Krishnan contemplated starting a business along similar lines as Cybertary for several years. She had the intention of setting up the business while still working full-time at an insurance company "and that just didn't happen," she says. Through a friend, Krishnan was introduced to the Cybertary franchise network and chose in late 2009 to open a franchise because "my time to market would be drastically reduced" and she'd have support on the back end if needed, she says. "I quit my job and started this at the height of the recession," she says. "It was definitely a big risk, but one that I haven't regretted." Congratulations, Bhuvana!
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3:08 PM
Congratulations, Emma!
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Emma (right) and her daughter Aisha Horne after accepting the award.
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1:25 PM
Getting around
If you are staying at the Hilton and want to rent a car, they have a parking package that you should ask about. If you’re on foot but would like to cover a bit more ground, through the Pearl District and into the uptown area, ride the Portland Streetcar. Bike rentals are also available.
Food and entertainment
Portland’s also famous for its brewpubs, of course, and there’s a thriving bar scene downtown as well. Coffee is pretty popular here as well.
Other things to see nearby
Portland’s Chinese Garden is said to be the largest of its kind outside of China. It’s amazing how much Chinese landscaping and architecture they got into a single city block.
Powell’s City of Books is a bit of nirvana for book lovers. According to Fodor’s, Powell's City of Books is "The largest independent bookstore in the world, with more than 1.5 million new and used books, Powell's is a Portland landmark that can easily consume you for several hours... It's so big it has its own map, and rooms are helpfully color-coded ..., so you can find your way out again."
For those interested in other kinds of shopping, note that there’s no sales tax in Oregon, and the Pioneer Place mall is very convenient to the Heathman and the Hilton.
There’s more to do and see in the Portland area than could possibly covered here, so you might want to do a little research on your own.
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4:53 PM
What’s the golden key that opens the door to business for Kristen Morris? Networking, networking, and more networking.
“Our business is very referral-based,” says Kristen, a former consultant who started her Cybertary organization in Chantilly, Virginia, a year-and-a-half ago, and likes the flexibility and variety it offers. “I lunch my way through the week,” she says with a laugh. “Networking events are either at 7:30 a.m. or they’re at lunch,” she explains. She knows she has to get out there regularly and make contacts in her area, part of the busy Dulles high-tech corridor. Which can be fun. “That’s just how people do it. It’s very much who you know.”
What’s distinctive about her neck of the woods? High tech, plus a lot of government contracting with the nation’s capitol nearby. “I think what makes it unique here is everybody’s very tech savvy, and we have a high population of solo entrepreneurs and small businesses.”
What’s tough about it? “People around here tend to be very Type A,” she explains. “They’re just so used to having to do everything themselves. We’ll meet with people and they’ll say, ‘I need a virtual assistant,’ but they may not know what a virtual assistant is. That’s when I send out ‘150 Ways A Cybertary Can Work for You!’ I do a lot of educating.”
One of the major things Kristen has learned in her Cybertary work is the importance of follow up. “People are always willing to talk about what they need, but if I don’t personally follow up, it doesn’t happen. I don’t think I realized quite how much energy went into that. I have to admit I like talking to people, though.”
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4:59 PM
In a follow-on to their previous Cybertary coverage, FOXBusiness and reporter Liza Porteus Viana have published another article, “ Tips on How to Grow Your Business, Even in Slippers,” that features Cybertary founder and CEO Patricia Beckman. In this article, Patricia lists ten tips for growing your business, starting with No. 1, Be Prepared for the Wild Magic of Growing a Successful Business:
“I get a lot of questions from new entrepreneurs like, ‘how did you do it?’ or ‘what's your secret to success?’” Beckman said. “At first, I found myself stammering a little for an answer that felt authentic. It's not that I had any doubt about the hard work I had put into the business, it's just that there was this critical bit of ‘magic’ that happened along the way as well - and both have been instrumental in Cybertary's success.” Being prepared can be the best groundwork for growth. She believes hard work, preparation, and even a little "doing nothing," when necessary, prepared her for the fairly rapid growth of her business. “Good business sense means knowing when to be hands on and when it pays to just sit back and let the magic of good business preparation take its course,” she said. Many thanks to FOXBusiness for the great coverage!
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5:44 PM
The titular fish sticks come from the “Why” part: “Everyone has their ‘a-ha’ moment. Sadly mine was over fish sticks,” Beckman said. The “fish sticks” moment occurred when Beckman was preparing dinner for her girls and didn’t know which one wanted ketchup and which one wanted tartar sauce.
“It hit me that a mother should know these things,” she said. “Since I worked such long hours and traveled often on business, I had lost touch with my family. I didn’t know my daughters’ friends, missed school events and recitals, and the girls had even stopped coming to my side of the bed in the middle of the night, since Dad was the one who was always there for them. I thought – ‘I’m the Mommy!’” So, Beckman resigned from her corporate job and set out to create her own perfect “dream job” that would allow her to be more available for her family while meeting her professional objectives and financial goals.
Congratulations, Patricia, on the great exposure!
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4:49 PM
Since a number of Cybertary operators are planning to attend this year's IVAA Live Summit in Portland, OR, which runs May 3-6, Patricia is planning a Cybertary mini-conference for Monday and Tuesday, May 2-3. The conference will run from 9am-5pm Monday and 9am-1pm Tuesday, breaking early Tuesday to allow for some free time ahead of the reception that kicks off the Live Summit Tuesday evening.
The venue for this event is the prestigious Heathman Hotel, which is one block south and across Broadway from the Portland Hilton Executive Tower, where the Live Summit will be held. Those able to attend will also be hosted for dinner Monday evening at the award-winning Heathman Restaurant, which will also be catering the conference sessions.
Conference session content is still being developed, and more information will be posted here as it becomes available.
[Photos: Flickr/Merelymel13]
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4:30 PM
Cybertary Roseville and operators Tina Angell and Valerie Dow have been featured in a local newspaper again, this time in The Placer Herald. The article, entitled “ Savings more than virtual with Cybertary,” tells the success story of one happy customer, Chris Boden, who has both saved operating capital and increased his revenue with assistance from Cybertary. “I would say all in all, from working with Cybertary and the projects that I’ve saved money on and projects where they have made me an income, Cybertary has increased my income about 20 percent and saved me about 20 percent as well on costs,” shared Boden. “That’s why I’m a huge advocate for them. They save you money and they make you money.”
Congratulations, Tina and Valerie. Keep up the great press!
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3:14 PM
If you haven't checked out the Cybertary web site lately, you might want to give it a look. The site has recently undergone a redesign, resulting in a fresh new look, updated content about the business and its services, and more options for finding and contacting your nearest Cybertary operation. One feature incorporated during the redesign is an improved format for the Cybertary location pages, which now employ a product called Empowerkit to enable each Cybertary location to create a unique presence that highlights their team members, service offerings, and social media presence on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Just type in your zip code to find the Cybertary location nearest you, then click the link to their location page. We hope you like the new site, and will check back periodically—there may be even more changes to come!
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5:41 PM
The nature of a city can shape the way that Cybertary performs. Ask Joyce Kane, whose Cybertary Pittsburgh office was launched in September 2009. “Pittsburgh happens to be a little bit slower than the rest of the country in terms of new things and changes, so it’s been a bit more challenging,” she explained. “I’m spending more time on the education process.”
Joyce says there are a number of virtual assistants in her town who have been operating there for several years, and they support mostly coaches, consultants and authors. “Those groups are very familiar with virtual assistance, and have used them, but the rest of the marketplace doesn’t appear to be as aware of what we can do for them,” she said.
So Joyce, who has about 30 years experience in the corporate world in IT infrastructure management, said her current jobs have been in the traditional office-support category, as well as personal and executive assistance projects, with a dearth of work in graphic design and bookkeeping, something she’d like to see change.
No two days are the same for her and her seven-person team, she says, and although educating potential clients can be challenging and the fear of the unknown can be daunting, she doesn’t miss her former work lifestyle. “It was fairly regimented with a lot of meetings, and a lot of late night and weekend work.” Being self-employed and more involved with small businesses has been eye opening and exciting. “I never knew some of these business existed or the sheer number of networking groups that are available.”
“A lot of this past year has been dedicated to talking with different folks of the ‘possibilities’ in terms of the types of services we offer. It always sounds like we can be everything for everyone, so the challenge is to really crystallize the message in order for it to resonate with the audience.”
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1:30 PM
Dow and Angell say the leap from a pulsating corporate environment to home-based offices worked for them, giving them flexible schedules, more quality private time and less stress.
It's a niche Cybertary touts to prospective employees, and clients.
"It does work both ways. Not only do we have more time for our lives, we offer (clients) services that free up more time for them to run their businesses," Dow said.
The article also features a sidebar that summarizes Cybertary's market positioning and services, and a snapshot of those working in the VA industry.
Congratulations, Tina and Valerie, on the great exposure!
UPDATE: Tina and Valerie got TV coverage! Congratulations again!
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3:33 PM
Two Cybertary operators were recently featured in newspaper articles that highlight the alternative to conventional staffing that they provide to local small businesses. In “ Filling voids with virtual assistants,” the Alexandria Times features Fleur Gessner of Cybertary DC-Metro, and one of her satisfied clients. The story illustrates how Cybertary can be an ideal solution for small business seeking specialized skills that they don't have in-house. In it, Fleur talks about how the Cybertary business model is geared toward meeting specific business needs: “What I really like about this business model is that it allows small businesses and medium-sized businesses to get very professional backup support by the hour, as needed. They don’t have to bid a lot of resources or commit to a minimum number of hours and they have a partner that has the ability to help them grow their business.”
“Small businesses just don't have the resources to allocate the different functions a big corporation might have,” explained Bhuvana Krishnan, owner of Cybertary Alpharetta, the North Fulton branch of the national firm. “Or they might not need a person full-time for the job. We provide these solutions on demand.” Congratulations and thanks to both of these franchisees for illustrating the value that Cybertary can provide to businesses seeking to grow in a challenging environment.
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6:35 PM
Communicating with people face to face and keeping her own schedule are two things that Sharon Holbrook treasures. And despite the fact she’s in the virtual-assistance business, her Cybertary franchise in Elk Grove, CA has offered plenty of opportunity for connecting with people in the flesh and creating her own schedule. “I’m very uncomfortable doing things on the phone,” she says, “so my most success comes from doing what I like most, and that is meeting people.” And it’s the variety of folks, to say nothing of the variety of jobs, all handled in her own time frame, that excite her, and make the work, well, fun. “Plus I get to be creative,” she says, adding that no two days are quite the same. An assignment she recently enjoyed was assembling an operations manual for an electrical company in the San Francisco Bay area. “They have a lot of data put together, and they’d had it in some sort of format, but wanted it to be put into a marketable piece, user-friendly. It’s probably been the most fun and challenging,” she said. Elk Grove, the second-largest city in Sacramento county, lies 15 miles southeast of the capitol city and was voted the fastest- growing US urban city between July 1, 2004 and July 1, 2005. For new businesses like hers, launched in January 2009, it’s been a challenging area, she admits. “It took me a lot longer than I anticipated to get the name out there and get people understanding who we are and what we do.” But persistence pays off. With seven team members on contract, Holbrook’s found herself progressively busier, and being close to the bustling Bay area has been a plus as well. “Elk Grove’s an older community, a great community: I really enjoy it,” she said.
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11:34 AM
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