taking their call. Someone with legal experience will be able to ask the right questions so you spend less time on the phone asking your callers basic questions and more time getting the useful information you need for the case.

Flexibility – If you partner with a virtual assistant you will have an on-going relationship and daily or weekly dialogue (depending on your needs) and therefore will be able have flexibility in regards to who to take messages from and when and who you speak with directly. You can also have your virtual assistant return phone calls for you freeing up even more time for you to spend on billable hours.

Let’s talk, formulate a plan and start building a long-term working relationship that is prosperous and gratifying for both of us ~~ Susan