“Entrepreneurial Freedom is a great ‘VA 101′ course and reference for anyone serious about succeeding in the Virtual Assistance industry.”
Michael J. Russer, President RUSSER Communications
The “Father of Virtual Outsourcing” for the real estate industry
“Clontz and Hidden delivered information aspiring VAs want. Entrepreneurial Freedom covers important topics like ethics, balancing your life, continuing education and networking, as well as provides useful resources to support a VA’s development and growth. They have collected “best practice” philosophies from the crème of the VA industry and placed them at the reader’s fingertips. Great stuff!”
Sharon Williams, The 24 Hour Secretary
“Entrepreneurial Freedom” by Jeannine Clontz and Lauren Hidden hits all the high points on what it takes to run your own successful business. Do you have the materials and personality to run your own business? How do you make your business stand out in the crowd? Entrepreneurial Freedom takes the new businessperson from the concept phase through start-up, and well into the future. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to explore entrepreneurial freedom.
Tom Beauchamp, OffAssist
My search for THE industry handbook is over. Entrepreneurial Freedom is an articulate, comprehensive and invaluable resource for all virtual service providers realistically defining every facet of establishing, growing and maintaining a remote business support service. It soared to the top of the required reading list for our students.
Gretchen Berg, owner, Berg Business Solutions, Inc. and founder, Virtual Business Training
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Entrepreneurial Freedom. I found the book to be very well written and very easy to read. It is a MUST read for any one wanting to work in a virtual mode. I will definitely consider using the text for our next Virtual Assistant course.
Kathy Grove
Manchester Community College
Entrepreneurial Freedom is the book I wish I’d had when I started my company! Clontz and Hidden have created a complete, step-by-step roadmap for starting and growing a successful VA practice, including firsthand advice from industry veterans, an overview of required skills and equipment, a process for determining rates, proven marketing techniques, and sample contracts and forms. Their advice is motivational, cutting-edge, reliable, and easy to follow. The authors give their readers a gentle but firm push in the right direction, such that Entrepreneurial Freedom is an excellent resource for anyone considering a career in virtual assistance.
~ Heather Lee, Principal
design/type
Entrepreneurial Freedom doesn’t make pie-in-the-sky promises to its readers about how easy it is to start and run a VA business, like some VA how-to books do. It cuts to the chase, offering specific advice on how to get and keep clients, communicate with prospective and current customers, and behave in a professional manner while setting reasonable boundaries. This book contains a wealth of resources for business development and insightful perspectives from veteran VA’s.
Nina Feldman, Nina Feldman Connections, consultant, An Expense and Time Worksheet to Help Determine Billing Rate
Wow, what a long and informational read that I highly recommend to anyone starting up a virtual business but specifically those who are thinking of becoming a VA! This took me longer to read than I first anticipated since it was surpassingly thorough and contained heaps of valuable business startup information. I didn’t want to skim through any part of it! This is an excellent source for any new or seasoned Virtual Assistant which will surely be referenced time and time again. It gives you all the practical information needed to get started as a Virtual Assistant including helpful samples documents and contracts. The bonus links and resources at the end of each chapter are a handy addition to this book making future referencing simple and easily available when needed. 166 pages of Virtual Assistant success!
Tawnya Sutherland, a Certified Internet Marketing Specialist, is the Founder of VAnetworking.com and Author of The Virtual Business Startup System, for aspiring and successful Virtual Assistants, Administrative Assistants and Home Based Business Entrepreneurs globally.
As a veteran of the Virtual Assistance (VA) industry, I can absolutely say that this is THE book for VAs. I’ve read most of them and while they touch on many important things, the authors have managed to really capture all of the things you need to know - it doesn’t matter if you are brand-spanking new or looking for a “boost” to get you moving again. If you only read one business book this year, THIS should be the book you read — and have a highlighter handy!
Candy Beauchamp, OffAssist
The book from start to finish kept my interest and I thoroughly enjoyed all the information. It was very easy to read and I especially enjoyed reading the quotes throughout the book from other virtual assistants.
The book definitely takes you from beginning to end without confusion. I had so many questions before reading the book and now feel very confident that I can pursue a virtual assistant business.
The chapter links and resources are very helpful as well as the chapter summaries. In other resource books that I have read in the past, I used a highlighter pen to mark the important sections of the chapter. But this book has made it easier for the reader by having the information summarized at the end.
I also enjoyed reading the survey results and the survey participant’s bios. It was nice to read about others in the field. The other nice thing that was included in the book is the sample documents. It is helpful to have them on hand when first starting out.
I am very happy with my investment in the book and all the resources it provided me. I am thankful for you and Jeannine for writing this book and helping others in this field to become successful.
It has given me a lot of confidence to move forward and know that I am making the right decision in starting my own business.
Cherie L. Smith
Smith Virtual Office
Your book/workbook combo is REALLY impressive and I started reading it last night. I’m really excited about giving FoVA participants access to purchasing such a quality product at the Book Fair. I mean this honestly. What I love about your (and Lauren’s) book is that it is well written and it doesn’t promise the moon without any effort. I can’t stand these “get rich quick” books. Kudos to you both for all of the hard work and heart you put into this piece.
Barbara Lang
Forum Director
Forum on Virtual Assistance
