בסייד

Yes, yes, I am one of “those” people (from L.A., you know), so I do place value on certain outside-the-box modalities. If that is how you are, too, I’ll share my discoveries with you. I think it may help to determine if we’d be a match. (I’ve created links, so you can read up about it.)

INFJ, aka “The Advocate” (Myers-Briggs)

Eastern (Vedic) Sun: Gemini

Western Sun: Cancer

Life Path: 6

Enneagram: 1

Human Design: Projector

1st Question:  Some say KAVA stands for “Kick Ass Virtual Assistant,” but I prefer “Kosher Administrative Virtual Assistance.” I’ve been blessed by Chabad Rabbis. 😉

2nd Question: בסייד is a Hebrew character acronym that translates to “with the help of Heaven,” or as in Aramaic: b’syata d’shmaya. I strategically placed this on my website as a way to acknowledge that I can only manage my business and my life with Divine assistance. 

Yes! Both monthly retainer and hourly fees are significantly reduced. Please contact me for details.

You have the option of paying me a monthly retainer or by the hour. The monthly retainer fee would be paid at the first of a month for that month’s services and is usually the best option for someone who needs ongoing executive assistance (instagram management or customer relations, as an example) and wants the benefit of delegating ad hoc (random) tasks in addition. The hourly pay would be rendered every week for the previous week’s hours and is sometimes preferable for clients who only need my services once in a while.

* Please ask me about my special rates for charity organisations. 

 Day-to-day is pretty much anything mundane that you hate doing.  Examples could include pesky phone calls to insurance companies, school staff, customer service complaints, shopping for your clients’ or work colleagues’ gifts, researching price comparisons and reviews for special events or products, scheduling appointments, follow-up phone calls, and then some. Project-driven can look like setting up an instagram account, creating email folders, data-entry, locating venues for an upcoming event, setting up a workflow system, Canva designs, and researching of any sort. Bottom line: do you have time for it? Do you love doing it? If you answered no, you need an assistant. 

I work Monday-Fridays until *6:00 pm PST time in the United States. New projects will be tended during weekdays only. I will always give you well-in-advance notice for days or times that I will not be available. I do not work weekends or major holidays, unless there is a deadline I must meet. 

If you have something on your mind that you need to put in “the bucket,” you may text it to my Business WhatsApp number, and you will receive a reply on the next business day.

*Compensations can be made for my clients overseas under special circumstances. 

I do not have any directly related certifications for the work I do, and to be frank, it’s not necessary.  My work history (and current roles), longevity, and testimonials will serve to support my adeptness as your COO (Chief of Other – stuff people don’t want to do). 

I do, however, hold two unrelated certifications that, depending upon one’s perspective, can be effectively applied to most anything:

Life Coach 

Hypnotherapist 

Other than to give yourself more hours in the day? Because I possess skills that cannot be taught. Examples below. 

• Empathy. I possess a high EQ with a keen ability to interpret social cues and put a person at ease.
• Cultured. I relate well to a broad spectrum of individuals and greet each with equality. Otherwise known as “people skills.” 
• Genuine. Unaffected and unpretentious.
• Open-minded. I am willing to learn and develop new skills and modalities.
• Fair and conscientious problem solving.  
• Focused. Keen attention to detail and consistency. 
• Creativity. 
• Resourceful. 
• Critical thinker.  
• Self-starter. 
• Professional. 
• Versatile. 
• Realistic and sharp sense of time-management.

 I proofread and do occasional copy editing (sites, emails, client reports, etcetera), social media/website content in the voice of my client, and editing for random projects. Years ago (pre-software availability), I was hired to redesign, proofread, and copy edit an entire training manual for a non-profit social services entity that served the LGBTQ youth community. 

A psychologist, for whom I did content editing of a clinical case report, gave me the following feedback upon completion:

“Your edits were enlightening and inspiring.   Excellent for someone naive to the lingo facing a wordy verbose thinker in a technically involved field.”

Beyond this, I am a writer and have been applying this to personal projects since 2000. Namely, plays, countless blog posts, and even some poetry.

I have, already in place, a Client-Freelancer Agreement, as well as invoices and receipts. I use Docu-Sign for signatures and dates.

If you pay me before signing the Agreement, that is fine; however, please note that work begins upon signatures and dates.

If a client has opted for a monthly retainer, I encourage a 3-month “Trial Agreement.”  Three months allows ample time to learn the job and develop a relationship that will inform whether or not we are a good fit, as well as to provide time for a 30-day notice for both parties should either wish to discontinue. After the 3-month trial period, the shortest Agreement I encourage is 6 months, and if both parties feel positive about long term, this can extend itself. Agreement can be renewed as often as both see fit.

I do not sign month-to-month Agreements. (Unique conditions may be considered.)

Absolutely! We will negotiate the cost, and with a signed Agreement, I will be paid half up-front, and the other half upon completion of project. 

As a child, I lived in Israel and Sweden, so learnt to fluently speak, read, and write Hebrew and Swedish. As an adult, I lived in Paris for 2 years, and I learnt just enough to get by. Unfortunately, I have forgotten much, so I wouldn’t be comforable taking on assignments that primarly require use of a foreign language.

Side note: I was educated in Europe, so I develeoped a leaning toward British English spelling. Upon request, I am more than willing to alter that. 

ACCEPTABLE METHODS OF PAYMENT: Zelle, Venmo, and ApplePay. 

As a rule, I do not accept PayPal. If this is the only way a client can remit payment, my hourly rate increases by $5 and monthly retainers, depending upon amount, can increase anywhere between $16-$30. This is due to that, regardless of whether or not clients pay using “friends and family,” I get charged a fee. 

If you decide to procure my services before the start of a month, you will be charged $31 per hour until said month begins.

As you will see on my résumé, I have experience in both building and expanding upon new brand instagram accounts, designing layout, creating memes and stories with Canva, lining up posts in accordance with “analytics-informed” best times, creating tailored hashtag sets, ghostwriting captions, and overall follower engagement. I initiate “call-to-action” story ideas, create a series of them, and post regularly. For example “Question of the Day,” which allows followers to respond, and thus, provide topics of interest that my client can discuss in the next podcast or live video.

I have many ideas when it comes to marketing, and if it’s for something I love, even more so. 

I do not, however, offer guarantees to increase followers or “likes.” 

Oh, and as for TikTok? Does the phrase “TikTok Schmiktok” mean anything to you?   That’s my answer.

Although I excel at correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling, I am certainly not above mistakes and using “spell check.” That said, it may be worth noting that I have my MacBook set to British spelling, as having lived abroad as a child, this is how I learnt to spell. I am happy to change that upon request.

I am also very fastidious about double-checking everything! (Famous last words, eh?)

I have the utmost respect for others’ boundaries, and this would manifest itself precisely the way you dictate and with no exceptions. I currently have access to clients’ credit card information, as well as key passwords for all. I also work for a psychologist (Dr. David Hoffman, contact info bottom of Home page), who has handed me client reports to edit, as well as to handle all his family’s medical insurance issues. The latter requires me to know the entire family’s Social Security number.

Whilst I completely understand and sympathise with trust issues, I would like to say that unless you feel safe with me, I would prefer you take another avenue. With respect, I don’t want to be the person you “work that out on.” Please understand – I enjoy my work very much, love my clients, and appreciate the peace I have running my own business., and if I am constantly sensing that I have to prove my ethics, that gets compromised. 

The only thing I can offer you is to go with your internal instincts upon meeting me face to face, contact my references, and read my testimonials. You may contact any of my references for further assurance. Their names and numbers are on the Home page.

Because my goal is to handle tasks to completion without bothering you, I’ve had the good sense to google basic codes when doing any sort of media creation and/or website content editing. Am I a web designer? No. However, looking up a colour code when the shade I want isn’t in the drop-down menu, making clickable links (phone, email, unsubscribe, icons/images, etcetera), and other such basic requirements – these are easy enough to handle with a modicum amount of internet sleuthing.

 I prefer to use my Business WhatsApp account.  Not only does it provide set hours and out of office/new enquiry auto replies, it also offers voice messaging. I find that, with texting (unless it’s a quick, referential mention of something already discussed), too much gets lost in translation. 

I also highly suggest weekly or bi-monthly Zoom check-ins. Especially at the start of our relationship, it’s important to learn each other’s style of communication and get refereshers!

I’m happy to say that this is not my modus operandi. For the most part, I have enjoyed the blessing of working with awesome people who make it easy for me to maintain my end of the bargain – that I will keep a positive attitude. 

That said, I will not renew an Agreement with someone if I sense that I’m losing the joy of what I do.