Posted by Afrivan on July 25, 2010 · 5 Comments
Achievement Award: The VAimpact award is a standing ovation given to individuals or group for outstanding contribution over significant period of time in the VA industry.
Full Name: Alison Mary Fourie 
Business Name: AMF Typing Services cc
Years in Business: 9 Years
Business Website: http://www.amftyping.co.za
Location & Country: Johannesburg, South Africa
Biography- I am married to Dries Fourie with 2 children Katie 12 and Tom 9. I am UK/England born (Sunderland) living in Roodekrans, Roodepoort, Gauteng.
Worked in England for 11 years working for 3 companies. Left England in 1986. All three companies have since gone Bankrupt. Started working at Prudential Insurance Company (Johannesburg, South Africa) in 1986 as a Copy Typist in the Word Processing department, promoted up to Word Processor doing copy typing, typing of reports, spreadsheets, general typing etc. Liberty Life Insurance Company bought out Prudential in 1988, all staff transferred up to Liberty, moved from the Word Processing department into the Secretarial Field as a Junior Secretary, working for an AGM, 3 Team Managers in total 63 staff in the team. Responsibilities included, general office duties etc. Over the years stayed as a Secretary but quickly made promotions to finally Senior Secretary. I have an excellent reputation of being able to handle working for a large group of people using Time Management, Prioritisation and People Management Skills.
Over the years I was given the opportunity to type lots of different types of documents and learn lots of different software, from Flow Diagrams to Desk Top Publishing and various Word Processing packages e.g. MultiMate, Wang, Word Perfect, MS Office etc.
I have experience in: Office Management Document Management Function Organisation Office Administration Telephone Management People Liaison Secretarial Support Database Management Project Administration comprising of: Maintaining schedules for management. Writing and
preparing correspondence for signature by management. Manage supply inventory. Provide management with current schedules. Prepare news articles/current event summary sheet. Distribute mail for management. Perform facsimile and copying as needed. Schedule travel for management. Complete and manage expense reports upon return from travel Manage travel accommodations. Plan and schedule meetings and conferences. Answer phones and forward to appropriate party. Maintain filing system. Manage time and attendance for management. In January 2000 I transferred to Systems/IT Human Resources department as a Senior Secretary/HR Support Co-Ordinator. I was given the opportunity to grow and learn many new tasks.
AMF Typing Services
I helped design, create and maintain a Web Site for the Secretaries of the Liberty Life Group. I initiated that all the secretaries within GIS join the Professional Secretaries Association of SA. I initiated that the secretaries within GIS try to obtain CPS certification (Certified Professional Secretarial Certification in SA).
Over the years I have coached many secretaries in their positions and some have gone into becoming Executive Secretaries within the Liberty Life Group. I have often worked for other departments within Liberty Life apart from GIS because of my reputation of being able to give excellent Secretarial Support and my people management skills.
My responsibilities were: Creating/maintaining databases, Data Entry Recruiting/Staff Management Compiling Stats Internet Research Proof Reading Maintaining Staff/Contractor Database Creating/Documenting/Publishing Policies for HR procedures Prepare Database for Salaries; assisting with compiling/formulating salary increases via Excel. Budget management/forecasting Performance Management Web Design: creating/maintaining HR Department and Liberty Life Secretarial web sites Project Administration Liaise with Staff etc. Taking Minutes at Meetings. Stand in for Executive Secretary working for CEO while she took leave or was absence from the office. I left Liberty Life Group after 14½years (March 2001).
Spent 4 months working in the offices of a Medical Aid Broker learning about the different Medical
Aid Schemes, for experience.
Awards received during my career at Liberty Life: November 1996 – While working at Liberty Life Group I received a very prestigious company award for providing Quality Customer Services in November 1996. Won numerous Quality Customer Services Awards (Individual and Team) for various quality secretarial tasks. Myself and a co-worker won the ‘In Pursuit of Excellence’ award, for 1999 in February 2000. The award is presented annually to an organization that demonstrates quality and support for secretaries, admin/executive assistants and related office professionals. This award was presented by the PSASA (Professional Secretarial Association of South Africa).
Skills: Excellent communication and listening skills Excellent office skills Professional and confidant Committed to establishing long-term partnerships Pro-active Time Management Open- minded Willingness to learn and aptitude to learn quickly Focused Multi-tasks capable Organized Committed to providing a Quality Customer Service Team player Respect Privacy and Confidentiality for each Client
Your current or past contribution to African VA industry
I try to get the word out on a continual basis around South Africa about virtual assistants, its about educating potential clients and business people, by sending out articles, having articles published here and there to keep them informed especially so
in a recession, clients need to know that if they are downsizing they can turn to VAs for assistant. Co running a Forum to keep in touch with VAs around the country, offering advice, help and support as needed to various VAs. Sharing my knowledge with new VAs. Meeting and assisting new VAs on the
procedures to start up a VA business.
Why do you think you deserve this award:
I have worked hard to get where I am in this industry, I have never given up no matter what, even when I had no clients I kept on marketing and advertising and pushing till my break came through, since then I have not looked back. I realised the need to sell my business to clients, to make sure I give a quality service, to make sure I treat each client as my only client. I am very positive about my business and I feel this is part of the reason I am successful as I work at it non stop.
How do you balance work and home life?
By having a very supportive partner. My children understanding that I work full time and respecting me for this. When I am busy the whole family will assist to make things get done. I love to work under pressure.
What is your personal inspirational message to Virtual Assistant in Africa?
Be positive, never give up no matter what, the more positive you are the more good things, will happen to you in your business. Be assertive, pro active, know your Industry, and come across to clients as their equal.
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Alison Fourie Acceptance Speech for Above & Beyond Award
“Dear Topsie and everyone associated with Afrivan, a huge thank you for this award. It is an honour and pleasure to receive it.
It has always been my dream and goal to be able to help, assist, and share my knowledge of experience with Virtual Assistants within South Africa and Africa and to educate businesses, corporate’s and entrepreneurs on the benefits of using Virtual Assistants. It is a growing industry within the country and the more people know about us the better for the new Virtual Assistants starting out. This is an emerging industry within South Africa and Africa and I would like to see it grow in leaps and bounds and for us to be part of the virtual assistant community worldwide. Our virtual assistants need to be taught that this is a career, just like any career in the corporate world.
A virtual assistant can be an asset to a business if there is a good match between Virtual Assistant and client.
A huge thank you to Afrivan for offering this award to me.”
Posted by Afrivan on July 21, 2010 · 4 Comments
Business Business Award: VAimpact award is a standing ovation award for individual, association or Afrivan Ambassador chapters with strong business understanding and development with comparably business management in a country, region or location.
Business Regional Award: 
Full Names: Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn 
Business Name: Be Virtual Assistant Wise
Years in Business: 15 months
Business Website: http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com &
Blog: http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.co.za
Location & Country: Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
Biography- Short Bio: Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn are the leading experts for Virtual Assistants in South Africa and are creating a new, professional standard for the industry. Their organization, Be-Virtual-Assistant-Wise was founded in April 2009 and support aspiring and existing virtual assistants in South Africa with all aspects of establishing and growing a successful virtual assistant business. Their proven practices and professional support shorten the learning curve significantly for new Virtual Assistants and as such facilitate a smoother business start-up process. They have written an e-book on the process and their business success story was featured in 2 major South African women magazines.
They were also nominated to participate in the South African Business Women of the Year 2010 competition.
Francis has a masters degree in Business Administration (MBA), a masters degree in Science (M.sc) and 10 years extensive experience in how to run and manage a business successfully in terms of financial, operational, time and personnel management. When she had to leave her career in South Africa and relocated to Saudi Arabia in 2008, Francis researched the Virtual Assistant Industry and immediately saw an opportunity to help fellow South Africans to start and run their own successful virtual assistant businesses. When returning to South Africa in 2009, she shared her vision: “to increase the awareness of the virtual assistant industry in South Africa” with Marietjie Steyn.
Marietjie an ex Personal Assistant, Real Estate Business owner and Independent Bond Originator working from home for more than 15 years immediately realized that partnering with Francis can be the start of a new era for the virtual assistant industry in South Africa. Marietjie has extensive marketing experience and has successfully built an elaborate client-base for her business. She almost perfected the marketing tool of “Word of Mouth” advertising as most of her clients are referred to her by previous, satisfied customers.
Francis and Marietjie share a burning desire and passion to assist virtual assistants in South Africa to build successful and sustainable virtual businesses and combine their business and marketing experience in doing so.
Your current or past contribution to African VA industry
Be Virtual Assistant Wise opened its virtual doors in April 2009 and is in our eyes the only virtual assistant organization of its kind in South Africa. Be Virtual Assistant Wise addresses the virtual assistant industry from the perspective of the virtual assistant as well as from the business environment in South Africa. Our website is the “One Stop Information Hub” where virtual assistants obtain information on how to start and run a successful virtual assistant business and business owners learn how to make use of the services of a virtual assistant.
Our weekly e-zine, Insight reaches current as well as aspiring VAs who have subscribed to this free newsletter crammed with valuable information and articles about the industry and supporting articles to run a VA business.
Why do you think you deserve the Above & Beyond Award
We deserve the Above & Beyond Award because we are the only organization in South Africa that approaches the virtual assistant industry from two perspectives. We support virtual assistants and educate them on the standards of running a professional services business and we inform and educate the business community in South Africa about the virtual assistant industry and how to make use of the enhanced benefits of outsourcing non-core activities to virtual assistants.
Furthermore, we provide free, one-on one coaching to our premium members ensuring that they are equipped with the knowledge to make a professional stand in the world of virtual assistance.
Why do you think you deserve the Regional Award
Be Virtual Assistant Wise is a professional Virtual Assistant organization with the objective to grow the virtual assistant industry in its entirety in South Africa. We are the leaders in the Virtual Assistant Industry in South Africa because we ensure that BVAW-member Virtual Assistants and aspiring Virtual Assistants are equipped with business contracts that are endorsed by the South African Legal System.
We furthermore wrote an e-book “Jumpstart Your Virtual Assistant Business” jam packed with all the information needed, from making the decision to business planning, marketing and the daily operations involved in running a successful business. By incorporating 15 years of business experience and 6 months of intensive research into Jumpstart, this is a South African based blueprint to starting a virtual assistant business.
Why do you think you deserve the Achievement Award
We deserve the Achievement Award because in the short period of 15 months we accomplished the following:
Both our websites http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com & http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.co.za feature within the Google top ten results for a number of virtual assistant related keywords.
· We grew our members from 0 in July 2009 to 77 active members and 135 forum members.
· We grew our newsletter subscribers from 0 to 210 in the same period.
· We received a number of request for proposals from South African business owners via the system on our website indicating that the business community in South Africa is slowly warming up to the concept of virtual assistance.
· These RFPs furthermore provide our paid members with additional work opportunities.
· One of our members used our professional proposal documentation to secure a huge contract for delivering virtual assistant and concierge services to international clients visiting SA during the 2010 FIFA world cup. Thus indicating that our documentation as well as our one-on-one coaching program compare to international standards.
· The success story of Be Virtual Assistant Wise already featured in 2 leading South African Women’s Magazines. This brought widespread awareness and publicity to grow the industry in South Africa.
· Although only one year in business, the founders of Be Virtual Assistant Wise were nominated to participate in the Business Women of the Year 2010 competition.
How do you balance work and home life?
The corporate and business experience of previous careers schooled us in how to balance work and home life.
The matter of the fact is that it’s a delicate balancing act to ensure that you have time for your family while at the same time running a successful business from home. All role players in our households were involved in setting up a plan that sets boundaries effectively in order to stay focused and productive without neglecting our spouses and children. We focus to stick to the plan and to “BE” in the moment, whether it is at work or with the family.
When we are working we are highly skilled professionals and when we are playing we are the consummate parent and spouse. The key is to stay in the moment and to focus on what you’re doing right now.
What is your personal inspirational message to Virtual Assistants in Africa?
Our message to Virtual Assistants in Africa is to never give up on their dreams. It took South Africa more than 16 years of planning and taking action, before they were able to host the biggest sporting event in Africa the 2010 FIFA world cup. Although Virtual Assistance is still in its infancy in Africa, Virtual Assistants should “keep their eye on the ball”, persevere, do their planning, invest in themselves, put their plans into action, apply what they’ve learned and take it one step at a time in order to grow their businesses. We are positive that Africa with its diversity can become a leader in the Virtual Assistant Industry.
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Francis van Wyk & Marietjie Steyn Acceptance Speech for Regional Business Award
” Wow, what can one say?
When we were nominated by African Virtual Assistants Network (Afrivan) for the Above and Beyond, Regional and Achievement Awards we were delighted and speechless. Being in business for a mere 15 months we felt that Be Virtual Assistant Wise is still in its infancy and the nominations surpassed our expectations.
Being announced as the winners of the VAimpact Business Regional Award is an honour and highlights the fact that the pioneered path of Be Virtual Assistant Wise is noticed and appreciated.
We are humbly honoured and accept the Afrivan Regional Business Award with pride and as proof that we are no longer in our babyhood but are starting to “walk the VA walk”.
Allow us to thank Topsie Egbetokun of AFRIVAN for her devotion to grow the virtual assistant industry in Africa. Topsie, you are a star! All the best for the year ahead and may the VA-relationship in Africa and South Africa go and grow from strength to strength.”
Posted by Afrivan on July 21, 2010 · 4 Comments
Above and Beyond Award: This VAimpact award is a standing ovation award for individual who has worked creatively beyond the expectation of Virtual Assistants in a short period of time in the VA industry.
Winner of 2010 VAimpact Above & Beyond Award
Full Name: Annemarie Robbertse 
Business Name: Admin & Marketing with Wing
Years in Business: 2 years and one month
Business Website: http://sites.google.com/site/adminandmarketingwithwingssite/
Location & Country: Pretoria, South Africa
Biography- Short Bio
I started my career as a typist at Pretoria College (now Tshwane North College for FET). I was responsible for all the Grade 12 Department’s typing, filing and general administration work. I later excelled in typing and typed and designed all the Grade 11 and 12 Study Guides, including Mathematics. While working for the College I studied Management Assistant N6 and completed my Diploma in 2000. After 5 years I moved on to help a friend at her Liquidators firm and for a year I was the Office Manager and responsible for all administration. I also learned the basics of a Liquidators firm such as 1st report to creditors etc.
I was very fortunate that the largest Value Mart in South Africa contacted me and offered me the position as Personal Assistant and Office Manager and I worked there for 3½ years. I gained valuable experience in marketing, finance, operations and management.
In May 2008 I opened Admin & Marketing with Wings and combined my skills and expertise to offer my clients honest and trustworthy services without ever compromising on quality. I am constantly upgrading my skills and that translates into more and better assistance for my clients. My business is growing but is still small enough to care for every client.
Your current or past contribution to African VA industry
I am a member of the Afrivan Forum.
Why do you think you deserve this award
I have helped other Virtual Assistants to start their businesses, to market their businesses and to stay positive when times get tough. My work is my passion and my life. I started a Yahoo group with another Virtual Assistant to train and help new VA’s and to share my knowledge about the industry. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/awesomeadminassist/. I also help VA’s on Skype. I do this free of charge seeing as it doesn’t cost me anything except time. I’ve been in the business for two years now, working all kind of hours to make it work. I’m proud of what I have done.
How do you balance work and home life?
I have set business hours but if a client needs me after hours, I am available. Since I’m working from home, there isn’t any travelling time and I can be with them immediately after work.
What is your personal inspirational message to Virtual Assistant in Africa?
Don’t give up. If you don’t have work, market. Somewhere out there somebody needs you– they just don’t know it yet!
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Annemarie Robbertse Acceptance Speech for Above & Beyond Award
“When I heard I was nominated for the Above & Beyond Award from Afrivan, I was cautiously optimistic. I’ve been in the VA Business for 2 years and one month and knew there are a lot of VA’s out there that do a lot more than I do, deserves it a lot more than I do and that has been in the VA industry longer than I have.
But then I thought about everything I’ve learned over the last two years. I’ve been in the corporate setup for more than 10 years before starting Admin & Marketing with Wings and the skills and expertise I learned in those 10 years helped me enormously. Without them I would be lost. But the majority of my skills and services, I learned in the two years since I start Admin & Marketing with Wings, I learned from other Virtual Assistants, friends and clients. The support I found in the online community was overwhelming. I found new friends that I’ve never met. Clients became friends and friends became clients. Admin & Marketing with Wings is truly a combination of my skills and expertise and “a little help of my friends”.
This award shows me that no matter how tired I am, how small my contribution, how insignificant I think my input is, someone notices it and it means something to someone. You will always get that odd person that will ignore you, put you down and say nasty things. But even if one person notices what you do, that is enough. If I can make a difference in one person’s life, that is enough. This award means that the mentoring and training I’ve been giving to other VA’s has helped them and it has helped me. I have grown as a person and as a VA. I can now offer more mentoring and training, knowing that I’m on the right path, I’m teaching VA’s something that is worth it.
Thank you to Afrivan and everybody who nominated and voted for me. I will strive to continue teaching others, bettering myself and to keep the name of Virtual Assistance high“.
Posted by Afrivan on June 4, 2010 · Leave a Comment
It’s that time again for Afrivan VAimpact award to honor African VAs worldwide for their great work and business contribution. We had it last year and there were few participant and I am hoping all African VAs worldwide get involve to honor great VAs this year.
Login to African Virtual Assistants Network(Afrivan) website to either nominate yourself, busines or nominate someone deserving, all award details can be found at African Virtual Assistants Network-http://afrivan.org/join-us-now/awards/
Deadline for nominate is June 25, 2010 and Winners will be announce by July 26, 2010. Goodluck to everyone.
Afrivan is working on a series of event to be announce later and we looking for speakers on various business topics to be share with VAs. If you have areas you will like to speak on or discuss with Virtual Assistants, click the URL above to fill out a speaker opportunity form and we will contact you. If you also know anyone outside the VA industry, please share with them to share their knowledge and expertise.
Speaking Opportunity: http://afrivan.org/about-us/public-relations/
Posted by Afrivan on June 4, 2010 · Leave a Comment
VAimpact June, 2010 newsletter is now available for everyone to read. In issue we discussion the following.
Editors Corner 
In The News & Events
Business Tips & tricks Business Productivity Tools
Motivational Quotes Humor, Jokes & Puzzle
Work, Life & Balance About Us
VAimpact Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/2aur6hs
We are also looking for bloggers or contributor to become one of our authors for our blog homepage, writing on various topic of expertise or interest, contact me immediately to be considered.
Enjoy June newsletter and we welcome your feedback.
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