Branding your Invoices
November 10, 2008 by Kylie Short
Why customise your invoices?
Customising invoices is something a lot of small business owners neglect to do, not realising the opportunity for what it is. Customised invoices are an excellent opportunity to brand your business. Just as you would have brand consistency between your business cards, letterheads, marketing materials, website and more, you also need to brand your invoices.
As a bookkeeper and small business owner, it has gotten to the point where I can tell you exactly what software that business is using to maintain their books. For me, I find this sad and boring too. Why not take the time to add your logo? Why not take the time to add your website details? Why not take the time to get rid of that ugly Times New Roman font and use the font from your logo or the style guide for your business?
Lets think about the purpose of an invoice. It’s to ensure you get paid promptly and on time. If your invoice stands out from the others and is easily recognisable, it stands to reason that you will be paid more promptly. I have a client who has designed her invoices to look like a utility bill. The idea behind her reasoning is that if it looks like a bill it will be paid more promptly to ensure services are not disconnected.
To customise your invoices you simply do the following:
MYOB
• Click on Sales and then Print/Email Invoices
• Click on Advance Filters and then on Customise
• You can now edit the invoice and save with a new name
QuickBooks
• Click on Lists and then templates
• High light the form you wish to customise and then right click and edit
• Make your changes and save
The bonus with each software package is that you can have multiple invoice templates for the same business. For example, Tilda Virtual Services is a sole trader. But I also own Tilda Hosting. I have a separate website, branding and domain for hosting to the virtual assistance website. For income tax purposes, my accountant will lump all my income together regardless of which trading name earned it and for that reason I also decided to keep the records for both in the same data-file in QuickBooks. Through using two invoicing templates and classes (talking about classes is a discussion for another day…) I’ve managed to cut down my bookkeeping time and have everything together for the accountant.
So think about your invoices and how they represent your business. Can they be modified to suit the brand you’ve built for your business or do they need a total makeover?
First published in the Business Mums Network Magazine. Click here for more details!
Filed under: Bookkeeping Tips
International Virtual Assistance and what it means for one Aussie VA!
November 7, 2008 by Kylie Short
I first stumbled upon Virtual Assistance in August of 2006. I had just given birth to my third child, my daughter Matilda and started my business four weeks before she was born. Until I found the term Virtual Assistance, I had no idea there was this entire industry out there waiting for me, but as soon as I found it I became excited. So excited I wanted to learn more about it. How to get started? What technology do I need? Is it something I can even do
‘So people actually work from home huh’ was the response from my husband. And with his support I started my research.
Ask any newbie and they’ll tell you, ours is one of the most giving and nurturing industries out there in Internet land. Especially considering what normally happens when you have women working together (lots and lots of nastiness and/or competitiveness). I was so humbled to see veteran VAs sharing their knowledge and supporting the newbie’s in their quest to start their own businesses. For me, it was the deal clincher. I too wanted to be a Virtual Assistant when I grew up.
So with two young children and a newborn, my plan was to grow and market my business slowly but Internet land had other ideas for me. I soon became so busy that I decided to become a Multi-VA, started to build my team and I won the Janet Jordan Achievement Award for 2008. So why am I telling you all this? Well as a Virtual Assistant who lives in Australia and has no plans on moving countries, I had to interpret the information my poor brain had to assimilate. I had to ‘Aussiefy’ it. (Sorry to all the writers reading this – I made up my own word there)
Kylie’s tips for International VAs:
- Be aware that the rules and regulations are different between countries, states and local government areas. A lot of the advice on starting a business, registering a domain name didn’t apply to me because of where I lived. I still had to go out and research where to start on my own.
- Join forums in your own country as well as overseas. Who knows, maybe there is a get-together in your area that you are missing out on.
- Be aware of the differences in spelling, grammar and the meaning of words. For a long time there I was really careful about how and what I said in the webinars I attended. I wanted the communication channel to be as clear as possible so that there couldn’t be any miscommunication. I don’t anymore and even teach those who want to learn, how to speak ‘Aussie’. Crikey!
- Work your time-zone to your advantage. I have a Project Manager who is quite literally my right arm. She is able to log remotely into my server and is administrator on most of my accounts. We usually have a Skype chat (can’t really call it a meeting because of the other things we talk about) each day around 10pm my time to do a recap of anything that came up and what I absolutely need her to do or delegate that day for me. I wake up and the work is in my inbox for quality checking and sending to the client.
- Don’t just glance over your Professional Indemnity insurance policy (Errors and Omissions Insurance). Read it thoroughly. My policy doesn’t cover me for clients located in the United States but it does for all other countries. To increase my cover I need to pay an additional $3,000 AUD. As I don’t have clients in the US, this currently isn’t a problem for me and so I haven’t paid the additional fee.
With all the information I have assimilated in the last two and a half years, my business has grown beyond my wildest expectations. Part of my business plan is to now give back to my industry so the upcoming newbie’s receive the support and knowledge that I did. And it never surprises me to find newbie VAs from Australia, unaware of the VA industry in their country.
The Internet has truly made our industry a global one where teams are made across continents; clients are served by VAs in different time zones and the industry continues to grow day by day.
First published in IVAACast - the official VA Newsletter of the International Virtual Assistants Association!
Filed under: Virtual Assistance
I’ve been a busy VA!
November 7, 2008 by Kylie Short
I have to confess I’ve been really busy with both client work and some exciting new projects for Tilda Virtual Services. I’m in the midst of creating my first info product as a joint venture with Angela den Hollander at communic8 design and I have been working hard at rebranding my e-newsletter.
The newsletter is now called Techno Update - and it will be a monthly cheat sheet on the latest technology for online businesses trying to market their services or products. Topics will include VoIP, Content Management Systems, Customer Relationship Management Software, Setting up and promoting Teleseminars and much more.
Techno Update will give you all the information you’ll need to decide if using particular software or technology is going to help you to achieve your goals.
I kind of can’t help myself and read a LOT of ’stuff’ on the Internet and I thought what better way to market my business and my services than to share this knowledge with the rest of the world.
To subscribe you can click on the home page and subscribe in the form there on the right or you can send a blank email to kylie-349256@autocontactor.com
Why not drop me a line and tell me what it is you are looking for, but don’t know what you need?
Filed under: Business Management, Technology, Virtual Assistance
Old but new office space!
November 4, 2008 by Kylie Short
So after 6 months I decided to move my office back home. I missed being at home too much and when Damon (8) said to me after school one day “mum, I’m glad your working at home again, we missed you” I knew I made the right decision. Only difference this time is that Lincoln didn’t want a workspace because he prefers to work in front of the TV if at all so I sold half the furniture.
This is what my office looks like now and it always makes me laugh to hear “oh so it’s like a real office” from visitors.
Looking in from the door
My desk!
Filed under: About Us
New Team Member Wanted
October 29, 2008 by Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services is looking for a Virtual Assistant with video editing and/or audio editing skills. You must be a team player, be responsive and love technology. Someone with experience is preferred for obvious reasons.
If you would like more information, please fill in the form and tell me why you are the best person to join my team.
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Filed under: About Us