A recent chat with a VA highlighted her concerns about coming to a conference when there’s a double cost to her:

1.  She can’t be earning while she’s at the conference, and

2.  There is a cost involved in coming.

It is important to note that AVAC (like some other VA events) is held on a Friday and Saturday to minimise the amount of time spent out of the office and away from client work during business hours.  As a business owner myself I’m well aware that every day spent out of the office means potential loss of income and so I made sure that the event was not being held in the middle of the week but rather at the end of the week.

In my own business I’ve made it a practice of working Mondays-Thursdays for clients for the most part and using Fridays for my own business housekeeping (bookkeeping, general admin, etc) as well as other things.  I’ve blogged about this often and my business coach has been very helpful in getting me to this particular ’state’ for my business.  But it did take me awhile to get to this pattern but the good thing is I can now use this time for educational events – even if it means swapping my Friday for another day in the week when needed.

As a business owner I’m also aware of watching where my dollars go but feel it is equally important to make sure I invest $$ in my business. That doesn’t just mean on equipment, software, publications, etc but it also means my own self-development as a business owner and in the knowledge I have for running my business. Which is why attending educational events and conferences is so important. It’s an investment in your business and also a taxable expense.

So, if you were thinking you couldn’t afford to take time out of your business and come to an event like AVAC I encourage you to consider you can’t afford not to.  There have been many reports of Virtual Assistants whose business have grown considerably after attending an event that has helped boost their business and their knowledge.  Why not book today?