Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA)

ISSUE: May 19th, 2026 What's the Scoop? 💗Tawnya SutherlandYour VANA Founder You know that feeling when you have a question but you don't even know who to ask? That was me — single mom, three kids, building a VA business from my kitchen table with zero roadmap and zero people around me who got it. Every question I had felt bigger than it probably was, simply because I was carrying it alone. That feeling is exactly why VANA exists. And it's why this issue is all about the questions VAs are...

Reader A day in the life of a Virtual Assistant looks different for everyone. But let me tell you about my Tuesday, because it's a pretty good snapshot of what running this kind of business actually feels like. 8 a.m. I'm already at my desk, tea in hand, cat trying to walk across my keyboard, and I've answered three client emails before most people have hit snooze for the second time. By noon I've written a newsletter, scheduled a month of social media posts, and hopped on a Zoom to walk a...

Reader You’ve probably heard a lot about AI lately… But what if you could actually turn AI into something practical that saves you time, improves your workflow, and even becomes a service you offer clients? This Thursday, we’re joined by Bob Sparkins for a FREE training that’s going to open your eyes to a whole different way of using AI in your business. 🎙️ TOPIC: Grow Your VA Business with Claude Skills 📅 Thursday, May 21, 2026⏰ 1 PM Pacific / 4 PM Eastern 👉 Join us live on Zoom at scheduled...

Reader After 20+ years in this industry, I get asked a lot of questions. About rates. About contracts. About finding clients. About niching. About working from home with kids running around. About whether this whole VA thing is even worth it. I've answered these questions thousands of times — in coaching calls, inside the VANA Community, at live events, in my training programs. And I finally thought... why not put them all in one place? So I did. 👉 30 Questions Every Virtual Assistant Asks...

Hi Reader, Real talk — are you still doing the 'post and hope' strategy? You know the one: you share something about your services, then quietly wait for the right client to magically appear. Yeah… I did that too when I started out. It didn't work for me either. 😄 The truth is, clients aren't searching for you — they're searching for solutions to their problems. And that one shift in thinking changes everything about how you show up and get found. I just published a new blog post breaking...

Reader Got questions about your VA business that you’ve been sitting on for too long? Then come hang out with me live tomorrow (Thursday) for a session that’s all about you and the real challenges you’re facing in your business. 🗓 Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026 ⏰Time: 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET 🎤Topic: VA Biz Support Hour — LIVE Q&A with me, Tawnya Sutherland No registration needed — Click here to join us on Zoom at scheduled time This isn’t a presentation.There are no slides. Just real talk,...

ISSUE: April 18, 2026 What's the Scoop? 💗Tawnya SutherlandYour VANA Founder This week, I did something I probably should have done a long time ago. I booked myself in with a new physiotherapist — not because my back is out (thank goodness), but because I don't ever want it to go out again like it did last year. That was not fun. Like, really not fun. But here's the thing that actually got me moving on it — my grandbabies. I want to be able to scoop them up without wincing. I want to sit on...

Hi Reader, I’m going to be honest… I saw the warning about Gmail removing POP months ago and ignored it. I figured it was one of those overly technical notices that didn’t really apply… or would just go away. Then I clicked into their help doc and thought: “Yeah… nope. Too techy. I’ll deal with that later.” Fast forward a bit… I finally looked into it properly. And it turns out — it’s actually pretty simple. If you’ve been using Gmail to pull in your other email accounts (POP), that feature...

Reader If you’ve ever felt stuck competing on price… or struggling to stand out on Fiverr… This week’s free training will show you exactly how to attract better clients on Fiverr 💜 We’re bringing in Fiverr Top Rated Seller, Kinshasia Johnson, to show you exactly how to position yourself as a premium seller — even if you’re just getting started. 🗓 Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2025⏰ Time: 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET🎤 Speaker: Kinshasia Johnson🌟 Topic: How to Position Yourself as a Premium Fiverr Seller...

Reader I told you I’d let you know how my move from ActiveCampaign to Kit (formerly called ConvertKit) went… so here it is — my very first broadcast from the new system. 💜 I went into this fully expecting a bit of a headache. Anytime you switch platforms, there’s usually a learning curve, things don’t transfer quite right, and you end up piecing everything together yourself. That was not my experience here. From the start, I was assigned a dedicated rep who actually project managed the entire...