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
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