HOME
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The
2-Second Commute
Based
on the
highly-successful Virtual Assistant training programs Chris Durst and
Michael Haaren developed
for the US Armed Forces and the US Department of State, The 2-Second
Commute:
Join the Exploding Ranks of Freelance Virtual Assistants
brings
you the
knowledge without
the classroom!
Training
program
participants have billed
over $30
MILLION since our training programs started in 2002. Now YOU can learn from Chris
& Mike,
too, and start your own successful VA business!
2-SECOND
COMMUTE
CHAPTERS
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1
Why
Become a Virtual
Assistant?
- personal & professional
reasons to
explore this
industry
Chapter 2
Exploring
Virtual
Assistance
- virtual assistance defined
- industry demographics
- services, fees, and trends
- why businesses work with VAs
- international outlook
Chapter 3
Reality
Checks &
Self-Assessments
- exploring important considerations -
motives,
lifestyle,
family, children, etc.
- entrepreneurial self-assessment
- VA readiness self-assessment
- Spouse With a Mouse™ -
from our
Department of State
and US
Armed Forces training programs, a special section to help your
"significant other" understand what it will be like to have a business
in the house.
Developing
a "Service
Menu" That You Can Live and Grow With
- inventory your values, interests,
and
skills to
determine
your most marketable skills
Chapter 5
Estimating
Costs and
Setting Fees
- projecting your costs, picking your
"salary", setting
your hour, and our special formula for calculating a reasonable
baseline fee
- comprehensive fee survey (see what
other
VAs are
charging)
- getting paid -contracts, credit
cards,
invoices,
retainers, etc.
Chapter 6
Setting
Up Your
Business and Your Office
- naming and registering your business
- forms of business ownership
- permits and licenses
- insurance
- home office setup
Chapter 7
Building
a Healthy
Foundation for Your Business
- defining your ideal client,
interviewing
clients,
partnering with clients
- the art of virtual communications
- SWOT analysis - discovering your
Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats
- the benefits of "niche marketing" -
identifying your
target
market
Chapter 8
Let
the Marketing
Begin!
- image is everything
- talking about what you "do"
- marketing and email
- your Web site - your "global
billboard"
- press releases
- harvesting the local "business crop"
- leveraging the media
- guest lecturing
- our 5 favorite marketing techniques
- the Strategic Marketing Plan - your
blueprint for
building
a successful business through effective marketing
Chapter 9
Pulling
It All
Together and
Keeping It There
- a collection of tips, tool,
techniques,
and pointers
for
making your business a success
Chapter 10
The
VA Toolbox:
Resources and Information
- VA trade groups, email lists,
certifications and
training
programs
- specialized resources for
homeschoolers,
"trailing
spouses", work at home parents, and people with disabilities
- resources and other information for
the
"frugal VA"
--
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Work from home as a
Curriculum
Developer
[Contributing Expert: Valerie
Tonus]
 The niche in a nutshell:
A
curriculum developer is responsible for analyzing, designing and
evaluating training programs. He/she often conducts a needs
assessment
prior to program design as well as develops evaluation plans to assess
the business impact of training. Many curriculum designers
work
collaboratively with a subject-matter expert during all phases of the
design process – from needs assessment and the identification
of
learning goals and objectives, to the development of learning
activities, training materials and evaluation tools.
Top 5 Services Provided in this
Niche
- Needs
assessment
- Program
design
- Program
evaluation
- Training
materials
development
- Web-based
training
design
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Top 5 Hiring Markets
- Information
technology
- Finance and
insurance
- Healthcare
- Management
consulting
- Education
and
government
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Pay Range for this Niche
The pay
range for this niche varies greatly depending on hiring market and on
the designer’s level of education and experience.
Designers make
anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000 per year, with designers of web-based
training often making the highest salaries.
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Recommended Skillsets
- Strong
project
management skills
- Excellent
communication skills
- Ability to
work with
all kinds of people
- Knowledge
of the
following:
- Adult
learning theory
- Instructional
methods
and learning strategies
- Needs
assessment
methodologies
- Program
evaluation
tools and techniques
- Educational
media and
graphic design (for web-based training)
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Niche
Overview
The nature of curriculum development work lends itself to virtual
employment. Almost all phases of the design process can be
done
in front of a computer. Once the curriculum designer has
worked
with the client to identify learning objectives, he/she researches
engaging activities that will promote transfer of learning.
The
designer then creates a training
flow
– a document which outlines the sequence of learning
activities.
The designer often produces the training materials, which support both
the instructor and the learner (manuals, job aids, participant guides,
facilitator guides, presentations, flip charts, etc.) Prior
to
any design work, the instructional developer may collaborate with the
client on the creation of a needs assessment, which often takes the
form of a survey. Needs assessments play an important role in
the
identification of learning objectives. Also, given that most
companies must gauge the return on their training dollars, the
curriculum developer is often involved in planning the assessment of
the business impact of training. This too may involve the
development of a survey tool as well as the analysis of the data
collected.
Keep in mind that many employers or clients prefer curriculum designers
who have some subject matter expertise in their specific
domain.
For example, many employers in the healthcare industry require prior
curriculum designer experience in a health care environment.
Challenges in the virtual landscape
The big challenge for the virtual curriculum designer is learning how
to convince clients to break out of the traditional in-house working
relationship they know so well. Just one look at the online
job
boards and it is easy to see that employers still want to hire fulltime
in-house curriculum developers. Even when clients decide to
go
for a contract developer, they still expect the design work to be
completed in-house.
So how do you get started? Here are a few tips:
- If you
already have
worked for a particular employer in a traditional in-house
relationship, contact him/her about the possibility of working on a
virtual basis. He/she knows you and knows the quality of your
work.
- Ask for
referrals
from former clients. Many know colleagues in their field with
similar development needs.
- Keep in
touch with
your fellow free-lance curriculum developers. They may want
pass
work on to you when the load gets too large to handle.
- Retain your
membership in professional organizations, such as the American
Society for
Trainers and Developers (ASTD). These organizations
provide a
wealth of information on the latest trends in the field, and they often
have web pages where you can post your services.
Recommended Reading
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Tools of the Trade
- A good
computer with
a high speed internet connection
- A voice
over IP
service, such as Skype
- A reliable
fax
service, such as myfax.com
- A strong
resource
library – see Recommended Reading
- A website
describing
your services
- Business
cards and
other marketing materials
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Organizations &
Associations
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Resource Links
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 About Valerie
Tonus
Valerie
Tonus is a facilitation and training expert with over 15 years of
experience. She brings a diversity of knowledge to her designs and
delivery from having worked with numerous organizations spanning seven
countries. Valerie’s areas of interest and expertise cover
collaborative methods, team development, and experiential learning. She
has developed training and facilitation solutions in a number of areas
including, agile methods, consulting, group facilitation, and
mentoring. Valerie is a Certified Professional Facilitator, and she
holds a M.Ed., specializing in organizational learning, from George
Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Most recently, Valerie has formed LearningConstructs, a training and
group facilitation consultancy based in Bucharest, Romania.
Valerie
designs and delivers experiential learning programs, group
facilitations, coaching and mentoring programs, and provides
educational assessment and research services. For more
information on
Valerie and LearningConstructs please visit
http://www.learningconstructs.com.
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