Danielle Guerin

I’ve been a virtual assistant for almost 8 years now and on a day like today, I am grateful for being a member of a community where many members believe in collaboration instead of competition.

To me, and I think I tweeted about it a while back, when you are being authentic and work with integrity, there is no competition.

I saw a great free information product on an English speaking VA’s site yesterday. It is EXACTLY what I wanted to create. How cool is that? The idea was in my mind but not on paper yet. I could have just taken the document and translate it in French for my clients without telling anyone. It would not have been right and I would have known that it wasn’t mine entirely. And I wouldn’t have gotten the idea for this post.

I took 5 minutes of my time yesterday to write the VA to ask permission for translating the document and I will keep it as intact as possible with the original author’s information. She accepted and I feel this will be the beginning of a great collaboration.

I did not lose anything by asking. In fact, I think I may have won a trusting colleague.

Next time you see something great on another person’s site, instead of just taking it, just ask! The worst that could happen is receiving a NO answer and that would just leave you with the power to create something entirely of your own.